It seemed Kaleb was destined to get more practice with his new tail. Not with just the Brute Clan, either. Almost every hour, Player teams would take a run at the mansion. He eventually bit the bullet and put a message on the game forum. He explained how the mansion was a refuge for space lizards and not a Dungeon or in-game event hiding something. Of course, that did not stop everyone and now he was getting personal messages demanding he let them all in.

A few of the Players seemed to only want to look though. As the last time he defended the gate, he spotted a few just lazing about the street. The Brute Clan mansion was now a damn tourist attraction for Gamers, it seemed. Kaleb and the Brute Clan defended the mansion over and over again until, for some reason, the attacks stopped. The Brute Clan used the moment to catch up on sleep and heal their wounded. But Kaleb felt a tingling in his Gamer Senses. Something was up and whatever it was, probably wasn't good.

"It is time for our duel, Lab Lizard!"

Kaleb sighed as he readjusted his armor and glared up at Gor'kinak. The asshole had been pushing to bring their fight up throughout the day. Kaleb had wanted to get used to his new Mutation. So he'd been arguing against. Now Gor'kinak was back with V'alla, Wulkun, and Aqwen. The giant lizard looked way too pleased with himself for Kaleb to be comfortable. Judging by the looks on Wulkun and Aqwen's faces, he would not like what happened next.

"The council has deemed my request appropriate. With these recent attacks, we must have a united council."

"Which you refuse to commit to." Kaleb rolled his eyes and took a sip from a nearby water bottle.

He had Roy barter a few things to the local lizards so they could have some amenities. It wasn't much. A tent, a few bedrolls, cooking fire, and some food. But it made their little slice of the yard fell home-y. Well, it had until a certain giant cloaca showed up. Kaleb had more pressing issues to worry about. Such as protecting the settlement from a bunch of stark raving Players. Every minute that rolled by meant the Players were working themselves up into another attack.

"I refuse to unite with Clans that consort with your kind."

"How lovely racist of you."

"Doc, if the Brute Clans are offshoots of the Basilinoids, doesn't that mean y'all are the same race?"

Kaleb sat back on his tiny camping chair and rubbed his chin. It was true that their genetics were extremely close. He raised a hand and waggled it at Roy.

"Maybe a bit. Would prejudice be a better descriptor?"

"Yeah, I think it fits better." His sidekick nodded.

Gor'kinak growl low in his throat as Kaleb and Roy looked back at him. The large Clan Elder was still glaring at them both. His tiny sharp teeth bared as if he wanted to rip both of their throats out. Kaleb almost wanted the dumbass to try. Outside of the duel, Kaleb could use all his weapons to bring the big sonofabitch down. Once he got in the prepared arena, he'd only have his arm, his tail, and his skills.

The two of them continued their stare down until Wulkun coughed for attention. Kaleb and Gor'kinak both turned to the elderly lizard and waited for his words. He gave Kaleb an apologetic look before he said.

"Elder Gor'kinak is within his rights to move up the challenge. The others on the council voted, and they found it was better to get this over with. We are under near constant attack and Gor'kinak has withheld his clan from the battles going forward until you finish your duel."

Kaleb growled, now clenching and unclenching his fists. The damn asshat was playing games while the mansion was in danger. Getting to his feet, Kaleb prepared to remove his cybernetic arm. Roy moved to help as a slimy smile spread across Gor'kinak's face. Thankfully, the colossal idiot spun on the spot and hurried away. Clearly, to get ready for the fight. V'alla stayed behind though, eyeing Kaleb sadly.

"I am sorry about this, Professor. But he has tied our hands. At least bloody his nose before he kills you."

Kaleb started at that. "I didn't think this was duel to the death."

"It isn't. But don't fool yourself into thinking he won't try," Aqwen said. "Normally, the duels go until someone gives up or can no longer fight."

"Which he problem won't give me a chance to do." Kaleb sighed. "What happens if I kill him?"

V'alla barked out a laugh as Wulkun and Aqwen looked at him pityingly. Kaleb huffed as his arm was detached from his shoulder and Roy grunted in exertion. Milly gave a squeak of indignation as the arm came off and poked her nose out of the arm. Kaleb gave her a scratch on her nose as Daivor swung his way up to Kaleb's shoulder. The gnome glanced at the other lizards before grunting at them all.

"Ignore them, boss. Tear the asshole a new one."

Kaleb grinned as the three other lizards looked at Daivor in confusion. They couldn't understand the gnome, but the sentiment was obvious. Wulkun grunted as he waved a hand toward the mansion. Clearly, they all just wanted to get things over with. Kaleb played with the notion of doubling the prices of the equipment he sold them once he beat Gor'kinak. But that would be petty. He'd only knock things up by ten percent. That'd show them.

The six of them walked across the dirt and grass yard, following in Gor'kinak's wake. Some of the other lizards clearly knew what was going on and followed them. A new kind of energy filled the air as the news spread. The Lab Lizard was fighting a Clan Elder and everyone was apparently invited. They picked up a mass of lizards. Probably everyone that wasn't watching the fence at this moment.

Kaleb thought they'd head around the back of the mansion again, toward the training area. But instead, they were headed straight toward the front doors of the mansion. For a brief moment, Kaleb thought they were going inside the mansion. However, Gor'kinak was waiting just outside the Mansion's front doors. A large circle had been drawn in the dirt and torches had been placed along its edge.

The giant clan elder was standing there shirtless, grinning at the crowd like a demented fool. Kaleb rolled his eyes at how played out everything was. This was supposed to be some big rite of passage and an honorable challenge. But it felt like some frat party dare. One where he was expected to get his head kicked in. Well, Kaleb was having none of that. Opening his menus, Kaleb brought up his new Mutant tree and grinned.

Tail Mutation Tree

Attack Lvl 0 (Locked)

Tip of Stone Lvl 1

Defense Lvl 0 (Locked)

Dense Lvl 1

Utility Lvl 1

If you come across this story on Amazon, it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.

Electroconductivity Lvl 1

Evolution Points: 187

His initial hopes that the early points would be spent on a one-for-one upgrade to his Utility Level were dashed during previous experiments. In fact, he had dumped five points into Utility and hadn't gotten even a single level. Not only that, but he didn't even have a sense of how close he was. The points were apparently worth different amounts of XP toward the next level. But it was like leveling up without seeing a progress bar. You just threw stuff at it until it moved. Which is what he did, but not at the Utility section.

Tip Of Stone Lvl 2

Dense Lvl 2

Points: 97

Kaleb grinned as he watched his plan work. He suspected that the subsections of each branch weren't locked and he was right. He doubt he would see any evolutions from them, but making his tail tougher wasn't a bad idea at all. With the remainder of his points, Kaleb focused on the Utility cell and dumped everything, hoping for some kind of miracle. But as the last of his points drained away, he doubted one would come.

Utility Lvl 3

Points: 0

According to Abby and Two Gun, five was the magic number for evolution. Sighing again, Kaleb returned his vision to the task at hand. He was standing outside the circle, looking across at the shirtless Gor'kinak. The monstrous lizard grinned at him and flexed his muscles. Kaleb found the gesture hilarious and grinned as he took off his armor and shirt. For some reason, being topless had been a part of the ritual even when it was the Basilinoids of old. Setting aside that bit of disturbing history, Kaleb took his first step into the ring and immediately felt a presence pressing down on him.

Kaleb's feet carried him to the left, even as his brain tried to keep up. Gor'kinak had leapt the distance between them and smashed his clawed hand into the dirt where Kaleb had been standing. Kaleb barely registered this as his body rolled away and then popped up in a fighting stance. Gor'kinak's smug smile was still in place, though, as he prowled closer to Kaleb again. Apparently, they had started and Kaleb was already on the back foot. Not wanting to be passive, Kaleb dashed forward.

He closed the distance between them and planted a straight into Gor'kinak's stomach. The punch barely moved the lizard's scales. But Kaleb had expected that, so he kept moving as Gor'kinak let him attack. The bigger lizard was clearly toying with Kaleb, assured in his larger size and martial experience. Not to mention he was fighting a literal one-armed lizard.

Kaleb dashed around the bigger lizard, not holding back as he rapidly punched out with his one hand. He knew he was barely doing chip damage to Gor'kinak. But it was all part of his strategy to lure his opponent into a false sense of security. That's when a fist smacked into the side of Kaleb's face and his whole body went horizontal. Kaleb's vision blurred as his mind replayed the punch from Gor'kinak. The punch was little more than a slap designed to slow Kaleb down. It worked, and now Kaleb was on the ground.

Quickly rolling away, Kaleb heard more than saw Gor'kinak give chase. The big lizard was stomping the dirt and laughing as Kaleb rolled. His mind tried to remember the plan as his body ached. He didn't want to look at his HP because he knew he wouldn't like what he saw. The big lizard was a beast, and clearly the only reason he was alive was because Gor'kinak was playing. But he'd been here before. His Nemesis, Rat-Man, was a similar type of person. Which meant Kaleb knew just how to deal with the big idiot.

Finally, rolling up to his feet, Kaleb came up with his arms ready and pounced at the slow-moving Gor'kinak again. He rained more blows on the elder's midsection as his tail got ready to strike. All he needed was one big lucky hit and things would turn around. It was going to take some luck, and the tip of his new tail. But he knew he could take Gor'kinak down. He jabbed the big lizard in the stomach twice and then pulled back for a third hit. But instead of punching, Kaleb spun his waist and sent the tip of his tail flying. His aim was underneath Gor'kinak's jaw, but his tail didn't make it that far. A green blur of a fist punched Kaleb in the tail and sent him spinning.

Kaleb quickly got control of his feet and scowled as pain echoed through his tail. It shook itself involuntarily. The only thing good to come out of the attempt was that Kaleb got to watch Gor'kinak shake out his fist in surprise. Apparently, Kaleb's dense tail had surprised the bigger lizard. He wanted to smile, but for the first time Kaleb came to realize that he was going to lose this fight. He was severely outmatched by the bigger lizard.

Unfortunately, Gor'kinak seemed to know it as well. The big lizard was apparently done playing now and dashed into Kaleb's personal space and planted a punch straight in Kaleb's gut. The air left his body and Kaleb felt his body get yanked off the ground as Gor'kinak's tail wrapped around his throat. Kaleb punched the bigger lizard in the face. But all he did was make the bigger lizard laugh. Another scaly fist slammed into Kaleb's face and he felt his vision swim. His own tail stabbed out, and he felt it dig deep into Gor'kinak's chest. The bigger lizard scowled in pain, but kept hitting Kaleb. He was struggling to breathe and the corners of his vision were going black. He could hear the other lizards shouting and cheering. But it was growing distant until he felt one of his punches hit something wet.

He had still been hitting Gor'kinak's face. But he must have struck an eye or something, cause Kaleb felt the other lizard's tail reflexively uncoil. Fresh air hit his lung and Kaleb used that chance to find the wet spot again. With his vision clearing, Kaleb saw Gor'kinak blinking rapidly from where his finger hit. Kaleb jabbed his thumb into the lizard Elder's eye and squeezed for dear life. As he did, he focused on his tail and had it stab the bigger lizard in the legs. Gor'kinak had trouble fending Kaleb off now. One arm was holding Kaleb off the ground, the other was trying to break Kaleb's hold on his face, and his tail was spasming from the initial eye gouge.

Kaleb used that window to inflict as much damage as possible. Stabbing with his tail and pressing his thumb into Gor'kinak's eye socket. Blood seeped out over his finger and Kaleb felt it coat his tail as he continually stabbed the bigger lizard. Eventually, one of Gor'kinak's legs gave out and Kaleb felt his feet touch the ground again. As he did, Gor'kinak's tail turned to trying to fend off Kaleb's tail. The two green appendages wrestled with each other. But Kaleb felt hope enter his mind again. He was beat to hell, but he could do this. He just needed to-

"OWWWWW!!" Kaleb roared as Gor'kinak ripped Kaleb's hand off his eye and bit it.

Kaleb felt part of the big lizard's eyeball stuck to his thumb. But his major concern was his index and middle finger. Both were in Gor'kinak's mouth and being bitten off. Kaleb tried to curl his fingers, but all he did was scrap the inside of the lizard's mouth. Gor'kinak's good eye glared across at Kaleb as he bit down and severed Kaleb's fingers. Pain erupted in Kaleb's hand and his tail shot up toward the offender. He expected Gor'kinak's tail to intercept his own, but instead Kaleb felt the stone tip of his tail rip through the underside of the bigger lizard's jaw. The tip of his tail tapped Gor'kinak's soft palate and the lizard Elder looked enraged.

Kaleb pressed his advantage and tried to put more power into his tail. But Gor'kinak's was wrapped around his tail, stopping its movement. The elder's eye shot Kaleb a look of utter murder, But Kaleb ignored it. He was so close. Then he could go back to actually helping these damn people. If they'd even let him after killing an Elder. He knew he was supposed to take over Gor'kinak clan if he won. But somehow he didn't see that happening.

The two stayed like that for what felt like hours. Kaleb could feel his blood draining out of the wound in his hand. He could only hope that Gor'kinak was bleeding out faster as the two wrestled with each other. Gor'kinak was lashing out with one hand and trying to remove Kaleb's tail with the other. But with the amount of blood loss he had suffered, his punches were weak and Kaleb's body was already numb from the beating he'd taken. Still, something needed to happen before they killed each other. He briefly wondered why no one had stopped the fight. But he dared not look. One moment of inattention would cost him his digital life. Sure, he'd be back. But that was always a pain. Skill loss, equipment damage, Deathville, it wasn't worth it.

That thought alone carried Kaleb through the end of the fight. It made him raise his bloody hand and jab his pinky finger into Gor'kinak's remaining eye. The move so stunned the bigger lizard that he loosened his tail again. Kaleb's tail lurched up, further into the soft palate of the Gor'kinak and beyond. The Clan Elder spasmed for a bit, causing more damage to Kaleb. But soon the bigger lizard went limp and fell forward, right on to Kaleb. Not having the strength to push the big Elder away, Kaleb went down and felt the air leave his lungs again. He thought he heard something crack and his vision swam once again and everything went mercifully black.

Next chapter will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.