From within the darkness, a creature jumped down, landing in the water. It swam to the side and pulled itself onto dry land. It was scaly, green, and much larger than my rat. As I watched, I noticed it drinking from the water. After drinking, it began to explore the cave. My rat approached it and hissed, but the creature ignored it, wandering through the original room. It looked in the pit in the corner before moving to the next corner. It did not seem hostile, only curious.
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Race: Stoneback Lizard
Level: 2
Template: 0%
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As it wandered, I realized it seemed very powerful, its claws leaving deep gashes in the wall when it scratched it. The Lizard made its way to my chamber but quickly retreated into the darkness. It seemed to dislike the light. My rat stood at the chamber's entrance, hissing at it whenever it came near. After quite a while, the lizard went back to the hole in the corner of the room and jumped in. It seemed to rest like the rats used to. Its chest moved slightly as it lay in the hole.
It repeated this loop, drinking water from the pit, wandering the cave, and then resting in the hole. But it seemed to get restless, approaching my chamber more often and eyeing my rat. It licked its lips but always retreated when it got too close to the light. Each time it repeated the cycle, it got closer, and it seemed more comfortable around the torches. It had begun pacing the cave, watching my rat with increasing hunger…
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Stoneback Lizard Template 0% → 37%
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The template had increased after the dozen cycles. I could feel myself starting to understand the creature more. But it had grown too dangerous, almost making it all the way to the stone entrance of the chamber. I told my rat to stay within the chamber, fearing the lizard would attack soon.
I need to get rid of it...
How?
I can tell my rat isn't enough...
The lizard stood near the entrance, staring intently at the rat; it stepped back into the darkness, walking toward the hole it used as its place to rest.
That's it!
I can do it!
I focused on the hole and made parts of the stone floor within the pit extend, thinning upward as they rose. It created small, crude, rough, but sharp spikes within the pit. I lost an essence in the process, but it was complete.
Available Essence: 5 → 4
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Acquired Trap: Crude Spike Trap
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The creature returned to its routine and stood by the dark hole; it had grown so comfortable that it had already started jumping into it. At the last moment, it realized there were spikes below. It reached out and grabbed the ledge. It hung above the spikes, trying to pull itself up.
Go... make sure it falls.
The rat hesitated but then dashed into the dark cave. It raced towards the hole. The lizard pulled itself up, its slit red eyes widening as it saw what was in front of it. It tried to move, but it had nowhere to go. The rat launched itself, ramming the lizard in the stomach with all its power.
The creature cried out and tumbled backwards. It tried to catch the ledge, but it was too late. It disappeared into the pit below.
A moment later, its body began to glow before dissolving into golden light.
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Stoneback Lizard Template: 37% → 91%
Essence Absorbed: +3
Available Essence: 4 → 7
Total Essence Absorbed: 8 → 11 / 100
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So close... One more.
It was strong. If another comes, the trap might not work again. It needs to be less noticeable. That hole was for testing, and I dug it. Can I refill it? Focusing, I reshaped the stone and returned the trap to normal.
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Crude Spike Trap dismantled.
Basic Pit removed.
Essence Recovered: +1
Available Essence: 7 → 8
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I got some of the essence that I used to make the trap... but not all of it. That means when I make something, I need it to be in the proper spot, no useless things.
Looking at the pit of water, I noticed how foggy it was. There was no way to see what was underneath it. If something fell from the hole above, it would definitely hit the bottom of the water pit. What if there were spikes in it? Normally, it wouldn't be effective, but if something heavy enough, like the lizard, fell, it would still hit the spikes.
Looking at the water pit, I reshaped the stone at the bottom into spikes, making them slightly longer than the previous trap to ensure that whatever fell in the pit hit them.
Available Essence: 8 → 7
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Acquired Trap: Crude Water Spike Trap
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I told the rat to jump in, and, as I thought, it didn't even make it close to the bottom. But if it had enough momentum, I bet it would. Sensing the hole in the roof and then returning to the pit, my core pulsed. If a lizard jumped down, it would hit the spikes. I need to get one to jump. I looked at the rat, which was drying itself off after swimming in the water.
The last lizard wanted my rat...
Make noise.
The rat tilted its head before looking up. It began to squeak, and it kept squeaking. After a while, something appeared. The creature jumped, but it was not a lizard. I watched as a rat plummeted into the water. After a few moments, golden light floated out of the water and into me.
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Essence Absorbed: +1
Available Essence: 7 → 8
Total Essence Absorbed: 11 → 12 / 100
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My rat looked confused but kept squeaking.
Quite a bit of time passed before another creature made the jump. Watching it, my core pulsed; it was another lizard. It hit the water and descended. I watched as the spikes pierced it and it turned into golden light.
It worked.
My core pulsed even faster.
My trap worked.
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Stoneback Lizard Template: 91% → 100%
Acquired Stoneback Lizard Template
Essence Absorbed: +3
Available Essence: 8 → 11
Total Essence Absorbed: 12 → 15/ 100
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The lizard was mine.
I thought about my templates.
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Monster Templates:
Cave Rat - 2 Essence
Stoneback Lizard - 6 Essence
Blind Cave Beetle – 1 Essence
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Six...
That makes sense.
The rat gives me one and costs two. The beetles give half and cost one. The lizard gives three and costs six.
Everything costs twice as much to make.
Six essence was a lot...
My rat is enough.
I want to see what else I can do.
Expanding my senses upwards, I tried to create a room, but nothing happened. I did the same going down, but it seemed I could only expand within this layer. I could feel I could still dig down about ten meters, but below that it felt the same as trying to look into the hole in the roof. The cave roof was just ten meters tall, so it seemed like my limit for shaping stone was ten meters up and down from where the floor was.
I tried to turn the cave that I started in into a chamber, but due to it being more than three times larger than the chamber that I created, I didn't have enough essence to do so.
What do I do?
I can't go up; then how about sideways?
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Structures:
Tunnel - 1 Essence Per Meter
Basic Chamber - 8 Essence
Entrance - 5 Essence
Core Pedestal - 20 Essence
Basic Pit – 1 Essence Per Meter
Water Pit – 2 Essence Per Meter
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The tunnel caught my attention. I focused on one wall in my chamber and began to dig. The stone walls parted and the tunnel formed. It matched the chamber: a smooth floor, a stable roof and even a single torch to light it. It was one meter deep, two and a half meters wide and three meters high.
Available Essence: 11 → 10
Controlled Territory: 23m → 24m
For one essence...
Very good.
Continuing to dig the tunnel expanded seamlessly. Meter after meter and essence after essence. After four meters, I noticed that each tunnel segment didn't have a torch. As the fourth segment finished, the wall gave way on its own, opening into a cavern. The cavern was large and covered in a glowing material; it also held multiple creatures.
Controlled Territory: 24m → 27m
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Unclaimed Area Detected
Natural Cavern
Connected to Controlled Territory
Claiming Available
Claim Natural Cavern — 6 Essence
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The screen faded. I was too focused on the cave.
I could see everything within my reach... but it wasn't me. My senses wandered the cavern, and at exactly twenty-seven, the world turned blurry and dark, just like the hole in the roof.
Is my limit in this layer based on my controlled territory?
And I don't like that it is not me...
I want it to be me.
I tried to reshape the rocks in the cavern, but they wouldn't move. My core pulsed with annoyance. After a moment of examining the cave, the screen popped up once again with the words that I had dismissed earlier.
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Claim Natural Cavern - 6 Essence
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Yes.
The essence leaked out of me, but I felt my influence expand.
Available Essence: 7 → 1
I focused; the rocks reshaped slightly. My core pulsed.
It is me.
Controlled Territory: 27m → 37m
The cavern was large, double the size of my chamber. Looking closer, I examined something that stood out. The glowing material that lined the walls.
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Material Identified: Luminous Moss
Analysis: 0%
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As I focused on the moss, it began to break down. As it did, I felt myself understand it more; it felt like when I killed a creature, its template percentage increased until I could finally create the creature.
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Luminous Moss
Analysis: 0% → 22%
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Searching the cavern, I absorbed all the moss I needed until the screen popped up once again.
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Luminous Moss
Analysis: 22% → 100%
Acquired Material - Luminous Moss
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The cavern was now very dark, with the moss almost completely absorbed by me... I could still sense everything fine, but the loss of the moss made my core pulse slightly. Thinking about my materials, I checked their prices.
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Materials:
Stone - 1 essence per 1 m³
Dirt - 1 essence per 1 m³
Water – 1 essence per 1 m³
Luminous Moss – 1 essence per 10 m²
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Per ten square meters? Interesting...
Could I fill the entire cavern with just one essence?
I want to.
I focused on the walls, and patches of moss spread across the stone. They didn't cover everything, but the green glow was strong enough to illuminate most of the cavern.
Not the entire cavern...
But I can feel the moss growing.
Maybe it will spread.
As the final essence seeped out of me, I felt empty... Hungry.
Available Essence: 1 → 0
I don't like this...
Scanning the cave, I focused my senses on a multitude of blind beetles crawling across the ground. They seemed to be moving towards my tunnels. They were trying to get to my core once again. But they were also food.
Commanding my rat to guard the tunnels, I sent it scurrying across my lair, through my chamber and into the tunnels. It stood in the middle of the tunnel, waiting for the beetles to approach. There were eight of the bugs, and my rat charged at them, ripping them apart like it was nothing.
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Available Essence: 0 → 4
Total Essence Absorbed: 15 → 19/ 100
Cave Rat Lv1 → Lv2
Cave Rat Lv2 unlocked for Template Creation.
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That feels better.
And my rat... It levelled up.
I examined it, and it seemed stronger. Even though it was a creature of my making, it had more essence than it did when it was level one. It scurried back through the tunnels and walked up to my core, which was still lying on the chamber floor. It rubbed its head against me, making me feel warm. I pulsed slightly, and it walked back into the tunnel to stand guard.
So I can now create Cave Rats of that level without having them level up?
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Cave Rat
Lv1 - 2 Essence
Lv2 - 4 Essence
Lv3 - Locked
Lv4 - Locked
...
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I see.
More expensive... But saves time to be strong.
And it seems like my creature must make it to the next level before I'm able to make one.
Fascinating...
Examining the rat, I noticed that it required me to use more essence as upkeep. But even so, I wanted it to get stronger.
Upkeep: 0.1 → 0.2 Per Cycle
Suddenly, something moved within the cavern; it seemed to fly.