As much as we all wanted to simply collapse and rest right where we were, we knew we needed to make it back to the den as fast as we possibly could, given that there were at least a couple of survivors that were sure to have made their way back to their den. Thus, I quickly and tiredly stood tall and began to issue commands.

"Now, I need everyone to get up and get whatever you can carry." I led by example, quickly going to the largest of my kills and hauling it painfully over my left arm. "HOME!" I shouted as clearly as I could while I began making my way back to the den as fast as I could manage.

As fast as I could manage, however, wasn't a noteworthy speed, and I was quickly caught up to by Cazala, who was carrying one of the smaller of our kills. I gestured for him to hurry onward, and, after a moment's thought, he disregarded my signals and stayed near me with a brief nod.

I shook my head in mild frustration and pride, and soldiered on as best as I could. Quickly, the rest of the surviving pack caught up to us, with Treel and Netre bringing up the rear. They carried the corpse of the other largest specimen, while Silf carried another body himself, while the other three worked together to carry the largest bits of two other cubs. As if by some predetermined conversation, the entire pack stayed near me, disregarding my rather insistent motions for them to go on ahead.

We ran as fast as we could, and, it seemed that we were fortunate, as there was no sign of an adult wolfstag coming to royally ruin our day. I still couldn't relax myself at all until we were all completely within the den, and once I did, the devastating pain I was in set in. I dropped my prey where I stood and collapsed in the entryway. My hips both burned and ached, and it felt like one had been dislocated entirely, my face was still oozing blood, as was my tail, and they both burned like nothing I had ever felt before. Nonetheless, all those pains combined were nothing compared to the state of my right arm. It felt as if I had held my arm in a bonfire then quenched it in acid, only to freeze it entirely. I didn't understand how the pain that radiated so clearly to me could not have been caused to me magically, but, looking at it, I was unsurprised that it was so agonizing. My shoulder, bicep and triceps were shredded, and the torn flesh hung limply down almost like an inverted lotus, curling around my lower arm.

Looking at it, my arm was going to be permanently gimped, if not totally lamed. "Dammit all." Barring a miracle, this wasn't ever going to get any better. A small part of me wanted to look on the bright side, but the rest of me was consumed with an all-encompassing rage. As I stood up to go to my room, I looked around me for the first time since returning. I did so just in time to take in the sight of Sybil rushing towards me, worry evident in every movement.

"Shit, Ashlani, what happened?" It was weird that, even in my stupor brought by pain and rage, I fixated on the fact that this was the first time in a long time that someone had just called me by my name. I looked at her for a moment as my pain addled and blood deprived brain tried to understand what she had asked me.

Prompted by my inactivity, she asked again. "What happened?" I shook my head. "We weren't careful enough and got ambushed by these furry bastards. They took two of us, but we killed many more of them." Suddenly, a thought occurred...

"Silf, you still battle ready?"

"Yes sir!"

"Take another tracker with you and find Took NOW. Get her back here." Someone needed to call back Took and her pack before the enraged wolfstag adults found them.

"Leaving now!" His bassy voice no longer sounded comical coming out of his tiny frame, but impressive instead, as he seemed to have grown into himself a little. Vefir looked on with envy, then approached me.

"I-I-I think-k I c-c-could help with y-y-your inj-j-juries. Let-t-t me t-take you to your r-r-room." He quickly propped me up, and Sybil looked like she wanted to do the same, but the seemed to think better of it, and instead began making orders to the rest of the living and able in the den.

...

I was groaning in agony as Vefir did his best in treating my many injuries, but there's only so much you can do with just clawed fingers, a toothy jaw, and fresh water. I tried to distract myself by checking my [Status], flashing with [Growth Achieved].

[Status:

Name: Ashlani

Race: Young Keelish Bloodletter Alpha

Current quest:

—Kill 3 Young Thunder Wolfstags. Reward: 1 Constitution, 2 Strength, 1 Magic. Progress: 2/3

Stats:

-Constitution: 9+1=10

-Strength: 11+2=13

-Agility: 15

-Intelligence: 10

-Magic: 2+1=3

Skills:

Innate Leadership—cannot evolve

Pack Tactics—current evolutionary progress: 0/10

Improved Bloodlust—current evolutionary progress: Unknown

Dominance—current evolutionary progress: 36/100

Improved Vision--current evolutionary progress: 0/18

Evolutionary foresight

-Adult Bloodletter Alpha: live 30 days. Progress: 12/30

-Young Magicblood Alpha. Prerequisites: Young Bloodletter Alpha. Requirements: Magic generating organ. Title of race will change with element of magic generating organ.

-Young Bloodletter Swarm Alpha. Prerequisites: Young Bloodletter Alpha. Requirements: acquire 50 followers. Progress: 32/50]

Dammit, I was so close to getting my new magical organ... or, more precisely, to understanding what it was that I needed to do to acquire said magical organ. The more I thought about it, the more my head ached. But, that may just be normal pain... At least the cool water running over my body felt really good.

Come to think of it, where did he get that water? Once I had a moment's relaxation, the darkness of unconsciousness implacably called me, and I collapsed into a heap of bloodied scales and exhaustion.

...

{HAHAHA!}

A merry voice greeted my silence. Is that... the Administrator? I thought you only spoke to me when I was evolving?

{But you are, little keelish.}

...? How do you figure that?

{I will mercifully not count that as your question, and answer it as well. See, I knew you would be an interesting sort! They didn't believe me, but... Never you mind that,} the Administrator cut themself off, keying into my confusion and curiosity. {You are currently evolving into a Young Magicblood Alpha.}

But... I didn't complete the quest.

{That quest wasn't to unlock the ability to acquire the magic manipulating organ, simply to see the requirements. You fulfilled the requirements without knowing them, therefore, you are currently acquiring your new organ and evolving into your unique race.}

How did I complete the quest?

{I feel that I have been more than generous enough with my question answering thus far. Do you want to consider that your true question?}

... No.

{Then what is your question?}

What are the Words of Power for keelish?

{I'm sorry, I can't answer that question. Do you have a different question?}

Mmmm... Where can I find the keelish Words of Power for myself then.

{A clever workaround. To begin your journey to discovering the Keelish Words of Power, you must begin searching the ruins of Old Nievtra.}

Before I could begin to try to convince the (possibly) benevolent Administrator to give me more information, they continued.

{Now, you must rest. You will wake up a supremely different organism, in more ways than one.}

With a chuckle, the powerful presence left me, and I unwillingly sunk back into the darkness.

...

With a start, I woke up.