Moots had drifted off to sleep by the time the pigs had devoured the last cabbage, the familiar >ding indicated that the task was completed. As expected, the kobolds were too highly leveled for any reward, but in a way such a charming task was its own reward.

Charming, but excessively dirty.

Fortunately, a small well had appeared during the transformation of the camp, and soon Shin and Gero were washing the muck off of themselves.

“Did you know he could join?” Gero asked, pulling her arms out of the wash pan. “Because it surprised the hell out of me.”

“I had no idea before it happened.” Shin dumped the rest of the water onto his head, wringing the last of the dirt from his long hair before moving to refill the pan. “I think I get it now, though.”

“Really?” Gero tilted her head, watching the other kobold pump more water. “Well I sure don’t.”

“I have a theory about that, actually.”

“You have a theory? Shin has a theory?” Gero lightly smacked a hand to her cheek, eyebrows raised in mock surprise. “I’m shocked. Look how shocked I am.”

“Anyways.” Shin plopped the wash pan down so Gero could finish before starting to tie back his hair. “It’s because of the Intelligence Stat.”

“Oh wow.” Gero scrubbed her hands through her short hair, working out the last bits of mud. “So you’ve figured it all out because you’re such a genius? Really Shin?”

“No, definitely not. In fact, I don’t think putting points in Intelligence makes you smarter at all.

“Huh.” Gero accepted the rag Shin offered, thoughtfully drying off her ears. “Well, I can confirm that not adding points to Intelligence also doesn’t make you smarter. Because I don’t get it.”

“Okay, here. Look.” Shin made a complex gesture, summoning up the Tribal Decision Tree. The massive screen was much as they remembered, almost entirely grayed out beyond the path the Tribe was already going down. Shin pointed to the first box. “This is the step where we chose ‘Builders’. It clearly states what we’re getting from it, right?”

Gero nodded, scanning the box. “Yeah. It says our Villagers gain Specializations, and that we gain access to Base Upgrades as our Tribal Power rises.”

“Yep, I see the exact same thing.” He pointed to the next box, which in contrast to the previous step was almost entirely blacked out. “How about this one?”

“Nothing, really. Just that it says Welcoming.”

“See, when I look at this box? A kind of wordless instinct sort of tells me that that is how we recruited Moots.” He waved his hand, removing the screen. “I’m pretty sure that’s what Intelligence’s primary effect is. It doesn’t actually make you any smarter, it’s more like an information shortcut.”

“Hrm. Sounds like if you got too used to it, a lot of Intelligence could actually make you stupider.”

That’s…huh. Yeah, that’s a sobering thought. Shin hadn’t considered it, but weren’t the rewards of high Intelligence in fact just a byproduct of outsourcing one’s brain power? The effects of high Physical Stats were obvious, but just as the rewards of high Mental Stats were more subtle, it seemed their costs might be more insidious as well. What hidden risks lurked behind a high Wisdom score? Or Presence, for that matter?

Shin already had a rather impressive Presence. Maybe some more research was in order before he further committed to his current stat-allotment strategy.

“Anyways,” Shin continued, shaking off his momentary disquietude, “It’s how we improve our Tribe’s classes. Welcoming Tribes can invite others to join, who might bring new classes. I think Reclusive Tribes get a big boost to the classes they already have, maybe.”

Gero cocked an eyebrow, pulling her robe back on as she glanced back at the sleeping Moots. “So thanks to being a Welcoming Tribe, we’ve gained the amazing power of the Pig Farmer Class?”

Shin raised a finger. “First off, pigs are delicious.”

“True.”

“Second,” He popped up another finger, “I’m pretty sure Moots is actually a Villager. Remember how being Builders gives them Specializations? That’s his. I’m pretty sure Specialized Villagers give our base stronger and potentially unique bonuses.”

“So in short,” Gero tied her robe off at the waist, a bit of a sour look on her face, “Literally none of our Tribal choices benefit smashing things.”

Shin finished tying back his hair, offering the woman a sideways grin. “We already have you, Gero. If we took other combat bonuses, it wouldn’t be fair to the rest of the world.”

His flattery was rewarded with a splash of water and a furious wagging of Gero’s tail, so Shin decided to call it a draw. Despite her protestations, he was confident that Gero would appreciate the path their Tribe had started down. Either way, it certainly suited Shin. And after what he’d seen from Moots’ farm, he couldn't wait to see how the rest of the place turned out.

That eager anticipation died in Shin’s chest as he turned back towards the hut to find Higen, coiled taut as he squatted beside the still-sleeping Moots. Shit but he could be quiet when he wanted to. The wild kobold held a flat stare on Shin, absently twirling the point of a knife against the wooden porch. He held the other kobold’s gaze for a moment, then beckoned him forward with a terse flick of his fingers.

Shin knew he’d have to deal with Higen sooner or later, but he’d absolutely hoped for later. No avoiding it now, though.

He put a hand to Gero’s arm, her whole body tense and her hackles beginning to rise. “Let me try to handle this, Gero. Please?”

The powerful kobold growled, her honey-colored eyes still locked on Higen. But then she folded her arms under her ample chest, motioning Shin forward with a flick of her head. Okay, she was willing to give him a shot. Good. Maybe. Trying to bash Higen over the head and then dumping him in a ditch would have been the simplest option, but there had to be another way. Right?

All the same, Shin was certain to keep an eye out for any convenient nearby ditches.

Higen’s rough voice was quiet as Shin approached, but the way he pointed towards the other kobold with his knife couldn’t be taken as anything other than accusatory. “So this is what you slunk away for? To invite one of the monsters that terrorized us for generations to be part of our home?”

Shin did his best to keep his voice level. “No, we came here to thank him. Moots was the only reason we got our first few levels. And while I don’t regret inviting him, it was an accident.”

Higen spat. “Oh, sure. Because you never come up with ridiculous plans for everything. Well good job, Shh. Maybe with a bit more of your incredible leadership, the whole Tribe can be made up of frail old humans with piles of mud.”

“I’m not in charge, Higen,” Shin began, choosing to ignore the Wilder’s continued refusal to use his actual name, “Every decision we’ve made was as a group.”

“Bull.”–Higen punctuated his words with a twirl of his blade –”Shit.”

The frown came to Shin’s face unbidden. Boastful, bullying Hi-Hi had been bad enough, but petulantly menacing Higen was goddamned obnoxious. “Okay. You’ve got problems with the direction the Tribe is going in. I hear that.”

Narrowing his eyes, the kobold jabbed his knife in Moots’ direction. “This is our Tribe. We killed his tribe for the right to exist. You should know that. Or have you already forgotten that the only reason you made it out alive is because of me?” He carefully began to test the point of his weapon with his thumb. “I’m starting to think that might have been a mistake.”

Shin took a step forward, Higen tensely jumping to his feet in response. “If you feel that strongly about the future of our Tribe, why don’t you do something about it?”

Higen shifted his grip on his knife. “I’m considering it.”

God, he still had so much hatred. Was all of this a holdover from their days as mongrels? Or had Higen’s newly advanced mind found some new aspect of his one-time rival to despise? “Can I suggest a way of doing it that won’t end with both of us dead?”

The wild kobold held his readied stance for an unbearable moment, then released a hiss of air from between his clenched teeth. He didn’t lower his knife, however. “...Go on.”

Shin turned and pointed toward the zone’s exit, doing his best to ignore the itchy feeling Higen’s eyes were boring into his back. “You want our tribe to be for our people. Right? Well there are more of our people out there, and they need our help.”

Higen seemed to consider that. “There are more kobolds?”

“Not kobolds. Mongrels. Mongrels who are in the same position we were. Mongrels who could have a future, if someone was able to bring them from their zones to our village. And I think the best possible someone might be you.”

Shin paused, but it didn’t seem like Higen was going to respond. So he continued. “I’m guessing you have a suite of wilderness skills, right? Woodcraft, Survival…I know you’ve got Stealth, at least. You’re the only one of us with the skills necessary to even have a chance. It would be dangerous, but with every group you brought back you’d be helping our Tribe and our people.”

Another long bout of silence was Higen’s response. Shin was still in the process of trying to come up with something else to say when the wild kobold warily replied. “...You’re just trying to get rid of me.”

“We’re not children, Higen,” Shin scowled, done trying to massage the touchy Wilder’s ego. “I don’t want to be around you any more than you want to be around me. But I still think we both have a lot to offer our Tribe. And if we don’t have to be near each other in the meantime? All the better.”

Higen considered that. And then, to Shin’s deep relief, he sheathed his knife and eased out of his aggressive stance. “Always fucking scheming. That’s you, Shh. That’s you straight down to the ground.”

The Schemer’s eyes flared. “It’s Shin. Don’t get it wrong again.”

“Whatever. I’ll do it.” He spat, hopping down from the porch. “Can’t guarantee I’ll get many here, even if I find them. Especially since they need, what, five levels to even leave their zones? Probably no reason to even bother with the runts.”

A voice like sugar sweet iron rang out. “No, Higen. You will do your best to bring them all back. Especially the runts.”

Higen stiffened as Momo stepped forward, slouching in sullen silence as the little cleric scolded him. If anyone had told Shin a week ago that he’d be grateful for the authority Momo’s presence afforded him, he might have laughed. He was deeply grateful that he was a wiser kobold now than he was then.

Momo was the very picture of serene authority as she drew herself up besides Shin, towering over Higen despite being nearly a full head shorter. “The smallest and weakest of ours are beloved by our Goddess, Higen. Remember that, and come back to us soon.”

The Wilder’s sharp eyes flitted towards Shin for a moment, and then he offered Momo the briefest of nods before darting towards the zone’s exit. The Schemer let out the breath he hadn’t realized he was holding; that was intense.

Gero clearly agreed, shaking her head as she stepped forward. “I was sure that was coming to blood.”

Momo shook her head, hands still folded within her sleeves. “Higen is certainly lacking in most finer qualities, but his heart is in…something sort of close to the right place.” He gave a regal little sniff. “Also, he is quite afraid of me. He won’t be a problem.”

Gero grinned. “You’re a real badass, Momo, no question.”

The cleric nodded proudly, then abruptly squealed in delight, once again the excitable little kobold her companions were more familiar with. “Oh! Guys! You have to come with me, it’s so great!”

Shin and Gero shared a bemused look, the former speaking for both of them. “What is?”

Momo popped a hand to her hip, giving the pair a cheeky waggle of her eyebrows. “Wanna come help me design God?”