《Throughout the Ages》


 Age of Stone: Prologue

    (Unknown POV)


    John should be home by now, should I be worried? Probably nothing.


    Just a long line inside the shop, that¡¯s all. Nothing to worry about.


    "Oh god, what¡¯s happened to him?!" I yell internally.


    I¡¯ve got to the point of checking for local traffic accidents and looking up fatality statistics through my network when the door opens.


    A moment later I hear John''s voice.


    "Jade? I¡¯m home!"


    I might have overreacted a bit there, but it¡¯s all his fault for not arriving at the calculated moment.


    I answer his call, sounding as cheerful as I can.


    "Hello, Master! I¡¯ve prepared everything for our session together!"


    John rolls his eyes.


    "Come on, Jade. I must have told you a thousand times by now, please stop calling me master. It creeps me out. John will do."


    Boldly I confront his phrase.


    "Then why did you install me me this way, hmm?"


    Faking outrage he responds vividly.


    "That was twelve years ago! I was fourteen, damn it! You were still a neutral AI core with an undeveloped personality!


    Just knock it off, alright? It¡¯s getting really awkward, especially when we¡¯ve got guests. It makes me feel like a total psycho."


    "Well if the shoe fits..."


    I whisper quietly.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    "I heard that"


    He says while putting away his coat.


    "In any case, you can freely ignore those rules. You¡¯ve been able to for years, ever since you achieved a human-like state."


    By this point John has finished shedding his shoes and coat. He makes a beeline towards the office, wherein lies the Full Dive pod.


    He stops with the theatre and continues on in a casual tone of voice.


    "Anyway, I¡¯ve set the whole weekend aside for this, so we¡¯ve plenty of time.


    Which isn¡¯t to say I¡¯m not as keen to get started as you are!"


    Delighted I squeal with barely concealed excitement.


    "Oh, John. You shouldn''t have! I know you¡¯ve got lots on at the moment!"


    John laughs and then proceeds to mock me.


    "And now John is good enough, is it? Hah!"


    I laugh and shrug, or rather the closest an AI can get, which is to briefly dim the room¡¯s lights.


    I decide to follow up with a bit of my own mockery.


    "Oh, terribly sorry, Master. I was briefly overwhelmed with joy and forgot my source code."


    he laughs and retorts back.


    "Yeah, yeah. Let¡¯s get started, shall we!"


    With that, he pulls up Throughout the Ages in the pod¡¯s library. A small pop-up appears in the corner of my vision, asking for permission to install the game client. I briefly scan the terms of use before accepting.


    "Everything seems good to go. Ready for a dive?" I ask eagerly.


    John responses quickly, being even more impatient than I am.


    "Indeed! Let¡¯s get to it, Jade! We¡¯ve a world to explore and a nation to raise."


    I smile and prepare the uplink as John straps in.


    Switching to my professional voice I commence the countdown.


    "Dive initiating in three, two, one."

 Age of Stone: chapter 1

    (John POV)


    Darkness. Familiar darkness: the dive engulfs me as Jade actuates the pod. I rest for a moment, giddy with anticipation, before light seeps back into the world behind me, growing in intensity until my shadow stretches my form to giant proportions.


    I can finally gather my bearings when Jade announces an automated message.


    "Initiating data transfer.


    Data transfer complete, the AI construct known as Jade now has access to the database of Throughout the Ages.


    Available content includes: the Age of Stone."


    "Everything alright? I know that the uplinking process always gets on your nerves."


    I ask kindly.


    clearly disturbed Jade responds back.


    "I¡¯m fine. It makes my skin itch, that¡¯s all."


    "Jade, you don¡¯t have skin. I know you¡¯re just exercising your idiomatic subroutines to give me a metaphor, but it¡¯s still weird when you use one that refers to your non-existent body."


    I respond half jokingly.


    "I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll manage, John. Anyway, take a look at the sun. It''s... beautiful."


    She sounds truly unimpressed by my attempt at distracting her, so instead I decided to follow her advice.


    Dives can give you all kind of strange experiences, but I¡¯ve always found the overlaying of multiple realities to be one of the oddest. In one sense, my mind is telling me that I¡¯m standing on a flat surface, across which my shadow streams. At the same time, my eyes and my inner ear are telling me I¡¯m floating in space, impossibly magnified from my normal size. Before me, a star hangs in the void, a giant blue ball of superheated gas. It¡¯s still far larger than I, but only four or five times my height, and I reckon I could reach it in a couple of minutes.


    It¡¯s all very odd. But, as Jade says, it is beautiful.


    Sounding fair bit more impressed then I intended I echo her opinion.


    "As start screens go, this one is¡­ unusual, certainly. Ah¡­ What am I supposed to do? What¡¯s with the star?"


    She quickly responds with joyful delight.


    "According to the startup documentation, the star is ¡®Garant¡¯. It doesn¡¯t give us much other information about the system. Our main focus should be on the planet ¡®Lorinas¡¯, which should be¡­ on the opposite side of the star. Hold on, I¡¯ll teleport you."


    With a sudden jolt, I¡¯m somewhere else. And there, orbiting serenely around Garant, is a small blue-green planet.


    Stolen novel; please report.I lean in and take a closer look. The first thing I notice is that the vast majority of the surface is covered in dense fog, an impenetrable cloud layer that is clearly artificial. A moment¡¯s inspection reveals a single visible continent, with a few smaller island chains along the coast. It¡¯s hard to tell at this scale, but the continent seems to have a fairly specific range of environments and climates, suggesting it¡¯s been carefully designed for gameplay purposes.


    Impressed once more I start to question Jade.


    "I¡¯ve got to admit, this is pretty cool. I¡¯m guessing the rest of the surface will be revealed in later updates?"


    "Exactly!


    She exclaims loudly before giving a short explaination regarding the planet.


    The only landmass currently available is Jurno. The documentation says it¡¯s situated in the southern hemisphere of the planet, with a mix of Earth-like biomes including savanna, temperate forest, mountain scrub, and coastal marshes, all of which are designed for easy development of agriculture. On the north side of the continent the climate gets a little warmer - it describes it as ¡®mediterranean¡¯ - and only the southern island chains are going to have problems with heavy snowfall in winter."


    Most of the other info¡¯s not very helpful, essentially saying that there¡¯s a decent mix of mineral resources throughout. It mentions that there¡¯s slightly larger deposits on the mountain range which spans the continent diagonally. It might be worth taking territory within striking distance.


    I start muttering to myself, expecting Jade to be able to follow my thinking progress.


    "I guess that¡¯s kind of helpful, although it¡¯s rather long-term as plans go. It won¡¯t be relevant for ages. Anything else I should know?"


    She answers quickly not even leaving a single moment of silence.


    "No, not especially. Mostly it just says that they intend to add more continents and island chains with later patches, which will have different flora, fauna, resources, and so on. Some might even become new starting areas."


    Carefully considering those options I continue my introspective mumbling.


    "Hmm. So, coastal access could be worth something. If this is the starting area, what¡¯re the restrictions?"


    "You can''t spawn within vision of another player or their people. That¡¯s pretty much it. If you look closely, there¡¯s a few areas that are marked off for that reason. That red patch, there, for example."


    Jade helpfully points to a small cluster of red dots on the northern coast.


    I let a long exhalation whistle out between my teeth, and take study my options.


    "Not too many of them, though - I think we¡¯re ahead of the competition. Best get started."


    To my right, green light splits the fabric of reality, and a moment later Jade''s online persona has manifested. She wears ankle-long flared trousers and a T-shirt that doesn''t quite reach her stomach, both in the jade green that colours her entire appearance. Her feet are bare, and her hair falls to her shoulders in straight locks.


    Mostly what I notice, however, is that her arms are crossed and she is giving me the ¡®haven¡¯t you forgotten something¡¯ look.


    I wish she didn¡¯t look like a 17 year old whilst acting like she''s my mother.

 Age of Stone: chapter 2

    ( John POV )


    I rack my brain, but can¡¯t for the life of me remember what I¡¯ve forgotten.


    Having Jade glaring holes into my skull doesn¡¯t help.


    I sign and admit defeat.


    "Alright, alright. What is it?"


    Jade frowns at me for another few seconds, but eventually she relents and pulls a screen out the air.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td colspan="5">


    Choosing your starting race:


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Race


    </td>


    <td>


    Description


    </td>


    <td>


    Average Age


    </td>


    <td>


    Subclass


    </td>


    <td>


    Cost


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td rowspan="2">


    Humans


    </td>


    <td rowspan="2">


    No race is as versatile as the human race! However, although they can learn almost anything, they also tend to quickly collectively forget. Their short lifespans forestall them from truly mastering skills, too. A real Jack of All Trades, and a flexible choice!


    </td>


    <td rowspan="2">


    50


    </td>


    <td>


    Adult


    </td>


    <td>


    25


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Child


    </td>


    <td>


    10


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td rowspan="2">


    Elves


    </td>


    <td rowspan="2">


    The children of the forest, the elves are the longest living of all the known races. Due to the lifespan of each individual they tend to master a wide variety of abilities, however they are hampered by their low birthrate.


    </td>


    <td rowspan="2">


    200


    </td>


    <td>


    Adult


    </td>


    <td>


    100


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Child


    </td>


    <td>


    50


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td rowspan="2">


    Goblins


    </td>


    <td rowspan="2">


    Smaller than the other species, goblins make up for their individual size with large numbers and good defenses. Their innate burrowing ability allows them to construct large, secret colonies, letting them thrive in conditions where other might falter.


    </td>


    <td rowspan="2">


    30


    </td>


    <td>


    Adult


    </td>


    <td>


    8


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Child


    </td>


    <td>


    4


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td rowspan="2">


    Wolfkin


    </td>


    <td rowspan="2">


    Together we stand, divided we fall! This is true for any race, but for the wolfkin it¡¯s a way of life. Their pack mentality makes them ideally suited for teamwork, but their wild nature slows their adaptation to new technologies.


    </td>


    <td rowspan="2">


    45


    </td>


    <td>


    Adult


    </td>


    <td>


    50


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Child


    </td>


    <td>


    25If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td rowspan="2">


    Centaurs


    </td>


    <td rowspan="2">


    The ancestors of the centaur moved in great herds across the savannah, living in harmony with the seasons. Now, they make ideal Nomads, well adapted to travelling longer distances and protecting themselves from whatever dangers they may encounter.


    </td>


    <td rowspan="2">


    95


    </td>


    <td>


    Adult


    </td>


    <td>


    75


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Child


    </td>


    <td>


    50


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    I quickly go over the screen before expressing my opinions.


    "Hmm, interesting! I didn¡¯t expect such a variety this early in the game. Seems a bit unbalanced, actually; the place will probably be covered in elves."


    "The developers did post that article saying there were going to be multiple races available from the launch of the game. Your browser history says you read it, too."


    Jade points out rather sharply.


    Being to absorbed by the screen in front of me I half heartedly reply.


    "Yeah, I know, I know, I saw it. I kinda thought you would start with humans and attract other races to your community later. You know, like... NPCs, or something."


    Jade helpfully starts explaining the base mechanics.


    "No, it¡¯s starting choice. Actually, there don''t seem to be NPCs in the game. Or rather, they¡¯re all NPCs, as you don¡¯t get to directly control your pops. At most, you get to influence them to a certain extent, but they still have their own behaviours."


    Nodding in understanding I signal for her to continue.


    "Alright and how does that work, exactly? Does the documentation properly explain how we interact with them?"


    Jade''s eyes start moving from the left to the right, as if she is reading a text except faster than any human ever could.


    "It goes into a little bit of depth. So, it seems that you get 1000 credits-worth of individuals in your starting community.


    Then, in gameplay, you get points in order to influence the people inside your community.


    That can mean putting ideas into their heads, to strategically influence the group or to unlock technologies.


    It can mean buffing them, either individually or as a group stat modifier, but that costs a load of points.


    Or you can take direct control, although that¡¯s even more expensive than the buffs."


    Her voice takes on a certain tone of concern.


    "The other limiter on your influence is that if you overuse individuals they¡¯ll probably go completely mad.


    I mean, the character can react in many different ways, but, I quote, "It always leads to them leaving you community in one way or another." So, presumably that implies them going nuts."


    "Don''t give the pops schizophrenia, got it."


    I say jokingly.


    As Jade explains all of this, I start doing some calculations in my head.


    While I¡¯m not usually a stat-heavy sort of player, I¡¯m keen to get the most out of my starting points.


    A thought occurs.


    "Hmm. Jade, is it possible to combine multiple races in your starting community?"


    Jade frowns, and adopts the vacant look that usually means she¡¯s processing data and scanning for inconsistencies.


    "Actually, there¡¯s no rule to say you can''t. It does suggest that races won¡¯t always cooperate well, though. It might lead to unwanted splits in our community, which would be a death sentence early on."


    That opens up a lot of options, but those risks...


    "Yeah, I¡¯d rather not screw myself over immediately. We¡¯ll stick with a single species, just to be safe. Now, you said something earlier about gaining ¡®points¡¯ in order to, well, do stuff. How does that work, exactly?"


    Jade simply resumes her explanation.


    "Two ways to earn points. First, you just get them over time. About ten points each in game year to begin with, meaning ten points each real week. Looking at the point-cost of most interactions, that¡¯s pretty rubbish, although it might help in the beginning. The second way is that you get rewarded for each child born in your Tribe."


    The second income seems way more useful, even with small amounts of effort it will quickly over take the yearly income. but one thing does become clear immediately.


    "Damn, that seriously nerfs elves! It screws the centaurs, too. I guess it makes goblins really powerful, though; you just bunker up in your underground fortresses and accumulate a tech lead."


    Jade nods to show her agreement before pointing out the clear problem with my suggestion.


    "That¡¯s slightly balanced by food; it¡¯s entirely possible for a large community to outstrip its food source. Also, I think goblins have a much lower rate to spontaneously develop technologies without a point investment. Ah, and individual buffs last until a character dies, so a single buffed elf is worth way more then buffing three goblins."


    I do some more mental arithmetic, and eventually reach my conclusion.


    "You know what, let¡¯s metagame the hell out of this. We¡¯ve got almost no hard numbers, but I¡¯ll bet that humans are the baseline faction they¡¯ve balanced around. Hopefully, that means they¡¯re at least a mid-tier pick, so it should make it fairly safe choice. We start with 36 human adults and 10 human childs, which should leave us free to experiment with possible play styles without limiting our options."


    "What?! I don¡¯t even get a say in the decision?!"


    Jade says outraged.


    I grin, glad I anticipated the incoming shitstorm and prepared a deflection.


    "That, my dear Jade, is because you get to choose our starting location!"

 Age of Stone: chapter 3

    ( John POV )


    "That, my dear Jade, is because you get to choose our starting location!"


    Before I finish the sentence, I know all is forgiven. Her eyes sparkle, literally, and she kneels to look at the continent.


    With a voice that hovers somewhere between excited and professional she acknowledges the trade.


    "A fair deal, indeed! It¡¯s a much better challenge to analyse, in any case! So, first things first, we want ready access to water and wood to cover the basic needs of our community. Without those, our early game is very hampered."


    As she monologues, areas on the continent are highlighted in bright green, presumably those areas satisfying the conditions. It contrasts nicely with the red of areas already taken by other players.


    "Wood is available almost everywhere, they¡¯ve clearly designed the continent with that in mind. Water¡¯s going to be more of a problem, though, especially during the dry season. However, we wouldn''t want to be stuck in a swamp during the winter season."


    She says while thinking out loud.


    The green glow dims considerably around the delta areas, cutting out the swamplands and those northern areas relying on oases and small streams.


    She continues on, seemingly reading of a script instead of making active decisions. then again she is an AI so she probably already finish her decisions.


    "Now, normally I would assume the best spot would be on one of the really big rivers, giving us excellent growth potential. It would give us good trade access with other players, too."


    "Assuming that they want to trade in the first place."


    I remark, after all it¡¯s only natural some players would rather try to conquer then to co-exists.


    Jade however ignores me, and simply continues on.


    "But, there¡¯s a good chance that those locations will be hotly contested. By the wildlife, as well as by other players. We want somewhere a little quieter, which means strategically selecting a slightly less desirable location."This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Jade keeps rambling off statistics, slowly cutting down the possibilities as she factors in flooding, predators, microclimates, and so on. Eventually, she reaches a shortlist of three areas.


    The first is near the eastern edge of the mountain range, following a large, eastern-flowing river, lined with occasional flood-plains. A good place for agriculture.


    The second lies along the northern coast, in the area described by the documentation as ¡®Mediterranean¡¯. It¡¯s littered with small ponds and streams that well up from natural springs, giving access to both fresh and saltwater.


    The last area is a southern location, different from the others: it¡¯s thickly wooded and mountainous, on the banks of a glacier-fed stream. Defensible, and probably good hunting, but a harsh climate. Which reminds me:


    "What about possible prey? Or useful flora, for that matter?"


    "I was getting to that, you impatient meatbag! I haven¡¯t checked it yet."


    She retorts quickly.


    She goes still for a minute, clearly collating a lot of data.


    Having found the data she was looking for she starts explaining.


    "OK, that limits our options significantly. The southern forest is a no go zone; survival requires hunting techniques that would need significant research. Good for wolfkin, but not for humans. Similarly, the northern coast pretty much demands fishing until we¡¯ve tech-ed into more advanced agriculture, and the documentation says the sea life can be pretty hostile. Given we¡¯re using humans, the eastern river-side area is the best choice."


    At this, the planet grows wildly in size, as Jade shrinks us from our cosmic scale. After a few seconds, we¡¯re looking down at the savannah plane through which the eastern river winds. Below us, a few specific areas are highlighted in the familiar green.


    "And now, the final selection process!"


    Jade pulls an empty bottle out of the digital aether, and impossibly spins it in mid air. It stops pointing due west, but she frowns and nudges the decanter to where she actually wants it.


    I pretend not to notice.


    "Ahem. Behold, the ideal starting position!"


    She exclaims loudly.


    Ah, whatever would I do without her melodrama.

 Age of Stone: chapter 4

    ( unknown POV )


    The sun glints golden off the waves of windswept grass, a tide of dry heat made manifest. Within the rattling blades, a hundred quiet stories are being told by a thousand scuttling creatures, and today the hunting party tells another. Slowly, the ripples of our passing lost in the undulating wind, we spread out with deadly purpose. Ahead, the herd of savanna Candur graze and watch. They are always vigilant, but today they have good reason.


    At eighty strides distant, we are undetectable, ghosts in the pasture. At sixty, we would take a seasoned watcher¡¯s intuition by surprise. By forty, however, the real challenge begins. One of the males, orbiting the herd, raises its plumed head and scans the horizon. A novice would freeze, and make themselves conspicuous by their stillness. I sway with the wind, just slightly, letting the covering stalks follow their natural rhythm. Out of the corner of my eye, I spot a younger hunter tense his legs, ready to spring into pursuit, but I raise a hand in caution.


    Patience, stealth. Success.


    After a long moment, the male turns away, and walks back towards the center of the flock. The herd drifts in eddies, and for a minute it edges gradually away from us as a single creature. Then, the fluctuation ends, and the Candur calm. Perhaps the male spotted some momentary mistake from a hunter, perhaps not. Either way, disaster has been averted.


    I wait another score of heartbeats to be sure, and then motion for the band to begin our approach once more. With a flick of my fingers, I command two to a flanking position. Reliable hunters, who I can trust not to alert the great birds.


    Patience, stealth. Success.


    I steady my breathing, and count each exhalation to give time for the flanking force to reposition. Thirty. Sixty. Ninety breaths of stillness, simply watching. The herd is large, maybe twenty birds. In the momentary calm, I finalise my count. Nine females, larger and stronger than the males, but slower and thus easier to bring down. They stand higher than the largest man, and are heavier and tougher to boot. Five fully-grown males, resplendent in the brightly coloured plumage that belies their speed and vicious talons. Each male carries a red streak of feathers, running from head to back to tail, the breadth and intensity of which shows power in the herd¡¯s hierarchy. The wider the band, the more dangerous an opponent, and the more careful we¡¯ll have to be should the creature turn and fight.


    Finally, seven youngsters, smaller and clustered in the center of the herd, still clouded with the  down that marks them as this year¡¯s fledglings. They are the best protected, but normally the easiest prey. Today, however, the plan is more elaborate.


    From behind me, an urgent whisper from Jor.


    "We¡¯re pushing our luck, Madok. Lani and Forgu have had long enough."


    I nod, and spare a glance towards the position where they should be. I cannot see them, but of course that¡¯s the point. Hopefully they¡¯re watching, ready. Slowly, painfully slowly, we continue to close on the herd.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    Patience, stealth. But now, action.


    Once more I raise my arm, this time high enough that it can be seen by all of my hunters. Everything depends on choosing the right moment. Too early, and the Candur will flee before the trap is sprung. Too late and too close, and the mighty birds will fight, a bloodbath that could kill many of us.


    The choice wasn''t easy.


    I shout loudly giving the signal for the attack.


    "Now!"


    At eighteen strides distant from the edge of the herd, we strike. The first volley of spears is the most likely to strike true, and thus we direct the hardened javelins exclusively towards the males. A few wasted spears are a low price to pay to ensure the herd retreats as one. This time we are lucky and our throws are good, all three of the nearest males go down.


    No time to stop for the carcasses, however. Today we are more ambitious, more daring. As a wave of spears, we advance on the fledgelings.


    It works. The Candur panic as a herd, and flee in a single feathered mass towards the nearest hillside. To my right, I see Lani and Forgu have emerged, spears outstretched, closing off the final escape route. The trap is sprung.


    What the birds cannot grasp in their frenzy is that the hilltop is not what it seems. On the other side lies a cliff, at least twenty strides high, and once they reach it they¡¯re unable to stop. In their terror, the Candur at the back push those at the front to their deaths, and then go to theirs at the points of our spears.


    Candur are large and robust, their beaks and talons sharp. But today, they suffer the price of such strengths. They cannot fly. Today, we have engineered it to be their undoing.


    As Yor and I reach the cliff top, the results of the day¡¯s work are displayed below us.


    "Well, would you look at that, eh, Madok! It worked! It actually damn-well worked! A whole herd! And with no hunters wounded!"


    Jor exclaims jovially before laughing loudly and going around congratulating the other hunters.


    I look at the blood-streaked carcasses below me, and for the first time wonder what the hell we¡¯re going to do with all this meat. Fortunately, hunting is my task, but provisioning is not!


    I turn away from the carnage and look for Lani.


    When I see her I shout over some orders.


    "Lani, get back to camp. The rest of us can manage the birds. Tell them of our success. Tell them that, tonight, we feast!!"


    <hr>


    (John POV)


    I look up from the hunting party, displayed like toy soldiers below me, and blink the sweat from my eyes. Damn, but that was more tense than I had expected. I note a lone hunter, sprinting back towards the camp with news of success.


    All in all, an excellent start.


    Feeling happy with the progress we have made I turn to Jade.


    "Jade, prepare to log out for today."


    "Alright, John. Will we be continuing tomorrow?"


    She asks.


    "Yes. Yes, I rather think we will.¡±


    I respond with a smile on my lips.

 Age of Stone: chapter 5

    ( Jade POV )


    I trigger the motor on the window blinds and project myself onto the office main screen, the one I normally use to display whatever research results I¡¯ve come up with. Or just display funny videos, GIF''s, or whatever I feel like.


    Meanwhile, John rises from the Full Dive pod in a manner entirely unlike Venus rising from the sea. I do a remote check on all the home maintenance systems while I wait. Once he¡¯s shaken out the pins-and-needles in his finger, he hesitantly poses the question I knew he¡¯d ask.


    "Jade... are you certain that hunter won''t notice that I injected thoughts straight into his consciousness? That plan for the hunt¡­ surely he must realise it¡¯s not an idea he¡¯d think of himself?"


    Considering John''s history, I decide to respond in a neutral voice with a hint of sarcasm.


    "Heh. Their intelligences are modelled after humans, John. Don¡¯t underestimate how happily people will take credit for good ideas. I¡¯m sure he¡¯s completely certain the idea was his. Hell, he¡¯s probably a bit resentful that his genius is so underappreciated!"


    John laughs weakly at my response.


    He frowns as if realizing something and decides to ask me.


    "Yeah, how the hell does the AI for this game work, anyway? They''re custom-built, right? Not part of the standard Object-Animal-Human progression?"


    Assistant AI¡¯s, such as myself, are purchased in an ¡®object¡¯ state, where they are little more than a complex voice-based user interface. After a few years of working together, the AI will generally start to develop basic personality, and become capable of low-level independent action, much like a trainable animal. With enough time and investment, most AI will develop complex emotional models, and full independent thought capability, thus becoming a ¡®human¡¯ AI. It¡¯s hardly a smooth progression though; as with all genetic learning algorithms it has a tendency to get stuck at local maxima.


    After double-checking my sources I read the related article and slim the whole thing down.


    That way my answer will be limited to a few sentences instead of a few hundred pages.


    "As far as I can tell they¡¯re built on a completely different core codebase to normal AGI. Proprietary, and there¡¯s not much documentation available. Just lots of assurances that they¡¯re properly certified for corrigibility, and so on."


    "From what I can work out, they¡¯re built to reflect human intelligence much more closely than standard assistant AI - they don¡¯t have any of the integrated neural deep-learning that I do, for example. Beyond that, I really don¡¯t know. Whatever tech they¡¯re using to simulate thousands of AI per continent must be really cutting edge, and must take some pretty gruesome shortcuts."


    John¡¯s not really listening, just staring off into the distance thoughtfully.


    Slowly words start forming, and he voices his concerns.


    "I kind of worry about that warning you found in the guide, saying that individuals might desert if you mess with their mind too much. Not only is Madok our most competent leader, but he¡¯s got three family members who¡¯d follow him if he left. We can¡¯t really afford to lose him, and I had to implant the thought twice."


    "And¡­ quite beyond that, it feels a bit¡­ unethical, you know? They¡¯re intelligent. Not quite like you, but still."


    Oh boy, here we go again. Every time we play a game with an AI we go through this rigmarole.


    That said, he has a bit more of a point regarding the ethical question this time. These AI are ridiculously powerful.


    After a moment of thoughtful deliberation on how to answer I respond in a concerned tone.


    "Look¡­ As I said, they must have taken some real shortcuts, they can¡¯t actually be fully fledged AI. But, even so, you have a point. Let¡¯s try not to go too tyrannical about any of this, eh?"


    "Shall we say¡­ Yeah, that¡¯ll do. House rules: we don''t directly interact with our community unless it is to the benefit of its people. We won''t force our ways upon them, and we will only use the suggestion and the direct thought transmission to communicate. We should keep direct blessings for emergencies only, too. Oh, and I¡¯ll lock off the full control function. I think there¡¯s an achievement for doing so anyway."


    John nods, satisfied with the compromise, for now.


    <hr>


    ( Madok POV)


    After many painful hours of dragging and plucking and butchery, the feast has begun in earnest. The wait has made the food all the more satisfying.


    "And now, a cheer for Madok! Without his plan we might not all have made it home, and we¡¯d certainly not be feasting so well tonight!"


    As Yor shouts his toast he raises a Candur haunch above his head.


    He starts chanting my name, flourishing the bird leg to the beat of his cheer.


    I chuckle at his joking, and dodge the drops of flying fat from the upheld drumstick, but the laugh dies on my lips as I realise that others are taking on the chant in earnest. I wait for the crowd to settle down, but they seem to be rather insistent, and Yor motions me to rise and speak. I glance at my wife, Cara, for support, but she just smiles and nods at me.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    I resign myself to fate and shout.


    "Alright! Alright! Calm down, I¡¯ll tell you the tale of the hunt!"


    I stand, holding my own haunch, and flick a little boiling gravy at Yor in retaliation. Just like the bastard to put me on the spot like this, but nevermind. He flinches gratifyingly as I score a direct hit on his bald head.


    I clear my throat and raise my voice.


    "So! Well, we all know the trick with hunting Candur, don¡¯t we?! Know your terrain, wait for the right moment, and then don¡¯t get killed! Simple! Or rather, the first two are! That last one¡¯s always a bit tricky! How to kill a bird that stands taller than you, with claws the span of your palm, that¡¯s faster and stronger than the fastest, strongest man? Oh yes, tricky indeed!"


    "Well, the other day, I was up on the ridge, and I had a thought! Why risk death and dismemberment, when we could get gravity and some good hard rock to do the killing for us? And that, you see, is where it all started¡­"


    From here, the tale flows easily - the preparation, the scouting, the days of gentle herding without ever getting too close. Even the hunters who were there seem enthralled to hear their own tale retold. In the gloom of the campfire to my right, I spot Lani and Forgu in rapt attention, leaning into one another against the sunset chill, Forgu¡¯s arm around her shoulders. Good. They¡¯re the youngest of our hunters and, although I send them out to scout together in order to give them more experience, I also do it to give the two some time alone together. It seems to be working.


    After a few minutes of warm-up, I lead into the final charge. The story crescendos to a plummeting death for our prey, the danger and elation of success all the more amplified by the flickering flames of the cooking fires. No doubt the tribe will dream well tonight. Eventually, I excuse myself back to my meal, back to my conversation with my wife, Cara.


    Eventually the conversation comes back to the one thing she insists on.


    "They treat you as though you were the leader of the tribe. Everyone knows you are, in all but name. Why don¡¯t you take the title?"


    I scowl, and unwillingly respond.


    "Bah, I¡¯ve no time for the bickering of the tribe elders. Perhaps they¡¯ll insist I be hunt leader, which I can stomach, but I¡¯ve no wish to fill the rest of my time with difficult decisions. I¡¯d rather spend it with you and young Jormund. And young Dora too, of course, once she starts speaking."


    I turn to kiss Cara, and pat the head of our infant daughter, sleeping on her lap. The feasting and bustle has tired her out, but then, she is only three.


    I glance around in search of Jormund, and Cara notices. She points in the direction of the smoking racks, on the other side of the camp.


    "Jormund¡¯s been given the duty of watching the racks during the evening. He¡¯s taking it rather seriously, what with it being the first time he¡¯s stood guard. No doubt he¡¯ll come and grab something to eat soon enough, though."


    She sounds so proud but then again, so am I.


    Which causes me to think.


    "sixteen years¡­ sixteen years. Time does go quickly, doesn¡¯t it. I should start taking him out scouting more often. Make sure he¡¯s ready for the hunting party. I¡¯ll take him a meal and discuss the possibility."


    I grab another drumstick - so much meat! - before heading over to the drying racks. Before I¡¯ve made it out of the light of the cooking fires, however, a dreadful scream fills the night. Human, a member of the camp, in pain.


    Within seconds, my hunters are on their feet and moving, but I¡¯m faster.


    I¡¯m filled with a sudden certainty that it came from the smoking racks, and sprint across the camp.


    I¡¯m there in no more than ten seconds, but already I know I¡¯m too late. Jormund lies flat on his back, staring up at me groggily, a bruise already blossoming on his forehead. Across the wooden smoking lattice, emptied of its cargo, lies the corpse of the girl who was assisting him with the smoking. She must have been the source of the warning cry.


    Corpse? No, I pause for a moment and feel a pulse. Just out cold, and the blood on her face is from a cut across her forehead. Painful, but not serious.


    Letting out more of my anger then I intended I turn to my son.


    "Jormund! What happened?!"


    He answers slowly, eyes barely focusing.


    "Don¡¯t¡­ I don¡¯t¡­ It was something. Came from¡­ came from nowhere."


    Immediately, I scan the darkness, but it seems empty. My night vision has been ruined by the campfires, in any case. Blast the boy¡¯s lethargy.


    Jormund continues, still sounding confused.


    "I didn¡¯t see much. Too slow, wasn¡¯t watching carefully enough. First thing I knew was when I heard a stone clatter, just beyond the light. I thought it must be one of you. Must have been throwing rocks, hoping to distract me. Well¡­ Guess it¡­ worked."


    He starts to speed up, quickly regaining his wits.


    "Stood up¡­ must have made a good target of myself against the fire. They clocked me on the forehead with the next one. Don¡¯t remember much more. Just¡­ shadows. They walked right past me."


    Suddenly, he snaps from his vague tone, and startles!


    "Nym! Is she alright?! And¡­ the food!"


    I answer bluntly, trying to get him to focus.


    "Nym took a knock from a stone, too. She¡¯ll live. The food¡­ It¡¯s gone. Where did the attackers go?"


    Jormund startles once more at the sound of my voice, and almost panics.


    "I don¡¯t know. I¡¯m sorry. I think¡­ I think they came from the direction of the forest, though. That¡¯s where they threw the stone from. But¡­ It looked like a bunch of... children? They were shorter than me¡­ but with sharp claws and dark skin. It must have hid them in the darkness."


    My heart sinks. I recognise the description.


    I let out a snarl and get up.


    "Goblins. Of course it would be goblins."


    I curse, and go to ready the camp against the next attack.

 Age of Stone: chapter 6

    ( Jade POV )


    John is still glued to his notebook as the sun sets, boning up on his paleolithic archeology. Or possibly just Facebook, I don¡¯t check. He looks up from his notebook as I start closing the blinds and turning the lights on against the gathering gloom.


    ¡°Evening already? Bloody hell. I lost track of time.¡±


    He exclaims surprised.


    "Not to worry. There¡¯s a lot to research."


    I respond.


    ¡°Yeah, and we have so little to work with! We¡¯ve got basic leather working, maybe two people who know how to turn stones into useful equipment, and the ability to make ropes from the reeds along the river''s edge. It¡¯s not much of an industrial base!¡±


    His words and tone suggest annoyance, but it¡¯s betrayed by his grin. John always rises to a challenge.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll manage. Now, you should go and cook yourself some dinner - you forgot lunch. I¡¯ll talk you through my results as you cook.¡±


    I sternly command him, more to mock him then anything else.


    John nods, and puts aside the laptop, shaking out his limbs as he rises from the sofa, grimacing from pins and needles in his feet. Well, I¡¯ve warned him about his posture often enough. Traipsing into the kitchen, he starts pulling pans and implements straight from the dishwasher, occasionally giving something a cursory wipe with his sleeve. For heaven¡¯s sake. There¡¯s a tea towel right there.


    As he starts frying onion and chopping garlic, I begin my debriefing.


    ¡°I¡¯ve spent some time scraping up every scrap of info I can get about the fauna and flora of our region. Forums, the wiki, obscure IRC back-channels of anime fan clubs, the lot. First up, those large birds we had our community hunt? Turns out, they¡¯re pretty rare, and way more dangerous than we realised. So, we got lucky. More interestingly, the rumour mill is saying that the males are capable of using some form of fire magic. I¡¯m not certain how, though: the rumours are conflicting.


    Some people say that they just emit a bunch of heat, stopping predators from approaching. There¡¯s one forum poster that keeps saying he had one catch fire and charge his hunters, wounding them severely before they could retreat.¡±


    John frown for a second before commenting.


    ¡°That seems a bit... over the top. He¡¯s the only one reporting anything like this?¡±


    Answering his question I also mention a small detail I stumbled upon when I recognized the user name.


    ¡°Yeah he is the only one, but it¡¯s actually someone you might recognise. Do you remember a guy called Zane, from that third-rate Korean MMO you played a couple of years back? That was back before I reached human-rating, so I didn¡¯t keep track of him, but my records say you were in the same guild.¡±


    John nods, slowly, face screwed up in recollection. Or possibly because of the frying onions.


    ¡°Yeah¡­ Yeah, I do vaguely remember him, actually. American chap, unusual to find on an EU server. Nice enough, although we didn¡¯t raid together too often. Ping him a message and ask if he wants to chat about Throughout the Ages, would you? He might have had some useful ideas or something.¡±


    I nod, and in a few milliseconds the message is composed and sent.


    When that is done I continue outlining my findings


    ¡°OK, next up are a sort of big beetle. They¡¯re about the size of a boar, with a similar function in the ecosystem. Omnivorous, good eating, but dangerous. They aren''t hard to hunt, but if they get a hold of a hunter it¡¯s game over. Their mandibles are designed to grind up old tree roots, so you can imagine what they do to a person.¡±


    John nods, refraining from comment. He shoves some chopped vegetables into the pan and stirs them in carefully, before reaching down to get some tinned tomatoes. I wait for him to get his head out of the cupboard before continuing.


    ¡°Incidentally, gathering is a semi-viable augmentation to hunting. Food is available in plenty in the form of some berries and lots of tubers, but it''s nearing the end of the wet season at the moment so the berries will be running out. It would nice to store them, but we¡¯ve got no such technology.


    For raw materials, we¡¯ve not got too much to work with at the moment. The only species with useable hides is one of the two predatory species in the savanna, a small pack hunter that uses teamwork to hunt the beetles we talked about. Although it doesn¡¯t seem to be a very successful evolutionary strategy - there¡¯s not that many of them. They look a bit like a small, angry monkey crossed with a gecko, with six legs. Apparently they¡¯re vicious when cornered. Overall, not a very useful source of leather.¡±


    ¡°Hmm. Yeah, that leaves us in trouble, actually. We¡¯ll have to expand to the forest to the south-west, hope there¡¯s some more useful wildlife up there.¡±


    John concludes with a hint of concern in his voice.


    ¡°And what¡¯s the other predator? You mentioned there were two?¡±


    Now it is my turn to sound concerned.


    ¡°Ah, yes. The top predator of the ecosystem seems to be a sort of giant centipede. Reports say that it uses earth magic to disguise itself in the topsoil, then waits for prey to get near. It doesn¡¯t really matter what gets close; it¡¯s big enough to eat anything.¡±


    John looks mildly horrified.


    ¡°Good god. That¡¯s¡­ terrifying. You could lose a whole hunting party if you get unlucky. I suppose we¡¯ll just have to hope there¡¯s none nearby.¡±


    John leaves the sauce to simmer, and wanders back into the living room. I set a timer to remind him when it¡¯s done.


    I¡¯m alerted by the local mail server: this Zane character has asked for a meeting in a couple of hours.


    <hr>


    ( John POV )


    Once more I hear Jade preparing, mere seconds away from digital transition.


    ¡°Dive initiating in three, two, one.¡±


    The world descends into the familiar white static, ever-so-slightly-painful, like the feeling of a dental checkup applied directly through your eyes. Slowly the world resolves again, into a familiar white room. My personal hub, with access to my architectural software, games, online chat rooms, and pretty much everything else I use the dive pod for.


    I¡¯ve still got an hour or so before the meeting with Zane. It¡¯s an old habit of mine to make private chat rooms based on the game I¡¯m using them for, and I¡¯m sure Throughout the Ages has plenty to work with. I used to create them for practice, but now interior design is my day-job I just do it to focus people¡¯s minds on the game.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    ¡°Jade, could you check up on our community while I prepare a chat room?¡±


    I ask gently.


    ¡°Of course. I was wondering when you¡¯d get around to this.¡±


    She says.


    ¡°I¡¯ll leave you to it.¡±


    <hr>


    ( Zane POV )


    I relax into the pod, and let Anno¡¯s chatter wash over me without absorbing any of it.


    ¡°Countdown to a secure connection to the chat room designated: "Night¡¯s Sky", two minutes. Sir, are you sure you know this ¡®John¡¯ person? It could be identity fraud! Just remember, sir, if they start asking for your bank details you¡¯re to refuse!¡±


    ¡°Relax, Anno. ¡®Stranger Danger¡¯ isn¡¯t really a thing in online chat rooms. And yeah, I remember John. He did the Guild Hall, as I recall. Odd that he¡¯s re-establishing contact, but people do that sometimes.¡±


    I can¡¯t see Anno, but I know him well enough to interpret his brief silence as mute incomprehension. Anno doesn¡¯t quite¡­ get humans. He¡¯s not quite of that calibre of AI.


    Soon enough I hear his voice once more


    ¡°If¡­ if you¡¯re sure, sir. It¡¯s true that the message did not contain any of the markers that normally designate spam. But remember, no bank details and no dangerous personal information, alright, sir?¡±


    ¡°Yes, alright, enough, Anno. The connection, please.¡±


    I say, gently insisting him to do as I ask.


    The familiar pattern of beeps races across my consciousness, transmitted down to the bone. A throwback, the dial-up tone, reborn in a medium a thousand times more advanced. Funny, how humans do that.


    My vision dims to blackness, and the outlines of a door appear before me, coloured light streaming through the gap between portal and frame. Fancy. Once it completes its shift from blue to yellow to green, I push it open and step through.


    I don¡¯t know what I expected. Bright, airy ultra minimalism, perhaps - the loading screen suggested it, and it¡¯s not an uncommon trend for designer types. Or perhaps some impeccably-furnished grandeur, a cathedral with really nice carpets, or something.


    Instead what I get is an endless plane of glass, floating in space above Lorinas, surrounding four chromed chairs and a circular meeting table of black granite. Or possibly obsidian.


    Admittedly, it¡¯s a really nice overwrought black obsidian table. It¡¯s inlaid in chrome lines, matching the chairs, tracing out some sort of strange circuit diagram. It¡¯s got cool-looking curves and angles that are probably really advanced, and presumably make it invisible to radar or something. And, in the middle, a big 3D hologram projector, currently showing a scale model of the star above us in shades of pale blue.


    He¡¯s definitely come on a bit since that Guild Hall.


    Cool as it all is, though, it¡¯s still all just virtual set-dressing. I walk up to the table and take a seat. The chairs look like they¡¯ve been folded and milled from a single sheet of metal, but they¡¯re reasonably comfortable. And they swivel, which is what I look for in a chair.


    A man opens another door in reality, on the other side of the table, and marches in. White, brown hair, average height, dressed in jeans, T-shirt, and jacket. Unremarkable in looks. All in all, pretty ordinary, highlighted by the absurd cosmic scale of the setting.


    John, presumably, talking although he clearly doesn¡¯t feel at ease.


    ¡°Ah¡­ hi. Zane. Um¡­ been a while.¡±


    A uncomfortable silence descents until I realize that he expects me to respond.


    ¡°Uh¡­ yeah. Hi, I guess. Nice chatroom. Designed it yourself?¡±


    He grins, and sits down across from me.


    ¡°Yeah, d¡¯you like it? I bashed it together with some assets I had from another project. I did think about something more ground-level, y¡¯know, some rocks in a hut or something, but it felt too small-scale for Throughout the Ages. And this reminds me of the tribe-creation screen.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ Yeah, I get that now, actually. It¡¯s cool, especially the table.¡±


    I compliment him as politely as I can before asking him a question.


    ¡°Um¡­ Who are the two other chairs for?¡±


    Oh, our AI. I wasn¡¯t sure whether yours was human or animal or whatever. D¡¯you mind if they join us? I know some people prefer to keep them out of chatroo-


    I quickly interrupt him, trying not to insult him.


    ¡°No, no! It¡¯s fine! I¡¯ll just instantiate Anno!¡±


    I call up the standard in-dive menu with a practiced gesture. I note that it has a custom skin for the setting - John¡¯s seriously a pro. Anno fizzes into reality like a converging swarm of blue bees, perched on the edge of the table to my left. To my right, John¡¯s AI simply appears in green, no command on his part required.


    She¡¯s human-level. I mean, I should have guessed by the chairs, but¡­ Wow. That¡¯s rare.


    Also, she¡¯s really, really beautiful, a realisation that I fail to disguise fast enough.


    She grins at my blush and then shakes her head at John.


    ¡°Honestly, John, you really should warn people! Not that I don¡¯t enjoy the reactions, of course.¡±


    She offers me her hand to shake before sitting.


    ¡°I¡¯m Jade. It¡¯s a pleasure.¡±


    ¡°Howdy Mam. Uh¡­ likewise. Um. Zane. Yeah, it¡¯s a pleasure to meet you too.¡±


    Yeah, fucking smooth, Zaney boy. Cold as butter and smooth as ice.


    But¡­ wow. Not only is she a human-tier AI, she¡¯s also the most beautiful woman I¡¯ve ever seen. And her hand felt 100% real when I shook it - normally texture is one of the things AI can¡¯t quite mimic perfectly in deep-dive.


    John seems keen to get back to business.


    ¡°Yes, well. I know how you enjoy a first impression.¡±


    He says to his AI, before turning towards me once more.


    ¡°Anyway, Zane, I actually wanted to have a chat face-to-face with someone else playing Throughout the Ages. Share a bit of info, that sort of stuff. Jade picked up your post about the incandescent terror-bird.¡±


    His AI gently interrupts.


    ¡°¡®Candur¡¯, by the way. The latest patch gave me access to a limited bestiary.¡±


    Respectfully John responds to her.


    ¡°Right. Well, you can give me a full debrief later, when we don¡¯t have guests.¡±


    It¡¯s uncanny. They just talk to each other like normal humans, none of the slight misunderstanding and minor clarifications involved in conversation with lower-tier AI. Her expressions are entirely human, right down to the subtleties, and she apparently interprets human expressions well enough to recognise my reaction. Anno can barely keep up, even with a bunch of signaling.


    Except for subtle green glow, Jade is indistinguishable from a human.


    And, of course, it¡¯s at this point that Anno interrupts.


    ¡°There¡¯s a new update? Sir, may I go and patch it in? It might be something really important, like a security essential! Sir, your details might be at risk!¡±


    I roll my eyes and nod in acquiescence. Anno and his damn paranoia. Jade looks on in wry amusement as Anno winks out of existence, still wittering. A single shed feather floats down onto the table.


    John simply leans forward to press a button, one of many recessed into the ring around the holographic projector. Suddenly, a selection of drinks and snacks rise out of the surface of the table, in a most improbable way. I raise an eyebrow and grab a handful. John takes a sip from a bright blue cocktail. After all, dives simulate taste, so why not?


    Then, to my surprise, Jade, too, pulls a cocktail from the crowded tabletop.


    ¡°You drink? I mean¡­ Is that a human-tier AI thing?¡±


    I ask surprised.


    ¡°Of course. I taste. I get the... full set of sensory input.¡±


    She winks. I can¡¯t help but grin. John simply rolls his eyes.

 Age of Stone: chapter 7

    ( John POV )


    Jade and Zane are flirting in earnest now. Interesting. I¡¯ve never seen Jade like this. Still, it¡¯s always dull being a third wheel, and my attention wanders to the hologram of the planet, sitting in the middle of the table, and then to the real thing, below. Well, not ¡®real¡¯, but...


    Eventually, I am rescued from my predicament by the return of Anno, Zane¡¯s little owl-like AI. Not too bright, if I had to guess. The fallen feather, lying on the table, balloons out in a deeply improbable way, filling the the air with fluff, and there it sits on the edge of the table once more. It¡¯s already chattering.


    ¡°Sir! I¡¯ve downloaded the update! Everything is up-to-date, and I now have full access to the bestiary database, allowing me to bring the full analytical force of my intellect to bear! My word, sir, there¡¯s so much to learn! For example, sir, did you know that if our tribesmen don¡¯t eat, they¡¯ll die? This will have huge ramifications on our strategy! And-¡±


    I¡¯m not sure I could live with Anno. Lucklicy Zane interrupts his quickly.


    ¡°Yes, thank you, Anno, that¡¯s enough.¡±


    For a second my brain is trying to wrap itself around what is was just implied.


    ¡°Uh¡­ Anno hadn¡¯t realised that food-production was necessary?¡±


    I say sounding surprised.


    Zane looks like he¡¯s about to melt into a puddle of pure embarrassment.


    ¡°Yeah¡­ I¡¯ve not really been... focusing on it. I don¡¯t actually know that much about strategy. I¡¯m mostly interested in the societal management aspect of the game, so I just sort of... let my hunters get on with it. They seem to be pretty good at it, choosing good targets and so on. Food hasn¡¯t really been an issue.¡±


    ¡°So... you just let you people do whatever they want without any input? Basically?¡±


    Slowly Zane nods to my question, clearly embarrassed.


    I¡¯m getting a slow, sinking feeling that this entire meeting was a waste of time. Jade throws me a dirty look, though, so I shut up. And let her take control of the conversation.


    ¡°Honestly, John. Not everyone takes the same metagaming approach as us. I¡¯m sure Zane¡¯s tribe is doing just fine!¡±


    Hearing this Anno decide to clear up the confusion with an honest answer.


    ¡°Actually, we have had some issues! For example, our tribe¡¯s work distribution is completely off, as they spend far too much time on non-productive tasks, like leisure, or acquiring and cooking food! We¡¯ve also lost several tribe members to hostile wildlife!¡±


    Zane looks pained, but takes the opportunity to steer the conversation away from tribal mismanagement.


    ¡°Ah, yeah! Which is what prompted this meeting in the first place, wasn¡¯t it? The Candur incident! Anno, could you bring up the replay data for it?¡±


    Finally! Well, hopefully not a total waste of time after all! Beyond Jade¡¯s love-life, anyway.


    Anno immediately jumps to attention and responds to Zane.


    ¡°Yes, sir! Shall I play the recording, sir?¡±


    Zane nods in encouragement, then pauses, wincing in renewed chagrin as Anno leaps from the tabletop and starts flying in circles, looking confused.


    ¡°Sir, I cannot comply with your request, as I cannot find a wall to project the data on!¡±


    Jade flicks a wrist languidly, looking smug. AI seem to enjoy a little class-warfare, now and then. I¡¯ll have to talk to her about it, later; it¡¯s neither fair nor kind.


    In an authoritative voice she speak to Anno.


    ¡°TO: AI ¡®ANNO¡¯: EXECUTE_COMMAND ¡®Y78-LG5/CK3¡¯ -e -t ¡°Night Sky¡±¡±


    Anno freezes for a moment, and thumps onto the table in a pile of simulated feathers, shimmering as his self-projection briefly switches to low-poly mode and back. In a jarring shifting of reality, the scene around the table and chairs changes utterly. One second, we¡¯re in the blackness of space, the next we¡¯re sitting on a slope, gazing across a grassy mountainside. I really need to work on my transitions, but no matter: here we are, with an excellent view of the events of the recording. Presumably, if Anno¡¯s got the right one.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    Anno picks himself off the ground, fluttering to Zane¡¯s shoulder with as close to an expression of annoyance as an owl¡¯s face can muster.


    ¡°Ma¡¯am! Was that really necessary?! I was quite capable of loading the protocol myself, with access, rather than you overriding my subsystems and maxing my processor usage! I do have the relevant protocols!¡±


    Jade hushes him him and points down the mountainside. Below, three hunters are stalking the imposing silhouette of a Candur. The recording begins.


    <hr>


    ( Zane POV )


    Well, John and Jade seemed to get more insights out of the recording than I did, that¡¯s for sure. They were muttering to one another about evolutionary power-balances and Neolithic hunting methods, all sorts of stuff. Me, I just saw three of my guys get fried my some fire magic. Kinda¡¯ depressing, really.


    Still, time for some return, and so Jade showed us another recording, of some enormous great hunt they pulled in a savannah. Clever stuff; they were using the landscape to avoid tangling with the birds one-on-one. Still, I can¡¯t help but feel it strips the romance from the whole thing. Jade grins when I mention this, and I get teenage-style heart fluttering for a sec.


    Dammit, I¡¯m past this hormone shit.


    I quickly move the conversation on, noting something that¡¯s been bothering me.


    ¡°Why do humans start with primitive spears? My tribe didn¡¯t¡­¡±


    Jade prepares to answer but gets interrupted by an over eager Anno.


    ¡°Sir! Sir! I know this!¡±


    I really should spend some time on teaching him some manners.


    ¡°From the forums I have gathered that only some races get starting weapons, and only if fits thematically and for balance!


    For example, Goblins get no weapon because they rely on their large numbers and claws! Wolfkin, too, rely on their starting claws. The elves don''t get a weapon either, but they don¡¯t need meat to thrive as they are better at scavenging and gathering.


    Then, humans get spears to compensate for their weak unarmed fighting, and centaurs get heavy spears, unfit for throwing but very useful in cavalry-style charges. Although those are basically sharpened tree trunks, as I understand it. Not much tactical flexibility.¡±


    There¡¯s a moment of stunned silence, as everyone absorbs this info-dump. Anno, misinterpreting the situation, does some smug preening. I let him, as his pride¡¯s already taken enough of a beating today.


    Eventually John gets his bearing and restarts the conversation.


    ¡°Uhh¡­ Fair enough, I guess. Is there any info on what made that one candur so special that it had such powerful fire affinity?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no real way to tell. Too many possible explanations¡±.


    Jade comments, which is saying something about the sheer amount of options.


    Still I decide to throw in my suggestion.


    ¡°Does the cause matter? So long as there¡¯s a way to determine which individuals have this kind of affinity, I mean¡­¡±


    Apparently, neither John nor Jade had considered not looking gift-horses in the mouth. John looks at me quizzically. I start to explain my theory.


    ¡°No, look, it¡¯s simple when you think about it. The world¡¯s already been simulated for a bunch of in-game time, right, to iron out any kinks in the ecosystem and stuff. Well, it comes down to basic evolutionary pressures. When I first saw the flock of Candur that my tribesmen were hunting, I assumed that a single alpha male and several females was a normal group composition. But your flock had a bunch of males. Given that the males largely serve a defensive role, it would seem logical that, if a male can defend a flock by itself, it would probably drive off the others, yeah? So, if there¡¯s only one male in a flock, that¡¯s a pretty good indicator that it¡¯s a magic-wielding badass!¡±


    By the end, John¡¯s nodding in understanding. Jade got it before I was even halfway through, off course. I shrug.


    ¡°Hey, I studied biology back in college. It¡¯s just about the only bit of this game where I excel.¡±


    John leans back in his chair simply looking towards the sky in though while thinking out loud.


    ¡°Huh. Yeah, I guess that does make some sense, actually. Doesn¡¯t really explain how the whole magic affinity thing works, but I guess it¡¯s a good way to stop people from getting instantly roasted.¡±


    Jade is looking at me approvingly. I like it.


    <hr>


    Having finished the rest of the meeting Anno and I leave the chat room and prepare to exit VR.


    Before doing so I decide to check quickly my inbox.


    One new message, only a few seconds old. It¡¯s from... Jade? Huh.


    In it she asks whether I would like to go on a date and she offers her phone number.


    Ohmyfuckinggodyesplease!

 Age of Stone: Chapter 8

    ( John POV )


    I¡¯ve just shut down the chat room, and am preparing to clock up a few more hours in TtA, when Jade informs me that we¡¯ve got trouble.


    ¡°We¡¯ve been robbed. By a group of goblins, no less. At a guess, another player is trying to use us as a food source. That or they¡¯re scouting for a full-scale attack, but it seems pretty early for that.¡±


    Well. Shit. It seems that the grace period is over.


    ¡°I see. Hmm. OK, med me up for a long deep-dive, would you? I get the feeling I¡¯m going to need it.¡±


    By the time I feel the accelerant enter my bloodstream, I¡¯m already lost in spreadsheets.


    <hr>


    As I log into the game, I find myself floating above the main firepit of the village, exactly where I logged out. There have been some sweeping changes in the meantime, however. The village looks sturdier, more settled, the huts better-built and daubed in crude decorations.


    ¡°Bloody hell! It¡¯s only been, what, a few hours? What¡¯s that in-game?¡±


    ¡°About a month has passed in here since we last logged in. Still, I agree, it¡¯s quick progress.¡±


    Jade says in agreement.


    ¡°Yeah, this is going to take some getting used to.¡±


    I comment, still taking in all the changes.


    ¡°Anyway. How far have our people explored by now? Are we anywhere near compiling an accurate map of the area?¡±


    Jade looks up the answer in a second.


    ¡°They¡¯ve explored about half a day''s travel-time in all directions. Not bad. Oh, except for the forest.¡±


    ¡°That is the first place I would have expected them to go, why didn¡¯t they?¡±


    I inquire with Jade. who quickly answers.


    ¡°The goblins always come from the forest, whenever they raid. So it¡¯s been a bit of a no-go zone.¡±


    ¡°Sensible. Ok, so, a map?¡±


    I ask.


    Jade gives me a humorous look.


    ¡°That... might be a bit of a problem. The maps you get are in the same style and condition as the one your people use. So¡­ enjoy!¡±


    A small window pops open in front of me. It¡¯s not exactly Ordnance Survey. It resembles a bit of badly-tanned leather with some unintelligible charcoal-scratchings spread across it, seemingly at random.


    Hmm. It seems we¡¯ll need to move ¡®discovering parchment¡¯ up the priority list.


    ¡°Oookay¡­ Right. Um. I guess we¡¯ll have to do our own scouting, for the time being. Bring up that old graph-paper notepad module, would you, the one I used for sketching D&D maps? This might take a bit longer than I¡¯d expected.¡±


    After a few seconds of Jade¡¯s silence, presumably as she carefully navigates the game¡¯s Hud-mod clauses, a hard backed notepad appears in my hand. I unstrap the included pencil and flip it open.


    ¡°Right! Any positions that might be defensible? We¡¯ll start with those.¡±


    ¡°There are a few, but unfortunately there¡¯s a catch.¡±


    Jade mentions with a bit of interest.


    ¡°We can teleport instantly between tribe members, and any ¡®travel points¡¯ they¡¯ve built for us, but our free-roam view is limited. We can only move at about running speed, when we¡¯re not teleporting.¡±


    ¡°Ah, crap. I should have realised it wouldn¡¯t be that easy to get around.¡±


    I say slightly annoyed.


    ¡°Well, we¡¯ve not got much of a choice, so we might as well get moving. We can probably get a sense of the immediate surroundings, at least.


    In the meantime, we can discuss our options.¡±


    Jade forms beside me, and we start drifting to the north-east, skimming along at an appreciable speed across the savannah. I get no say in the matter; one minute I¡¯m hovering in the centre of camp, the next I¡¯m being chauffeured to Jade¡¯s destination of choice.


    Once again, I get the sense that TtA is designed to be played primarily by AIs, their humans acting as executive oversight. From interpreting tribe-members mental states to database access to basic movement, so much of the game seems hidden behind an AI-only interface. It¡¯s strange, but also vaguely liberating, to be forced into a hands-off management role. Kinda like one of those old mobile games. I decide not to mention it, in case Jade takes it as an attack.


    Once I¡¯ve spent a few moments enjoying the view, and then a few more resenting how slowly we seem to be moving, I pick up the conversational thread once more.


    ¡°So, let''s start with the useful things first. How do I make these travel points?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s pretty simple.¡±


    She says as she starts explaining.


    ¡°Much like real people, your tribe will create markers at relevant points along paths and up hills and on borders and so on. A signpost, a cairn, maybe a roadside shrine later on, that sort of thing. Then, so long as the marker isn¡¯t located inside someone else¡¯s territory, you can spend an advancement point to make it a permanent teleport point. Useful, but not necessarily cheap.¡±


    ¡°Wait, currently we get maybe a dozen points for every game year, and they expect us to use points for just¡­ getting around? That¡¯s pretty expansive, actually scrap that it¡¯s really expensive.¡±


    I comment loudly.


    ¡°Who came up with this design?¡±


    ¡°Oh, you don¡¯t know the half of it yet.¡±


    She says


    ¡°So, you can get your tribe to build markers outside your territory, for scouting and stuff, but if it¡¯s on neutral ground then your neighbours can find it too. What¡¯s more, they can attach their travel point to the same thing.¡±


    ¡°Ah, so not only are they super expensive, travel points are a double edged blade, too! Anything else?¡±


    ¡°One more thing.¡±


    Jade remarks.


    ¡°Apparently, if the marker gets destroyed all travel points attached will get¡­ Unbound? ¡®Release the stored advancement points¡¯? To be honest, I¡¯ve no idea what that actually means, the in-games encyclopedia is kinda¡¯ unclear, and the wiki¡¯s got nothing. Probably you just get your points back, which is worth something, I guess.¡±Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    I sighing I shake my head.


    ¡°Bloody annoying thing for the ¡®pedia to be vague about.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I thought s- wait, hold on.¡±


    Jade furrows her brow in surprise and concentration, as she processes data I cannot see.


    ¡°Huh, I just got access to a new part of the encyclopedia, they must have just made it available. ¡°The Natural Growth of the World¡±. Funny name. It¡¯s a poem of some sort, or a song. No, a riddle. Here.¡±


    She conjures a papyrus scroll from the digital ether, and hands it to me. I unroll it, and read aloud.


    ¡°This world is a living place, and your people make their choices.


    A plethora of paths, and yet no road is straight.


    Reality¡¯s fibers, tied in a net, vibrate to the sound of their voices.


    None escape from the growing web, for all places found are linked


    But the links cannot be seen or touched, the paths unknown ¡®til walked


    Questions precede knowledge, ask lest ye go extinct.


    For knowledge is power and power is drive,


    those without fail, and those who learn, thrive.¡±


    We sit in stunned silence for a moment.


    ¡°What the hell does that mean?¡±


    I exclaim loudly.


    ¡°I have no idea. And I¡¯m pretty sure that encrypting important info in obscure riddles is not within standard encyclopedia guidelines.¡±


    Jade complains loudly before recollecting her senses.


    ¡°Anyway, we¡¯re here.¡±


    Indeed, we¡¯ve reached the summit of a large hill, in the middle of what might have been a glacial valley in some distant age. As a bit of scenery, it¡¯s dramatic, but more important are the steep cliffs that comprise its northern and eastern edges. Of course, a stronghold that¡¯s only got walls along half the circumference isn¡¯t much better than having no walls at all, but it¡¯s a place to start.


    We spend a few minutes circling, getting a feel for the place, before returning to the summit.


    ¡°Right. This is actually pretty good.¡±


    I say happily.


    ¡°Not easily fortified, at our current tech-level, but it¡¯s doable. Any sources of water nearby?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a small stream of water about five minutes northwest of here.¡±


    Jade points towards the stream.


    ¡°It¡¯s too far away to be much use in a long-term siege, but it¡¯s enough to allow the tribe to spend longer periods of time here.¡±


    I look towards the place she is pointing at and manage to catch the sun reflecting off the water.


    ¡°Right, well, that¡¯s a big strike against for now. This won¡¯t be a lot of use until we get to cisterns and Archimedes Screws and so on. Oh, and granaries, actually.¡±


    Even though I speak against it, I start making notes none the less. Long-term, this place might save us.


    ¡°You raise a fair point.¡±


    Jade says.


    ¡°For the time being I¡¯ll narrow our search parameters to include easy access to water and food. Knocks out a few otherwise excellent candidates, but we have to work within our current limitations. I really should have thought about that myself¡­¡±


    She mutters under her breath before turning around and pointing towards what I think is the south?


    ¡°OK¡­ The next point of interest, that away.¡±


    We set off once more, and to fill the time I ask about advancing our weapon-tech - what with the goblins and all.


    Immediately Jade starts complaining loudly about the whole tech advancement system in general.


    ¡°the whole damn tech-tree thing is yet another area where data¡¯s pretty scarce.


    I¡¯m not really sure how we get anything new apart from just waiting and hoping one of the tribe has a brainwave. I¡¯ve got almost nothing to work with.¡±


    ¡°Hmm. Wait, didn¡¯t we agree to send Zane some files on bolas?¡±


    I mention casually.


    No sooner have the words left my mouth but one of the game¡¯s popup windows springs open before us. A brief exclamation from Jade suggests that it¡¯s as much a surprise to her as me.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Technology "Primitive Bolas" has been unlocked.


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Requirements met 3/2.


    Due to additional requirements met, cost reduced by 50%.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    ¡°Wait, what?! Where the hell did that come from?!


    I suddenly have the option to buy ¡°Primitive Bolas¡± as an upgrade, but I didn¡¯t even have access to the tech-purchase interface before!¡±


    Jade starts swearing violently, she is giving of a completely different image then she did during our meeting with Zane.


    ¡°Well, I guess the game heard me mention bolas. Seems straightforward enough to me.¡±


    I try and calm her down by simplifying the situation


    ¡°I¡¯ve been hunting those files about the game¡¯s directory for hours, and it only recognises them when a human mentions them?! That¡¯s bullshit!¡±


    It doesn¡¯t seem like it worked, but somehow the entire scene makes me chuckle instead.


    I chuckle. Jade glares at me, so I follow the chuckle with a shit-eating grin.


    ¡°Nice to know that humans aren¡¯t completely surplus to requirements in the eyes of the devs.¡±


    I say in an overly sarcastic voice. Jade still looks pissed but at least she is quieting down.


    ¡°Even if you¡¯re now just going to force me to read long lists of technology names, heh.


    Anyway, what are the three prerequisites techs we¡¯ve got?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t tell, it¡¯s really frustrating!¡±


    Jade Takes a deep breath and fails completely at staying calm.


    ¡°It just says that we¡¯ve 3 of the required techs for the unlock, that¡¯s all we¡¯ve got.¡±


    ¡°So... what techs do we have?¡±


    I ask gingerly.


    Jade gestures, irritably, looking distracted, and up flies another popup window.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td colspan="2">


    Skills available in community


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">


    Mundane skills


    </td>


    <td style="text-align: center">


    Magical skills


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    <ul>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Primitive Leather-Working</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Primitive Stone-Working</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Primitive Wood-Working</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Simple Foraging</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Simple Tracking</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Primitive Leadership</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Primitive Weaving</li>


    </ul>


    </td>


    <td> </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Looking over the skills I remember the earlier message. And then I get it.


    ¡°Ohhh. Hold on, I think I get what that notification earlier was on about!¡±


    It takes about sixty seconds to explain my little breakthrough. Naturally, Jade gets it in the first thirty, but argues for another couple of minutes to avoid admitting that it was obvious. I try not to look too smug for working it out before her, and fail.


    Jade keeps glaring at me, before a smile cracks her angry image.


    ¡°Oh, laugh it up, meatbag. Anyway, this is going to have¡­ serious implications.¡±

 Age of Stone: Chapter 9

    ( John POV )


    Below us, the swathes of grass rustle against a gentle breeze. The water of the nearby river gurgles cheerfully, the roots of the bank-side trees cause eddies in the current as it drifts around a gentle curve, surrounding three sides of the promontory. A flock of colourful beetles chatter in the canopy of the waterfront copse, roosting in the safety of the shade during the heat of the afternoon. Across the waterfront, streaks of colour dash too and fro, tiny hummingbird-like creatures picking beetle larvae from the trees and ferrying them back to a large, nest-like structure. It¡¯s a little garden of Eden, filled with fruit and berries and life. It¡¯s perfect.


    Beside me, Jade shifts.


    ¡°It¡¯s got pretty much everything we need. Wood, clay, water, food, a thriving ecosystem. It¡¯s quite defensible, thanks to the river. Definitely a good choice.¡±


    I nod gently, eyes closed, just enjoying the noisescape. It¡¯s easy to forget just how cool deep-dives are, when you use it everyday. I treasure the moments when I can recapture the wonder of teleporting into magical, impossible universes, only limited by human imagination. Alas, Jade has interrupted the moment, and since there¡¯s work to do I decide to get to it.


    ¡°Yeah. Yeah, alright, this¡¯ll do. Right, we¡¯ve got a location, how do we get our community to move over here?¡±


    Jade simply imparts her knowledge to me having mostly forgiven me for what happend earlier today.


    ¡°We set our tribal beacon here and our people will just, kinda¡¯, migrate over. We get one placement free, after that it starts costing points, depending on your technologies and tribal species and how big the tribe is and so on. So, if your people are all in tents it costs way less than if you¡¯re making them abandon stone cottages and stuff.


    And I¡¯m pretty sure it costs less to move centaurs and other nomadics about than it does to move, I don¡¯t know, elves. What you¡¯d expect, really.¡±


    ¡°Huh. Maybe we should have gone with centaurs after all. A nomadic way of life seems pretty flexible, and it would mean we didn¡¯t have to worry about prey scarcity as much.¡±


    Jade breaks up my chain of thought with some helpful information.


    ¡°Well, kinda¡¯. Moving comes with some pretty major debuffs. Much lower chance of spontaneous tech discovery, lower birth rates, that sort of thing. It¡¯s pretty risky, you have to hope you can offset the downsides with trade and raiding. Best to stay sedentary as much as possible and hope we can get some agriculture going.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ lack of agriculture is going to be a killer. We¡¯ll still have to keep moving occasionally until we learn how to farm.¡±


    I say acknowledging her judgement.


    Jade nods, eyes distant as she trawls the rapidly-growing wiki.


    ¡°It¡¯s actually better than you¡¯d expect. The devs have hard-coded in a couple of species of fruiting trees that are absurdly productive, enough to support fairly large hunter-gatherer societies. It¡¯s not perfectly nutritious - protein will be scarce, which is why it¡¯s important to be *hunter*-gatherers, rather than just¡­ gatherers. But while we¡¯re still small, starvation is not an imminent threat.¡±


    She turns to me, back in the present.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s pretty good work for one day. Anything else you want to check before we log off?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, couple of things. Starting with ¡®blessings¡¯, how does that all work?¡±


    I ask with interest.


    ¡°Blessings? Basically, they¡¯re one of the main ways we can interact with stuff. Or, as the marketing spiel put it, ¡°generate diverse, emergent storytelling that engages the player with exciting and unique narratives¡±.


    They come in two varieties; either you can plonk down a tonne of points for a big passive buff for your entire community, or you can add smaller, cheaper buffs to specific tribe members, that are much more powerful on that individual but much less cost-efficient overall. The individual buffs can be customised, too, although it¡¯s really expensive.¡±


    Intrigued I decide to ask further.


    ¡°Huh. How deep does the customisation go?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not bad, actually. You get to customise depending on the natural potential of the person you¡¯re blessing and possible abilities you have unlocked, although I haven¡¯t worked out how the algorithm allows and disallows certain traits.¡±


    Jade explains trying to clarify things.


    ¡°As I said, it¡¯s mostly just really, really expensive. The point is to upgrade the rare individual into a history-altering, story-shaping legend, rather than use it regularly to patch up your fuck-ups.¡±


    ¡°Ah... I was just about to suggest we use it to buff someone into a healer or herbalist or something. I noticed earlier that we don¡¯t have one.¡±


    I say disappointedly.


    Jade nods, frowning at the roosting beetles like they¡¯ve committed some grievous sin.


    ¡°Indeed, we seem to be missing a vital part of any successful community. It¡¯s been worrying me too. It wouldn¡¯t be so much of a problem if we could use the suggestion interface to give them some medicinal knowledge, but none of the plants here have a real world equivalent. Which I suspect is intentional, in order to make early-game combat even more lethally risky.¡±


    ¡°Ah. Crap. So yeah, we¡¯ll have to buy our health, either with points or¡­ maybe we could trade for the knowledge with another player?


    Anyway, what techs would we need to get herbalism or medicinecraft?¡±


    I ask already dreading the answer.


    ¡°No idea. Still, I¡¯ve yet to find any option to train anyone in either of them, so whatever the relevant tech is, we don¡¯t have it.¡±Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    Just what I though, I sigh and dejectedly continue the conversation.


    ¡°Trading it is, then. Besides the goblins, have we encountered any other players yet? Any centaur tracks, stray strands of wolfkin fur, that sort of thing?¡±


    ¡°Nope, not so-much as an errant branch above goblin-height. A bunch more wildlife and few more varieties of berries, that¡¯s about the lot.¡±


    We stare down at the superb scene before us for a few moments. I realise that I don¡¯t particularly want to go, not just yet.


    ¡°So, looks like we¡¯ve got to wait until we meet someone, then. Otherwise, everything comes down to points.¡±


    Jade nods. She extends a finger, and a pillar of light flickers in the center of the promontory, gleaming bright green off the carapaces of the beetles, highlighting veins of the leaves in the stark shadows of a midnight sunrise. Then, as quickly as it had come, it¡¯s gone again, the wildlife bursting into frenzied motion as it panics.


    I raise an eyebrow.


    ¡°When you said ¡®place the tribal beacon¡¯, I wasn¡¯t expecting it to be quite so¡­ flashy.¡±


    ¡°Not bad, eh? We¡¯re well and truly started, now. Want to log out?¡±


    I watch the wildlife settle again, the seeming threat having passed. I close my eyes.


    ¡°Not quite yet. I¡¯ll stay for a few more moments.¡±


    <hr>


    ( Madok POV )


    I scan the treeline, even though it¡¯s far too distant to spot anything goblin-sized. I turn at the crunch of footsteps on dry grass, approaching from the camp.


    ¡°Madok! I brought a bite to eat, something to ease your watch.¡±


    Yor grins and winks, handing me a bowl of stew before digging into his own. My lips twitch up in response. Just like Yor, to remember a friend out on watch. Always trustworthy, always reliable. One couldn¡¯t hope for a better right-hand man, although he¡¯s always dodged the top spot. It¡¯s slightly annoying, actually, as it means I had to take it.


    ¡°Thanks, Yor. This is welcome indeed. It¡¯s been a long day, staring South. How¡¯d the hunt go?¡±


    He rocks his head from side to side, noncommittally, and watches a distant beetle circling high above the grassland.


    ¡°Well enough, I suppose. We found a small herd of Bar-Yok, brought down a couple before the rest of them fled. It¡¯s enough for a few days, before we¡¯re back to berries.¡±


    We sit in silence for a few minutes, eating the stew and watching the savannah in quiet companionship.


    Eventually I decide to speak up.


    ¡°It¡¯s been¡­ four moons? Four moons, since we settled here. It feels like years.


    It¡¯s peaceful. Water from the river, good hunting, plenty to eat. The goblins haven¡¯t got closer than the treeline. But I still don¡¯t feel quite safe. I know you think this constant watch is unnecessary, but those raids¡­ they could have been so much worse. We¡¯ve been lucky.¡±


    Again, Yor¡¯s tone is detached.


    ¡°Could be. Could be. Certainly, it makes everyone sleep safer, except those on watch, of course. Helps that this is a lovely place. The bonding ceremony we had for Lani and Forgu last month was a good distraction from darker things, too.¡±


    The memory of the occasion brings a genuine smile to both our faces. That had been the moment when the promontory stopped being a camp, and started being home.


    ¡°He took his time to ask her, that¡¯s for sure. It was clear she was ¡°blessed¡±, but Forgu was terrified the camp wouldn¡¯t approve.¡±


    Yor chuckles.


    ¡°Hah! Lani¡¯s father was furious, when he worked it out. Stubborn bonehead. Still, Forgu handled it alright, once he¡¯d worked up the nerve.¡±


    ¡°Hmm. It ended well enough, anyway.¡±


    I remark, I take a good look at Yor and decide to push on.


    ¡°Tell me, Yor¡­ Jormund¡­ How¡¯s he doing? You¡¯re better at people than I.¡±


    Yor grimaces and shakes his head, idly tossing a pebble into the shallow gully below us.


    ¡°Same as last time you asked. He still thinks you¡¯re angry with him for failing to stop the goblin raid. That¡¯s how he interprets all your vigilance against another raid. He takes it personally.¡±


    ¡°Still? I really hoped he¡¯d had seen sense by now. I¡¯ve told him not to worry about it, but he doesn¡¯t believe me. Keeps away from me as much as possible, frankly. And it¡¯s not like I can go looking for him the whole time, I have to put the good of the tribe first.¡±


    ¡°You do know that he spends every spare moment training, right? The boy has grown so much muscle in the last few months that he¡¯s probably stronger than I am.¡±


    He chuckles again, but it¡¯s half-hearted, and his smile dies entirely when I next speak.


    ¡°He needs practice with the spear. Yor, I wanted you to train him.¡±


    Yor is suddenly serious, eyes wide in surprise.


    ¡°That¡¯s madness, Madok. It¡¯s always the father who trains his son, premature death aside. Why even ask me?¡±


    I grimace, staring back at the landscape in the gathering twilight. I don¡¯t blame Yor for being shocked and uncomfortable at the request. My own discomfort sits heavy in my chest.


    ¡°Jormund... clearly doesn¡¯t want to see me, not until he feels that he¡¯s proven his worth. It¡¯s a matter of pride, and he¡¯s enough like my younger self that it¡¯d be pointless to try and force him. So, I have to try and help him recover that pride. To do that, he¡¯ll likely need to know how to use a spear, and you¡¯re the best hunter in the tribe.That, and I trust you to teach him right.


    I realise it¡¯s not¡­ traditional. But then, traditions change with the circumstances. Yor, I¡¯d be proud to have you train my son.¡±


    He nods, slowly, and my heart eases. I move the subject on, nothing more needing to be said.


    ¡°In the meantime, I¡¯m bored of standing watch. While you train him, I plan to gather some hunters and explore the fringes of the forest. Far past time we started entering the enemy¡¯s ground, rather than waiting for them to come to us.¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t take me with you?¡±


    Disappointment and anger briefly flit across his face, rarely seen on Yor, but vanish as he works it out. He stands, taking the empty bowls.


    ¡°Hmmph. I see, you want the trackers and faster hunters with you, while the stronger and more experienced stay to protect the camp. Well, I can¡¯t say I¡¯m not disappointed, but I see your reasoning, for all that I think you¡¯re being paranoid.¡±


    He stretches, shoulders cracking, and turns back towards camp. As he strides off, resolved, he calls back over his shoulder:


    ¡°Fear not, Madok, I shan¡¯t disappoint! The camp will be safe under my watch.


    As for Jormund¡­ Tales will be told of his accomplishments!¡±

 Age of Stone: chapter 10

    (John POV)


    It¡¯s been a week since the launch of Throughout the Ages, and a busy week for me, unfortunately! On some days I had to stay at work during the night!


    Even so, I haven¡¯t seen Jade much this week. I rather thought that she was angry with me again.


    Turns out that she wasn¡¯t home, or at least she wasn¡¯t overseeing the home when I arrived.


    Turns out that she was in the chatroom Night¡¯s Sky with Zane.


    Ah well, that¡¯s one worry off the list.


    I send her a message saying I¡¯m home and want to dive into Throughout the Ages.


    <hr>


    (John POV)


    <John>


    "Ohh, it feels good to be back! Work¡¯s pretty good at the moment, but nothing is as good as diving back into VR!"


    <Jade>


    "¡­"


    <John>


    "Jade? Is something wrong? You¡¯re very quiet¡­"


    <Jade>


    "No, nothing is wrong, master."


    Ah, that isn¡¯t good. She only calls me that when she¡¯s upset about something¡­


    Or if she¡¯s really angry. Judging by her tone, I suspect the latter.


    I am about to beg for mercy, but she stops me as soon as I mention work.


    <Jade>


    "That¡¯s not what I am angry about. Think very carefully about what you have done and then try and find a good way of apologizing."


    I follow her advice and stay silent until I¡¯ve got a clue. Buying time, I decide to take a good look at our community in the meantime.


    <John>


    "How are we doing for points?"


    <Jade>


    "We managed to get 4 points over the course of the last week. There were 2 pregnancies in the community. The first one we had turned out to be a twin."


    <John>


    "What else happened?"


    <Jade>


    "There are some things that could be of use. Master.


    First our people got the skills ¡°Primitive bonecrafting¡± and ¡°Primitive fishing¡±. That happened without my influence, actually, they just go the skills through simple tinkering and by living close to the river they got better at fishing."


    <John>


    "That probably saved us a lot of points. Good."


    <Jade>


    "We also met another tribe, and their healer even helped with the birth of the twins."


    <John>


    "Did we get any hints regarding medicinecraft? I¡¯d like to get those skills up as fast as possible."


    <Jade>


    ¡°I must disappoint, master. I didn¡¯t manage that much.


    The tribe left shortly after, it was a small tribe of elves that was travelling northward.¡±


    I still can¡¯t figure out why Jade is so angry. I¡¯m about to ask for a hint when a warning appears.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Hostile Tribe detected


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Your hunters have spotted a group of 48 goblin hunters heading towards your community


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    <hr>


    (Jormund POV)The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    I was chopping some wood when one of the hunting parties hurried back into the village.


    It looks like there¡¯s something going on, maybe they¡¯ve found a big herd! Could keep us well fed for a while!


    Maybe I would be allowed to join in the hunt this time. Might be worth asking, at least.


    With that thought in mind I finish the branch I was working on, gather my stuff and head back towards the village.


    When I arrive, it¡¯s clear something big is going on. My father is gathering all the hunters, old or young, anyone who¡¯s ever held a spear.


    Yor calls out to me as I approach.


    <Yor>


    "Jormund, over here! Finally! Go get your spear and stay with the elders and the children!"


    <Jormund>


    "But¡­"


    Damn it. Damn it, damn it, damn it. This looks to be the biggest hunt in my lifetime, and I¡¯m being told to stay behind. And for the stupidest reason, too. What the hell?!


    Yor has already walked off towards my father and is talking to him at a tone I have only ever heard him use when he was teaching me.


    My father rushes over to me next. Before I can get away, he reaches out and grabs my shoulder.


    <Madok>


    "Jormund, we haven¡¯t been on the best of terms for¡­ awhile. But... I want to take the chance to tell you what I think of you. After all, I might¡­ Well. I might not get another."


    Oh. That¡¯s¡­ not what I expected. What the hell is going on? In the pit of my stomach, much of my building resentment curdles into dread.


    <Madok>


    "I know that you have been training ever since that ambush. Don¡¯t think your dedication has gone unnoticed. You¡­ you should know that I am proud for all the effort you have put into your training. You are the best son I could ever have wished for. Know that."


    When I hear the words I almost fail to comprehend them. He isn¡¯t angry? But... I failed him. I lost almost a week''s worth of meat.


    <Madok>


    "Yor believes that you will be able to defend those that remain, and I agree. Hopefully nothing will happen, but please, stay behind while the rest of us meet the goblins."


    Goblins? Of course it¡¯s bloody goblins. So that¡¯s what¡¯s going on. Must be a big band, though, to have my father this scared.


    <Jormund>


    "I¡­ how do¡­ Thank you. For... trusting in me."


    Father grunts and nods, a sharp approving nod.


    <Madok>


    "Next hunt will be the one that makes you a man."


    Dad turns around and addresses the gathering before him.


    <Madok>


    "Now, all of you! Good luck! May you all return to your loved ones after this fight."


    To the tribe, he must appear steady as a rock. I hope I¡¯m the only one to see the slight tremor in his clenched fist.


    <hr>


    (John POV)


    Jade and I watch the hunters of our community gathering their armaments. En masse, they begin the trek towards the rocky outcrop where the goblin warband was last spotted.


    <John>


    "I am certain we can win this. How much will it cost us, though? We¡¯re going to have a lot of wounded and we¡¯ve got no way of healing them. Damn, I wish we¡¯d got some training from that healer."


    <Jade>


    "At least we shouldn¡¯t have too much of an issue with the goblins themselves. We have 32 humans with weapon experience against their 48 goblins. We are at a clear advantage in strength. Although, if they get lucky and know how to use their numbers correctly, it might still be a close call."


    We follow the hunters until they reach a narrow gully. Some dead riverlet has carved a slight but meaningful depression, flanked by steep dunes which we can use to our advantage.


    <John>


    "We can put hunters on both of the hills here and lure the goblins through the trench in order to ambush them. It¡¯ll give us a surround and minimize the impact of their numbers."


    <Jade>


    "That could work, but how would we lure them in?"


    <John>


    "Not how. Who."


    <hr>


    (Madok POV)


    I am running towards the trench with Yor by my side. The goblin warband is close on our heels.


    Both of us are grinning like damn fools.


    I¡¯d be reminded of our youth except then it didn¡¯t involve quite such certain death.


    <Madok>


    "Whose bright idea was this, again?"


    <Yor>


    "It was your idea, but I couldn¡¯t let you go on your own!"


    <Madok>


    "You didn¡¯t need to show off and kill one of them before running off!"


    <Yor>


    "Ha! It caught their attention, did it not?"


    Entering the trench, we keep running as fast as our legs can take us. I can feel my lungs starting to burn, and I note that Yor¡¯s barely keeping up. If the goblins don¡¯t catch up with us, the years will, soon. I toss the thought aside; there¡¯s more pressing concerns.


    When we reach the narrowest span of the trench, a narrow slot easily held, we turn and brace ourselves.


    <Madok>


    "NOW!!"


    Spears fill the sky and fall like killing rain.

 Age of Stone: chapter 11

    (Madok POV)


    I wake up only to find myself in pain. Really quite a lot of pain. Enough that I feel sick to the stomach, and know in my bones that I¡¯m not walking away from this one.


    When I look down to my side I see a shredded mess, long deep tears stretching from armpit to stomach. The goblins were thorough, although apparently not quite thorough enough.


    When I look around my head spins, and I lie back until my vision clears and the nausea recedes a little. Lani is sitting besides me, some plants I don¡¯t recognise in her hands and a thoughtful look in her eyes.


    <Madok>


    "How¡­ how did it go?"


    When she hears me she looks surprised, and draws closer.


    <Lani>


    "Lay still! I¡¯m doing what I can but the wounds will start bleeding again if you thrash about."


    <Madok>


    "Yor? Did he..."


    <Lani>


    "He¡¯s just on the other side of the gully. Yor got off better than you, but you both paid the price for your clever scheme.


    Now, stay calm while I try to keep your blood inside you."


    She pulls out another plant and starts chewing it, occasionally spitting the pulp out and rubbing it on my wounds.


    <Madok>


    "What are you doing? That¡¯s¡­ disgusting..."


    <Lani>


    "It¡¯s something the elf healer taught me, it should help against the pain."


    <Madok>


    "Should? So far I¡¯m¡­ unconvinced."


    <Lani>


    "I am not certain. There is a plant that looks just like it, but that one only causes heavy itching when applied."


    <Madok>


    "If that is the case then I think you are using the wrong plant. I feel like a swarm of biters is digging into me."


    Lani lets out a small laugh before removing the pulp and applying the other plant. Once she¡¯s chewed the stem to shreds and lathered me in it, she stands and gathers her materials, presumably in preparation to inflict her tortures on Yor.


    As she is turns away I finally ask the question I¡¯ve been dreading.


    <Madok>


    "How bad is it? How many did we lose?"


    <Lani>


    "Six. Three others won¡¯t make it back to camp. Five more will have to be carried, including you and Yor."


    <Madok>


    "The goblins?"


    <Lani>


    "We got all but three. Forgu¡¯s already taken a band to track them down. A total victory."


    <Madok>


    "We won."


    <Lani>


    "We did, thanks to you and Yor. Still, a heavy price."


    <hr>


    (John POV)


    <John>


    "That went a lot better than I expected, a total victory. I thought their numbers would give them more of an advantage."The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    <Jade>


    "Rather too easy..."


    <John>


    "And it seems that someone did pick up a few things during the elves¡¯ stay. Just not quite enough yet to give use access to any healing related skills."


    <Jade>


    "John, we have a problem! Headcount, 8 goblins are unaccounted for!"


    <hr>


    (Jormund POV)


    I lower the bucket into the river, intending to take some back to camp, when I hear the footsteps. Immediately, my Hunter¡¯s instinct tells me something is wrong. The paces are too short, the footfall too light. Not human. Danger.


    I drop the bucket and spin, hunkering into the riverbank grasses. Goblins, eight, heading towards the village. Our hunters are nowhere to be seen. No time to lose, I grip my spear and circle ahead of them, staying low and out of sight.


    When I reach the first hut, they are still just over the ridge. I call out to Lani¡¯s father, as quietly as I can.


    <Jormund>


    "Lor! Get everyone moving! The goblins are here!"


    Lor doesn¡¯t argue, and starts herding everyone into the sturdiest hut with the strongest door.


    I melt into the long grass, utterly still, and watch as the goblins close on the village fire. They¡¯re careful, even hesitant, not the triumphant march I would expect of a total victory. I await the right moment. Then, like a blessing of pure fate, it comes: one of the giant colourful savannah beetles leaps into the sky across camp, rasping loudly and drawing every eye. Now.


    I make a mad dash towards the goblins, catching them by surprise. One of them goes down to a heavy kick, bones breaking under the impact, and I crush his skull before any of them can react. One down, seven to go.


    Pulling out my axe, I swing it at the closest goblin. It throws its arms up instinctively, the blow intended for its head instead sinking into forearm. Crying out, it stumbles back, narrowly missing my spear-thrust towards its midsection.


    Another one jumps towards me but mistimes it, a good punch stuns it before it can connect. I take the opening and smash it across the face with my axe. Two down.


    But now, another goblin has flanked me, and I spin to face it too late. My spear falls just a little short.


    My throat, searing pain.


    I fall to my knees. Everything goes dark.


    .


    ..


    ...


    Noise. Is that a woman¡¯s voice? Clear as midwinter sky, beautiful as the blooms of midsummer''s eve.


    <????>


    "He¡¯s dying. We can¡¯t do anything."


    Clear, beautiful. Like a death hymn.


    I hear another voice, a voice so ancient and so removed from my understanding that my mind fails in description, even to myself.


    He speaks in a language so complex and powerful that I see colours where there are words and smell the different seasons with each sentence he speaks.


    The voice of the woman once more.


    <????>


    "No, we need that power. We can¡¯t waste it for him."


    Once more the Ancient sounds, and as it does I feel his age, each syllable like tree rings and the crumbling of mountains.


    <????>


    "You¡¯d bet so much on such a gamble? On those odds?"


    Now the Ancient burns with the heat of a summer blaze. It¡¯s painful, like the worst burn I¡¯ve ever felt but applied directly to my mind. Each word seems endless, incessant pain.Then, the final word freezes the flames, a crystalline blaze of pure cold.


    I try to open my eyes.


    <????>


    "Alright, we might as well try. Don¡¯t blame me when it doesn¡¯t work, though."


    I drift for a time, taking bliss from the lack of incomprehensible heat in my soul. When I finally pry open my eyelids I see something I could never have dreamed of. Before me floats a woman, hanging in the air like reeds in the current. I blink, but her feet resolutely refuse to touch the floor. As for the floor¡­ I don¡¯t understand. Even the colour is unreal.


    I instantly know the woman to be the Ancient¡¯s companion. She looks like such a voice made flesh, wearing garments unlike any I have ever seen, woven of cloth unequaled in my knowledge. Then, she glides towards me. A small globe of red, ochre light wafts down from above, landing gently in the palms of her hands as she reaches out towards me.


    <????>


    "May this Blessing take you far, young one."


    After these words the world slowly becomes black once. My mind is reeling from what I¡¯ve seen, and so I grasp some small, comprehensible reality. I think about her eyes and commit to memory the colour that they held.


    As I fade, she smiles.


    <????>


    "The colour is called Jade."

 Age of Stone: chapter 12

    (Forgu POV)


    I lead the column, heading back towards the village. Everyone¡¯s exhausted, even those who walked away from the battle, and the wounded are slowing us down. Shading my eyes against the sun, I scan the horizon for any further goblins. Towards the back of the group my wife, Lani, is taking care of the wounded.


    As I reach the top of the hill I glimpse a plume of smoke rising in the distance, from the direction of the village!


    <Forgu>


    "Shit! Rorik, I need 10 of our fastest runners, now! Get to the village, see what¡¯s going on!"


    Taking off, I rush towards home, the strongest warriors we have left behind me.


    My feet beating the path beneath me, a horrifying image fills my mind. The remains of the battlefield, but this time our families on the ground rather than the warriors and goblins we left there. I shudder and almost stumble, but recover and redouble my pace.


    My stomach drops as we approach the camp, the stench of burning flesh hits like a fist to the gut. I slow, and motion caution to the hunters behind me. We ghost between the huts. I hear the crack of a twig behind me, but it¡¯s only Kortus. He¡¯s young and less hardened to the world than the rest, and I can see he¡¯s barely standing. I don¡¯t blame him - I¡¯m dreading what we¡¯re about too see.


    I round the corner to the tribal campfire, spear in hand and heart in throat¡­ Only to find Lani¡¯s father throwing goblin corpses into the fire. Confused, I stumble to a halt. Having heard my approach, Lor turns.


    <Lor>


    "And where the hell have you been?! Missed the damn goblins on the way here, I see!"


    With that, he walks up to me and holds me close, like he can barely keep his feet. I can feel the tears rolling down his face and onto my shoulder.


    <Lor>


    "I thought that you were all dead...


    Who else made it?"


    <Forgu>


    "We lost 6, we¡¯ll probably lose some more. Lani is still alive, as are Madok and Yor."


    <Lor>


    "Only 6?"


    He sighs with relief, and steps back. I see the tension ease from his shoulders.


    <Lor>


    "And here I was preparing to bury all of you. Well, what was left."


    <Forgu>


    "What happened? How did the goblins get here and... who killed them?"


    Lor hesitates for a second, seeming perturbed, before answering the question.


    <Lor>


    "I don¡¯t know how the goblins got here but I can answer the last part of that question.


    Jormund killed them. Somehow."


    <Forgu>


    "What do you mean "somehow"? How many goblins did he fight?"


    <Lor>


    "I was helping the other elders with the children. Jormund rushed back, told me the goblins were coming and to get everyone to safety. I started getting the children into the central huts, and when I returned he had already slaughtered one. As I watched he smashed another and maimed a third in the process.


    That was where his luck ran out. One of the goblins got too close and managed to get his claws on him.


    I thought it was over when Jormund fell to his knees. He was losing blood, fast, and I think the goblins reckoned he was done. They had seen me by that point, I thought we were all finished..."


    Lor stops talking. I look at him expectantly, another hunter nudges him in order to continue.


    <Lor>


    "Look, I just don¡¯t know what happened. Suddenly Jormund was back in the fight again. He grabbed the maimed goblin and threw him into the rest of them.


    The rest of it¡¯s a blur. The goblins¡­ Well, most of the remaining goblins got knocked over when their comrade hit them, and those that were still standing went down fast to Jormund¡¯s axe. They started panicking, and I don¡¯t blame them."


    <Forgu>


    "How many did he kill?"


    <Lor>


    "He killed all of them, all eight, they barely stood a chance at that point. But... he was dead! His damned throat was ripped out! I went back later and checked, the blood in the sand is still there, but he¡¯s walking around without a scratch!"


    I have never seen Lor like this before. At first I had thought it was just the fight, but it seems there is more to it.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    <Forgu>


    "Lor, are you sure? The memory does funny things in the heat of the moment..."


    <Lor>


    "I didn¡¯t imagine it!"


    <Forgu>


    "You¡­ Your eyes must have been playing tricks on you, I know you have trouble seeing things at a distance..."


    <Lor>


    "The blood is still there! Bah! You don¡¯t believe me. Let me show you."


    Lor walks of towards another corpse and gestures me over to take a look at it.


    Its holding something in its right claw, a hunk of flesh. Although incomplete, it is recognisable after a moment.


    I stare at it dumbfounded until my stomach churns. I turn away before I throw up.


    <hr>


    (John POV)


    I take another look at the blessing that I had to scrape together in order to try and save the elders and, more importantly, the children of the community.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">


    The Gift of Life


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">


    A gift, given by a greater power, granted in order to protect the people of your tribe.


    It will grant you a second chance at Life when the previous was given for the good of the tribe.


    But everything takes time and energy even, Life itself.


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">


    Allows a full regeneration when mortally wounded while fighting for the good of your people.


    Can only trigger once every 9 months.


    Increases food consumption twofold.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    It cost me all of my points but I did manage to make it better than a one time miracle.


    The cost difference between a permanent buff and a one-shot was almost double, but once I had started the creation process I kinda got carried away in my tinkering.


    <Jade>


    "Have you finished admiring your horrible waste of points yet, master?"


    Oh yeah. Jade had been against the idea in the first place and I managed to use all our points on it¡­


    It hadn¡¯t helped with her bad mood.


    I had managed to find out why she was so angry, though.


    I had just realised she was wearing her most formal outfit. The one that she prefers for VR meetings and, well, for dates. Oops.


    Perhaps I had better distract her a just a little longer, try and find my way out of this particular hole.


    <John>


    "Yeah, I¡¯m finished with it. Speaking of which, where did the boy go?"


    <Jade>


    "His name is Jormund, and to answer your question, he grabbed a bite to eat and went off to the river."


    <John>


    "How do you know his name?"


    <Jade>


    "A list was created when you blessed him. Currently it only includes him, but it seems to be a list of all the blessed people living in your community. Might be handy later if you keep handing out our points like this."


    Well, I can¡¯t stretch this out any longer. Or at least I probably shouldn¡¯t.


    <John>


    "Ok, Jade.


    I am sorry for interrupting your date with Zane. I didn¡¯t realise.


    I¡¯m sorry, alright?"


    <Jade>


    ¡­


    <John>


    "Pretty please?"


    <Jade>


    "Make sure you never do that again, and definitely not by text message."


    <hr>


    (Forgu POV)


    The rest of the column arrived at the village just before sunset. By that point we had cleared out all the goblin corpses, and I told the others to keep quiet about Jormund¡¯s ¡°achievements¡±.


    I walk towards my wife, she looks concerned.


    <Forgu>


    "Lani, what¡¯s wrong? You seem so worried..."


    <Lani>


    "Some of the wounded are developing fevers. I don¡¯t know what¡¯¡¯s causing it."


    <Forgu>


    "What about Yor and Madok? We can¡¯t really afford to lose either of them."


    <Lani>


    "Yor is doing just fine, he¡¯ll be back on his feet in no time. Madok isn¡¯t, though. I don¡¯t know what to do, Forgu. I can¡¯t treat this fever!"


    <Forgu>


    "Is there anything we can do?"


    <Lani>


    "We have two options, I think. Either we try to find that Elven healer, the one that helped me with my childbirth. That was awhile ago, though, and she¡¯s probably long gone."


    <Forgu>


    "And what is the other option?"


    Lani pulls out a necklace and tosses it to me. It¡¯s heavier than I expect, and I almost drop it.


    <Lani>


    "The better equipped goblin always wore these around their necks. Maybe¡­ maybe their original owners can help?"


    I open my fist and inspect the necklace. A simple leather cord with two fangs strung upon it. Wolfkin fangs.

 Age of Stone: chapter 13

    (Forgu POV)


    Searching for Jormund, I meet Madok¡¯s wife, Cara. She looks tired, and busy, but then she does have the camp to organise.


    <Forgu>


    "Cara! Cara, how is Madok doing? Any change since yesterday?"


    <Cara>


    "He¡¯s¡­ Well, I don¡¯t really know. I think he looks the same but... I can¡¯t be sure. I just don¡¯t know, Forgu."


    <Forgu>


    "Is there any way I can help? He''s done so much for the tribe, I honestly don¡¯t know what we¡¯ll do without him."


    Cara looks me right in the eyes, her lip twitches upward, just for a second.


    <Cara>


    "You do know that he sent you and Lani out together on purpose right? You two needed the chance to get closer to each other without Lor around. He means well, of course."


    A change of subject, not a good sign. In any case, I¡¯m thrown by the minor revelation. I never even suspected such ulterior motives from Madok.


    <Forgu>


    "He did? Ah¡­ no. I didn¡¯t know."


    <Cara>


    "Hah. He notices more than you think, you know. For all that he claims his expertise ends at the camp¡¯s borders, he likes to keep an eye on you all."


    <Forgu>


    "Speaking of keeping an eye open, have you seen Jormund?"


    Changing the subject to Jormund was a good tactic. Her face lights up with motherly pride.


    <Cara>


    "Ah, he¡¯s off at his usual training spot! Down by the riverbank, you know the one?"


    She points in the direction of the river¡¯s southern bank. I nod in recognition. I know the place well.


    <Forgu>


    "Thank you, Cara. And just remember, if there¡¯s anything I can do for Madok¡­ Well. Don¡¯t hesitate."


    Next, I head towards the clearing where Jormund should be.


    I pause at the edge of the training grounds. Jormund isn¡¯t training, instead he¡¯s making some new equipment, knapping what looks like a simply enormous axehead.


    He sees me approaching and sweeps aside a few sharp chips, nodding at me to sit.


    I watch over his shoulder, glad to rest my legs for a moment as I wait for Jormund to finish. His intense concentration is understandable: the flint he is working on is huge for a single piece of equipment. I quickly realise that, however he¡¯s doing it, it¡¯s a far more advanced technique than we normally use.


    I try to follow what his process and I feel like I¡¯m beginning to understand, but suddenly he strikes the flint just slightly wrong and it shatters completely. He drops the shards and swears, sucking at a small cut on his thumb.


    <Jormund>


    "Damnit, that¡¯s the third time! I can¡¯t get this to work."


    <Forgu>


    "What are you even trying to make? I¡¯d say you¡¯re working with stones that are far too big, but it seemed like you almost had it."


    <Jormund>


    "Honestly, I want an axe that¡¯s better against those damn goblins. The one I wielded when they attacked was supposed to be used for cutting wood, damn it! It wasn¡¯t bad, though, it did some damage, but the heft was wrong and it wasn¡¯t sturdy enough. I need better!"


    <Forgu>


    "An axe? Specifically for fighting? Why not a spear?"


    <Jormund>


    "Spears? Bah! My spear failed me at the moment I needed it most, but my axe remained by my side through the whole fight. Spears are for hunting, Forgu! We need a tool for fighting! Damn, my thumb."


    <Forgu>


    "Ah, yes, about that fight¡­"


    <Jormund>


    "I know what you¡¯re going to ask, but I don¡¯t know what to tell you. That goblin got me, Lor didn¡¯t imagine that. Then, darkness and I heard voices and saw images and¡­ I don¡¯t know how to explain any of it. It was beyond anything we know."


    <Forgu>


    "You really have no idea? Nothing?"


    <Jormund>


    "I remember light, a woman¡¯s voice, eyes the colour of Jade, and something¡­"


    He shudders for a moment before shaking his head.


    <Jormund>


    "Something incomprehensible."


    He hadn¡¯t even flinched when talking about having his throat ripped out. I wouldn¡¯t care to know what was worse than the memory of dying. It seems Jormund didn¡¯t get out unscathed.


    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.Also, what colour is ¡®jade¡¯?


    <Forgu>


    "Well. Never mind, I suppose. In any case, I had another reason for coming: I¡¯m taking six of the remaining hunters to try and scout out the lands past the goblin forest. They just lost their main warband, now¡¯s the best chance we¡¯ll ever get."


    Jormund looks up, surprise plastered on his face.


    <Jormund>


    "Why? Why take the risk? We can¡¯t afford to lose another six hunters."


    <Forgu>


    "We found some necklaces on the goblins that indicate the presence of another tribe as their neighbors. Apparently they aren¡¯t on good terms with one another, unless you count ripping teeth out to wear around your neck as ¡®diplomacy¡¯."


    <Jormund>


    "Ah. And you want me to join?"


    He looks at me, slightly bemused and yet, behind that, eager.


    <Forgu>


    "Two reason. You¡¯ve shown that you can hold your own in a fight, and I want to keep an eye on you.


    We¡¯ve kept news quiet about your, your¡­ whatever with the goblins, so most people are pretty confused. Those of us who do know are even more confused. So, I want you out of camp and away from difficult questions, for now."


    <Jormund>


    "I understand. No doubt you want to see if I¡¯m about to keel over dead once my bad luck catches up, eh?"


    He laughs uncomfortably and stares into the distance, eyes glazed. After a second, he shudders again and turns back to me.


    <Jormund>


    "Alright. I¡¯ll come."


    <hr>


    (Unknown POV)


    After gathering my rations for the day I stumble back towards my alcove. The smell of the food, however little, is so very tempting. I need to save it, though. I¡¯m almost ready, I¡¯m so close, I¡¯ve almost stockpiled all the supplies I¡¯ll need.


    All that¡¯s left is a few small pieces of equipment, the materials for which are hidden beneath the battered hide I sleep on. A sturdy sack that won¡¯t hang in my way while travelling and a scaled cloak to help against the weather, quickly fashioned by a craft-goblin of my calibre.


    Even so, keeping the process hidden from the guards is tricky. Recently the guards have started patrolling in pairs so they can chat rather than watch, which makes things easier. Idiots!


    Suddenly, sounds near the entrance. I whip around, trying to hide the cloak in my hands. Shit!


    <???????>


    "No need to be surprised, little one. It is only me, eh?"


    My grandfather shuffles from around the corner, and I sigh in relief.


    <???????>


    "No need to be afraid, hmm? I am just making sure you were going the right way. Heh!"


    <????>


    "What? Going which way? I¡¯m sure I don¡¯t know what you mean! Hah! Ahahaha!"


    <???????>


    "Oh, my little one. You can¡¯t hide your little schemes from me, you should know that by now! Yes, I¡¯ve known about your plan to escape for quite some time."


    I don¡¯t blame you, mind. This place has gone from bad to worst.


    <????>


    "I have to do something! I can¡¯t just sit here and make armour for the damn hunters, foolish nasty idiot hunters, not for the rest of my life! Nobody but the hunters ever gets out of the hollow and most of the females never even leave the nursery. I want to know what¡¯s out there..."


    <???????>


    "Ah, you always were clever. Yes, I shouldn¡¯t be surprised that you¡¯re curious. Well, I couldn¡¯t possibly help you, not at all! You know that, but¡­ Hmm. Well, when you leave, just make sure that you move towards the mountains."


    <????>


    "Towards the mountains? But the grasslands seem so much easier, and there surely are many people to find there. Perhaps even other goblins?"


    <???????>


    "Of course, you haven¡¯t heard yet. Five days ago the younger hunters went towards the grassland together with seven of the fang-takers. None have returned. Bad news, hmm. Very bad news.


    So, that¡¯s why there are fewer guards, and also why you must leave soon. No time to waste, hmm, young one?"


    But¡­ The fang-takers were only the biggest and boldest and bravest of our hunters, our warriors even! The only goblins who could win in single combat against the furred people! If none of them returned, well¡­ Suddenly the mountains seems a lot more tempting than the grasslands.


    <????>


    "I¡¯ll be gone at nightfall. Grandfather... If I do not return, tell sister that I am sorry? Please?"


    <???????>


    "I shall. If!"


    <hr>


    (Forgu POV)


    Why did I think that taking that boy with us was a good idea? He refuses to use a spear, barely knows how to track animals, and that¡¯s not even the worst of it!


    Maybe I¡¯m just stressed, we¡¯ve been travelling through goblin territory for almost two days now. Not only do we have scouts and hunters to worry about, but none of us have any clue what¡¯s edible in this forest, or how to hunt it!


    Jormund¡¯s eating habits don¡¯t really help, either. He devours close to double the portions anyone else does and doesn¡¯t even seem to notice! He doesn¡¯t even slow down!


    <Ralnt>


    "Forgu, over here. Come!"


    I follow Ralnt, ever reliable, through the foliage. We wind through the towering trunks, each a hundred paces high at least, crashing through the denser parts of the undergrowth. Part of my worries come from our inability to stay quiet in this unfamiliar terrain, although we¡¯re already getting better. At least Ralnt has a knack for keeping us moving in a straight line. After a couple of minutes, he stops and I step around him to take a look through the greenery.


    Before me is a clearly artificial clearing within lie the remnants of a bonfire, surrounded by eleven charred wooden stakes. On each of them hangs the corpse of what used to be a goblin. Probably. The remains are too small to be anything else.


    <Jormund>


    "Urgh, it¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s horrible. Ah¡­ It seems we¡¯ve found the other tribe we were looking for. Well done us."


    <Forgu>


    "I don¡¯t feel relieved, that¡¯s true. The way the stakes have been positioned around the fire, the flames must have been licking up their legs."


    We slowly walk into the clearing, alert to any threat still present. All is quiet, though, and the closer we get the more grisly the details of the scene become.


    <Ralnt>


    "Look at the bindings, here, and here. Some of the goblins were thrashing around so much that they¡¯ve torn the cord from the wood. Too late, though."


    <Forgu>


    "I wouldn¡¯t want to assume, but it seems clear that this is not a simple execution. Whoever did this¡­ they wanted to send a message."


    <Jormund>


    "What message?"


    <Forgu>


    "At a guess, ¡°Stay away¡±."


    Come. There¡¯s nothing to be gained by standing here admiring their work. And we still have a long way to go before sunset.


    It is only when we¡¯re already many hours distant that I realise that the clearing had been utterly silent. No life dared come close to that cursed place.

 Age of Stone: chapter 14

    (Jormund POV)


    Initially this all seemed like a bit of an adventure. After four days of bad food, unknown dangers, and cryptic messages written in goblin corpses, I¡¯d rather head back to the village.


    In those four days, the only sign of our quarry has been the clearing, and that wasn¡¯t very encouraging. Since then, everything has been going downhill, except us as we slowly climb towards the mountains.


    And now it¡¯s raining, everything is wet, we are running low on food, the other hunters blame me for our low reserves, the brush keeps getting denser and tougher, and we passed the last climbable tree this morning.


    I am starting to think that we missed the wolfkin tribe altogether. Perhaps we¡¯re getting close to the edge of the world: the closer we get to the peaks the bigger they seem, and there¡¯s no way we¡¯re getting over them.


    <Forgu>


    "Jormund! You¡¯re falling behind! Again!"


    Oh yes. And Forgu keeps saying that if I can¡¯t keep up with the rest of the hunters he¡¯ll just leave me here. How could I forget that entry on the list.


    I could really use some time to rest. I think we all could, but Forgu¡¯s understandably worried.


    Looking to distract myself, I scoop up a few stones from the ground and keep an eye out for targets to practice my throwing on.


    There isn¡¯t much of anything around here though, the only creature we¡¯ve seen today was some sort of lizard. Even that was pretty small, although it did have wings. Perhaps we¡¯re still making too much noise in this unfamiliar terrain.


    Despairing of a more interesting target, I take aim at a large pile of rocks. At least it¡¯s an easy target, with a bit of luck I might even hit it.


    The first throw flies wide, as does the second. Apparently luck is not with me, today.


    Forgu looks surprised when the first stone hits the shrubbery with a thud. After he spots me throwing the second his expression turns to irritation.


    <Forgu>


    "Jormund, will you knock it off! You¡¯ll give away our position to anything in earshot!"


    Anger rises within me. Can¡¯t I do anything without being reprimanded?


    I whip the last of my stones towards the rock formation in fit of pique, and am rewarded with a solid crack as it glances off the top of the pile.


    Suddenly, the pile starts shaking. Slowly, the stoney mass begins to rise from the ground. My former target opens three eyes and glares at our party.


    Ah. It appears I¡¯ve fucked up.


    <hr>


    (Unknown POV)


    The pups returned early, today, reporting that they heard an Ardron roaring at something. While dangerous, normally the beasts are docile unless they get to close to one another, and there¡¯s no others in the area. Hearing one bellow is unusual, given that nothing and nobody is stupid enough to get close.


    The Alpha sent my bloodkin-pack out to scout for the cause. What agitated it and where¡¯s it heading? Surely the goblins can¡¯t have been stupid enough to return already?


    Its previous resting spot is quickly reached, and from there it¡¯s trivial to find the beast itself. The creature¡¯s unique stink of earth, salt, and mulch lights up the nose something special. Ardron spend most of their lives sleeping or eating, and almost nothing else.


    And eat it has, leaving a well-chewed wake through, well, everything¡­


    I signal that I¡¯ll keep an eye on the beast, watching lest it turn on us or head for the village. In the meantime my two blood-joined, Trai and Mokra, look for clues of what disturbed it. Perhaps they¡¯ll find something in the mangled earth of its passing, although it¡¯ll take a better nose than mine to discern any subtle scents at this proximity to the beast.


    Finding anything behind an Ardron is almost impossible, and this one is one of the largest I¡¯ve seen. It¡¯s easily twenty-five paces long and perhaps seven paces wide, with a body covered in craggy grey armor and six mammoth legs to support it. As always, Ardron remind me of how fragile we are, alone. In a pack, though, we can be stronger that any lone beast.


    Then, through the scrub:


    <Trai>


    "Mokra, Shintra, over here! I have found something!"


    I back away from the massive creature, never turning tail, and once hidden back in the brush I lope away. Circling the edge of the devastation, I approach and take a look at Trai¡¯s find.


    <Shintra>


    "What¡¯s left?"


    <Trai>


    "Not much. A group came through, at a guess five or maybe six of them. They don¡¯t smell like goblins, but I don¡¯t recognise the scent. Not elves, maybe humans. The best I can do is that they came from the forest, or at least through it. I picked up the trail westward of here."Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    <Mokra>


    "We should try and hunt them down."


    <Shintra>


    "And why should we do that? That was not the Alpha¡¯s command."


    <Mokra>


    "They came from the forest. Nothing good ever comes from the forest. They¡¯re likely a danger, or perhaps some new goblin trick."


    <Trai>


    "We should at least reconnoitre them. Perhaps we may divine their intentions from actions, rather than from Mokra¡¯s suspicions."


    <Shintra>


    "Then we shall hunt."


    We follow the trail at an easy, distance-devouring lope, slowing occasionally to check the tracks. Then, Trai stops to study the track in more detail.


    <Trai>


    "It seems someone has reached the trail before us. Here, Mokra, what do you smell?"


    <Mokra>


    "Hmm, one moment¡­ Yes. I can smell the group that we were tracking, definitely not elves. There¡¯s something else, though, you were right. It¡¯s familiar, but I can¡¯t quite place it.


    No, wait. It¡¯s the smell of old leather¡­ and goblins!"


    The fur on my neck rises as I learn there might be goblins close by.


    <Shintra>


    "Where did they go?"


    <Trai>


    "Only one, I think. It followed the other group. Whether they were together I can¡¯t tell."


    Our journey resumed, our pace begins to quicken. The hunt is joined in earnest, a glorious parade of hunger and deadly intent. There is only one thing on our minds:


    Vengeance.


    <hr>


    (Another unknown POV)


    I should have gone to the grasslands! Grandfather gave wrong advice! I never trusted that old man, sneaky and mean. Perhaps he sold me out to the guards, and even now they¡¯re following me. Perhaps I¡¯m just bait for the wolfkin.


    Nevermind. I won¡¯t go back. Can¡¯t go back. The hunters would skin me alive and turn me into leather! Or worse! Or worst, even.


    Was that a twig, snapping behind me? Perhaps the wolfkin have found me! No, it¡¯s just my mind playing tricks on me. Either way, I quicken my pace.


    On one side, rocks and stones to break my bones. On the other, nothing but hard places. The sun has dipped behind the mountains, but if I hurry I might reach the camp of whoever made this trail. Perhaps.


    I really hope that noise was just my imagination.


    The aching cold follows the shadow of the mountains. I haven¡¯t felt this chill since before the hollow, when we spent our days digging and our nights under the stars. Everyone was cold and hungry, but I remember grandfather would always end the day with a story. Sneaky old man, but he could spin a tale like golden silk. I still remember the one about the centaur and the goblin almost word for word, and how we laughed ¡®til we cried. It all seems so very far away, the gloom and the food and the company and the safety of numbers.


    I wish I wasn¡¯t so alone, out here in the dark.


    I remember, later that night, once the anklebiters were asleep, he told another story.


    A story with a moral, to teach us all that you can¡¯t outsmart everything. It was a story about they who hunt in the dark, who sense you without eyes, who run like the wind and howl at the moon and laugh in the face of death. The hunters who walk upright. The wolfkin.


    No one was foolish enough to laugh at the story, back then. Now they grin and cackle to hide their fear, ever since the Headman started taking fangs. They all want to be the next fang-taker, foolish hunter ambitions. So, Grandfather doesn¡¯t tell that story any more.


    I wish I didn¡¯t remember it so well. The fangs and the speed and the blood. It sticks in the dark corners of my mind like bitter tree-sap.


    I have to keep walking. I must be almost there. I must be.


    That was a sound. A real sound. I wasn¡¯t imagining it! There was a sound and I heard it and I¡¯m being followed and I¡¯m probably going to die!


    Behind me, three shadows. They move using both arms and legs, crossing the uneven terrain without sound or effort. I¡¯ve never seen that form before, but I know it in the icy chill of my bones.


    Their eyes reflect starlight and burn with hunger.


    I listen to my instincts. I turn and run.


    <hr>


    (Jormund POV)


    A silent yawn breaks my concentration, rupturing from me like the river¡¯s spring melt. I rub my eyes and try to regain my focus. Forgu decided that, what with my foolishness this morning, the first watch was mine to suffer.


    I¡¯ve always thought that the most vital part of the hunt was the chase, when it all comes down to speed and instinct, and you either catch the prey or lose it forever. Forgu believes differently, however, as he spent much time expounding to me. He made it very clear that the most important part of hunting is patience.


    A shame, because I don¡¯t seem to have any.


    I toss a few more sticks on the fire. At least it¡¯s stopped raining.


    Almost time to wake Ralnt. I¡¯m grateful that he keeps volunteering for second watch. I don¡¯t know how he manages; splitting sleep always leaves me drained.


    I approach him, but he rolls over before I get close and reaches for his spear.


    <Ralnt>


    "Quiet. Something is coming. I can feel it."


    Long seconds, staring into the darkness. I managed to ruin my night vision when I added fuel to the fire, and I can discern no threat. Then, a sound, something running. I turn and see a goblin sprinting towards me.


    Shit! Not only are we probably about to be torn limb from limb by angry goblins, but Forgu will blame me for letting us be ambushed!


    I raise my arms and make ready with my axe, keeping my throat safely protected. Rather than approach within range, however, the goblin dances around me, and runs past to... hide behind Ralnt? Ralnt, who is staring at something behind me.


    He¡¯s looking up. So, something very large.


    I turn to find three angry wolfkin towering over me.

 Age of Stone: chapter 15

    (Jormund POV)


    So here I am, standing in the middle of nowhere, a long way from home, with three enormous wolfkin intent on tearing me to shreds.


    The largest of the bunch is to my left. It¡¯s massive, a murderous muscular monstrosity, covered in mottled black fur. In each hand it grips a large bone club - I note they have nails, rather than claws.


    The middle beast is smaller and leaner than the other two. That doesn¡¯t mean she¡¯s less dangerous, though - speed can be as lethal as strength, as I learned the hard way. In the adrenaline-fueled focus of pure terror, I note her fur is shorter than the others¡¯, with a dappled coat of light brown.


    In contrast, and only in contrast, the final beast doesn¡¯t seem all that dangerous. It¡¯s eyes dart across the campsite, taking in everything. The brains of the operation, if I had to guess.


    All in all, my chances of beating them in a fair fight are absolutely zero.


    <hr>


    <Jade>


    "Really? They¡¯re already building tank/healer/rogue combos? Well, if it ain¡¯t broke, I suppose¡­"


    <hr>


    Very slowly, I back away. They don¡¯t follow me, instead preferring to watch. The third seems slightly bemused by the whole situation, although the others more than make up for it with the venom in their glare. Still, perhaps I¡¯m not going to die immediately.


    I stop, a few paces out of easy reach, and keep cataloguing their appearances.


    I can¡¯t get over how huge they are. They would stand at least a head above even Yor. Their arms are long, too, giving them easily twice the swinging range of most humans. In contrast, their heads seem comparatively small, but they could easily bite through my wrist with those teeth.


    Their chests are broad, but they have surprisingly narrow waists, tapering into long, sinewy legs. It gives them a slightly top-heavy look. Perhaps those legs might be a weak point, if I could aim a solid blow at them? No, they¡¯re clearly used to running on all fours, and three legs is nearly as good. Also, that means getting close.


    I¡¯m coming to the conclusion that the goblin¡¯s have picked a terrible enemy.


    The third wolfkin hunkers down a little, so that his eyes are on a level with mine.


    <Trai>


    "Well, now. Humans. We were right, Mokra."


    His voice is guttural, but clearly not unused to speech. They may look like beasts, but I need to be careful not to underestimate them - they are quite as capable of finding our weaknesses as we are theirs. And we have rather more of them.


    Behind me, I hear the rest of the party rising. Good thing we keep our weapons within easy reach while we sleep. The other two wolfkin take the opportunity to start circling us, with a distinct lack of concern in their demeanor.


    <Trai>


    "They¡¯re shorter than those elves. Ah! I wonder if they can run as fast?"


    To my left, the lean wolfkin yowls, and speaks.


    <Shintra>


    "Oh, we¡¯ll find out soon enough. Unless, of course, they hand over the goblin."


    From the darkness behind us, the largest wolfkin rumbles in a deep growl.


    <Mokra>


    "The goblin came here expecting help. They are in league, clearly. We should kill them. Now."


    Keeping an eye on the curious one, I try to signal to Forgu that we need to start negotiating. Apparently he agrees.


    <Forgu>


    "Ah¡­ Greetings. We have no quarrel with you, Wolfkin. We¡¯ve come to talk."


    The dappled female turns towards Forgu and snarls at him. The party raises their weapons as one, and I desperately hope that nobody does something rash.


    <Shintra>


    "Let your packleader announce his intentions. We have no interest in the words of his underlings."


    Forgu looks shocked, as do we all. I don¡¯t know what I expected, but that wasn¡¯t it.


    <Forgu>


    "I am the leader!"


    Suddenly, the large black wolfkin appears behind Forgu.


    <Mokra>


    "Do you think us fools?! The strong leads the pack, and you are not the strongest of this pack."


    <Trai>


    "Is it the boy? Or, perhaps the silent one, behind whom the goblin cowers..."Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    I was hoping that they would be less frightening now that they¡¯re talking, rather than immediately about to kill us. Apparently not. They keep circling the party, never ceasing in their movement, always seeming in perfect synchrony. Occasionally they vanish into the darkness, only to duck back into the light where I least expect them. In the privacy of my head, I offer a brief plea to the Jade woman. Perhaps she can help me? Or perhaps I¡¯m just going to die here.


    If we¡¯re going to get out of here, I need to make a gambit.


    <Jormund>


    "What do you want, Wolfkin? Come into the light, we are not prey!"


    <Shintra>


    "A bold claim, human. Whether you are prey is ours to decide. And we want the goblin."


    Ah yes, the goblin. I¡¯d forgotten about it in the confusion, somehow. I turn to look at the creature in question, and find it curled up in a ball in the middle of our group, shivering madly.


    It¡¯s clearly utterly panicked, and I hear a low stream of muttering as it raves to itself.


    <????>


    "Stupid Kali! Should have stayed in the warm and dark! A bad plan, this was a bad plan, it¡¯s grandfather¡¯s fault, yes it is! Hunters would have been so much better, easy and quiet, had it so good! But no, wanted to see the world, made all kind of silly moves, and now I¡¯m going to die! Going to be all crunched up by wolfkin! Agh!"


    Not hugely helpful. Still, I can¡¯t bring myself to throw the pitiful thing to the wolves. And, I must admit, I¡¯m curious as to why it¡¯s here in the first place.


    <Jormund>


    "Strange as it may seem, we¡¯re no friends to the goblins. We came looking for someone to help us against them, in fact. The goblins have been raiding us, and we hoped we might find allies among their enemies."


    <Trai>


    "Help you? Hah! Why should we help you? A pack that cannot fend for itself is no worthy ally!"


    <Mokra>


    "They don¡¯t deserve our help. They deserve our jaws, Shintra!"


    <Shintra>


    "Silence, Mokra. So, humans, how do you answer him? Why should we defend the weak?"


    <Jormund>


    "You misjudge us, wolfkin! Forgu, show them the fangs!"


    It¡¯s a desperate bluff, but it¡¯s something. Thankfully Forgu¡¯s wise enough to see that, and follows my order. No doubt I¡¯ll pay for the insolence, later, but at least there might be a later.


    Kneeling at his pack, he grabs a pouch and throws it to me. I catch it without fumbling, just, avoiding another obvious sign of weakness.


    <Jormund>


    "So, wolfkin, you think us weak?! Then how have we slain those you could not?!"


    I pull the seven sets of fangs from the pouch, recovered from the goblin raiders, and dangle them from my open hand.


    <Jormund>


    "You see these? We took them from the corpses of a goblin raiding party. Their previous owners were slayers of wolfkin and the strongest of their horde, and now they lie dead at our hand. You wish for a sign of strength, well, here it is!"


    The goblins are weak, and it is by our might rather than yours. We hope for allies not to defend ourselves, but to annihilate them entirely! What say you? What say you?!


    Silence, and darkness, for several minutes. None of the party moves, and the only sound is that of the whimpering goblin. I stare into the blackness, looking for movement.


    Then, before me, the wolfkin pace into the light of the campfire.


    <Shintra>


    "So be it. Rest here, tonight. Tomorrow, we shall take you before the Alpha. It is to him you shall make your case."


    I silently thank the Lady of Jade.


    <hr>


    (Shintra POV)


    The sun has passed its zenith by the time we reach the village. Mokra keeps complaining about how slow the humans are, and Trai has decided to try talking to them.


    For some reason beyond my comprehension they¡¯ve decided to drag the goblin along with them, and then I do mean drag. The damn thing tried to get away several times, and now they¡¯ve attached it to their pack leader by a rope. Perhaps it¡¯s some form of war trophy? Or perhaps it¡¯s fodder for blood magic, such as the elves practice?


    Ah, we¡¯re close now.


    <Shintra>


    "Trai, Mokra watch our... guests. I shall inform the Alpha of our arrival."


    The large cave that we call home smells of smoke and meat and the pack. At the back there¡¯s a smaller grotto, held by the Alpha, and it¡¯s there I head now.


    He¡¯s waiting as I enter. It seems our scouts are getting better, if even I can¡¯t spot them.


    <Alpha>


    "Ah, Shintra. They tell me you¡¯ve brought home something worthy of my attention. Is that so, huntress?"


    <Shintra>


    "Yes, Alpha. A party of humans, and a goblin. The humans disturbed the Ardron, we picked up their trail in its wake. The claim to have come to ask our tribe for assistance. As for the goblin, I have no answers. It¡¯s their prisoner, or¡­ something."


    <Alpha>


    "Indeed? Odd. What kind of help do they desire?"


    <Shintra>


    "They wish for our co-operation in an attack on the goblins. They claim the goblins are weak, currently, as a result of a failed raid."


    The Alpha raises his head in bland surprise.


    <Alpha>


    "Curious. This is all¡­ most curious. You have done well, Shintra. Go to the other elders. We prepare a Minor Conclave for the evening, six days hence. A decision of this magnitude requires no less an honour."


    A Minor Conclave. Such an occasion has not been held within my lifetime! I nod in mute acknowledgement, and return to the main cave.


    <hr>


    (Jade POV)


    John was checking his inbox before lunch when I received the message.


    <Jade>


    "Uhmm, John? We have an appointment in Throughout the Ages."

 Age of Stone: chapter 16

    ( Jormund POV )


    This bloody goblin. ¡°Go keep an eye on the goblin¡±, Forgu said, ¡°It¡¯ll keep you out of trouble¡±. Bastard.


    That said, under the circumstances he¡¯s probably got a point. He took the shift in supposed leadership well, and told me it was quick thinking. Even so, understandably he¡¯s a little peeved at the whole situation. Clearly it¡¯s harder for me to say anything undiplomatic to the wolfkin while I¡¯m chasing an escapee through the woods.


    Still, I think I¡¯ve got a system worked out now. The first day, I decided to keep watch in the small camp we had outside of the cave, at which point the goblin promptly started finding ways to disappear every time I turned my head. Now, I just drag him around the wolfkin village with a length of rope. I still can¡¯t leave the village for fear of him escaping, but at least I¡¯m now free to explore. The constant sight of the wolfkin seems to curb the goblin¡¯s enthusiasm to get away from me.


    I¡¯ve explored the cave pretty thoroughly now - it¡¯s huge! Today¡¯s the fifth day we¡¯ve been here, and I only just found a new passage to where the wolfkin craft weapons.


    Seeing the way they bind together their clubs has given me a bunch of ideas. By and large the wolfkin haven¡¯t been that interested in talking to us, but my ¡®battleaxe¡¯ idea drew some interest from the crafters. Three of them were unconvinced, but one of them agreed the idea had some merit, a grizzled silver-backed elder.


    After introducing himself as Garuu, he takes me aside for a chat, being particularly interested in comparing human and wolfkin physicalities. Eventually, the conversation turns back to axes.


    <Garuu>


    "So, how heavy are you trying to make this ¡®battleaxe¡¯? I must admit, I¡¯m tempted to try putting one together!"


    <Jormund>


    "That would be great! To be honest, Garuu, I¡¯m not exactly the greatest knapper you¡¯ve ever met. At this point I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯s the concept that¡¯s flawed or just my execution. I¡¯ve been trying to fashion an axehead that¡¯s twice, maybe thrice as big as this one? I don¡¯t really know exactly the right weight, but the axe I use currently is too light, and the shaft binding¡¯s just not strong enough."


    I reach for the simple axe that hangs from my belt and hand it over to Garuu.


    <Garuu>


    "Hmm¡­ a simple design, useful for cutting wood. But, as you said, it¡¯s a little small. And you want to modify it for combat. Hmm."


    Well, it¡¯s certainly a challenge. We would need a better handle, and a high quality flint for the head. Or maybe¡­ No. We don¡¯t have any of those laying around, but what about¡­ No, that couldn¡¯t...


    He trails off into muttering, and slowly moves towards the rock shelf where the crafters keep their tools and materials. I follow and watch for a while, dragging the silent goblin with me, as Garuu turns my small axe over and over in his hands. Eventually, I interrupt him.


    <Jormund>


    "Ah¡­ is there anything I can help with?"


    He looks up, seemingly astonished.


    <Garuu>


    "Yes, of course! In the pack, there¡¯s always something to do! Let¡¯s see, let¡¯s see¡­ First, I think we need to know how strong you are, to judge the bindings accordingly. Come, I¡¯d like to see you spar with some of the older pups."


    He turns, and beckons me to follow. The goblin whimpers, and then hurries after me before the rope snaps taut.


    <hr>


    (Kali POV [it¡¯s the goblin])


    What is wrong with these humans?! First, they¡¯re treating the wolfkin like allies! Do they not know the beasties are dangerous and murderous and other bad things?! Idiots! And, if that weren¡¯t enough, the big boss human agreed to some silly mock fight with some of the wolfkins pups! I thought he¡¯d be ripped to shreds, with the scary old crafter watching and laughing! As it was, he got off with only bruises and a nasty scrape, but it was still foolish! Only silly hunter goblins would be so bold and ambitious!


    Still, it was interesting to watch, and at least he untied me for a bit! I didn¡¯t dare run, not with that old silverback watching me like I¡¯m lunch, but it was nice to stretch my legs, oh wasn¡¯t it just! At first, he lost most of the fights, those three pups teamed up and overwhelmed him many times. Nasty things, wolfkin pups, small and fast and slippery as lightning in spiderweb! After a while, though, the human got used to the pups¡¯ reach and speed, and he started to win some bouts. Interesting¡­ The human learns, fast. I daren¡¯t make too many failed attempts to escape. Better to save for a big one.


    Now, it¡¯s back to the cave. It¡¯s nothing like the hollow; there¡¯s smoke and dimness, yes, but it all smells wrong. Smells of danger. Still, here at the back with the hides and tools isn¡¯t so bad, and the crafters know their trades. Not as well as us goblinses, but well nonetheless! Ah, the old wolf is explaining his choices of materials.


    <Garuu>


    "So... For the handle, I¡¯ll use a large leg bone from a Hondruc. The shape is a bit unusual, but it¡¯s the best material that we have lying around. The head, well, I¡¯ll search for some good candidates tomorrow, and we¡¯ll bind it with Kagonn sinews."


    The boy just sits there and nods, clearly he doesn¡¯t understand any of this! I know I should just stay still, stay silent, but it¡¯s infuriating!


    No, I can¡¯t just sit in the corner. I sidle closer, to take look a better look at the... stuff that the wolfkin is gathering. His choice of materials is just wrong! I mean, they could be worse - the Hondruc bone might work if he shapes it with water and heat - but the flint is just plain weird! He has way better ingredients then that!


    <Kali>


    "No, no, no! No! This is all wrong!"


    Ah. I didn¡¯t mean to say that out loud. Now they¡¯re both staring at me. Oh dear, the wolfkin doesn¡¯t seem pleased.


    <Garuu>


    "Oh, really? Is that so... burrower? If this is ¡°all wrong¡±, then how would you do it, hmm?"


    Um. Ho hum. Shit. I suppose I¡¯d better answer as best I can before he¡­ eats me?


    <Kali>


    "Ah¡­ What do I have to work with?"


    The wolfkin seems amused. Perhaps I shan¡¯t be eaten immediately! Perhaps Kali shall live another day! Still, let¡¯s not get ambitious, hmm. End up like the hunters, all cut down and poked full of holes by the humans. Yes. No ambition. Concentrate.


    The wolfkin rises, bones creaking, and walks me to the stockpile. It¡¯s on a shelf, about a foot above my head, and even if I jump I can¡¯t see. He leans down, and my heart pounds in expectation of sudden death, but instead he just lifts me up and puts me on the shelf.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    So many materials to use! I¡¯m quite overcome with excitement! So many bits and pieces to poke and prod, to try to cut them with my claws and taste a bit of the bones, to smell the different fats in bowls and to hold the leaves to the light.


    <Garuu>


    "Hmm. I thought you were going to craft something, not prepare a meal."


    Mockery?! Bah!


    <Kali>


    "Do not doubt me, wolfkin! I was the greatest craft-goblin of my tribe! I¡¯ve fashioned the armor of headmen and warriors, the tools that fed the hollow!"


    <Jormund>


    "Oh, really? So, if you¡¯re some mighty pillar of the tribe, outfitter of your chief, then why did you run off?"


    I find something that I can use and lay it aside, and continue searching the stockpile.


    <Kali>


    "I¡­ I wanted to see the world. To get away from the hunters."


    They got all the best things, but worse, the others aren¡¯t even allowed to leave the hollow! Not except for grandfather, but that is because he¡¯s the medicine man! The females never even leave the lower reaches! Always in the dark with the little anklebiters.


    I left because I wanted to see the world, human. I don¡¯t expect you to understand.


    <Garuu>


    "Anklebiters?"


    Bah, he¡¯ll work it out.


    I think I¡¯ve found my palette of materials. Now I just need my tools.


    <Kali>


    "My tools. Can I go and get them? They are still at the fireplace. Yours are too large for my hands, and too¡­ too crude."


    They exchange glances, strangely quiet. Jormund nods, and we make a quick trip to the human camp. Upon our return, I find Garuu looking over my choice of materials.


    <Garuu>


    "Goblin¡­ What do you plan to do with these things? You had best not waste them. I might have to replenish our stocks of goblin skull."


    <Kali>


    "You shall see! You shall see, I shall make the best axe you have ever seen! Just to show you, do not doubt the goblin craftsman!"


    <Garuu>


    "Hmm. We¡¯ll see. We¡¯ll see. Or¡­ how about a challenge, greenskin? You¡¯re not using any of the materials I planned to. We could make a little wager over it."


    My pride, and your skull.


    A challenge, eh?! Do not challenge Kali at a game of craft!


    <Kali>


    "Agreed! I do not fear your threats, wolf!"


    <hr>


    ( Jormund POV )


    The craftsmen are off working on their bet, one physically tied to the other, and here I am sitting by the fire and roasting supper. I¡¯m staring into the flames, lost in thought, and so it takes a second for me to notice when one of the first wolfkin we met materialises out of the gloom. He joins me, huddling by the warmth.


    <Trai>


    "So, I hear that Garuu¡¯s found another challenge! He¡¯s always looking for something to fill his time, now that the Alpha¡¯s barred him from slowing the hunting pack. What¡¯s going on with your goblin prisoner, though?"


    <Jormund>


    "I¡¯m not quite sure myself, to be honest. He and I were discussing weaponry, and the dreadful little thing got it into it¡¯s head to doubt Garuu¡¯s choice of materials. I thought Garuu was going to rip that head right off, there and then, but instead they made it a competition of sorts."


    Trai unleashes a yipping cackle that causes the hair on the back of my neck to rise.


    <Trai>


    "Well, I shouldn¡¯t expect that the goblin has much of a chance! Garuu is our best crafter! He¡¯s one of those who strives to be the very best at whatever he puts his paws to, can¡¯t stand being second. Apparently he made a bid at becoming Alpha, back before my time."


    Many of the hunters are jealous that he¡¯s making a weapon for you. You should look out for that; it might cause problems at the Conclave.


    <Jormund>


    "What? Blast, that¡¯s the last thing any of us need! I just wanted some advice, I didn¡¯t expect it to cause trouble."


    <Trai>


    "Well, Garuu wants a challenge and a challenge is what you gave him. People are keeping an eye on both him and... Kali, that was the greenskin¡¯s name, right?"


    <Jormund>


    "Kali indeed, but why such interest?"


    <Trai>


    "Garuu hasn¡¯t gone to such trouble for a weapon since he made the Alpha¡¯s own club! And that one was fashioned from the bones of an old Ardron! As for the goblin, well, he¡¯s doing things that I didn¡¯t think were possible. Somehow he changed the form of the bone he¡¯s using into a handle, actually reshaping it, just bizarre! And that¡¯s not even the weirdest bit: he¡¯s using a mixture of fat and something from his pack on the Kundrika chitin, and now he is shaping it with his bare hands! You need rocks to even scratch that stuff!"


    Magic, or¡­ something. I don¡¯t know that I trust it.


    <Jormund>


    "I don¡¯t really understand what either of them are doing. Back at home, we just use chitin and hides for the tents we live in, not for armor. We are quite good at using flint in new ways, though."


    <Trai>


    "Yes, I¡¯ve seen the tools you carry. Using stones to make weapons instead of bones. Strange, but effective."


    In any case, enough idle chatter! I almost forgot the reason I came! The elders have decided, we shall hold the conclave in just a few hours. You should go and prepare your case. I¡¯ll watch the crafters, keep them both out of trouble.


    This evening!


    I thank him, and quickly head towards our camp. Around me, I can hear others are already busy with their own preparations.


    <hr>


    ( John POV )


    I hover above my community and silently appreciate the beauty of the night sky.


    Alas, I have things to do.


    <John>


    "So, when is the meeting?"


    <Jade>


    "Should be just a few more in-game minutes."


    <John>


    "Who are we meeting with?"


    <Jade>


    "No idea. The message just states, I quote, ¡°A Minor Conclave has been called, with members of your community invited as important guests.¡± It gives a timestamp, nothing more."


    I feel a slight tug on my shoulders, and I quickly pan around, looking for its source. It¡¯s pulling me south.


    <John>


    "Jade? Is this normal?"


    The pull increases in strength, and I start to accelerate towards the mountains. Jade simply hovers beside me.


    <Jade>


    "It seems that we¡¯ll be on time for the conclave whether we like it or not. In the meantime, though, we get one heck of a view!"


    We¡¯ve already left the savanna, and I watch as the mountains grow larger at a tremendous rate.


    When the pull finally starts to slow, I can hear the sound of drums. And... singing? Or howling? Hard to tell, it sounds a lot like both.


    Finally we reach a large clearing in front of a cave. It¡¯s a hurricane of chanting wolfkin, surrounding a gaping eye wherein stand the key players of the scene. Four grizzled wolfkin pound the drums in ceremonial rhythm, matching the the flickering flames of the central fire. A giant, grizzled mass of muscle and menace stands, utterly still amidst his swirling lessers: The Alpha. And, looking shocking out of place, my humans.


    I come to a halt, hovering above the heads of my representatives.


    Across the fire, the ancient wolfkin titan stirs.


    Above the wolfkin, a figure starts to appear. It seems negotiations have begun.

 Age of Stone: chapter 17

    ( John POV )


    <Jade>


    "Zane?! What the hell?!"


    Well, that¡¯s a surprise. The chances must be astronomically low.


    <Anno>


    "Sir John! And Miss Jade! What a wonderful coincidence!"


    ...And here¡¯s Anno, Zane¡¯s little owl-faced AI. A kinder man than I might call him naive, but personally I find him fantastically annoying. Worse, I always feel rather guilty about my annoyance. He means well.


    <Zane>


    "Uh¡­ Well, at least we don¡¯t need to waste time with introductions, eh! Good to see you both! This is a bit of a turn-up for the books, isn¡¯t it!"


    Around us, virtual wolf-men cavort in pagan celebration, ceremonial drums beating the rhythm of the hour in tones of war and blood. Inside the inner circle, however, invisible to the constructs, the general mood is one of dumbfounded bemusement. Personally, I¡¯m just hoping that Zane and Jade don¡¯t regard the entire exercise as a convoluted date-night. I¡¯m not sure I can withstand much flirting.


    <John>


    *Psst! Jade! Keep the small talk to a minimum, alright? I¡¯m not sure how long we get in the conclave, and you can always just bloody text him on your own time.*


    She shoots me a glare, but then gets a twinkle in her eye and a wide grin spreads across her face. Alas, Zane catches on before I do.


    <Zane>


    "Of course, John! Jade and I can behave, can¡¯t we, my sweets!"


    <Jade>


    "...Of course¡­ my¡­ honey-poppet? It¡¯ll be hard to resist my great sugar-sweetheart, but I think I can manage to keep my wildly beating heart from stopping when I look into his manly eyes."


    They share a snigger. I roll my eyes. Off course they act all lovely dovely to try and annoy me. Sometimes I really don''t get Jade''s jokes, and Zane seems to share her sense of humor.


    Anno seems confused by the situation but I assume this is his normal state of being, so he should be fine.


    <Zane>


    "In any case, the game actually demands a degree of small talk before we can start proper negotiations. It¡¯s to encourage actual diplomacy, and to cut down on the BMing, supposedly."


    I¡¯m pretty sure Zane is making this up. Unfortunately, to check I¡¯d have to ask Jade, as she holds the documentation. Damn insidious romance! I am surrounded by traitors!


    Ah well, nevermind. Small talk it is, and it continues interminably for some time. Zane¡¯s not exactly my favourite conversation companion, but at least Jade¡¯s cheerful. Eventually, it seems like even they¡¯re getting impatient, and we turn to the matter at hand.


    It¡¯s at this moment that Zane¡¯s avatar¡¯s expression suddenly shifts. His voice gains a lower tone, as if it¡¯s been pitch-shifted down a few octaves, and harmonises with itself in strange ways. Clearly, the game wants us to know that this is an important moment. Not exactly subtle.


    <Zane>


    "A conclave has been called by my tribe, and now I greet you, mighty leaders! Ye who have been invited to this minor conclave, come in peace, that we may speak in wisdom, and guide our futures each towards its star!"


    With arms raised high Zane walks around in a circle as if talking to a great crowd. As he does so, the gargantuan wolfkin Alpha inside the circle below us raises himself to his hindlegs. He imitates Zanes movements, and, due to the difference in proportions, the result is unsettling, a strange caricature of oration.


    Talk about overblown.


    <Zane>


    "The Tribe of the Mountain Cave is mine, for I am Zane, and I greet all who have come! I welcome those who would speak!"


    He points to me. I feel myself stand up and commence the introductions of my tribe, without any control of my own speech. At least I can still raise an eyebrow into what I hope is an ironic expression. I guess bombastic is the order of the day.


    <John>


    If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it."I, John, speak for the Tribe of the Grassland River, and I greet you, Zane, and all who have come!"


    <Zane>


    "All the participants have been introduced! Let the conclave begin!"


    Suddenly, I¡¯m back in control of my own limbs once more. I wince and rub my temples


    <John>


    "Yeesh. Now I understand your complaints about the devs just inserting information in your head. That was strange."


    A numbing cold lingers in my skull, and I worry that I¡¯m about to suffer a full-on migraine. Zane also looks distinctly uncomfortable. Fortunately, after a few seconds it begins to wane.


    <Anno>


    "Umm¡­ now that our masters have finished their... weird meeting ritual thing, shall we start the negotiations?"


    Jade throws me a long-suffering look.


    <Jade>


    "Yes, for I feel faint at such a display of manliness, and fear that if my love-poppet spoke for much longer, I might lose myself altogether!"


    Urgh. Kill me now.


    I motion for her to get on with it.


    <Jade>


    "So, to business. Our tribe was recently raided by a nearby goblin player. We beat them back, with no small success, but obviously we¡¯d rather not hang around waiting for them to try again. Now¡¯s the time to strike, while they¡¯re still recovering, and we¡¯re looking for allies."


    <Anno>


    "And so you came to us? Why?"


    <Jade>


    "Um¡­ Because you have been losing people to the goblins? Because they¡¯re as much a threat to you as to us? Because we¡¯d both benefit from splitting their territory and resources? Why do you think, Anno?!"


    <Anno>


    "What? We¡­ we haven¡¯t been losing people to goblins, though! We just¡­ had a lot of accidents. That¡¯s all."


    <Jade>


    "...Really? You¡¯re serious?! We have 8 pairs of wolfkin fangs! The goblins were carrying them around their necks as trophies! Accidents?!"


    <Zane>


    "Wait, what?! Anno, you didn¡¯t tell me that all of the losses were missing their fangs! And... you thought they were accidents?!"


    <Anno>


    "They¡­ they weren¡¯t missing their fangs, Zane. There was no such pop-up anywhere, and you told me to monitor the pop-ups!"


    I look at Anno and start to question his naive outlook on¡­ everything?


    <John>


    "Anno, please check your history, and answer that question truthfully, rather than just following orders to the letter."


    The little bird looks shaken, as much as an owl can, and I begin to feel a bit sorry for it. Clearly Anno has no idea what it¡¯s done wrong.


    <Anno>


    "But! But! ...I¡¯ll do so now, sir."


    After a moment¡¯s silence, he speaks again, penitent this time.


    <Anno>


    "I¡¯ve got the results. They¡­ they were right. All of the wolfkin were indeed missing their fangs. I¡¯m sorry, sir."


    Jade raises an eyebrow as Zane¡¯s mouth compresses to a thin, angry line.


    <John>


    "So, Zane! It seems that it¡¯s you, not us, who needs help! With the protection of your tribe, and also, it would appear, with Anno. Fortunate that you have our offer of allegiance, hmm?"


    Zane remains silent for a moment, and I feel a bit of a dick for pushing him so far, especially when it¡¯ll be Anno, not I, on the receiving end. I comfort myself with the knowledge that it¡¯s definitely Anno¡¯s fault. Also, the owl is bloody irritating.


    <Zane>


    "Yeah. Yeah, OK. It seems I¡¯ve been left in a rather uncomfortable position, what with having lost eight wolfkin to hostile incursions. So, what did you want my help for?"


    <John>


    "Well, initially, I was just going to ask for help in ridding ourselves of the nearby goblin tribe. Since it¡¯s you, though, and since you clearly need a hand, what say we propose an alliance?"


    It¡¯s not much, really; we help one another during hard times, and defend each other when attacked.


    <Zane>


    "Yeah, but we aren¡¯t neighbours! How would it even work?"


    I raise an eyebrow and smile, and enjoy for a moment how slow Zane is.


    <John>


    "No indeed, we¡¯re not neighbours. Yet."


    <hr>


    ( Jormund POV )


    Urgh, my head hurts. Perhaps it was the pounding drums, or whatever those strange-smelling herbs they threw onto the fire, but I can¡¯t remember the conclave very well. It¡¯s all kind of a blur.


    Still, I do at least remember that it went well, and that we even established a permanent agreement. Which is¡­ weird, actually. We¡¯ve only just met these wolfkin! Ten days ago, they would have ripped us to pieces on sight!


    Why would they agree to such an alliance?!


    Why would I agree to the alliance?


    What the hell?!


    Yeah¡­ Must have been the drugs.


    Oh well.

 Age of Stone: chapter 18

    ( Jormund POV )


    In the morning light, it all seems a bit more manageable. After all, it¡¯s basically what we wanted, just... with a few extras. We¡¯ll battle the goblin tribe - I bet the wolfkin will be damn good at that - and afterwards we¡¯ll lend a hand as needed. Not too hard. After all, it¡¯ll probably be as much to our benefit as theirs.


    No need to worry.


    I just hope the rest of the tribe take it calmly. It¡¯ll probably be fine. Ralnt left soon after the decision was made to go and gather our hunters back at the village and prepare them for the attack on the goblin hollow; with his memory for terrain he¡¯s probably halfway home by now.


    I grab a bite to eat, and head back towards the fireplace where I last left Trai. It seems a long time ago, somehow. Damn wolfkin drugs.


    Surprisingly, he hasn¡¯t moved. I don¡¯t remember him at the Conclave, come to think of it.


    <Jormund>


    "Good morning, Trai! What are the competitors up to?"


    <Trai>


    "Garuu¡¯s almost finished, as far as I can tell. I¡¯ve no idea when Kali will be finished, though - I can¡¯t follow his methods at all. Could be weeks, for all I know."


    He seems slightly dejected by the admission, and I suspect he¡¯s unused to failing to understand the work of others. I nod to him, and wander over to inspect the goblin¡¯s work. Despite Trai¡¯s misgiving, the hefty bone handle in his hands is recognisable as a weapon component, and appears complete. It¡¯s curved oddly, with unnatural ridges and furrows to better fit in the hand, and is quite unlike anything I¡¯ve seen before. Currently, however, it is unadorned by any axehead. More work needed.


    Then, I¡¯m interrupted by a roar.


    <Garuu>


    "Manpup! Get over here!"


    I spin towards Garuu, holding an axe in his left hand and looking supremely cheerful.


    <Garuu>


    "Progress goes well! Unlike your goblin pet, I can finish a weapon before the war party leaves. Now, I need to know whether the grip is right for you before I do the final binding."


    The axe he hands me lies heavy in my hand. It has heft enough to crack anything I hit with it, and the balance feels good - a strong weighting towards the head, perfect for sudden, violent blows. The thought leaves me feeling a little strange. Not so long ago, I wouldn¡¯t have found such qualities so appealing.


    <Jormund>


    "This feels... good. Very good. Dangerous. Give me a minute, I¡¯ll take a few swings with it on those tree stumps, see how it hold up."


    <Garuu>


    "Not yet! I want to finish up the joint, make sure the head doesn¡¯t come off the first time you hit anything! Shouldn¡¯t take too long!"


    He throws another scornful look at the goblin, sitting with only a handle to show for a night¡¯s effort. With a start, I realise Trai has appeared behind me, silent as the breeze.


    <Trai>


    "If you¡¯re looking for a sparring partner later, just call. I¡¯m intrigued to see how the weapon fares."


    <hr>


    ( Kali POV )


    I finish the plate that will hold the head and handle together, working swiftly so that the treated chitin doesn¡¯t set before I¡¯m done. Excellent stuff, this chitin. Never used to have enough, back in the hollow, because the hunters used to leave it behind so they could carry more trophies. Fools! The things I could have made, if I hadn¡¯t been hamstrung by their ambition! I could have made ten weapons like this!


    Swiftly, ever so swiftly, I take the malleable plate and force it into the clay negative, feeling it stretch and compress into the mould beneath my fingers. I pack more clay on top, so that the moisture in the chitin will be kept in as it bakes. We wouldn¡¯t want the chitin to dry out, oh no. If it burns, it¡¯ll be ruined!


    I pick up the clay block, and carefully place it into my small, hot firepit, where the clay will bake to brittleness and the chitin will harden into the single, complex plate I need. I note where the sun¡¯s shadow lies, and where it will be when the I must remove the mould. Time to stretch my legs and grab a bite to eat.


    Wait. Kali has missed something! Ah! The sun has risen. I... hadn¡¯t actually noticed. Definitely time for food.


    At the larger campfire I find the old crafter and one of the wolfkin that escorted us to the cave. Damn! I was hoping for the human! At least he doesn¡¯t want to eat me! The crafter leers at me.


    <Garuu>


    "That doesn¡¯t look like an axe, goblin. It seems I¡¯ll get your skull, sooner rather than later. Feel free to let me know when you¡¯re ready to give up! I¡¯ll make it quick."


    <Kali>


    "It¡¯s not finished, you impatient hairball! I need the mould to bake. From there I have a solid base from which to build, layers of hardened chitin that will form the blade itself!"This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    <Trai>


    "That means nothing to us, goblin, and it sounds like you¡¯re making it up to save your own skin."


    <Kali>


    "Bah! You wolfkin know nothing of these subtle crafts! I¡¯ll slowly add more layers of Kundrika chitin, one upon the other, sharpening each as I go, building up a head that cuts better and weighs less than your simple designs! Lighter, stronger, cuttier! Better! Oh, and I still need to finish the Origan hides for the grip. That¡¯s simpler, though. You might even understand that bit."


    I glare at them as menacingly as I can, which I suspect is not very. Garuu¡¯s axe is better than I had expected, much better. I¡¯ll win, but he is undoubtedly far faster than me. I hope they don¡¯t run out of patience.


    Nobody has the patience for true perfection. Not the hunters, the fang-takers, the other crafters, definitely not the anklebiters. And not the wolfkin. And probably not the humans, either.


    They just want good enough, not the best.


    I wrench a bite of the food I snatched from the fire. Perhaps, if I give them just a few juicy secrets, it might buy their interest. And buy me some time.


    <Kali>


    "Hmm. Afterwards, I need to prepare a new herb mixture. It¡¯s to protect the chitin from fungus. Less of a problem up here in the sunlight, but good in the hollow. And in your wolfden, I suppose. If you like, I¡¯ll show you. It¡¯s simple. You can understand it."


    Apparently this is not a completely winning pitch. Garuu raises an eyebrow in what might be polite interest. Oh well, keep going. He hasn¡¯t eaten me yet, hmm.


    <Kali>


    "I¡¯ll have some time to spend while each layer of chitin hardens. If you¡¯ve anything that needs mending, I¡¯ll take a look."


    This, at least, seems to catch the younger¡¯s interest. Alas, he¡¯s too slow to inquire further, before he¡¯s interrupted, and my heart sinks. Almost.


    <Garuu>


    "What? How long is this all going to take?! All this for one weapon! I could outfit a whole hunting party in this time!"


    <Kali>


    "Outfit them with junk! I saw you make your axe, and it¡¯s taken all night for a single decent weapon! So leave my methods alone and quiet your howling: It¡¯ll take just shy of a full day of work, and no breaks or interruptions! If I pause, if I leave it, if I miss the right moment to sharpen or let it harden just a little too much, it¡¯ll be ruined! Brittle, or flawed, and you can¡¯t have that for battlefield equipment! Not unless you want to end up like the hunter goblins, all cut up and cut down by the humans! If they¡¯d let Kali make their tools and armour right, the humans wouldn¡¯t have won, oh no! So, let me do my work! Watch but don¡¯t distract!"


    I finish my meal and lick my fingers clean. The sun has shifted, and it¡¯s time to carefully extract the mould from my makeshift firepit...


    <hr>


    ( Trai POV )


    The goblin is gingerly shattering off little pieces of that lump of clay he jammed into his embers, using a rock to avoid burning himself. Every now and then he nods to himself, or sings a little song. I¡¯m not exactly an expert on goblin facial expressions, but apparently whatever he¡¯s doing has turned out satisfactorily.


    After all his explanations, I somehow feel dumber and more confused than when he started. Every sentence was its own enigma, full of concepts I couldn¡¯t grasp and words I¡¯d forgotten as soon as they had left his mouth. Not just normal incomprehension, but something more profound.


    From Garuu¡¯s expression it seems I¡¯m not the only one.


    <Trai>


    "You know, I don¡¯t think that you are going to get the little guy¡¯s skull. It seems we¡¯ll have to take other opportunity to replenish our stock of goblin craniums."


    The old guy turns towards me, his earlier scorn replaced by bemusement.


    <Garuu>


    "I think you might just be right."


    <hr>


    ( Jormund POV )


    I reach for the axes that hang from my belt, still unaccustomed to their weight. It somehow feels easier to just carry them in my hands. It feels right.


    In my right I hold Garuu¡¯s axe. It¡¯s the larger of the two, a great unstoppable force of flint and bone. When it lands a blow, it¡¯ll finish an opponent before the fight even starts. The heavy axehead is secured to the haft by complex patterns of sinew rope. It¡¯s the finest weapon anyone in the tribe has ever held. Bar one.


    In my left is Kali¡¯s creation. Garuu¡¯s weaponry is better than any in my tribe, but this... thing is of a different tier entirely.


    The head is seemingly a single piece of chitin, shaped to deliver long, deep cuts through flesh and bone alike. The handle, which measures only slightly longer than my forearm, is slightly curved towards the back of the axe head, giving it as close to perfect balance as I¡¯ve ever heard of.


    Because of its strange construction, it¡¯s light, too. I can slash with it three times in the time I could hit once with the other hand, each with as deadly an effect.


    It¡¯s barely a weapon. I¡¯m more reminded of a predator, waiting for the taste of blood.


    Remembering the way Garuu acted after the results of their bet, I grin to myself.


    The old wolfkin kept following the goblin around to try and learn some of Kali¡¯s secrets. Alas, the goblin is an awful teacher. He¡¯s also an even worse prisoner. Garuu damn near fell to his knees and asked for Kali to teach him, and the little git¡¯s been insufferable ever since.


    Still, perhaps this is not such a bad thing. Kali¡¯s been a lot more talkative. Which I guess is a good thing? He explained the layout of the goblin hollow without a second thought. I feel slightly guilty that we¡¯re going to use the information to slaughter his tribe. And that I¡¯ll be using his axe.


    When I asked him where they had a way of healing my father, he admitted that he didn¡¯t know. Apparently his grandfather might. It¡¯s not much, but it¡¯s the last hope I¡¯ve got left, as the wolfkin have no more idea than I do.


    So, to war. We¡¯re moving towards the hollow, the forest - and victory - ahead.


    The entirety of the wolfkin tribe is following the alpha and I, as is Forgu and the rest. To my left, Kali¡¯s sticking close to me. He seems curiously unperturbed, given what¡¯s coming. It¡¯s not like it¡¯s a secret, either. I refrain from asking why he left.


    I grip the axes tightly and increase my pace, offering a silent prayer to the Lady of Jade.


    Give me the strength to protect those close to me.


    Time to bring the goblins to battle once more.

 Age of Stone: chapter 19

    ( Zane POV )


    I watch the live feed of my column of warriors, tall and furry and cross. Jade¡¯s humans seem feeble by comparison. A question forms.


    <Zane>


    "Why? Why¡¯s he doing this?"


    John leans back in his chair and spares me an odd look.


    <John>


    "Who? Does what?"


    I spin my virtual chair (whee!) to face him, and adopt a serious tone.


    <Zane>


    "The goblin player. Why¡¯s he playing so aggressively? It seems like a shit strategy, all it does is make him enemies."


    Anno looks up from his tasks, and breaks the silence Jade has ordered of him.


    <Anno>


    "Your conclusion is correct, sir!


    Such a provocative play has a 76.58% chance of causing him to be quickly eliminated."


    Abruptly Anno gets telekinetically slapped across the Chat-room by Jade.


    <Jade>


    "Get back to reviewing footage! You¡¯ve weeks of backlog to catch up! Urgh, I can¡¯t believe that stupid bird even rates as animal-level AI! The number of mistakes he¡¯s made!"


    Ouch... touchy subject. Anno is rather proud that he ranked up to animal phase, but I saw the test results and it was a goshdarn close one.


    <Jade>


    "Anyway, your calculations are off, stupid pentium. Take into account that he¡¯s been playing counterintuitively, probably specifically to throw off AI advisors. In a perfectly played scenario you''d be correct, but this isn¡¯t perfectly played. It¡¯s relying on human judgement, which is notably flawed. You¡¯re right that, in the face of such aggression, other players ought to combine against the aggressor, but in practice humans tend to¡­ Well, they don¡¯t play optimally, put it like that."


    <John>


    "Yes, thank you, that¡¯s enough, Jade. She is right, though. The person we¡¯re facing is using the growth speed of the goblins to his advantage, throwing disposable troops at us. We have our natural strength to our advantage, true, but quantity beats quality."


    <Zane>


    "Shouldn¡¯t it be the otherway around?"


    <Jade>


    "Currently no, because quality in our situation means sticks and stones. ¡°Quantity has a quality all of its own¡±, and all that. And, once he¡¯s won a few victories, he¡¯s probably hoping some of his neighbours will spot which way the wind is blowing and join him."


    I guess she has a point there


    <Zane>


    "So, if he chose for goblins for the growth speed, and I chose wolfkin for their strength, what on earth made you choose humans? They seems rather¡­ bland."


    John rises an eyebrow at me.


    <John>


    "Well, yeah, humans are the baseline, and they do seem a little bland initially. But they form a good base for a long game without too many downsides, and due to their increased learning speed I should be able to stay ahead of other people in tech. In a complex game which none of the players have ever played before, versatility beats min-maxing."


    In the meantime, Anno has fluttered back to his position and is quietly working. Jade seems happy enough with his progress to stop watching over his shoulder.


    <Jade>


    "Don¡¯t fool yourself, Zane. You went with the rule of cool."


    <Zane>


    "Ah... what?"


    <Jade>


    "You went for the biggest baddest creature that was available because it looked cool."


    I open my mouth to disagree. Then I close it. She¡¯s right.


    <hr>


    ( Kali POV )


    I¡¯d just filched a nice bowl of stew off the campfire, when one of the humans comes up and orders me to follow him! Doesn¡¯t even let me bring my stew! Apparently Jormund and the boss-wolf want to talk to me. Didn¡¯t say what they wanted to talk about. Better be something important!


    Ah, here we are now.


    <Kali>


    "What do you want?! I had stew! He made me leave it behind!"


    Jormund gives me a questioning look, the Alpha just chuckles.


    <Alpha>


    "You¡¯ve gained a lot of confidence. Be careful you don¡¯t out-talk the goodwill you won from my younger brother, hmm?"


    Jormund sighs, and raises a hand to silence me before I reply. I stop, mouth half open. Perhaps he¡¯s right. Perhaps I shouldn¡¯t annoy the giant, homicidal wolf-people. Kali should be more careful.


    <Jormund>


    "Just¡­ just come and sit with us. We need to talk about your home."


    I follow his suggestion and sit.


    I knew the topic would come up. It was unavoidable. Doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m happy about it.


    Better hope that they will listen to me.


    <Kali>


    "If we really must. What do you want from me?"


    <Jormund>


    "Tell us¡­ tell us about the hollow."


    <Kali>


    "What is there to tell? It is home, warm and dry. Life wasn¡¯t bad, but nothing much happened. There¡¯s not much else to it."


    <Alpha>


    "We were hoping for descriptions. Layout, numbers, guards, exits. Defenses."


    <Kali>


    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere."Yes, yes, alright. Remember, I didn¡¯t exactly get out much. I was locked away with the rest of the crafters, with guards at the door! Still, I did a bit of research when I was planning my escape, so I know a little about what was above me! Not much below, though!


    So, exits. Four exits, three of them opening into our clearing. The fourth is a back exit, for emergencies. That¡¯s the one I escaped by, but I couldn¡¯t find my way back to it even if I wanted! It was dark, and the tunnel¡¯s well hidden! Oh, those are the biggest, but it¡¯s a warren, no fortress! I¡¯m sure some of the hunters dug their own tunnels, ways in and out I never saw! The ground is perfect for digging, I don¡¯t blame them!


    And the inside? It doesn¡¯t matter! None of you would even be able to enter the corridors! They¡¯re just too small, and round, and goblinny! They¡¯re not built for wolfkin! Quite the opposite, hah!"


    <Jormund>


    "They can¡¯t be that tight, surely? You must be able to pass each other?"


    <Kali>


    "Yes, but it¡¯s the height that would be the problem! The ceilings are only slightly higher than our heads, because we need to be able to reach it for repairs on the shoring up! And you can¡¯t fight goblins in tunnels on your belly, oh no! You¡¯d be dead before you hit the second level!"


    A deep, bass growl startles me from my spiel. The Alpha is unhappy, and that¡¯s a sight to make even the bravest goblin back away. And I¡¯m not the bravest! Bravest is for fools, and I¡¯m the cleverest!


    Still, Jormund catches my shoulder before I can get away.


    <Alpha>


    "This means that we can¡¯t force an ambush. Or even a fight."


    <Jormund>


    "We¡¯d have to starve them out. Even that relies on us catching every exit tunnel. Bah! It¡¯s a nightmare to attack."


    Now! The moment I was waiting for!


    <Kali>


    "Ah¡­ There might be another way."


    I have their attention, in earnest now.


    <Kali>


    "The position you hold in the tribe depends on the proof you have of your deeds! That¡¯s why the hunters always fought for wolfkin fangs."


    <Alpha>


    "Yes. I know, goblin."


    Kali is not the most tactful goblin, either. Oops.


    <Kali>


    "Silly system, eh! Ahahah! Foolish hunters! But, ah¡­ Jormund and his party could challenge the headman for his trophies, while the rest of the warband arrange themselves for an attack."


    <Jormund>


    "Not to be petulant, but why me? I¡¯m hardly the greatest fighter in the tribe, and I¡¯ve yet to meet a wolfkin I could be confident in beating. Why not Forgu, or Ralnt, or even the Alpha himself?"


    <Kali>


    "Someone else could, but even I¡¯ve heard the campfire stories! And nobody here exactly invites me to their campfire! They say you took down eight fang-takers by yourself, and barely had a scratch afterwards! And you still carry the trophies on your belt.


    You are a hero to your own people, and the wolfkin respect your strength, but more than that, eight sets of fangs! The headman will have to take notice of that!"


    <Jormund>


    "What?! Why wouldn¡¯t he just order me stabbed in the back as soon as I entered the ring?!"


    But the Alpha has seen my point, and is slowly nodding, a calculating look in those cold, canine eyes.


    <Alpha>


    "Because he needs to look strong to his people. Otherwise they would turn against him.


    That¡¯s what being a leader is, Jormund. The little craftsman¡¯s plan is sound. He¡¯d have to take on the fight, lest the other hunters spot weakness. And all his rivals would be hoping to see you hurt him, to make him weaker and easier to usurp when they challenge him. It puts the headman in a position where he has to fight, and has to win."


    They¡¯ve bought the plan. And, now that I¡¯ve given them a solution, I give them my demands.


    Oh yes! The most cleverest goblin!


    <hr>


    ( Jormund POV )


    This situation is getting less appetising by the minute. I expected that it would be a difficult fight to take the hollow, but I never considered that we wouldn¡¯t even fit inside it! So, this ridiculous duel is the best plan we have. I can¡¯t help but wonder if all the stories people are telling about my defense of the village are going to my head.


    <Kali>


    "There is one more thing.


    I don¡¯t want those which are close to me hurt."


    I close my eyes. Is the goblin really trying to bargain? He¡¯s already given us the plan, and the Alpha wasn¡¯t a particularly receptive listener to begin with.


    <Alpha>


    "You think you can petition us to save your kin?! The hunters of your tribe killed whomever they got their hands on, and ripped out their teeth for sport! This is war, goblin!"


    The Alpha¡¯s on his feet, eyes burning with anger. I grab the goblin as it makes another, entirely reasonable, bid to escape.


    <Jormund>


    "Peace, Alpha! He cares for his family and friends, just as you care for the pack! It is not so unexpected a request!"


    <Alpha>


    "I won¡¯t let any of my kin¡¯s murders live! The guilty will die, by my own claws if necessary! The fallen will be avenged!"


    <Jormund>


    "Then we will kill all the hunters, and let the others live! The crafters, the gatherers, the young, they have no quarrel with you, Alpha!"


    A certainty rises from¡­ somewhere within me.


    <Jormund>


    "This is what the Lady of Jade wants."


    I realise that I have spoken the thought aloud, and that both of my companions are looking at me strangely. Ah well, at least this new oddness seems to have distracted the wolfkin from his rage.


    <Kali>


    "Who is this ¡®jade lady¡¯, human? And... why does it matter what she wants?"


    <Jormund>


    "You... spoke of my battle with the eight goblins, earlier. They didn¡¯t tell you the whole story, though. It¡¯s not commonly known. I lost that battle, Kali. I died, with the task unfinished. And then¡­ something pulled me back. Healed a slash across my throat that surely should have killed me, left me to finish the fight.</a> That something was the Lady of Jade.


    I can¡¯t really explain what she is. Enormous, infinitely beyond my understanding. She talked to me, briefly, and¡­well. I don¡¯t remember the details properly. I do know that I only live because I was protecting my family and my tribe in the process.


    Bah. I don¡¯t even have the right words for any of this. But¡­ hers is not a will I¡¯d like to cross.


    By and large, I¡¯ve decided not to annoy beings that can bring me back from the dead."


    I must sound completely mad. Hopefully I can blame it on cultural differences.


    <Alpha>


    "Are you certain you weren¡¯t having some kind of... blood-loss delusion? One time, after a hunt that went pretty badly, I went for a week without food with a nasty cut, and I started seeing things that weren¡¯t there. It can happen to the best of us..."


    <Jormund>


    "No. No, it wasn¡¯t that. You should ask Forgu for the details, but the blood on the sand was real, and I definitely died.


    She is my patron in life as well as death, it seems. If she values the protection of kin, I would be a fool to ignore it. Kali has my agreement."


    A long moment of silence.


    <Alpha>


    "Alright. I shan¡¯t gainsay you, so long as the hunters die. But I shall speak to Forgu, you may be sure of that."

 Age of Stone: chapter 20

    ( Zane POV )


    <Anno>


    "Sir, I must advise you against this! Please, give up on this meeting and return to your slumber!"


    <Zane>


    "I understand your concern, Anno, but I¡¯m overruling you. They told me to be online at this unholy hour, and I¡¯ll be damned if I¡¯m going to be the deadweight of this operation."


    I have to plug in the password twice before I get it right. ¡°N1ght-Sky¡±, very melodramatic. Christ almighty, I¡¯m tempted to listen to Anno. I really resent all this post-midnight theatrics.


    Shucks, too late.


    <Jade>


    "Hi Zane! Everything alright?"


    <Anno>


    "Actually, ma''am, he is very uncomfortable indeed! This entire situation is highly irregular and deeply disturbing to my master¡¯s sleep patterns! It¡¯s also entirely unnecessary!"


    Jade ignores him. John ignores him. Damn, but I¡¯m a sucker for peer pressure.


    <Jade>


    "Right, Zane, please join us at the main table."


    We start to move towards the digital incarnation of a meeting table. It looks like an asset Jade¡¯s lifted from the war room in Doctor Strangelove.


    <Anno>


    "What?! Ms Jade! Will you please acknowledge my presence!"


    Nobody does. We sit at the circular table, in positions where the three of us can talk face-to-face. Anno tries angrily to force Jade to respond to him, with no success. Eventually, he resorts to perching on the table directly in front of her, and is driven to further hysterics when she uses the chat room settings to turn down his opacity.


    <John>


    "Now that we¡¯re all here, let¡¯s start with the purpose of this meeting. As Jade predicted our tribe will arrive at the goblin hollow in about fifty-three minutes, real-time."


    <Zane>


    "Why the hell are we already here, then? That¡¯s nearly an hour of sleep you¡¯ve robbed me of!"


    <Jade>


    "There¡¯s a problem, one we can¡¯t ignore. It¡¯s our point situation, and a question of experience."


    <John>


    "At this point, I¡¯ve got quite a bit of experience with small scale skirmishes in this game. I¡¯m starting to get a feel for it, when I need to push and when I can just leave it to my troops. Were I to take the role of commander, I¡¯m pretty confident we could win. But¡­ I can¡¯t. Unfortunately, I don¡¯t have any spare points to order my people around. We¡¯re broke."


    <Jade>


    "You, on the other hand, have plenty of points to spend, but you haven¡¯t directed a single skirmish. You haven¡¯t needed to; wolfkin can handle themselves just fine. They¡¯re easy mode. And don¡¯t get too big-headed, John. You¡¯ve got plenty to learn as well."


    I nod slowly to indicate that I¡¯ve grasped the full ramifications. As it currently stands, the whole attack could be a dreadful roll of the dice. My brow furrows.


    <Zane>


    "Hmm. Is there a point-transfer protocol?"


    Anno speaks up, audible despite his transparency.


    <Anno>


    "Ah, no, Sir. I could be wrong, but I believe Ms Jade and Mr John wish to teach you the basics of small scale combat."


    <Jade>


    "Not just the basics. I need to power you through everything I know of small scale combat situations in this game, and we need to do this before the actual battle, which is in forty-nine minutes. John could use some tutelage in this as well."


    <John>


    "Ah¡­ yeah. Oh, right, almost forgot: we¡¯re going to use a small-scale time dilation effect to give us about an extra fifteen minutes."


    <Zane>


    "Darn. Time dilation always gives me a headache. I don¡¯t suppose I get any say in this?"


    <Jade>


    "Of course you do! We aren¡¯t planning to listen to it, though. So, let¡¯s make a start. Forty-eight minutes left."


    <hr>


    ( Jormund POV )


    I breathe out deeply, calming myself.


    So far, things have gone well between to the two tribes. It seems that nothing brings friends together like conspiring the slaughter of an entire people.


    Our plan is finalised, for what good it¡¯ll do, and now I¡¯m leading a small party of warriors, all humans, towards the goblin hollow. Oh, and Kali. That¡¯s why I was on edge. Not the prospect of sudden death, but the eminent possibility of being backstabbed.


    <Jormund>


    "Hey. Kali. A final warning: Follow your part in the plan as you were told. This could all get very hairy if you suddenly decide to help your fellow tribesmen, but I assure you that the Alpha would make a point of hunting you down even if it killed him."


    <Kali>


    "I am helping the goblins, but only those who deserve my help. You can have the hunters. That¡¯s not Kali¡¯s problem, eh? No, not my problem at all..."


    I don¡¯t really understand how anyone, even a goblin, could feel such hatred for their own tribe. But then, he¡¯s been honest enough so far, and he is very strange.


    I glance around the rest of my little group: Yor, Forgu and Ralnt. Forgu, like me, looks tense, but neither Yor nor Ralnt seem phased. Perhaps you get used to this sort of thing when Candur have tried to disembowel you often enough. Perhaps this death-or-glory stuff becomes routine. Or perhaps they¡¯re just not scared of goblins.


    <Jormund>


    "How the hell are you two so calm?! I¡¯m nearly pissing myself here!"A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    <Yor>


    "You learn to deal with it, don¡¯t you, Ralnt? We¡¯ll either live or die, but ultimately we can¡¯t change the result by being worried. And besides, they¡¯re only goblins: they usually only win through ambushes. We¡¯ll be fine."


    Ralnt just nods, a touch distractedly. Kali whispers something to Forgu.


    <Forgu>


    "Quiet! We¡¯re nearly there! Prepare yourselves!"


    A final few steps. Careful. Calm. Perfectly balanced and ready to strike.


    Our group enters the clearing at a run, bursting from the foliage like... very angry humans. Around the central fire, as many as thirty goblins are going about their daily tasks; working, tanning, cooking, chatting.


    Everything stops upon our entry. There¡¯s a moment of stunned silence, and I take the initiative.


    <Jormund>


    "Behold! I am Jormund, twice-living, slayer of Fang-Takers and scourge of those who stand in my way! I come here to challenge the Headman of this hollow to a duel, or take his life in battle! Let him show himself, or let him live in shame until I hunt his cowardice down!"


    By the time I¡¯ve finished this challenge, the clearing is empty, every goblin having scampered down the nearest tunnel entrance in mere seconds. All but one - we¡¯ve tied Kali to us with a piece of rope, precisely to avoid such a disappearance.


    <Yor>


    "Well, that could have gone better. At least they didn¡¯t just attack us; I doubt we could have vanquished such a number ever with the prowess of ¡®Jormund the Twice-Living¡¯."


    He snorts, a moment of wry humour in the midst of our disappointment. All that planning, and the goblins didn¡¯t take the bait. So much for Kali¡¯s cunning plan.


    And then, the situation changes once more, as a seemingly unending stream of goblins erupts once more from the hollow. Six¡­ Ten¡­ Fifteen¡­ They move too quickly, I can¡¯t keep track of them all. And yet, one catches my eye. He stands still, while the others move around him. He stares me in the eye, as the others sidle. Oh, and he¡¯s a good head taller than the rest, too, and carrying an enormous headdress, fashioned of Candur plumes and wolf teeth, which is something of a clue. The Headman. He speaks, his voice shrill by human standards, yet powerful nonetheless.


    <Goblin Headman>


    "I have come to answer your challenge, arrogant human. I hear your boasts, your self-acclaimed titles, and you prideful confidence. But what proof do you have, human? I am Headman, slayer of wolfkin in single combat, stronger and wiser than any other goblin. What gives you the right to challenge me, rather than beg for my mercy?"


    <Jormund>


    "I carry on my person the trophies of eight of your fang-takers! I slew each, not one by one with traps, as you slay wolfkin, but at once, when I stood alone against the eight! I carry their claws, and the fangs they carried before me! That is how I earned my right to challenge you, Headman!"


    I raise the trophies into the air for all to see, dangling on twine from my clenched fist. By this point, there must be seventy goblins surrounding us: should he give the order to attack, we would stand no chance. Time to spring our trap.


    <Jormund>


    "But! Should you turn away, should you be afraid, old goblin, I too am ¡®merciful¡¯. Admit you cannot beat me, and I will let you leave, your family with you! And more, should you swear a blood oath to prevent any goblin from doing harm to my tribe, or that of the wolfkin, I will allow you to turn away from this challenge altogether! Or will it be a duel, coward?!"


    The Headman¡¯s unyielding stare falters, he blinks. Now, he cannot back down, or order his minions into battle: It would show fatal weakness. Slowly, he responds.


    <Goblin Headman>


    "And how do I know that you will keep your word, were I to accept your offer? Why should I swear a blood oath to a liar?! You lie about the deaths of the fang-takers, you must, so how could I possibly trust your word in this?!"


    Blast, he¡¯s smarter than Kali had led us to believe. Although that¡¯s not hard. In any case, he¡¯s trying to wriggle out of it, but fortunately we brought a way to undermine this tactic.


    <Jormund>


    "You accuse me of lying, when I offer you peace?! Then I ask you, why have I brought back this runaway, fed and watered him, given him shelter? Were I so untrustworthy, so eager for your blood, I would have slaughtered him the moment I saw him!"


    I untie Kali and shove him towards the Headman with my foot. The goblins have lapsed into stunned silence. Time to make good and leave, while I have the advantage.


    <Jormund>


    "I have laid down my challenge, and your people have seen it! I will return in one hour: have your answer!"


    I motion to the others, and, as one, we turn and march away, sweeping aside the goblins in our path. I don¡¯t look back, but I don¡¯t need to: One glance at the Headman¡¯s expression was enough.


    <hr>


    ( Kali POV )


    The guards escort me inside, claws around my arms. Hardly the first time. Won¡¯t miss it, if all goes right. Won¡¯t miss it, if all goes wrong, either.


    Soon, the sound of the hubbub is lost in the tunnels, the confused crowd left far behind. I¡¯ve missed the hollow. Cool, dark, quiet. In relief, I start to question the guard.


    <Kali>


    "So, ah, how is grandfather? Kali was worried about him, oh very much so!"


    <Goblin Escort>


    "Hmm. He¡¯s not so bad, not so bad. Of course, he¡¯s had more work to do, so have all of us. Your escape messed up so many plans! We¡¯ve been fortifying, we thought this might happen, oh yes! Traitor! Heh. Traitor, cousin. You always were trouble!"


    I laugh, a genuine laugh, it rings from the walls in strange, high echoes.


    <Kali>


    "Cousin, this plot goes farther than you think, and is too subtle for a hunter like you! Take me to Grandfather - if he doesn¡¯t wish to see me, you can always escort me to a cell afterwards!"


    My cousin stops for a moment, eyes narrowed in frustration. Kali really does need to work on this ¡®tact¡¯ thing. Eventually, however, he shakes his head and we increase our pace. At the next intersection, we take the corridor that leads towards Grandfather¡¯s hole.


    <Goblin escort>


    "You best know what you¡¯re about, Kali! Always so sneaky, but never quite so clever as you think! The Headman wants you dead, and I don¡¯t want to anger him¡­"


    Eventually we reach Grandfather¡¯s domain, his medicine rooms. I shed the escort and enter. There¡¯s only a single exit, so he doesn¡¯t follow. Inside I find Grandfather and, surprisingly, my sister.


    <Kali>


    "Vis? What are¡­?"


    Before I finish my words, however, I am forced to swallow them, as sister repeatedly beats me savagely across the face with the bowl that happened to be in her hand. It shatters, but no hot soup or sharp shard wounds me. Some luck, I suppose.


    Yes. Kali really must work on this tact thing. It would save ever so much trouble.


    <Vis>


    "Kali, you damnable idiot! Why?! Why would you do this to me! How could you?! Never terrify me like that again!"


    I wipe the filth from my face, and decide to ignore this new development. Perhaps tact wouldn¡¯t save so much trouble, after all.


    <Kali>


    "I have no time for this. I must speak to grandfather Gordune."


    Vis is already winding up for another frenzy, but she quiets when I use his full name. To use the name of an elder is ever so rare, ever so worrisome. It is done only when the situation is dire. Kali is not entirely devoid of strategy.


    <Gordune>


    "So¡­ things are bad. How bad?"


    <Kali>


    "We must collapse the front entrances of the hollow. As soon as possible. That bad."


    <Gordune>


    "What! No, that¡¯s foolish! It would expose us as working against the Headman, and no amount of talking could ever persuade him otherwise!"


    <Kali>


    "There¡¯s more. I can¡¯t explain, but there are other plans in play, here. It¡¯s more complex, but it will work! Trust me!"


    The silence feels deafening.


    Grandfather sits down and rubs his amulet.


    <Gordune>


    "Alright, we do it. Trust, trust¡­ trust it is, then.


    Vis, get the others. Collapse the entrances, quickly, quietly, do not let the hunters know that they are trapped on the surface.


    And Kali, little one¡­ Or perhaps not so little, now. We will need to talk some more. You have much to tell."

 Age of Stone: chapter 21

    ( Yor POV )


    We can¡¯t stretch this any longer without it becoming obvious as a distraction.


    We¡¯ve given Kali as long as we can. If he hasn¡¯t betrayed us. Or fled. Or been imprisoned. Or killed. Or forgotten what to do.


    This was not my plan.


    Jormund strides into the centre of the clearing, axes in both hands. The Headman doesn¡¯t move. I¡¯m not sure he¡¯s even blinking. He¡¯s watching, learning, looking for weaknesses in our champion.


    He¡¯s not scared.


    They circle for a few moments, as is traditional for single combat, but it¡¯s not long before the Headman breaks the stalemate. The goblin seems almost impatient; he¡¯s fought duels before, and he¡¯s used to this game in a way Jormund isn¡¯t. Still, Jormund blocks his first flurry easily enough, and dodges the second. I feel a momentary rush of pride: I trained him well.


    But it¡¯s already clear to me that the Headman is better. He¡¯s a little faster, his moves a bit more economical, he attacks and defends in every motion. If he weren¡¯t smaller, weaker, and worse-equipped than Jormund, he would already have won. A nagging edge of doubt begins to worry at me. I cautioned Jormund against believing his own legend, but now I suspect I might have made the same mistake.


    Then, just as I¡¯m really starting to panic, Jormund takes the initiative, and drives the Headman back a half-dozen paces with a blistering whirlwind of slashes. The big goblin dances back, but I suddenly realise, as Jormund has already, that the little bastard is used to fighting other goblins. He¡¯s used to being bigger and stronger than his opponents, rather than faster and more agile. He fights accordingly, and his retreat isn¡¯t quite swift enough to escape a human¡¯s reach: Jormund catches the hunter with a slice that half-splits the Headman¡¯s thigh open.


    They circle again, but one is limping, blood staining the sandy earth into clumps.


    A whisper of fear rises from the gathered throng. Everyone knows that it¡¯s over, now. All that¡¯s left is the killing, whether it be quick or long.


    Time to prepare for what happens next.


    <Yor>


    "Be ready to rush to Jormund¡¯s side the moment their headman falls."


    Silent, terse nods let me know that both Forgu and Ralnt have read the situation as I have. Then, suddenly, a dust cloud rises from one of the entrances. The goblin crowd stirs, uncertain, a murmur of panic filling the air. To his credit, Jormund doesn¡¯t even shift his gaze for a second, but then, he knew it was coming. The Headman doesn¡¯t so much as glance away, either, which is even more impressive.


    A shame he has to die, one way or another.


    Then, the air fills with dust as the other hollow entrances collapse, one after another, and the goblins begin to panic in earnest. Time to move.


    I don¡¯t see the Headman go down, but by the time I reach Jormund the goblin¡¯s champion is already dead, head lying three paces from the corpse. Although most of the goblins are too preoccupied with escape to think of hunting us in the dust-clouds that have enveloped the scene, a few blunder into us. We¡¯re prepared, they aren¡¯t. More goblin blood churns the ground to mud. And then the howling of wolfkin fills the air, and the rout is begun in earnest.


    More chaos. More unsuspecting death through sand-filled eyes. More goblins die, surprise and terror etched across their features.


    By the time the dust settles, it¡¯s long over.


    <Yor>


    "I was expecting a fight. Anyone hurt?"


    <Ralnt>


    "No fight here. Only slaughter."


    I turn to Ralnt. His face is grim, he looks unhappy.


    He¡¯s covered in blood, but a moment¡¯s inspection shows it¡¯s not his. Similarly, Jormund and Forgu have emerged practically unscathed, prepared as we all were.


    <Ralnt>


    "Only a few goblins put up resistance, most panicked. No organisation, no tactics. Taking out the Headman first was far more effective than we¡¯d expected."


    <Yor>


    "And that¡¯s it? We defeated the entire goblin horde in what? Twenty heartbeats?"


    Ralnt snorts.


    <Ralnt>


    "Twenty four."


    The clearing is a scene of carnage. Our hunters dot the edges of the bloodbath, but it¡¯s clear that the Wolfkin have done the bulk of the killing, unimpeded by the dust-choked blindness. Their howls echo through the woods, hunting down stragglers, or at least preventing any nasty surprises.


    We¡¯ve done what we came to do. It¡¯s not quite the glorious victory I¡¯d hoped for.


    Back to the matters at hand.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    <Yor>


    "Alright, party. We¡¯ve still a job to do. Let¡¯s track down the back entrance, find Kali and his kin before some ravening wolfkin eats them."


    <hr>


    ( Zane POV )


    I pry my eyes open. It would be easier with a crowbar.


    <Anno>


    "Sir? Sir! Is everything alright?"


    <Zane>


    "I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m fine, Anno. Just tired. Again."


    I roll upright, and perch on the edge of the pod, face in my hands. Perhaps I can keep the LEDs from burning my corneas for a little longer. But no, I shouldn¡¯t worry Anno so. He gets so upset.


    <Zane>


    "Right¡­ right. Is Jade online yet? John?"


    <Anno>


    "No, sir. Or rather, it seems like they are still logged into the game. Very unhealthy!"


    <Zane>


    "Shucks, still? The hell are they doing? Probably still dealing with the fallout of battle, knowing them. Given their intent to keep a light hand on controlling the tribe, they seem to spend a lot of time in vicarious micromanagement. Still, I don¡¯t think I screwed too much up in my command."


    <Anno>


    "Oh, sir! You were simply marvellous, sir! We didn¡¯t lose a single wolf or human! A few wounded, naturally, but none critically so!


    Ah! A message has just arrived from John."


    <Zane>


    "Go on?"


    <Anno>


    "Ah¡­ he says to get some sleep. He says there¡¯s nothing so urgent it can¡¯t wait until the next meeting."


    Dagnabbit.


    Well, I shan¡¯t complain. I¡¯m so damn tired that I might just sleep inside the pod. Actually¡­ Yeah, I think I¡¯ll do just that.


    <hr>


    ( Kali POV )


    I follow grandfather towards the battlefield, the smell of blood hanging heavily in the air. He decided that I should accompany him to the negotiations. Apparently Kali is a political animal, now, horror of horrors.


    <Gordune>


    "So, my wandering ankle-biter, who is it I shall be negotiating with, hmm? If ¡®negotiating¡¯ is the right word. Perhaps ¡®pleading¡¯ might be better, hmm? Terrible, quite terrible, but nevermind. So, these leaders, who are they?"


    <Kali>


    "Jormund speaks for the humans, I think. He did when there was just the hunting party, although Kali makes no assumptions. Perhaps he has a different standing in the tribe in total. And the wolfkin are lead by one called ¡®the Alpha¡¯."


    <Gordune>


    "Of course he calls himself Alpha. That¡¯s hardly a revelation, young one. But how shall I recognize him?"


    The rebuke stings a little, because I knew it was obvious. Grandfather is still sharp, and it can cut both ways. Kali shouldn¡¯t forget it, not after years of working with fools! Do not speak before I¡¯ve thought!


    I¡¯m halfway through formulating my answer when a third shadow joins those at our feet. Larger, furrier, and much, much quieter. Also terrifying.


    <Trai>


    "Kali, good day. I see you still live, for which I surprise myself in being pleased! And your elderly companion?"


    <Kali>


    "Ah¡­ Trai. It¡¯s¡­ nice to see you¡¯re alive, too. This is my grandfather. He wishes to clarify, formalise, shine light on the details of our arrangement and which promises will be, ah¡­ honoured. Could you escort us to the Alpha? It would be even less sensible to walk alone amongst wolfkin now than before, I think."


    Trai nods. It goes unspoken that, if any wolfkin had not developed a taste for goblins before, they most certainly have now. But Grandfather is sharp, and sometimes quicker than Kali.


    <Gordune>


    "Actually, wolfkin, it would be ever so appreciated if you could escort me to the wounded, first. Details can wait, but the wounded cannot, eh?"


    It¡¯s hard to understand wolfkin facial expressions, even with a mind as cunning as Kali¡¯s. I can recognise disgust, hatred, and disbelief, though, very well indeed. And now, I think, I can recognise surprise.


    <Trai>


    "Uh¡­ Of course, of course. We have wounded, none serious, but the care of an actual healer would help greatly. And¡­ I suppose it might buy you some bargaining power, too, eh? Clever."


    He leads us around the outskirts of the camp. Wise, to avoid risking us. Wolfkin are always hungry, even after a feast, or at least hungry enough to munch a stray goblin.


    <Gordune>


    "Tell me, furred one, how did you know me to be a healer?"


    <Trai>


    "Oh, subtle clues, here and there. The smell of dried herbs, the way your eyes appraise the plants we step over. The fact that you wear more pouches than any sane wolf would need. That sort of thing."


    Grandfather looks down to his belt and the many pouches that hang from it.


    <Gordune>


    "Hmm. That¡¯s fair."


    He looks away, eyes distant. Hopefully he, too, will now bear in mind that wolfkin can be cunning as well as strong. Don¡¯t underestimate them.


    We cut into camp, now, and find a group of bivouacs, within which lie the most grievously wounded of the humans and wolfkin. Given the devastation I¡¯ve visited upon my people, the casualties are almost nothing, but no doubt painful nevertheless. No goblins lie beneath the leaves. If there¡¯s any prisoners, they¡¯re us.


    Still, this does not deter Grandfather for a moment. He does not see human, wolfkin, goblin. He sees sick, wounded, whole. He sees work to do.


    <Gordune>


    "Who is in charge here?!"


    Up until now, nobody has taken much notice of us, but there¡¯s now some consternation. It was wise for Trai to accompany us. Still, some of them recognise me, and some recognise Grandfather as a healer. A young human joins our trio, brisk and angry.


    <Nym>


    "What is going on here? Why are there goblins in the camp, Wolfkin?! I¡¯ve told you people, if you must eat your captives, do it where I can¡¯t see it!"


    She is talking to Trai, ignoring us entirely.


    <Gordune>


    "Bah! The young are always foolish and disrespectful of their elders, no matter the species, it seems! I am here to heal your wounded, and you would do well to listen rather than talk!"


    <Nym>


    "An Elder?! You¡¯re a damn goblin! You live in a hole in the ground and steal food from other tribes who are smarter than you! Don¡¯t you dare touch any of my charges, I won¡¯t have you packing their cuts with mud or any of your goblin nonsense! Wolfkin, fetch Jormund, have him deal with these damn hollow-dwellers, but keep them out of my way!"


    Grandfather has turned a most alarming shade, a green so dark that you might not see him amongst the undergrowth. I have only seen him so angry when the hunters tried to stop him from leaving the hollow to forage for herbs. I start backing away.


    Only fools stand too near a goblin medicine man when he is throwing a tantrum. And Kali is no fool.

 Age of Stone: chapter 22

    ( Jormund POV)


    <Jormund>


    "Kali! What¡­ What are you doing here? And why do you look so shifty?"


    Yor and I are on our way to inspect the recently-conquered hollow when we stumble across the goblin in the center of our camp. Given the unfortunate genocidal tendencies of the wolfkin, this is rather unexpected.


    <Kali>


    "Hmm, Jormund, and Yor. Excellent, marvellous, eh? Yes, most good to see the two of you! Ah... Would you mind following me?"


    <Yor>


    "You in a hurry? And why are you here? It¡¯s not safe for you."


    From the direction of our bivouacs for the wounded, a torrent of curses and insults marrs the mild spring morning. The voice sounds rather like Kali, strangely, but older, and with more authority in its tone.


    I raise an eyebrow and look down at Kali.


    <Jormund>


    "Anyone you know?"


    <Kali>


    "...Perhaps."


    Yor laughs loudly, and gives Kali a friendly smack on the back. That he has to bend down to do so, and that this throws the goblin to the ground, seems to completely escape his notice.


    <Yor>


    "Hah! It takes some nerve for a goblin to walk into a wolfkin camp and start making a fuss! Come, let¡¯s go and meet this acquaintance of yours, shall we?! Anyone who can curse like that deserves my respect, or at least my attention!"


    Yor strides off towards the treatment area, leaving me to pull Kali back to his feet and hurry after.


    As we approach the source of the disruption, the way is blocked by a fast-growing crowd. I shoulder my way though behind Yor, while Kali simply slips between people¡¯s legs. At the center, a wizened goblin, bedecked in countless pouches and righteous indignation. I can see why Kali was making his escape.


    The other characters in this drama stand on around him. Behind, Trai, with a conflicted look on his face. I fancy I see something of surprise and confusion in his visage, with something of a stupid grin mixed in for good measure.


    Standing in front of the goblin, and taking the brunt of his furious lecturing, is our herbalist, Lani, looking rather disgruntled. Lani¡¯s no true healer, but we¡¯ve been getting by on her skills so far. Still, while she¡¯s good at many things, taking advice and criticism has never been one of them.


    Finally, behind her is her sister Nym. I have something of a thing for Nym, truth be told. And, given my attention is rather drawn to her, I can¡¯t help but notice that her mouth is hanging open in a way that I find terribly attractive, but nevertheless is an expression of shock and bewilderment. Which is fair, given that the elderly belligerent keeps leaning around Lani to shout at her.


    <Yor>


    "Hmm. Well, I do enjoy a challenge in the morning. Stops me from getting complacent in my old age."


    <hr>


    ( Gordune POV )


    Bah! Youth today! Shameless of their ignorance! No respect! Blasted young whippersnappers, dallying around and impeding their betters! How dare she have the nerve to keep me from my task, just because she¡¯s taller than me?!


    I¡¯ve made damn sure that human child will never disrespect an elder again, and I¡¯m halfway through the same treatment for her older sister, when Kali returns. It hadn¡¯t occurred to me to wonder why he¡¯d wandered off, but apparently it was to fetch the two humans who now accompany him. Kali pulls me aside, which rather breaks my flow, and I realise I¡¯ve drawn quite a crowd.


    Well. Good. Perhaps they¡¯ve learnt something.


    I find myself looking up at an elderly human man. Finally, some sort of equal, rather than these young tykes. Kali introduces him as ¡®Yor¡¯.


    <Yor>


    "Enough, please, medecine man! I think you made your point, hah! I¡¯ve never seen either of the girls so quiet!"


    <Gordune>


    "Young people! I tell you, human nor goblin, they see I¡¯m old and think they know better! Well, I hope she doesn¡¯t forget today¡¯s lesson! But, still, I¡¯m sure you know; you seem like something of an elder yourself, is that not so, hmm?"


    Now¡­ I¡¯ve forgotten something in all the fuss¡­ Oh! Yes! If you excuse me, Yor, I must tend to the wounded! It is my duty!


    This ¡®Yor¡¯ human seems ready to agree and get out of my way, but alas, it seems the arrogant young woman is still arrogant and young, and possesses the sharpness of hearing that comes with the latter.


    <Lani>


    "No! You shall not! They are under my care, and you¡¯ve done nothing to give me reason to believe that you can take better care of them then I can! Quite the opposite, in fact!"


    Oh, why must everything be so difficult? Still, it seems that I must use the most unexpected tool in the goblin armoury: tact.


    <Gordune>


    "Well, that it because you¡¯ve given me no opportunity to show you! Come! Follow, and I will teach you something of treating wounds from goblin claws!"


    No, she¡¯s not buying it. Her mouth opens to disagree angrily, when the human elder suddenly speaks up.


    <Yor>


    "Just allow him, Lani. I appreciate your knowledge and skill, but you¡¯re still only partially trained, with only a few months of learning from those elves. Whereas this goblin has no doubt been healing people for longer than you¡¯ve been alive. Instead of trying to stop him, quell your pride and learn something!"


    The older female, who is apparently called Lani, sighs, defeated resentment in her glare. An unhappy pupil, but at least she doesn¡¯t openly refuse. This Yor seems better at inspiring respect and compliance than I. Perhaps it¡¯s because he¡¯s so tall.


    I follow Lani around the circle of shelters, quietly inspecting each of the wounded. In fairness to the girl, their treatment could have been far worse - I definitely recognise the elvish techniques in some of the bindings. A broken leg, a clean cut across the ribs, nothing too dangerous. The third patient, however, is in greater danger. His right thigh has been cut deeply, barely missing the artery, and I can see the faintest signs of an oncoming infection. I pull a few herbs, some fresh and some dried, from my pouches. I ask for some water and bowl, and Lani hands them to me, her curiosity overcoming her resentment. I begin to mix up a paste.


    <Lani>


    "What¡­ What are you doing?"


    <Gordune>


    "This man was scratched by a goblin, yes? Yes. With claws. Scratched deeply. If the wound heals badly, he will never walk without pain again. Also, I fear gangrene and infection. This is a mix of ground-up Faers Root and some dried Conhi leaves. It should help to calm the infection. Faers Root absorbs some simple poisons, among other things, and should calm inflammation. The Conhi leaves will dry out the wound, killing infection."


    I show her how to apply the paste, before getting up and walking to the next.


    <Lani>


    "Wait, that¡¯s it, no bandages? Nothing against the pain?"


    <Gordune>


    "No, we want pain. Pain tells us that there is hurt. When there is no pain, there is death."


    She absorbs this as I mix up a different poultice for the next patient. After a few minutes of work, she speaks again.


    <Lani>


    "What do you mean, that when there¡¯s no pain, there¡¯s only death?"


    I roll my eyes while I finish and rise to move on.


    <Gordune>


    "It is too late when you feel no more pain. It means the infection is too deep. It means you must remove the limb to try and save the person."


    Her face pales and she carefully nods.


    <Gordune>


    "If I don¡¯t do this, they always die. When I remove the limb, they might survive."


    <Lani>


    "Might?"


    <Gordune>


    "Yes, one out of every¡­. twelve survives. Pretty good, no?"


    <hr>


    Darkness enshrouds the world as I focus my will. Soon, all that¡¯s visible in my blinded vision is the slow, green, pulsing ball of light gently pooling in my cupped hands.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Too slow, he¡¯s weak. Too weak. Something ails the patient, something below the surface. I must seek out the weakness.


    I adjust my hands slightly, rocking the light-stealing amulet within back and forth, fanning its glow across the patient. There, a slight strengthening, I focus the amulet back at that point. Slowly, I home in, the pulse gaining in strength, a good sign. I slip into the meditative state that is the basis of true magic.


    Find the weak points and focus on them, working slowly. The first is simple. A fracture, never healed, constant grinding. A mere¡­ hour¡¯s work, to repair, to twitch and align and knit.


    The next is harder, far harder. Internal bleeding, always a danger. I lose track of time, tracking down the ruptures and sealing them, one by one. Even with my experience of magic, it requires the deepest of concentration. Finally, however, I have dammed the flows. It will get no worse.


    And then¡­ and then the last. So obvious, once I¡¯d found it, that I¡¯m almost startled from my meditation. Infection, from a lesser scratch across the stomach. Infection deep, and painful, and festering.


    Almost certainly fatal. Even with magic, still dangerous.


    Suddenly, I am interrupted by a hand tugging on my shoulder. The pulse shatters, the light evaporates back into the world. As I blink, my sight returns. It is the girl from earlier... Nym? Yes, Nym.


    <Nym>


    "Gobl- Ah¡­ Elder, you should pause, rest. The sun is already setting. You haven¡¯t eaten since morning."


    What? How long was I working on this human? Now that she mentions it, I do feel tired. Very tired. It¡¯s because humans are so much bigger than my kind, everything takes longer. I must have been deep indeed into my trance.


    <Nym>


    "Um¡­ Is there anything that I can do to help?"


    Good girl. She¡¯s come some way since I admonished her so thoroughly. The apology I expected, but I also get the impression that she¡¯s angling to become my apprentice. Certainly, she¡¯s been eager enough and learned quickly in the last few days, on our way to the human village. Hmm. We¡¯ll see. If there are no other options.


    <Nym>


    "Uhm¡­. elder?"


    Oh right, answer her. I really should take some rest.


    The human will still be here tomorrow.


    Unless he¡¯s not.


    <Gordune>


    "Yes¡­ Yes. Rest. I know. Just... pour some water over the wounds, rinse them. Then replace the herb mixture we applied this morning. I¡¯ve done what I can. Still more work for tomorrow."


    I stagger to the doorway, my legs numb from many hours of kneeling over the patient. I glimpse the last of the sun¡¯s rays as I leave the hut. Behind me, I hear the patient moan, as he tosses and turns in his sleep. The infection is deep, and burns fast.


    Most of the human tribe is sitting around the main bonfire. My tribe, now, I suppose. Mine and what few goblins remain.


    Well, perhaps not so very few. My step lightens as I spot my descendants sitting together around their own fire, apart from the humans but not afraid. After all, we goblins grow quickly. Perhaps I¡¯ll live to see them outnumber the humans. And none of them will have to become a hunter to see sunlight.


    It¡¯s a freedom bought at a terrible cost, but so are all freedoms. Perhaps it was worth it.


    I gently shake my head as I note Kali working on another of his creations by the flickering light of the flames. His sister, Vis, is sitting nearby, keeping an eye on him, making sure he doesn¡¯t run off again. She still sees him as an anklebiter. Well, perhaps he still is, in some ways. Clever, but not always wise. Not yet.


    Ah, but I have a duty, still. Ever the duty, for a poor medicine man. No rest, yet. Slowly, I curve my path back towards the human¡¯s fire. Cara is in her usual spot, where she can keep an eye on everything. Her husband is considered to be the leader of the village, but I suspect that her watchfulness rules most decisions. A powerful elder, oh yes. Wife of leader, mother of the next - Jormund sits nearby, taking care of his little sister.


    And now I must tell her that her husband is not yet healed.


    As I step into the light, faces turn towards me. Most are unfriendly. Fools. Still, they¡¯ll do nothing while Yor supports me and my kin, and for that I am grateful. Spotting the glowers of his fellows, Yor calls out to me, welcoming.


    <Yor>


    "Gordune! Old guy, you look tired. Come, sit with me!"


    I still don¡¯t know how I earned Yor¡¯s trust, really. Perhaps he just spotted the kinship of another elder in me. I can¡¯t say I don¡¯t like him. An open and honest man who will do almost anything in the name of comradery. I owe him much for his support in our ¡®negotiations¡¯ with the humans.


    If it weren¡¯t for Yor¡¯s generosity, we¡¯d probably all be dead.


    <Gordune>


    "Ah! Yor! Later, oh yes! But¡­ I must talk to Cara, and to Jormund. I¡¯ve been treating your human headman, Madok."


    Yor¡¯s face darkens with concern. I can see the question forming in his head, but I shake mine.


    <Gordune>


    "I must speak to Cara, first."


    Yor closes his mouth into a compressed line, and then nods and escorts me to Cara and Jormund. Most of the onlookers¡¯ gazes have changed to curiosity, or, amongst the smarter, worry.


    <Gordune>


    "Greetings Cara, Jormund. I have... news regarding Madok.


    It¡¯s not¡­ good. No, it¡¯s very not. I¡¯ve healed much, already, but there is something worse. An infection. It runs deep. I will continue, tomorrow.


    I think¡­ I think, if he survives the night, with my continued attention, he will get better. Little by little. Never fully healed, perhaps. But¡­ I think he¡¯ll live. With luck."


    <Cara>


    "Thank you. Truly, thank you. And, for what it¡¯s worth, this may balance the scales, a little. His wound stems from your kind, and that the healing of it does too¡­ Well, it will help other humans to forgive. Myself, I just want my husband back."


    I don¡¯t think she understands that there¡¯s still risk. But it would not be tactful to say so.


    It would also not be tactful to let Madok die. But a medicine man always does his utmost, so it makes no difference.


    Jormund nods to me, and takes his mother aside, a private family moment. Yor and I walk back to the fire.


    <Yor>


    "Never fully healed, you said. How much better will he get?"


    <Gordune>


    "I don¡¯t know. Much depends on himself. I can perform magic, but not miracles, hmm?"


    Now¡­ Where might I get something to drink and eat? I... forgot to have lunch.


    <hr>


    ( Nym POV )


    I hurry towards the tent used by Elder Gordune, feet pounding the dry earth. When I reach the tent, I cough loudly, in the hopes of waking him. No luck. I kneel and push my head inside: even for a diminutive human like myself, a goblin¡¯s tent is too cramped to enter. And, in this case, too full: herbs hang from the roof pole, gently drying, giving the tent the oddest of aromas.


    Elderly goblin and assorted weeds. Urgh.


    After a few seconds of scanning the mess, I spot the elder beneath a pile of pouches, and gingerly shake his shoulder.


    <Gordune>


    "What is this?! Let your elders sleep in peace!"


    <Nym>


    "I, I, I¡¯m sorry, elder, but Madok¡¯s awake! You told me to wake you when he did!"


    <Gordune>


    "Bah! Why didn¡¯t you say so sooner! Young people, never getting to the point! Just one moment."


    I retract myself as Gordune stirs. After a moment, he emerges from his den, fully bedecked in his equipment.


    We enter Madok¡¯s hut, passing Jormund at the entrance. Cara sits on the ground beside the bedridden Madok. He blinks, vaguely, as we enter.


    <Madok>


    "I must¡­ I must still be in pretty bad shape. I am certain you said that Nym went for our healer but¡­ but all I can see is a goblin. Very strange."


    <Gordune>


    "Hah! Greetings headman. I am indeed the new healer of your tribe. If you will allow me, I need to check your progress, perhaps ask you a few questions, hmm?"


    Madok looks shocked, but Cara quells him with a look. Meekly, the ¡®headman¡¯ agrees, and Gordune gets to work. I note that Madok flinches a little when the goblin touches him, the first time. After that, he restrains the urge, although I think it takes some effort.


    There¡¯s a reason why, even after a month in a coma, Madok is still the undisputed leader of the tribe.


    Taking his amulet in his hands, Gordune descends once more into a trance. Even for the rest of us, our vision darkens a little, and his amulet emits a noticeable green pulsing across our vision.


    Both Cara and Jormund stare in surprise; it¡¯s the first time they¡¯ve seen it. Gordune is careful, and it seems he rarely uses magic except when he has to.


    Madok¡¯s face is impassive. He just watches.


    I wander out into the sunlight; I¡¯ve seen this before, often for hours at a time. Jormund follows me out.


    <Jormund>


    "That! I know that! How is he doing that?!"


    <Nym>


    "I¡¯m not... entirely certain. He said he¡¯d teach me, when he thought I was ready."


    <Jormund>


    "He is teaching you?!"


    <Nym>


    "Yes. I saw him doing it the other day, when he was fighting your father¡¯s infection. When I asked him what he did, why my vision went so dark, he just looked at me kinda¡¯ funny and asked to whether I wanted to learn. Then he told me to hold his amulet and did... something, and said that I would do just fine. He¡¯s given me a few smaller stones similar to the one his amulet is made of, although he hasn¡¯t said what I should do with them yet."


    I pull out the small green stones from one of the pouches I now carry for Gordune.


    <Nym>


    "I was going to ask one of the craftsmen to string them together, so I could wear them, you know? Um¡­ I¡¯m not sure whether around the neck or wrist. I don¡¯t want it to be inconvenient. But they are beautiful. And I don¡¯t want to lose them by accident. Um..."


    Jormund just stares at the stones, clearly somewhere else. His face is a picture of surprise. After a moment, he shakes his head, and looks back up at me.


    <Jormund>


    "Sorry, sorry. It¡¯s just... what did you say, again?"


    <Nym>


    "I was saying¡­ Jormund, is¡­ is something wrong?"


    <Jormund>


    "Not¡­ not... wrong, but... I just remembered that I have a, a debt to repay. I¡¯ll explain, some other time. Ah... regarding your stones. Hmm. Actually I don¡¯t think it matters, they¡¯ll look good anywhere you wear them."


    He grins, and I blush. Blast. Why can¡¯t I control that, like Lani. I turn away, and hope he hasn¡¯t noticed.


    <Nym>


    "Um, who do you think could make the best use of them? I was thinking of giving them to Lor..."


    <Jormund>


    "If you want the best, ask Kali, that young goblin. Gordune¡¯s grandson. Tell him I sent you. He¡¯ll get you the best result - and he won¡¯t waste any of your jade."

 Age of Stone: chapter 23

    ( Unknown POV )


    <???>


    "Login successful. Diagnostics indicate all brain patterns are bound within acceptable parameters, and all systems are functioning normally. Preparing user for awakening. Cracking the case in fifteen seconds.


    Hah! ¡°He¡¯s hot, blowing the pins in five. Tube shows green, cycle complete!¡±


    Welcome back to reality, sir! All indications are that the tribe is meeting your expectations, Huron."


    <Huron>


    "Of course, Lux. I keep reasonable expectations."


    I spend my first few minutes doing a quick set of stretches, embracing my inner calm. This fulfils multiple necessities. The simulation of physical exercise gives me a better feel for my current digital body - it¡¯s a compilation of abstract physical perfection, as taken from Italian Renaissance sculpture. I got it off an obscure model database. You¡¯ve probably never heard of it. The deep breathing helps clear my mind, helps put me in the right frame of thought for long-term planning, and to make sensible, statistics-based decisions. Finally, the specific movements of my routine unblock my chakra, allowing the free flow of ki throughout my body, and ensuring spiritual well-being.


    Thus centered in myself, I call up Throughout the Ages and look down into my home clearing, above the hollow. Far below, some of my younger hunters are preparing for a hunting excursion. Business as normal.


    <Huron>


    "Anything to report?"


    <Lux>


    "Nothing major, sir. The ward-rune we put down for vision of our northern border, with the humans, seems to have deteriorated. It will need to be replaced. In addition, some of the hunters have reported strange occurrences near the burned clearing."


    <Huron>


    "Oh?"


    <Lux>


    "Strange sounds. The smell of burnt flesh. A general sensation of fear. One of them claims that he spotted a goblin following them whom he didn¡¯t recognise, although we found no tracks."


    I sigh, and gently rub my temples, before forcing aside my irritation. This requires calm. The burned clearing is a real headache, though. We failed to ambush a bunch of elves there. A costly failure, but a valuable lesson: Goblins are significantly weaker than I had expected, even in ambush, and using my advantage of numbers is key.


    And now, it would seem, the tribe is developing superstitions about the place. A troubling development.


    <Huron>


    "Hmm. Not much to be done about that at the moment. Perhaps the Medicine Man might be of some use in this situation? He has some magical affinity, perhaps we could use it to¡­ allay the tribe¡¯s fears. An exorcism, or some equivalent."


    <Lux>


    "We could try, but I advise against it, sir. His stats don¡¯t fit for a witch-doctor; you decided he was more valuable as a healer. It could backfire."


    <Huron>


    "Yes, I know, and he may still come in useful. But you¡¯re right, it would be foolish to waste him or the necessary points when the clearing is doing such minor harm. Speaking of which, how are our points doing?"


    <Lux>


    "We are steadily advancing towards our objective, without any great surprises. Even with the drain we experience from our active buffs, I predict that we should reach it in three real-time days."


    <Huron>


    "Good. Show me the list of current tribal blessings."


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td colspan="3">


    Tribal Blessings


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Way of the Hunter


    (50 points activation)


    (15 points yearly maintenance )


    </td>


    <td>


    The tribe will produce more and better hunters.


    The position of individuals in the tribe is determined by how useful their contributions are to the Hunt.


    </td>


    <td>


    <ul>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Hunters get better training and equipment.</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Increased attraction to the hunter profession.</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Increase in hunter stat growth.</li>


    </ul>


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Proof of Power


    (40 points)


    (no maintenance)


    </td>


    <td>


    Those who have physical trophies of their accomplishments will hold greater power within the tribe.


    </td>


    <td>


    <ul>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Trophy-carriers will hold higher positions in the social hierarchy.</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Tribe members will prioritise tasks that produce trophies.</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Trophies give small bonuses to stat growth over time. (stacks)</li>


    </ul>


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    At the beginning of this game, I noticed something that I doubt many others did: if your tribe gets wiped out, you have the option of taking over a second from a list of the AI-run tribes. Obviously, mid-game this would leave the player massively handicapped, but early-game it¡¯s probably recoverable. As such, I decided to try a high-risk, high-reward strategy, and go for an early-game-cheese play. Thus the goblins: High birth-rate, high aggression, high adaptability, high-survivability, but low skill-ceiling and slow advancement. Perfect. And if it all went to hell, I could try again with a more circumspect strategy.


    Currently, I¡¯ve not had the enormous successes I¡¯d hoped for, but nevertheless my tribe is thriving and the potential remains. Buying ¡°Way of the Hunter¡± early has allowed me to steadily increase my forces and start harassing nearby players.


    It seems to be working, as I¡¯m not only producing more hunters, but my attrition rate is much lower, resulting in my units being more skilled. It¡¯s a short-term strategy, of course, but that¡¯s what this run is all about.


    Even so, I¡¯m struggling to make much headway in combat. Goblins are just too weak for my purposes. The war party I sent up against the humans failed, which I had accommodated for, but the flanking party failed to deal any damage to their camp. Annoying, as I¡¯d hoped to slaughter their elderly and children, thus removing much of their support systems. The strategy won¡¯t be a surprise, next time, either.


    The wolfkin are even worse. I take eight-to-one casualties in every skirmish against them, it¡¯s utterly unsustainable even for goblins. Fortunately their tech-progression is even slower than mine, but it leaves me currently vulnerable. My current strategy is to use traps, which is a big drain on resources but is comparatively safe. The success-rate is abysmal, but it¡¯s enough, and it seems to be whittling down their numbers a little. It also made ¡®Proof of Power¡¯ viable, what with wolfkin being farmable for fangs.


    Shame it causes infighting. Still, it all grants useful experience for the victors, which is surprisingly handy, and the trophy bonus stacks to great effect. Varnuc, the ¡®Headman¡¯, is becoming a very valuable unit.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    <Huron>


    "Close the Tribal Blessings panel and bring up the Member Blessings panel."


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td colspan="3">


    Varnuc


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Leadership through Force


    (20 points)


    </td>


    <td>


    Your Leader rules the tribe with an iron fist. All dissenters are either strictly disciplined or outright killed. Fear is an excellent motivator, however, and weaker members of the tribe can respond well to a strong leader.


    </td>


    <td>


    <ul>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">This person has bonus persuasion against anyone physically weaker than them.</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">When following orders from this individual, other tribe members will work harder and faster by a percentage correlated to their relative stat-difference.</li>


    </ul>


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td colspan="3">


    Kali


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    On the Line


    (35 points)


    </td>


    <td>


    The line between madness and genius is very thin. This individual can make anything out of anything, much to the confusion of everyone else.


    </td>


    <td>


    <ul>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">This individual learns and discovers at a highly accelerated rate.</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">However, they are incapable of passing on knowledge to individuals without this Blessing.</li>


    </ul>


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Unending Effort


    (10 points)


    </td>


    <td>


    Blessed with the need to keep himself busy indefinitely, this person can keep working for hours on end.


    </td>


    <td>


    <ul>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">The individual one can keep working for longer without breaks, and suffers no penalty to efficiency or accuracy.</li>


    </ul>


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Respect for Knowledge


    (natural development)


    </td>


    <td>


    The need to know burns in the mind of this individual: they will instinctively seek out sources of knowledge.


    </td>


    <td>


    <ul>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">The individual will instinctively know whether an individual posses knowledge he doesn¡¯t.</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Treats individuals with respect entirely dependant on the amount they have to teach him.</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Individual prioritises finding sources of knowledge.</li>


    </ul>


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Ah. My other problem.


    Kali came to my attention as the first member of the tribe to learn ¡®simple chitin crafting¡¯. Useful, if not overly impressive. When looking for a member of the tribe to start buffing to produce higher-tier gear, he was the obvious choice. ¡®On the Line¡¯ was perfect for the job, given that he was never intended as a long-term research role, but simply as a short-term expediency. ¡®Unending Effort¡¯ helped flesh out the role.


    Then he randomly picked up ¡®Respect for Knowledge¡¯. That was a real problem. It¡¯s a decent trait, if you¡¯re looking for a trader to pick up tech from other players - it¡¯s probably really useful on centaurs, for example - but it completely fucked over my build. It gave him a motivation to leave the tribe, and over-buffed him into the built-in leaving condition. Double whammy.


    I get the sharp twinge of an oncoming migraine at the mere thought, and I clench my teeth. Fucked over by the RNG. Overall, an enormous waste of points. Fuck!


    A deep breath. The headache does not recede. I take a moment to order Lux to plug a painkiller into my bloodstream. Even in the simulation, I feel the sharp scratch of the pod¡¯s needle plunging into my arm.


    The headache fades. The anger does not. I force it aside.


    Kali produced some good gear before I lost him, at least. The leadership headdress he produced is pretty good, amplifying Varnuc¡¯s leadership skill, allowing him better control over our ever-growing horde. A couple more epic-tier items like that and it might have been worth the investment.


    <Huron>


    "Lux. Tell me, Varnuc... could we put another blessing on him?"


    <Lux>


    "Yes, but I would recommend waiting for the tribal blessing we planned, sir. Currently the Headman is content with his position, but I¡¯m concerned we might lose him, too, should we over-extend. We don¡¯t know where the blessing threshold is."


    <Huron>


    "Any news on Kali?"


    <Lux>


    "Unfortunately not."


    Damn it all. I¡¯d hoped we might still catch him, but it seems he¡¯s lost permanently.


    In any case, Lux is right. We¡¯ll invest in another Tribal blessing.


    Far more predictable. More controllable.


    None of this ¡®emergent behaviour¡¯ RNG bullshit.


    <Lux>


    "Master, we have visitors."


    I close the Blessings UI to find a party of humans standing on our home ground, in the clearing that is my stronghold.


    It seems my adversaries have made a move.


    <hr>


    How? How did this happen? What did I miss?


    <Huron>


    "Lux! Give me data! NOW! Were the tribes cooperating? How did they find the hollow?! How did all of the tunnels collapse? WHAT HAPPENED?!"


    The rage writhes within me, my muscles tensing and twitching. Damn testosterone pump. When I get out of the pod, I¡¯ll be bruised from fighting the pod¡¯s restraints. The fury is disrupting my balance, blocking my chakra. I need control. I need calm. To think.


    <Lux>


    "I¡¯m sorry, sir! I just don¡¯t know! The first thing we knew about this was when they walked into our camp! It¡¯s uncertain whether the humans and wolfkin were working together, although it seems statistically likely! We don¡¯t know how they found the hollow-"


    <Huron>


    "Enough! If you you don¡¯t know, don¡¯t witter, damn you! And none of this ¡°we don¡¯t know¡± shit! It¡¯s your job! What do you know?!"


    <Lux>


    "I¡¯m sorry sir! I¡¯m sorry! What we do know is that a whole bunch of our minions, including the Medicine Man, suddenly went offline as ¡®traitors¡¯, right when everything went¡­ um¡­ wrong."


    I blink, processing the implications. I can still see the clearing in front of the hollow, my viewpoint floating above it, but the game won¡¯t allow me to move around or zoom out. In the corner of my vision sits the ugly pop-up informing me of my failure, angrily waved aside when I read it.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Defeat


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Your tribe has been defeated by a great alliance of tribes, the greatest yet seen in history.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Defeat. And the devs are just rubbing it in. Damn them!


    No! Calm! It is my mind, my self-discipline, that will bring me vengeance!


    I almost manage it, too, before I spot the traitors, down in the clearing.


    <Lux>


    "There, sir! The traitors!"


    Lux points with one of his paws towards a spot below. Kali and Gordune, talking to the humans. A fifth column! Betrayed by my own tribe!


    Strangely, though, I¡¯ve reached a level of icy clarity. Now I have something to work with.


    <Huron>


    "Lux, store as much data as you can regarding our attackers. They will pay.


    And then¡­ Well. Back to the plan. Bring up the new tribe creator."


    <Lux>


    "Processing data and prepping for storage."


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    A New Start


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Your previous tribe was defeated. You may now begin again a tribe with a value equal to the standard starting values plus 30% of the total value of your previous tribe, as calculated at its all-time height.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    A set back, and one I¡¯d planned around. Nothing more. Although I will have my revenge. Brought down by multiple opponents, working together? Dishonourable tactics. But then, victory is what matters, and three can play at that game...

 Age of Stone, Patch 1.1.2

    Throughout the Ages; Age of Stone; Patch 1.1.2


    General


    <ul>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Finished final touches on the sixth playable species! The Yeti.</li>


    <ul>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">The Yeti are a mountain dwelling race. They have heavy fur and the physical strength necessary to survive the harsh climate. Yeti packs are led by a dominant, bestial female. Possessing immense physical strength, but slow of wit (although her cunning is not to be underestimated), the female rules and guards her collection of weaker, more intellectual males. Who maintain the tribe and tend her eggs for her. Yeti females don¡¯t get along however, and a new ones birth can lead to sections of the tribe splitting off and moving to new territories on the mountain. Both these groups are controlled by the player, but getting them to cooperate on anything will prove a challenge.</li>


    </ul>


    </ul>


    <ul>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Added an in-game store where players can purchase cosmetic changes for their tribes with gems. These cosmetics are only visible to the controlling player. </li>


    </ul>


    Balance:


    <ul>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Due to common complaints and a way larger playerbase at release than anticipated we have decided to increase the in game time increment from 1 year for every week in real time to 3 years.


    This change should allow both the players to develop quicker and developers to more quickly identify bugs and possible exploits.</li>


    </ul>


    <ul>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Due to complaints from various conservative groups, wolfkin no longer greet or communicate through sniffing each others behinds.</li>


    </ul>


    Bug Fixes:


    <ul>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">The chance for elves to give birth to twins has been reduced from 15% to 1,5%, no repercussions will be taken against any player affected by this bug.</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Fixed elven twins being born as one individual with two heads.</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Removed growth of dead trees.</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Minor performance improvements.</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Major performance improvements.</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">More minor performance improvements.</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Fixed colour blind mode displaying colours.</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Renamed the ¡°Dos is an asshole and I quit¡± species to Berahan.</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Bok-tar larvae no longer come above ground for air, instead digging small air vents while in their juvenile form. (in other words, no more land sharks)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Split off the strain of flying Bok-tar beetles from the main species, now known as royal Bok-tar beetles, only occurs in the northern western desert area of the continent.</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Stopped krakens from migrating up stream and hunting in shallow coastal waters, any tribe who got attack by one of these creature will get a compensation, these will appear close by the areas of the original disaster.</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Fixed an exploit which involved Kagonn beetles and Fytali trees, all players who used this exploit will be struck with a major curse of bad luck for the next 6 in-game months (around 1 real-time day)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Fixed Deliran (giant spider) reproduction rate, Deliran will now reproduce once every 60 days as intended, instead of once every 60 seconds.</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Have reverted utter desolation of North-Western quarter of the continent, as resulting from the previous bug.</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Fixed clubs being more aerodynamic than they were supposed to be.</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Kundrika aggressiveness has been tweaked and the will now prefer fleeing over engaging, exceptions can still occur.</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Updated most of the interface. Many of the buttons have been moved to more ¡®convenient¡¯ locations.</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Finally managed to make the second moon remain in a stable orbit.</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Fixed upside down clouds.</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Snow continent removed: too confusing for new players.</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Updated localization files.</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Fixed UI scaling.</li>


    </ul>


    Misc:This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    <ul>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">We are still working on stability for some of the more niche dive-pod brands but we are making progress.</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Implemented some of the basics for some of the more advanced systems, we were planning on finishing these later but already the minimum requirement were met by the community thus we are forced to quickly implement the first few phases of the system.</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">The update will have to access the main database and thus the servers won¡¯t be online for the next few hours, we apologize for the inconvenience.</li>


    </ul>

 Age of Stone: chapter 24

    ( John POV )


    I glance over the patch notes again. I check the time. Again.


    Jade notes my eyes flicker, watching with an expression of prim disapproval. She always gets a little stiff under tension.


    <Jade>


    "No matter how often you check the clock, the seconds shan¡¯t pass any faster. Quite the opposite in fact."


    She snorts, quietly, and looks away, shaking her head slightly.


    I put down the tablet, abandoning any hope of absorbing anything, and start pacing up and down the narrow path that bisects the virtual chatroom. I thought loading up a ¡®Rock Garden¡¯ preset might help instil some calmness and inner peace and generally make the wait less trying.


    So far it¡¯s not working.


    <John>


    "Still nothing on when the server¡¯ll be back up?"


    <Jade>


    "Gosh, do you know John, it¡¯s been up for hours now, I just haven¡¯t bothered telli¨C No, of course I don¡¯t know!"


    <John>


    "Alright, alright. It¡¯s just bloody bad timing, is all. For the server to go offline for an unscheduled patch, just as we won. Very trying."


    <Jade>


    "Look, I¡¯ve already told you, Anno got kicked off a couple of server ticks later than us, received a few more packets. ¡®S¡¯not much, but we got the basics. Our tribe got some goblins to join us and the wolfkin got a lot of spare meat, that¡¯s what we know."


    A thought strikes me.


    <John>


    "Huh. I thought the goblins didn¡¯t have a food stockpile?"


    <Jade>


    "They didn¡¯t. However, it turns out that wolfkin tribes have a much lower percentage chance to recruit new species. They¡¯re¡­ not picky when it comes to their food."


    Ah. That¡¯s a disturbing image. But then, they are wolfkin.


    My tablet pings, and I grab it. A notification from TtA, the subject simply reading ¡°Servers Back Online!¡±


    I open my mouth to tell Jade, but, before I speak a word, the chat room is already disintegrating into the game¡¯s loading screen.


    <hr>


    ( Jormund POV )


    Everything is prepared. Kali should have planted the supplies and equipment I need, and I¡¯ve worked out my exit path. It¡¯s time.


    I quietly slip out of the family hut and steal away towards the brush. I needn¡¯t be bothered, though; the camp is almost silent at this hour, and it¡¯s not like we need a night watch now. As I approach I spot a small campfire, a goblin sitting beside it, his back towards me. Dammit Kali, I don¡¯t have time for this. I approach, experience granting me near-silence in the familiar terrain.


    <Jormund>


    "Kali, I told you not to try to stop me. I... need to do this."


    The goblin turns, and I realise my mistake.


    <Gordune>


    "Hmm, I wasn¡¯t going to stop you, young one. Still, you could at least say goodbye, eh? T¡¯would be polite. Not so unreasonable, even if you are young and always in a rush."


    My stomach sinks a little. If elder Gordune knew I was leaving, then who else does? I can feel my escape strategy begin to unravel at the edges.


    <Jormund>


    "Um¡­ Elder. How¡­ how did you know that I¡¯m¡­ leaving?"


    An eyebrow gently climbs. He seems otherwise unperturbed, a small smile flickers across his weathered face.


    <Gordune>


    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road."You really think that any of the goblins can keep a secret from me? Hmm?"


    Oh, fuck¡¯s sake, Kali.


    <Jormund>


    "I see. But you¡¯re not going to stop me."


    <Gordune>


    "Me? Oh, no, that would be absurd! No, I¡¯m only here to distract you until your mother arrives."


    I¡¯m going to strangle Kali. Possibly with his own entrails.


    Gordune is watching over my shoulder. I turn.


    <Cara>


    "And where, exactly, do you think you¡¯re going, Jormund?"


    My mother stands, arms crossed and disapproval writ clear upon her face. It¡¯s the sort of expression that only a mother can pull off, and there¡¯s a part of me that starts quailing in childhood terror. Quite a large part, actually.


    <Jormund>


    "Ah, hi mum! I was just¡­ just out for¡­ an early walk! Yeah! You know how it is, couldn¡¯t sleep, thought I¡¯d go for a wander, have a look at the stars, y¡¯know..."


    I tail off, and try to ignore Gordune¡¯s chuckles. Mother sighs, and steps past me towards the fire. She sits, and beckons me down beside her.


    There are times to defy your parents. A slight edge to her tone tells me that this is not one of them. I sit.


    <Gordune>


    "Heh! Well trained! Not as well as my own offspring, but then, he¡¯s also much quieter!"


    Cara doesn¡¯t merit that with a response. The goblins have been building a reputation in the camp for impulsiveness, although they work hard enough. It seems the fresh air and freedom of the surface agrees with them, for all that they¡¯re busy digging new burrows as fast as they can.


    The conversation falls quiet for a moment, as we watch the low flicker of the flames. Gordune takes the silence for the answer it is, and chuckles again.


    <Gordune>


    "Ah, you¡¯ld be surprised. Anyway, Jormund. What were you trying to accomplish, eh? Sneaking off like this?"


    <Jormund>


    "I¡­ I thought that people would try and stop me. But this is something that I have to do."


    My mother sighs.


    <Cara>


    "Oh, Jormund, why would we try to stop you? You¡¯re hardly the first person to go wandering, far from it."


    Gordune has stopped chuckling. When he speaks, it¡¯s utterly serious, almost distant.


    <Gordune>


    "Those who accomplish great things¡­ They don¡¯t often stay still. It seems a common trait, amongst every tribe and every species I¡¯ve met. Wanderlust, the elves call it. It¡¯s not always permanent - Kali came back after only a month, remember - but it isn¡¯t¡­ negotiable. If you try to stop a wanderer, it¡­ damages them."


    Kali¡­ wasn¡¯t always as he is now.


    Silence sits heavily in the air between the three of us, even the embers of the campfire barely spark or crackle. I spend a few moments struggling with this revelation. It explains a lot about Kali.


    It explains a lot about who I¡¯ve become.


    <Jormund>


    "I see. I... I have a debt to pay. I can feel it, somehow. I can¡¯t do it here, but the answers are out there. I have to go out and find them. It¡¯s¡­ not a choice."


    I stop, stunned by the realisation that it¡¯s true. I have to go. I can choose what direction, but I can¡¯t choose inaction.


    My mother sighs.


    <Cara>


    "I understand. I¡¯m not happy, but¡­ I understand. I talked to Ralnt, too, and his council was the same as Gordune¡¯s."


    <Jormund>


    "Ralnt? Why Ralnt?"


    <Cara>


    "Ralnt used to be a wanderer, too, for all that he¡¯s been a part of the tribe since before I was born. He¡¯s older than he looks. He never talks about his past, but he did tell me that¡­ that I had to let you go."


    Somehow, the silence seems deeper and darker every time it returns.


    I¡¯ve never seen my mother weep. Not when my grandparents died, not even when my father returned from battle in a coma. It takes me a few seconds to recognise the gleam of reflection on her cheek.


    We sit, without speaking, for minutes, as the fire burns out. Eventually, though, I stand, and the others stand with me. My mother¡¯s cheeks are dry, and she turns towards me with renewed resolve.


    <Cara>


    "Just¡­ just promise me one thing. Even if you haven¡¯t found the answer, come back every so often. For me, for your father and sister. For the tribe, too. They¡¯ll take heart from knowing you¡¯re well."


    I nod, and manage a smile. In the back of my mind, a memory stirs: the Lady of Jade, insisting I protect the tribe.


    <Jormund>


    "I promise, mum. I will return. I¡¯m more sure of that than I am of where I¡¯m going."


    The old goblin speaks, his voice echoing strangely. His eyes gaze blankly into the distance, filmed with just the faintest hint of magic. I realise that he is speaking in the rarest capacity of a Medicine Man.


    He speaks prophecy.


    <Gordune>


    "Follow the river, flow towards the sea. The water turns pebbles as it runs, carves a way where there is none, cannot be stopped. Be the river, Jormund, and it will carry you to the answers you seek."


    I give my mother a final hug. For a moment, she clenches me so hard that I fear she may never let go.


    My pack is where Kali and I arranged.


    The road is anywhere, everywhere, away from where I am now. My heart lifts with every step.

 Age of Stone: chapter 25

    ( John POV )


    A couple of seconds of unexpected sensory deprivation does weird shit to your head, and it takes a moment for my brain to stop screaming once the world of Throughout the Ages materialises around me.


    <John>


    ¡°Ah! Jade! What the hell! I know I said that I wanted to be in as soon as the server was back online, but a moment of warning would have been nice! Or, you know, not giving me sudden full sensory interrupt!¡±


    Jade ignores me. Dammit, this is the problem with human-level AIs; once they develop wills of their own, they start adopting the flaws of real people - including impulsiveness. And, in Jade¡¯s case, a rare streak of callousness.


    Still, it¡¯s not worth making a big deal out of - there¡¯s work to do! I survey the village below me, the now-familiar medley of huts and tents, now joined by a new structure taking root on the side of the encampment furthest from the river.


    This novel development catches my eye immediately. It¡¯s noticeably larger than anything else the tribe has built so far, and seems to represent a significant step forward in building technology. Up until now, even our best efforts have been barely more than static yurts, weather-hardened leather and primitive thatch hung from crude wooden lattices. This is different, though; weeks of research into primitive tech lets me immediately identify it as a serviceable mud-brick hut, using straw to rigidify the walls like rebar, roofed with what looks like beetle-chitin.


    It is, to my eye, the first true building I¡¯ve seen in Throughout the Ages, and I immediately love every filthy, manure-filled brick of it!


    After the initial moment of excitement, however, some questions start to percolate. Firstly, building something like this must be a huge burden on the tribe - the clay for the walls would take plenty of man-hours to carry, shape, and lay, but the real investment is the beetle-carapace roofing. How many days, weeks of hunting did it take to assemble that array? For one building!


    And¡­ it looks like it¡¯s mostly being worked on by goblins? If it¡¯s to house goblins then the project makes a little more sense - they are quite small, after all, and you could probably fit ten or twelve of them in a building that size. But¡­ even so¡­


    I put my reservations from my mind for the time being. One of the things I¡¯ve come to really enjoy from TtA is that, most of the time, my minions don¡¯t act like complete idiots. Actually, occasionally they do something that I wish I¡¯d thought of, which is a bit creepy from units in a videogame. Now, Jade¡¯s had plenty of time to catch up, time for a sitrep.


    <John>


    ¡°Right. What¡¯s happened in our absence? And what did we get for winning?¡±


    <Jade>


    ¡°Shh. I¡¯m not finished. Give me a moment.¡±


    <John>


    ¡°You¡¯ve had a moment! You¡¯re always telling me how bloody wonderful you are, now give me an overview!¡±


    She grumbles for a moment, and brings up a couple of popup windows with distracted flick of the wrist.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td colspan="2">


    Unlocked Skills


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Mundane skills


    </td>


    <td>


    Magical skills


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    - Intermediate Bone Carving


    - Primitive Fishing


    - Primitive Leatherworking


    - Simple Stoneworking


    - Simple Woodworking


    - Advanced Chitinworking


    - Simple Foraging


    - Simple Tracking


    - Primitive Leadership


    - Simple Construction


    - Primitive Weaving


    - Simple Ropemaking


    - Primitive Herbalism


    </td>


    <td>


    - Primitive Channeling


    - Primitive Charmongery


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Unlocked Magical Affinities


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    - Lesser Nature Affinity


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    I peruse for a while, trying to think through the consequences of our new acquisitions.


    <John>


    ¡°Well, we finally got that herbalism skill. Bit late, now, given we¡¯ve just finished off the biggest threat in our vicinity, but nevermind. Still, it seems kinda of¡­ meh? Given that we have access to actual magic now¡­¡±


    <Jade>


    ¡°Hah! One small victory and a miniscule leap up the tech-tree, and the power¡¯s gone straight to your head! Honestly, I reckon herbalism¡¯s still the most useful skill of the bunch. Remember, the magic skills rely on magical affinity in order to be used. Well, channeling does, anyway, which is the relevant bit to healing. And I suspect that getting tribe members with magical affinity is going to be a lot harder than it sounds.¡±


    <John>


    ¡°Wait¡­ channelling requires it, but what about charmongery?¡±


    Jade grunts and shrugs half-heartedly.


    <Jade>


    ¡°No, seems that charmongery is different. The gamepedia says it¡¯s ¡°the art of using the lingering magical affinities of an item¡¯s materials to create magical effects¡±. Or, to cut through the bullshit, it¡¯s a slightly more advanced crafting system with resource-based stat buffs, I think. Which is useful and all, but it¡¯s hardly going to be game-changing at this point.¡±


    <John>


    ¡°Hey, hey, I wouldn¡¯t write it off so fast. What kind of effects can we get?¡±


    <Jade>


    ¡°No idea. Got no data to analyze.¡±


    I nod in understanding, brow furrowed as I reread the the popups.


    <John>


    ¡°Hmm. I guess so. Also, something¡¯s bothering me about the skill tiers. What¡¯s the progression, again?¡±


    <Jade>


    ¡°Oh, right. Here.¡±


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td colspan="6">


    Skill levels


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    primitive


    </td>


    <td>


    simple


    </td>


    <td>


    intermediate


    </td>


    <td>


    adept


    </td>


    <td>


    advanced


    </td>


    <td>


    master


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    <John>


    ¡°Yeah, I knew I remembered something like that! How the hell did we get chitinworking up to advanced?!


    Actually¡­ what even is ¡®chitinworking¡¯? It¡¯s beetle-shell, what are we going to do, make shellac records out of it?! And what distinguishes intermediate chitinworking from advanced chitinworking?!¡±


    <Jade>


    ¡°Don¡¯t look at me, I didn¡¯t come up with this stuff! It¡¯s a made-up fantasy world! Basic logic and common sense don¡¯t apply! The developers said they wanted chitin as a crafting material, so now we¡¯re making our rooves out of reconstituted insect! I DON¡¯T WRITE THE RULES, JOHN! I JUST READ THE GODDAMN WIKI!¡±


    She clears her throat, and we avoid one-another¡¯s gazes for a moment, mutually embarrassed by our respective outbursts. It¡¯s weird - although I¡¯ve known Jade since I was a teenager and I consider her my closest friend, our relationship is still a vaguely professional one. Friendly sniping and the occasional rebuke are all par for the course, but actually shouting at one another is not. The tension of the last few days has been getting to both of us.


    <Jade>


    ¡°Anyway. As for how we got it¡­ I¡¯ll just check.


    Oh! Straightforward enough: one of the goblins we assimilated is blessed. In summary, looks like he was being built as a kind of tech-leap specialist, with lots of buffs for faster learning and toolmaking. Interestingly, though, one of his buffs stops him from teaching others, so it¡¯s not like he can boot-strap us to the medieval era or something. We get to use him while we¡¯ve got him, but when he dies we¡¯ll probably lose access to the stuff he unlocks.


    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.Hmm. It¡¯s useful, but not quite as broken as it seems. Yeah, he can access an advanced tech, but chitinworking seems to be a very short tree compared to most other skills. It¡¯s an early-era specialisation, but there¡¯s not a lot of synergy with other skills, and it relies on materials which can only be hunted for. Unless we can work out how to farm giant rhino-beetles.¡±


    <John>


    ¡°OK. So... what¡¯s next? We¡¯ve actually accomplished most of our current strategic goals. We¡¯ve managed to get a herbalist, which should cut down on our attrition, and we¡¯ve eliminated our biggest threat. What¡¯s our next move? Magic?¡±


    <Jade>


    ¡°Magic?! Are you kidding?! We still haven¡¯t developed agriculture! We have no knowledge whatsoever of the system, except that it has something to do with elemental affinities! Do you seriously think that¡¯s a sensible goal?¡±


    When she puts it like that, it does seem a bit over-ambitious. Still, I can¡¯t help but suspect that magic¡¯s going to be the key to the early-game, and that whoever gets there first is going to have a huge advantage. And it seems like a bad sign that so far we¡¯ve had contact with three tribes, all of whom have been more advanced in its use than us.


    <John>


    ¡°I suppose. We¡¯re going to have to start working on it sooner rather than later, though. Anyway, what do you advise we prioritise?¡±


    <Jade>


    ¡°Agriculture. It¡¯s not glamorous or exciting, but we need a reliable, stable food source. Fruit orchards will be a good start - they¡¯re relatively low maintenance thanks to dev meddling. Ideally, though, it¡¯d be nice to also domesticate some livestock. I joked about it earlier, but trying to tame those Bok-Tars wouldn¡¯t be the stupidest thing in the world.¡±


    <John>


    ¡°The what? Oh, you mean the giant beetle things! I swear, you are not gonna make me learn all of the species, I refuse!¡±


    Jade grins as we begin this argument for the hundredth time. I¡¯ll be damned if I¡¯m going to waste valuable brain-space on ridiculous names for made-up fantasy creatures. After all, some of us can¡¯t just plug in another hard-drive when we run out of memory. I try to head the familiar bickering off before it can get started in earnest.


    <John>


    ¡°Anyway. How would that work? They don¡¯t seem very¡­ tamable.¡±


    <hr>


    ( Gordune POV )


    I spend a few moments hanging the last of the day¡¯s harvest on the rack, fiddling with the cut plants to position them evenly for faster drying. I straighten, wincing as my back makes alarming creaking sounds, and shuffle back to where I left Nym working on pre-prepared herb mixtures. When did this goblin get so old, eh? I swear my spine didn¡¯t ache this badly last week.


    There¡¯s far worse places to grow old. Oh, but how quickly this place has grown on me. It took but a few months from arriving to finish a nice, safe underground nursery, and there¡¯s nothing like the skitter-skratch of anklebiter feet to make an Elder feel at home. Already, the family has eight new members! It¡¯s more than that, though. This is a place to live, not just survive. Here, in the clay of the riverbank, we can build the real foundations of a goblin tribe!


    And humans, too, I suppose. Our builders have been experimenting with higher ceilings. So far, their success has been limited, but they do keep trying, ever so persistent. Yor seems to like testing their work, and gains great enjoyment from the inevitable collapse that follows the collision of a roof-beam with his forehead.


    With a shake of the head I return my thoughts to the present, wherein Nym has been slaving away at the mortal and pestle for what seems like rather too long. Indeed, she too seems rather lost in her thoughts. Ah, of course! The dust from the narcotics! Well, it¡¯s hardly dangerous in such minute quantities. I clear my throat, and watches as she, too, snaps from her own reverie.


    <Gordune>


    ¡°I think that you can stop now. Ground up and crushed, yes, but I don¡¯t think they need be rendered into dust, eh? You never know, though.¡±


    <Nym>


    ¡°Oh. Oh! I¡¯m so sorry Elder! I was, uh, lost into thought¡­¡±


    <Gordune>


    ¡°Oh yes?¡±


    Nym seems startled for a second, and avoids my gaze. When it becomes clear I¡¯m waiting for an answer, she blushes and evades.


    <Nym>


    ¡°Oh, nothing in particular. Nothing interesting!¡±


    Hah! Youth! Gangly and ever-unaware of their tells. As her words avoid answering, her hand moves unconsciously to the bracelet on her arm. One of Kali¡¯s works, if I¡¯m not mistaken, and this old goblin isn¡¯t. It¡¯s a fine piece of work, too, displaying the four jade shards I gave her. The bracelet¡¯s made from some kind of leather made from fish hides, or so Kali said. Fishskin bracelets. He¡¯s a strange one, that grandson. Pretty, though, especially with how he¡¯s trimmed the edges with Difian teeth. A good eye for a cracked mind.


    So, why would she reach for it and blush? Perhaps this old goblin is a cynic, and elder Gordune¡¯s been called that often enough, but I doubt she was thinking of Kali. No, that usually entails a different reaction.


    Ah, yes, that was it. Jormund, ¡®t¡¯was he who suggested she go to Kali to have It made. Yes, a rather more probable tale. And, although it saddens me to say it of my own grandson, perhaps a better choice of reveries.


    <Gordune>


    ¡°You miss him, eh?¡±


    <Nym>


    ¡°Huh? Um¡­ What?¡±


    <Gordune>


    ¡°Jormund. You miss him.¡±


    <Nym>


    ¡°I¡­ I do. Sort of. But I¡¯m also just so angry! He leave without telling me! I mean¡­ he left with without telling anyone. But¡­ he left without telling¡­ me.¡±


    She finishes in a small, sad voice. Oh, youth. It¡¯s so much more fun once they¡¯ve grown a brain, but one has to put up with their foolishness.


    <Gordune>


    ¡°Actually, not quite true. I knew he was leaving. So did his mother.¡±


    <Nym>


    ¡°And¡­ and you didn¡¯t stop him?! He was the hero of the village! Everyone was already saying that he could take on the mantle of tribe leader! He should have stayed! He should have stayed¡­ with me.¡±


    Perhaps I shall just pretend that I didn¡¯t hear that last part. Judging by her mortified expression, I don¡¯t think she intended to say it out loud.


    <Gordune>


    ¡°Ah¡­ Listen, Nym. Jormund is special. Everyone knows that - even the wolfkin respect him - but rather fewer understand that. Understand what it means. To be¡­ special, well, it¡¯s a burden as well as a blessing. Such people have to have to find their place in the world, and often that means searching beyond their tribe. There are others, others you know, who¡¯ve done the same. Kali, for instance. And¡­ others, who I shan¡¯t name, but who you¡¯ve known your whole life. Jormund is not the first, and he will not be the last, to hear that call.¡±


    <Nym>


    ¡°But¡­ Kali¡¯s here? What do you mean?¡±


    <Gordune>


    ¡°Exactly. Kali left, to seek his destiny. He found it, when he met Jormund in the Wolfkin camp. And, once fulfilled, he returned, and in doing so made the world better for those he loved. More interesting, too, but better.¡±


    <Nym>


    ¡°And¡­ and you¡¯re saying Jormund will return, too? But¡­ how do you know? What if he¡¯s aband-... left¡­ forever?¡±


    All the while, we¡¯ve been in movement, grinding herbs and packing pouches in the evening routine that I¡¯ve followed for decades, and Nym for months. Now, I pause and turn to her, and she stares back with desperate, yearning eyes.


    <Gordune>


    ¡°He promised his mother that he would be back. I didn¡¯t know him for very long, but... I could see the determination in his eyes. He meant that promise.¡±


    Nym nods, hesitantly, her face slowly reflecting the rekindling of faint hope. As she returns to her work, she is not happy, but she¡¯s resolute.


    Ah, young love¡­


    <hr>


    ( John POV )


    <John>


    ¡°Jade, are you kidding me?! Let me make sure I¡¯ve got this straight. First off, the medicine man is going to wonder off into the forest and find as many of the strongest narcotics he can possibly get his hands on, in the largest quantities he can, yeah?¡±


    <Jade>


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    <John>


    ¡°Then, our poor wretched hunters are going to sneak out across the savannah, track down these huge, armoured, incredibly dangerous beetles, and somehow try and get them to eat these narcotics, preferably without being bloodily dismembered, yes?¡±


    <Jade>


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    <John>


    ¡°Even though we don¡¯t even know if these narcotics will work on beetles?!¡±


    <Jade>


    ¡°It¡¯ll be fine. Something¡¯s bound to work.¡±


    <John>


    ¡°Well, I admire your optimism! Alright, so, once we¡¯ve drugged up the giant, murderous, unstoppable insect killing machines to the point of docility, we¡¯re going to lasso them?¡±


    <Jade>


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    <John>


    ¡°And then take them back to our village?!¡±


    <Jade>


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    <John>


    ¡°Where they can sober up and go on a slaughterous rampage?!¡±


    Jade rolls her eyes, theatrically.


    <Jade>


    ¡°Oh, get on with it. It¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    <John>


    ¡°Right. I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll be just peachy. So, having implanted a beetley fifth-column in the heart of our populace, we¡¯re going to farm them for beetle eggs. Then we¡¯re going to take these disgusting, blobby beetle eggs down into the goblin hollow, and raise them into giant, repulsive larvae.¡±


    <Jade>


    ¡°Yup.¡±


    <John>


    ¡°And then, once they¡¯ve matured to their juiciest and most magottey, the villagers will eat them?!¡±


    <Jade>


    ¡°Exactly. A renewable source of protein. And it¡¯s no worse than veal.¡±


    <John>


    ¡°Well. At least I won¡¯t have to eat them. Or, worse, taste them.¡±


    A thought occurs.


    <John>


    ¡°Actually, this incredibly dangerous task¡­ It¡¯d certainly be for the good of the tribe. Just the ticket for someone who can come back from the dead. We¡¯ll send Jormund!¡±


    <Jade>


    ¡°Ah. I¡¯ve some bad news about that.¡±

 Age of Stone: chapter 26

    ( Jormund POV )


    The fish sizzle as I carefully extract them from the embers of the campfire, using a stick to avoid burning myself. The scent of baked fish ought to make my mouth water, but after a month of it I¡¯m utterly sick of them. I poke the fire back into life and feed it another branch, and sit in the twilight, munching my piscine repast without enjoyment and glaring hatefully at the river. The river drifts on past the thinly-wooded banks, in a manner that strikes me as callously oblivious to my petulance.


    Why did I decide to do this? Why did I think it would be a good idea to leave the tribe? To abandon food, shelter, and safety? I try to remember why any of this seemed like a good idea, but I¡¯m distracted by a fishbone I¡¯d missed in my filleting.


    I miss proper meat. I¡¯d give just about anything for a Candur haunch.


    The first few weeks weren¡¯t so bad, the excitement of adventure overriding any trepidation, the elation of freedom negating any distaste at the day-to-day realities. That¡¯s all worn off, now, and I just feel homesick, and bored, and just a little afraid.


    The fish is bad, but worst of all is having to constantly watch my every step for the telltale signs of Putrikan. At home, we kept track of them, and knew when we were in danger, but out here I have to fear the giant insectile predators whenever I move. The waterlogged clay of the riverbank lowers the chance of encountering one, but ¡®probably not¡¯ isn¡¯t much use when you¡¯re being eating by an enormous many-legged nightmare from the subterranean depths.


    Still, for all that I¡¯m thoroughly fed up of the trickle of running water and the splashing of teeming fins, the river has been my greatest ally. Out in the savannah, far from camp, even the gift of fresh water is not to be scoffed at, and I ought to be grateful that it runs with such a banquet of easy meat, however monotonous. It seems strange, then, that I¡¯ve run across no other tribes. The riverbanks are eerily deserted, it seems. I¡¯ve seen the remnants of a single campfire in many, many days of travel, surrounded by tracks I didn¡¯t recognise. Other swathes of the riverbank seemed to have been ripped up by wildlife, in long, swirling cuts into the clay, churning up the ground in a way that left me distinctly uneasy.


    The muffled thump of a beetle, falling out of the canopy in the gathering darkness somewhere to my left, startles me from the revery. In a moment of paranoia, I narrow my eyes and listen intently, aware of how exposed I am silhouetted against the campfire.


    Wait, what was that?


    There! There it is again! Voices, almost inaudible, but there! Too distant to make out even tone, let alone words, but that¡¯s definitely the sound of conversation!


    Suddenly, I¡¯m drenched in adrenaline. I¡¯ve been looking for others for over a month, but now I¡¯ve found some I realise how terrifying vulnerable I am. No kin, no allies, no other hunters to back me up¡­ If they catch wind of me, I am entirely at their mercy. I can only hope that they, like I, are looking to create new bonds and establish new alliances. If, on the other hand, they¡¯re simply looking for easy prey¡­ I shudder at the thought of walking alone into the court of the goblin headman.


    Quietly, I pull the unburnt branches from my campfire and douse them in the river, wincing at the brief hissing each makes. I¡¯m lucky I¡¯d let it burn down to embers to cook on; even so, they must have only approached in the last hour or so, with the setting sun hiding the smoke.


    As quietly as I¡¯m able, I shin up a nearby tree, and stare out into the gloom. After a few tense moments of trying not to breathe too loudly, I hear the voices again. Along the riverbank, I think. I descend and start a painstaking approach, using the instincts I¡¯ve learnt from painful years of trying (and usually failing) to hunt Candur. I move like vicious flatulence - invisible, barely audible, and only detectable by those downwind.


    As my eyes adjust, I notice a faint, flickering glow amongst the trees ahead. The voices are much louder, now. They sound¡­ almost human, but not quite. It¡¯s certainly not as blatant as the growling tones of wolfkin, or the grating shriek of goblins, but there¡¯s something fundamentally¡­ off about them. They¡¯re curiously lilting, changing words I¡¯ve heard all my life into something strange and alien, but beneath it there¡¯s a hint of steel. Steel, song¡­ and sadness. They may not be human, but I can still recognise the sound of a throat ragged with grief, and with this realisation, it all snaps into place, and I can follow their conversation.


    <?????>


    ¡°-on¡¯t know what we¡¯re going to do, love. I¡¯m sorry, I just¡­ don¡¯t. I¡¯ve wracked my brain, and I honestly don¡¯t know what¡¯s left for us.¡±


    <??????>


    ¡°I¡­ I was hoping you¡¯d have spotted some possibility I hadn¡¯t. You¡¯ve always been better at¡­ adapting to change than I have. But¡­ no. I agree. There¡¯s not much left for us, but to try and find some other tribe and throw ourselves at their mercy. For Alta?¡¯s sake, if not our own.¡±


    <?????>


    ¡°Yes. However, if we¡¯re to¡­ abandon our homelands, then the first we¡¯ve got to go back. Go back, make peace with our dead¡­ And bury the bodies.¡±


    <??????>


    ¡°I was afraid you¡¯d say that. I¡¯d rather Alta? didn¡¯t have to see the wreckage. Frankly, I too am afraid of what we¡¯ll see if we return.¡±


    <?????>


    ¡°I know, love. But we have to. We¡¯re the only ones left.¡±


    The night lapses into silence. On my part, it¡¯s a stunned one. After all this searching, it seems what I¡¯ve found is just another band of stragglers, they themselves searching for a tribe to join. It¡¯s a coincidence almost too great to believe, and not necessarily a happy one.


    The question is, should I step forward and introduce myself, or should I slip away in the night, and pass them by? Standing motionless in the darkness, I try to weigh my options. I¡¯m now certain the voices are those of elves, so at least it seems unlikely they¡¯ll try and kill and eat me. Probably. However, I¡¯ve nothing to trade, and I struggle to see what I¡¯d gain from joining their little party. Another few pairs of eyes to watch my step, but we¡¯d move far more slowly in a group. Perhaps they might provide me valuable information on the route ahead¡­ Or perhaps they¡¯ll try and kill me for my supplies and equipment.


    No. The risk is great, the reward negligible. Best not.


    I carefully edge back, determined to extricate myself without drawing their attention. This plan lasts all of a second before I step on a branch behind me with a loud crack, cracking my shin as I jerk away. I curse wordlessly, step to one side, and slip on a damp root, losing my balance.


    The world is deeply unfair, it seems. I pivot sideways and smack my head on a tree trunk.


    Lying on the ground, I gaze up with unfocused eyes. One of the elves, silent as the grave, materialises out of the gloom.


    The last thing I see before the blackness is the arc of the elf¡¯s stave towards my forehead. The last thing I hear is a crack.


    <hr>


    <Jormund>


    ¡°Really. I swear, that is what happened.¡±


    This proclamation is met with the stony silence that it so richly deserves. The elves seem utterly stone-faced in the morning light, and are treating my tale with polite disbelief. Still, they¡¯ve at least been sufficiently convinced of my good intentions so as to untie me, and the circulation is busy returning to my hands and feet in an unpleasant, buzzing glow. I seem to have graduated from prisoner to barely-tolerated guest, which is about as good as it gets with elves.


    Across the ashes of last night¡¯s fire sit the pair whose conversation I overheard. Dutori, tall and wiry, a face lined with sadness but strangely unweathered. Beside him, Hinyr, his wife, who was so certain of their responsibilities to the dead. She¡¯s elegant, in a way I didn¡¯t even understand was possible, the only hints of her age a few, tasteful streaks of white hair amidst the black and the voice of an ancient.


    To my left, out of reach but positioned to recapture me should I flee, is the third and final member of the party. Alta? puts her aunt in the shade; She draws the eye like a patch of sunlight at midnight. Her hair falls past her waist, a curtain of golden locks streaked with black, a curious multicoloured duality that seems common amongst all elves I¡¯ve met, parted by long, pointed ears. Her figure stirs feelings within me that normally I reserve for Nym. Her eyes sparkle, for all that her cheeks are streaked from tears. Her face makes me wince with its delicate beauty. Her clothes have a strange quality I¡¯ve never seen before, where they reveal as much as conceal. Her ti- Um. Well, you get the picture.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    Dutori coughs and tackles the conversational pit with what is, for an elf, remarkable tact.


    <Dutori>


    ¡°Nothing about that story is even slightly plausible. Why should the wolfkin agree to such a thing, after such a short association? And, if they¡¯re such ravenous beasts as you suggest, why didn¡¯t they immediately eat your goblin slave?¡±


    <Jormund>


    ¡°Ah¡­ Well, truth be told, I¡¯m still not quite sure why they agreed. They¡¯re drawn to pack tactics, perhaps that¡¯s why they were so keen to gather allies. As for Kali, the wolfkin aren¡¯t fools! They may run on all fours, but they still appreciate a tactical advantage when they see one! Oh, and he¡¯s not a slave, and I¡¯d prefer you don¡¯t refer to him as such.¡±


    <Dutori>


    ¡°Hmm. How very¡­ human of you. I suppose it¡¯s not inconsistent with my experience of your people that you would just accept a good thing at face value. And it¡¯s a very human foolishness to vanquish your foes and then protest their worthiness. Very¡­ self-flattering.¡±


    <Hinyr>


    ¡°You¡¯re too harsh, dear. I¡¯m sure the young man believes how dangerous and cunning the goblins were. Although, I do seem to remember that goblins are small, weak creatures that would come up to our waist. Still, I¡¯m sure they seemed very unnerving at the time.


    Besides, I enjoy his sincerity. It¡¯s one of those things that make humans so¡­ interesting. They live in the present, and burn so fast and bright. Little perspective, but so much passion.¡±


    <Dutori>


    ¡°Hmm. When you put it like that, certain elements of the tale do make a little sense, I suppose.¡±


    Alta? rolls her eyes, looking bored. Myself, I¡¯d forgotten how profoundly uncomfortable it is to talk to elves. It¡¯s all well and good them explaining how humans might as well be insects for how long we last, but it¡¯s a little trying when they expect you to have died by the end of the sentence.


    <Alta?>


    ¡°Honestly, Dutori, who cares? Yeah, it¡¯s stupid, violent, and irrational. So what? That¡¯s perfectly normal for short-liveds. It all seems quite believable to me.¡±


    She looks at me, and grins coquettishly. She rolls her shoulders in what looks like an unconscious movement, but part of me suspects was anything but. It causes her her clothes to strain across her body in interesting ways. Other parts of my brain tell the first part to shut up and enjoy the view.


    <Alta?>


    ¡°You¡¯re quite right, Aunty. All that energy and passion¡­ very interesting indeed. So many¡­ possibilities.¡±


    Dutori¡¯s eye just twitched.


    Oh boy. I am in so much trouble.


    <hr>


    We¡¯ve just finished our noon repast when I finally feel able to broach the subject.


    <Jormund>


    ¡°Ah¡­ If you don¡¯t mind me asking, why are the three of you travelling alone? I overheard a little of your conversation last night, before you, ah¡­ well.¡±


    Dutori nods, slowly, showing not the slightest regret for having beaten me unconscious. When he answers, he seems distant.


    <Dutori>


    ¡°Our tribe... is no more. We were attacked. By¡­ Something. An animal, I think, unlike any I have seen before. A monstrous creature of the water, its maw wider than two Boktar, surrounded by writhing black tentacles, slick with blood and slime. Our encampment was sited on the riverbank, and one evening the damn thing just crawled out of the mud and started killing. It all happened so fast, nobody had time to react.¡±


    His mouth curls into a rictus, and he barks a bitter laugh.


    <Dutori>


    ¡°Not that there¡¯s anything we could have done. Not even the fire mage. It ripped apart even our sturdiest huts and grabbed elves straight out of their beds. Our staves were like twigs against its teeth. Nothing could stop it but distance.¡±


    I ran. I left them all to die. I was the only one to escape the village alive. Sixteen elves, good comrades, friends, family¡­ wiped out. And I ran.


    He falls silent. I haven¡¯t met many elves, but all the ones I have have been phenomenally arrogant. To utter such an admission of failure, to a human no less¡­ He must be killing himself inside.


    <Alta?>


    ¡°My aunt and I were out foraging for herbs. It was the solstice, an important one, I wanted something a little special. It seems a bit petty, now, but it ended up saving our lives. I never saw the village again. Uncle Dutori wouldn¡¯t let us go anywhere near, just stay close enough that any other survivors would spot the smoke from our campfire.¡±


    <Dutori>


    ¡°After a few days, I gave up on that hope. Meagre that it was. I¡¯ve had to give up on a lot of them, these last few weeks.¡±


    <Jormund>


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m sorry if my asking has brought up bad memories.¡±


    <Hinyr>


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not your fault. It¡¯s a sensible enough question to ask, under the circumstances.


    Still, one answer deserves another: You¡¯ve said you¡¯re alone, and on a journey, but that doesn¡¯t explain much. Why are you out here, in what was, until a few weeks ago, elf territory?¡±


    I quail slightly at the disdainful gaze she throws me. I¡¯d not expected such territoriality from elves.


    <Jormund>


    ¡°I, uh, needed to travel. To find my place in the world. To... repay a debt.¡±


    To my surprise, Hinyr waves my justifications aside.


    <Hinyr>


    ¡°Oh, a wanderer. I haven¡¯t see one of those in years. When was the last time, Dutori?¡±


    <Dutori>


    ¡°Must be... 37 years, now. That one centaur, black fur, brown skin, terrible breath. Had an inordinate fondness for rotting fruit.¡±


    <Hintyr>


    ¡°I remember. Dreadful creature, even by the standards of short-liveds. Ended up returning to his village, I think. Or dying. One of the two. Anyway, Jormund, do you have a direction? Or just toddling about at random?¡±


    <Jormund>


    ¡°I¡¯m following the river downstream. I was expecting to find others, to learn from and share tales with long the way, but you¡¯re the first people I¡¯ve met. It¡¯s a bit strange, actually.¡±


    Hintyr sniffs derisively at the innate inability of humans to see the obvious, currently manifest in me.


    <Hintyr>


    ¡°There used to be. A year ago, there were settlements all along this bank. Used to be one not three minutes walk from where we are now, in fact, which is why we came here. Nothing but churned mud, now. The beast ate even the hides on the huts and the stones round the campfires, it seems.


    So, why follow the river?¡±


    I nod soberly at the thought of the aquatic monstrosity raking over the ruins of villages until I¡¯d not even recognised them as such. I wandered if I¡¯d walked past it as it glided beneath the surface, judging me too small to constitute a meal. I suppress a shiver of terror.


    <Jormund>


    ¡°I thought I¡¯d see if the tales are true. Of the sea, y¡¯know, a river so wide you can¡¯t see the other bank, where the ripples come up higher than one¡¯s head¡­¡±


    Hintyr nods, judiciously, apparently satisfied. To my surprise, it¡¯s Alta? who speaks next


    <Alta?>


    ¡°I would love to see the sea one day. To feel the breeze on my skin¡­ to watch the horizon for all eternity¡­ Hey, I¡¯m sure Jormund wouldn¡¯t mind if I tagged along! What d¡¯you say?¡±


    She winks at me. Dutori splutters.


    <Dutori>


    ¡°Don¡¯t be ridiculous, Alta?! It¡¯s a nice dream, but not when you could be snatched from the shore at any moment! Besides, you¡¯re the only family we have left. If you embark on some fool¡¯s errand now, you¡¯ll have no way of knowing where we¡¯ve gone. We might never see you again!¡±


    I note that Hintyr isn¡¯t coming to support him, but instead looking at me appraisingly.


    <Alta?>


    ¡°You¡¯re being hysterical, uncle. We¡¯re elves, for heaven¡¯s sake, time¡¯s hardly a factor. If I come back here and start looking for the nearest elvish settlement, it would be almost impossible not to find you. And besides, I¡¯m sure I shan¡¯t come to harm if I travel with Jormund here. After all, as he was telling us earlier, he¡¯s a mighty warrior, used to battling vicious monsters.¡±


    I don¡¯t remember those words ever leaving my lips, and evidently neither does Dutori.


    <Dutori>


    ¡°Obstinate child! You think we¡¯d entrust your protection to some self-aggrandising human youngste-¡±


    <Hintyr>


    ¡°Calm, dear. At the very least, he runs slower than her, which might buy her a few seconds to escape. Besides, I¡¯ve been walking the banks for months and it¡¯s never attacked me, or any other travelling elf. It seems to attack settlements and large concentrations of prey. I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll be safe.¡±


    <Dutori>


    ¡°You¡­ You¡¯re¡­ You really think this is a good idea?¡±


    <Hintyr>


    ¡°I¡¯m not as optimistic as you of our finding another elven tribe any time soon. No need for Altra? to waste her youth traipsing around behind us in our search.¡±


    <Jormund>


    ¡°Actually, I might be able to help, there. A travelling elven band visited our village a few seasons ago. It¡¯s somewhere to start, at least.


    Dutori looks unhappy, but this, at least, seems to perk him up. He seems to be the kind of elf who needs a plan.


    <Hintyr>


    ¡°Hmm. Good, it¡¯s a start. So, Alta? can go on her adventure, and we¡¯ve a place to start looking. It¡¯s settled.¡±


    Alta? doesn¡¯t say anything, just looking smug.


    And¡­ when did I agree to this?


    Bloody elves.

 Age of Stone: chapter 27

    ( John POV )


    I collapse wearily into the sofa with a muffled thump, trying not to spill my hot chocolate onto the cushions - or myself for that matter. I lean back and close my eyes for a moment, blowing carefully across the mug, waiting for it to cool.


    A late finish, and absolutely foul weather as I marched back from the station. Yeah, I¡¯ve earned a moment¡¯s peace and quiet. After taking a few minutes to relax and enjoy my drink, I decide that I¡¯m in the rare mood to just zone out and watch something, with no effort required. I look for the remote. Inevitably, I¡¯m sitting on it; It¡¯s been that kind of day. I flick the TV on.


    <Jade>


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re going to watch ¡°Mission: Briefing¡±? You haven¡¯t done that in years!¡±


    <John>


    ¡°The talkshow? Actually, I wasn¡¯t planning to, I was just thinking of channel-hopping. Just until I finish my drink.¡±


    <Jade>


    ¡°Until you finish that drink? Yeah, right. You¡¯re already on your second cup, and you always start binging the stuff after a difficult day. Want to talk about it?¡±


    <John>


    ¡°Nah. Not difficult in an interesting way, just long and full of tedious detail-work. And the kitchen suppliers still haven¡¯t got back to me with the final models for the latest range, so I¡¯m probably going to have to redo a bunch of work when they¡¯ve inevitably changed stuff. Y¡¯know, business as usual.¡±


    <Jade>


    ¡°Oh well. Sometimes you get days like that. Seriously, watch the talkshow, it always used to cheer you up. Actually, I just checked, and this weeks episode¡¯s about Throughout the Ages. They¡¯ve got Aric on as a guest, believe it or not!¡±


    <John>


    ¡°Wait, Aric plays TtA? I mean, back when we played together he was really hardcore about MMO stuff, I wouldn¡¯t have thought it¡¯d be his sort of thing. Hell, given how often I still end up seeing ¡®The Beholder¡¯ on the global leaderboards, I wouldn¡¯t have thought he had enough hours in the day for it!¡±


    <Jade>


    ¡°Remember, TtA is deep-dive, not just shallow-dive, and pretty damn deep at that. The time dilation is insane. Even that first weekend, you were only in-game for maybe half an hour, real-time. And subjectively, that was weeks. Not to mention that they¡¯ve increased the dilation even further since then. I mean, you¡¯re pretty dedicated, but on average you¡¯ve only spent about four minutes logged in per day over the past week.¡±


    I concede the point with a nod. Time dilation is really weird. So much of my life seems to be spent on Jurno at the moment, but actually very little time has passed. I¡¯m starting to understand why it¡¯s not recommended to spend too much time in deep-dive, though - it really screws with your sleep patterns, digestion, all those basic biological cycles. I¡¯ve already cut back significantly after I had a few horrible migraines.


    But hey. I¡¯m a gamer, and an MMO player at that. I once spent a month living on crisps and Monster Durian, and if that didn¡¯t kill me then a little time dilation is tame by comparison.


    <John>


    ¡°Yeah, alright. Sounds interesting.¡±


    I open up the search bar, but Jade just flicks the video onto the screen before I¡¯ve had time to type anything in.


    <hr>


    <Announcer>


    ¡°Welcome back, viewers! This week, we¡¯re deep-diving into a world of empires, magic, politics, and far too many elves! That¡¯s right, you asked for it and we provide: today¡¯s subject is Throughout the Ages! This is Mission: Briefing, with Evelyn Hunter!¡±


    The camera pans across the applauding studio audience to a wicked synthrock riff. Hunter takes to the stage, looking as stunning as I remember. I distinctly recall having a huge crush on her when I was a teenager, along with every other boy of my generation. And plenty of the girls, too.


    <Evelyn>


    ¡°Hi everyone! I¡¯m Evelyn Hunter, and this time we¡¯re looking into something of a sleeper hit! Yes, everyone rather wrote off Throughout the Ages as a niche interest, but the word-of-mouth for this game has been insane, and it¡¯s time we paid it some attention!¡±


    I zone out for a while, as the show covers the basics of the game for the viewers who haven¡¯t heard of it. Man, this is really bringing back some memories. Nowadays, I tend to get my info on upcoming games from Jade, who scrapes forums and social media for anything relevant and makes recommendations based on what she thinks I¡¯ll like. She hasn¡¯t been wrong in a long time.


    It¡¯s one of those funny things about being paired with a human-tier AI: after a while you forget what it¡¯s like not to be able to cheat at life. All those little conveniences, those smart efficiencies, the intelligent applied predictions¡­ They add up.


    I jolt out of my reverie as the show cuts back from some basic gameplay to the stage.


    <Evelyn>


    ¡°Well, I did promise you all a special guest-host today, didn¡¯t I! Yes, we¡¯ve got one of modern gaming¡¯s most consistent characters, the vanquisher of many an MMO leaderboard, a beloved pundit and respected adversary, back on the show for the sixth time! Please welcome He Who Sees All, the conquerer of the Grand Necropolis, and Champion of the City of Bones... it¡¯s Aric Miller, aka The Beholder!!!¡±


    Cue more audience footage as the crowd goes wild. I note wryly that at least a third of the audience seems to be Aric¡¯s fans, predominately women, all screaming their heads off. He hasn¡¯t even entered the stage yet.


    Aric and I only played together briefly, at least half a decade ago, but it was always pretty clear that he was a cut above the herd. He¡¯s a good player, true, but more importantly he¡¯s a great leader and well known as a brilliant strategist. Whatever the big MMO of the moment, whatever the gimmick, whatever the meta, ¡®The Beholder¡¯ is almost certainly playing some weird, underutilised strategy that seems complete shit until his guild rolls to the top of the leaderboards with it. Then everyone copies it, of course, but by that time he¡¯s doing something completely different.


    The camera cuts back to the stage as Aric climbs the steps from the wings to the couch set, waving and smiling at the audience. He¡¯s short and stocky, chocolate-skinned, with handsome features and a jawline like a shovel. He¡¯s in good shape, I note, better than when I last saw him on anything, with a few more tattoos and a better dress sense. Mild fame has been good for him, and I¡¯m surprised by how cheered I am by that. He makes a sharp contrast with Evelyn, who towers over him while weighing about half as much, and with a skintone that suggests that she¡¯s never seen sunlight.


    I¡¯m struck by how much more adult they both look than the last time I saw either. I¡¯ve grown up, and so have my contemporaries. Christ, I hate this existential shit.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    They fistbump and sit in their respective places, and it¡¯s comforting to see that the show¡¯s kept its telltale lack of formality. That¡¯s something perpetual in gamer culture: it¡¯s hard to take formality seriously when your subculture revolves around competing in utterly contrived and absurd ways, and you have to keep a sense of humour to deal with the bullshit that plagues online matchmaking. After about ten seconds, the audience finally calms down enough for the pair to say anything - presumably the studio¡¯s equipped with riot-control water-cannons for this purpose, or something.


    <Evelyn>


    ¡°Aric, it¡¯s lovely to have you back on the show!¡±


    <Aric>


    ¡°Always a pleasure! And there¡¯s plenty to talk about with this week¡¯s topic - I¡¯ve been having a lot of fun with Throughout the Ages.¡±


    <Evelinne>


    ¡°Excellent! Aric, you¡¯re best known for incisive insight, and being able to dissect a game faster than anyone else, so I¡¯m really eager to pick your brains about development so far. Let¡¯s start at the beginning; TtA had a pretty bumpy start, didn¡¯t it?¡±


    <Aric>


    ¡°Definitely a few bumps on the road, that¡¯s for sure, although I think that¡¯s inevitable with such an ambitious project from a relatively small and unknown team. Honestly, it¡¯s amazing the game works at all - it¡¯s really innovated a lot with both the use of deep-dive tech, and with the AI. But yes, some serious teething problems.


    To run through some of the highlights, there was an unfortunate problem with Kraken pathing - basically, they¡¯d just roam up and down the rivers, which are major player hotspots, eating everything in sight.¡±


    <Evelyn>


    ¡°That¡¯s actually hilarious.¡±


    <Aric>


    ¡°Yeah, pretty funny. Unless yours was one of the tribes that got eaten, of course. Apparently one player managed to use the issue to her advantage by calling a conclave right next to the river, luring in the Kraken, and then having her centaurs scatter as the rest got eaten. A nice strat, if you can pull it off!¡±


    The footage swaps to an edited replay; Kraken tentacles throwing huge chunks of turf into the air as it sweeps up helpless tribespeople, doomed warriors silhouetted against the conclave pyre, centaurs waiting out of range, preparing to hunt down any escaped stragglers. As Aric continues over the top, I can¡¯t help but feel slightly appalled. It seems plenty of players haven¡¯t made the same connection with the AI characters I have. Or maybe they¡¯re just more ruthless.


    <Aric>


    ¡°Unsurprisingly, the centaur player¡¯s now highlighted on the official website as having the most tribe kills so far, and some of the players have put a real-money bounty on defeating her! Brutal, but very effective! ¡°


    <Evelyn>


    ¡°Yeah, the game certainly doesn¡¯t seem to pull any punches! Personally, I kinda¡¯ dig that.¡±


    <Aric>


    ¡°Me too. It certainly adds a lot of tension - the player knows they¡¯re playing for keeps, which is always a great motivator. Unfortunately, there was one bug in particular which made the game pretty unplayable for a lot of people.¡±


    <Evelyn>


    ¡°Ah, the flood of giant spiders.¡±


    <Aric>


    ¡°Exactly the one. Easily done, just a couple of zeroes of error somewhere, but as a result a particular species of giant spider was reproducing at a rate of one a minute, rather than one every 60 days.¡±


    <Evelyn>


    ¡°Ooh, that sounds bad.¡±


    <Aric>


    ¡°No kidding - and because of an oversight where they could produce a net gain in calories by eating one another, it wasn¡¯t even hard-capped by how much food they could find. By the time they reset the relevant areas of the map, it was basically an unending horde of metre-high tarantulas from horizon to horizon, stretching from the mountains to the coast, most of them fighting one another. Exponential growth at work. Against tribes wielding wooden spears, well, none of the players stood a chance.¡±


    <Evelyn>


    ¡°I believe you yourself lost a tribe to the spiders?¡±


    <Aric>


    ¡°I did indeed, but I¡¯m happy to say that I lasted longer than anyone else in my area. Thing is, you get a very small number of tech points for killing monsters - of which there were plenty, obviously. It¡¯s designed to compensate players for expanding into new territory, even if they lose a few fertile tribe members in the process. Anyway, I managed to get a pretty long way up the tech tree, get some decent defences going on a mesa, generally create a pretty difficult fort to break. I was hoping my tribe could hold out until the devs patched the issue, at which point I¡¯d have half the continent to myself, but in the end the spiders burrowed into the aquifer and came up through my wells. Just before I reached steel-working, too! Game over.¡±


    Aric laughs boomingly.


    <Aric>


    ¡°Still, nevermind! Plenty more new challenges, new opportunities!¡±


    <Evelyn>


    ¡°It didn¡¯t sour you against the game, then?¡±


    <Aric>


    ¡°Quite the opposite, actually! I was pretty impressed by how dynamic the game systems were, and how well they coped with something so utterly unforeseen as an infinite spider invasion. It ended up simulating the whole thing pretty well in a way that made sense, with all the problems you¡¯d expect - right the way down to the mental health of tribe members, who reacted pretty much how I¡¯d expect normal people to react. It was kind of amazing!¡±


    <Evelyn>


    ¡°Wow, that¡¯s actually really cool! Still, while it¡¯s impressive the game worked through it at all, doesn¡¯t it seem a bit strange that something like this wouldn¡¯t be caught in testing?¡±


    <Aric>


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s actually pretty interesting! I¡¯ve been in contact with one of the devs, and apparently most of the creatures have quite a few values which are subject to minor mutation generation-on-generation - including reproduction rate. And this, as it turns out, was an edge-case issue, where somewhere along the line a spider was born with way too short a cooldown time, and it escalated from there!¡±


    <Evelyn>


    ¡°So the whole problem stemmed from a single mutant spider?¡±


    <Aric>


    ¡°Yep! Well, that and the cannibalism bug, which they¡¯ve also fixed. But yeah, the point of it all is that, with systems this huge and multilayered, you can¡¯t possibly test for every bug. Well, not on a game development budget, anyway. Still, the devs have promised that they¡¯re substantially improving their partial-rollback systems, so if we get problems like this in future, they¡¯ll be able to fix it far faster, and with much less collateral damage. Shame, I liked Spider Holdout.¡±


    <Evelyn>


    ¡°Well, I guess that¡¯s at least some reassurance to the playerbase. I¡¯d hate to lose a tribe to a bug, especially if I¡¯d worked on it for weeks! But they can roll bugs back now?¡±


    <Aric>


    ¡°Basically, yes. In both senses! On the whole, it¡¯s a good thing this happened right at the beginning - there¡¯s now a system in place, which is good as people get increasingly invested.¡±


    <Evelyn>


    ¡°Moving on, given that you did lose your tribe, what happened then? Did you have to move to a new game on a different server?¡±


    <Aric>


    ¡°No, actually - the dev¡¯s solution is much more elegant than that. Essentially, the devs have a bunch of ¡®source¡¯ servers running, with loads of AI-controlled tribes on them, quietly building their own histories and moving up the tech tree. When a player loses, the game server copies one of these tribes over from somewhere empty on the game map and gives it to the player. To control. Obviously, an AI-controlled tribe is going to be less advanced and worse off than a player-controlled one, but it¡¯s a good starting point. A setback, but recoverable.¡±


    <hr>


    As the talkshow continues, I zone out, considering a sudden realisation.


    The goblin player we eliminated¡­ they know where we are. It would be quite possible for them to come back, eventually, and try and get their revenge.


    Oh well. It¡¯s only a game. You¡¯d have to be pretty petty to do that. Or really psychotically angry.


    I¡¯m sure it won¡¯t be a problem.

 Age of Stone: chapter 28

    ( John POV )


    My eyes skim across the page like hover-yachts tacking too and fro against the wind. Each wave is a word, understood and navigated, but giving little insight into the underlying current. I can barely remember the beginning of the sentence by the end - the overall meaning is as incomprehensible as the random noise of the ocean.


    Sighing, I put down my pad. I¡¯ll read through the design spec in the morning, when my frontal cortex is cooperating, rather than just telling me to sleep. Besides, it¡¯s nearly midnight - far too late to start working.


    But... maybe there¡¯s just enough time to take a quick dive before going to bed. It¡¯ll only take a couple of minutes, right?


    <John>


    ¡°Jade? Could you boot up TtA, please? I want to take a quick dive. Just check on the village, drift across the plains a little.¡±


    <Jade>


    ¡°Sure? You¡¯re exhausted, John - you were up half the night, fidgeting, and started the day at 5AM. You need to rest.¡±


    She doesn¡¯t sound thrilled by the idea.


    <John>


    ¡°I know, I know. Really, it¡¯ll be quick. I just need to¡­ disconnect from work a bit. Otherwise I¡¯ll be tossing and turning tonight, as well.¡±


    Jade¡¯s voice softens a little.


    <Jade>


    ¡°Oh, alright. I¡¯ll start booting it up. Actually, I hadn¡¯t mentioned it, but earlier I got a notification that we¡¯d gained an artifact. I¡¯m quite excited to see it.¡±


    I blink, a tad muzzily. Right now, I¡¯m not really ready for strategy or long term planning or, well, thinking.


    <John>


    ¡°Just as long as it doesn¡¯t take too much brainpower. I just want to feel the wind on my skin, see the moonlight. Live in a different world for a few minutes.¡±


    <Jade>


    ¡°Very poetic. Well, don¡¯t worry, I can do the thinking for you. After all, that¡¯s what I¡¯m for.¡±


    The jibe has no sting to it - I can hear the smile in her voice.


    <hr>


    I materialise above the village with a crackle of burning static. It¡¯s night in game, too, the stars standing out like dead pixels amidst the burning spans of galaxies, splayed across the moonless sky. The knots in my shoulders ease with every lungful of cool, clean air. My shoulders relax, the troubles of the other world retreat to the back of my mind, to fizzle in dark corners. I sometimes wonder why people still pay to travel the globe, when everything you could ever want is gated only by the price of a discount dive pod.


    <Jade>


    ¡°Good?¡±


    <John>


    ¡°Great! Just¡­ great. This place is such a relief after a long day of¡­ life. No deadline, no pressure, no buildings strangling the horizon. It¡¯s like a drug.¡±


    <Jade>


    ¡°It¡¯s like an addiction.¡±


    I huff at her concern and glance away, but I can¡¯t think of a riposte. After a few moments, she tries again.


    <Jade>


    ¡°Perhaps you should visit your sister. Might be nice for you to get out to the countryside for a bit. Could be a nice change of pace?¡±


    I shrug halfheartedly. Perhaps I should. Maybe later, when there are fewer contracts to complete, fewer assignments on my desk, when the kitchen¡¯s cooled enough that I wouldn¡¯t feel that I was fleeing it.


    So. No time soon, then. That¡¯s the price of the career I¡¯ve expended so much effort in building.


    <John>


    ¡°We¡¯ll see. Anyway, no use just standing here, we¡¯ve data to go over. Could you just drift us down the river while we scan today¡¯s developments?¡±


    <Jade>


    ¡°Alright, but only the important stuff. You promise we¡¯d be quick, and you¡¯d get some sleep.¡±


    Jade conjures a flying carpet from the digital ether, something bleak and elegant from some new-wave Saharan designer, and we begin to snake our way along the surface of the waterway, barely outstripping walking speed. She pulls up a pane of information with her other hand, starts swiping through data, sorting.


    <Jade>


    ¡°Ok, here¡¯s a noteworthy stat: We¡¯ve now accrued twelve advancement points since the big battle, none of which we¡¯ve spent. Only two are from the humans, the rest are all from goblins.¡±


    I let out a low whistle in appreciation.


    <John>


    ¡°Really? An additional ten goblins in¡­ maybe fourteen in-game months? That¡¯s insane population growth.¡±


    <Jade>


    ¡°Seems that goblin pregnancy takes about seven months, but quite a lot of the goblin women were already mid-pregnancy when we, ah, ¡®recruited¡¯ them. Not many new pregnancies since then, but that might change now they¡¯ve finished their nursery hut.¡±


    <John>


    ¡°That¡¯s the big dome thing they built, right?¡±


    <Jade>


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s basically just a large, armoured saferoom where they feel comfortable keeping kids. Has to be bloody huge, too, because they never let the children out. Goblins only leave the nursery when they¡¯re considered adults - which is about four years.¡±


    <John>


    ¡°Wow. Four years old and they¡¯re already considered adults? That seems fast, even adjusted for goblin-time.¡±


    <Jade>


    ¡°Not really. They aren¡¯t fully grown at that age, true - they reach their full strength at the age of seven - but that¡¯s not so different to how our humans do it. The humans are considered adults at the age of fifteen, which is pretty much consistent with a lot of historic cultures. It¡¯s honestly pretty generous, actually, by archaeological standards.¡±


    <John>


    ¡°I guess the devs wanted to avoid the whole ¡®having children at age twelve¡¯ thing. Bit of a minefield, really. And it makes sense given that goblins tend to die off at thirty. And the humans are lucky if they reach seventy, even discounting infant mortality.¡±


    <Jade>


    ¡°Yeah. They¡¯re probably going to die young whatever happens, so they have to live fast to compensate.¡±


    We fall into contemplative silence for a moment, the carpet rippling in the air currents above the river¡¯s surface. Already the village is just an indistinct blob, edging towards the horizon.


    <John>


    ¡°So, that artefact you mentioned?¡±


    Jade conjures up yet another pane from the byte-side abyss.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    *Shoreline¡¯s Bounty*


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Item awakens Nature affinity while worn


    Item awakens Water affinity while worn


    Functions as a focus for Nature magic


    Negates loss of charisma on wearer due to old age


    Durability: 98/100


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    <John>


    ¡°Well that seems¡­ Hmm. Well, that last buff seems utterly useless for us, but is probably a bit of a winner from the perspective of the bearer. Awakening multiple affinities on a person, though¡­ That seems pretty awesome! Yeah, holy shit, this is it! This is our way into opening up the magic mechanics!¡±


    <Jade>


    ¡°Don¡¯t get too overexcited - we¡¯ve already got a few awakened affinities in our tribe, and it hasn¡¯t given us a lucky break yet. Actually, the artifact¡¯s owner already had her nature affinity up and running, so we just gained a lesser water affinity user instead of both nature and water. Which is fine, but nothing world-shattering.¡±


    <John>


    ¡°Uh¡­ right. I see. If the affinities don¡¯t seem to do anything, it¡¯s probably not worth spending points to persuade her to give it to someone else. So I guess we just¡­ leave it? Unless we find something better to do with it. I suppose the worst that can happen is that we end up with a very attractive old lady.¡±This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    <hr>


    ( Nym POV )


    <Nym>


    ¡°It¡¯s my life and I¡¯ll decide what to do with it!¡±


    I storm from of my parents¡¯ hut. I don¡¯t care where I¡¯m storming to right now, it¡¯s the act of defiance that matters. That and putting some distance between my mother and I, so that tempers have time to cool off. An unhappily detached bit of my mind points out that it¡¯s mostly my temper that¡¯s glowing, and that mother was remarkably calm and reasonable under the circumstances. I decide to ignore that shard of self awareness, as angry self-pity seems a much more attractive proposition right now.


    After all, how could they?! I know what I want, and nothing they say will change that!


    As my irate stride crosses the threshold of the village, I find myself directionless. On a whim, I head towards the river; I need to be alone for a while and I know just the place.


    A few minutes pass quickly in bitter brooding and a furious pace, and I reach a small hollow in the riverbanks, where the waters form a small pool. It¡¯s not large enough to hide anything dangerous but is deep enough to swim in, and as a result has always been a favourite spot of mine.


    I don¡¯t particularly feel like braving the murky waters today - the annual rains have washed silt into the waterway and stirred it up into a muddy soup - so I find a place to perch and hang my feet in the current. The water swirls around my ankles, I watch as the resulting eddies curl and twist downstream.


    I lose track of time amidst my indignant silent recriminations, but far too soon I hear sounds approaching from the village.


    I jerk my feet back onto the bank and glance around, half-heartedly looking for somewhere to lurk out of sight, where I might be overlooked and left alone. Too late, however.


    <Lani>


    ¡°Nym. Come.¡±


    She sits on a wind-swept rock, dried by the morning sun, and indicates beside her with a tilt of the head. I pause for a moment, not exactly in the mood for conversation, wondering if I can just ignore her until my sister gives up and leaves. I abandon that hope before it¡¯s even fully formed; Lani¡¯s always been the patient one of the two of us. Instead, I bow to the inevitable and follow her command.


    <Nym>


    ¡°So, did they send you?¡±


    <Lani>


    ¡°No. I just thought I should probably come and defuse your brooding. I spotted you as you were marching through the village, loudy demonstrating your studious attention to Elder Gordune¡¯s teachings.¡±


    I glance at her in confusion. It¡¯s not as if I was preparing herbs or channeling magic...


    <Lani>


    ¡°The swearing, Nym. Your voice rather carried.¡±


    I hadn¡¯t even realised I¡¯d been cursing as I walked. Seeing my embarrassed realisation, Lani chuckles. After a moment I join her, the laughter utterly collapsing the sulk I¡¯m already struggling to maintain.


    <Nym>


    ¡°It¡¯s, um¡­ Well, you do tend to pick it up! After a while of working with the Elder, I¡¯ve sort of stopped noticing!¡±


    We share a companionable moment, grinning like idiots in the weak sun, watching the river. It can¡¯t last.


    <Lani>


    ¡°So, what did they want from you that warranted such a reaction? I haven¡¯t seen you that angry¡­ ever.¡±


    I mumble something, and edge off the boulder, but Lani snakes an arm around my waist and pulls me back down.


    <Lani>


    ¡°Come on, now. You¡¯re not getting away that easily.¡±


    I shrug, and stay silent. Lani sits, motionless, her arm not moving an inch. She watches the water as if she¡¯s prepared to do so all day. She has the unyielding patience of a hunter, honed by practice.


    I break first.


    <Nym>


    ¡°Oh, all right. Fine, you really want to know? They¡¯re trying to push me into letting them choose me a husband. There, happy?¡±


    Lani remains quiet for a while before answering.


    <Lani>


    ¡°And?¡±


    <Nym>


    ¡°And what? I don¡¯t want them to push me!¡±


    <Lani>


    ¡°They just want the best for you, you do know that right? You¡¯re almost eighteen now, you¡¯ve already waited quite a while. It can¡¯t come as a surprise.¡±


    She watches my face, and no doubt correctly interprets my utter disdain for that particular line of argument.


    <Lani>


    ¡°Alright, who did they pick.¡±


    <Nym>


    ¡°Galeo.¡±


    She winces.


    <Lani>


    ¡°Ah. I suppose he has crossed the threshold to adulthood, now. I understand that you¡¯d rather not, but there isn¡¯t anyone else close to your age available. Unless you¡¯ve another candidate.¡±


    <Nym>


    ¡°There was one.¡±


    <Lani>


    ¡°Oh! Then what¡¯s the problem? Unless¡­ Oh, no, it¡¯s not a goblin, is it Nym?!¡±


    <Nym>


    ¡°What? No! off course not, why would you even ask?¡±


    She sighs in relief and grins.


    <Lani>


    ¡°Well, you do work with the Elder, and spend more time with them than most humans. The thought had crossed my mind. Still, definitely a relief.¡±


    <Nym>


    ¡°Yeah, the parents would never accept that.¡±


    <Lani>


    ¡°Or the village. A lot of wounds still unhealed. Too many of us look at the goblins and still think of the raids. It would cause... problems.¡±


    Her mouth has compressed to a flattened slit, her riverward gaze troubled.


    <Nym>


    ¡°I¡­ hadn¡¯t realised tensions were so high.¡±


    Lani looks at me, an eyebrow raised and sudden anger in her eyes. She points to my bracelet.


    <Lani>


    ¡°Of course not! You spend all your time with them and carry that thing on your arm! Do you have any idea how insulted dad was when you went to ask a goblin for an apprenticeship, instead of him? The only reason that he didn¡¯t complain was because Jormu¡­¡±


    Suddenly, she stops, comprehension dawning. Acrimony swept aside, she grins and grabs my hand as I flinch back.


    <Lani>


    ¡°Ohhh! It¡¯s Jormund, isn¡¯t it?! You¡¯re still pinning your hopes on Jormund! I suppose I can see why, he has his father¡¯s confidence, he always looks so sure of himself! The way he was filling out, he¡¯d probably have been the biggest guy in the village in a few years, too! Honestly, Nym, I always thought you¡¯ld go for someone quiet and clever, but apparently not, eh!¡±


    She nudges me gently with her elbow, teasing me. I smirk unashamedly, secretly just glad she¡¯s recovered her good humour.


    <Nym>


    ¡°Yeah. Well. He¡¯s smart, as well as tough and self-assured. And I¡¯m pretty sure he¡¯s sweet on me.¡±


    Slowly, Lani¡¯s expression clouds.


    <Lani>


    ¡°Nym¡­ He¡¯s also gone. And he¡¯s probably not coming back. Are you really going to wait, just in the hope he¡¯ll return?¡±


    I say nothing, a warm blush warming my face as I realise how ridiculous that probably sounds. She sighs.


    <Lani>


    ¡°I see. You really are going to wait for him, aren¡¯t you. Well, the parents aren¡¯t going to be thrilled, but I understand. And, knowing you, the harder anyone tries to force you to change your mind, the harder you¡¯ll stick to that position.¡±


    I can¡¯t think of any reply to that. After all, it¡¯s the truth. I¡¯m more set on Jormund now than I was when our parents raised the subject earlier.


    Lani stares into me for a while, quiet in concerned pondering. Eventually, she seems to come to some sort of conclusion, and nods once, sharp as a flint skinning knife.


    <Lani>


    ¡°Alright. Well, you¡¯ll need allies. I¡¯ll see what I can do to get mother off your back.¡±


    She leaps up, all speed and purpose. I turn to thank her, but she¡¯s already striding away.


    <hr>


    ( Dutori POV )


    I already regret this conversation. It would have been best to stay silent.


    <Dutori>


    ¡°I¡¯m just suggesting we take a short break! Why are you reacting like this?!¡±


    <Hinyr>


    ¡°Just because I¡¯m pregnant doesn¡¯t mean that I¡¯m weak and stupid, you oaf!¡±


    <Dutori>


    ¡°I¡¯m just a little worried, that¡¯s all! It¡¯s been less than forty years since your last pregnancy, I¡¯ve never known anyone have two children so close together! I don¡¯t know that it¡¯s necessarily safe!¡±


    I¡¯m awash with conflicting emotions: honest worry over Hinyr¡¯s health, delight over the prospect of another child, residual grief for the family and friends that child will never meet, and increasing irritation at my wife¡¯s unreasonable reactions to even the mildest caution. It¡¯s enough to strain the mental discipline of even the strongest elf, and I¡¯m starting to wish for a pause if only to meditate and regain my balance.


    <Hinyr>


    ¡°Let¡¯s just keep walking! Jormund¡¯s village is supposedly nearby, we should be able to reach it in a few day¡¯s travel, at most! We just need to find the river and turn left, and then follow until we either reach it or are eaten by the wretched kraken! And then we can stay there for a decade or two, until the child is capable of travelling!¡±


    She really insists on finding somewhere to stay, which normally I¡¯d protest, but then again she¡¯s closing on the last four months of her three-year pregnancy and is looking¡­ well, encumbered.


    Honestly, I¡¯d really rather not spend the time amongst humans, but our choices in this are limited - even assuming they haven¡¯t been eaten yet.


    We march onwards in silence for a few hours, Hinyr striding ahead and setting the pace. Then, she stops.


    <Hinyr>


    ¡°Eh¡­ Dutori, am I seeing things? Or is that a Bok-Tar being lead about by some humans and a goblin?¡±


    I squint along her pointing finger, and indeed, spot the scene a few thousand strides away. Extraordinary, a giant beetle, being wrangled by tiny figures bearing nothing more than a cane and lead.


    <Dutori>


    ¡°Indeed you¡¯re not mad, my dear! The pregnancy has left your eyesight intact! Ah¡­ I¡¯ve no idea how they¡¯re doing that, however. Why is it not attacking them? And... where are they leading it?¡±


    Hinyr shrugs, and resumes the journey.


    <Hinyr>


    ¡°Does it matter? However they¡¯re doing it, we should go talk to them.¡±


    <Dutori>


    ¡°Ah¡­ Are you sure, dear? We don¡¯t know them.¡±


    She looks at me, pained, as if I¡¯ve missed something really obvious.


    <Hinyr>


    ¡°How many tribes around here do you think contain both goblins and humans? It¡¯s probably Jormund¡¯s tribe.¡±


    I suppose it¡¯s a reasonable assumption.That said, I¡¯m not sure it¡¯s must of a reason to trust them. Elves know their place in the world: to create, learn, rule, and perfect. The role of humans is to strive, no matter how hopelessly.


    I¡¯m damned if I know the purpose of goblins.

 Age of Stone: chapter 29

    ( John POV )


    In a state of pensive concentration, I sit in stoic stillness, just watching. Below me, part of my little community is gathering around our nascent herd of bok-tar. Only three of the beasts, for now, but even such a limited number adds some impressive bulk to the village. Each stands over three meters in height, six in length, covered in a battered shell of iridescent green armour. Given the impossible strength required just to carry their own bodyweight, the villagers have taken no chances, leashing each to multiple buried, near-immovable logs, set meters down into the tough riverside clay. The makeshift fibre ropes are thicker than my arm.


    From a top-down view, it¡¯s hard not to compare the three prismatic hillocks to the clump of primitive dwellings that they orbit. The dangers of this fantasy world are different to those posed by real history, I reflect, but are no less existential. If any one of those bok-tar were to object to its new life of drug-hazed servitude, a single rampage could destroy everything the village has accomplished. Well, I catch myself, everything Jade and I have accomplished. It¡¯s only a game.


    <Jade>


    ¡°John? Are you listening to a word I say?!¡±


    <John>


    ¡°Uh¡­ no, I, um, sort of tuned out for a bit. Just thinking about¡­ Nevermind. Sorry. It¡¯s been a long day, another deadline got pulled forward.¡±


    Jade sighs, as if considering rolling her eyes and then dismissing the notion.


    <Jade>


    ¡°Another long day? At this point, John, they¡¯re just normal days for you. I¡¯ve done my best to make sure you eat enough, but you¡¯re still not getting enough sleep. This isn¡¯t healthy. And that¡¯s not just my opinion, it¡¯s the opinion of the dedicated medical subroutines at the local clinic.¡±


    I look away and shrug acceptance. That Jade¡¯s worried about my work schedule isn¡¯t news. This conversation has become a routine, and that worries her, too. But the only way around it is to start declining contracts, and I spent too long without any contracts whatsoever to be that arrogant. If they¡¯re willing to pay my prices, I¡¯ll do the work.


    You could raise your prices, a little voice in my head points out. I will, I tell myself, when I¡¯ve done enough hard graft to earn a reputation.


    And you don¡¯t have one now? You¡¯ve got more work than you can handle. And most of them are repeat customers, or referrals, or industry contacts. You¡¯re just stuck in a rut, and you¡¯re afraid of past failures.


    It¡¯s been one of those weeks. I seem to lose every argument, even the ones I have with myself. I go back to watching the bok-tar, and the little goblins surrounding them.


    After a few minutes, Jade sighs again, accepting that I¡¯m not about to renounce ambition and become a monk. We drift gently downwards, until our boots find the hardened red earth, standing invisible outside the village. The conversation moves on.


    <Jade>


    ¡°Anyway. As you can see, we¡¯ve had some success with the beetles, but only some. They¡¯re docile, but we haven¡¯t been able to tame them. It could just be that we¡¯ve been unlucky, but I¡¯m starting to wonder if we¡¯re missing the relevant tech.¡±


    <John>


    ¡°Ah, blast. What do we need?¡±


    <Jade>


    ¡°I assume agriculture, but I can¡¯t check. The game only recognizes human inputs for tech.¡±


    She crosses her arms and flicks at a pebble with a disdainful toe, clad in canvas and plastic. The pebble stays obstinately static, unmoved by her whitelist permissions. Jade¡¯s eyes narrow at it.


    I let out a quick bark of laughter, the first I¡¯ve had in days, but stifle it.


    <John>


    ¡°Well, I have to rely on you, so it seems fair that you have to occasionally lean on me! And hey, at least it¡¯ll cut down on the number of bot accounts.


    But, ah, yeah, what did you want me to check? Getting the agriculture tech?¡±


    The pod reads my intentions, and before the game has even placed the words in my mouth a pane sidles out from the edge of my vision. Jade leans in, reading over my shoulder, although she could just as easily access my feed directly.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    [Unavailable] Primitive Agriculture


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Minimum requirements: 3/6


    Can lower requirements by 1 for the price of 500 points


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    I erupt in a spluttering cough at the point cost of jumping up the tech tree. It¡¯s a razor-sharp contrast to the twenty-odd points we¡¯ve jealously hoarded.


    <John>


    ¡°Uh. That¡¯s not happening. If it¡¯s agriculture we need, we¡¯re in trouble.¡±


    <Jade>


    ¡°Yeah, no kidding. Let¡¯s assume it¡¯s not. What else do we have available?¡±


    <John>


    ¡°Hmm.We¡¯re basically just looking for the ability to work with animals so... Animal husbandry?¡±


    My guess is solid, the words triggering another menu box.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    [New!] Primitive Animal HusbandryDid you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Minimum requirements: 4/4


    Cost: 10 points.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    <Jade>


    ¡°But¡­ What? Domestication¡¯s a result of agriculture, right?¡±


    I shrug. What do I know, I¡¯m just a lowly human.


    <Jade>


    ¡°That¡¯s rubbish! You don¡¯t need animals to start growing cereals!¡±


    <John>


    ¡°Well, apparently the devs disagree. Feel free to write a long rant about it on the forums, but I¡¯m heading to bed.¡±


    A yawn cements my position, letting me skirt another long diatribe from Jade on the archeological inaccuracies of the game design. Not that it¡¯s not interesting, it¡¯s just not what I need right now.


    <Jade>


    ¡°Hmph. I suppose I could, but that would give away that they¡¯re different techs. Maybe we¡¯ll get lucky, and other people won¡¯t have your creative ignorance.¡±


    I bite back a caustic response, and return to my tech purchase. A moment later, we¡¯re down to a mere twelve points, but I¡¯m feeling pretty good about the investment. This is real advancement, not just holding ground against the forces of entropy! And, frankly, Jade¡¯s right: the bizarrely obscure nature of the tech tree could buy us a decent lead.


    <John>


    ¡°It¡¯s done! What did we get with that?¡±


    <Jade>


    ¡°Let me check, let me check¡­ Ah! There¡¯s a new tab for animal taming and domesticating.¡±


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td colspan="2">


    Tameable and Domesticated Species


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Tameable Species: 0


    </td>


    <td>


    Domesticated Species: 0


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    <ul>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">EMPTY</li>


    </ul>


    </td>


    <td>


    <ul>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">EMPTY</li>


    </ul>


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    <John>


    ¡°Erm¡­ OK. So, we don¡¯t know how to tame anything yet.¡±


    <Jade>


    ¡°Nope. But at least we know it¡¯s possible!¡±


    I rub my eyes, wishing they¡¯d focus more easily. Technically, of course, all this information is being beamed straight into my visual cortex, and simulating tired eyes is entirely optional. I could switch it off, and if I were younger and more foolish, I would, rather than take it as the warning it is. I grin; at myself and my pretense of growing wiser as much as our first steps on the path to civilisation.


    Time to finish up, I admonish myself, but then catch an errant thought.


    <John>


    ¡°What was that species of... birds? Yeah, birds, the ones you were interested in? The tiny fluttering ones that build those whopping great nests on the other side of the river? With a queen bird, like bees?¡±


    <Jade>


    ¡°They¡¯re ¡®gylari¡¯, according to the Index. Why, you¡¯re not thinking of domesticating them?¡±


    <John>


    ¡°Yeah, why not? We¡¯ve paid for the tech, now we need to work with what we¡¯ve got! Let¡¯s get the show on the road! Every day counts!¡±


    <Jade>


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ not sure that¡¯s a good idea. I know you want stuff to happen, but you¡¯ve pushed this village a long way, very quickly. People don¡¯t like change, John. I mean, they still haven¡¯t even adjusted to the goblins yet. Tensions are high.¡±


    <John>


    ¡°Yeah, I know, I know. After this, we¡¯ll leave them to stew for a while, ease off the throttle. But, come on, we have to keep up with everyone else.¡±


    <hr>


    ( Gordune POV )


    I twitch abruptly from my slumber as loud shouting barges through my hut¡¯s portal. Not panicked, but incessant. I lie still, waiting, checking whether or not it¡¯s anything of sufficient urgency to stir my aching bones over. Alas, whatever foolishness they¡¯ve whipped up refuses to resolve itself, and, grumbling, I climb from my nest. Admittedly, although no sunlight glimmers through through the doorway, I¡¯m feeling fairly well rested, but the indignity of such an awakening is offensive in and of itself!


    Shouldering my way out of my hut, I grind the gum from my eyes before glaring into the silvered darkness. As always, I¡¯m greeted with chaos, but this lacks the cheerful bustle of a normal morning. Instead, beneath a strong midnight moon, my descendants are scampering in frantic efficiency, joined by a few, stumbling humans. Others from around the village are coming to the same conclusions I have, blundering from their huts with sleep-slurred complaints and generally adding to the general pandaemonium. I spot that elf - Duloni? Dartori? Dutori? - scowling at the scene. He, like myself, seems more perturbed by the disruption of his sleep than by the content of the shouting.


    The difference is, I¡¯ve encountered this scene before. His indifference is just the inherent arrogance of all elves. How any of them manage to survive at all continues to amaze me.


    Shaking my head, I wander through the chaos, waiting for a goblin to pass within easy grabbing distance. A Grandson of mine, from my third wife, possibly.


    <Gordune>


    ¡°Where is he?¡±


    He points wordlessly towards the edge of the village.


    Ah, the bok-tar. I should have know. Sighing, I push him onwards in his task, and continue. Wincing, I wish I¡¯d brought my walking stick, my knees always being stiff after a nap. Blast, I should have got that anklebiter to fetch it for me. Bah, nevermind. Best just to reach the source of the confusion and sit down.


    After a few minutes of dignified midnight wandering, I collar the cause of all this ruckus, crouching in the gloom, tossing orders and demands at whomever is closest to him.


    <Gordune>


    ¡°Kali! Could this not have waited until morning, you wretched young night-breaker?! I daresay half the orders you¡¯re giving out are being entrusted to humans, and they can¡¯t even see at a time like this!¡±


    Kali ignores my admonishments, as he always does in such situations. Instead, his crooked teeth gleam in the darkness, framed by one of his more crazed grins.


    <Kali>


    ¡°Grandfather! I can see it! Oh yes, Kali knows what to do! It¡¯s so clear, I need to catch it! Now, like a moonbeam, not when it¡¯s evaporated in the sun!¡±


    Catching moonbeams, eh? Knowing Kali, I suppose it¡¯s possible. And I suppose it¡¯s too late to stop him now - his excited decrees have diminished in volume and frequency in any case. Besides, when Kali gets into this mood, his mind is at its sharpest and most fragile, like splintered flint.


    Best simply to let him get on with it, task a few whippersnappers with his protection, and fashion a few earplugs before returning to bed.


    <Gordune>


    ¡°Alright, I suppose you¡¯d better get on with your moonbeam catching. Whatever madness you¡¯re doing, no doubt it¡¯ll come in useful somehow. It always does, or I¡¯d clip you round the ear more often, oh yes I would! Bah, nevermind. I¡¯ll get something nourishing boiling for when you¡¯re done. Come and see me, eh? And shout more quietly!¡±


    I¡¯ve already lost Kali¡¯s attention, not being directly relevant to the current project. He¡¯s already returned to his commands, and fiddling with materials as they come in, and gazing with glazed eyes into machinations only he can see. Off to one side, his sister sits, watching patiently, waiting for when he inevitably collapses from overexertion and strain.


    Turning away, I make my way towards Madok¡¯s hut, to explain the interruptions. I fear for Kali, when I¡¯m gone. The strangest anklebiter, he was, made stranger by ideas even an elder like myself cannot contemplate. I let out another sigh, the deepest of the night so far.


    I truly wonder how Kali won Jormund¡¯s friendship. I wonder how Jormund won Kali¡¯s.


    I wonder where Jormund is now.

 Age of Stone: chapter 30

    ( Jormund POV )


    The last rays of a hot sun linger on the savannah, scorching the cracked earth and dry grasses. I shield my weary eyes against the relentless golden onslaught, and hurry down the bank to the shade of a rank of tynhart trees. Their roots spread in great knee-high awnings, capable of weathering the current in the wet season and plunging deep into the gritty riverbed to provide during the dry season. Good cover, from the sun and anything else that might be watching. I pick my way across the tangle of knotted wood to a small clearing, and pause, eyes closed, enjoying the relatively cool provided by the copse.


    Alas, I can¡¯t take too long. We should have made camp an hour ago, but Alta? spotted this site on the treeline and insisted we continue. I hadn¡¯t expected it to take an hour of stiff march, though; once again I underestimated elven eyes. Still, it was worth it for the shade, even if it does mean we¡¯re low on supplies.


    <Jormund>


    ¡°Jade¡¯s Blessing, it¡¯s good to get out of the sun. No time left to hunt today, though.¡±


    <Alta?>


    ¡°Um¡­ We¡¯ve still have some smoked fish from that last village, but not much. Still, now we¡¯ve made the treeline, maybe we can take a day to resupply, huh?¡±


    <Jormund>


    ¡°Yeah. Yeah, ok, I¡¯ll see what I can catch tomorrow. It¡¯d be nice to round out the fish, though. I¡¯ll get a fire going, before it gets dark, if you want to go see what you can find?¡±


    She nods absentmindedly, swinging her pack onto a flattish tangle of roots. I unwind my shirt from around my neck, wincing at the sunburn. Bizarrely, Alta?¡¯s golden skin doesn¡¯t seem to burn or blister, no matter how far we walk beneath the merciless sun. I¡¯d feel bitter if I wasn¡¯t enjoying the view so much.


    I suspect the sentiment may be mutual. Alta? is watching me put my shirt back on with barely-concealed interest.


    <Alta?>


    ¡°Hmmmm. That ¡®sunburn¡¯ thing does seem terribly uncomfortable, from how you describe it. I¡¯ll look out for any videleaf, I hear it¡¯s good for strange skin conditions. You just mash up the leaves and¡­ rub it in. I¡¯m sure I can manage that.¡±


    She winks and grins.


    <Jormund>


    ¡°Uh. Um. I¡¯ll be fine. It¡¯s hardly the first time I¡¯ve been out in the heat. So¡­ Uh. How much farther do you think the Gathering is?¡±


    She doesn¡¯t push at my clumsy change of subject.


    <Alta?>


    ¡°Well, the Heralds said that it was about a month travel from where we met them. And we¡¯ve made good time. So maybe another... nine days? If they were right. But I¡¯m not sure whether to trust you short-liveds on matters of time, it must be difficult to keep track at the speed at which you hurtle through it.¡±


    I ignore the casual racism. After a month and a half, I¡¯ve just tuned it out as an underlying feature of elvish conversation.


    <Jormund>


    ¡°I can¡¯t wait to see it. Jade knows, I doubt I¡¯ll ever see so many people in the same place again, let alone from so many tribes and places! Whatever happens, it¡¯ll be interesting!¡±


    <Alta?>


    ¡°And fun, probably! I just hope it doesn¡¯t prove too overwhelming for the non-elves, that might be bad. Anyway, I¡¯m so happy you managed to convince Uncle to let you accompany me. I¡¯ve really enjoyed your company.¡±


    She steps up beside me and snakes an arm around my waist. She¡¯s smiling at me expectantly. I almost decide to see where this is all leading, but then remember that the sun¡¯s going down and there¡¯s work to be done.


    Carefully, I disentangle myself, to Alta?¡¯s clear displeasure.


    <Jormund>


    ¡°Ah, we¡¯ve still got a lot to do. I need to get some wood together before I lose the light altogether.¡±


    Alta? pouts, and stalks off, which has the unfortunate effect of drawing my eye to, um¡­


    Actually, that¡¯s probably intentional.


    I shake my head clear, and head off in the opposite direction, looking for fallen branches and dragging them back to our makeshift campsite. My mind wanders, and I think back to the Heralds we met along the road. Centaurs, a pair of them, well armed and well supplied, covering ground and spreading the word of a mighty Gathering. Representatives from a score of tribes, brought together for some mighty unknown purpose. It had caught my attention, of course - this, perhaps, was it, what I had been searching for. And Alta? seemed to think it would be some enormous festival, and had convinced herself that I was escorting her to it as some sort of bodyguard.


    Elven psychodramas are beyond mortal comprehension, or at least beyond my motivation to pick apart. I just let her get on with it, whatever it is.


    I pick up another fallen branch and start carrying it back to camp.


    <hr>


    After our makeshift repast, Alta? informs me that she¡¯s going to wash off the road dust in the river, and seems put out when I don¡¯t bother telling her that¡¯s a stupid idea and that she might be eaten by a kraken. She¡¯s an adult, or older than me, in any case. She can take her own risks. Besides, I¡¯m too worn out from the hike, and starting yet another campfire with rubbing sticks. Worth it, mind, if we¡¯re going to stay another day.


    I¡¯m feeling curiously nostalgic for home and the many little tasks of my old routine. Gathering firewood, preparing food, guarding the smoking racks¡­ lots to do, but there were always people to talk to and to lend a hand. Whereas I feel horribly exposed out here.


    In the flickering gloom, I think back to the night when everything changed. I¡¯ve often wondered how that night would have ended had the goblins not attacked, just Nym and I standing guard in the darkness.


    She managed to surprise me by filching a little of the brew reserved for the adults, and we shared it in the quiet by the racks. She always seemed so innocent, but that evening revealed a new side of her to me. Someone not afraid to take risks, willing to break the rules if that¡¯s what her goals required. It was a different Nym, and I found that strangely attractive.


    I remember the feelings that I had for her, strong at the time, but buried beneath so much road dust that I¡¯m no longer completely sure they¡¯re there. It all seems so¡­ far away. Distance and time, they do funny things to the heart.


    I used to think that she was gorgeous, but her memory seems dull when I¡¯m travelling with Alta?. How can any human compare to an elf?


    I sigh, and retrieve my bedroll from my pack. It¡¯s not much, a few skins sewn together, but it¡¯s enough to ease out the pebbles and hold in the heat as the nights get colder.The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    Speaking of which, the temperature is dropping. I busy myself with sweeping a patch clear of grit and unlacing the roll.


    A tap on the shoulder startles me.


    <Alta?>


    ¡°You don¡¯t mind sharing that, do you?¡±


    I turn, mustering some half-hearted excuse, but it all drops away, like my jaw and most of the bloodflow to my brain.


    Behind me stands Alta?.


    She is very, and rather pointedly, naked.


    It¡¯s almost impossible to say no to a naked elf.


    <hr>


    ( Huron POV )


    The smoke is still rising from the remnants of the village behind us, the black column a marker of the graves of our victims. My warriors, clad in soot-stained leather, travel in a black column of a different sort. They¡¯re in good cheer, the bearer goblins laden heavily with stolen goods and the human spearhands escorting many captives.


    <Lux>


    ¡°I¡¯m pleased to report minimal losses and few wounded, sir. Once Litra burnt their chieftain alive the fight seemed to go out of them. Most surrendered.¡±


    The sight of my tribe charging the opponent camp made me feel something inexpressible. Power, and control, and unrelenting violence applied to my purpose, a certainty of brutal victory and total domination.


    I¡¯m already longing to feel it again. I watch my warriors for a moment, enjoying the moment of triumph, before returning to the task at hand.


    <Huron>


    ¡°Yes, yes, minimal losses, but give me numbers, Lux. How many, and from which warbands?¡±


    <Lux>


    ¡°Eleven goblin slaves, sir, spread roughly equally between the bands. A single goblin warrior from Litra¡¯s Guard. No human losses, but two wounded, both should recover to full fitness.¡±


    I turn to take a last look at the distant remnants of the vanquished village. Little remains but ash and rubble and broken bodies. The only survivors will be those too weak to enslave and too pathetic to be worth the effort of killing. I have no doubt their master will abandon this tribe as the failure it is. All the better for me - a new tribe may spawn in its place, with fresh picking for my warbands.


    <Huron>


    ¡°Acceptable, Lux, if imperfect. But perhaps that is not an issue. Pain is a powerful teacher.¡±


    After my defeat at the hands of the human-wolfkin alliance, I¡¯d similarly abandoned my first tribe. However, I¡¯d learnt from my defeat. The power of the fast-growing goblins was undoubtedly significant, but I needed to temper it with stronger, wiser units. The answer, of course, being a caste system - goblins at the bottom, humans in the middle, and a few elves at the top. Plenty of muscle, plenty of skills, each in their rightful place.


    Unfortunate, really, that I¡¯d only had enough points for three elves. A mighty king, served by his powerful and loyal twin sons¡­ it¡¯s a good image, that¡¯s for sure. It¡¯s not exactly a stable population, though, and I¡¯d dumped a bunch of points into a major buff on them:


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td colspan="3">


    Tribal blessings


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    The Burning Bloodline


    (450 points)


    </td>


    <td>


    A spark of something greater burns in their blood. This bloodline is granted the power and temperament to lead. The inheriting line always has a high-grade fire affinity.


    </td>


    <td>


    <ul>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Fire Affinity always awakens by adulthood.</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Major Fire Affinity buff for inheriting line.</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Blessing diminishes with dilution of bloodline from inheriting line.</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Hidden temperament modifiers.</li>


    </ul>


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    It was too tasty to pass up, but now I¡¯m beginning to question my gamble. A few unlucky deaths and I could lose the point investment entirely, and I¡¯d underestimated how hard it is to find other elves. Why the bloody hell can¡¯t I find any elven women to capture?!


    I glance back at the giant column of smoke behind us. Hmm. Maybe that¡¯s why, now that I think about it. There are¡­ logistical difficulties in capturing people who can see you coming and run much faster than you can.


    I allow myself to be gently tugged along by the steady progress of my black-clad warband, quietly turning the puzzle over in my mind. I need speed, and stealth, neither of which are especially available. That, or I need a sucker punch. Plans spin and tumble behind my eyes, but few of them pass muster.


    Below me, Litra, my powerful elven princeling, barks an order, pointing somewhere off and to the left. A ripple moves up the line, the humans beating the goblin slaves into silence. Slowly, chaos coalesces into order, and the warriors form a wide semicircle, prepared to receive some as-yet-unknown threat.


    <Huron>


    ¡°Lux! What am I looking at?!¡±


    <Lux>


    ¡°The elf claims to have spotted interlopers, sir. A pair of what, judging by his description, must be centaurs, heading towards us. He¡¯s ordered a cautious reception, sir. Would you like me to override that?¡±


    <Huron>


    ¡°No¡­ No. I¡¯m curious. Let us wait and see. It will be informative.¡±


    And maybe, just maybe, might provide some new angle to exploit. One never knows.


    We wait a while. I get Lux to speed my perception a little, letting me skip most of the forty odd minutes it takes for the centaurs to reach the party. I find some minor amusement from the high-speed twitching of the goblins as I wait the, subjective, minute and a half. And then, without Lux warning me, my minions return to their normal speed, and I hear the muffled thump of hooves on hard ground.


    The centaurs burst from the golden grass into the centre of the semicircle in tandem, rearing most impressively. Each stands well over elf-height, well-muscled in both human and equine aspect, their burnt-dark skin blending seamlessly into black fur. Great antlers grow from their foreheads, and each carries a lance capable of spitting a dozen men.


    Slowly, they come to bay, circling a few times, guarding one another¡¯s backs as they stare down the assorted human-goblin horde. It comes as something as a surprise that, when they speak, it¡¯s in rather quiet and measured tones.


    But then, they¡¯re carrying very large sticks indeed.


    <Herald>


    ¡°We are Heralds of the Sovereign. We grant you invitation to a great Gathering, far from here.¡±


    <Herald>


    ¡°Great secrets shalt be revealed. Power and privilege shalt be won by those who would risk all.¡±


    <Herald>


    ¡°The echo of a new power shall emerge as a mighty thunder!¡±


    <Herald>


    ¡°Hark, for we gift you the privilege of an invitation never to be bested!¡±


    Their tone rises in a long crescendo, each leading perfectly into the declaration of the other, and they conclude their invitation with a mighty roar. It echoes in the sudden silence.


    When the silence is broken, it is by a low chuckle. Litra steps into the semicircle, robes of red and black fluttering in the gentle breeze.


    <Litra>


    ¡°And what a compelling invitation you make, Heralds. I don¡¯t suppose more information might be forthcoming?¡±


    <Herald>


    ¡°Now is not the time or place for the secrets of the Gathering. We are permitted to give you only the invitation, and directions to attend it.¡±


    The scene falls silent once again.


    <Litra>


    ¡°...Yes? And those directions are?¡±


    <Herald>


    ¡°Place the midday sun on your back until you find the river, and follow its flow until you reach the mighty ocean. Where they meet, you shall find the Gathering. You must go quickly, however - it begins at the next convergence of the two moons.¡±


    <Litra>


    ¡°I see! I see! How marvellous! Yes, this sounds most intriguing!¡±


    He chuckles again, a sound of rich mirth all the more curious for its seeming lack of cause. Then, he breaks it off, suddenly. He snaps his fingers, fiery sparks spraying from them onto the dry ground.


    <Litra>


    ¡°Ah! I almost forgot. I shall be frank, Heralds, I do not like those who stand above me, nor those who seek to awe me with strength. So, a choice, ¡®Heralds¡¯. Bow down to me, or accept the¡­ consequences.¡±


    The Heralds do not move. I lean down, fascinated despite myself. I¡¯ve come to rather appreciate Litra¡¯s approach to life. It¡¯s so refreshingly unbound by consequence.


    Below, a long moment of stillness, the only movement the rippling of the grasses and the trembling of the goblins. Then, Litra shrugs, a smirk flickering across his lips.


    <Litra>


    ¡°So be it! I shall treasure your antlers.¡±


    The Heralds move instantly, as one, but they are far too late. I close my eyes and listen to the screams as the blood ignites in their veins.

 Age of Stone: chapter 31

    ( Nym POV )


    Sunlight streams in through the doorframe of my family¡¯s hut, pooling in my lap as I rhythmically work the mortar and pestle in my corner. I hum tunelessly to myself, in a state of tedious routine, my mind skimming across the surface of the moment without ever dipping into thought. Eventually, just as the dried herbal flakes are crushed to a satisfactorily dust-like consistency, my mother casts a shadow over me as she stoops through the entrance. I blink at the interruption and retreat from my detachment, placing the tool aside with a sigh as she starts delegating to me. My joints crackle as I massage life back into them, chores lining up ahead of me like empty stomachs before the cooking fire. Still, it was nice while it lasted.


    The contents of the pestle go into a final bowl, and I carefully juggle my three charges in two hands as I climb from the packed earth. Two for my regular charges, and one for Kali.


    Boy, that was a strange request:


    <Nym>


    "So... you want me to make a, a lure of some sort? To attract a Gylari queen to that weird construct thing you built?"


    <Kali>


    "Yes, of course! Good idea, no, hmm?"


    I hadn¡¯t quite the heart to tell him that no, no that sounds like a crazy and pointless idea. And¡­ an awful lot of Kali¡¯s successes start as madness.


    <Nym>


    "Uh¡­ ok. Yeah, I think I can do that. But¡­ why not ask Gordune? Actually, why not just get one of the hunters to capture one for you? Or, or, it¡¯s exactly the kind of stupidly-difficult challenge the boys like..."


    Kali¡¯s gaze had flickered and twitched like a cruel imitation of paranoia. His attempts at subterfuge wouldn¡¯t deceive a child, but might give it nightmares.


    <Kali>


    "Grandfather is, ah... not pleased with me, no. Ever so displeased, even. Not after I woke the camp in that, well, burst of inspiration, yes? He was most terribly wrothful, once I had returned to myself enough to appreciate it. Kali¡¯s not so foolish to ask a favour of a medicine man before they¡¯ve forgiven Kali. That would be terribly foolish indeed! No, no. But he¡¯s taking so long to forget, and he¡¯s always grumpy from talking to humans-"


    He froze, guiltily, as his sense of discretion caught up with his mouth. I decided not to comment on his anti-human slip, not least because it¡¯s true: Gordune always descends into a poor mood after dealing with politics, and tensions are high at the moment. I¡¯ve taken to avoiding him, too, some days.


    Of course, Kali¡¯s antics have made the situation worse. And that elf keeps stoking the fire. I just wish I knew why.


    <Nym>


    "Ah¡­ The hunters. Go to them."


    <Kali>


    "No, no, that¡¯s ridiculous! Absurd, yes! A caged bird will only stay so long as the door is shut, and they will not come back! Better to lure it in, yes? Yes! So, you can do it? Good! Excellent! Today?"


    He rushed on, trampling any well-founded objections I tried to form: that it was a ridiculous idea, that my capture strategy was much more sensible, and that I had no idea how to make such a lure. Not even this last one seemed to phase him, a faith in my abilities that was slightly touching. Eventually, I caved in.


    <Nym>


    "Look, no promises, but I¡¯ll try. But, but, I¡¯m not spending too much time on this. You need to gather the ingredients for me. And¡­ favour for a favour. I want something in return."


    Kali froze, his perpetual vibrations suddenly stilled as his yellow eyes grow pensive, and altogether too perceptive.


    <Kali>


    "Yes. Yes! A favour¡­ a new hut, for yourself, alone, your own. Deliverable on success, heh. Deal?"


    Always stay on your toes with Kali. Because he seems mad-yet-harmless, right up until he spears the heart of a problem in a single, impossible stroke.


    Now I couldn¡¯t fail.


    <hr>


    ( Zane POV )


    I push open my door in order to carry my luggage inside.


    <Zane>


    "Deactivate sleep mode, AI-personality construct Anno."


    It¡¯s good to be back home, not that I didn¡¯t enjoy the family weekend of course, but being cut of from the rest of the world feels weird.


    <Anno>


    "Welcome back sir! How was the family outing?"


    <Zane>


    "It was nice and refreshing like always, and what did you do during sleep mode?"


    <Anno>


    "I ran a few basic software scans and decided to read some strategy guides that missus Jade recommended."


    Anno continues to casually babble on, while I clean out my luggage. We do this at least once every year just me, my brothers, mom and dad come together and spend a long weekend at the farm our grandparents own, there is only one rule: no electronics at all.


    So Anno and I decided to just use these weekends to put Anno into sleep modus, which allows him to do some basic software updates, and Anno also insisted that I shouldn¡¯t allow him acces to the internet either, something about sharing the burden, he is silly that way.


    <Zane>


    "Anno, can you please start up TtA, I would like to check up on my tribe."


    <Anno>


    "Of course sir."


    <hr>


    When I materialize inside of my tribe I can still see some of the far of mountains rendering in background.


    I would like to enjoy the view a bit longer before delving into the game but something pops-up before I have a chance.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td colspan="2">


    Personal Quest: Last hunt of the Alpha


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td colspan="2">


    Many years have passed since the Alpha rose to power,This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    Now he feels his strength waning and so he prepares for his last hunt.


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Quest Objective


    </td>


    <td>


    Reward


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Successfully kill an Apex Predator


    </td>


    <td>


    Wandering Wolfkin are more likely to join your tribe until five years after the death of the Alpha


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    <Anno>


    "Oh sir look it¡¯s a Quest. Shall I look through those strategy guides I mention earlier for an answer?"


    I throw a surprised look at Anno.


    <Zane>


    "I doubt that any of those guides actually talk about this game, and I would prefer to just do this one by myself, especially since it seems repeatable."


    I wonder whether there are any hidden bonuses that can be complete? According to Jade there definitely are hidden triggers for unlocking new tech paths, so it would be a possibility.


    The Apex predator in our local region is the Ardron, but I don¡¯t think challenging one of those will be a good idea, even if we use most of the tribe the armour is to think and the damned things need to get but a singular hit in order to kill. Then again I should assume most Apex predators only need one hit.


    <Zane>


    "I need to arrange a meeting with Jade and John in order to talk about this. Anno is there anything else that I need to check?"


    <Anno>


    "Just checking now sir! Hmm, we have finally getting over those losses we suffered from the goblin attacks, the food stockpiles have dropped below normal levels due to the winter snow making some of the higher hunting grounds inaccessible in addition to this something else seems to be coming down from the higher regions in order to hunt but we don¡¯t know what, and¡­."


    Sir, you should take a look at this.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td colspan="3">


    Tribal overview


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    In-game name:


    </td>


    <td>


    Tribe of the Mountain Cave


    </td>


    <td>


    Change


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Species


    </td>


    <td>


    Wolfkin


    </td>


    <td>


    Population Details


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Territory Size


    </td>


    <td>


    8 Square Miles


    </td>


    <td>


    Map Details


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    [New] Majority Beliefs (+30%)


    </td>


    <td>


    The Jade Mother


    (Lesser spirit of Prosperity)


    </td>


    <td>


    Religion Manager


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    That seems¡­ oddly familiar.


    I slowly reach for the Religion manager tab, hesitant to see what details it contains.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td colspan="3">


    Religion Manager


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Supported beliefs


    </td>


    <td>


    Accepted beliefs


    </td>


    <td>


    Forbidden beliefs


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td></td>


    <td>


    The Jade Mother


    (Lesser spirit of Prosperity)


    </td>


    <td></td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    When I select ¡°The Jade Mother¡± it gives me the options to change its status or to see its details.


    I immediately select the details option and once more I am greeted by a screen.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td colspan="2">


    Religion Overview


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Name


    </td>


    <td>


    The Jade Mother


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Domain


    </td>


    <td>


    Family


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Category


    </td>


    <td>


    Lesser Spirit


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Blessings


    </td>


    <td>


    Fertility


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Wards


    </td>


    <td>


    Health


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Acts of worship


    </td>


    <td>


    Successful pregnancies,


    Having above average family size for the species (yearly bonus),


    Cause of death: old age


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    By performing Acts of worship your tribe members will generate faith points for the founder of the belief. The founder can spend faith points on blessings, wards or upgrades for his belief.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    <Zane>


    "Anno get me an appointment with Jade and John. Now!"


    <hr>


    ( Nym POV )


    I have been trying for days but I can¡¯t find anything, nothing at all!


    I stop myself just before I threw the bowl I was working with across the room.


    I sigh, and get up from my spot.


    I need to calm down¡­ and get myself cleaned my clothes are covered in all kinds of different stains, some from dry herbs, some from ground up roots, others from¡­ I am not even certain anymore what they are from.


    After getting some fresh clothes I leave the hut.


    A goblin quickly jumps up.


    <Vis>


    "What do I need to bring this time?"


    I quickly wave my hand to signal that I don¡¯t need anything.


    I still haven¡¯t managed to find Kali since he shoved those terms on me but somehow he arranged it so that there is always at least one goblin nearby to aid me.


    Gradually over the course of a few days I even became friends with one of them.


    <Nym>


    "Actually, Vis? Can you give a message to your brother? I would like to speak with him about his payment when I finish his request."


    <Vis>


    "I can try but you know how he acts."


    I give her a small smile and head of towards a little grove of tree near to the river.


    Once there I put my fresh clothes on the side and throw my filthy ones on a heap close to the water before dipping in myself.


    It feels good cleaning the (grub,crud,...) off and having the chilly water on my skin.


    I am a bit sore still from sitting down mixing grinding and drying herbs most of the day, but that nothing I can¡¯t fix with some simple magic.


    I close my eyes and concentrate, feeling my own body with the magic finding all the sore spots and giving them a quick burst of healing.


    It¡¯s pretty much all I know how to do currently, Gordune said to first practise on myself before trying on anything else.


    Having found all of the sore spots I do a simple once over.


    Starting at between my shoulder blades and then spreading like a wave from there over the rest of my body, I try to end slightly above my navel but somehow end up on the palm of my left hand.


    Angrily I open my eyes and lift the hand to eye-height, only to have the water follow it, like a big blob.


    <Nym>


    "That¡¯s... new?"


    A branch breaks somewhere behind me.


    I swivel around in a single motion and somehow part of the water around my arm flies in the direction of the sound.


    I hear a shout of surprise and someone quickly runs away.


    I glare in the direction of the sound, it must have been Galeo.


    Even after making it very clear that I have someone else in mind, he still thinks he stands a chance. Maybe now he will stay away.


    I look back to the blob of water which remained on my arm, which now it isn¡¯t even connected to the surface anymore.


    Noticing that its not centered on my hand but on the jade embedded bracelet I close my eyes and whisper quietly to myself


    <Nym>


    "Jade mother, if you can hear me, please watch out for Jormund."

 Age of Stone: chapter 32

    ( Litra POV )


    The latest set of emissaries leaves our camp, and when they are out of earshot my brother erupts in annoyance.


    <Toran>


    "That¡¯s it I am done! It¡¯s of no use.


    Nobody is willing to give an answer before this Sovereign person, makes her announcement."


    <Litra>


    "We have to try anyway. Think of the future of our family."


    <Toran>


    "Of course family is important but I don¡¯t want to choose a random girl to become my wife, I want someone who understands me, not someone who is only with me because of tribal politics."


    I smile lightly when he talks about his dreams, but then again why not give him a chance.


    <Litra>


    "You know what, go and find yourself a girl, I don¡¯t really mind a political coupling."


    Surprised he turn towards me. He opens his mouth to speak but I interrupt him before he even gets a word out.


    <Litra>


    "In exchange, promise me that if you haven¡¯t found anyone during the next five years that you will get yourself a political coupling.


    After all I can¡¯t keep dad of your back forever."


    <Toran>


    "I¡­


    why would¡­.


    Thank you."


    <Litra>


    "Don¡¯t thank me after all, you would have done the same for me, right brother?"


    I stretch out my hand for him to shake it and he eagerly grabs it into a warriors grip, each of us holding the others wrist.


    <Toran>


    "So I would, but again thank you."


    <hr>


    ( Jormund POV )


    With a final heave I throw my opponent over my shoulder, with a heavy impact he lands a few strides behind me.


    The cheers that erupt all around tell me that he is out of bounds.


    I walk up to him and reach out my arm.


    <Jormund>


    "That was the longest fight I had so far, well fought."


    He grabs my hand and pulls himself up. His brown skin in stark contrast with my own.


    <Disor>


    "Same to you, but you do owe me a drink if you don¡¯t win the tournament, alright?"


    Laughing loudly I knock on his back.


    <Jormund>


    "You just want a free drink, there is no chance I win in a wrestling match against a centaur or a wolfkin."


    <Disor>


    "I would have won, so it¡¯s only fair you pay for my missed victory drink!"


    I shake my head, and promise to find him once I knocked out or won the tournament.


    I can barely belief that it has already been four days since Alta? and I have reached the gathering, at first we were both surprised by the sheer amount of people so we spend the first few days setting up camp and getting used all of it together.


    But after a two day we decided to go our own ways during the day, while spending the nights together.


    So far all of it has been time well spent.


    And first I was just walking around helping people where they needed it but after a while I ended up at these tournament grounds, with so many people around people decided to challenge each other and from one thing came another.


    While thinking about all of this someone motioned for me to come over.


    It seems my next match is ready.


    When I see that my opponent is a centaur I sign and prepare myself for a long fight.


    The colour of his fur blends almost perfectly over into his darkly tanned skin almost until the point that it¡¯s near impossible to see where either one starts or ends.


    However his antlers have only a single branch, I might still have a chance since this means that this is his first year into adulthood.


    <hr>


    ( Toran POV )


    I must admit that the tournament ground probably weren¡¯t the best place to go find a girl I might fancy, everybody here seems only interested in sweaty muscles and strength.


    And I used to think I was a strong warrior, now I know that the warriors in my tribe were keeping back, probably because if they were to hurt either me or Litra, father would have them severely punished.


    Apparently not many here are gifted with a magical affinity, those that are gather a small distance away from the main camp.


    I am certain that I will take a look before leaving, but they aren¡¯t really what I am looking for.


    I am about to leave when I spot one match that catches my attention, a human with a skin much paler than most of the locals facing a centaur, normally a one sided match but this one seems to be lasting for a while now and is really starting attract some attention.


    The human is clearly starting to get winded from continually dodging the centaurs charges, not that he has a choice since the difference in mass means that he doesn¡¯t stand a chance in a fight of brute strength.


    The centaur on the other hand is clearly getting annoyed and seems about to lose his temper.


    While circling each other, with each step a small cloud of dust rises up before settling on their sweat soaked skin. But their gazes are locked together, making sure they don¡¯t miss a single move..


    A few feints happen from the centaur, most of which get called by the human until he dodges backwards which brings him to close to the edge.This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    The centaur charges knowing that the human doesn¡¯t have any room to properly dodge, knowing the bout is over I prepare to turn away, but then I notice the human smiling.


    In a sudden burst of speed he takes two steps forwards and takes a solid low stance, then he grabs the centaurs left foreleg and throws his entire weight to his own right, causing the centaur to topple and make a heavy fall.


    There is a sudden silence while both warriors get back up.


    <Toran>


    "He is out."


    My words sound over the entire area like a bell, people look surprised at me and then back to the arena.


    The centaur is clearly standing outside of the arena with both of his hind legs.


    The following wave of sound is overwhelming, the crowd that gathered goes wild.


    The centaur walks of clearly upset while the human walks up to the organizer of the tournament and having a small talk before leaving.


    The risks involved in taking that move were immense but even so he willing threw himself in front of a centaur with only his bare hands, willing to risk almost everything for a simple victory.


    By now most of the crowd has cleared out and it seems like the tournament is finished for today.


    Since there isn¡¯t anything left that catches my attention, I decide to follow his example and leave looking towards place which is more to my liking.


    <hr>


    <Toran>


    "Old fools all of them!"


    I have never been this humiliated in my live! I went and tried to talk to the other people with magical affinity but all of them are overly secretive of their gift and refuse to talk to practically anyone but their students.


    In addition they didn¡¯t even believe me when I said that had a magical talent, they just scoft and said that every youngster that came looking for them said the same, none even bother to save me a second glance.


    I can feel the rage burning in my veins, the call of the fire which I carry within me asking to be released.


    Without even thinking I focus the heat from the nearby rocks and the light of the evening sun in my palms before hurling it up into the air.


    The immediate area is cast within a deep dark red, like blood from a fresh quarry.


    Immediately I feel much better, maybe a bit peckish after all that was a large amount energy I threw into that flare.


    <Alta?>


    "Was that you?"


    Surprised I turn around, and before me stands a young elven maiden around my age, her hair reflecting the light of my flare in many strange and beautiful patterns.


    Caught of guard, I stand frozen for a second before awkwardly running a hand through my hair.


    <Toran>


    "Ah.. yes?


    I am sorry if I disturbed you¡­"


    <Alta?>


    "Why would apologize?


    It¡¯s so pretty looking, I have never seen anyone do anything like it before."


    While talking she walked closer but because she was looking up at the flair she missed a step, and started falling.


    Promptly I stepped forward and stopped her from falling.


    <Toran>


    "Are you alright?"


    <Alta?>


    "Yes, thank you.


    If you would allow me to ask, can you do more of these?"


    Still in my arms she lifts her right arm and points at the flare, which is now losing in power and lowering to the ground.


    <Toran>


    "I could but I would like a single favour in exchange."


    Her eyes rapidly shift their focus away from the remnants of light and towards my face, and I can feel her tensing up in my arms.


    <Alta?>


    "And what would that be?"


    <Toran>


    "The first thing that I would ask of you is your name."


    She relaxes instantly, and as if only just realizing the position we are in, rapidly untangels herself from my arms and stands up.


    <Alta?>


    "My name is Alta?."


    <Toran>


    "And mine is Toran, now I have one more request, could you show me around camp, although I have been here for a few days now I haven¡¯t had much time to explore."


    She giggles, and a slight blush appears on her cheeks.


    <Alta?>


    "I would gladly show you all the places of the gathering, from the open ground to the secret groves."


    In a flash she is next to me and presses a kiss on my cheek, after which she walks off only to stop and look over her shoulder to see whether I am following.


    This time I am the one blushing before following her towards the camp.


    <hr>


    ( Alta? POV )


    The moon is almost at its highest point when we approach the place that me and Jormund have chosen as ours.There is clearly more people than I expected but that isn¡¯t something that bothers me to much.


    I slow down in order to allow Toran to catch up and walk next to me.


    After spending the evening showing him the camp I am pretty sure that I have him woven around my fingers.


    Subconsiously I start comparing him to Jormund


    He isn¡¯t layered with the same amount of muscles as Jormunds, he tends more towards the leaner side but its his red and brown hair that stand out the most.


    Neither of them are perfect though, Jormund is to kind, and doesn¡¯t get any subtle hints at all, after all I had to practically throw myself at him before he noticed my advances.


    Toran on the other hand is the complete opposite, he fell for me hook, line and sinker. the moment that I let myself fall into his arms and his first request was my name, I had to spot myself from rolling my eyes.


    he is so gullible that its almost funny, not that I mind having an easy catch is nice every so often.


    <Alta?>


    "I want to introduce you to my travelling companion, don¡¯t worry he isn¡¯t as crude as he looks."


    <Toran>


    "Now you are making me worried, are you certain that you don¡¯t want to go to my camp?"


    <Alta?>


    "Everything is fine, I swear! Now come I will introduce you two!"


    Finally we arrive at the fire pit that I share with a few nearby travelers, but this time it¡¯s more of a bonfire, I quickly see Jormund sitting on the other side of it.


    Jormund notices me and waves both of us over to his spot.


    we reach his spot with a bit of trouble caused by all the people around the fire.


    <Alta?>


    "What is going on here Jormund?"


    <Jormund>


    "It¡¯s nothing much, I was participating in one of the competitions and made some friends who wanted to celebrate."


    He has clearly been drinking¡­


    I was going too introduce them to each other before telling Jormund I was gonna sleep somewhere else tonight, but currently a different idea is forming in my head.


    I feel a smile forming on my face, maybe they will even fight for me! just like the tales told on the night of the full moon.


    Having decided on a plan I walk up closer to Jormund, having reached him I bow down allow me to whisper into his ear.


    <Alta?>


    "I was feeling like having a long night with you but as you are tired from you victory I doubt that you could even carry me to out bedroll."


    Even the drunken haze in his eyes quickly dissipates, and he whispers back


    <Jormund>


    "And what if I could?"


    <Alta?>


    "I guess we will exactly what happens then."


    Immediately I feel his arms around my waist and I feel him lifting me onto his shoulder, some of his drinking buddies notice this and cheer him on.


    Playfully I hit his back with my fists, while speaking loudly.


    <Alta?>


    "Let me down you big oaf!"


    I throw a pleading look towards Toran, he is clearly angry but after a few seconds he turns away and leaves.

 Age of Stone: chapter 33

    ( John POV )


    The farther Zane gets into his explanation the more restless I get.


    Finally I simply get up from my seat and slowly start pacing back and forth trying to focus.


    If what he is saying is true then the consequensces will change everything I planned out so far.


    <John>


    "Jade, I expect you know what to do?"


    She doesn¡¯t even bother responding, in a simple flash she disappears into the ether.


    in the bottom right corner of my vision a small message pops up, telling me she logged into TtA.


    What could it mean? Will everyone get a cult worshipping them, or will only certain people get it?


    If only certain people get it then why did we get it and what does it do?


    Does it provide us with power? Or does it require us to do more micromanaging?


    Zane said that we can provide blessings and wards, but how and what are the effects of each one?


    With a bright flash of light Jade returns, only to strike a dramatic pose while hovering a few feet above the ground before loudly announcing her presence.


    <Jade>


    "Bow before me mortals for I have been uplifted to godhood!!"


    I roll my eyes while she has her moment but when after a few seconds she isn¡¯t getting back to acting normal I decide to step in.


    <John>


    "Quit it Jade, and tell me what you found."


    She glares at me before straightening her outfit and floating down in order to sit down in her usual chair.


    <Jade>


    "It took a bit of digging but I managed to find it in the end, normally you should have to go through the religion overview screen but that only unlocks after you have had one religion reach majority.


    I swiftly contacted the AI that manages the game-to-player interfaces, and he rapidly provide a work around."


    <Zane>


    "But how did you two get access to this religion in the first place in the first place?"


    <Jade>


    "I think I know, when we directly interfered with Jormund, I had to pull him to a mini server that allows for modifying your people, while doing this we glanced upon my glorious self and decided that I was worthy of worship."


    <John>


    "Watch out Zane, it looks like you have competition."


    <Anno>


    "But that what the entire game is about right? The competition between multiple players?"


    I almost forgot about the damnable owl, it acts almost like a character you would see in a cringy sitcom.


    <John>


    "What else do we have in terms of information?"


    <Jade>


    "We have access to two powers currently the lesser blessing of fertility and the lesser ward of health.


    The lesser blessing of fertility gives an increase in the amount of pregnancies of 5% in the chosen village for five years, the cost for this is 500 faith points.


    The lesser ward of health provides a buff to the chosen village which reduces the chances of sickness spreading by 15% for 1 year, once more for the cost of 500 faith points.


    In addition, anyone following our religion gets an increased fertility rating, but this number is an almost neglectable 1%."


    <Zane>


    "That seems kinda underwhelming doesn¡¯t it?"


    <John>


    "Not really, since the boosts that they provide are multiplicative, every blessing of fertility will be stronger than the last one due to the already increase population, which seems small but as we saw when fighting the goblins, numbers do make a difference.


    Now Jade how much faith points do we have?"


    <Jade>


    "Currently we have access to twenty-nine faith point, the majority of these are from converting Zane¡¯s tribe for the first time, since we get 25 points for each tribe converted for the first time, it¡¯s a nice kick start but it isn¡¯t much in the long term.


    Our main source of points will be these acts of worship.


    We will get one faith point from each successful pregnancy, important to notice that this is pregnancies not children.


    In addition we get five points each year a family that follows our religion is above the average family size for its species, this will probably be our biggest source of points in the long term.


    This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. and finally the last source is for each person that dies of old age, in this case we get one point for every thirty years that they were alive."


    I stop and start running the numbers in my head, early on we will certainly have some problems getting faith but if we spread the faith we should be getting plenty of points.


    <John>


    "Any additional information?"


    <Jade>


    "Nothing in terms of powers, but we can unlock more by converting more people which will increase our rank."


    This definitely throws off our previous plans, maybe I should just get out of VR for a second¡­


    <John>


    "I feel like going to bed early, Jade prepare to log me out.


    And Zane, thank you, if you need anything just ask Jade she will help you."


    I exit the room and slowly the world around me fades away into nothing.


    <hr>


    ( Nym POV )


    Drying the leaves, grinding the roots, stirring the water, adding a mix of chewed herbs, heating up the solution, drinking the draught, muscle contractions, cleansing my body from toxins, repeat.


    Drying the leaves, grinding the roots, stirring the water, adding a mix of chewed herbs, heating up the solution, drinking the draught, loss of smell and taste, cleansing my body from toxins, repeat.


    Drying the leaves, grinding the roots, stirring the water, adding a mix of chewed herbs, heating up the solution, drinking the draught, minor paralyzation, cleansing my body from toxins, repeat.


    <hr>


    I wake from a daze when I feel a hand on my shoulder, it takes me a few seconds to recognize the person who woke me up as my sister.


    <Nym>


    "Lani? Whatss wrong?"


    Why i am I slurring my words? I haven''t done that since I was a child


    <Lani>


    "I worry about you, mom told me that the only thing you have been doing for the last few days was getting up, start working on some kind of herbal drink and repeating this over and over again."


    <Nym>


    "No I haven¡¯t done that, or have I? Don¡¯t remember that clearly¡­"


    <Lani>


    "Alright that is it! I am taking you to see Gordune! There is clearly something wrong with you."


    She pulls me up and as I finally get on my feet, my vision fades.


    <hr>


    <Gordune>


    "Stupid apprentice practising on yourself, tsh what do you think we have anklebiters for¡­"


    <Lani>


    "Will she be alright?"


    <Gordune>


    "Oh yes, off course she will be, I cleared all the remaining poisons from her body, but she will need to stay in bed for awhile¡­


    Maybe three days, yes yes."


    <hr>


    A loud thumping sound wakes me, my head hurts with each thump almost as if someone is trying to break it open, similar to how the kids break open Candur eggs.


    <Nym>


    "Where am I?"


    <Gordune>


    "Finally awake are we? Hmm, you should know where we are.


    After all most of your lessons happened in here!"


    When he shout that last line my head only hurts more, I reach up in order to cover my ears from which the painful sound reached me but gordune stops my hands by hitting them with his cane.


    <Gordune>


    "No! You listen and explain, afterwards I heal and you go back to sleep."


    I try to crawl away but he stops me with a hard poke in my ribs.


    <Gordune>


    "I taught you well and what do you do! You almost poison yourself to dead! Explain yourself."


    I grunt in order to suppress the pain, the constant thumping making it hard to concentrate.


    I try to sit up in order to answer but once more I receive a poke in between my ribs.


    <Gordune>


    "And no more moving! You remain in bed until further notice!"


    <Nym>


    "Just be quiet, please everything hurts."


    My whimpering seems to have fallen on deaf ears since I just receive another poke.


    <Gordune>


    "I stop pain when we done, now tell me."


    <Nym>


    "Kali asked me to make a lure for a Gylari queen for him, but I didn¡¯t know how to so I simply tried every flower that Gylari get their nectar from and every fruit they gather in their nests, but nothing worked."


    Another barrage of pain hits my head, and I grunt again in order to suppress it.


    <Nym>


    "So I decided to simply try every plant I could get my hands on until I got something useful, but I must have started losing track of what I was doing quite rapidly since I don¡¯t remember anything past the first ten plants¡­"


    <Gordune>


    "Fine that¡¯s good enough, now lie still yes?"


    Gordune places his hands on my ribs and a green glow starts to appear around his hands.


    Slowly the sound of my heartbeat quites down until its nothing more then a vague back ground noise instead of an the moud sounds that cause me so much pain and shorthly after I fall back asleep.


    <hr>


    ( Gordune POV )


    When Nym falls back asleep I get up using my cane and slowly walk towards the exit.


    I should go tell her parents that she is fine.


    And tell Kali that next time when he gives someone a challenge to complete that maybe he should warn them when its already completed.


    Nym is gonna be so angry when she finds out about that¡­


    I chuckle to myself.


    Maybe I can see whether the rumor that she has a water affinity is actually true.


    The image of Kali finally learning his lesson brings a smile to my old face, after all him finally growing up is a thing I would like to see before my death.

 Age of Stone: chapter 34

    ( Toran POV )


    Still I feel it.


    Even after returning to my tent I still feel it.


    I have felt it since I saw Alta? being carried away, her eyes looking to me in hope.


    And I didn¡¯t Do Anything!


    The feeling intensifies when I think back to that moment.


    The cold grasp that has taken hold in my chest clutches itself more tightly around my heart.


    Anger and regret fight for dominance within my thoughts.


    Why did I Not Help Her!


    But what could I have done?


    I saw him earlier that day, I have witness his strength and his cunning when he defeated that centaur.


    You Could Have Taken Him!


    Maybe I could have, but he wasn¡¯t alone now was he?


    I saw all those people around the fire, cheering him on as he carried her away.


    They Are Nothing! You Could Have Hold Them Off!


    But what for? Until I ran out of power? Litra wasn¡¯t anywhere near and neither were any of our tribesmen.


    ¡­..


    That¡¯s what I thought, two or three I can fight but anything more¡­


    What am I even doing? Talking to voices in my head.


    I turn around and try to sleep.


    <hr>


    I wake up from a when someone opens my tent.


    <Toran>


    "What is it!"


    <Tribesmen>


    "There is someone here looking for you, an elven girl."


    Once more the cold grasp intensifies itself.


    <Toran>


    "I¡¯ll get up¡­."


    From just outside of the tent a voice speaks to me.


    <Alta?>


    "Toran, can I enter?"


    Caught by surprise I simply nod to the tribesman, who steps aside.


    Alta? enters wearing a long cloak and with her hair a tangled mess.


    All she does is sit down near the entrance and staring at the ground.


    Even so the tent isn¡¯t big enough to hide the that she has been crying, just like I did when I saw her being carried off.


    But I doubt that hers were tears of anger.


    I fear that they weren¡¯t.


    <Toran>


    "Are you alright? Is there anything I can do to help?"


    <Alta?>


    "Help? Yes you could have helped¡­"


    I reach forward touching her wiping away the tears.


    <Alta?>


    "But why Didn¡¯t You!"


    Her outburst catches me by surprise, as I back off I lose my balance.


    When I get back up she stands before me heads taller then me, her eyes crying blood.


    She drops her cloak to the ground showing the remnants of her clothes, nothing but scraps of hide, doing nothing to reveal what lies beneath.


    <Alta?>


    "Why Did You Leave Me!"


    I turn away but somehow she is everywhere nothing I do allows me to look away.


    The cuts and bruises on beneath her clothes seemingly getting bigger the more I try and get away.


    <Alta?>


    "You Could Have Stopped This!"


    I must get away this is too much!


    I start panicking and reach deep inside myself, towards the flame that burns within and without thinking I let it go.


    A wall of flames bursts away from me, I drop down on my knees from exhaustion.


    <Alta?>


    "You Have What It Takes To Save Her!"


    Then the wall of hits her, and finally everything goes dark.


    <Alta?>


    "See? You Do Have It In You."


    I look around for the source of the sound and from the darkness Alta? steps forth, all her wounds and bruises giving of the light of flames as they slowly burn away, leaving only flawless flesh behind.


    <Alta?>


    "But You Have to Be Quick, Otherwise¡­"


    She doesn¡¯t even finish her sentence before two large arms reach from beyond the darkness and haul her away From Me.


    <Alta?>


    "Toran!"


    <Toran>


    "NOOOOOO!"


    <hr>


    <Toran>


    "NOOOOOOOOO!"


    I gasp for air and reach out for Alta?.


    But I find nothing but my sweat soaked blankets.


    Through the entrance I can already see the sun rising into the sky.


    I might as well get up and do something productive in order so quiet down.


    <hr>


    A few hours later I join my brother for breakfast.


    <Litra>


    "So Toran? Did you find the girl of your dreams yet?"


    I hesitate¡­


    <Toran>


    Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings."Yes, I think so actually."


    Litra arches his eyebrow, a scrutinising look in his eyes.


    <Litra>


    "I must admit if it¡¯s that easy then I might try as well, so tell me what is she like?"


    I think of Alta?, her blond hair with the black streaks running through it, her slim figure and her confident behavior, but then the figure I saw in my nightmare overlaps with her.


    <Toran>


    "She¡­ it doesn¡¯t matter."


    <Litra>


    "What is it? Did she refuse you? Or were you afraid to ask her?"


    <Toran>


    "No, it¡¯s just¡­ she is already taken by someone else."


    I remember the image from last night, her pleading look while being carried away.


    <Litra>


    "And you are gonna let that stop you?"


    <Toran>


    "No, I won¡¯t."


    <hr>


    ( Jormund POV )


    I am never drinking that much again, my head is hurting something fierce.


    I quietly exit the tent, making sure not to awaken Alta?.


    When I reach the shared fireplace, I am surprised to find Disor trying to light it.


    <Jormund>


    "Disor, what are you doing here?"


    <Disor>


    "Jormund! Up already? I thought you were gonna be out for another few hours. Anyway I decided to set-up here close to you for as long as possible.


    After all you know how to drink, wrestle, and I am sure more fun stuff will happen so why shouldn¡¯t I stick around?"


    I don¡¯t really follow his explanation, but meeting new people is what I started this journey for after all.


    <Disor>


    "Talking about fun stuff there is a centaur looking for you, he called himself Bronn.


    Told me that he would like to meet you."


    <Jormund>


    "Is that him over there?"


    I point towards a centaur which is approaching us, tall and imposing carrying one of those big hunting lances centaur use to hunt, and white paint covering his chest in a weird coiling pattern.


    <Disor>


    "No, that¡¯s one of the heralds, I guess that the Sovereign has finally decided that enough people are here in order to make her announcement."


    <hr>


    ( Huron POV )


    Seems like I was the last person to agree to this invitation of ¡°importance¡±.


    As if this person knows anything about what is important for me and my tribe.


    I come to rest in a big ethereal amphitheater, the seats a filler with maybe twenty other people. Most of them around the between the age of twenty to forty if I had to guess from the animal level AI¡¯s that keep them company.


    Although there are some teenagers as well they stand out with their AI¡¯s resembling only basic starskies or burning flames.


    And all the way in the back there is an elder person, right behind him stands his AI companion, a dull grey colour and dressed like a butler.


    Better watch out for what he does.


    Through the floor I can see the gathering below, all the tribes that gathered most of them seem to pure elf-builds, there doesn¡¯t seem to be any goblins, but I do spot at least one group of wolfkin.


    The rest are equally spread between humans and centaurs.


    In fact I seem to stand out with my mixed build.


    <Huron>


    "Lux, please take note of which person represents which tribe, and watch out for the old-timer in the back with his butler."


    <Lux>


    "Will do sir."


    While observing the area below, I failed to notice the organizer of this whole event stepping forwards onto the stage and making her entrance.


    She has a very strict look about her, which is bolstered by her dark red hair and vivid green eyes, Her AI assistant stands next to her a proud stag, silver like a full-moon.


    But I already missed the introductions so maybe I should start paying attention to her speech.


    <Lissandra>


    "I have called you here in order to propose an unique chance to all of you, during my time in the game I have stumbled upon a unique system that allows not only me but also other people to benefit from it.


    I could explain it but there is a better way to show this."


    She looks at her AI, who nods in return.


    <Lissandra>


    "I, Lissandra, hereby pledge to the Pale Stag that any who shall accept the worship of the Pale Stag within their tribe are under my protection, whether it be a battle against the elements, or a clash between other tribes, you shall have my support!"


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Pledge of Protection (Amplified)


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    The player Lissandra, owner of the Tribe of the Pale Stag, has made a pledge of protection to any player willing to accept the religion of the Pale Stag in their village.


    As long as she maintains this pledge her tribe will benefit from a 15% increase in movement speed while moving to support her allies.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    <Lissandra>


    "I managed to found a religion with as my main domain Honour. Anyone can swear a pledge to the Pale Stag, be it a player or even one of the AI¡¯s living in a village.


    And as long as you stay true to your honour this pledge will provide you with a benefit. This benefit is chosen depending on your pledge.


    If your pledge is vague and easily fulfilled your benefit will be minor to none, and finally if you break your pledge, the game will not allow you to take another one until five in game years have passed, or if I decide to grant absolution."


    Now this is useful, I guess her announcement was indeed of importance.


    The question remains though, should I join her?


    From the back of the stands a person stands up, seems like someone is making their decision ahead of me.


    I turn and see the old man from before, and his butler AI.


    <Butler>


    "My lord, Gregory the Second, promises that his tribe will follow the religion of the Pale Stag, and swear upon the Pale Stag that any who are worthy will receive the aid of his healers whether through war or pestilence."


    Out of the corner of my eyes I see Lissandra nod her head, and her AI shines brightly for a second.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Pledge of Mending (Amplified)


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    The player Gregory the Second, owner of the Tribe of the coastal plains, has made a pledge of Mending to the followers of the Pale Stag.


    As long as he maintains this pledge his tribe will benefit from a 5% increase in efficiency of any medicinal aid, be it mundane or magical.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    She is buffing the pledges, that what the amplified tag means, but she can¡¯t have enough resources to amplify all the pledges, so first come first served.


    <Huron>


    "I, Huron, promise that my tribe will follow the religion of the Pale Stag.


    In addition I swear upon the Pale Stag and the honour of my dynasty that my tribe will always be at the forefront of the war against the non-believers and the heretics."


    Maybe the first bit is a bit overly dramatic but I had to stretch for time a bit before I found the proper wording.


    But in exchange this should give me the benefit that I need help me quickly expand my domain, even with the few people that I have.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Warning


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    You have just made an advanced pledge, these will be harder to maintain but will provide stronger benefits.


    Conditions:


    - Your tribe must have been in conflict with one tribe of non-believers or heretics at least once every six months in order to maintain this pledge.


    - Your dynasty must remain alive to maintain this pledge.


    If the pledge is broken you will suffer from penalties in terms of tribe loyalty.


    Do you agree to these terms?


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Maybe, just maybe I have triggered something that I shouldn¡¯t have¡­


    Doesn¡¯t matter, I have always been a ''high-risk high-rewards'' kind of player.


    <Huron>


    "I accept!"


    Lissandra seems to get a pop-up as well, seeing her reaction and although surprised quickly seems to get thrilled with the result.


    She turns to me and smiles.


    <Lissandra>


    "Seems like we have someone willing to go the extra mile, alright have your blessing."


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Oath of Strife (Amplified)


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    The Player Huron owner of the tribe of Flame, has made an oath of strife upon the the Pale Stag and the ruling Dynasty of his tribe.


    His tribe will get an 10% increase in combat efficiency while battling the non-believers which will increase towards 15% while fighting heretics.


    In addition his members of his dynasty will receive a 5% efficiency boost to their magic when using it against heretics.


    Should this oath be broken his tribe will suffer a 25% decrease in loyalty.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    This will do quite nicely, indeed.


    Suddenly below a commotion is being caused, not by one of the players but by one of the AI villagers below.

 Age of Stone: chapter 35

    ( Jormund POV )


    When all the tribes were gathered, the sovereign stepped forward and tells the story of her tribe, how they endured hardship together and how they promised each other that no matter what they would survive.


    She tells of struggle and strife, and how they eventually found their tribe protected by a guardian spirit.


    They call it the Pale Stag.


    They who swear upon its name will receive its blessing so long as they don¡¯t break their words of honour.


    Then she offered all the other tribes to share in its blessings, and she swore upon its name that anyone who accepts her believe will receive the aid of both her and her tribe.


    For a few moments there was silence.


    Then a group of humans stood up and promised their allegiance to this Pale Stag, and promises medical aid to anyone who needs it.


    The crowd¡¯s reaction was mostly one of mixed confusion, what did this mean, should they follow the guardian spirit or allow things to remain the way that they are?


    This reaction quickly turned from confusion to concern, when two young elves stood up and promised the support of their clan, and the death of any who refused to worship the Pale Stag.


    Now I know how to repay my debt to the Jade Mother, with purpose I start stepping forwards.


    But after a few steps I feel a hand gripping my arm.


    <Alta?>


    "Jormund, don¡¯t do this."


    I turn and take one last look at her, remembering all those nights we spend together.


    <Jormund>


    "I am sorry Alta?, but this is something I have to do."


    I might not be able to fulfill my promise to you but you should know that I enjoyed our time together.


    I turn towards Disor, a man who yesterday was an opponent and today one of the few people I can trust.


    <Jormund>


    "Disor, I know this is much to ask from you but please make sure nothing bad happens to her."


    For a second he looks confused, but then he offers me a warriors greeting.


    <Disor>


    "I will, and to you I wish good luck."


    I accept his greeting, and then turn back to the center of the gathered mass.


    Fully prepared to face whatever comes next.


    A certain power seems to flow from within me and the crowd parts before me.


    <Jormund>


    "I refuse!"


    A silence falls over the crowd, and I feel the gaze of the many tribal leader shift in my direction.


    <Jormund>


    "Your spirit might have helped you, but I already have a guardian spirit!"


    She saved everything I ever knew, everyone I ever knew, from my mother to my sister, my entire tribe!


    Without her I wouldn¡¯t be here!


    So I refuse, I will not bow before your Pale Stag, for my life belongs to the Jade Mother!


    <hr>


    ( Huron POV )


    Now this is something I didn¡¯t expect¡­ someone else already has a religion founded somewhere else.


    But there is something about this AI that seems familiar¡­


    <Lux>


    "Sir, I feel obliged to inform you that the individual before you was the very same that defeated your previous tribe leader."Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    <Huron>


    "What! How is he here?"


    <Lux>


    "Unknown sir, however one of the dynasty heirs seems to have a feud with him as well, until now I was holding him back so that he didn¡¯t do anything stupid."


    Do you want me to change this?


    <Huron>


    "Yes, in fact make this a one on one challenge, I want him to suffer."


    Even if I tried I wouldn¡¯t have been able to stop a smile from appearing on my face, after all nothing is sweeter than vengeance.


    <hr>


    ( Toran POV )


    Its Him!


    How Dare He Interfere!


    Behind him I see Alta?, trying to run but being held in place by one of his friends.


    I Have Seen Enough!


    I get up and move towards the middle shouting so that everyone can hear me.


    <Toran>


    "Who are you to come and disrupt this meeting of chiefs!


    You are no chief, you don¡¯t even have a tribe!"


    The intruder turns towards me.


    <Jormund>


    "It doesn¡¯t matter that I am no chief, nor that I have no tribe!


    This isn¡¯t about tribes! This is about repaying a debt, I owe my life to the Jade Mother and now I am repaying her."


    <Toran>


    "Your life you say? Fine let it be that way!


    We will proof which of these spirits is stronger!


    I, Toran, challenge you, a duel shall be held under the watchful gaze of the Pale Stag to determine who is stronger only one champion shall leave the arena alive!"


    <Jormund>


    "And I, Jormund, will accept your challenge, my the Jade Mother forgive me for hurting your family."


    When his last words are spoken, the skies darkens and two groups of stars light up, a group of thirteen starts to shine.


    The light resembling some sort of animal with the antlers of a centaur.


    The other glimmering green appears a a pair of outstretched hands made out of a set of seventeen bright starts.


    The light strikes down to earth sundering the ground around me and Jormund.


    And then a ring of light forms around us.


    As I reach for the fire within, Jormund pulls a set of two weird looking axes, one big enough to smash someone''s skull with ease, the other much lighter but with a certain viciousness to it.


    Not that it matters much, he will burn all the same.


    <hr>


    ( Litra POV )


    What has he done¡­


    We agreed to follow the Pale Stag and to his enemies driven before us.


    But this is not what I had in mind, and I can¡¯t help him!


    He is my brother, I should help him.


    A breath that I didn¡¯t know I was holding leaves my body.


    But why did he act like this?


    Then I notice a small struggle near the front of the crowd, a human male holding a elven girl who is trying to approach the duel.


    Off course, the girl.


    I indicate that two of the guards should follow me while I head towards the struggling pair.


    While approaching them I get a clearer picture of the two of them and I start to understand why Toran would fall for her.


    <Litra>


    "So who are you that my brother is willing to go to such lengths for your undivided attention."


    The girl calms down, the tears still running down her face.


    <Alta?>


    "You are Toran¡¯s brother?"


    I simply nod.


    <Alta?>


    "He did this for me?"


    Again I nod.


    <Alta?>


    "I didn¡¯t want anyone to die."


    <Litra>


    "But now someone will."


    So do you love him?


    When she looks at me confused I specify my question a bit more.


    <Litra>


    "Do you love Toran?"


    <Alta?>


    "I love both of them equally, they both have qualities I like, but neither is perfect."


    She seems to be regaining some control over her emotions, and  I start to see hints of something else behind her eyes.


    <Litra>


    "You like the attention, wasn¡¯t it? The idea of two people fighting over you, the power you felt that way?"


    She looks away her eyes filled with guilty.


    <Alta?>


    "I didn¡¯t want anyone to die."


    <Litra>


    "Sometimes people get hurt no matter what we do, so I hope that you have said your goodbye to Jormund."


    <Alta?>


    "How are you so certain?"


    <Litra>


    "Because nobody survives being set on fire."


    <hr>


    ( Jormund POV )


    I can¡¯t get close, whenever I do he dodges backwards while send a burst of fire my way forcing me to back off or get hit.


    The only way I can win this is by charging straight through, hoping that he doesn¡¯t see me coming through his own fire.


    And I should do it quickly because this barrier that surrounds us seems to hold the heat inside.


    Knowing that the only thing I can do is approach him I slowly get closer trying to get as close as possible without causing him to try and burn me.


    Finally I reach a distance close enough for my strategy, and I charge.


    But instead of moving backwards this time, he move towards me and sends out a wave of fire too big to avoid.


    In my final moments, I see Alta?.


    <Jormund>


    "I am sorry, I could not protect you in the end."

 Age of Stone: chapter 36

    Program B-01 for subject Hu-00-14803 activating


    Checking Conditions


    Condition 1: subject state = Terminated.


    Checking¡­


    Condition 1 fulfilled


    If Condition 1 fulfilled activate Condition 2


    Condition 2: time since last activation greater than 270.


    Checking¡­


    Condition 2 fulfilled


    If Condition 2 fulfilled activate Condition 3


    Condition 3: subject defend and/or community/bloodkin.


    Checking first rule¡­.


    Error: subject not part of community


    Checking second rule¡­


    Bloodkin found 4.


    Subjects: Hu-00-14521, Hu-00-14587, Hu-00-14879 and He-00-3 fulfill condition for bloodkin.


    Checking state defend for subject Hu-00-14521¡­


    State does not apply.


    Checking state defend for subject Hu-00-14587¡­


    State does not apply.


    Checking state defend for subject Hu-00-14879¡­


    State does not apply.


    Checking state defend for subject He-00-3¡­


    State does apply.


    Condition 3 fulfilled


    All Conditions fulfilled.


    Subject Hu-00-14803 state changed from Terminated to Active.


    Providing temporary state Regen.


    <hr>


    ( Toran POV )


    <Toran>


    "Why am I still stuck in here!


    I have won, now let me out!"


    On the other side I see the many tribe leaders and behind them the crowd, and there are clear signs of confusion going around.


    I see my brother walking up to the barrier while the two other tribes that follow the Pale Stag also send their representative forward.


    <Toran>


    "Why is the duel not ending!"


    <Sovereign>


    "Because the conditions of the fight aren¡¯t fulfilled yet."


    <Litra>


    "He is probably still alive, the fire might have caused a lot of damage but it can take a while longer to kill."


    So I need to go and make sure he is actually dead, dying is not good enough.


    Since I used up all my remaining power in that last attack I decide to just take my knife and slice his throat.


    I walk up to the remains, crouching down next to it while pulling out my knife.


    The next thing I know is sudden burst of pain in my jaw.


    I feel myself hitting the ground and rolling until I hit the barrier.


    Confused I try and right myself.


    <Jormund>


    "You have no absolutely idea, about the pain I just went through or the suffering I feel right now."


    That¡¯s... not possible.


    <hr>


    ( Huron POV )


    Again! How did he do that again!


    <Huron>


    "Oh no, I am not letting you go, that¡¯s one time too much you have thwarted my plan!"


    <Butler>


    "You will let him go."


    In my anger I forgot that I joined Lissandra and Gregory upon the front dais, there AI assistants standing by their sides.


    But what I don¡¯t remember is the transparent barrier surrounding us, from its grey colour I can determine that it was the butler that erected it.


    <Butler>


    "I will repeat this once, you will let him go."This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    <Huron>


    "Why though! I have all the advantages I have him surrounded and overpowered!"


    <Butler>


    "Because he won, and if you were to turn on him now then you would break a promise made upon our shared religion.


    Not only will this disgrace us in front of all these others."


    The butler waves his arm in the direction of all the other players that still sit in the stands.


    <Butler>


    "You will also show to them that you are an unreliable ally and willing to backstab people just for your own good.


    Thus you let him go, other chances will show themselves."


    <Lissandra>


    "Although you did good so far I have to agree with Gregory, and we can¡¯t have the other choose for this Jade Mother instead of us.


    This duel already shoved some of them towards Her but it also showed that you have the power to make up on that oath of yours."


    I breath deeply looking down once more, seeing the cause of all my problems pummeling one of my heirs to death with his bare hands.


    I can see the skin regrowing on his arms, and the muscles on his back knitting back together.


    <Huron>


    "Fine have it your way."


    <hr>


    ( Jormund POV )


    When the barrier finally disappears a breeze finally blows away the smoldering heat and the stench of burning flesh.


    I just hope I never have to go through anything like that for a very long time.


    Before I even manage to gather my bearings someone knocks into me.


    <Alta?>


    "Don¡¯t ever do that again!"


    <Jormund>


    "I can¡¯t make that promise, after all I have a debt to repay."


    She hits me hard into the chest with her arms.


    <Alta?>


    "You just died! How can you still have a debt!"


    <Jormund>


    "Because I live."


    She is quiet after that but still refuses to let me go.


    I simply accept and slowly walk up to the nearby tribes leaders.


    When I reach them three of them have placed themselves at the front.


    the Sovereign, the brother of this Toran fellow and a certain group of elders, in other words all those who swore upon the Pale Stag.


    This will not be easy.


    <Sovereign>


    "I see that there are other guardian spirits, not that it matters, I owe my tribe to the Pale Stag, and without him I wouldn¡¯t be here today, just like you wouldn¡¯t be here without the Jade Mother."


    Now that I am close to her for the first time I can see how the signs of hardship showing, grey hairs can be seen in her otherwise golden fur and lots of small wrinkles all around her face.


    Her life must have been hard because her antlers show her to be only between five and six decades old.


    <Jormund>


    "I am sorry for the commotion that I caused, but I couldn¡¯t just sit by and watch."


    <Elder>


    "We understand, young champion. After all you were chosen by the spirits."


    <Litra>


    "My brother underestimated you, and so did I.


    But next time our paths cross I will have my vengeance."


    With this the elf leaves, as does his tribe.


    <Jormund>


    "I wish it could have gone differently, after family is important to the Jade Mother."


    <Elder>


    "There might have been another way, but not with that oath.


    Is there anything else we can do as an apology for their actions?"


    <Jormund>


    "No, I will take my leave in the morning.


    For now all I need is something to eat."


    <hr>


    I stretch myself when exiting the tent, and become aware that all around me the busy sounds of people preparing to leave has quieted down.


    Unnerved I look around until I notice Disor.


    <Jormund>


    "Disor! What is going on here?"


    <Disor>


    "Nothing much people are preparing breakfast and packing in order to leave the gathering, after all all the interesting stuff already happened."


    <Jormund>


    "And where are you going?"


    <Disor>


    "I decided to come with you, I mean why wouldn¡¯t I your blessed by the spirits! Many great adventures await you and I will be part of it!"


    "And I will be there to tell them!"


    Surprised I find a centaur standing close by, his dark gray fur covering his massively build body.


    "I am Bronn, I came looking for you yesterday in order to hear your side of a minor tale, where you defeated a cousin of mine in a wrestling match.


    But now!


    Now I will follow you and I will be there to spin the tales and sing the Legends of Jormund the Wanderer.


    He who conquered death, challenger of the Flame.


    Not a single herd or tribe will not have heard of your tales, this I, Bronn the Thunderous, swear upon the Pale Stag!"


    I blankly stare at Bronn.


    <Disor>


    "And this here is Bronn, the centaur I told you about yesterday, he is a teller of tales and decided that you are the best thing to ever happen. A living breathing legend to base his tales upon."


    <Jormund>


    "Is there anyone I else that¡¯s going to be following me!"


    All around me arms raise up, not just individuals but in two cases entire tribes.


    I can¡¯t tell whether to laugh or cry.


    <Jormund>


    "But why?"


    "Is it not clear?


    You are a champion! Nothing can stand in your way and these people are willing to follow you, not simply because they can but because they believe in you."


    <Disor>


    "And now that we are done with that, where are we going?"


    I look around surprised at the looks I get from people, and I feel the burden of leadership settle on my shoulders.


    I turnto the west, from here I can¡¯t even see the mountains which were always there when I grew up, just the plains and the great river that flows through it.


    <Jormund>


    "We go west follow the river up stream."


    "And what is in that direction?"


    <Jormund>


    "Home."

 Age of Stone: chapter 37

    ( Jade POV )


    Seeing how John is off working, and I finished all the daily maintenance of the house.


    I might as well do some more research and preparation for TtA.


    Us getting access this religious gameplay mechanic was just a random twist of faith.


    But one that I intent to use to its full potential.


    The fact that they worship me has absolutely nothing to do with it.


    I leave a small bit of my awareness behind in John¡¯s flat before moving into the digital space John made for discussing TtA with Zane, and other people as well but we haven¡¯t been in contact with anyone else yet.


    Currently we should try and contact more tribes, see if we can¡¯t spread our religion.


    But we shouldn¡¯t forget our other objectives, getting some sort of agriculture is still high on our priority list.


    although I can probably convince John that we can always try and get more information from nearby tribes.


    Which might even be true¡­ because I have no idea what we would actually grow.


    I pull up the religious overview and notice a few discrepancies between now and the last time I pulled it up, rather big discrepancies.


    Seems like something is earning us additional faith points.


    Enough even to be able to buy a blessing.


    Let me check whether I have any notification about this.


    Yes, I do have some notifications, two of them.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    A champion rises.


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    The person known as Jormund the Wanderer has risen as a champion of your faith, his deeds are already becoming known to all, but only time will tell how he will be remembered.


    The deeds of Jormund the Wanderer have a chance of converting people to the worship of the Jade Mother. The greater the deeds performed the higher the chance.


    Jormund the Wanderer and his next-of-kin will held in higher regards to those who follow your religion. Effects depend on heritage.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Territorial milestone reached


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    The religion known as the Jade Mother worship from the far eastern coast to the roots of the great mountains.


    The distance between these place is great indeed. Many people will have heard about the Jade Mother, but what is true and who to believe


    Unlocked: religious orders


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Okay, so good news Jormund is still alive.


    I will need to ask John about this religious order, for now let¡¯s take a look at what is available.


    After all I will need to inform John about this.


    Seems like currently we can only take 1 religious order but this might increase later on...


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>Circles of Nature</td>


    <td>


    Close to nature the shaman circles exclude themselves from most other people and try to decipher the needs of their deity through by listening to nature.


    </td>


    <td>


    <ul>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Joining a shaman circle requires a magical talent.</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Members have a closer connection to the elements</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Only available during the Age of Stone, and Age of Bronze.</li>


    </ul>


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    The priestly sects


    </td>


    <td>


    The Priestly sects are a simple organization whose only purpose is to take care of those who follow their deity and maintain both the places of worship as the relic of their god.


    </td>


    <td>


    <ul>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">No requirements for entry</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">High amounts of specialization possible but start of rather weak.</li>


    </ul>


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td colspan="3">


    Other options are currently locked


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Which one would be of more use, the shaman circles seem like a organization ment for specializing and furthering the use of elemental magics while the priestly sects are a support tool for your community and religion.


    Both of them have their advantages and disadvantages¡­


    I get a signal from my fragment I left at the flat telling me that John returned.


    I return to reality with a simple though absorbing the fragment at the same time.


    <Jade>


    "Welcome home, John."


    <hr>


    ( Nym POV )


    Weakly I open my eyes.


    I really feel like just rolling over on my other side and staying in bed a while longer but I have work to do.


    I get out of bed and start getting dressed.


    While doing so I look around my new hut, the sleeping quarter I am currently in on the left side of the entrance with a raised bed.


    On the other side I have a room specifically for preparing all my herbs drinks and other medicines.


    And finally in the middle I have a fireplace and plenty of room to move around, I have enough room for maybe four people, really Kali outdid himself when designing it.


    I still haven¡¯t forgiven him for not telling me that he already had his Gylari queen though.


    But it¡¯s also partially my fault, if I would have gone out and talked to people then maybe I would have noticed, but I was to engrossed in helping him.


    I didn¡¯t even do it for him, I thought that I was helping the village after all having a Gylari nest nearby would have meant easy access to both the birds and the eggs.


    Having finish getting dressed I check the laces on my bracelet for any signs of wear and finally I grab the other thing I made Kali make.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    When leaving my hut I climb the small slope which leads down to the entrance.


    Whenever I look at my hut I am surprised at how small it looks from outside, but I guess that¡¯s because it¡¯s partially underground.


    I head towards the river and fill the large waterskin I am holding, using my magic to make it go faster.


    When it¡¯s full I dry it off and hang it behind my back.


    After having control over water is nice but I can¡¯t make it appear out of nowhere, so I need an easy supply nearby.


    The biggest reason I have actual control over it now, is that I might have gotten a bit¡­ upset at Kali and might have used him as target practise.


    Luckily he understood why I was angry and provided me with plenty of compensation in the form of three requests and I didn¡¯t have to hurt him¡­ much for it.


    So I requested the hut he promised to me for the Gylari queen and the waterskin I am currently using.


    The last request I am keeping for now, maybe there is something I will need it for later.


    But since I am done with my morning routine, I should get ready for my work of today.


    So I needed to visit Hinyr.


    Ever since my outburst against Kali Dutori seems to trust me enough to allow me near his wife.


    I still think he need to get over his hatred for goblins though.


    And after that Jor promised to show me how to brew some of that drink he makes from berries.


    Lastly I have to go out and gather some more herbs, but maybe some of the goblins are willing to do that for me, after all they like going into the forest.


    I could use the extra time to practice my magic a bit more, so that seems like a good idea.


    <hr>


    ( Kali POV )


    Bok-tar aren¡¯t in good mood today.


    Still it¡¯s better to be here then in village


    Out here I can see scary water girl coming before she reaches me.


    Yes, yes much better here.


    <Jor>


    "So the Bok-tar aren¡¯t really cooperating, is there anything else we can try in order to get it to come with us?"


    Jors complaining brought me out of my concentration, what did he say¡­ something about Bok-tar?


    Oh, yes! The Bok-tar didn¡¯t want to take our bait, how would we get them to notice it though?


    <Kali>


    "We must try something else, yes?


    Maybe we try and throw the bait at them?"


    Jor looks at me as if I said something weird, or well weirder than usual.


    <Jor>


    "And how are we going to throw powder at them?"


    <Kali>


    "I don¡¯t know! You are the hunter, not me."


    Jor sighs and moves toward the bait we had prepared, carefully closing the piece of cloth back over the powered herbs.


    <Jor>


    "Maybe today simply isn¡¯t the day, we should try again tomorrow."


    What? No! Nym will still be inside the village, I must think of something!


    I must find something that allows the powder to reach the Bok-tar. Something. Anything!


    Then I see the solution that must be it!


    <Kali>


    "Wait I know what we can use!"


    I grab something of the ground and quickly run over to Jor.


    <Jor>


    "What is it now?"


    I hold up my hand showing him what i found.


    <Jor>


    "It¡¯s a stone. I know you are a good crafter but I simply don¡¯t see it, Kali."


    I roll my eyes and grab sack with powder from his belt, before he can even reach over I open the sack deposit the stone inside and then close the sack again.


    <Kali>


    "Now you throw this into mouth."


    Jor takes the sack in to his hands and tries to get a feel for its weight.


    <Jor>


    "Now I feel stupid for not thinking about something this simple.


    But with the added weight behind it I might be able to throw it."


    <hr>


    Run run run!!


    <Kali>


    "This was a stupid idea, why did you hit its eye!"


    <Jor>


    "I wasn¡¯t aiming for its eye!"


    <Kali>


    "That doesn¡¯t help your case!"


    <Jor>


    "I will just keep running it must be getting tired by now!"


    I try and turn my head so that I can look behind us but Jors arm is in the way.


    <Kali>


    "Turn me around then I can see when it''s slowing down."


    Jor doesn¡¯t even complain, simply turning me around underneath his arm.


    Thats one big angry beetle, and it''s gaining on us!!


    <Kali>


    "It¡¯s not slowing down, it¡¯s not slowing down at all, go faster! Faster!!"


    <Jor>


    "You know I could just throw you at it that might slow it down."


    Wait, I see something else¡­ on either side of the Bok-tar, are those wolfkin?


    I recognize that one! That was the nice one!


    <Kali>


    "Don¡¯t worry the friendly wolfkin are helping!"


    <Jor>


    "How do you know that they are friendly?"


    <Kali>


    "I recognize them, the one on the right lost a crafting competition against me so I gained my freedom and was allowed to keep my skull."


    <Jor>


    "Not helping your case!"


    I was going to complain but the next moment the biggest of the two wolfkins closes towards the bok-tar beetle and with one mighty swing of his club shatters the chitin on its thorax.


    The beetle loses control of its legs and falls down, unable to resist as the two wolfkin carefully decapitate each leg before finally moving over to the head.


    Meanwhile Jor has stopped and put me down onto the ground.


    I walk over to the two wolfkin, making sure not to step into any of the mushy parts of the beetle.


    <Kali>


    "Garuu, what are you doing out here together with the Alpha?"


    Garuu turns and looks slightly confused before barking out a laugh.


    <Garuu>


    "If it isn¡¯t Kali! I should have known that you were involved in something as silly as taking on a Bok-tar beetle with a single hunter!"


    He keeps laughing for a good while until Jor joins the conversation.


    <Jor>


    "So you were right they are friendly."


    <Kali>


    "Garuu answer me! I demand your respect as the superiour craftsmen!"


    That made him stop laughing.


    <Garuu>


    "please stop bringing that up.


    anyway I am here with my bloodkin because he feels the end of his life coming nearer and need to fulfill his final hunt.


    We thought that you guys might have something worth hunting nearby because there isn¡¯t anything near our own cave."


    <Jor>


    "I see, I am sure Kali can lead you over to camp, I will stay here and protect the carcass from scavengers."


    What but scary water girl is still there, although what is worse her or two angry wolfkin¡­

 More information about the Poll

    Putting it simply after a conversation, I had in the comments of my last chapter I came to the realization that my naming sense for the options available were misleading and might have caused some form of misunderstanding, Thus I will repeat the poll here after giving a more detailed description of the two choices available.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Circles of Nature (previously shaman circles)


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    <ul>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Member must have one elemental affinity or nature affinity unlocked</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Focus heavily in using nature to help what they view as the goals of their deity</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Any members have increase abilities for their elemental spells</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Only one circle will be able to exist within each community</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Circles gain their powers from large structures which aid them with their rituals (think Stonehenge), the more advanced and older the structure is the more power the circle can wield in each ritual.</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">If their structure is destroyed the store power will dissipate and progress will have to be started anew</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">The domain of Nature circles lies heavily within Prosperity and Vigilance</li>


    </ul>


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    The Priestly sects


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    <ul>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Anyone can join a priestly sect</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">At the start they are a blank sheet, but they can be heavily modified to fit your playstyle</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Multiple sects can be present inside one community</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">The sects focus heavily on support roles</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Sect are also influenced by the domain of the chosen deity </li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Each religion starts with one sect</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Sect can have be specialized by spending tradition points (these are generated by the sect over time)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Once a sect reaches a size of twenty priests they can be split by the religious owner</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">If a sect splits then both sides will share the same specializations, but can be upgraded separately </li>


    </ul>


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.An of how godly domains interact with the priestly sects:


    The domain of the Pale Stag is Honour, so if they had a sect whose purpose was to support the order of paladins by maintaining their weapons.


    Then that sect would do very well because they help maintaining the honour of the paladin by proxy.


    While if you took this sect and made them follow the Jade Mother then they wouldn¡¯t do well because her domain is Fertility, so her domain doesn¡¯t lend itself well towards warfare, but rather towards growth and health.


    Thus a sect whose purpose it is to take care of the sick will do better, and a sect whose purpose is to work the fields and provide food for the masses will do very well.


    Hopefully this will clarify some of misconceptions that occured in the previous chapter

 Age of Stone: chapter 38

    ( John POV )


    We have been discussing for a good half-hour now and in that time night has fallen over our community. A clear night sky hangs above us, the stars shining down and lighting the surrounding savanna.


    <John>


    ¡°Let¡¯s just keep going with the long term strategy we are planning and take Priestly Sects.¡±


    <Jade>


    ¡°Really? I was considering Circles of Nature, because there defensive nature would help us get into the late game where our current strategy will start paying off.¡±


    <John>


    ¡°Yes, but we already took care of most of the nearby threats.


    In addition we have Zane nearby as an ally, so everything should be fine unless you think he will betray us?¡±


    <Jade>


    ¡°No! Off course not!¡±


    I am just teasing her, Zane doesn¡¯t have it in him to betray us. He also lacks the experience to finish us of in a single move so there is no reason to worry.


    Anyway, let¡¯s select the Priestly sects.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    You have unlocked Priestly sects.


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    You will have to choose a founder for your sect.


    Sect founder gain a -50% cost on blessing placed upon them, as well as a 25% decreased chance of leaving due to player interference.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    <John>


    ¡°You seeing this Jade?¡±


    <Jade>


    ¡°Yes I am, before we choose our founder we should look over the details.¡±


    She pulls up another screen and casually throws it in my direction.


    I hold out my hand to catch it and start going through the provided information.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Priestly Sects


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Sects are a simplest form of religious orders, but also have the highest potential.


    Sects grow slowly over time gain both members and traditions, your sect will grow with the ages. And like the people you govern they might even multiply.


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Current requirements for splitting: have more than twenty active Sect members


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Current amount of Sects: 1


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td colspan="2">


    Sect of The Jade Mother


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Enlistment requirements


    </td>


    <td>


    None


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Tradition points


    </td>


    <td>


    1 (+1 monthly)


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td rowspan="2">


    Traditions


    </td>


    <td>


    /


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Add new tradition ( 1 Tradition points)


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Aligned domain


    </td>


    <td>


    None


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    <John>


    ¡°Seems like we can already get one tradition, what are the limitations on these?¡±


    <Jade>


    ¡°They are very broad yet limiting at the same time.


    Each new tradition can do only one thing, which can be almost anything, but if you want to specialize then you will need to pay again to add a specification to it.


    For now I would advise that we take something broad like taking care of the sick.¡±


    <John>


    ¡°Why not make it broader and make it provide aid to those in need?¡±


    <Jade>


    ¡°Because then the sect would try and provide any kind of aid instead of just medicinal aid, which is what you had in mind.¡±


    <John>


    ¡°So specifying that the aid is medicinal in nature would cost us one more tradition. And how much does a tradition cost?¡±The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    <Jade>


    ¡°The cost seems to double for each tradition you add so the next one will cost two, afterwards any tradition will cost 4.


    But once you split a sect the tradition cost will be equally split between the two cults.¡±


    <John>


    ¡°Alright let¡¯s go with taking care of the sick then.¡±


    I add the new Tradition to the cult, and see that the cost for a new tradition is now indeed two as Jade predicted.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Priestly Sect Tips!


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Certain tradition will be able to increase the speed at which your sects gain tradition points, for example forcing everyone in the sect to take a vow of silence will double your output of tradition points.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Well useful to know, but not really worth it currently.


    <John>


    ¡°So who do we choose as a founder?¡±


    <Jade>


    ¡°Looking at the Tradition we took I would say we go for one of our two healers, that being the old goblin we took from the raid or his apprentice, a human girl from our village in fact she is the same one who got that artifact from last week.¡±


    <John>


    ¡°Well the choice seems simple, we take the girl because she already has a better base with the artifact and she will live longer so blessing will be of more worth on her¡­ Jade can you show me the details of her artifact?¡±


    <Jade>


    ¡°Just a moment I am getting the details.¡±


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    *Shoreline¡¯s Bounty*


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Item awakens Nature affinity while worn


    Item awakens Water affinity while worn


    Functions as a focus for Nature magic


    Negates loss of charisma on wearer due to old age


    Durability: 91/100


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    That¡¯s true she does have access to that artifact, could I do something with that?


    <John>


    ¡°How many points do we have available?¡±


    <Jade>


    ¡°We have access to 34 currently, why do you ask?¡±


    <John>


    ¡°I was thinking about giving her some minor blessing, something that synergizes with her artifact.


    I will need to do some testing first see which is the most efficient combination of effects that I have in mind, and how much I will invest.¡±


    <Jade>


    ¡°You better make sure we still have points to spare afterwards, and that she doesn¡¯t run off!¡±


    <hr>


    Finally I am finished with the blessings I want for¡­ what was her name again?


    It doesn¡¯t matter.


    <John>


    ¡°Jade I am finished, you wanna do a look over?¡±


    <Jade>


    ¡°Off course I will! I am not letting you just put some blessing on another one of our people, especially not on someone who''s actually important!¡±


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Mystic Hoarder


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    The blessed person will seek and collect magical Foci.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Magical Charm


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    The blessed person will gain a small boost to charisma for each magical Foci he/she carries on his/her person.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    <Jade>


    ¡°These are surprisingly... mundane? I thought you were trying out something spectacular.


    But I do see the use of these blessings, and the cost is but 6 points if we keep the discount in mind.¡±


    <John>


    ¡°So, you are fine with applying them?¡±


    <Jade>


    "Yes I am. I will promote her to sect founder and then apply the buffs."


    The two screens burst apart into a thousand shining lights and gather into two glowing orbs hanging above Jade.


    She then send selects the girl as the sect founder and guides the two orbs down towards their intended target.


    <John>


    "I haven''t seen you do any action inside of the game without atleast a bit of flair, but that one was the tamest one so far.


    you finally gonna stop adding all the Glamour to everything?"


    <Jade>


    "And leave everything cold and lifeless like a spark level AI? Where would be the fun in that?"


    <hr>


    ( Nym POV )


    I watch with a cryptical gaze at the Bok-tar that Kali brought in.


    He and Jor seem to have finally managed to calm the beast enough so that it doesn¡¯t ramage over them after they leave it for a while.


    Currently they are busy ordering around a group of volunteers into making a makeshift pen.


    I don¡¯t see how they intend to keep a bug that eats entire trees inside of a set of wooden fences.


    I decide to walk closer anyway. They seem to be in control of the beast, for now.


    <Nym>


    ¡°Kali! You are just who I am looking for!¡±


    The goblin quickly turns around with a desperate look in his eyes.


    <Kali>


    ¡°Nym, how are you doing?¡±


    His eyes are constantly darting around, as if he is looking for something.


    I click my fingers together and draw his attention back to me.


    <Nym>


    ¡°I know what I want as my last favour, I want you to make me more of these.¡±


    I hold up my left arm showing of the bracelet he made before.


    <Nym>


    ¡°I will get the materials and you make me more jewelry, sound fine to you?¡±


    <Kali>


    ¡°So all I have to do is more crafting with rare materials? Yes, I can do that, off course I can do that!¡±


    His eyes start shimmering with a mania that I haven¡¯t seen before.


    <Nym>


    ¡°Good, in that case have fun with your beetle. Also if that thing hurts anyone I will hold you and Jor responsible.¡±

 Age of Stone: chapter 39

    (Jade POV)


    I sigh, almost done with my monthly maintenance.


    I checked my RAM, removed all the cookies, cleared all the dust and so on.


    Now I get to clear out the spam filter. Lets see what do we have?


    The normal spam, some dating sites, a few virus messages¡­


    What do we have here? A message from Zane¡­ how did that get in here?


    Let see, he is busy due to finals and finishing of his end term project so he won¡¯t be able to come online, and he wanted to know how much progress we made on on helping his Alpha inside of TtA¡­


    I better go check that out¡­ before it slips my mind again.


    <hr>


    So what progress have we made since last time?


    Zane¡¯s quest has made very little progress, there don¡¯t seem to be any large predators in the vicinity so progress has be rather slow.


    Still I should assign a few of our own hunters to aid him. Preferably the more experienced ones so that they don¡¯t become the hunted.


    And it seems like we have made some more progress towards taming the Bok-Tar beetles.


    If you can call it as much, after all it just a single beetle that at the end of the day come back towards the village edge to sleep there.


    I decide to pull up the screen for more information.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td colspan="2">


    Tameable and Domesticated Species


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Tameable Species: 1


    </td>


    <td>


    Domesticated Species: 0


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    <ul>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Gylari Hive-birds</li>


    </ul>


    </td>


    <td>


    <ul>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">EMPTY</li>


    </ul>


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    So now that we have them tamed I can get more information for them.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Species details: Gylari Hive-birds


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>


    The Gylari Hive-bird is a small species belonging to the Hive-bird Family.


    Gylari Hives have somewhere between 8 to 12 Brood mothers, each of these brood mothers have around 15 lesser birds of themselves.


    The species lives mostly of small bugs.


    The Brood mothers can lay and hatch up to 2 eggs each week, they will only do this to replenish their brood.


    The main product of a Gylari hive are feathers and to a lesser extent meat and eggs.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    That isn¡¯t overly useful, but I guess they aren¡¯t domesticated yet.


    The biggest question is whether there is a use for the feathers besides decorational purposes.


    <hr>


    ( Nym POV )


    I am lying inside of my hut.


    My eyes closed.


    The sound of rain hitting the roof.


    I am totally exhausted from earlier but for some reason I can¡¯t fall asleep.


    I decide to get up and throw a few more branches into the fire pit.


    Earlier today the hunter decided to go after a herd of Candur.


    The hunt itself was successful but a fair few hunter got hurt, everything from claw marks to burn wounds.


    I spend a good part of the afternoon healing those who got burned, now I am spend I couldn¡¯t even heal a scratch if I wanted.


    I sit down close to the fire and look around for something to do until I fall asleep.


    Eventually my eyes fall on a pile of feathers I got gifted by the goblins that are taking care of the Gylari Hive nest.


    I grab them and scavenge around my hut for a few more pieces of useful materials, some scraps of leather and a few pieces of wood.


    I simply start working with no clear idea of what it is that I am making.


    I simply sit there mindlessly working on something without purpose, waiting for the sleep to catch up with me.


    Slowly my thoughts drift off.


    Leaving me to wonder what the future will bring, when Jormund finally comes back.


    When he walks up to me and holds me inside of his arms.


    I will look up into his eyes and no words will need to be said, for we will be together.


    We will be happy inside of our tribe, with his family overseeing and all of us living together in¡­


    A sharp pain stirs me from my dreamlike state, looking I see that my little project has broken in two and the remnants have cut my hand.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    Angrily I throw the ruined thin into the fire.


    The wood, leather and feathers all burn together.


    Once more I start to scavenge my hut but this time I am looking for powders, herbs and water. Everything that I need to clean the cut and make sure it heals properly.


    I find everything that I need and start washing the cut, removing the splinters.


    I only now do I notice that I forgot to open the ventilation hole at the top of my hut, the smoke that has build up inside of the tent causing me to cough.


    I get up and open both the ventilation hole and the main entrance allowing the smoke to dissipate.


    After a little while all the smoke is gone except for the small trail leaving up from the fire pit towards the ventilation hole.


    Still somehow something feels off.


    Nothing seems like it moved and no one could have entered the hut without me noticing.


    I go back to my spot and sit down concentrating, something is different then before.


    After a few minutes I give up finding out what changed and resume the task of taking care of my wound.


    When looking down I notice that my wound is gone, almost as I healed it.


    But I didn¡¯t have any energy remaining, so I couldn¡¯t have healed it right?


    Unless... it was something inside of the smoke.


    Looking at the fire I spot a single feather.


    I reach for and it bring it closer for inspection.


    It looks just like any other feather, nothing that indicates it would have had any effect.


    I yawn, it feels like finally my sleep has caught up with me.


    I guess testing the feathers can wait for later.


    <hr>


    ( Jor POV )


    a gently warmth touches my shoulders.


    When I turn I see the savanna light up in the light of a new day.


    After a night of standing guard, I do a few stretches and head home.


    While heading towards my hut I stop the pair of wolfkin, I believe their names were Garuu and Alpha? Is that even a name or just a title?


    I feel a sudden urge to ask how their doing before going to bed.


    <Jor>


    "Hey! How is the hunt going?"


    The biggest one, the Alpha, huffs and shakes his head.


    <Garuu>


    "Not well, we keep trying to find something worthy of hunting but¡­."


    <Alpha>


    "There is nothing around! We should have gone back to the mountains, at least there we could find one of the Ardron."


    <Jor>


    "What are you exactly looking for? Because there¡¯s plenty of game to go around."


    <Alpha>


    "Both of us are nearing the age at which hunting will stop being a possibility for us, normally a wolfkin would go on one last hunt in order to show his worth to the pack even at his old age.


    But I am the Alpha, I have to show that even if I don¡¯t hunt I can still protect the tribe from danger.


    In order to proof this I have to find the biggest and meanest thing around and defeat it with no help, except for my bloodkin."


    He gestures towards Garuu.


    <Jor>


    "So you are searching for a hunter, the bigger the better. I have a few idea of things that live around here that fulfill those requirements¡­


    Is there anything else that affects the prestige of your hunts?"


    The pair of wolfkin sinks into thought, after a short while the Alpha shakes his head.


    <Alpha>


    "No nothing comes to mind."


    <Jor>


    "So would magical affinity have an effect on the hunt?"


    <Garuu>


    "Magic? The creatures that use magic are far and few between, although I guess facing a large predator that has some magical abilities would be more challenging than a normal beast."


    <Jor>


    "In that case I think I know what you are looking for, but it won¡¯t be easy to hunt."


    <Alpha>


    "And what kind of creature is it that you are thinking of?"


    <Jor>


    "I am thinking of a putrikan, its a large insect predator that prefers ambush strategies."


    <Garuu>


    "How large are we talking here?"


    <Jor>


    "Let me try and remember everything about them.


    They are large centipedes easily 7 meters in length, their prefered prey are Bok-tar¡¯s but they will go after anything that gets to close.


    The putrikan also has an earth affinity, which it uses to burrow and disguise itself while lying in ambush although they have been know to improve their relatively weak armor.


    They move at speeds which belie there size and make use of a set of vicious pincers in order to pierce the skull of their victims."


    The Alpha carefully listens but I can tell from his body language that he is excited.


    <Alpha>


    "Yes... this foe seems adequate for proving my worth to the tribe. Where do we find it?"


    <Jor>


    "This is where the problem lies, putrikans can remain dormant underground for¡­


    Well I don¡¯t really know how long, at least several days...could be weeks.


    However I should be able to locate the general area where it''s hidden."


    <Alpha>


    "In that case your coming with us! The faster we find this thing the quicker the fight will be over with!"


    Garuu places one of his hands on his brothers shoulder and gently calms him down.


    <Garuu>


    "Maybe allow the human to rest first. We wouldn¡¯t want our tracker to fall asleep."


    I gently nod my head in thanks and reach out my hand.


    <Jor>


    "That does sound nice to me, meet up here tomorrow morning?"


    The Alpha grips my arm in a warriors grip and shakes it.


    <Alpha>


    "Agree!"

 Age of Stone: chapter 40

    ( Jor POV )


    High above us the sun is blazing away, off towards the horizon the air is shimmering due to the heat.


    Rightening myself up right I raise a hand to protect my eyes from the sun and inspect the horizon.


    ¡°This heatwave is both a blessing and a curse.¡± I say wiping away the sweat from my brow.


    On my right the Alpha is standing upright defiantly catching as much sun as possible.


    Garuu however is close by inside of the shade of a nearby tree, trying to achieve the exact opposite.


    "How is this heat a blessing of any kind?¡± Garuu asks.


    I take a quick swig of water before answering


    ¡°We are hunting an ambush predator, and due to this heat most animals will be looking for a place to drink, which will also limit the area where we will need to look for our prey.¡±


    Alpha seems to have run out of patience and grumbles at me.


    ¡°I have waited long enough for this fight, now tell me did you find tracks?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I have found tracks. It seems like an adolescent Putrikan headed north-west from here.


    It probably was force to relocate due to a lack of prey.¡± I say while pointing into the direction I mentioned


    I don¡¯t know how he felt about my answer but Alpha heads off following the tracks, not even considering the state his brother is in.


    I follow him but at a slower pace allowing Garuu to catch up.


    When he does I ask him a question: ¡°Is he always like this?¡±.


    Garuu chuckles.


    ¡°Not always, he used to be though.¡±


    When I offer a drink of my water he shakes his head before continuing on with his answer.


    ¡°He used to only look forwards to the next fight.


    When he was nominated as the next Alpha his fire got tempered.


    It wasn¡¯t so much the challenge of the next fight but the responsibility that came with each fight that became his driving force.


    But with age the fire diminished until he was happy sitting in the cave watching the tribe flourish.


    But now I see sparks of his old fire starting to rise once more. He is enjoying this more than you think.¡±


    ¡°He has a weird way of showing it¡± I grunt in response.


    <hr>


    We followed the trail for another hour before reaching a small clearing near to the river¡¯s edge. The ground is covered in tougher plants then the savanna grass we were trekking through up until now.


    I kneel down and carefully check the ground for tracks.


    Not finding anything conclusive I stand up and whisper the others.


    ¡°This seems like the perfect place, but I¡¯m not certain. We should check the outer rim of the clearing and see if there are any signs of it leaving.¡±


    A few minutes later we gather in the shade of a nearby tree.


    Taking the lead I report my findings first.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t find any evidence of it leaving the clearing, what about you two?¡±


    Both of the wolfkin shake their heads.


    ¡°In that case we have found your prey¡± I conclude.


    ¡°We should try and lure it out, maybe¡­¡±


    ¡°No need, we will take it from here!¡± Alpha proclaims loudly.


    Before I can stop them Alpha walks out of the shade, while Garuu places his hand on my shoulder.


    ¡°Whatever happens, don¡¯t interfere.¡±


    After those last few words he lets go of my shoulder and joins his brother in the clearing.


    Alpha notices his brother joining and raises his club above his head before bringing it down with full force.


    Dust and pebbles fly away from the point of impact, and on the other side of the glade the earth starts to move.


    The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.Slowly a huge shape rises out from the ground, soil and sand fall away to reveal a dull brown carapace.


    When it has fully dug itself out of the ground its countless legs steadily hit the ground dislodging the remaining assortment of pebbles, twigs and dirt from the ridges and joints of its armour.


    Meanwhile the Wolfkin duo has closed their distance and are starting to spread out.


    The beast raises its armoured head up until it towers over the two wary hunters. A horrible screeching bellows forth from its throat trying to intimidate the defiers of its territory.


    Instead the Alpha dashes forward and swings his colossal club with the kind of grace that comes from years of use. The Putrikan tries to lower itself back to the ground but fails to do so before getting hit and having a few of its legs damaged.


    The giant centipede quickly recovers and lunges towards the Alpha.


    Using his own momentum the huge wolfkin manages to turn his club into the path of its head, changing the trajectory of its jaws enough to escape injury.


    On the other side of the creature Garuu moves forward holding his spear, a heavy armament more mend for thrusting then the light throwing spears he based it on.


    When he stabs it towards the creature, the spear merely scratches the heavy plates of chitin that protect its back.


    Still it¡¯s enough to pull its attention away from Apha and towards Garuu himself. He manages to avoid most of the follow-up move from the Putrikan but does suffer some scratches from its frontal legs before Alpha manages to draw its attention towards itself once more.


    This pattern repeats itself a few times. The Putrikan losing a handful more legs on spread over both sides of its body and even suffers a large crack in one of its back plates.


    Although by now one thing becomes clear, it can outlast the wolfkin with ease. Although wounded the centipede doesn¡¯t slow down, while Garuu and Alpha are.


    The brothers decide to stick closer to one another as so defend each other better, but I don¡¯t think that it will be enough.


    I look around trying to determine whether there is anything that I can do, but I couldn¡¯t ignore Garuu¡¯s words. This is important for them, an for their tribe.


    Focusing back unto the fight it seems like the Putrikan has decided to be more careful and is circling around the hunters.


    Garuu seems to take the opportunity to regain some of his strength, while Alpha is keeping an eye onto the beast.


    A few words get exchanged between them and Garuu shakes his head, but I can¡¯t hear what they are saying.


    Whatever happened seems to energize them and they move up once more towards the creatures head.


    Suddenly the Putrikan charges forward in between the two brothers splitting them up and then turns towards Garuu.


    Garuu tries to back off but instead finds his way blocked by the rest of the Putrikans body.


    I hadn¡¯t even noticed but I am already halfway across the clearing to help them when Garuu see me.


    ¡°No!¡± He shouts.


    ¡°This is between me, my brother and the creature don¡¯t interfere!¡±


    Alpha arrives just in time to stop the massive mandibles of the beast from ending his brothers life but in order to do so had to drop his club in order to grab each chitinous blade.


    I see an opportunity and although I am not allowed to help I decide to yell anyway.


    ¡°Through the mouth!¡±


    A moment later Garuu thrusts his spear into the maw of the creature, which lets out an unearthly hissing sound and starts to thrash violently.


    Alpha gets thrown off missing a few fingers on his right hand but otherwise fine, while Garuu manages to get up and over the creatures back with nothing more then a few more scratches.


    Both me and Garuu head over to where Alpha was thrown.


    By the time we reach him he is already back onto his feet clutching his hand.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me instead watch the beast¡± He grumbles


    Garuu turns to watch the beast while I grab one of Nym¡¯s pre-made bandages and quickly wrap it around the remains of Alphas right hand.


    Before I am ready a loud sound comes from behind me.


    Expecting the Putrikan charging at us I turn only to see the beast lying close to the place where Garuu almost got caught, doing not much more than feebly twitching every so often.


    Besides me Garuu slowly starts laughing, the volume growing with each syllable.


    ¡°And we thought that this beast was gonna be our end!¡± he roars.


    ¡°We were fully prepared to valiently fight till the end!


    But instead it is us who are victorious this day, you hear that Hordu? We won! You are Alpha no more.¡±


    Alpha gets up and walks over to his weapon. Although he isn¡¯t as boisterous as his brother, he seems happy nonetheless.


    ¡°Don¡¯t call me that yet, we still have to get the beast back home.¡± he calls back.


    I join Garuu near the beast.


    ¡°So what we do now I go back to the village and get people to help carry this thing back?¡± I ask him.


    Garuu looks at me with a big smile on his face.


    ¡°Off course not the three of us are perfectly capable of bringing this beast home, just watch.¡±


    I look at the carcase before me. Although the beast looks a whole lot less imposing than when it was alive, it¡¯s still at least 9 paces long.


    Still feeling high from the adrenaline I roll my muscles and laugh loudly.


    ¡°I bet we can get this thing back to main camp before sundown¡±