Chapter 17 - Finding a Home

~So I realized I never did the monster bio for Cats, so I'm placing it here. -Author~

*Cat

A Chimeric hybrid between a Cait Sith and an Ahool, originally developed as an endeavor to combine the offensive force of the Death element wielding Cait Sith with the size and mobility of the bat-like Ahool. the resulting Chimera was a slightly larger, winged feline hardly different from the original Cait Sith. It was considered, at the time, a failure as the Cat lost most of its offensive magic. In return, Cats make excellent companion monsters due to their size and relative sturdiness, as well as a newfound specialization in support and healing type spells.

There's two general types of Cats, the bipedal "Hunter" and the quadruped "Companion". The only difference between them is the Hunters ability to use tools and weapons due to their front legs being freed up.

Rank: 3 Stars (Both types)*

~Additional info that Millibelle would have requested about Chimeras:~

*A Chimera is the fusion of two different lifeforms into one cohesive entity. In all recorded incidents of Chimerism, humanoid experimentation was the leading cause for the phenomena. During the All-War, a great war involving all of the countries and kingdoms that existed at the time, a sort of weapons race began with each nation trying to create the most powerful and adaptable Chimera to use against the others. Most of the surviving specimens from that time escaped into the wild where they established feral populations. They, with the exception of a few such as the Cat, are designated for eradication.*

~Millibelle would of course be very disturbed by this info. Now, onto the chapter itself!~

I make my way out of the Guild Hall and onto the streets of the city. I yawn and stretch before wandering towards the trade district. I really got to get some sleep once I'm done here...

What I'm looking for is a weapons shop. Although I can make my own, I want to get a good reference for what's normal in this world.

I'd also like to find some sort of magic shop that sells staffs and wands. Then I could probably mimic them with the materials I already have. I'm already plenty powerful, but being able to whip out something that makes me even stronger if I get in a tight spot would be a nice insurance to have.

Oh and armor too, can't forget about that... I end up visiting all sorts of stores and just looking at the wares on display there, learning about how they are made from World Knowledge. By the time I'm done, the sun is low in the sky and I'm getting really tired. Time to make my way to the city gates.

Luckily they perform no identity checks on the way out, so I have no issue getting through security. Once I'm outside the city gates I dash decently out of sight, before returning to my true form. Immediately warning horns go off from atop the walls of the city. Seems they spotted me even at this distance.

I spread my wings and take off, soaring high into the sky at top speed, out of range of any arrows before setting course for the closest of the way-points on my map. Keeping my speed high, I fly for a few hours before landing near a lake. By now the sun has set and I'm having issues keeping my eyes open.

Grabbing a drink of water before I go to sleep, I briefly survey the area for anything of interest. Seems that on the opposite side of the lake is a small settlement, but it should be far enough away for me not to worry about them. Taking shelter beneath a grand willow-looking tree for the night, I fall sound asleep.

The next morning, I wake as the suns rays start to filter through the canopy of the tree I slept beneath. Having a good stretch, I check my surroundings for potential threats. None that I can see, but it seems the villagers are preparing for something on the far side of the lake. I'd love to check it out, but I fear I'd just spook them if I came by for a look.

Actually, what about a swim? It's been a good while since my last bath... I tentatively place a paw into the lake. It's decently cold, but that might make it more refreshing. I wade into the water, soaking myself through to the skin. Once my feet leave the bottom of the lake, I swim about using doggy paddle.

But dipping my face into the water was a big mistake. My nostrils are no longer designed to keep water out, so they flood immediately. I inhale some water in my surprise, and quickly retreat onto dry land, heaving and spluttering for air.

*Skill Obtained - Condition Resistance: Suffocating (Lesser) - Increases the time the User can go without oxygen before HP starts decreasing*

I honestly should have learnt by now that me and water are no longer compatible, huh... This is, what, the third time I almost drown myself? Ugh. I shake myself to get rid of most of the water. No more dilly dallying! Time to get to that first place the King pointed out!

I spread my wings and fly off, setting my course once again towards the nearest way-point. Taking off so soon after being wet was another mistake... The freezing cold air made my fur all stiff and spiky. And me very cold.

I endure the cold though, and before long I've made my way to the first way-point.

*Way-point reached, do you wish to dismiss it?*

No, keep it, but in a duller color. I want to check out all the spots before I decide. The dot on my map goes from a bright yellow to a dull yellowish grey. I survey the area. It seems to be a... hm... It looks quite dead...

Spreading before me is a rusty brown stain on the otherwise verdant carpet of plains. Jagged rocks protrude from the earth at seemingly random angles, and the desiccated remains of trees stubbornly grasp at the sky. What happened here?

*Analysis of the ambient magic returns abnormally high readings of Dark and Death. Judging by the clear boundary of this anomaly, it is either a Lair, or a late stage Dungeon. An abundance of life detected below, suggesting tunnels or caverns beneath the surface.*

Hm...

I switch my Dungeon Detector on. No new dot pops up, so I guess it's a Lair? I switch the Detector back off and decide to not investigate further. I'd rather build new than renovate someone else's house. I set my heading for the next way-point, leaving that ominous place behind.

The next place looks a lot more welcoming. A verdant flower field spreads before me. Is there anything weird going on here though? I land at the edge of the field and gently make my way through the flowers. Are they... getting bigger? Seems that the closer to the center of the field I get, the larger the flowers become?

I decide to investigate one particularly big specimen.

Unnamed

Species: Hallowed Corpseflower (Undead) (Uncommon)

Gender: NA

Status: Rooted (Grand)

HP: 100

MP: 150

SP: 50

Attack: 5

Armor: 90 (-50 Vs Fire)

M.Attack: 100

M.Armor: 50 (-30 Vs Fire)

Speed: 10

STR: 5

CON: 80

INT: 90

WIL: 40

DEX: 8

Skills:

Undead Vigor (Normal - Unique(Undead))  -  Undead Stamina (Normal - Unique(Undead))

Elemental Affinity: Life (Lesser)  -  Elemental Affinity: Earth (Normal)

Elemental Affinity: Plant (Great)  -  Elemental Affinity: Death (Lesser)

Tendril Action (Lesser)  -  Photosynthesis (Great)

Camouflage (Great)  -  Hiding (Normal)

Spells:

Earth Spike (Lesser)  -  Control: Earth (Lesser)

Tangling Vines (Normal)  -  Floral Bloom (Lesser)

Control: Plant (Normal)  -  Curse (Lesser)

Necrosis (Normal)

Social Titles:

Undead  -  Murdered

War Criminal  -  Ruthless

Backstabber

*Hallowed Corpseflower

A kind of undead created when the body of a murder-victim is buried and never found. The ill will of the body then infuses the plant-life that grows above it, creating the Corpseflower. The Hallowed variety is born when a Corpseflower has bloomed undisturbed for over a hundred years. The seething malice of the monster giving rise to more of its kind, eventually making a field of Corpseflowers, even if there originally was only one there to begin with. Its petals are used to treat gangrene, and its vines are often wrapped around staffs and wands to increase the power of earth and plant type spells.

Rank: 3 Stars*

I immediately take to the air and check more flowers. Hallowed, hallowed, normal, withering, writhing, desiccating. This flower field contains pretty much only varieties of Corpseflowers! This place is TERRIBLE! What on earth HAPPENED here?!

*Scanning history records...*

*Answer: This place is one of many execution grounds set up after the All-War to deal with the large number of people complicit in Chimera creation, as a way to make sure such horrors could never again be unleashed upon the world*

So... This place is just a massive graveyard for war-criminals? Who would want to live here?! Remove this way-point, I'm not even considering to live here! Why on earth would the King think I wanted to live here?

*No idea, maybe to get rid of the Corpseflowers?*

Well he can kiss my... ahem, I'm getting a bit upset... I compose myself before heading to the third way-point. Although the Skills and Spells those Corpseflowers had looked interesting, I'd rather not fight an entire flower field. I'm guessing they didn't attack me on sight because I'm so clearly more powerful than them. Or they just lash out at humanoids...

*Corpseflowers go for anything smaller than them. At your size, no corpseflower would intentionally attack you.*

Hm, I guess that makes sense.

As the sun is setting, I arrive at the third place pointed out to me by the King. A valley with a river running through the middle, a waterfall at one end, a lake at the other. A deciduous forest blankets both sides of the river.  Seems the valley was carved from the rivers flow over thousands of years.

This place looks nice though! What unspeakable horrors do this place contain?

*Scans reveal no abnormal magic levels, a normal amount of life with a concentration near the lake, possibly a humanoid community.*

Oh so this place is nice. It even has people! It would be nice if I could befriend them, then I wouldn't get so lonely. Lets mark this off as a maybe. I land halfway up the valley for the night. As the darkness of night settles, I hear the noises of the forest. This time though, I'm not moved into an enraptured fright.

A scuffle between monsters breaks out near me. A cry alerts me that one of them lost. I am hungry... I get up and walk over to where the cry came from. A Quartz Deer lies in a pool of blood on the forest floor. Above it stands a Bristle Wolf, with a few others waiting their turn to feed nearby.

*Bristle Wolf

A fearsome Mammaloid monster, renowned for its fur. Hailed as the Ruler of the Forest, its fur contains sharp silicate hairs that stand on end when the monster hunts its prey. These special hairs are covered in tiny hooks, and a special weak point makes them detach easily. Anyone trying to bite a Bristle Wolf quickly regret doing so, as all they are left with is a mouth full of stinging hairs.

One Bristle Wolf is a fearsome opponent, but they usually travel in packs of five or more members, led by an Alpha, meaning that the wisest course of action when faced with a Wolf, is to flee.

Rank: 4 Stars (One), 6 Stars (Pack)*

The eyes of the Wolf catches the moonlight, making them reflect a piercing yellow stare. It has spotted me, and snarls as its fur stands on end to make it appear bigger than it really is. The other Wolves gather around the carcass as if to hide it from sight.

I activate my Frightening Presence and give a light growl. The lesser Wolves whine and hide behind the leader. I take a step forward. The leader is clearly conflicted. Fight me for the food, or give it up to be safe, but still hungry?

I take another step forward, this time with a louder growl. It's too much for the leader, it tucks its tail between its legs and flees into the thicket along with its pack-mates. They haven't left entirely though, I can still make out their yellow eyes staring at me through the brush.

I cast a Windblade at the carcass, cleanly severing it in two. I take the bigger piece in my mouth and walk back to where I was sleeping. I'm not so mean as to steal all their hard work. Eating my fill, I store what remains for later.

Next morning, I once again take to the skies. Seems the closer I get to where the border should be, the more jagged the terrain becomes. Plains and forests start to give way to taiga and mountains. Even in these summery temperatures it's getting noticeably colder the further east I travel.

I've never really been one for extreme temperatures. I prefer it when it's just right. Not too hot, not too cold.

Landing at the fourth site, a mountain rises before me. Jagged spires rise to the sky, and gnarled pines stubbornly cling to the sides of it. I can see a town near the base of it, and what looks like a mining operation slightly above that.

I mean... I could probably make some caves or something and live in those, but this place isn't my style. It looks like it gets bitterly cold in the winter. I take off again, towards the last place the King pointed out to me.

By now I'm starting to feel like Goldilocks. The porridge is either too hot or too cold. And so far I've only liked one of the options. That changes once I see the final place. A thick, ancient forest spreads before me. The landscape is relatively flat, and rivers crisscross the forest, meaning there's plenty of water.

This looks amazing! I land and walk into the forest to check it out in more detail. It seems to be around the same age as the forest I was born in, but it has a very different feeling to it. It might also be feeling different because I'm no longer a little Goblin. Things tend to be scary when you're small and easy to kill.

I spend the rest of the day wandering about the forest, enjoying the sights and smells. By the time night comes around, I've decided. This is where I want my Lair!

*Affirmative. Please observe the Map to see where the borders of your Lair will go.*

The map zooms out, and a large ring is overlaid on top of it. Its... Its... uh... encompassing the entire forest??? Is that really big or is this forest smaller than I thought it was???

*This forest would be considered a medium large forest. The size of the Lair is calculated from the estimated area you'd need to survive, as well as the area you could be expected to be able to defend.*

The ring on the map shrinks down drastically to maybe one fourth of its original size.

*This illustrates the area you'd need to survive.*

The ring expands back to its original size.

*And this is how much area you'll be able to defend. It is also an estimate of how far from the center the effects of your Lair will manifest.*

Oh. So even if I only need a little part of the forest to live comfortably, my influence will affect the entire forest.

*Correct.*

Hm... that is kinda scary... Also, what would happen if I got a humanoid settlement in my Lair?

*Provided you do not enforce drastic topography shifts to your Lair, nor set other monsters to be hostile, they should probably be fine.*

Probably. I guess I'll just hope there's no-one living here. I take off into the air and fly a lap around the forest, scanning for signs of settlement. There isn't anything in the forest, but opposite a river, around a kilometer (~0.6 miles~) from the forests edge, lies a small village. Double checking the estimates, it falls outside the Lairs area of effect.

Satisfied, I fly into the center of the forest. Now, how do I make this my Lair?

*Go to sleep, and Dream of the nature of your Lair.*

... I guess I'll try that. I lay down, and as I drift off to sleep, I try to imagine what I want my Lair to look like.

In the Dream, I'm greeted by a selection of different windows and panels. The panels list settings such as "Minion Demeanor" and "Ambiance". The windows give previews on the effects my choices will have on the forest. Fiddling about, I leave most as it was, but turn Minion Demeanor to "Defend if attacked, otherwise neutral", it should make the monsters defend themselves, but otherwise leave humanoids alone.

I also increase the general ambient magic levels a little. It makes the forest go from a deep green to a more intense green color, as well as make the trees produce shiny flowers. For my "house" I make a massive tree at the center of the forest, that has an opening to a small cave between its roots.

Now, all that is left is to figure out what to put here... I'm looking at three slots, each able to be filled with a "Boon". But what is a Boon?

*A Boon is an effect that is permanently active in the Lair. Your Skills change what Boons are able to be put in effect. For example, Hivemind lets you see what the monsters in the Lair see, making them act as scouts or sentries in the search for intruders.

Boon of Fertility adds a less extreme version of the Skill effect to the Lair, slightly increasing food produced within it without the long term damage the Skill causes.*

Oh! Can I change this later, though?

*Affirmative. The Lair can be edited by Dreaming of it again.*

Nice! Then I'll put in Boon of Fertility and Hivemind for now. All finished and content, I wake from the Dream.

I open my eyes. I'm in the cave beneath the huge tree. I'll need to furnish this at some point, but for now it'll provide decent shelter from the outside. Almost immediately after exiting the cave, I get an alert from a monster. Seems it's found humanoids entering the forest. I see through its eyes, and I see an old woman escorted by four armed men entering the forest.

Visitors already?

*Do note: Your Dream takes time to manifest. As such, you've been asleep for a week. In that time a defensive barrier, not unlike the one formed during Evolution, has barred entry to the Lair. It is not unlikely that these humanoids have been waiting for the barrier to lower.*

Oh! So now that the barrier is down, they immediately go to investigate? I want to meet them though. I transform into my human form. It is smaller and more agile, so I can traverse the forest quicker. Whilst still keeping an eye on the humanoids, I break into a light jog. Of course, with my speed, that light jog is faster than any human could run.

I slow down once I reach a clearing just ahead of my visitors. I probably shouldn't reveal my true form just yet, so I switch into the Changeling form. Redoing my outfit to make it look a little more feral. You know, a loincloth and a leaf shirt, that sort of thing.

As the humanoids enter the clearing, I make my presence known. I hop up on the stump I was hiding behind. The old woman stops in her tracks, as do her escorts. I hear the men discussing between themselves. "A Changeling, here?" "Must be a Minion" "Never heard of a Changeling Minion." I swish my tail in anticipation. What do they want? Who is the old lady?

The old woman approaches me. Since I'm on the stump, we're about eye-level with each other. She kneels before me. Eh? Why? She looks up at me, and speaks. "Dear Changeling, it would honor me greatly if we were allowed to meet your Master." Oh, they're here to meet me! Of course!

I hold up my hand in an attempt to make them wait before hopping down from the stump and heading towards the far edge of the clearing. I check to make sure they've remained in place. They have, good. I head in between the trees and when I'm sure they can't see me, I switch forms.

I make my way back into the clearing. Gasps of awe and maybe fear are heard from the humanoids. I try my best to move slowly and carefully, I don't want to scare them by making a sudden move. The old woman is still kneeling by the stump, her eyes fixed on me. Once I'm before them, I lay down in order to look smaller.

"A-ah, pardon my surprise, but I've never seen anything quite like you before." She seems taken aback by my appearance. Well, I am an entirely new lifeform. "Even my Eyes of Knowing cannot discern your nature... If only you could tell me what you are..." Hm? She has an unique skill? I tilt my head inquisitively.

"Pardon. The reason of our intrusion is merely to see what kind of Master this new Lair has. It seems you've decided to live rather close by..." She explains. I guess it must be concerning to suddenly have, essentially, Draculas castle by your doorstep... Do I reveal that I can speak to them? It would make things easier, or it could make things a whole lot harder.

Lets be brave! I reach out to her. "I hope my presence doesn't bring discomfort to you?" I ask her. She stiffens slightly when I speak to her. Her eyes go wide as she seemingly rediscovers my figure. "O-oh my Mother... Of course! How did I not see!" Eh? What's she on about?

"I hope you can forgive me for not recognizing you! Your Highness, the Emperor of Monsters!"

W-well you're not entirely wrong. I glance at the old woman's escorts. They are shifting uncomfortably where they stand. I don't blame them, honestly.

"You're not wrong, but you're also not right, human." I tell her. Leaving out most of the details, I try to explain my current situation. "How... terrible..." She seems saddened by the story. "And your Highness has no idea when or even if you'd be able to Evolve again?" She inquires.

I nod. She pauses as she thinks this new information over. "Well, I, for one, am glad that the Emperor's personality is the dominant one." She smiles as she gets up. "I'll tell the villagers that you mean us no harm." Hm, I better tell her; "Take care, the monsters of this forest will defend themselves if attacked, do not mistake their docileness in your presence for friendliness." I warn her.

She pauses before nodding. "Wise, for I fear the unscrupulous among us would try to benefit from your benevolence." She bows before making her way back out of the forest with her entourage. Well, that went better than expected... I assume there would have been no greeting party if I'd left Minion Demeanor as hostile to humanoids.

I make my way back to my cave for now, eager to plan out how to furnish and decorate it later.