After the arduous collection of rocks for his Incubation Chamber, Malik decided to check his progress at the altar. The pile had grown considerably, but he still couldn’t see how it would amount to an entire building structure.

Level 1 Incubation Chamber

Stone:

73.48%

Beast Cores:

7.5%

Blood of First Child:

0%

Malik felt accomplished but still vowed retribution on the squirrel for stealing the beast core.

The sun would only be up for a couple of more hours, so if Malik wanted to eat, he needed to go out and hunt soon. First, he wanted to dive into the frigid water and clean off the accumulated grime on his skin. His stench had begun to invade his own nostrils, and Camouflage or not, he imagined his prey would be able to smell him coming.

He left his trousers and greaves on as they could use a wash too. Running toward the water, he launched himself into the air with his improved strength and dexterity, spread his wings, and hovered for a moment before falling in. The shock of the coldness stripped the air from his lungs as he scrambled to get to the side.

In that short moment while Malik was in the air, however, he saw gray shapes darting out of his way as he fell. He had seen them before, but they had always looked too fast to catch. Now, all he and his rumbling stomach could think about was what they might taste like.

This time, he would be mentally prepared for the cold and activated Camouflage. He slowly crept into the water, trying not to cause any ripples. Malik’s body shivered slightly, but he gritted his teeth and tried to ignore the sensation. Getting about chest deep, he stilled himself as best he could. Gray shapes leisurely swim near him moments later.

Trout: Level 2

Malik waited for one of the trout to get within inches of him and shot out a clawed hand. Without his claws, the fish would have slithered out of his grasp, but it hooked itself on the sharp tips. Hunger taking over, Malik plunged his teeth into the fish.

Ravenously ripping into the trout, Malik felt intoxicated by the flavor and texture. Within seconds he had devoured the entire creature, but not before checking for a beast core. Finding none, he still wanted more of the fish to snack on. All of the fish had scattered but seemed to forget he was there once the water had settled. Repeating this process three more times, he felt satiated and ready to get out from the frigid temperatures, smiling as he saw the task granted him another point in dexterity, bringing it up to eight total.

There was also a sensation in his chest that made him feel full in another way. Instinctively, he knew that he was close to gaining another level. The feeling kept mounting as he completed various tasks, but it hadn’t been as rapid as when he had killed the beetles. The sensation was pleasant enough, but there was a strong desire to top it off and reap the benefits.

Perhaps if he finished placing the required amount of stone in the circle, it would push him over the edge. While he was excited to finish the building, he was also nervous. What would the ‘citizen’ be like? Malik thought. He worried that he wouldn’t be able to teach the citizen anything useful or be able to protect them. There was also a sinking feeling that the citizen would just leave, rejecting any desire to stay and build a life with Malik. That was a problem out of his control right now, so he pushed the thoughts out of his mind.

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Malik went to go check on the altar before heading to his small cave for the night — perhaps the Founder’s Log would reveal something new.

Placing his hands on each side of the smooth stone, a new prompt appeared rather than the logbook.

Altar of Zahid

Altar Points: 1

Cost to Summon Zahid: 1 AP

Cost to Upgrade Altar: Unavailable

Malik blinked. Yes, summon Zahid, he thought.

Energy swirled from the Altar, projecting Zahid’s form once again.

“Ah, Hello Malik. Thank you for summoning me. I was already becoming bored.”

“You’re welcome. However, I’m not certain how I obtained an Altar Point. I haven’t completed the Incubation Chamber yet.” Malik said, remembering that the building would produce one Altar Point per citizen hatched.

“Yes, I suppose I should have explained that more thoroughly. Each citizen produces one Altar Point per day. The more citizens, the longer I can be free of the Altar. Eventually, with enough citizens, I will never need to return, and my functionality will grow more useful.”

Malik had seen what he had done to the other humans before his death and felt hesitant to give Zahid more power.

“You have nothing to fear, Malik. I cannot leave the area of influence of the Altar. Perhaps, if other Altars are built in my name, I will be able to move between them. However, my motivation is to help you and your unnamed settlement grow.”

Malik clacked his claws on the side of the Altar in thought, “I could certainly use some help. I’ve just been scraping by so far.” With a frown, he quickly followed up, “What can you tell me of my Founder class? I received some knowledge, almost memories, accompanied by a strong desire to grow a nation. However, much of it is still a mystery to me.”

Zahid straightened his back, taking a stiffer stance, “I must admit, I suggested the class for selfish reasons. Without a Founder or Acolyte, I would be trapped within the Altar. However, there are many perks to the class and it seemed a much better fit than Acolyte.”

“You manipulated me,” Malik growled through bared fangs.

Looking down in shame, Zahid said, “Yes. I hope you can forgive me, but I do believe that this will be beneficial to both of us. Please, hear me out.”

Malik’s claws were scraping into the altar, “Go ahead. Although, you didn’t give me much of a choice.”

“A Founder’s aura — which if my texts were correct, will unlock upon reaching level 5 — commands more loyalty than any King, Queen, or other royalty class one might have. As the founder of a civilization, you are the first ruler of your people. Couple that with being a First Child, and you may be revered as nearly a god to any gargoyle.”

Malik frowned at this.

Zahid cleared his ghostly throat, “Skills and abilities can vary greatly with Founders, but there is one thing they all have in common — their power grows with the nation. You will level up based on your people’s growth in addition to traditional methods. Founders of a strong nation are as close to immortality as one can get.”

This did fill Malik with a kind of greedy excitement as well as trepidation, “I’m not sure how I feel about that. I have no idea how to lead.”

“It will come to you, Malik — and I will be here to guide you.”

Malik was about to argue but was interrupted by the ground rumbling beneath his feet. Boulders and snow cascaded from the peaks, dusting his valley in a white mist.

Zahid’s expression filled with panic. Without a word, he swirled back into the Altar, leaving Malik alone once more.