Leather and cloth knit together to form a simple pair of trousers and a plain tunic. I had to use the soldier's clothing as a reference, but I'm proud of my work. Hopefully they'll fit Gu properly.

  Yes, that's right, I named my first gremlin Gu. It's a fitting name!

  I move on from clothing to carving out a proper living space for Gu. He gets a neat little bedroom, complete with a pillowy cushion made of cloth and filled with feathers. I add a bathroom connected to the bedroom. The toilet is basically just a chute that leads way down into a septic chamber. Hopefully I can teach Gu to use it properly.

  To ensure Gu has enough enrichment I also create a little communal play area. It gets some wooden tables and stools--sized for gremlins--as well as some toys. The toys are mostly things like wooden letter blocks, primitive stuffed animals, and jigsaw puzzles.

  With all of this prepared, it's time to introduce Gu to his new home.

  I remove the bars and enter my body. Sitting up, I grab the bundle of clothing meant for Gu to wear. I can hear his claws on the stone floor as I walk back to the lab. He perks up as I approach.

  "Gu?"

  "Hey, Gu. I brought you a gift: clothes!"

  "Gu gu?"

  Offering him the clothing gets me a clueless stare. Seeing he doesn't understand, I carefully approach him. He lets me get close enough for me to touch him.

  "You wear it, like this."

  I take the robe I'm wearing and pull it off. Gu watches me with his head tilted, like a curious dog. I demonstrate how to put clothing on as I dress myself again.

  "Now, you try?"

  "Gu!"

  Gu snatches the clothing out of my hands and practically tears the fabric as he pulls it on. The little tunic fits him perfectly, making him look extra adorable. The trousers also give him some much needed modesty. He smiles, standing proud in his clothes.

  "Great job! You look awesome, Gu," I clap my hands.

  "Gu gu!" He says triumphantly.

  Now it's time to show him his new bedroom. I offer my hand to him, and he takes it without hesitation. I smile a bit as I guide Gu out of the lab and down into the gremlin living area. We first enter a new corridor, multiple spots for rooms on each side. I pull him into the only room currently ready--his bedroom.

  "This is your bedroom. I figure you'll spend most of your time either here or the playroom."

  I turn to watch Gu as I gently release his hand. He sniffs the air, shuffling cautiously around the room. His clawed hand gently pokes his bed. He perks up at the softness of it.

  "Do you like it?"

  "Gu gu gu!"

  Smiling, I watch as Gu leaps onto his bed. The soft feather filled cushion squishes beneath him. He looks immensely happy with how it feels to sit and lay on. A resounding success for gremlin mom!

  I fail to keep myself from smiling as I watch.

  "I'm glad you like it, Gu!"

  ~

  My feet ache as I wait patiently outside Lord Fredrick's office. He is a busy man. Busy enough to make even me wait.

  "Come in," He finally says.

  I open the door. Inside is a space decorated with taxidermy animals and oil paintings. Books line the shelves, and the floor, and the desk. Lord Fredrick has always been a bit of a scholar.

  "Greetings, Lord Fredrick."

  "Yes, and to you as well. What have you got for me?"

  "Well, Lord, I'm afraid I don't know how to define it."

  Lord Fredrick gives me a critical look. He purses his lips into a thin line, and leans forward across his desk. If I didn't know better I'd worry he was preparing to fire me.

  "I'm intrigued. Expound."

  I nod and start talking "We tracked three well known criminals to what we thought was a cave hideout. It was not."

  Furrowing his brows, Fredrick gestures for me to get on with it. I oblige.

  "The cave was unnatural. It felt more like being in a tomb than a cave, except there were no corpses or coffins."

  Fredrick looks a little surprised.

  "This cave, how dilapidated was it? Was there any water flowing through it, how much vegetation?"

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  "Well, frankly it was pristine. I never saw a crack in the wall, much less a plant growing in it."

  "What?"

  Stiffening up at Lord Fredrick's tone, I shake my head. I don't know what he wants me to say.

  "It is exactly as I said, Lord."

  He exhales through his nose.

  "Continue."

  I nod appreciatively before continuing my report.

  "We also found a... well, a wooden chest, filled with foreign coinage. They're all copper."

  Lord Fredrick's eyebrows shoot up, but he doesn't interrupt me, so I continue.

  "The strangest thing was the lights. There were several glowing square rocks, which we took back with us."

  I pull out the glowing rock to show Lord Fredrick. His eyes are wide as saucers as he looks at the glowing stone. It's shockingly bright compared to a lantern or candle, and consistent as well. I'm sure he's running through all the logistical uses for the glowing rocks right now.

  "Get me a horse."

  I blink "Pardon?"

  "I said fetch me a horse, damn it! I want to see this wondrous place immediately!"

  Lord Fredrick practically pushes me out of his office in an effort to get out the door as fast as possible. Saying this is not the reaction I expected would be an understatement.

  ~

  I'm in the middle of trying to teach Gu how the potty works when I feel goosebumps on the back of my neck. It's like something is crawling on my nape, but when I check there is nothing there.

  "I-I will be right back Gu!"

  "Gu gu?"

  Turning away from Gu, I run out of the room and up the corridor. It only takes me a few seconds to get to my core room. I grab ahold of my core--and leave my body.

  My first instinct is to check the surface, and what I find shocks me. I would likely have fainted if not for being a disembodied consciousness. There is a veritable army marching above me. Countless soldiers march in clusters, banners depicting a quill and a sword crossed fly above them. One man in regal armor stands above the rest on a mountain of a horse.

  This can not be good!

  I can't send Gu into this deathtrap of a military force, so I need to come up with something fast! Traps? I need more than I can count. Monsters? I need violent bloodthirsty ones.

  Unable to modify anything above my core room--due to the soldiers' presence--I instead move deeper below the earth. I create a plunging cylindrical shaft, stairs spiraling down the sides of it. The center of the shaft is left empty so that anyone unfortunate to be knocked off will plummet to the bottom.

  I need lethal efficiency if I'm going to keep over a hundred well equipped men at bay--even if it's not my preferred style.

  Using the stairwell's design to my advantage is the crux of my plan. To do this with a trap, I create thin tripwires connected to buckets of oil. That wire snaps? Oil, splattering all over the stairs and the intruder.

  If I knew how to make fancy pistons or pressure plates, I would have. The tripwire and a balanced bucket is thankfully within my skill set.

  The sound of the soldiers pitching tents and hammering stakes into the soil carries through the ground. I shiver at the thought of how my cave will look when filled with that horde.

  Shaking off the thought of invasion, I move on to creating a monster to defend this stairwell. It can't be something as sweet and lovely as Gu--instead it should be stupid and cruel. Hopefully that will make me feel less guilt when it inevitably dies.

  I start molding a little sculpture like I did with Gu. The creature gets grippy feet like a gecko, to help it not fall off the narrow stairs. It also gets rather thick brown skin meant to mitigate the damage of arrows and swords. Finally, I give the creature a blunt wide head that can serve as a viable battering ram in a pinch.

  I dub thee, bullhead gecko.

  Three bullhead geckos are born in quick succession. I only stop making them because my core is nearly empty. Biting my metaphysical nails, I expend the last of my energy to create some edible creeping vines and lantern stones for my bullhead geckos.

  My attention flits to the top of my cave where I see the soldiers pushing deeper. They're entering as a squad of ten, with the regal looking man near the front of the group.

  Here they come.

  ~

  My eyes dart from Lord Fredrick to the dark tunnel ahead. We are using torches instead of those 'lantern stones' so as to save a valuable commodity. Lord Fredrick is convinced they will fetch a high price in any market.

  "I can see how they perished... that is a nasty fall."

  "Yes, the fools met a fitting end."

  Two junior soldiers carefully lay down plank bridges, ensuring the deadly pitfalls are covered up. I lead Lord Fredrick further in. The boards creak eerily underfoot, but they hold. Beyond this corridor is a spiral staircase.

  "I'm curious how deep this place goes. Do you think it can compete with Daywark's mines?"

  "Not sure. We haven't explored that much of it, Lord."

  "I hope it's at least half as deep as the mines! I don't get adventure like this, normally."

  Silence settles over us like a blanket as we descend the spiral staircase. It connects to a corridor much like the last, except this one has a criminal's corpse in it and no pitfall traps.

  I gesture to the body "You two, clean that up."

  "Yes, Captain Dirk!" They reply in unison.

  Lord Fredrick gives the body a passing frown as he steps past it. I hold my lantern aloft, ensuring the light illuminates the narrow passages ahead. There are many paths here--like a maze.

  "A labyrinth. Hah. Perhaps that's what we should call this place?"

  I shake my head "I think it's more of a dungeon, really."

  Chuckling, Lord Fredrick nods.

  "Right! A dungeon it is, then."

  The floor here is untrustworthy. We figure this out when I nearly fall into a deadly pit of spikes. One such pitfall is already filled by the third and final criminal's corpse. A deserved fate for the sod, I say.

  A few turns later, and I spot the glow of a light up ahead. I give Lord Fredrick a quick look before approaching. It's a corridor, long and devoid of any traps. It ends in a cylindrical room, the edges of it lined with steps that wind down. Countless lantern stones decorate the walls here. My jaw drops as I lean forward to see the deepest pit I've ever laid eyes on.

  "L-Lord Fredrick, I think this place is deeper than the mines!"

  "What? Preposterous, it can't be-"

  Lord Fredrick's words die in his throat once he joins me near the edge of the room. It's a breathtaking sight, leafy vines climbing the walls of the vertical passage. There are distant echoing sounds of something moving. It's hard to tell what.

  "I think there may be someone down here with us."

  Frowning, Lord Fredrick steps closer to the edge. He cups his hands around his mouth and calls out.

  "Show yourself, or face imprisonment by the order of Lord Fredrick of Daywark!"

  Lord Fredrick's voice echoes down the shaft for a long moment. When it stops, he lets out an exasperated sigh.

  "Perhaps I just heard a mouse?"