Chapter 5: UNDERSTANDING THE SYSTEM
Reed awoke in the dead of night, sweat clinging to his skin like rot. His body still buzzed with the aftershocks of the transformation—the runes beneath his skin now faded, but not gone. They pulsed when he breathed.
His dreams had been worse than nightmares. They were... instructions. Shapes. Symbols. A voice not his own, whispering rules in a language older than anything he’d ever heard.
He rose from the stone slab he now called a bed and stepped into the war-cave. The bone key left by the masked thing burned faintly where he’d hidden it under his cloak.
He clenched his fist around it.
Then the world changed.A shimmer rippled across his vision.
Then, as if the air itself responded, glowing green text appeared before his eyes:
[DOMAIN STATUS: GOBLIN’S HOLLOW - RANK F]
Territory Control: 100%
Population: 87 Goblins
Productivity: Low
Morale: Fearful