Dawn came quietly to New Tlanxla.
The birds of the rainforest had yet to begin their morning chorus, and a thin veil of mist hung over the battered walls.
Fragments of obsidian glimmered faintly beneath the fog.
They were the remains of the eight-pointed star the Stegadon had shattered yesterday.
Tekuna had ordered the Skinks to gather every last fragment into a single pile, where they would remain until Kroq-Gar gave the order to burn them all.
The Skinks were meticulous workers.
They hadn’t overlooked a single fragment, not even those smaller than a fingernail.
Kroq-Gar stood beside the pit in the center of the settlement, now completely filled in, and stared at the interface before him.
[Geomantic Energy: 1000/2000]
The maximum capacity had doubled.
He had discovered it last night.
The hours following the battle had been too chaotic.
Clearing the corpses.
Burning the remnants of Chaos corruption.
Establishing sentry posts.
Calming the Cold Ones.
Kroq-Gar simply hadn’t had time to check the interface.
It wasn’t until nightfall, when Tekuna came to report on the captives, that Kroq-Gar suddenly felt the interface inside his mind tremble.
He glanced at it.
Then froze.
Tekuna had called, “My lord,” twice before Kroq-Gar finally returned to his senses.
His original capacity had been one thousand.
After occupying New Tlanxla, it had increased to two thousand.
With a maximum of one thousand, it took him nearly two days to completely replenish his Geomantic Energy.
Now that the limit had doubled, filling it would take almost four days.
But that wasn’t what mattered.
What mattered was the reason.
He now controlled a city.
And his maximum Geomantic Energy had increased by one thousand.
If he captured another city, would it increase by another thousand?
What about three cities?
Five?
Kroq-Gar raised his head.
His gaze pierced the morning mist and turned north.
The rainforest stretched endlessly before him.
Ancient trees that had slumbered for countless millennia appeared and disappeared within the fog.
Far in the distance, several unnatural columns of black smoke could faintly be seen rising above the canopy.
Signs of other Chaos encampments.
Kroq-Gar’s fingers tightened unconsciously.
“My lord?”
Tekuna’s voice pulled him from his thoughts.
Kroq-Gar lowered his gaze.
The Skink Priest had been awake all night.
His golden eyes were slightly bloodshot.
Dew clung to his feathered cloak, while the crystal atop his staff emitted a faint glow through the morning fog.
“Continue,” Kroq-Gar said.
“The captives.”
“There are no captives.”
Tekuna’s answer was immediate.
“The corruption of Chaos had progressed too far.
More than three hundred corrupted human civilians were discovered within the settlement.”
“After examination, we determined that none could be saved.”
“Their limbs had become twisted.
Their minds were gone.
Only instinct remained.”
“Allowing them to remain would only spread further corruption into the land.”
Kroq-Gar silently nodded.
Last night, he had ordered his followers to examine the condition of the captives.
It had been partly to give himself time.
To give the part of him that still remembered being a modern human time to accept what needed to be done.
But the result wasn’t unexpected.
Chaos corruption was not an infection.
It was not poison.
It wasn’t some disease that could simply be cured.
It replaced the soul.
Then it reshaped the flesh.
“Has everything been dealt with?”
“Yes, my lord.”
“The bodies were completely burned.
Their ashes were buried beneath the filled sacrificial pit.
Three layers of stone slabs were placed over them, and the Skink Priests carved purification glyphs into the stone.”
“Good.”
Kroq-Gar turned away.
“What about the stone from the south?”
The sudden change of subject caught Tekuna off guard.
The Skink blinked twice before answering.
“The stone has already been transported to the western side of the plaza, my lord.”
“The temporary stone yard currently contains approximately four hundred units of standard building stone.”
“The foundations of the Saurus Barracks were completed last night.
Three of the walls have already reached half the height of a Skink.”
“According to the craftsmen, at our current pace, the roof should be completed within another day.”
One day.
Kroq-Gar immediately began calculating.
Once the Saurus Barracks was complete, he could recruit Saurus Warriors.
The interface clearly listed their cost.
Two hundred Geomantic Energy per regiment.
At his current recovery rate of ten points per hour, he gained two hundred and forty points every day.
After accounting for routine expenditures, he could probably recruit one regiment of Saurus Warriors each day.
But not yet.
The barracks were still under construction.
For now, he could only recruit Skinks.
The recruitment menu flashed.
[Skink Spawning Pool]
[Available Recruitment: Skink Cohort (Javelins), 100 Geomantic Energy per Regiment]
[Available Recruitment: Skink Skirmishers, 75 Geomantic Energy per Regiment]
One hundred for a regiment of javelin-armed Skinks.
Seventy-five for a regiment of Skirmishers.
He currently possessed one thousand Geomantic Energy.
His maximum was two thousand.
If he didn’t spend it, he would hit the limit in roughly four days.
Kroq-Gar tapped several times at the invisible interface.
Skirmishers were cheaper.
Fast.
Flexible.
Perfect for reconnaissance and harassment.
The Javelin Cohorts were more dependable, providing consistent ranged firepower.
He already possessed two regiments of javelin-armed Skinks, which meant his ranged forces were adequate.
Skirmishers could kite enemies around the edges of a battlefield, drawing formations apart before the main army advanced.
It had been one of his favorite tactics in the game.
But Skink Cohorts armed with javelins would always form the backbone of his Skink forces.
Their ranged attacks were brutal against lightly armored targets.
One coordinated volley could tear an exposed formation apart.
“Tekuna.”
“Yes, my lord.”
“I want to use the Skink Spawning Pool.”
Tekuna’s golden eyes immediately brightened.
He nodded vigorously.
Then opened his narrow jaws and released a piercing hiss.
The sound traveled surprisingly far.
Across the entire settlement, Skinks stopped whatever they were doing and turned toward the sound.
“Come!”
“The lord is opening the spawning pool!”
Kroq-Gar followed Tekuna through half the settlement until they reached the black stone structure housing the Skink Spawning Pool.
He hadn’t had time to examine it yesterday.
There had been a battle to fight.
Then the cleansing of the settlement had continued until midnight.
Now that he was standing before it, Kroq-Gar finally had the opportunity to examine the structure properly.
It wasn’t particularly large.
At least, not compared with the surrounding temple ruins.
But the stone used to construct it was completely different from everything else nearby.
A low humming constantly emerged from within.
It sounded almost like underground water flowing through a network of pipes.
Or perhaps some ancient machine was still operating somewhere deep beneath the earth.
Tekuna pushed open the stone door.
The interior was far larger than it appeared from outside.
Most of the structure extended underground.
Beneath the surface was a vast chamber.
At its center lay an enormous circular pool.
The water wasn’t clear.
It possessed a faint milky-white hue, and countless tiny bubbles constantly rose across its surface.
Hundreds of softly glowing stones rested beneath the water.
Each varied in size.
But they weren’t stones.
The liquid wasn’t ordinary water either.
It was a solution saturated with Geomantic Energy.
And the objects resting within it were dormant Lizardmen embryos.
Kroq-Gar focused on the interface.
He selected:
[Skink Cohort (Javelins)]
The recruitment menu appeared.
Without hesitation, he confirmed the selection four times.
[Recruitment Confirmed: Skink Cohort (Javelins) ×4]
[Geomantic Energy Consumed: 400]
[Geomantic Energy Remaining: 600/2000]
The number changed.
Then Kroq-Gar witnessed something no game could ever have shown him.
The spawning pool began to boil.
Literally.
Several enormous bubbles swelled across the milky-white surface, each nearly half the height of a Skink.
The entire chamber filled with a deep gurgling sound.
The glowing objects at the bottom of the pool began trembling violently.
Then one hundred and sixty eggs simultaneously rose toward the surface.
They spun slowly upon the water.
The Geomantic solution became a sea of glowing white light, illuminating the entire underground chamber.
The light entered the eggs.
Then the shells opened.
They didn’t shatter.
They bloomed.
Like flowers.
Inside each egg was a tiny Skink, curled tightly into itself.
Each newborn was smaller than Kroq-Gar’s palm.
Their bodies were nearly transparent.
Through their delicate skin, he could see tiny bones.
Tiny organs.
Tiny hearts beating steadily.
Their eyes remained closed.
Their tails wrapped tightly around their bodies.
The pool held them gently.
One hundred and sixty newborn lives.
One hundred and sixty new hopes.
Then the liquid began flowing into them.
The Geomantic solution entered through their mouths and nostrils.
It spread throughout their translucent bodies.
Their bones hardened before Kroq-Gar’s eyes.
Muscles expanded.
Scales emerged beneath the skin.
In less than the time it took to drink a cup of tea, the newborn Skinks had grown to half the size of adults.
Another short while passed.
They were almost fully grown.
Kroq-Gar stood beside the pool.
For once, he had nothing to say.
Tekuna stood beside him.
The Skink Priest was equally silent.
One hour later, one hundred and sixty pairs of eyes opened simultaneously.
The newly spawned Skinks climbed from the pool.
There was no awkwardness in their movements.
No hesitation.
It was as though they had known how to walk and how to fight from the instant they entered the world.
They gathered along the edge of the pool.
Their wet scales glimmered beneath the fading radiance of the Geomantic solution.
Then, as one, they looked up at Kroq-Gar.
One hundred and sixty pairs of golden eyes.
New.
Clear.
Without confusion.
Waiting only for a command.
Kroq-Gar understood what he saw within those eyes.
The answer was buried within the genetic memory of the body he inhabited.
When the Old Ones had created their kind, they had written certain truths directly into their instincts.
Who commanded them.
Whose soldiers they were.
What enemies they were meant to fight.
The answers had been carved into their bones before they were even born.
“My lord.”
Tekuna held out a piece of dry, rough cloth.
“Wipe the water from your face.”
Only then did Kroq-Gar realize that droplets of the Geomantic solution had splashed all over his face.
He accepted the cloth and wiped himself several times.
“They need weapons.”
“Already prepared.”
Tekuna gestured toward the eastern side of the spawning chamber.
“Javelins and shields are stored in the armory east of the spawning pool.
There are enough weapons to equip ten regiments of Skink Cohorts.”
“They are reserves left behind by the Old Ones.”
“We simply haven’t had the opportunity to use them in a very long time.”
The Skink Priest’s voice remained calm.
But his eyes were moving rapidly.
Kroq-Gar had already learned what that meant.
Tekuna was struggling to contain his excitement.
“Four new regiments of Skink Cohorts, my lord.”
“Together with the two we already possessed, we now have six regiments of javelin-armed Skinks.”
Nine hundred and sixty Skink Javelin Warriors.
Four newly spawned regiments.
The original two regiments.
Two regiments of Saurus Spearmen.
Two regiments of Blessed Saurus Warriors.
One regiment of Cold One Riders.
One Stegadon.
His total military strength now exceeded one thousand warriors.
Yesterday, he had been wondering whether seven hundred troops would be enough.
Today, he commanded more than a thousand.
But it still wasn’t enough.
This was only the beginning.
“When will the Saurus Barracks be completed?”
“By this evening,” Tekuna replied.
“If my lord permits the craftsmen to continue working without rest.”
“Permission granted.”
Kroq-Gar didn’t hesitate.
“Push harder.”
“I want the barracks completed before sunrise tomorrow.”
He paused.
Then lowered his voice.
“Also, clear away every unnecessary ruin inside the settlement.”
“Sort the recovered stone by type and store it properly.”
“Survey the foundations as well.”
“The original foundations of this city still exist.
Many structures can probably be rebuilt directly upon them.”
Kroq-Gar raised one hand.
He began drawing a list in the air.
Literally.
Of course, only he could see the words appearing before him.
“Build Cold One pens in the east.”
“A weapons forge in the west.”
“A second Skink Spawning Pool in the south.”
“Leave the area near the northern gate empty.”
“In the future, we’ll build a temple there.”
“A temple dedicated to Sotek.”
Tekuna’s eyes grew brighter with every command.
The Skink Priest listened carefully while scratching marks into the scales of his own arm with one claw.
One mark for each construction project.
“My lord, completing all of these projects may require an entire month.”
“We’ll build them in stages.”
Kroq-Gar’s answer was immediate.
“Prioritize what we need.”
“Everything else can wait.”
The certainty in his lord’s voice caused Tekuna to bow his head without hesitation.
“As you command.”
Kroq-Gar climbed to the stone platform overlooking the center of the settlement.
He watched as the morning mist gradually disappeared beneath the rising sun.
Below the battered walls, the Skink craftsmen were already working.
Some dismantled corrupted timber.
Others used ropes to drag stone across the ground.
A few crouched beside the walls, carefully carving purification glyphs into the ancient masonry.
Even the four newly spawned regiments of Skink Javelin Warriors had joined the work.
No one had ordered them to help.
They had simply integrated themselves into the work crews.
From the moment they were born, they seemed to know what needed to be done.
Kroq-Gar stood above them and looked upon his city.
It was broken.
Scarred.
Only yesterday, it had been torn from the grasp of Chaos.
Burn marks covered the walls.
Splintered wood lay everywhere.
A massive hole had been smashed through the eastern wall by the Stegadon.
The central plaza was still uneven and covered in piles of dismantled timber.
The northern watchtower had partially collapsed and was currently being supported by several crude wooden beams.
But Kroq-Gar could see what it would become.
Walls built from enormous blocks of white stone.
A central plaza paved with smooth slabs of bluestone.
A great pyramid temple dedicated to Sotek, gleaming beneath the sunlight.
Silent Saurus guardians standing on either side of the city gates.
He didn’t need to imagine it.
The blueprint already existed inside his mind.
Inside Kroq-Gar’s memories.
Kroq-Gar had seen this city before.
Not New Tlanxla.
The original Tlanxla.
Before Chaos had claimed it, this place had once been a Lizardmen Temple-City.
A piece upon the vast board of the Great Plan of the Old Ones.
Thousands of years ago, it had fallen.
It had been corrupted.
Now…
It had returned.
“My lord.”
Tekuna approached.
“The scouts have discovered something new.”
“Speak.”
“There are more Chaos encampments deeper within the rainforest to the north.”
“Far more than we originally discovered.”
“The corruption covers a much wider region.”
The Skink Priest hesitated.
Then lowered his voice.
“And there is something else.”
“The scouts discovered a settlement larger than New Tlanxla.”
“It has stone walls.”
“Not timber.”
“There are more than a dozen eight-pointed stars hanging from its battlements.”
A large settlement.
Stone walls.
More than a dozen symbols of Chaos.
Kroq-Gar’s fingers tightened unconsciously.
Not from fear.
Excitement.
Pure, unfiltered excitement rising from somewhere deep within Kroq-Gar’s body.
Like a hunter catching the scent of larger prey.
“How far?”
“Two hundred li.”
“Leave it alone for now.”
Kroq-Gar forced down the bloodlust surging through his body.
His voice dropped into a low growl.
“First, we secure New Tlanxla.”
“Repair the defenses.”
“Complete our army.”
“Once we’re ready…”
His voice trembled slightly.
There was a hunger in it that even Kroq-Gar himself didn’t notice.
“Then we’ll go find them.”
Tekuna lowered his head.
He didn’t say a word.
He simply bowed.
And for a brief moment, beneath the shadows of the morning mist, a cold, predatory smile crossed the Skink Priest’s face.