The solid thud of the bar sliding into place echoed with finality through the cave. For the first time since arriving in this world, Ray felt a semblance of true security. His sanctuary was sealed. The adrenaline from the fight with the bear and the thrill of creation ebbed, leaving behind a profound, bone-deep weariness. He needed to rest, but first, he needed to survey his new domain in full.
His Night Vision painted the cavern in ethereal shades of green and grey, revealing details he had missed in his initial, battle-hasty assessment. The space was larger than he'd first thought, perhaps fifty feet in diameter, with a ceiling that arched high enough to accommodate his bear form without stooping. The air was cool and carried a mineral dampness. His eyes were drawn to a soft, shimmering reflection in the far corner.
He walked over, his boots scuffing softly on the stone floor. There, nestled against the wall, was a pond. It wasn't large, maybe ten feet across, but the water was clear and still, fed by a slow, steady trickle from a fissure in the rock. He knelt, cupped his hands, and took a drink. The water was cold and clean, with a faint, refreshing mineral tang.
"This must be connected to the lake," Ray mused aloud, his voice a low rumble in the quiet space. It was a vital discovery; a fresh water source within his base was invaluable.
His gaze then fell upon the pond's edges. The walls around it were adorned with a thick, velvety moss that glowed with a soft, internal bioluminescence, casting a gentle emerald light over the water. It was beautiful, but Ray had learned that beauty in Azeroc often had purpose. He focused.
Analyze.
A screen materialized before his eyes.
Moss Lichen (Glow-Moss Variant)
Properties: Mild healing, mana-conductive.
Uses: Alchemical reagent. Can be processed into poultices to accelerate wound closure and minor HP regeneration. Can be used as a catalyst in mana potions.
"I'll be able to make potions out of this moss," Ray said, a spark of excitement igniting his fatigue. Alchemy represented a new branch of power, a way to sustain himself beyond raw combat. He waded into the shallow, three-foot-deep water, the cold a sharp shock against his legs. He placed his hands on the largest patch of glow-moss.
"Assimilate."
He focused on taking a significant amount, visualizing 100 pounds. The moss shimmered and vanished from the rock in a wide swath, its soft light extinguished only to be cataloged within the infinite, organized space of his void. The system confirmed the acquisition: Moss Lichen (High Quality) - 100 lbs.
Emboldened, he moved away from the pond, his eyes scanning the rest of the cave. In a shadowy recess, he found a grisly collection: piles of bones, cracked and gnawed, the remnants of the black bear's past meals. He rummaged through them, hoping for a forgotten weapon or a piece of armor, but found nothing of immediate value beyond the calcium and mineral content of the bones themselves.
"All these bones but nothing more," he muttered with a sigh. Still, resources were resources. He placed a hand on the largest pile. "Assimilate 100 lbs of bones." The pile disintegrated into his void, now categorized as Bone Material (High Quality).
He took a mental inventory. "Let's see… I assimilated the bear, roughly 1,000 lbs, the moss at 100 lbs, and the bones at 100 lbs. That's 1,200 lbs. With my level 2 Assimilation, I can take 4,200 lbs. I've got 3,000 lbs of capacity left." His eyes drifted to the back of the cave, where the rock face showed distinct, promising streaks of dark grey and reddish-brown. "I'll assimilate stone and ore from the back of this cave."
He approached the wall, his fingers tracing the veins of iron and copper ore. This wasn't just random rock; this was potential. Potential for nails, for hinges, for tools, for weapons far superior to the goblin junk he'd started with. He placed both palms flat against the cool stone. Instead of a vague intention, he focused his will, visualizing a perfect cube of matter being extracted, like a giant, metaphysical refrigerator being pulled from the wall.
"Assimilate!"
The process was smoother and faster than ever before. A section of the wall, precisely three-thousand pounds of it, shimmered and disappeared into his void. The system chirped in his mind, and Athena's voice followed.
Assimilation Complete. Acquired: Stone - 2,500 lbs. Copper Ore - 300 lbs. Iron Ore - 200 lbs.
"That's great," he breathed, a wide grin spreading across his face. "There is a lot of material for buildings and weapons." The sheer volume of high-quality raw materials at his disposal was staggering. A massive yawn cracked his jaw, the day's exertions finally overwhelming him. "Yawn. Man, I'm tired. I'll rest for a bit."
He willed his body to change. His form expanded, his skin thickening into the shaggy, powerful bulk of the Black Bear. The transformation was becoming second nature, a comfortable and familiar shift. He lumbered to the spot where he'd slain the bear's previous owner, circled once, and then lay down with a heavy, ground-shaking thud. The bear's Slumber ability took hold almost instantly, and he fell into a deep, dreamless sleep, his body beginning the slow process of regenerating his stamina and any minor HP loss.
---
He was awakened hours later not by a dream, but by sound. A high-pitched, chittering cacophony that grew from a whisper to a roar. The bats were returning. Ray lifted his massive bear head, blinking blearily as the dark cloud of creatures swirled into the cavern's upper reaches, finding their perches on the ceiling. He let out a grunting sigh that rumbled in his chest.
"Thanks for the wake-up call," he chuckled, the sound a deep, guttural noise. He transformed back, stretching his human limbs and feeling remarkably refreshed. The Slumber ability was no joke.
He sat on the cave floor, his back against the stone. "Man, what should I do next?" he asked the silent cave. The possibilities were suddenly vast. He could hunt, he could explore, he could train his new spells. But his eyes kept drifting to the formidable door he had created. It represented safety, a foundation. That was what he needed most right now: a foundation.
"Athena, show me the fortress blueprint," he commanded.
"Affirmative."
A complex, multi-layered schematic unfolded in his mind's eye. It was magnificent—high walls, a central keep, barracks, smithies—but the material cost was astronomical. Thousands upon thousands of pounds of stone, wood, and metal. It was an end-game goal, not a starter base.
"It's not very big, but it takes a lot of material," he murmured, slightly daunted. "Athena, show me the basic house blueprint."
"Affirmative."
A simpler, more rustic design replaced the fortress. A single-story structure with a pointed roof. "Can I make the houses smaller?" Ray asked.
"Yes, you can, Ray."
"Alright! I'm going to build a small house first. I need to assimilate more wood." The decision felt right. A house, his first true construction, a place that was undeniably his. He unbarred the door and stepped outside, the morning sun warm on his face. He spent the next hour moving through the forest, carefully assimilating wood from several different trees without toppling them, adding another 2,000 lbs of pristine lumber to his void.
"Alright, now I just need a good location." He surveyed the clearing. The cave entrance was his primary shelter, but a separate, above-ground structure felt more like a home. He decided on a spot just to the left of the cave mouth, a flat, clear area with good sightlines.
As he bent down, hand poised to touch the earth, a new system notification, grander than the others, flashed before his eyes.
System Notification: Feat of Strength Unlocked. Gain 5,000 XP for each first building type you create.
"Sweet, so for my first house, I get 5,000 XP?" Ray asked, his heart beating faster.
"Affirmative," Athena confirmed.
This was it. He placed his palm flat on the grass. He called up the basic house blueprint and, using his will, shrank it down, adjusting the dimensions to a cozy 800 square feet. He took a deep breath, channeling the materials from his void—wood for the walls and roof, stone for the foundation and floor.
"Create!" he said, his voice firm and clear.
A brilliant blue light erupted from his hand, spreading out in a rapidly expanding circle that precisely covered the 800-square-foot area. From the center of this circle, a liquid, shimmering blob of blue energy surged upwards. It was like watching a time-lapse video made of light. The blob stretched, flattened, and solidified. A stone floor paved itself. Wooden walls shot up, interlocking seamlessly. A roof, shaped not to a point but into a whimsical, sturdy mushroom cap, swirled into existence. A stone chimney assembled itself brick by ethereal brick. The entire process was silent, mesmerizing, a display of pure, systemic magic. After eight minutes, the blue light vanished, winking out of existence.
What stood before him was a house. A real, honest-to-goodness house.
Twin chimes sounded in his mind, one after the other.
Congratulations, Ray! The first Feat of Strength has been completed. You gain 10,000 XP, 10 Skill Points, and 10 Attribute Points.
Congratulations, Ray, for building your first house. You gain 5,000 XP.
Congratulations, Ray! You have gained two levels!
A surge of power, more intense than any before, flooded his system. His muscles tightened, his senses sharpened, and his mind felt clearer, faster. He was Level 7. "Ha, I feel stronger," he laughed, clenching his fists. The rewards were immense. "I need to get back to the cave and explore it more. But first, let's check this house out."
He pushed open the simple wooden door and stepped inside. It was spartan, but it was perfect. The main room was a living area with a kitchenette featuring a stone hearth for cooking. A single, five-foot-long counter stood against one wall with simple cabinets underneath. There was no running water, but it was a start. A doorway led to a second room—a bedroom. It was empty save for an open closet, waiting to be filled.
"No bed or furniture. Sigh. Oh well, I'll have to create some when I can," he said, but there was no disappointment in his voice. He had created a house from nothing. Furniture was a trivial concern for another day.
Feeling invigorated, he left the house and returned to the cave, re-barring the door behind him. His thoughts returned to the back wall, to the ore veins he had only begun to tap. He still had 2,200 lbs of assimilation capacity.
"I'll continue assimilation from here," he declared, marching back to the excavated section. He placed his hands on the rock face and once again visualized the large, cubic shape. "Assimilate!"
Another massive chunk of the wall vanished into his void.
"Congratulations, Ray. You obtained 2,000 lbs of stone, 125 lbs of copper, and 75 lbs of iron," Athena informed him.
Ray inspected the new, deeper hollow he had created. The cave now extended back another several feet. In the left corner of this new excavation, his keen eyes caught a dark, narrow gap he hadn't noticed before. It was a fissure, barely a foot wide.
"I can't fit through here," he murmured. He peered into the darkness, but even with his Night Vision, it revealed nothing but tight, unyielding stone. "Maybe in my lizard form." It was a tight squeeze, but the Purple Poison Lizard was leaner and built lower to the ground.
He triggered Transformation. His body compacted, scales rasping against the stone as he pushed his way into the fissure. It was a tight, claustrophobic crawl, but after about ten feet, the space abruptly opened up.
He emerged and transformed back to his human form, his jaw dropping.
"Wow, this place is huge." His whisper was swallowed by the immense space. The cavern was colossal, easily the size of a football field. Stalactites hung from the ceiling like stone fangs, and stalagmites rose from the floor to meet them, forming grand, natural pillars. The air was different here—older, heavier, and carrying a pungent, reptilian musk.
"Wow, this place is enormous." The sound of his own voice echoed back to him, a ghostly whisper.
Chatter-chitter-squeak!
The echo hadn't even died before it was answered. Ray froze, dropping instantly into a crouch and melting into the deep shadows at the base of a giant stalagmite. The chattering was getting closer. It was guttural, punctuated by hisses.
"Damn, I attracted something," he thought, his mind perfectly calm, his fighter's instincts taking over.
He saw them then. Three figures emerged from behind a cluster of rock formations. They were reptilian humanoids, about four feet tall, with scaly hides in shades of brown and green, and snouts filled with sharp teeth. They walked upright, carrying crude spears and clubs. Kobolds.
Ray held his breath, becoming one with the stone. He just had to wait for them to pass. Two of them wandered past his position, their heads swiveling, sniffing the air. The third, however, stopped right near the fissure he had just crawled through. It let out a sharp, questioning bark, pointing a clawed finger at the freshly exposed rock.
The lead kobold grunted something in its harsh language, and the curious one immediately ducked its head and squeezed into the fissure. A second followed. The third kobold remained outside, standing guard, its spear held ready. It was nervous, its head on a swivel. It took a step closer to Ray's hiding place, peering into the shadows.
This was his chance. Analyze.
Kobold Scout
Level: 5
HP: 70/70
Strength: 13
Constitution: 15
Dexterity: 22
Wisdom: 11
Intelligence: 11
Charisma: 11
Abilities:
Dark Vision
Skills:
Slash
The guard was alone, and its back was now partly turned. Ray didn't hesitate. This wasn't just a monster encounter; it was an incursion. They had found his home. He erupted from the shadows, not with a roar, but with silent, deadly intent. His right hand shifted, fingers merging and elongating into the razor-sharp, iron-hard claws of the Purple Poison Lizard—a Partial Transformation.
The kobold scout began to turn, its eyes widening, but it was too slow. Ray's clawed hand shot out in a vicious arc. Slash. The attack caught the creature across the throat, severing its vocal cords and carotid artery in one clean, brutal motion. It made a wet, gurgling sound and collapsed, its body dissolving into motes of light that flowed into Ray. A small +70 XP notification appeared.
He didn't pause to celebrate. The other two were still in the fissure, trapped in a narrow, dark tunnel. And he was the predator at both ends. He transformed fully into the Purple Poison Lizard, his body low and deadly. He didn't need to crawl in after them. He simply opened his jaws, inhaled the damp cave air, and exhaled a cloud of seething, violet death.
Poison Breath.
The corrosive gas filled the narrow fissure, billowing back towards the trapped kobolds. Muffled, agonized shrieks echoed from the stone tube, followed by the sounds of frantic, choking scrambling. Then, silence. Two more XP notifications appeared. +70 XP. +70 XP.
Ray waited a moment for the poison to dissipate, then transformed back. He stood panting slightly in the immense, silent cavern, the bodies of his foes already assimilated by the system. His cave was secure once more, but the discovery was monumental. This vast space wasn't empty. It was occupied.
And as he looked out into the sprawling darkness, he knew his priorities had just shifted again. He had a base. He had a house. And now, he had a dungeon to clear. A slow, determined smile spread across Ray "Thorzen" Silver's face. The real work was just beginning.