59 Causality

Lurk looked over the new setup inside the menu. after having said his congratulations along with everyone else to Lula and Aurk, Lurk had said that Lula and Aurk should go declare it to the other goblins that they now had formed a clan under Lurks (tribe), much like how the various bosses were underneath a chief.

But looking at the menu he saw a new "family" tree had appeared showing him at the top, connected to all the various women and then off to the side but ultimately still connected to him was a new tree with the [Fire Drake Clan]. Showing Lula at the top connected to Aurk.

("This would help organize things, but I also think that there are other benefits to it... Lula clearly has some form of -control- over this [Fire Drake Clan] much like I have over the [Evil] trait to affect all the goblins under me... Wait?... Is the Evil trait a subdivision group just like how I made a clan?... Someone or something made a [Evil] Group and put goblins and monsters into it...")

Lurk tried to examine the [Evil] trait deeper, but he was simply unable to go (up) what he identified as the branch leading outwards away from himself. But it simply faded out and he could not see any info. All he could see was the goblins connected to him underneath him through the [Evil] trait.

The evil trait was a lot more advanced than his new [Fire Drake Clan], it had several undecipherable connections that reminded him of how magic items had spells/effects attached to them, which he then surmised were perhaps the various commands and influences that the trait would enforce on everyone in the group.

("Well... If someone made the group, there might be a way to leave it, or break the connections.")

Lurk looked over the only link he could effect so far with his purchase to block the [Evil] Trait to grow its influence over him, he then compared it with the [Fire Drake Clan] trying to find something similar. But whatever it was, the function was not -installed- into the [Fire Drake Clan].

[Progenitor Menu]

[Would you like to install a Loyalty effect in the Fire Drake Clan] -20 FTB

Lurk nearly cursed out loud looking at the price, was the rune really so hard to make?? Clearly, he must be lacking in the necessary abilities required to make it/understand it. But now at least he saw a potential way to handle the [Evil] Trait. Overpowered it with a similar effect and make sure to raise each individuals strength in that effect. Since the system did not give an option to -delete- the trait it was clearly impossible to even comprehend a potential solution that the system could present for him.

He began to look through other (tags) in the menu to see if there were other similar groupings. Which he quickly found underneath the first tag in the menu.

[Race]

("... But this rune is way more complicated, and it also looks a lot more... Organic and not (forced) into the system. So the [Evil] is? Artificial ? or simply not remotely as well designed as the other core runes of the system... Someone/something is manipulating the core system by making these additions.")

Lurk gave a sigh of relief since that meant the true core of the system did not seem to be involved in the building blocks that made up life in this world. Lurk did not want to picture going up against some super grand deity/deitylike being. But he did not have time to think about that anymore.

"Chief! we got monsters incoming!" Aurk yelled out, as Lurk heard a commotion in the camp. He quickly jumped up after grabbing his weapon belt/shoulder satchel.

"Everyone stay calm! Fighters to the edge of the Camp, Range units to the heighten position!" Lurk exclaimed as he slung his weapon belt on, watching the goblins quickly react, A few of the goblins with bows jumps up onto the rock that partitioned his minor camp and the main camp apart and readied their bows. Resti also began to climb to higher ground, up with a little help from the goblins.

"Ladies please go back to the back of the camp" Lurk said to the group of humans not able to fight, though they did have primitive spears with them just in case. They hurried back, carrying the baskets were the children had been placed in. Emily ran up to the edge of the camp alongside the other goblins gritting her teeth as she looked out onto the fields of tall grass and jagged rocks piercing the ground as far as the eye could see.

"Aurk! Report!" Lurk jumps up effortless onto a tall rock at the edge of the camp, looking out also, he did not need to hear Aurk's report after all as he could see a lot of various beasts approaching fast. But they all came from different directions. His enhanced senses could easily spot them as they did not seem to be attempting to hide in the slightest.

"What are they doing?? It is three groups... no, wait! its four groups of different monsters??"

Lurk could see four groups charging full speed at their camp from far away. The goblin guards could easily spot them because of this, despite the small size of some of them.

The first group that was gonna hit the camp and the fastest was five Black/gray striped oversized rabbits, the size of dogs, with crackles of electricity running down crystals sticking out of their backs, their eyes complete white and opened in fury, their mouths foaming as they charged with reckless abandon towards the camp.

"Get ready to take them on!, Aurk Vorm Sala Emily! Take one each! Goblins attack them once we got them on us!" Lurk said as he began casting spells.

[Leadership] Increased

"[Holy Aura!], [Wind spear!]"

A bright glowing rune circle appeared behind Lurk's back, its effect washing down over the group as they all braced to take the charge, Lurk focused on one of the rabbits and launched a wind spear out at it, the spear flying through the air and slamming into the rabbit, it was sent sprawling through the air as dust and dirt blew up around it.

[Target has rank (D) wind/shock resistance]

"Dammit! not a clean hit! [Tempest Disk!]" Lurk jumped down to the ground alongside the others, sending a burst of air into the rabbits as they charged into close range. The rabbits leaped or dodged the disk causing Lurk to stare wide-eyed at them.

[Target has rank (D) wind/shock resistance] x 4

("Just how fast are these rabbits? and that damn resistance!") Lurk thought to himself as he readied his weapon, the arrows from the group behind on the large flat rock began to hit around the four rabbits, one of them getting hit in its flank, it also stumbled and crashed into the ground rolling as it landed right in front of Vorm who leaped onto it and stabbed his daggers into its body causing blood to spurt out, Vorm suddenly getting shocked by the rabbits excess energy that crackled across its body as his weapons made contact with his target. Making him stumble and unable to keep attacking to deliver the killing blow.

Aurk slammed his shield into his rabbit, its body energy discharging onto the wooden shield, and Aurk followed up by striking out with his sword, the strike leaving a deep cut on the large rabbit, but the energy had already discharged and was apparently a one time effect. Emily too slammed shield into her rabbit, her ax swung and smashed the rabbit into the ground its front leg was severed from the strong impact.

"Dont touch them with metal weapons!" Aurk and Emily said out loud at the same time.

Sala was unfortunate and not able to respond to the new knowledge fast enough and did an overpowered punch into the face of her rabbit her metal gauntlets caving in the rabbit's skull, but she also received all of the energy from the rabbit. She spasmed and fell onto the ground as she was stunned, sparks running off her body. Though her target had been killed. She flailed on the ground trying to get back up.

Lurk held out his hand and focused on Vorms rabbit that was regaining its stance, it was wounded but was still able to move. "[Flamethrower!]" A burst of flame flew out of his hand from a spinning rune dousing the rabbit in flames, but it was significantly weaker spell than normal since the fire element was no longer accessible to Lurk, The flames caused the rabbit to spin and flail and kick around randomly as it was on fire. Lurk followed up by kicking the rabbit sending it crashing into a rockface where it stopped moving, its burning corpse splattering against the rock.

The rabbit his wind spear had made, stumble out further, had recovered during their clash and it leaped forward and ran through, jumped over, where Sala was downed and sprinted into the camp slamming into one of the other goblins, who had rearguard position, sending the goblin flying and crackling with energy. Lula who was back with the rearguard tried to strike out at the rabbit but it sped past her before anyone could hit it.

"[Firebolt!" Resti yelled out as a firebolt slammed into the rabbit that had jumped into the middle of their camp and showed no sign of stopping, the firebolt causing a small burn on its back, arrows also launched from the other goblins struck down across the rabbit but only one of them hit its back/stomach. But the rabbit seemed out of control and able to ignore the pain. It sped towards the back of the camp in a mad dash.

"[Light heal!] Lurk! It made it into the rear camp!" Sylvie yelled as she healed the goblin that had been sent flying.

"Try to use status clear to stop the shocking effect!!" Lurk managed to say as he spun around after making sure that Aurk and Emily could handle the rabbits that had not been killed yet and looking out to see that the next enemy group was still far enough away for him to leave the front line.

[Leadership] Increased

"Hold the front!" Lurk sped towards the back camp, seeing Resti sending another firebolt into the back camp presumably towards the rabbit, he heard the women shriek out just as he made it to the back of the camp, Where he saw something very odd. The rabbit was burning from the two, slightly smaller blasts, and had more arrows had struck into it. It was standing right on top of the burned ritual mark, and a dark fog was seeping out of the air around the campsite and soaking into it. Lurk quickly jumped onto the rabbit and stabbed his Dagger into it that slid easily in all the way to the hilt, his body getting shocked by the rabbit's body energy, it then collapsed finally and the black fog faded away out of sight once more. The women had backed away and were unharmed, the rabbit had ignored them completely as Lurk stood back up shaking off the shocking energy released into him from the rabbit's death throes.

[Shock Rabbit] Killed

[Shocked] Status Ailment in effect

[Light damage received from shock/wind element]

"What on earth was it doing... [Lesser Status Clear!]" Lurk pondered as he quickly made sure the women were all ok along with the babies. He decided to quickly use the skill to see magic and what he saw startled him. A fog of dark ominous magic flowed all over the rear of the camp, it was crawling up along everyone on the ground seemingly appearing out of thin air. But it was all contained to the rear camp.

[Miasma taint] Detected

Lurk looked at the rabbit and its single-mindedness to come here to the fog "miasma" and quickly decided to call out to the women.

"Quick! follow me!" Lurk guided the women back into the large camp area with the many rocks surrounding all but the front. and told the women to step over to the side and up against the rocks as far as possible, leaving a clear route from the entrance towards the rear camp.

"Rearguard! move back to guard the women!" Lurk yelled out as he sprinted back to the front just to see a group of six normal wolves being fought off by everyone. Lula and the other goblins moved to stand in front of the women facing out towards the front, alongside the other women with spears.

"We got it, father!" Lula said and nodded to Lurk.

[Leadership] Increased.

Lurk jumped into the fray as the wolves were trying their best to push past the front, his dagger sinking into the side of a wolf that whimpered and collapsed, Sala sending a fist into its face for good measure, as she had recovered and had been ready to catch the wolf. Two wolves sped past the front, being pelted by arrows and firebolts as they chased right into the back of the camp, ignoring the women off to the side. Lurk helped the others focus down the Wolves at the front.

[Earth Wolf] Killed x2

Lurk looked back at the rock and saw that everyone was shooting arrows back into the camp, Resti waving back to Lurk to show they had the two wolves under control. Lurk quickly assisted Sylvie with healing the others that had received wounds from the wolves and rabbits.

"Why are they ignoring us..." Aurk said as he looked at the dead wolves and rabbits, before eying the next group out at the distance, three boars with large crystal tusks running straight for them, and further out four humanoids made out of rocks the size of humans, slowly stumbling towards them.

"There is something called Miasma gathered in our camp... They seem drawn by it..." Lurk said catching his breath, as he got ready to send out another spell towards the nearby charging boars.

"Miasma?? I heard about that! its something that happens in areas where a lot of monsters have gathered or near the rifts where it is everywhere?? What is it doing here?" Emily said out loud as she took a stand ready to receive the boar's charge. Sala and Aurk on either side of her and Vorm had moved just out of sight of the boars ready to pounce on them. Lurk lobbed a spear of air out at the first oncoming boar.

"[Wind spear!]" The spear flew straight into the side of the boar causing its left part of its body to explode from the burst of air. The other two boars crashed into the group. Emily deflecting the boar and pushing back trying to make it fall, sending her ax into its flank at the same time, giving it a severe wound. Vorm leaping onto the stumbling Boar and sink both his daggers into its lungs causing it to wheeze out a pitiful oink, Aurk and Sala allowed the Boar to go between them as they both attacked it, Aurk's sword stabbing into it as Sala slammed her fist into it pushing it deeper against Aurk's sword skewering it. It flailed around before everyone struck it and killing it.

[Gore Crystal Boar] Killed x 3

Lurk quickly activated his skill and saw that the boar that had been killed by the spear had the faint traces of wind element magic fading, but at the same time the magic also left small whiffs of miasma magic floating around that began to drift along the ground towards the back of the camp. Even Sylvie's magic as she healed Sala had tiny whiffs of miasma being generated. He could also see very faint specks of miasma leaving the dead bodies now that he was focusing on it.

"... It is a by-product of magic?... " Lurk looked at the camp as he realized that the ritual he had cast and sent the [Fire Spirit] into Aurk and Lula and then the ritual itself that must have caused a major influx of magic that all evaporated and turned into miasma!

("But this does not make sense... I have used a lot of magic... Wait... No the most magic I have used was back at the town basement... Maybe that place was shielding or stopping the miasma?? So I never saw the effect?. The other times must not have been enough magic used to create this miasma gathering effect... That was all inside a cave... and a heavy forest...")

"We need to move camp quickly!" Lurk looked out over the rocky fields and saw more stirrings out far on the fields.

"Get ready for a lull in the action! then gather what you can and move out!" Lurk gritted his teeth facing the incoming foes rushing madly towards them.

______________________

Authors notes :

Sorry for the long pause in my writing. I was having issues with real life/work/health and a general lack of motivation to write. and instead read more novels instead.

I have seen people asking for me to continue and it did stir me somewhat back into action.

Even a message from some of you sent to me asking if it would help if they could donate and to maybe see the chapters earlier (ala patreon)

I am very unsure of how I could get that to work. both with my current job issues and collecting cash off the internet.

But it did make me feel more engage just the thought of people wanting my novel "that badly" :D

But for now! Thank you for reading!