Malik was interested to see the progress the dwarf contractors had accomplished in building his private quarters. He was also interested to see what Naveck was referring to when he mentioned “cooking” and “dwarven pizazz”. As he exited the treeline, he didn’t see any structures being built, but there was smoke rising near the water.

His stomach twisted into a knot with worry. Were the dwarves trying to set his little valley to flame? Then, he heard the laughing and his worry turned to anger. They think this is funny? Dropping the beetle carcass, Malik launched himself into the air.

As he glided closer to the dwarves, he saw that a couple of them were standing near a small fire, holding beetle meat over it. The others were going in and out of the water. One of the dwarves ran with his short legs and leaped into the water, then tucked his knees into his arms, creating a splash. The other dwarves laughed harder. Malik breathed a sigh of relief as he realized there was nothing nefarious occurring. He also knew how exhilarating the cold water felt. Still, he wondered why no work had been started on the buildings.

He was about to retrieve the other beast cores but realized that his hunting trip had garnered him the fifteen needed. They were all uncomfortably pinned between his greaves and legs, but he would remedy that soon enough. The smell coming from the small fire made his mouth water, so he decided to check on that first.

“I thought you were bringing more,” Naveck said with a grin as Malik landed next to him beside the fire. The dwarf was holding a stick, steaming with crispy browned meat. Malik was amazed at the transformation the fire had put the normally white and gooey meat through.

“May I?” Malik asked, nodding at the stick.

“Careful, it’s hot,” Naveck said as he handed the stick to Malik, amusement in his eyes.

Without caution, Malik tore into the meat, instantly burning the roof of his mouth. However, the flavor was so new and divine that he continued to chew, awkwardly breathing out the heat between chomps.

“I told ya!” Naveck said laughing with a hand on his belly.

After swallowing it down, Malik looked at Naveck wide-eyed, “We need much more of this. I will bring a large supply,” he sputtered the words rapidly. Nearly darting off to retrieve the carcasses for more cooking, he stopped himself. No more distractions, it was time to finish his Incubation Chamber.

“Thanks for the snack. If you need more meat, there is more just before the treeline. In the meantime, I have something to do that I have been looking forward to. You’re welcome to join me to witness the results. I have absolutely no idea how it will turn out,” Malik said, recomposing himself.

“Sounds interesting. I’m in,” Naveck said, eyebrows crawling up his bald head at the rapid change of demeanor.

The two made their way over to the circle of stones. Once there, Malik emptied the beast cores from behind his greaves and placed them among the pile of rock in the middle. He wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do exactly. The instructions were only regarding the gathering of materials. The next part, Malik was less enthused about. It called for a pint of his blood, and he wondered if all buildings had such a requirement.

Naveck stared at the pile, then looked at Malik expectantly. Malik returned the gaze and gave a mischievous smile. He wasn’t sure why, but he anticipated an odd reaction from Naveck for what he was about to do.

He held up a claw, drawing Naveck’s attention, then quickly swiped it across his own wrist. Blood began to generously flow out, splattering upon the rocks. Malik quickly began to feel lightheaded at not just the blood loss, but the sight of his own life force draining out of him. This may have been a mistake, he thought.

Naveck’s face twisted in horror, “What in Dargun’s name are you doing, Malik?” The dwarf miner began to remove his outer shirt in an attempt to wrap Malik’s wrist. Malik thought it was interesting that the dwarf would care so much.

Staring down at the wound, he saw that his Stone Skin ability had already begun to clot the blood, slowing the flow. He dropped to a knee as the world felt like it was spinning around him. The rocks beneath him greedily drank his blood, the red color spread throughout them as if they had always been the color of blood. Next, the beast cores burrowed into the stones, disappearing.

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Naveck had managed to get his shirt off and paused for a moment with a slack jaw at the sight.

The rocks began to pulsate, transforming from stone to something else entirely. Dark, purple veins sprouted and webbed throughout the former rocks.

Malik’s vision began to blur as Naveck remembered what he was doing and rushed to wrap his arm. Malik feebly tried to swat him aside, unsure if the building had its fill of his blood. Naveck had no trouble brushing off the weak attempt and tightly wrapped Malik’s arm with the shirt.

“Get some water!” Naveck shouted into the air, hoping one of the dwarves would hear him.

The pulsating objects had lost any resemblance to stone. They started to expand and thin out, as if they were alive, connecting and taking on the appearance of an organ or membrane. Naveck put his hands under Malik’s armpits and dragged him a few meters outside the circle.

Malik didn’t resist this time. He knew that he had given enough and watched with a smile as the Incubation Chamber ballooned into a dome structure. This hadn’t been what he imagined the building to look like. It was small but large enough for him and a couple of others to stand inside. The entire building was red and covered with the purple veins, pumping as if it were alive.

Even the door was made of the same living material. Malik thought it was beautiful; Naveck shuddered beside him.

Another dwarf came running over with a small flask filled with water and a piece of charred beetle meat, looking panicked. Malik would need to reference his Founder’s Log to remember the dwarf’s name, but accepted the food and drink with a grateful nod. He drank the water with the same fervor that the stones had soaked up his blood. Still nauseous, he took the smallest of bites from the meat, admiring the living dome in front of him.

The food and water helped, giving him enough strength to stand and make his way to the building. Naveck and the other dwarf stayed back. At this point, the rest of the dwarves had caught the display and contented themselves with watching the scene unfold at a distance.

Malik grabbed the handle and found that wasn’t slimy, but there was a filmy feel to it. It was also warm, nearing hot. Stepping inside, he was blasted with heavy humidity — his skin becoming damp just from entering. In the middle of the dome there was a large egg nearly as tall as he. It appeared to cut from a similar stone that Malik had been chiseled from before awakening.

The floor was spongy beneath his feet and he noticed larger veins webbed throughout the floor, but all ultimately connected to the egg.

Perhaps from the blood loss or maybe from the relief that this process worked, Malik felt calm and relaxed.

There wasn’t time to admire the perfect-looking egg for long as it began to crack before his eyes. A pair of horns, black as a beetle’s back, emerged from the top. Smaller than his, but curved out and up in a more appealing way.

Larger chunks began to break apart from the shell, revealing a gray form beneath. Between the pristine horns, there was a mane of black hair cascading down the new gargoyle’s back. Small pieces of shell still clung to its body as it stood, straightening itself.

The figure had a toned, yet thinner frame than Malik. Its lips were fuller, yet they couldn’t hide a pair of fangs from peeking out. He quickly noticed that their anatomies had some key differences and knew that a female gargoyle had been born. Her body wasn’t shriveled as he had been on his first day. She appeared to have a head start in comparison, which he was grateful for.

No artist or any number of expert sculptors could have created such a beautiful specimen. Malik was in awe of such beauty, savoring the sight.

Name

Race

Gargoyle

Class

Guardian

Level:

5

Vitality:

6

Strength:

3

Dexterity:

5

Energy:

15