Obu watched as her father’s eyes glazed over and giggled a little inside. It was funny watching him when she talked about System-related stuff because it reminded her of the memories she had of him trying to explain the Waag to humans and other tall folks. They often would get the same glazed-over expression.

She continued watching as the old goblin shook himself free and tried communicating with the Muskeera. While he did so, the Core looked at the new System message that even now hung in front of her.

New Guest Given!

[The Sapients of the Teeth]

Type: Complex

Description: The two Sapient races of the Teeth, the Muskeera and the Talpi, have been at war for untold generations which has all but annihilated their potential for growth beyond brutal tribal warfare. You are in a position to do something about it.

Your options are:

1. Annihilate the Talpi and forever destroy their potential as a rival to the Muskeera.

(Allows for the Quest: Muskeeran Ascendancy)

1. Annihilate the Muskeera and forever destroy their potential as a rival to the Talpi.

(Allows for the Quest: Talpian Ascendancy)

1. Annihilate both races and claim them for your Dungeon. (Dungeon Core Exclusive)

(Reward: Talpi and Muskeera as Dungeon Monster Schema)

1. Find another way.

1. (Reward: ?)

“I would’ve given you this request down the road but seeing as you have already made contact I felt it right to have you begin now. I look forward to seeing how you and your “father” proceed.”

* The Administrator

Obu dismissed the message and pondered the administrator’s words. Evidently, this had been something the being had wanted for some time. Something about the word potential was stuck in her mind but she didn’t know why. She dismissed it as her father began to move. He had somehow communicated their desire to see their home. Looking at the group she could see one of them looking at Dug with wonder even as it communicated with the others.

She hadn’t noticed before but a thin stream of Aether connected Dug to the creature in some way. She zoomed in and found what she expected to see. Spores. Specifically Mindbender Spores. Her father had decided to expedite their conversation it would seem. While the spores remained in contact with both Dug and the creature, they could pass along information directly into the other’s brain, with the spores carrying the information through the air via Aether channels.

Her father’s powers over Fungi never ceased to amaze her. She wished she could shake her head in admiration but had to settle for vibrating slightly. From the old goblin’s smug smile though she could tell he had gotten the message.

They moved off at a rapid pace through the forest, the creatures moving effortlessly through the undergrowth and rocky ground. Dug kept up decently well in spite of his old age. Intrigued, Obu examined him to find that his body was improving at a rapid pace. It wasn’t so fast as to be nakedly visible but Obu with her peculiar sight could see every minute change.

She couldn’t help but feel relief that her father would not be dying of old age any time soon. It seemed that her awakening had had a positive effect on him and that was all to the good as far as she was concerned. As they sped along the mountain she let herself relax and contemplated an easy existence with her father where she built her Dungeon and her father experimented with his shrooms. It painted a pretty picture in her mind and she basked in it for a while. It would take a bit for the group to get to their destination.

In the meantime, there was much to see. Her powers of perception only extended outward some sixty goblin feet or so but within that sphere, she got a lot of information. It wasn’t cold per se but there was a certain chill in the air with a breeze coming down off the mountain top. Here, in the forest proper, it wasn’t so bad but she imagined it would be worse on one of the bluffs that her father said ringed them in a rough half-circle.

She attempted to analyze the trees and plants that passed them by and she found to her great pleasure that she could actually claim them easily. Claiming a plant was much different than claiming a dead animal. When she did so the plants seemed to lose a bit of their vitality but otherwise, they were fine. If the plants were small they did die but the larger trees and bushes remained alive as she passed by.

This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

It seemed they were in what was called a Temperate Biome. Every plant had that in common, that they were found within a Temperate Biome. The trees that she could see within her sphere seemed like they were bleeding reds, oranges, and yellows through their leaves both on their branches and fallen on the ground. They were gorgeous and she immediately began collecting as many of them as she could touch. Many ended up being the same but she was undeterred. By the time they got to where they were going, she was certain she could recreate what was around her. Perhaps the System would make it easy and give a Temperate Biome to her somehow.

When they arrived at their destination it took all of her willpower not to chuckle. They had come upon a series of large trees and at the base of each one there was a burrow leading deeper. The reason she struggled to contain her giggles was because Dug, the goblin that he was, was congratulating himself on his original positive assessment of the creatures. He had firmly forgiven them of their cuteness and was certain there was potential in these little creatures purely on the basis that they lived in holes in the ground like any other civilized race.

The little Muskeera who had led them here, quickly moved towards the larger of the burrows. It seemed made to carry down larger prey animals that they had managed to bring down. The evidence of undisturbed ground around the opening led Obu to believe this didn’t happen often. According to the ranking system, they were very close to the bottom and according to the Administrator, they were not able to break through to higher Ranks due to squandered potential.

Obu mentally shrugged even as she was carried into the burrow and disappeared underground. She had no idea how races as a whole went up ranks but she imagined that if the majority of the race went up in ranks then their offspring would retain the rank of their parents rather than becoming a lower rank. Or perhaps there was another way the System measured progress as far as total racial rank was considered. It most likely had to do with that potential the System had spoken of before.

Dug was chattering away at the Muskeera mentally attached to him which was unnecessary because the Spores did much of the work in transmitting thoughts, desires, and meaning. Obu remembered many times when he would chatter away to her stone long before she had awakened. It was just part of his nature it would seem. She chuckled as he tried to explain the finer points of hole digging to the poor creature who could not escape his chattering.

Soon enough they arrived at a larger central burrow that was crawling with Muskeera. From the way the returning company was greeted, it was apparent that the others had expected a large haul and were rather disappointed.

“Where beez your chiefy, eh?” Dug asked his guide who pointed at a larger figure pushing its way through the crowd that had gathered. Obu scanned the creature and mentally prodded her father to do the same. She heard his sigh and giggled.

Chek Longtooth

Muskeera

Rank F(4) Level 20

Psuedo-Class: The Longtooth

Affiliation: Clan Longtooth

Obu looked at the creature with interest. It was a much higher level than its other members and she wondered if the reason behind it was the unique class that it had. She scanned the others and confirmed that the rest were simple hunter-gatherers. As it broke to the front of the group it chattered angrily at the troupe that had brought her and Dug to their home even as Dug transferred his Spores from the one creature to the leader.

“Hi-hi mistah Chiefy Longtooth! My name beez Dug and dis beez my daughtah Obu!” Dug paused to gesture to her gemstone and Obu felt warmth flow in and through her at his declaration. She didn’t mind the weird looks she got from the Muskeera at his words. They would all understand soon enough. Being acknowledged by her father was more important than their looks.

The chieftain especially seemed insulted. He chattered away and his body language clearly communicated his displeasure. By the darkening of her father’s face, it was clear many insulting things were being said as well. At this point, the young hunter who had led them here darted forward and began chattering quickly to the chieftain. At first, the larger Muskeera only sneered but as the story the young one was telling went on, his sneer faded.

In its place, a cunning smile began forming, ill-concealed, and Obu understood his motivations at once. It wasn’t that hard to discern, after all, she had a quest related to it.

“He’s going to use us against the Talpi,” she told her father. He grunted affirmatively to her while listening to the chief’s next words intently. The Muskeera went on for a bit, clearly posturing in the best way to inspire sympathy. For all his simplicity and brutish nature he pulled it off surprisingly well. Maybe they were skills left over from when he had been at the bottom of the Muskeera totem pole.

Speaking of totem poles, maybe she should do something like that for her Dungeon. That way she could physically show what sort of guardians lay within. After all, totem poles were well used within goblin society to denote ancestors or rank. Perhaps the odd local spirit or two found their way onto the poles as well so maybe it could also work as her own form of ranking system.

She came out of her thoughts to find they were moving deeper into the ground through a series of low tunnels. At her mental question, Dug whispered to her from where he was half crawling due to him being slightly larger than the Muskeera who were moving through the tunnel on all fours.

“Weesa on our ways to dah Dum-Dum place. Skirmeeshees beez ‘appining since last night.”

Obu sent him her approximation of a nod and settled back to wait for the trip to end. It wouldn’t be long now before she got her new pets.