The severed goblin-head, thrown by the Formian, lay in the dust by the new barricade. It was a message. A taunt. A promise.
You are trapped. We are outside. We own this mountain.
The cavern was a pressure-cooker, and the K'lix-Thra Deep-Hive had just bolted the lid.
Klik stood, his raw-pink, acid-burned body fused to its new, black, E-Rankchitin-armor. His 35 Intelligence was a glacialstorm of rage and cold, calculatinglogic.
His tribe—his thirty remaining subjects—was shattered. They were weeping in the crawlspace-tunnel, a cowering, greenmass of abject terror.
His kingdom was a wreck.
The fire was dying.
The food was gone.
His tank (Bruk) was dying.
His hunter (Snarl) was traumatized.
His overseer (Grik) was paralyzed.
And his [Tribe Quest]clock was ticking.
"The mouse that builds its nest in the cat's ear," his 35 INT rasped, "is either a fool, or a madman."
He was not a fool.
"GRIK!" he roared, his acid-voicecracking like stone.
Grik (Lvl 4), who was staring at the severed head, jumped and prostrated. "K-KING-GOD!"
"WALL!" Klik commanded, pointing his new[Iron-Sharded Mace]at the half-builtbarricade. "FINISH! NOW!"
He limpedpast him, stalking to the crawlspace-entrance. He slammed his maceagainst the stone.
THUD!
"OUT!"
The tribeshrieked and spilledout, fleeinghim.
"WORK!" he roared, pointing at the mountain of rubblehehadcreated. "BUILD! OR THEYCOME BACK!"
He didn'tneed to specifywho"they"were.
The image of the severed headdidhis work for him.
Fear was the greatestmotivator.
The tribe, starving and terrified, chosework.
A frantic, disorganized, terrifiedarmy of buildersemerged.
"GRIK!" Klik snarled. "TEACH!"
Grik, his 4-INT shining, understood. He was King's-Hand. He was Construction-Master!
"MOVE, STUPID!" Grik screamed, smacking a Lvl 2 with the flat of his spear. "BIG. ROCKS. BOTTOM! KLIK-GOD SAID!"
The wallgrew.
It was ugly. It was uneven. But it was thick. They used the sticky, sulfuricslag from the Slug-corpse as a crudemortar, their [Primitive-Crafting]skillsadapting.
Klik watched them work, his mindchurning.
The wallwouldstopthem. For now.
But Objective 2... [Establish a Larder] (3/20).
They were starving. Now.
He turned to Snarl (Lvl 5). She was huddled by the dyingfire, clutching the [Iron-Tipped Spear] she had looted. She was shaking, traumatized by her failedhunt.
"HUNT-MASTER," Klik hissed.
She flnched.
"HUNT."
She looked at the barricade. She looked at the severed head.
She shook her head, whimpering. "...Ants... King-God..."
"NO. ANTS." Klik snarled. He grabbed her head, his raw, pink, armor-stitchedclawsgentle but firm. He forced her to look at him.
"YOU. HUNT." He pointed at the barricade. "YOU... SMART."
His 35 INT pouredstrategy into her4-INTmindviasimple, brutalcommands.
"ANTS... SMELL US. ANTS... WATCHTHISHOLE."
He let go of her.
"YOU. DO NOTUSETHISHOLE."
Snarl lookedconfused. But... only... hole...
Klik smiled. A horrible, raw, skinlessgrin.
He turnedhis back on the Barricade.
He faced the mountain-of-rubblehehadcreated. The wall that blockedhis oldWorkshop.
"WE... MAKE... NEWHOLE."
He activated his Lvl 10Class Skill.
"[Analyze Structure (Lesser)]!"
Mana-Cost: 5.
His 31 Perception scanned the rubble-pile.
[Scanning... Target: [Cave-In Rubble (Limestone)]...]
[Analysis: [Unstable (High)], [Rubble (Junk)], [Dust (Hazard)]...]
[...STRUCTURAL-WEAKNESS DETECTED!]
[...Behind the rubble... a [Hollow Wall] is detected!]
[Analysis: A pre-existingtunnel-system has been blockedbyyourcave-in!]
His heart, a small, cold, goblin-heart, thudded in his fused-onarmor.
"When God closes a door, he opens a window."
He had buried his window. And found a newdoor.
"BRUK!"
The crippled, Lvl 5brutegroaned, dragging himself forward on his one good arm.
"...King... God..."
"STRONG," Klik said, pointing at Bruk'sgoodarm.
"MACE," Klik said, pointing at the [Iron-Sharded Mace]clutched in Bruk'shand.
"HIT!" Klik roared, pointing at a specific, largeboulder in the rubble-pile—the keystoneblocking the [Hollow Wall].
Bruk's 3-INT mindlit up. Hit?Hittingwasgood!
"BRUK... HIT!" he roared.
He dragged himself to the wall. He raised his mace with his one good arm.
He slammed it down.
WHAM!
His 7-STR, plus his permanent[-10% Burn-Debuff]... was notenough.
The rockshuddered.
The tribe, seeingwhat he was doing, gasped. He wasmad! He wasbreakingthecaveagain!
"AGAIN!" Klik screamed.
WHAM!
A crack!
"AGAIN!"
WHAM!
Grik and Snarljoined in, stabbing at the cracks with their spears.
"AGAIN!"
KRRRA-THOOOM!
The bouldersplit. It shattered.
It fellinward.
And revealed...
...a hole.
A newtunnel. Black. Silent.
A rush of newairpouredout of it.
It smelled... different.
NotAnts. NotAsh.
It smelled... damp. It smelled of mildew. It smelled... of fungus.
Snarlgasped.
Her [Lesser Scent-Hunter]flared.
Her nosetold her everything.
Rats. Cave-Rats. Big-Ones. (Lvl 2-3).
Glow-Cap Shrooms. (Food).
Water. Clean-Water. (Drink).
It was paradise.
She looked at Klik. Her yelloweyesshining with awe.
He hadn'tjustfoundfood.
He had smashedaholeintheworld... and created a newhunting-ground.
"Snarl," Klik rasped, his voicequiet. "Hunt-Master."
He pointed at the new, dark, safehole.
"[Establish a Larder]. Go."
Snarl didn'tneed to be told.
She grabbed her spear. She grabbed her five-goblinhunting-party.
"HUNT!" she chittered, hervoicefull of newauthority. "FOR KLIK-GOD! FOR FOOD!"
They plungedinto the newtunnel.
Part 3: The Completion of Logic
Klik turnedback to his tribe.
They werestarving. Butnow... they hadhope.
"GRIK!"
"KING-GOD!"
"FINISH. THE. WALL!"
The tribeworked.
The Barricadegrew.
Objective 1: [Establish a Barricade] (100/100%)!
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION: [Tribe Quest] objective updated!]
[Objective 1: [Establish a Barricade]... COMPLETE!]
[Your [Barricade (Common)] is now a permanent, recognizedStructure! It providesminor-comfort and [Fear-Reduction] to allalliedgoblinsbehind it!]
A smallgreen-bufficonappearedovereverygoblin'shead.
They felt it. The primal, coweringterror... lessened.
They weresafe.
They cheered.
An hourlater...
Snarlreturned.
Her party was draggingamountainofcorpses.
Fifteen[Giant Cave-Rats (Lvl 3)].
Two[Giant Black-Moths (Lvl 1)].
And... one... [Rock-Lizard (Lvl 4)].
They dumped the pile at Klik'sfeet.
3 + 18 = 21.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION: [Tribe Quest] objective updated!]
[Objective 2: [Establish a Larder] (21/20 creature-corpses)... COMPLETE!]
[Your [Larder] is established! Allstored-foodin this cavernwillnowdecay20%slower!]
The tribeROARED in triumph.
Food!
Grikand his new[Primitive-Cooking]teamdescended on the pile, whooping.
They lit the fire. They beganthe feast.
And the SystemspoketoKlik.
[QUEST: "The Logic of the Lair"... COMPLETE!]
[All objectives met. You have Imposed your Logic upon the Chaos. You have built a fortress. You have fed your people. You have created a hierarchy.]
[REWARDS ISSUED!]
1) [Tribe Skill: Obedience (Lvl 1)] has been GRANTED!
Your Tribe gains a permanent +1 INT and resists the [Cowardice] passive when you are present. (Note: This uplifts most of your tribe from 3 INT to 4 INT).
2) [Evolutionary Catalyst (Lesser)] x 1 has been addedtoyourinventory!
3) 500 EXP (Tribe) has been distributed!
A wave of golden-lightwashedover the entiretribe.
Grik gasped.
Bruk groaned (in joy).
Snarl hissed (in pleasure).
The entiretribeleveled-up.
The Lvl 2sbecameLvl 3. The Lvl 3sbecameLvl 4.
And his Lieutenants...
[Subject [Grik] (Lvl 4) -> (Lvl 5)!]
[Subject [Bruk] (Lvl 5) -> (Lvl 6)!]
[Subject [Snarl] (Lvl 5) -> (Lvl 6)!]
The entirecavernchanged.
The idiots... were lessidiotic.
The cowards... were lesscowardly.
They looked at Klik, who stood by the fire, his fused-armorgleaming, his raw-pinkskinsteaming in the heat.
He wasGod. He wasKing.
He hadbrought them safety (the wall).
He hadbrought them food (the new-hole).
He hadbrought them power (the level-ups).
Klik looked at the [Evolutionary Catalyst]glowing in his hand.
It was a small, grey, pulsatingstone.
[Evolutionary Catalyst (Lesser)]
Description:Arareconsumable. Whengiven to a1st-Evolutionmonster(Max Lvl 20), willguaranteeachoiceof3pathsfortheir2nd-EvolutiononcetheyhittheLvl 20cap.
(System Note: Without aCatalyst, a 1st-Evolution monsterwillevolverandomlybased onitsEssence-Profile, ornotat all.)
(System Note: Experience gained after hitting the Lvl 20 cap without meeting Evolution-Conditions is WASTED.)
Klik finallyunderstood.
This was the key.
This was the prize.
He looked at his threeLieutenants.
Grik (Lvl 5, 4 INT, Craft-Master, Loyal).
Bruk (Lvl 6, 7 STR, Cripple-Tank, Loyal).
Snarl (Lvl 6, [Scent-Hunter], Loyal).
He onlyhadone.
Whowouldhechoose?
Whowouldbethefirst?
His 35 INT weighed the options.
The Craft-Master? The Tank? The Hunter?
His kingdomneededall three.
But it neededfoodfirst.
He made his decision.
He stalkedover to Snarl, who was eating the roasted[Rock-Lizard]—herkill.
He heldout the glowing, greystone.
"SNARL."
She looked up, her mouthgreasy.
"YOU. FIRST."
He pressed the [Evolutionary Catalyst]intoherhand.
"BECOME. STRONG."
Snarl looked at the stone. She felt its power.
She looked at Grik and Bruk... who lookedback... jealous.
She looked at Klik.
She swallowed the stone.
[Subject [Snarl] has consumed the [Evolutionary Catalyst (Lesser)]!]
[Subject [Snarl] is now [Primed-for-Evolution]! Upon reaching Lvl 20, she will be given a Choice!]
A new System-Note flashed only in Klik's vision, confirming the rules of this new, critical path.
[SYSTEM NOTE (Host [Klik]): [Primed] subjects must reach the Lvl 20 (1st Evolution) Cap. All Evolution-Conditions (e.g., [Catalyst], [Essence-Profile]) must be met at that time to evolve. Experience gained after hitting the Lvl 20 cap without meeting conditions is WASTED.
[Upon successful Evolution to 2nd-Stage, the subject's level will reset to Lvl 1 (2nd Evolution), with a new Lvl Cap of 50.*]*
The racewas on.