Chapter 4 Growth

The Lavaline cub, Hsui, slowly slunk forward into the stupid lizard's hole. He couldn't believe that it was so dumb that it was coming down here again. Maybe it was thinking that this time, just like before, he wouldn't be able to finish it off? The lizard was bigger than him, stronger than him, tougher than him… but slower, newer, and, most importantly, dumber. A wicked smile spread across Hsui's face as he stopped to let his eyes adjusted to the deeper, more complete darkness of the hole. This time, he wouldn't miss the spine of the fat behemoth, and would finally feast on its flesh. Almost as a sign from the Path itself, a stray ember fell into the hole and illuminated the scene for him. This creature was to be the tipping point for him to enter his next stage of life. He could feel the inbound evolution, that he would soon leave his childhood.

The lizard laid with its back to the entrance, its scales glistening in the flickering light of the dying ember and its head facing towards the wall on the left. Hsui waited for the stupid creature to react to his presence, but it would seem that the thing was, again, completely asleep and unaware of the danger that surrounded it. Its back was scarred by multiple claws of Lavalines, but he would be the final slayer of the foolish beast, wiser and more patient than the rest of his ilk. Slowly, gradually, Hsui continued forward into the hole, the pads on his feet dampening any sound of his passage before he arrived at his destination. Finally he settled next to the slumbering lizard, lowered onto his haunches, and prepared himself for the final, deadly strike.

That was when Khall swung her tail as quickly and forcefully as she could into the cub's chest. With a cracking of bone, the fuzzy creature was sent flying into the wall. With dirt streaming down from the roof above, it settled into a fighting stance, amazed at Khall's own impressiveness. A grin spread across her wide face as she cornered the cowardly, weak beast. Finally, it was stuck, and in her domain. Never again would Khall allow a little fuzz like this get the drop on her, and she had planned to make sure it couldn't escape. She struck her tail once, twice, thrice into the wall of the entrance and the loose soil collapsed in on itself and mostly blocked the exit. Escape was unlikely, perhaps even impossible, and finally, FINALLY, Khall could begin her hunt.

Khall hissed out her challenge to the would-be assassin as it backed itself into the edge of the room, its fur standing on end, looking frantically from one side to the other, searching desperately for some way out and thus escape her wrath. There was no escape, and Khall pressed forward slowly, not giving even the slightest opportunity for escape. The small burrow was only just large enough for a body's width to separate the two, that distance completely disappearing as Khall strode forward confidently. Her stomach suddenly growled, her hunger acting as a sort of sign for the beginning of the fight.

With a furious press of her forelegs, Khall rose to her hind legs just fast enough to dodge the first flurry of blows from the cornered prey before she slammed her full weight down to bear on her opponent. Her jaw smashed into the top of its head and crushed it against the floor with enough force that Khall's own head bounced upward. Khall's tongue had been between her teeth, and she felt her teeth, dull though they were, dig deep into her tongue. Somewhat stunned from her head's smash into the ground, and angry at the pain in her mouth, Khall pulled back and roared out a challenge to her fuzzy captive.

Her prey hissed and shakily got to its feet while trying to menace her with its fangs and claws, but Khall pressed her advantage and lunged out with a strong bite. The fuzzy creature tried to dodge back, but ran into the wall and as its flight was cut short, its foreleg was caught in her jaws. She twisted her head with her full body's weight and continued with a roll. In response, with a wet crunch, the limb snapped in half right where she had bitten down. Her prey yowled in anguish and agony, but Khall was only just beginning. She tried to wrench it even further with another roll but the creature started flailing madly, jaws gnashing and claws scratching in absolute desperation. She released the crippled beast, then batted her claws at the creature and smacked it against the wall again and again. 

It tried to escape, to get around her, to strike back, but Khall had the perfect response for each movement–another strike of her open, clawed hand. The dull claws clacked pleasantly against her prey's skull as it bounced between her strikes and the wall.

Her prey's resistance faltering and dying, Khall strode forward with her jaws agape. The lamed prey tried to escape, but with the battering it had received, it couldn't muster anything beyond a pathetic mewling. To its cries for mercy there was no mercy or escape offered. With finality, her jaws closed around the entire head of her prey and she shook it until, with another wet snapping of bone, the creature went limp.

[Juvenile Lavaline 5 slain. You have gained experience. You have levelled up to level 5. Current Racial Designation: Juvenile Mud Lizard. Current Occupation: None. Evolution options unlocked.]

The annoying words were different now… and there was something that Khall simply understood now–she could grow, and be stronger. That was something that she wanted! Thinking about it for the first time, she actually listened to and thought about what the weird words had to say to her and then two options appeared in her eyes as the limp corpse slipped from her jaws:

[Evolutionary options: 

Stonescaled Juvenile Drake. Requirements: consumption of 600g of low arcanite, develop stone core essence.

Moltenscaled Juvenile Drake. Requirements: consumption of 600g of low arcanite, develop magma core essence.

Occupational options currently locked.]

What was a core essence? Khall felt the strange, almost foreign yet comfortable understanding settle into her being as she wondered. A core essence, the part of the body from which evolution drew its power. A core essence drew power from the Divine Path, the guide of all living things, and, over further evolutions and greater power gained, became totally customized to the individual Stine, whatever that meant. But how could she get one? Was it something she needed to eat? No, she understood that it was something that could and would grow over time, something that she could help grow by going to certain places and… something else. Khall didn't know, and she didn't care either. 

More importantly, which one was better? How were these two options different from each other? A Stonescaled Drake was a good digger and strong and tough. That sounded good! Khall was strong and she liked digging… but what about the other one? An evolution that was more focused on explosive power and volatility, it seemed. Khall was those things, whatever they were! She was strong, and this one sounded stronger than the stone whatever. So she was going to be the Moltenscaled Drake! 

What was molten? Again, an automatic understanding came into her mind without bidding, that it meant melted. But she wasn't melted! A final slight understanding settled into Khall, making everything else clear: the Moltenscaled evolution was only possible because of the burns she'd received from the fry in the fiery death river. If she wanted to do that… did she need to go back to that?? No way, not by the stars above or Void below. She would stay, comfortable, here in the earth under her wonderful bush and find out how to create a stone core essence, thank you. The Moltenscaled Drake sounded stupid anyways. 

Her stomach growled, insistent. A grin spread across Khall's face as she looked down to the corpse in front of her. That's right, she could worry about those things later, after she'd eaten her well deserved meal. After all, it had taken days to finally defeat this beast, and she was going to enjoy every last scrap without thinking about melting her scales like some sort of idiot fry.

Happy growls accompanied by the wet squelching of tearing flesh echoed out of the small burrow's single entrance, and Khall was so pleased with her meal, finally, that she didn't feel a strange, almost transcendent presence looking down at her, musing over Khall's unique opportunity. The presence set a couple of plans in motion, grinned, and wondered how this would work out for this new creature. After all, the unique ones were the only ones worth watching any longer.