This chapter begins with a recap of the Lair's key personnel and their current status, as the siege commences.
[STATUS RECAP: THE KLIK-KIN HIERARCHY]
Host: Klik (The King)
Level: 15 (1st Evolution)
Rank: F-Rank (Peak)
Class: [Field Scavenger] Lvl 10 (1st Evo Cap!)
Stats (Crippled):
STR: 15 (Base 17 - 2 Debuff)
AGI: 17 (Base 19 - 2 Debuff)
STA: 19
INT: 36
PER: 32
MANA: 16
Debuff: [Fused E-Rank Armor] (-2 STR, -2 AGI; +70 DEF, +20 Acid Resist).
Key Skills: [Analyze Structure Lvl 1], [Weapon-Tinker Lvl 1], [Armor-Tinker Lvl 1], [Refine Material Lvl 1], [Trap Crafting Lvl 2], [Acid Spit Lvl 1].
Quests: [The Logic of Creation (Class Evo)], [Defend the Lair! (URGENT)].
Lieutenant 1: Snarl the Grave-Stalker (The Hunter)
Level: 1 (2nd Evolution)
Rank: E-Rank (Lower)
Stats (Base):
STR: 18
AGI: 28
STA: 20
INT: 4
PER: 24 (Scent-Based)
Key Skills: [Scent-Hunter (E-Rank)], [Lesser-Stealth (Passive)], [Bone-Crushing-Jaw (Active)].
Equipment: [Goblin-Forged Acid-Tip Spear (F-Peak)].
Lieutenant 2: Bruk (The Guard)
Level: 10 (1st Evolution)
Rank: F-Rank (Peak)
Stats (Crippled):
STR: 9 (Base 10 - 10% Debuff)
AGI: 4 (Base 5 - 10% Debuff)
STA: 9 (Base 10 - 10% Debuff)
INT: 3
PER: 4
Traits/Debuffs: [E-Rank Burns (Severe)], [Crippled Limb (Left Arm)], [Fire-Scarred (Lesser)].
Key Skills: [Mace-Fighting (Basic) Lvl 3], [Toughness (Lvl 1)].
Equipment: [Iron-Sharded Mace (Common)], [Melted-Chitin-Shield (Fused/Junk)].
Lieutenant 3: Grik (The Hand)
Level: 10 (1st Evolution)
Rank: F-Rank (Peak)
Stats:
STR: 6
AGI: 7
STA: 7
INT: 6
PER: 6
Key Skills: [Primitive-Crafting (Lvl 3)], [Spear-Fighting (Basic) Lvl 2].
Equipment: [Chitin-Edged Bone Spear (Common)].
The Tribe (The Rabble):
Count: ~29 Goblins.
Average Level: Lvl 4. Lowest Level: Lvl 3.
Buff: [Tribe Skill: Obedience (Lvl 1)] (+1 INT, Resists [Cowardice] near Klik).
THUDOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
The world ended.
The sound was not a sound. It was a physicalblow.
The [Common-Grade Barricade], a monument to goblin-terror and Klik'sfurious, crippledwill, disintegrated. The six-ant-poweredbattering-rampunchedthrough the [Unstable]keystone.
A five-foot, jaggedholeexplodedinward.
Stone-shrapnel and dustblastedthrough the cavern, hissing as it flew.
The tribescreamed.
It was not a whimper. It was not a cry. It was a single, unified, thirty-goblinSHHHHRRRIIIIEEEEEEKK! of pure, existentialterror. The [Cowardice]passiveslammedinto them, erasingallthought, alltraining.
They broke.
They dropped their [Shoddy-Shivs]. They dropped their [Cave-Rat-Meat].
They fled, a green, stampedingwave of panic, clamberingovereach other, clawing at the walls, trying to digtheir waybackinto the solid-rockrubble of the crawlspace.
Chaos.
And through the breach, through the choking, whitedust... theycame.
Click-SKRAK!
The hiss of the Lvl 15 Formian Leader.
(Translation: "...Kill. Them. All...")
"OBEDIENCE!"
Klik's voicerippedthrough the cavern.
It was not a shout. It was a command. A [System-Skill]command.
The [Tribe Skill: Obedience (Lvl 1)]flared, a faint, green, psychicleash that snappedtaut.
The stampedestalled. The goblinsfroze, whimpering, theirbodiesshakingviolently, their4-INTmindsatwarwiththeirowninstincts.
Terror-of-GodcollidedwithTerror-of-Ants.
Terror-of-Godwon.
"TO THE FIRE!" Klik roared, pointing with his [Iron-Sharded Mace]. "NOW!"
They fled, butthis time, withpurpose. They scrambledbehind the Great Bonfire, theirassigneddefensive-position.
The trapwas set.
The first[Formian-Skirmisher (Lvl 12)]leaptthrough the breach, its [Iron-Tipped Spear]level.
"GRIK!" Klik hissed.
"K-KING-GOD!"
"CALTROPS!"
Grik (Lvl 10) didn'thesitate. HewasKing's-Hand. Hewas[Obedient]. He grabbed the heavy, woven-basketfull of [Iron Caltrops (Common)] and sprinted, his[Primitive-Crafter]teamrightbehindhim.
They flung the contentsacross the floor, 10 feetin front of the breach.
SKITTER-SKRATTLE-CLACK!
A thousandsharp, ironpointslittered the stonefloor. A carpet of razor-sharp, tetanus-inducingpain.
The firstFormianskidded to a halt, its 10-INTprocessing the [Common-Grade]trap. It hissedawarningto the antsbehind it.
Layer One: Complete.
The Formianprodded the caltropswithitsspear.
It wassmart.
"BRUK!" Klik screamed. "TAR!"
Bruk (Lvl 10), his charred, one-armedbodyproppedagainst the wall, roared. It wasasound of pure, agonizinghate. Hehatedfire. Hewouldgivefire.
With hisone good arm (his 10-STRbase, reduced to 9 by burns), he heaved a [Crude Tar-Pot].
It flew, wobbling, an ugly, clumsyarc.
The Formiansawit. Its 18-AGI wasfast. It raised its arm...
...to blockwith a net.
It wasn'tfastenough.
SPLAT!
The potshattereddirectlyonto its chest.
Sticky, black, flammablegoodouseditand the twoSkirmisherscrowdingbehindit.
They hissed, confused, trying to scrape the viletaroff.
"GRIK!"
Grikwaswaiting. He snatched a burning, hissing[Charred-Roach-Husk]from the bonfire. He hurled it like a stone.
It landedon the tar-soakedFormian-leader.
FWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMPH!
The breachignited.
A horrific, chittering, high-pitchedscreamtorethrough the air as the threeFormiansbecameliving, sticky-tartorches. They flailed, crashingintoeach other, meltingtheir ownarmorandfleshbefore they died.
[You have slain a [Formian Skirmisher (Lvl 12)]!] [10 EXP!]
[You have slain a [Formian Skirmisher (Lvl 12)]!] [10 EXP!]
[You have slain a [Formian Skirmisher (Lvl 13)]!] [12 EXP!]
The assaultstalled. The stench of cooked-ant and tarfilled the air.
The Quest-Logflashed. (3/20 Killed).
Layer Two: Complete.
The Lvl 15 Formian Leader, outside the wall, hissed in fury.
Click-skrak-THRA! (Translation: "...FOOLS!PUSH!PUSHTHROUGHTHEFLAME...*")
The Formiansweredisciplined. Morethangoblins.
They didn'tstop.
FourmoreSkirmishersleaptthrough the flaming, tar-slickedhole, their[Chitin-Plating]sizzling, theirspearsready.
They ignored the flames.
They landed...
...directlyon the [Iron Caltrops].
SKRREEEEEEEEE!
The sound of ironpunchingthroughchitin-jointswassharp and wet.
Their 18-AGIchargedisintegratedinto a clumsy, agonizingstumble. They staggered, hissing in pain, trappedbetween the firebehind them and the caltropsat their feet.
One fell, writhing, its leg-tendonsevered.
This was the cue.
"NOW!" Klik roared, his voicerippinghisthroat. "THROWERS! BREAK THEM!"
The [Tribe Skill: Courage (Lvl 1)]flared!
The twenty-fivecoweringgoblinsbehind the bonfirelooked at their God.
They looked at the trapped, burning, crippledAnts.
Their [Cowardice]vanished.
A newsensation, a [Lesser-Battle-Frenzy], floodedtheir4-INTminds.
They ROARED.
It wasn't a scream. It was a war-cry. A *reedy, pathetic, furiouswar-cry.
"KILL!"
"FOR KLIK-GOD!"
"MEAT!"
They unleashedhell.
A volley of [Rubble (Junk)], [Shoddy-Shivs], [Sharpened-Bones], and [Pottery-Shards]raineddown.
It wasn'tlethal. It was brutal. Rockssmashedintoantennae. Boulderscrushedfeet. Shivsclatteredharmlesslyoff[Formian-Plate-Armor].
The E-RankSkirmishers, trapped, burning, impaledoncaltrops, andbeingstonedto deathbyLvl 4cowards... panicked.
Their 10 INTsawonlydeath.
One Formianraised its arm. A [Woven-Chitin Net]shotout.
It snaredaLvl 3goblinat the front of the [Thrower]line.
"GAAAAH!"
The Formianyanked. The goblinwasdraggedscreamingoff his feet, over the bonfire'sembers, and into the kill-zone.
The otherthreecrippledantsfelluponhim, their[Mandible-Shears]snapping.
He wastornapartinseconds.
[Goblin Casualty: 1!](1/10)
A secondgoblin, panickedby his friend'sdeath, trippedbackwardandfellinto a [Sulfuric-Slag]puddleleftby the Slug.
He dissolvedwith a hiss.
[Goblin Casualty: 2!](2/10)
The [Battle-Frenzy]stalled. The goblinsfaltered.
"THROW!" Klik screamed, his36 INTknowinghehadtopress the attack.
The goblinsobeyed. Morerocks.
The threeremaining, crippledantswereburied. Beatento deathunder a pile of rubble.
[You have slain a [Formian Skirmisher (Lvl 12)]!] [10 EXP!]
[You have slain a [Formian Skirmisher (Lvl 13)]!] [12 EXP!]
[You have slain a [Formian Skirmisher (Lvl 13)]!] [12 EXP!]
Layer Three: Complete.
(7/20 Killed). (2/10 Casualties).
The breachwaschokedwithfire, tar, caltrops, and sevendeadAnt-Warriors.
The assaultwasbroken.
Part 4: The Duel and The God
The Lvl 15 Formian Leader, outside the wall, wasfurious.
He hissed, a sound of pure, coldcontempt.
Click-chitter-skrak! (Translation: "...Inefficient!Uselessdrones!TheGod-Crippleis thebrain. Killthebrain...")
He saw Klik on his throne, his [Fused-Armor] gleaming, directing the chaos.
He had [Appraised] him. Lvl 15. F-Rank. Crippled.
An easy kill.
He ignored the rabble. He ignored the traps.
He took a running start.
He leapt.
His 18-AGI body was a blur of black-chitin. He soared over the flaming breach, over the burning corpses, over the [Iron Caltrops].
It was a magnificent, terrifying display of E-Rank power.
He landed perfectly on the cavern floor, his [Iron-Tipped Spear] leveled.
He was in. Past the kill-zone.
He was ten feet from Klik.
He charged.
Click-skrak! (Translation: "...Die, cripple-God...")
He wasfast. Blindinglyfast.
His 15-STRthrustwasablur. FasterthanKlik'seyescouldtrack.
Klik didn'tmove. He couldn't. His 17-AGIwastoo slow.
He braced, his [Fused-Armor]creaking. He clutched his [Volcanic Gastropod Core].
Thiswasit. Thesuicide-play. TheMutual-Annihilation.
The spear-tipflewat his throat...
...WHOOSH...
A newblur.
A grey-greenshadowthatmovedlikesmoke.
Snarl.
She hadbeenwaiting. Hernew[Lesser-Stealth (Passive)]hadhiddenherin the shadow of Klik'sownthrone. Shewashispersonalguard.
Her Lvl 1 (2nd Evolution)statsweremonstrous.
The Formian-Leader (18 AGI) wasfast.
Snarl (28 AGI) wasinstantaneous.
The Formian-Leader (10 INT) couldn'tprocess the newthreat. His 14 PER waslockedontoKlik.
Snarldidn'tblock. She didn'tparry.
She intercepted.
Her new, evolved[Grave-Stalker]bodymovedwith a predatorygracethatwasnotgoblin.
Klik's commandechoedinher4-INTmind: "NECK!"
She didn'tgofor the chest-plate. She didn'tgofor the spear.
She movedunder the Formian'sthrust, risinguplike a coiledviper.
She drovehergift—the [Goblin-Forged Acid-Tip Spear]—upwards.
SHLIIIIIIICK!
The soundwaswet and sharp.
It wasn'tmetalonchitin. It wasironpunchingthroughthesoft, un-armored, gristlymembraneunder the Formian'shelmet.
The Lvl 15Formian-Leaderfroze.
His iron-spearclatteredto the ground, itstipinchesfromKlik'sfoot.
He lookeddown.
A spear-headwasprotrudingfromhisthroat.
Critical Hit!
The [Acid-Crystal]embeddedin the tip... shattered.
TSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!
A gout of [Acid (Moderate)]flash-boiled his insides.
The Formiangurgled, blue, acidic-foambubblingfromhismandibles.
He lookeddown at Snarl (who washalf his height).
He couldn'tcomprehend.
It...fast... second ...?
He collapsed. Face-first, atKlik'sfeet. Dead.
[You have slain a [Formian Skirmisher-Leader (Lvl 15)]!]
[MASSIVE EXPERIENCE GAINED: 150 EXP!]
[EXP Distributed: [Klik: 30], [Snarl: 60], [Grik: 30], [Bruk: 30]]
[Subject [Snarl] (Lvl 1, 2nd Evo) -> (Lvl 3, 2nd Evo)!]
[Subject [Bruk] (Lvl 10, 1st Evo) -> (Lvl 11, 1st Evo)!]
[Subject [Grik] (Lvl 10, 1st Evo) -> (Lvl 11, 1st Evo)!]
A wave of powerhit his Lieutenants.
Silence.
The battlestopped.
The remainingtwelveFormians—thebattering-ramcrewandthereserves—sawtheirLeaderfall.
Instantly.
Their [Pheromone-Command]wasgone.
They sawSnarl—this new, terrifying, E-Rankpredator—pullherspearfreefromtheirLeader'sneck.
They sawBruk (now Lvl 11) getto hisfeet, roaring and brandishing his mace.
They sawKlik, untouched, lowering the glowing-yellowbomb-core.
Their 10 INTcalculated.
Leader-Dead. Traps. Fire. AnewE-RankAssassin.
This-is-a-bad-nest.
A panicked, chitteringshriek.
They broke.
The twelvesurvivorsscrambled, clawingovereach other, backthrough the burning, caltrop-filledbreach.
They fled.
The battle was over.
Klik stood, panting, his bodyon fire from the pain and exertion.
He looked at the carnage.
TendeadFormiancorpseslittered his kill-zone.
His cavernstank of tar, ash, cooked-ant, and fear.
The Quest-Logflashed.
[QUEST: "Defend the Lair!"... PARTIAL-SUCCESS!]
[Objective 1: [Repel the Assault] (10/20 Killed). SUCCESS! (The rest fled.)]
[Objective 2: [Protect the Tribe] (2/10 Casualties). SUCCESS!]
[Rewards Issued!]
1) [Tribe Skill: Courage (Lvl 1)] GRANTED! (Yourtribegainsa[Lesser-Battle-Frenzy]whendefendingtheir[Lair]).
2) 1,000 EXP (Tribe) DISTRIBUTED!
3) [Formian-Technology-Schematic (Woven-Chitin)] GRANTED!
The tribeleveled-upAGAIN.
The [Lesser-Battle-Frenzy]faded, replaced by exhilaration.
The entirecavernwasnowLvl 4-6.
Klik looked at his Kingdom.
It held.
He looked at Snarl (Lvl 3, E-Rank), whowaswipingblue-bloodoff her newspear.
He looked at Bruk (Lvl 11), whowasgroaning, butalive.
He looked at Grik (Lvl 11), whowasstaring at the carnage, shaking, butproud.
He looked at the tendeadFormian-corpses.
Iron-Spears. Iron-Armor. Chitin. Meat.
Loot.
He grinned. A horrible, raw, bloodygrin.
"GRIK!"
"K-KING-GOD!"
"...Clean. This. Up."
Klik turned. He ignored the cheers of his tribe.
He hobbledback to his throne.
His [Forge-Quest]waswaiting.
And now... nowhehad[Iron-Spears]to[Refine].
He hadmetal.
Realmetal.
The Antshaddeliveredhisquest-materials.