Smoke still clung to Reed's skin when he emerged from the war-cave.
The transformation had taken hours. When it ended, he stood hunched, blood-soaked, half-naked, breathing like an animal fresh from the kill. His veins no longer pulsed—they glowed. The runes under his skin had grown. His pupils were vertical slits.
Goblins shrank back when they saw him.
Shia didn't.
"You survived," she said.
He looked at her—eyes flickering like emerald flames.
"No," Reed replied. "I evolved."
The resources taken from Feyroot—grain sacks, barrels of oil, stolen tools—were more than loot. They were catalysts.
Reed stood before the goblin masses, Thornblade sheathed at his side.
"We build," he commanded. "We grow. We make the Hollow something the nobles fear."
Then he opened the System Interface.
[Construction Options – New Unlocks Available]
Reinforced Palisade Walls – 150 EXP
Goblin Farms – 100 EXP
Watchtower (Basic) – 125 EXP
Pit Traps (Upgraded) – 80 EXP
Alchemist Den – LOCKED (Requires Level 10)
He had 500 EXP to spend.
He chose Farms, Watchtower, and Pit Traps.
The ground trembled. Goblins moved without hesitation, pulled by instinct and the invisible hand of the System.
It wasn't much—three muddy plots carved into poisoned soil—but with human farming tools and guidance from the stolen manual Reed translated via Shia, they planted mushroom spores, rot-resistant tubers, and bone-fed fungus breeds.
Reed marked each field with blood.
"Feed them darkness," he told the soil. "Let them grow fat."
Shia watched the crops writhe. "It's working."
Within days, twisted mushrooms bloomed.
Food.
Real food.
The goblins devoured it like starved dogs.
The wood was crude, hacked from dead trees, but the design was sound.
A goblin archer was placed atop, trained to fire warning flares if intruders approached.
Reed dragged one of the old squire corpses beneath it and impaled it on a stake.
"A reminder," he said. "This is no longer prey-land."
Training intensified.
The arena echoed with screams.
Reed personally broke three goblins' jaws in a single morning drill, forcing them to fight without teeth.
Shia demonstrated lethal knife throws by using still-living rats as targets. Missed throws meant lashes.
Reed introduced Ritual Duels to settle disputes: two goblins, one knife, one hole in the ground. The winner climbed out.
The loser didn't.
No one questioned authority after that.
At dusk, the Interface flickered again.
[Domain Status Updated]
Goblin's Hollow – Rank E (Low Tier)
Population: 93
Morale: Grimly Obedient
Hunger Level: Stable
Defense Rating: Primitive but Active
Productivity: Moderate
Domain Trait Unlocked: Blood-Soaked Soil
Crops grow 25% faster when watered with enemy blood
Minor buff to healing in domain territory
Lord Level Up: 7 → 8
New Ability Unlocked: Bonecraft (Passive)
Allows the Lord to mold bone into weapons or structures at will
Gains increased durability when shaped with intent
Reed tested the ability immediately.
He dragged the skeleton of a dead wolf into the war-cave.
He knelt, placed his hands on the ribcage, and willed.
Bones cracked, snapped, twisted—and reformed.
A jagged shield grew from the sternum. A gauntlet of rib-spikes curled over his hand like a predator's claw.
It was beautiful.
It was horrifying.
Shia stared, wide-eyed. "You're not just changing the Hollow. You're becoming it."
The goblins began whispering. Not just about Reed the Lord, but Reed the Hunger-Made. Reed the Bone-Shaper. Reed the Hollow-Born.
They placed small effigies near his throne—skulls, fingerbones, bits of skin.
Shia noticed first.
"They're worshipping you."
"They fear me."
"It's the same thing here."
As the Hollow thrived, Feyroot responded.
Scouts reported smoke on the horizon. A retaliatory force—perhaps thirty strong—was moving toward the border.
Reed stood before his war-council, gaze unreadable.
"They think we're still crawling," he said.
He tapped the map. "They'll come through the creek path. That's where we strike."
Reed stood beside the creek, goblins hidden beneath water and moss.
He raised a bone-crafted horn and blew once.
From the woods emerged Feyroot's vanguard—gleaming, armed, disciplined.
Reed whispered to Shia, "Ready?"
Shia smiled, blades drawn.
Then the System pinged violently.
[WARNING: Enemy Lord Approaching…]
Name: Lord Hadren Thorne
Class: Sylvan Sovereign
Level: 14
Hero: Sylvan Knight (A-Rank)
Active Skill: Verdant Execution
And then…
[New Challenge Unlocked: Domain Clash - Boss Encounter Initiated]
Reed's eyes lit up like coals.
"Good," he whispered.
"Let him come."