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Balthazar went back to the goblin cave,he was still marveling at the strangeness of this world. It was so weird for him to think that something could go inside his head and access his brain to implant memories and like that give him knowledge. He knew what he was, a demon baronet of the lowest rank in the infernal hierarchy something that till know didn't know existed. He had learned about the lair and its importance and so, he sought a place to call his own, a lair where he could forge his strength and lay low for the moment till he could have a better idea of where he was.
He had the perfect location,the old cave, once inhabited by a tribe of goblins that he killed. He was sure that if he fought them know, they would have posed little challenge. He would have swiftly torn through their ranks, slaughtering every last one of them with cold, brutal efficiency. Now when he woke up he found drained bodies scattered here and there and there was practically no blood which he found weird considering the massacre that occurred last night.
Outside the cave, the battlefield was still fresh in the memory of the earth. The goblins had been massacred during a fierce and unexpected assault that he led. Their clan, a small group, had been caught off guard as they rushed to defend their home. It seemed as if the fighting had erupted so quickly that they didn't even have time to gather their belongings. Only a few bodies were left, their once-vibrant green skin now pale and cold under the sunlight. Some of their weapons were shattered, others discarded in the haste to flee or fight.Well they had it coming and their destruction was only hastened by the old Crab that dropped him here. A quick look inside told him that the remnants of the goblins' lives remained as they once were—broken, unfinished, and abandoned.He stopped in front of the entrance, carefully examining it after a few minutes of indecision he finally went in and started exploring.
The cave that once thrived with the sounds of goblins—hunched figures scurrying around in its dim, dank corridors. The walls were rough, jagged with sharp rocks that glistened faintly in the flickering light of torches. Stalactites dripped from the ceiling, and the ground was littered with broken tools and scraps of the goblins' work. The main chamber had once been a hive of activity, with crude wooden tables and piles of crude forged weapons, tools, and trinkets. A large stone hearth crackled with the remains of past meals, and piles of bones in the corners hinted at their primitive diet. The air was thick with the smell of sweat, earth, and iron.
But all of this was frozen in time. Evidence of the sudden chaos was everywhere. Broken pottery lay shattered across the stone floor, and remnants of unfinished, a half-made bow—was left abandoned. The torches had sputtered out, leaving only the soft glow of dim, unnatural moss growing in patches across the walls. Weapons, left hastily in their places, were scattered as if the goblins had been interrupted mid-action. The thick smell of blood lingered faintly in the air, even though it had long since dried. The quiet of the cave now stood in stark contrast to the chaos that had once filled its dark halls
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After a complete tour of the cave , Baaz chise the main room as the spot where he will set up his core. It was the most spacious room with plenty of space and it was the most secure location as to get there you'll need to go past the three other rooms.
Now came the hard part, to activate the [Lair Creation] skill he needed to take out his orb which was deeply embedded into his chest. It was guaranteed that he would suffer doing that but he had no choice as he had to do it now as waiting later will not make it easier. He quickly ripped it and it came out with a jet of blood that progressively stopped. It seemed now that he had become a higher species he even gain better healing capacity, heck it was a terrific healing factor with some earthly heroes came to his mind. We'll he had things to do so he put his focus back on the task. He was oblivious of the act that he accomplished not too long ago as when he was human, he would have never done something like that and brush it off as if it was nothing. He was changing and he didn't know it.
Balthazar planted his core deep within the heart of the cave—a blackened orb of mysterious essence that pulsed with dark power.
The moment his core settled into the earth, the cave trembled, as if it could feel the surge of mysterious energy but strangely familiar coursing through it. He took a deep breath and started the activation of his skill.
A blinding blue light erupted in the room and the surrounding mana rushed toward the main chamber. Soon enough, the light died down and the orb was now floating in the air. It seemed to have absorbed all the mana in the room as it was glowing with a dark red aura. Soon enough, it went down into the ground. Baaz curiously looked around, but he saw no change. He was going to voice his concerns when the cave started shaking, The stone walls seemed to shift and groan, they suddenly went up and the ceiling moved away from the ground. Big changes happened in the entire Cave,the walls were sturdy and polished, it was as if they were reinforced and Baaz was sure that he would make a dent if he tried to punch through it. While this was happening Baaz thought about what he would like to look like and ad if responding to Balthazar's command. The once dreary and disorganized cave began to change, transforming into something more—a lair, his lair.
The cave had four rooms, each distinct but interconnected, just as Balthazar had envisioned. The largest room, the one furthest from the entrance, became the main chamber. It was a vast space, bathed in the dim, red glow of Balthazar's core, its pulse reverberating through the stone. The floor was uneven, littered with the remnants of goblin bones and discarded trinkets, but the air in the room felt alive with power. This would be the heart of his lair, where Balthazar could establish his dominance.
The three other rooms each served a specific purpose. To the left of the main chamber was a smaller, cramped storage room, where Balthazar could stash the spoils of his conquests and any treasures he might come across, he could put in some traps and stuff to stop the enemy. It was the last room before one gain access to the core. In there The once crude chair where the goblin chieftain used to sit was now more resembling of a throne as the primitive handiwork was refined. The third room ,once a simple nook, became his sanctuary —a place of solitude where Balthazar could retreat and recover maybe train his skills,meditate, drawing energy from the very core of his being. The final room, near the entrance, was a guard post, designed to hold his servants—weak demons he will summon to serve him, or monsters spawn to protect his domain, loyal but small in stature and strength.
From his status window, messages started pouring out as notifications filled his view. He quickly dismissed them and walked out the main chamber and quickly stopped his tracks. The once narrow alleys and dark corridors were now spacious enough for him to walk on without having to bend his back. The once dirty rooms were now clean in some you could find grass growing. Now that the most important step has been taken, Baaz needed some time alone to make sure he was not being shaken by the events that occurred and he needed rest. So he went back to the core room. He sat down and quickly went in thinking mode, remembering what he learned about the core and of its importance.
This orb, named a Core is a construct that every demon Noble possess and it's only through it that the lair creation skill can be used. Like a central computer, it manages and runs the entire dungeon and is responsible for the reinforcement of the walls that happened earlier. The core is the most important thing to a Demon Noble as it links them together. So whatever happens to the core will happen to the demon, it it's destroyed then the demon is going to die and if the demon dies, the core is also going to self destruct itself. The are like symbiotes, whatever happens to one it also happens to the other, the progress of one is also the progress of the other one. So it was while digesting all of this that it happened!!!