The sun filtered in through the dusty clouds as the tribe stirred to life. Smoke curled lazily from cooking fires, and in the courtyard near Kaoshi's stone house, Grahn and Dohz sat beside one another, eyes squinting toward the tribe's gathering area. Dohz's brow furrowed as he repeated a word under his breath.
"Wa... ter. Water," he said haltingly.
Grahn nodded and mimicked him, though his tongue fumbled the consonants. "Wa-tur."
Jinling passed by and slowed, watching them with interest. Grahn looked up.
"Good... water," Grahn said, offering the half-empty gourd they'd been given that morning.
"You're getting better," Jinling said with a grin, tapping the side of his own water skin. "Soon, you'll be telling jokes."
Dohz tilted his head. "Jokes?"
Grahn grunted. "...Not yet."
They shared a quiet laugh — clipped and awkward, but genuine.
Over the past few days, their speech had evolved from barely recognizable fragments to slow, deliberate sentences. Many of the tribe members were cautiously curious. Some brought food and repeated the names of fruits and meat. Others watched from a distance.
Kaoshi observed from her doorway, arms folded, as Chaoang sat with Chow Chow under the tree, helping Chao Lie sort through red fruit cores for planting. It was peaceful, if tenuous.
Later that afternoon, Grahn and Dohz walked together toward the elders' circle, having requested an audience. They moved slowly, shoulders tensed. Dohz's speech was slightly more fluid than Grahn's, but both had practiced for this.
The elders, including Chief Wu and Elder Hong Xi, gathered beneath the tall watchtree.
Jinling stood to the side, arms crossed, eyes sharp but unreadable.
Grahn bowed stiffly, as he had been taught. Dohz followed, then cleared his throat.
"We... want... speak," he said. "Tell truth. Home... where we from."
The elders exchanged brief glances.
"Go ahead," Chief Wu said.
Dohz turned to Grahn and nodded.
Grahn hesitated. "We... from caves. Deep down. Tribe of stone. No sun. No sky."
Elder Huo raised a brow. "A subterranean tribe?"
"Yes. We call... Bresh'tok," Dohz said, carefully enunciating. "Live below... generations. Tunnels. Caverns. Roots. Water."
"Why come here?" asked Hong Xi, voice cool.
Dohz looked down, fists clenched.
"Attack," Grahn said. "Rival tribe. Different tunnel. Name... Rak'hor. They... stronger. Many. Fire claws. Take... all."
"They enslaved your people?" Wu asked, leaning forward.
"Yes," Grahn said with bitterness. "All. Elders. Cubs. Leaders. Taken."
The courtyard had fallen silent. Even distant voices had quieted. Kaoshi straightened at the edge of the crowd.
Dohz continued. "We... fought. Lost. Escaped. Injured. Found mountain... then tribe."
Chief Wu sat back slowly, face unreadable. "Do you believe others from your tribe still live?"
Grahn nodded firmly. "Yes. Bresh'tok do not die. We bend. Serve. But live."
A heavy pause settled over the circle.
Then Elder Min, quiet until now, asked, "If this Rak'hor grows bold enough to conquer other underground tribes... what stops them from surfacing?"
Grahn exchanged a look with Dohz.
"Soon," Dohz said. "They... hungry. Not enough below."
Kaoshi's stomach tightened.
Wu's voice was grave. "You believe the surface is their next step?"
"Yes," Grahn said. "We are warning."
The elders turned to each other, expressions dark with concern. For all their strength, the Black Market Tribe had never prepared for threats from beneath the earth.
Elder Hong Xi folded his arms. "You speak well. But this could be fear speaking. Why now?"
Grahn met his gaze. "Because... we trust."
"Trust takes time," Hong Xi replied.
"Yes," Dohz agreed. "We wait. But... wanted say truth."
Wu stood. "That's enough for now. We'll speak again."
Grahn and Dohz bowed again and stepped back, the crowd parting to let them through. As they passed, they caught sight of Kaoshi. Her eyes met Grahn's, and for the first time, he offered a quiet, tired smile.
They walked on.
Later, as the sky deepened into gold, Kaoshi sat alone beside the fire, watching the cubs play. Her mind was racing. The system had grown more active since the five-star mission's success. She hadn't spoken of it to anyone — not even Jinling — but the options before her had evolved.
With a flick of intent, she summoned the System Mall.
It opened in her inner vision like a grid of glowing icons, simple and elegant. Sections split into categories: food storage, crafting tools, medicine, luxury items, and more — all exchangeable with her hard-earned system points. She had 150 points now.
She tapped into "Tools."
Basic pottery kit — 25 points.
Stone grinder set — 20 points.
Advanced stitching needles — 15 points.
Too many choices. Too little context.
Then her finger hovered over another glowing tab: Fusion Preview.
This one pulsed faintly. She tapped it.
A small interface opened, showing two silhouette icons side by side. Text appeared:
> Combine compatible materials, abilities, or beast soul traces to preview potential fusions.
Warning: Fusion available only with corresponding catalyst or mission-based unlocks.
Preview-only — no commitment.
Kaoshi blinked. The system had moved into crafting and genetics now?
She ran a mental test — selecting dried red fruit and a pinch of wild honey.
A new option shimmered: Fermented Fruit Elixir — stamina recovery, minor nourishment bonus.
Then she tried fusing Chow Chow's healing touch with a spare beast soul trace she'd earned in the mission.
The screen locked.
> Requirements not met. Fusion restricted to evolution tier 2 or higher.
So, it was there — tantalizing but not ready yet. Still, even seeing it let her plan.
The smell of cooked meat pulled her thoughts back to the fire.
Across the courtyard, Grahn sat beside a young male from the cat tribe. They were awkwardly pointing at objects — stone, fire, leaf — and naming them aloud.
Grahn repeated slowly. "Leef."
"Leaf," the boy corrected, smiling.
"Leaf," Grahn nodded, then grinned.
Dohz, meanwhile, was helping lift a water barrel with two other males. His movements were sharp, efficient. The wolf beastman beside him clapped him on the back when they finished.
Kaoshi's heart softened.
Progress.
Not fast. Not deep. But real.
As the fire died down and the cubs nestled in, Kaoshi felt a shift in the air. The tribe had heard a warning today. They'd seen newcomers struggle to be seen as more than burdens. And they'd started, slowly, to listen.
There would be more to come — danger, politics, maybe war — but for now, there was space to breathe.
And that mattered.