Something out there had killed two more of my creatures. The thing that sucked about a total monster count was that I had no idea of what was killed. I also couldn’t be sure if my creatures were going against one thing or many, as I gained no experience for killings outside my zone. I did however notice that when I claimed this area I felt myself gain some experience. So it would seem I didn’t just need to kill things to grow, I could also claim territory to do so.

I hadn’t gained any experience when I made my other caves, but my guess was that I gained the experience only if I took it territory from something else. Which I guess means killing it. Well shit, guess I am still a murder core.

But that wasn’t what was important right now. Since those 2 deaths, nothing else has fallen, but it’s been about 10 minutes as well. My vision wasn’t growing, so either they were still fighting, or my group or the monster was running.

Waiting was destroying my nerves, though anytime my emotions began to rise they mysteriously faded. This calming emotion thing was great, as it let me keep my cool and continue thinking logically. But sometimes having and acting on emotion was the right call. Not often and sometimes it led to disastrous results, but so could acting on only logic. Just because a choice was logical, didn’t mean it was right, as sometimes it was the reaction based on emotion that allowed you the chance to act. But that’s going down a rabbit hole I didn’t have time for.

Looking into my own caves I decide that I should maybe create a few more monsters as a backup. I trusted my creatures out in the void to keep themselves as safe as possible, but that didn’t mean everything would work out fine. So using my Mana I began to create a few more Kobolds and Centipedes. I decided on only 3 more Kobolds, leaving me with 5, while I created 4 more Centipedes. I also took note of my little mice coven that had formed below my Main mouse.

It would seem my little mouse had finally found another mate and had gathered a decent sized cave hole to create a nest. With him were the 3 pairs made when the second cave had been formed, his new mate, with 2 more pairs that had joined. Overall that meant 6 pairs of mice were living in this nest, filling it up to near full. I could see that 4 of the 6 females were already pregnant as well.

Sensing that there was nothing I could do about what was going on beyond the void, I decided to carve out some more of the hole they were in, allowing them more room to grow. At first the mice seemed to slightly panic at the wall disappearing, before my big guy calmed them down. Since he had grown during the battle he counted toward my total monster list, but the other mice were still just basic tier 1 Fanged Field Mice. One of the pregnant females was his mate, so I was curious on how their children would turn out. Would they be treated as basic mice, or would they count towards my list.

Either way, it was still a little time till they were born, as I noticed that none of the mice I had created had given birth yet. I wasn’t sure of the exact time down here but it was almost a month at least. I saw 2 mice that had been impregnated on their first day weeks ago were still carrying. Though they did look like they would pop any day now.

Distracting myself slightly with the mice was nice and all, but I still couldn’t help worry about my war band. Making a choice I decide to ask 2 Kobold to go into the new cave and describe to me what they see. While they wandered into the new area, the other 2 Kobolds took a post near the cave hole itself. The first 2 Kobolds then began to describe what they could see.

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From their description, it would seem the cave was quite large. It only extended about another 3 feet to the wall directly opposite my hole, meaning it was about 10 feet wide. I could see the wall to the left of the hole, on the west side, as the hole I made was right at the end of this cave. But when they looked east they stopped sending me images. At first I thought it was because they were trying to find a way to picture it to send to me, but then I felt them shake a little.

But it was strange, as they weren’t shaking from fear or even rage. It was excitement they were shaking from. While I couldn’t see anything, their dark-vision was allowing them to watch what was beyond my view. I tried to get their attention, but it was like they were in a slight trance. Then they reacted, entering a fighting stance, while still shaking in excitement. I hated being blind to what was going on and seeing them ready to fight stopped, me from trying to grab their attention. The last thing I needed to do in my frustration was distract them in some way where they end up injured or worse.

That’s when I felt a few of my bats enter my range, flying and occasionally looking back to launch a sonic blast. After the bats I felt the male guardian centipede, and 2 Kobolds enter, joining up with the 2 already within my sight. Turning around they spread out slightly, taunting whatever was out there to come after them.

And it answered said taunt. Entering into my vision was something that was not recognizable to anything I had seen on earth. Nearly as long as my female guardian centipede but twice her width, the creature half crawled half slithered into view. 2 muscular arms kept the front body upright, a short neck above the shoulders leading to a feline looking head. Its mouth was open, glistening 2 inch long canines sticking out from the top like a saber tooth, while a forked tongue flicked in the air. Its body was like a snake, long and sinuous, though it was not covered in scales but a light film of what looked like mucus. Its eyes were large and its iris slit like a cat, glowing a deep violet that was quite noticeable in the darkness of the cave.

It reminded me of a creature found in the Alps, a cryptid that was described in several different forms. Analyzing it confirmed my theory, as its status page came up.

Tatzelwurm

A creature found only in the northern caves and mountain ranges, it is considered a myth by some. Known for being exceptionally stealthy and an exceptional hunter, this cat like amphibian can be considered the top predator in some caves. It sticks close to waterways inside the caverns of its home, waiting with just its head above water. Using a combination of amazing hearing and Mana imbued whiskers, it waits for creatures to come close to the water for a drink. It is also known to coil around stalactites hanging, waiting for prey to pass underneath before dropping down on them. Though it can coat itself in mucus, it does not need to stay wet like most amphibians. Some have been known to develop venom as well, though they are rare to find.

Tough – Rare

Chances to Evolve – Low to Mid

Already I could see blood on both its claws and teeth. It would seem this was the creature that had killed my own. With a Tough rating, it meant that its Mana core was one level above my creatures. The fact it was Rare meant that they were not easy to come by in the world. So just my luck that the cave next door would have one. That’s when I felt the remaining of my war band party enter my vision, though not behind this creature like I thought they would. Instead they also seemed to be leading something here.

And that’s when my luck decided to possibly run out, leading a second Tatzelwurm here to my little cone of vision. And even better, I could see the venom drip from its mouth.