Chương 63: Chapter 48: Choices (Part 1)

A week after Grub, Sable, and the other wolves began joining the hunting parties, the tribe's growing success had created a new problem. A good problem to have, but a problem nonetheless. They were running out of places to put everything. Fresh meat crowded the drying racks. Scraped hides lay stacked or rolled against the walls, bundles of sinew hung beside herbs and roots, and cleaned bones waited to be carved into tools, handles, and wedges.

The Builders had added bins and shelves wherever space allowed, but every new addition narrowed the paths through the cavern and pushed supplies closer to the sleeping areas. The Ironfang needed somewhere dedicated to storage. The Builders and Grub had worked together to find a spot, until Grub chose a section of the rear wall, far enough from the hearths to remain cool and dry without interfering with the tribe's daily movement. The storage alcove had begun as a shallow indentation in the cavern wall.

Now it was a widening wound in the stone. Grub stood at its edge with the four Builders, the air thick with dust and the steady rhythm of stone being worked. The alcove extended only a few paces inward, but the opening was already wide enough for two goblins to enter beside one another. Once finished, it would hold the tribe's dried meat, hides, herbs, tools, and less frequently used supplies, freeing the main cavern from the clutter gathering along nearly every wall.

One Builder crouched near the rock face, turning a simple stone chisel in his hand before pressing its edge against a hairline seam. Another raised a thick wooden club and brought it down in measured strikes. The chisel bit deeper with each impact, while a third waited with a pry carved from horn, ready to force the split wider the moment the crack gave. Grub pressed his palm against the wall and let his awareness sink into the stone.

He cast Stone Chip, and a thin wisp of smoke curled from his fingertips before fading into the dusty air. A thin fracture ran exactly where he intended, cutting through a protruding ridge. The nearest Builder drove his chisel into the fresh seam before the Spell's faint trace had disappeared. The club came down. The crack widened, and the horn pry slid into the opening. With a sharp groan, the slab tore free. They dragged it aside and immediately reset their tools. Grub chose another ridge and cast again.

The fracture formed faster this time, running cleanly through the grain of the stone. For a brief instant, a faint bead of moisture gathered across his knuckles before disappearing into the dust. A wedge went in. A club came down. The stone cracked. Grub marked another line, and the Builders followed it without needing instruction. Chisel. Hammer. Pry. Tear away. They had only been working on the alcove for three days, but their movements had already settled into a steady rhythm. Grub opened the stone.

The Builders widened the break, removed what came loose, and shaped what remained. Then, finally, something changed. Grub cast Stone Chip again, and a soft chime echoed through his mind. The notification blinked softly at the edge of his vision. He willed it open, and the familiar window bloomed before his eyes. The sounds of chisels, clubs, and straining stone dulled around him as he read. [Congratulations! Stone Chip has reached Tier 1 – Level 10.] [Spell Evolution Available. Please select an Evolution.] [Proceed to Spell Evolution.] Grub couldn't stop the huge smile from spreading across his face. The Builders didn't notice immediately. One was still levering the next big chunk loose. Another was busy clearing debris. He stepped back from the wall.

"Clear that ridge without me," he said evenly.

"I need a moment." They just nodded and continued their work. They'd long since moved past their reliance on Grub and his magic. Grub moved away and sat along the wall where he would not get in anyone's way. He mentally selected the slightly pulsing final line and watched as the screen before him shifted. The options unfolded before him. [Spell Evolution Options] Stone Spike: Shape hardened stone into a focused spike that erupts from natural ground or connected stone within 20 feet.

The spike can angle upward or outward from walls and surfaces, striking a single target with piercing force. Stone Grasp: Split compacted earth or stone within 25 feet into jagged formations that rise and clamp around a target's legs or limbs, briefly restraining or tripping them. Stone Pillar: Raise or reshape a dense column of stone from natural ground or connected rock within 15 feet. The pillar can block movement, provide cover, lift a target upward, or reinforce nearby structures.

Stone Fragmentation: Shatter a chosen stone or fault point within 30 feet into a violent spray of razor-edged shards. Useful for rapid carving, demolition, or explosive strikes. Grub read the first option carefully. Stone Spike. His mind immediately translated it into something simple and brutal. An enemy charging across open ground, a flick of mana, and a hardened spike punching upward through ribs or thigh. It was direct, easy to understand, and the other goblins would grasp its value without explanation.

Throk would likely approve of it instantly. It was a spell that did one thing clearly and did it well. But as he read the description again, he saw the limitations just as clearly. It was a single spike, not a field of them. It required natural ground or connected stone nearby, which meant he couldn't conjure it from nothing. It would be powerful in the right situation, but narrow. One target, one strike, one moment. If he misjudged the timing or the footing, it would accomplish nothing.

He moved his focus to the second option. Stone Grasp. He imagined a line of enemies charging through snow and suddenly stumbling as the ground split and clamped around their legs. He imagined wolves driving a stag into a narrow pass and the earth rising to catch its limbs, slowing it long enough for the pack to close in. It was undeniably useful. Control on the battlefield mattered, and breaking momentum often meant winning a fight before it truly began. Yet as he let the image settle, dissatisfaction crept in.

Stone Grasp would still place him behind the others. He would be shaping the terrain, setting the conditions, but not truly acting. It was, in a sense, an advanced trap. He would still be hiding behind the Ironfang's Warriors and letting them finish what he started. He didn't want to be the goblin who prepared the field and then stepped back. He wanted more agency than that. He shifted his attention to the third option. Stone Pillar. The Builder in him reacted immediately.

He saw a collapsing tunnel braced in seconds. He saw storage alcoves divided cleanly. He saw defensive barriers raised at the mouth of the cavern to slow an assault. It was practical and solid, and it would make shaping the cavern far easier. But when he tried to picture it in combat, the image faltered. A pillar might block a path or create cover, but it didn't strike. It didn't end a fight. Taking this option would only push him deeper into the Builder role, reinforcing the image the tribe already had of him.

Useful, yes. Valuable, certainly. But also limiting. He didn't want his spell choices to decide his role for him. He wanted flexibility. His eyes moved to the final option. Stone Fragmentation. He read it once, then again more slowly. He imagined selecting a fault line in the very wall they were carving and shattering it, saving hours of careful cutting. He imagined a boulder beside a charging enemy erupting into a spray of shards, forcing them to shield their face or bleed from a dozen shallow cuts.

He imagined using it to break weapons, to scatter formations, to collapse weak supports. It wasn't as clean as a single spike, as controlling as a grasp, or as stable as a pillar. But it was adaptable. He forced himself to review them all again before making a rash decision. Stone Spike was pure offense. Clear and focused, potentially lethal. It might even be able to pierce stone or shape narrow sections of the cavern if he was precise enough. Stone Grasp was battlefield control.

Effective, but dependent on others to capitalize on the moment it created. Stone Pillar was structural and defensive. Excellent for building, but unlikely to win him fights. Stone Fragmentation was neither singularly lethal nor purely defensive. It offered utility in carving and demolition, and it carried offensive potential in the same motion. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

He examined Stone Grasp and Stone Pillar once more and found that he could dismiss them without much hesitation. Both were strong in their niches, but both narrowed his role too much. One locked him into control without impact. The other nudged him deeper into the Builder's path than he was comfortable with. Building wouldn't get him any closer to finding Max. That left him with two realistic choices. Stone Spike or Stone Fragmentation. Stone Spike would almost certainly deal more concentrated damage.

A well-placed strike could kill outright, but it would always remain exactly what its name promised: one spike, one target, one purpose. Stone Fragmentation offered more. He could use it to carve faster, weaken structures, punish enemies behind cover, or turn nearby stone into a weapon. It might not kill as easily, but it could answer more than one kind of problem. That mattered. Grub had survived because he adapted, not because he could overpower everything in front of him.

Stone Spike offered straightforward force. Stone Fragmentation offered possibilities. He chose Stone Fragmentation. [Congratulations! Stone Chip has evolved into Stone Fragmentation.] Stone Fragmentation [Tier 2 – Level 1 – 0%]: Shatter a chosen stone or fault point within 30 feet into a violent spray of razor-edged shards. Useful for rapid carving, demolition, or explosive strikes. Range: 30 feet | Cost: 10 Mana Before testing it, Grub crossed the cavern to find Dravak.

The Chief stood near the central hearth with Kesh, listening while she reviewed the latest northern patrol report. Throk sat nearby, drawing a whetstone along the edge of his sword.

"Level Ten," Grub said when Kesh finished her report. Dravak looked toward him." Stone Chip?"

"It evolved the moment it reached Level Ten. The System offered me four different Evolutions." Throk lowered the whetstone.

"So Kesh guessed correctly."

"I guessed that ten was the most likely threshold," Kesh said.

"Now we know."

"And the choice matters," Grub said.

"The four Evolutions were very different."

"What did you choose?" Throk asked." Stone Fragmentation." Throk's expression brightened immediately.

"That sounds useful."

"It shatters a chosen piece of stone or fault point into a spray of sharp fragments." His expression brightened further. Kesh looked at him curiously.

"Have you tested it?"

"Not yet." Dravak gestured toward the unfinished alcove.

"Then why are you standing here?"

"I thought you'd want confirmation."

"We did," Dravak said.

"Now confirm what the new Spell can do."

"Test its range," Kesh added.

"Loose stone and connected stone, if possible. See how much control you have over the direction of the fragments."

"And find something large," Throk said. Grub glanced toward him.

"I'm beginning inside the storage alcove." Throk lifted his sword and resumed sharpening it.

"Then find something large after that." Dravak's grinned faintly.

"Go. Tell us what you learn when you're finished." Grub nodded and returned to the waiting Builders.

"I have a new Spell to test," he said as he approached.

"Move back for a moment." The Builders exchanged quick looks, then stepped aside without hesitation. They pressed themselves along the outer curve of the alcove, watching him closely. Grub placed his palm against a thick ridge they had been shaving down all morning and let his awareness sink beneath the surface. He searched for a fault point, a natural weakness that might amplify the effect. He found one and cast Stone Fragmentation. The ridge exploded.

Stone burst outward in a violent spray of shards and fractured chunks. Dust billowed from the alcove, while smaller fragments struck the floor and skidded several paces into the cavern. Several pieces struck Grub across the chest and shoulder, stinging through his clothes, and one grazed his cheek before bouncing away. A faint spark rolled across his knuckles and vanished. The blast silenced the cavern. Tools stopped striking. Voices broke off.

Goblins ducked or turned toward the alcove, several with hands already reaching for weapons. Even the wolves lifted their heads, ears angled toward the sudden violence. Throk reached them first. He stepped through the drifting dust, looked at the missing ridge, and grinned.

"That," he said, "is a proper Spell." Kesh followed at a more measured pace. Her attention moved across the scattered debris, the depth of the break, and the rough stone exposed behind it.

"How many casts would Stone Chip have needed to remove that much?" Grub studied the damage.

"Dozens. Maybe more." One of the Builders let out a low grunt of surprise. Dravak stopped near the entrance to the alcove without speaking. His gaze settled briefly upon the narrow cut along Grub's cheek before shifting to the shattered wall. Grub stepped closer and examined the result. The break had followed the stone's natural weaknesses rather than any precise line he might have preferred. It was effective, but not delicate.

"Sledgehammer, not chisel," he murmured. The nearest Builder crouched beside the fractured surface and ran one hand across the jagged stone.

"We can smooth this." Grub looked back toward the others.

"Stay behind the curve. I'm going to use it again." The Builders retreated farther. Several of the gathered goblins did the same. Throk moved only a single step aside. Grub stared at him.

"Farther."

"I'm clear."

"You just watched pieces hit me."

"And you're still standing." Grub decided that whatever lesson remained to be learned would have to teach itself. He adjusted his target deeper into the wall and cast Stone Fragmentation again. Another violent rupture split the stone. A larger section tore free all at once, breaking apart as it fell. Fist-sized chunks struck the floor and bounced, while a spray of smaller fragments swept through the alcove. Several struck Grub across the arms and chest. One clipped his wrist hard enough to make his hand jerk back.

Another sliced across Throk's forearm. A thin line of blood appeared beneath it. Throk looked down. Then his grin widened.

"It cuts too." Grub rubbed his stinging wrist.

"That wasn't the intended test."

"It should've been." Kesh ignored them both, already studying the newly exposed surface. The Builders moved in beside her, their earlier surprise giving way to calculation.

"That is much faster," one said quietly.

"Yeah," Grub replied.

"It'll save us a lot of time. Just don't stand in front of it when I'm casting. I still don't know exactly how the fragments will spread." Throk wiped the blood from his arm with one thumb.

"They spread well." Grub gave him a flat look before turning back to the wall. He cast Stone Fragmentation twice more, selecting a different fault point each time. The results varied. One burst tore away a broad section but left behind a jagged surface that would need careful smoothing. The next broke deeper than expected, loosening stone farther within the wall and sending several heavy chunks tumbling into the alcove.

A thin ribbon of cold wind brushed past Grub's ear during the final cast, stirring dust across the floor before fading. When the debris settled, he stepped away from the wall.

"That's enough for now." The Builders moved in without being told, dragging the larger pieces aside while examining the newly exposed stone. One tested a cracked edge with his chisel. Another crouched near the deeper break, studying where the next section might come free.

"That will change things," one muttered.

"It will," Grub said, unable to hide his satisfaction.

"I can tear away sections that would have taken days to chip through. The only problem is cleaning up what remains." The Builders answered with a collection of dismissive grunts.

"We can handle that," one said.

"Removing the stone was the slow part. This alcove would have taken months. Now it won't." Another Builder looked deeper into the opening.

"We could make it larger."

"Much larger," Kesh said. Her gaze traveled across the rough interior, measuring space that didn't exist yet. Throk flexed his cut arm and looked at the fractured wall with undisguised approval.

"You should test it against armor."

"I'm not testing it against anyone wearing armor."

"Then test it against the armor without anyone inside." Grub turned toward him slowly.

"Did you just have a sensible idea?" Throk's grin disappeared.

"I have sensible ideas."

"Frequently? Kesh, is this true?" A quiet laugh came from one of the goblins gathered outside the alcove. Another quickly smothered his own when Throk looked toward them. Kesh lowered her gaze, though the slight movement at the corner of her mouth betrayed her. Throk pointed the whetstone at Grub accusingly.

"Test the Spell."

"I was already planning to."

"Then stop talking and do it." Dravak remained near the entrance. He said nothing, but when Grub glanced toward him, the Chief was no longer looking at the alcove. He was looking at Grub. The attention lasted only a moment before Dravak turned away, leaving Kesh and the Builders to consider what the new Spell might make possible. Grub looked back at the jagged interior face. The rough edges didn't matter. The Builders had tools and patience enough to finish what his magic began.

What they had lacked was a way to tear through large amounts of stone. He pulled up his Status to check his Mana. Mana: 21/80 Grub calculated the remaining casts automatically. Stone Fragmentation cost ten Mana, which Miscast increased to thirteen. He had enough for one more, but wasting it against the same wall wouldn't teach him much.

"For carving, it's good," he said.

"More than good." The Builders barely seemed to hear him. They were already clearing debris and examining the newly exposed stone, their attention fixed upon the larger chamber they could now carve from the wall. Grub glanced toward the cavern entrance.

"I'm going outside to test it properly."

"Against something large," Throk reminded him.

"Yes, Throk. I remember your surprisingly sensible idea." Throk's expression darkened as quiet amusement passed through the goblins still gathered nearby. Grub gave the Builders a short nod, then turned and headed for the snow. Outside, winter lay quiet beneath a pale sky, the forest muted beneath a heavy blanket of white. Grub found Sable lying in the snow near the treeline. She rose as he approached, then lowered herself to allow Grub to mount.

"Let's go, Sable." That was all the encouragement she needed. She broke into a run, weaving between the trees and crossing packed drifts with long, efficient strides. Grub didn't cast while they rode. He let the motion clear his thoughts instead, feeling his Mana steadily return as the cavern disappeared behind them. A little over an hour passed before he guided Sable toward a low rise of exposed stone. By then, his Mana had climbed back above sixty.

"This should be enough for a few proper tests." He slid from Sable's back and walked several paces away, scanning the surrounding trees and snow for anything living. Sable remained where he left her, panting lightly as she watched. A loose stone sat half buried in the snow roughly twenty feet away.

"Start simple," Grub murmured.

"Something stationary." He focused upon the rock and cast Stone Fragmentation. The stone burst apart. Shards tore through the surrounding snow and struck nearby trees and rocks with sharp cracks that echoed through the forest. White powder fanned outward from the place where the stone had rested. Grub approached and studied the spread.

"Not subtle," he said.

"But effective." The fragments had scattered aggressively and without any obvious pattern. Anything standing close to the blast would be struck from several directions at once. He picked up a fist-sized stone and weighed it briefly in his palm.

"Now for something moving." Grub threw it high into the air and cast Stone Fragmentation as it reached the peak of its arc. The rock shattered in flight. Fragments scattered across a much wider area before raining into the snow. A thin wisp of smoke curled from his fingers and disappeared among the clouds of his breath. Grub watched the last pieces fall.

"So movement doesn't stop the Spell. Good to know." The spread had been broader and less concentrated than before, but still dangerous. A stone didn't need to strike its intended target if he could shatter it while it passed nearby. One test remained. Grub selected another stone and stepped back.

"Let's add some force." He cast Pebble Toss. A brief spark flickered across his fingertips as the stone tore from his hand, flying toward a nearby tree far faster than he could have thrown it. Just before impact, Grub cast Stone Fragmentation. The projectile exploded against the trunk. Shards punched into the bark and sprayed outward with noticeably greater force than either previous test. Several buried themselves deep enough that only their jagged ends remained visible.

Grub walked forward and examined the damage. The faster stone hadn't merely carried the fragments farther. It had driven them harder into everything around the point of impact.

"Momentum amplifies it," he said quietly. That opened possibilities. A stone launched by Pebble Toss could become a burst of shrapnel before an enemy dodged it, or shatter against armor, shields, and whatever cover stood nearby. Grub smiled.

"That's very good." The drain from the final casts settled heavily within him. He pulled up his Status. Mana: 9/80 He exhaled through his nose.

"That's enough for now, then." He let the window fade and looked over the scarred snow and chipped bark. Stone Fragmentation wasn't delicate, but it was adaptable. Against fixed stone it could turn solid ground into a burst of shrapnel. Against a thrown object it scattered unpredictably. Combined with Pebble Toss, it became significantly more destructive. He turned toward Sable, intending to head back to the cavern, when a sudden rustle split the quiet.

Something low to the ground and fast burst from a snow-covered hollow to his right. He barely had time to register the flash of dark fur before a badger lunged and clamped its teeth into his forearm. Pain flared sharp and immediate.

"Motherfucker!" The impact knocked him backward into the snow. The badger hung on, jaws locked, its hind legs raking against his stomach. Cloth tore, and heat spread across his abdomen where claws scored through fabric and skin. Panic began to set in. He had no Mana left to cast. His mind reached instinctively for power that wasn't there. Thankfully, Sable reacted before he could. She covered the distance in a heartbeat. Her jaws closed around the badger's neck with crushing force.

There was a loud crack and a single violent shake. The animal went limp. Grub tore his arm free as Sable flung the carcass aside. The entire encounter had lasted only seconds. He rolled onto his side and pushed himself upright, breathing hard. Blood welled from punctures in his forearm, but the bite had not sunk deep enough to cripple him. The scratches along his stomach burned, thin but angry. Sable stood over the body, hackles raised, head low, scanning the treeline for more threats.

A low growl came from her throat.

"It's fine," he said, still catching his breath.

"It's over." She held the posture a moment longer before relaxing a bit. Her nose still twitched, tasting the air as she tried to sniff out any other threats. Grub stood and stepped closer, pressing his forehead gently against hers. Her fur was cold from the air, but solid and steady beneath his skin.

"Good girl," he murmured.

"Thank you." She huffed softly in response. He pulled back and flexed his injured arm, wincing.

"Come on. Let's go home." Sable picked up the badger in her jaws without prompting. Grub mounted again, and together they cut back through the snow toward the cavern, moving as one.