After a full night's rest and a bit of fog training, we gathered to discuss the one thing that had been bugging me since yesterday:
The Gorvath City Tournament.
"I know this is insane," I said, looking at the kids who'd curled themselves up like stress balls, "but... I want to join it."
Their reactions were... mixed.
"ARE YOU TRYING TO DIE?!" – Oyen, already half-ignited in panic.
"I'm not ready to be scrambled eggs." – Putih, voice flat but grim.
"That tournament... killing is allowed." – Belang, who had already made a death probability chart.
"If we're gonna join, we need disguises!" – Lurik, instantly projecting an illusion of a handsome golem face.
"I can provide background sound. Earth monsters usually echo and rumble." – Cimut, already vibrating headache-inducing tones.
"I can bounce you all if we need to run!" – Abu, now rebounding wildly off the walls.
"I'm in." – Hitam. One word. Enough to make everyone stop and stare.
But I couldn't ignore this opportunity.
The tournament wasn't just about strength—there were trials, skill assessments, and if we passed... we could rise in the monster city's social ranks.
That meant access. Information. Maybe even legal housing!
The problem was… we still looked way too much like eggs.
I wasn't some cool beast with claws or fangs.
And my kids? Sure, they could glow, bounce, or scream weirdly—but in the end, we still looked like magical breakfast gone wrong.
The solution?
Pretend to be golems.
Earth golems—common dungeon creatures.
Stiff, huge, dusty.
And most importantly—unremarkable.
"I need an earth element," I muttered. "If I can absorb the ability of an earth-type monster, I might be able to wrap myself and the kids in soil—form an outer shell like a golem's skin."
Hitam gave a small nod. "If it works... we could walk into the city without suspicion."
But finding earth monsters wasn't easy.
They usually lived in a different zone—deeper, drier.
We had to head west, toward the narrow cracks and rocky ruins where golems roamed.
Before setting out, we prepared:
Putih gathered fog for camouflage.
Belang mapped escape routes in case we were attacked.
Lurik practiced a new illusion: a walking stone silhouette.
Cimut trained to vary his sounds for distraction use.
Abu fine-tuned his bounce angles to launch teammates during emergencies.
Oyen tested his sparks to make sure they wouldn't burn our disguise.
Hitam remained the tank: our frontline shield and battering ram.
For the first scouting mission, we'd go as a trio: me, Belang, and Hitam.
Our task was simple:
Find an earth monster. Study it. If possible—absorb its ability.
If we failed?
Well... we'd crawl back underground like usual.
But if we succeeded?
Watch out, tournament.
A rotten egg golem is coming to fight.