Chapter 4: The Grind
Chaos Claws followed Torrent deeper into the winding, chaotic tapestry of the Gaiadome forest. They moved away from the main riverbank and plunged into an area of immense, ancient root systems, a natural fortress of twisted wood and earth. The humid air here was different—less musky with predator scent, more rich with the aroma of decaying matter and subterranean fungi. Torrent led the way until they reached their destination: a hidden log. It was a massive, hollowed-out trunk of what must have been a Kapok tree, fallen ages ago.
Stepping inside, Elias felt an immediate, subtle shift in the air pressure. The space was dry, insulated, and surprisingly clean, offering a cool, cedar-like scent that was a relief from the oppressive jungle humidity. It was a well-chosen, well-maintained hideaway, easily large enough for their small pack.
Torrent, the otter player, settled down with a relaxed grunt. The crunching sound of his crayfish—shell, meat, and claw—was satisfyingly loud. Elias, still slightly uncomfortable with the raw, metallic scent of the fresh fish he'd acquired, began cautiously consuming his meal. Despite the Flavor of Carcasses setting, the game only masked the worst of the gore; the texture of scales and the dense resistance of muscle were unnervingly real.
Torrent: Alright, so we're officially a pack now. That requires a name, right? Gotta sound intimidating, or at least cool. I was thinking 'River Hounds' or maybe 'Water Cats'? Something that sounds like we rule the environment.
Chaos Claws: Neither of us are Dogs, we are one cat and one otter. Neither of those fit our demographics. How about something that highlights our skills: 'Tree & Tide'? Or something slightly ironic: 'Gaiadome Patrol'?
Torrent: Nah, too much like gig job, and what are we trying to serve the server. How about… 'The Menagerie'? It's got a ring to it. It sounds like a random collection of cool animals doing what they want.
Chaos Claws: Menagerie. Elias paused, realizing the name was perfectly fitting for a chaotic Sandbox server. It works. It definitely fits a random collection. Sure. Also it'd fit no matter who joins in the future.
A light, clear chime resonated in both their inner ears, a sound that felt both digital and deeply satisfying: Pack Name Registered: Menagerie. Pack Benefits Unlocked: EXP bonus for collaborative kills, shared inventory access.
"The grind starts now," Elias muttered to himself, finally finishing his fish. He felt the heavy sense of fullness and satisfaction as his hunger bar stabilized at 95%. "I need to catch up. I need to get out of the Infant rank."
Torrent, ever the laid-back guide, stretched lazily, looking like a pile of dark, wet silk. "Yeah, yeah, the grind. Look, Margay, you're weak, which is why I was even willing to trade. But you're smart. You need level five to get to Adolescent stage, and you need to get good at what you do best: ambushing. That means getting sneaking the kill. Let's hit the creek."
The Climb to Adolescence: The Mastery of the Low Kill
Over the next few hours, Torrent demonstrated a surprising amount of tactical skill beneath his lazy exterior. He was an excellent fisherman, using his superior agility in the water to herd the iridescent, fast-moving fish toward the shallow banks, where the root systems provided a dry, stable platform for Chaos Claws. Torrent handled the difficult aquatic grabs while Chaos Claws focused on the immediate, lethal strike to secure the meal on land.
Hunting successfully with a Pack member provides a 15% experience bonus.
This cooperation made the leveling quick, efficient, and surprisingly exhilarating. Chaos Claws steadily gained EXP, the number ticking up with every successful catch, creating a rush of accomplishment that cut through the physical discomfort of the Margay avatar.
Level 2 Achieved!
Chaos Claws has gained 2 Stat Points.
Elias felt a deep, warm sensation of growth across his shoulder blades, followed by a fleeting but intense feeling of sharpening in his paws. He allocated 1 point to Scratch (increasing damage and effectiveness against armored foes) and 1 point to Attack (improving overall offensive power). He instantly felt the tension in his muscles change, his forelimbs feeling more taut and responsive.
The next phase involved practicing the 'Mimicry' skill by observing and imitating AI mice. These small, scurrying creatures offered meager EXP but were perfect for practicing low-risk kills and training the crucial pounce reflex.
"Watch the grass, not the mouse," Torrent advised, perched on a rock nearby. "Look for the vibration, the ripple, not the mouse itself. They're too fast."
Elias followed the advice. Instead of focusing on the tiny, brown blur, he concentrated his vision on the tall, thin stalks of grass. When he saw a sudden, tiny wave move through the blades, he knew exactly where to strike. His first few attempts were clumsy; he would over-pounce, landing a fraction of a second too late. But soon, the muscle memory started taking hold.
The killing strike was a quick, decisive bite to the back of the neck, accompanied by a brief, satisfying crunch—a sound that, though unsettling, was instantly tied to the surge of EXP.
Level 3 Achieved!
Chaos Claws has gained 2 Stat Points.
The growth sensation this time settled in his core, leaving him feeling heavier and more durable. Elias allocated 1 point to Health (increasing his total Health to 40) and 1 point to Bite (increasing the base damage of his primary attack). With the increased health, the low-level scrapes and falls felt less concerning.
At this stage, Chaos Claws finally managed to secure a clean, solo kill on an AI field mouse without Torrent's guidance, earning a small notification for successful ambush combat. He was getting the hang of his new body.
The pair then spent time scouting, which involved covering territory and, more importantly, avoiding the mid-tier predators. They had been moving through a dense patch of bamboo when Elias caught a low, guttural vibration in the ground—a feeling that traveled up through his paws and resonated through his skeleton.
"Stop," Elias whispered urgently in Pack Chat, freezing instantly beneath a cluster of thick bamboo stalks. The scent of ozone and heavy, metallic musk—the scent of a Jaguar marking its territory—was suddenly overwhelming.
Torrent, typically languid, was already pressed flat against the ground, his body a taught, brown ribbon. "Level 15," Torrent whispered back in the chat. "Too strong. We run, now."
The Tapir encounter had been scary; this was paralyzing. The heavy, measured steps of the Jaguar player sounded agonizingly close. They had to execute a flawless stealth escape. They moved in perfect synchronization, Chaos Claws flowing vertically up the nearest tree while Torrent slipped silently into a nearby marshy inlet.
Successfully evading the threat, which drained Elias's Stamina but provided a small, hidden bonus for "Tactical Escape," pushed him to his next level.
Level 4 Achieved!
Chaos Claws has gained 2 Stat Points.
Elias allocated 1 point to MP (increasing his total MP to 15). The remaining point went into Mimicry, which was immediately effective: Mimicry cost reduced from 3 MP to 1 MP. Mimicry quality improved. This point felt like a subtle tuning of his throat and vocal cords, making the control of the alien sounds feel much more natural.
By now, the duo had gained significant confidence, sticking primarily to the vertical space and water edges, easily dispatching mice and fish. However, they needed a final, large EXP spike to hit the Adolescent stage.
The Final Push: Torrent's Tactical Brilliance
"Okay, Margay," Torrent chirped, pulling himself onto a low branch directly over the water. "Level 5 is the rank up levelso extra exp is needed. We need something with more experience, a player kill, not just a low-tier AI. I saw a level 7 Adolescent Fox player marking a territory near the northern river bend yesterday. It's territorial, predictable, and big enough to give both of us the final push; plus he was a dick me the other day, and I want revenge."
"A level 8 fox? That's almost twice my strength. It's fast and strong," Elias objected, his whiskers twitching nervously.
"Yeah, but I'm joining in; he is a level above me, but with two against one with even out," the otter shrugged, his grin almost visible in the darkness. "I'm faster than he is when I'm wet, and I know the terrain. We set a trap. You're the bait and the finisher, I'm the disorienter. The goal is to cripple his speed."
The plan was daring, relying heavily on Chaos Claws's new-found Mimicry skill and Torrent's unique aquatic abilities. Torrent led Chaos Claws to a narrow, rocky section of the riverbank where the fox had recently marked a trail. The air here smelled heavily of dog-like urine and territorial musk.
Torrent, knowing the fox would investigate any localized disturbance, used his special ability, Clam(ability to turn shells into utilityor weapons), to find and hold a broken, sharp piece of mussel shell. He used this crude tool to scrape a noisy, deliberate rhythm against a hidden rock just far enough from the water's edge to lure a non-aquatic predator. The sound—a sharp tick-tick-tick—mimicked a small, desperate animal trying to dig up something precious.
The Adolescent Fox player, drawn by the sound of easy prey and irritated by the territorial infringement, arrived quickly, tail bristling, eyes narrowed in annoyance. It locked onto the small, seemingly exposed Margay on the bank.
The moment the fox lunged, the battle was chaotic. The fox, seeing only the small, weakened Margay, committed fully to the leap. Chaos Claws, instead of dodging, dropped low and deployed his low-cost Mimicry skill, channeling the stored Toucana Alarm call.
The sound that erupted from his small chest was piercing and desperate—a perfectly modulated CAW! CAW!—but the sensation was deeply strange: a vibration that felt like a tiny, biological speaker resonating through his jaw and skull. It wasn't a human sound, and the shock value was immediate. The fox player, surprised by the volume and the false alarm, hesitated for a split second, its momentum momentarily broken.
Torrent used that split second of confusion to his advantage. He launched out of the water in a brown, glistening blur. The sharp, makeshift shell blade from his Clam ability raked viciously across the fox's unprotected back leg. The attack was swift, precise, and drew a thick, sticky crimson line across the fur. The fox yelped in pain and rage, turning to fight the unexpected, water-slick attacker. Torrent, already faster than the fox on dry land and slick with river water, immediately darted back toward the sanctuary of the river, leaving the fox dizzy and wounded.
Chaos Claws, seeing the fox crippled and distracted by the bleeding, aquatic fighter, knew this was his moment. He didn't hesitate. Driven by pure survival instinct and the thrill of the hunt, he leaped onto the fox's flank and deployed his powered-up Scratch skill repeatedly, focusing sharp, quick strikes onto the wounded, bleeding area. The feeling of his claws sinking into soft tissue, tearing and drawing continuous damage, was a savage, necessary realization of his predatory destiny. He drew a consistent, punishing flow of damage while Torrent, repeatedly zipping in and out of the river, kept the fox disoriented. The fox thrashed, trying desperately to shake off the infuriating Margay clinging to its side, but Chaos Claws's grip held fast.
Torrent landed a final, powerful Bite on the fox's throat, ending the fight just as Elias's stamina bar dropped critically low and his forelimbs began to tremble from the effort. A deep wave of exhaustion hit him, forcing him to slump against the fallen fox body.
Level 5 Achieved!
Chaos Claws has reached the Adolescent Stage!
All base stats (Health, Attack, Defense, Stamina, Speed) have been increased by 1 point.
Chaos Claws has gained the Small Feline special ability: Cat Scratch (Allows the player to latch onto a foe and use all four legs to scratch, drawing continuous damage. This ability drains the Margay's own stamina by 1 point per second to maintain the hold and attack.)
Chaos Claws has gained 2 additional Stat Points.
Elias allocated both final points to his abilities: 1 point to Climb (which greatly enhances agility(speed) and flexibility(stam), increasing his Speed and Stamina by one) and 1 point to Mimicry (gaining the ability to store 2 different animal calls).
Torrent cheered silently: Level 7 Achieved!
Chaos Claws, now slightly larger, faster, and much more resilient, surveyed the resources from the defeated fox—pelts, meat, and a small amount of rare musk. The massive EXP spike was intoxicating, but the exhaustion was profound.
Chaos Claws: That was… intense. Thank you, Torrent. I owe you that fight. The Mimicry worked perfectly.
Torrent: Nah, man, good team up. You got the kill shot bonus, and I got the action. We good. Now, look at all this fox stuff. We don't need pelts and musk right now. We need gold.
Chaos Claws: Right. I have a lot of fish and mouse meat too. What do we do with all the resources we don't need? Do we just drop them? Elias, the former analyst, was focused on the efficiency of resource management.
Torrent: Oh, Margay, you don't drop loot. You sell it! We're heading to Sanctuary. It's a safe zone downriver, a big trading hub. We can offload everything, stack up on gold, maybe grab a few permanent scent blockers. Come on, let's go before someone else finds this cache and tries to grief us for the loot.
Torrent quickly helped Elias stash the remaining resources into his expanded inventory, thanks to his Item Hoarder ability. With their first big haul secure, the two new allies—the shrewd former financial analyst and the carefree, street-smart otter—began their journey down the winding river, leaving the shadows of the infant rank behind, and anticipating the commerce of the Sanctuary.
Status screen:
Name: Chaos Claws (Margay)
Rank: Adolescent
Level: 5
Experience: 0/100
Stat Points: 0
Abilities: Bite (Lvl 2), Scratch (Lvl 2), Night Vision
Stats: HP 70 / Def 6 / Attack 7 / Stam 7 / Speed 8 / MP 20
Special Ability: Record/Play (Mimicry Lvl 3), Cat Scratch(Lvl 1)