It had been a couple weeks since Samba's fight with Georgia that had brought the Peach Clan to join their numbers. Samba, himself, was finished with his training duties for the day and was supposed to be working with Kumo on a list of laws and benefits from working with the clan. Instead of that headache, he was wandering the Bazaar with Tala with the thin veneer of checking on the other Encampments.

"Ooo, they have sticky falta," Tala said, pointing towards a goblin merchant who was waving about small little cakes skewed on sticks.

Samba reached into his [Expanded Pocket] and pulled out the few copper that he had. While most of the clan's needs were met, there were times like this where having coins was nice. Tiria had dispersed a number of copper to each clan member before adding the benefits part to his duties with Kumo. Until he figured that out with her, he wouldn't be getting more.

"Should we get some?" Tala asked and Samba read between the lines as, "Should we spend our limited funds on this?"

Samba tossed the tiny coins up before catching them. "Life is for living. We can worry about funds later."

She grinned back at him and the two of them purchased a skewer of the little cakes each. Falta was a type of grain that some clan or another had found a way to cultivate on the mountain. It was dense and chewy when made into a baked good, but with honey drizzled over it, the taste was phenomenal.

Tala sighed blissfully as she chewed her first bite. "A richer monster might be able to enjoy more of these, but they could never enjoy it as much."

They clinked their skewers together in a toast and Samba rested his arm on her shoulder as they wandered further into the Bazaar. Even with their leisurely pace, they made good time since most monsters gave the large Samba a wide berth so the sun was still only a little past noon when they arrived at the former site of the Illusor Clan.

The large estate that the boss had destroyed was still in pieces, but the Peach Clan, or former Peach Clan since they were Underbridge now, had piled up all the detritus to make a wall of debris surrounding their small encampment. It wouldn't stop any truly motivated monster, but it was a good deterrent against unwanted assault.

Not that it was probably necessary. The Underbridge Clan had reached a status where not many, if any, non-Sky Clans could challenge them any more. If a few Ground Clans targeted them, they might be in trouble, but for now, it was a distant worry.

Babcock stepped out of one of the tents that was surrounded by the wall of debris and gave them a wave. The tents wouldn't hold during the next monsoon season, but for now, they helped keep the heat off.

"Ho, Samba," Babcock said. "What brings you here?"

He shrugged. "Tala and I were just going on a walk and decided to check in."

Babcock smiled, eyeing the two of them conspiratorially. "Looking for a little time without the litter, eh?"

Samba rubbed his cheek abashedly, but Tala didn't share his same sense of privacy. "Gotta get the foreplay going for litter two, am I right?"

Babcock laughed and Tala squeezed his finger affectionately. "You're right there! Isn't one of yours already an Adolescent?

"Yep, Naln started training just this week!"

That's great. I keep wondering if we will see some more Children ourselves soon."

Samba took a few looks around, but while there were a number of Rhinos around, there wasn't any sign of Georgia. "She out with Poe again then?"

Babcock nodded. "They're trying to find sea shells by the river."

Tala shook her head. "They're a strange couple."

"Agreed," Babcock said, "but I've also never seen Georgia this happy before. I'm sure part of it is dropping most of her leadership duties, but still... I really need to ask Poe how he did it."

Tala stepped forward and bumped Babcock with her shoulder. "Why looking for tips to get a partner of your own?"

"Of course, I am! Their anatomy doesn't even line up and he won her over after a single date."

"What?" Samba said, "Seriously, the first date?"

Tala raised an eyebrow. "Don't act so shocked. You won me over after the first date too."

"I don't think it counts when you'd decided long before then that we were going to get together."

They chatted a little more with Babcock before wishing him well and heading back through the Bazaar. They wound their way through its twisting markets before they arrived back at the Commons. The thousands upon thousands of hivelike structures housed every monster that wasn't part of an established Ground Clan.

Goblins, the most common monster in Igna, were the vast majority here. Some of them looked at Samba and Tala with anger while others shrank away. He understood that monsters were monsters, but the way the goblins were often treated here didn't sit right with him.

Tala noticed his gaze, but didn't say anything. Instead, she squeezed his hand in reassurance. She often thought he was too soft, but that had also been part of his charm according to her. He squeezed her hand back as they made it the rest of the way to the old Brain Goblin clan's cave.

Memories of the carnivorous flowers dropping down on their heads as they fought off the incoming goblins floated into his mind. The battle didn't bother him much, but it hadn't been so long ago that the faces of his fallen clan mates had faded. He'd have to say an extra prayer to Danna tonight for them.

A voice from the main cavern echoed through the long tunnel that served as an entrance.

"...and so a monster is not represented by their mistakes. Neither mine nor yours, nor human or monster, nor god or mortal. It is what one continually does that matters. Does intention matter? For one trying or willing to change, yes."

They followed the voice until the tunnel opened up into the main cavern. Tiria sat crosslegged on a rock with the river at her back, reciting the Words of Danna from memory. Around her, most of the former Hidden Spider clan listened wide eyed.

Strangely, the recent addition to the Underbridge Clan had been the most devout when it came to learning of Danna's teachings. They viewed themselves as a secondary branch of the main clan. It was good to see others learning the word of Danna, but Samba secretly had to admit that his favorite part had been when they had first tried Ancestor Stew.

Apparently, the Hidden Spiders weren't good with spice.

"So when that mistake inevitably occurs and you find yourself wounded, do we double down and lash out? Do we let our emotions of that moment become our guide? Or do we focus on the full river of emotions that formed our family?"

"The river!" Several of the Spiders shouted and Tiria looked pleased.

"Then what do we do with our emotions of the moment?" Instead of letting them yell out, she pointed towards the former Progenitor of the Hidden Spiders.

"We accept it as part of the river," he said. "If the river itself is still good, we know the river will continue so we must take the actions needed to move on."

"That's right. And what do you suppose Danna is trying to tell us there?"

"From that simple line, it's that mistakes don't define us and they can never ruin our family because we are more than our mistakes."

Tiria nodded with a smile on her lips. Samba had grown used to seeing the Subgenitor constantly exhausted, but seeing her teach, her face truly lit up. "You're correct," Tiria said, "However if we take it in context with the full verse, it's more than that. It's an apology to our past lives for the mistakes Danna has made. If one as mighty as she can admit and apologize for those mistakes, who are we to not do likewise?"

Many introspective looks appeared within the Spiders' multiple eyes and Tiria softly clapped her hands once.

"Let's end it there for today."

Some of the Spiders drifted away, speaking in small groups, but a few walked up to speak to Tiria directly. Tala tugged on Samba's arm and he saw a very familiar look in her eyes.

"Why don't we go find a dark corner of the lake somewhere to think about Danna's value?" At Samba's raised eyebrow, she pouted. "Come on, you know the Family parts of the scripture get me all hot and bothered."

"You are the weirdest monster I have ever met."

Tala ran one paw as high up as she could reach on his chest. "I'm not hearing a no..."

Samba laughed before picking up Tala and leaving the Commons. Tiria and several of the spiders watched them go, but Samba couldn't be damned. He loved every part of his family, but Tala most of all.

***

Tiria smiled as she saw Samba carry Tala off. The two of them were smitten with each other in a way that made Tiria a little jealous. She spent so much time running the clan that she didn't have much time for that sort of thing. The most relaxing time for her was when she got an excuse to read Danna's word to the others.

She spent a few more minutes talking with a few of the members of the Hidden Spider sept before heading back for the lake. A slight sense of dread settled over her as she walked down the mountain. Her administrative workload only ever seemed to grow and all attempts at spreading the burden seemed to fail.

Or at least her most recent attempt with Kumo and Samba had thus far. She really didn't want to have to create the laws on top of everything else she had to do. She took a deep breath and slapped her cheeks a couple times, a few surrounding monsters giving her strange looks.

She was a Subgenitor. She couldn't fail at this. If the burden was heavy, she'd just have to be stronger.

With a deep breath, she continued her path back down the mountain and down into the lake. As she dropped down into the air bubble that surrounded their main Encampment, the bustle of activity assaulted her senses.

Their former tributary clan the Cave Goblins had joined up after Underbridge's display of power in taking down two Ground Clans in quick succession. They were on a quick rise and it wasn't just them willing to join up. One of their other tributary clans, the Gluttonous Slugs, had joined as well.

Both of their members had moved down into the lake to bolster their numbers. The Cave Goblins were working around the clock to build Housing Spines, tall brick buildings that would allow them to house even more monsters in the small space.

The Gluttonous Slugs were cleaners and they kept all the areas and buildings clear of any dirt and grime. It was a nice perk, but their real benefit was pumping up their population numbers.

Tiria nodded to a few monsters who greeted her until she arrived at the statue of Danna that was a rendition of her kneeling with the Encampment Crystal floating just above her open palms. Sculptor, one of the Coastal Goblins, had done an impeccable job with it. Tiria's burdens seemed to feel lighter every time she gazed upon it.

She placed a paw on the Crystal to doublecheck their progress.

Overview:

Crystals:

Level 4 - Encampment - Underbridge Lake (Pop: 201)

Level 1 - Encampment - Junk Estate (Pop: 30)

Level 2 - Encampment - Hidden Cave (Pop: 63)

She expanded it to view the lake Encampment's buildings.

Buildings:

Control

Quarters x12 (Houses ten each)

Housing Spine x1

Home x1

Kelp Farm x5

Volcanic Tubers Farm x5

Dragon Pike Farm x2

Smithy

Workshop

Perks

(Reach level 5 to unlock)

Next Level Requirements: Reach 400 population

Village Requirements: Reach Level 5

Their population had risen well, but it still wasn't to a pace that Gi liked. She'd need to find some more clans to bolster their numbers which was part of what had brought her back down here. There were a dozen things she needed to check on, but the most critical was Rocky.

She walked back over to the Control building which had now been furnished with some simple stone furniture, mostly benches and tables, but it was far better than what she'd had before. The Cave Goblins had been worth their weight in gold, literally since as joining the Underbridge Clan meant all of their income came to her rather than just a portion of it.

Rocky rested on one of the aforementioned benches just inside as the Deft Golem snacked on some kelp crisps that one of her workers had thought up as a snack. He rose as he saw her. The sounds of rocks grinding inside of his chest announced that he was about to speak and Tiria waited patiently for his words.

"Tiria, it is good to see you."

"And you, my friend. Thank you for all the aid that you've provided us up until this point."

Tiria gestured for him to sit back down and she sat across from him on an identical bench.

"So," he rumbled, "what may I do for the Underbridge Clan?"

She was confident that he knew why she'd asked him to meet her especially due to the amount of formality that he was using. The monster was a merchant after all and he separated business and friendships very well.

"As I'm sure you know, we have been working to grow our population to increase the speed at which our our own monsters spawn as well as the Perks that come from expanding our Encampment. As our longest standing tributary, we wish for the Deft Golems to join the Underbridge Clan officially."

"As a slave clan?"

Tiria winced. It was rare that a clan would join another mostly due to the stronger clan not being willing to invite a lesser race into their fold. It was inefficient to do so. On the rare occasion that a lesser race had something that a greater clan wanted, they'd try to bring them in as a slave clan. Functionally, it made every member of that race subservient to the main race.

It was a harsh method only used by the truly desperate since both sides had to agree to join wholeheartedly. Rocky knew this and he also knew that wasn't what Tiria would offer. He was bartering which she took as a good sign.

"Of course not. All of the clans that have joined us so far have joined as relatively autonomous septs. Gi presides at the top while myself and the other Hall Leaders are the second level authority. No one below that has any say in sept matters."

Rocky nodded. "And what clans besides us have you approached? While joining another is taxing, I was under the impression that we were quite close."

"Peach, Wall, Pristine, and Hidden Silk clans."

"Cave Goblins and the Gluttonous Slugs, eh? We've been sister tributary clans for a long time. To think they'd get approached before me... a shame really."

Tiria rolled her eyes. "Yes, yes, we're quite close, Rocky. Stop acting offended and tell me what is it that you want?"

"We're willing to join the Underbridge Clan as long as we have a similar sept status and a new Hall is created for me to lead."

With the Halls of Conversion, War, Defense, and Civics being established, it was easy to guess what Rocky wanted. "A Hall of Trade, I assume? I think Poe talks too much.

"You assume correctly, and yes, he does."

Tiria tapped a claw on the stone bench. In the past, this was something she'd need to go to Gi on, but he'd been particularly disinterested in the Civics side of things since the Illusor Clan incident. She didn't see any harm in agreeing. "Fine. Is there anything else?"

"Well as Merchants, we need coin to buy product to sell. We won't be able to provide for the clan based on revenue."

Tiria's eyes narrowed. "You're not trying to weasel your way out of your tithe, are you?"

Rocky shook his head. "No, you will actually receive quite a bit more funds from us if this goes through, but I want to be clear that we require money to make money. If you bleed us dry, you'll ruin all of us."

"That works fine then. Anything else?"

The golem placed two fingers just a little bit apart. "There is the small issue with a lifestyle fee. If my clan members quality of life goes down, I'll be seen as a failure of a leader, you see?"

Tiria's mouth dropped open. Was Rocky serious right now? She was about to tell him off when she realized that there was an excellent opportunity to be had. "I think we can agree to all that with one minor change. Instead of being the Hall of Trade, you'd be the Hall of Finance. I'm sure you could balance out those pesky lifestyle fees against the needs of the clan."

Rocky let out a peal of laughter that sounded like a dozen rocks getting slapped together repeatedly. "That's good! I thought for a moment I was going to leave this conversation as the leader of the Underbridge Clan. I suppose can agree to those terms."

Rocky stood up and extended his hand out for Tiria to shake. It wasn't a gesture that the otters used, but she knew its purpose. She took his hand and they shook on it.

As they did, a notification must have popped up in Rocky's vision because he sighed. "Well, I guess it's official. I'm no longer a Progenitor."

"We'll take care of the Deft Golems, I promise."

He nodded. "I know you will. Frankly, it's been difficult for us to expand our trade due to our lacking strength. This is an opportunity for us to defy our own fate." He looked down at his oversized stone feet. "It was nice to barter one last time as the leader of my own clan though. Thank you."

"No, thank you," Tiria said, performing the sign of the Mother and he patted her on the back.

"You're a good monster, Tiria. I'll come back tomorrow to discuss specifics with you, but for today, I need to go have a drink."