The swarm continued its relentless expansion. Juvenile units still formed the pervasive, slow-moving tide pushing back the most distant Fog of War, while the newly emerged Adult units added layers of resilience and capability closer to the established territory. Some Adults were active, utilizing their legs for faster traversal over rough ground or their mandibles for processing tougher biomass. Others remained curled in hibernation, silent, armored seeds ensuring the swarm's future. The network of symbiotic hosts continued to provide disparate points of awareness across different levels of the forest, from burrowing rodents to soaring birds. Swarmaster managed this complex, multi-faceted entity, a vast, distributed consciousness exploring a real world through a strategic lens.

  It was the awareness from a scouting unit – a single Adult Unit identified as [Jade] near a rocky, overgrown incline at the edge of the known map – that first registered the anomaly. A large, rapidly moving entity, unlike any natural creature encountered on the forest floor or perceived through host connections, appeared at the edge of Jade's limited range. It moved with an upright gait, its form bulky and uneven. [Unknown Entity - Large]. A flicker of caution, a systemic evaluation for threat potential, rippled through Swarmaster.

  As the entity drew closer to Jade's position, its form resolved into more detail on the internal map. It had two primary limbs for locomotion and two grasping limbs. Its surface was covered in strange, textured materials – not chitin, or fur, or bark. Its shape was… unnatural. And then, a flicker of recognition, sharp and sudden, surfaced from the buried layers of Swarmaster's consciousness. Not a memory of a specific moment, but an ingrained pattern, a categorization from countless hours spent in virtual worlds and absorbed from countless fantasy stories.

  Goblin.

  The label, foreign yet instantly familiar, applied itself to the perceived form. A goblin. The rough-skinned creature with a hunched posture and keen eyes appeared to be foraging or playing among the rocks. It moved with surprising speed and erratic bursts of energy, a chaotic energy that matched the concept now brought forth from his past. The recognition, even in this fundamental form, informed his immediate strategic assessment: goblins were often tribal, sometimes hostile, associated with crude tools and simple behaviors, but capable of unpredictable actions.

  Swarmaster directed Jade to remain still, curled in a defensive posture near a cluster of rocks, observing. He knew, from a life that felt both distant and intrinsically part of him, the potential behaviors of a goblin.

  The goblin stopped its activity. Its attention was fixed on Jade. It made strange sounds, guttural and sharp, accompanied by broad gestures of its grasping limbs. Then, it reached down.

  Swarmaster felt a jolt of alarm as the goblin's massive fingers closed around Jade's curled form. The world tilted violently from Jade's perspective. The familiar ground disappeared, replaced by the jarring, swaying view of being lifted into the air. Swarmaster could still feel Jade, still perceive through its senses, even as it was removed from the familiar ground. He could feel the goblin's rough skin, its strange scent, the rhythmic jostling as it moved.

  The goblin carried Jade for a short distance, making more excited sounds. It stopped in a small clearing littered with pebbles and bits of bark. Another creature was already there – a large, hard-shelled beetle, sitting passively on the ground. The goblin gently placed Jade on the earth a short distance from the beetle. Then, with surprising eagerness, the goblin lowered itself to the ground, lying on its stomach and using its arms to form a simple circle around the two bugs, peering closely to watch them.

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  The intention became clear, both from the goblin's actions and the presence of the other insectoid. A fight. The large being, the goblin, wanted these two creatures to fight, trapped within the close confines of its arms. A simple, almost childlike behavior, yet executed by a being known, in his past, for unpredictable violence.

  Swarmaster's focus narrowed, shifting entirely to Jade. The initial worry about being captured was replaced by a cold strategic assessment and a surge of that familiar, fury-tinged resolve. Fight. Win. The instinct to survive, to dominate, was paramount. The opponent was a simple beetle. Jade possessed capabilities far beyond a natural insectoid, even one recognized by his past knowledge. The goblin wanted a fight? He would give it a fight.

  The other beetle lumbered forward, slow and direct, its intent purely instinctual. Jade, guided by Swarmaster's will, met its approach. The beetle attempted to use its weight and mandibles. Jade, however, moved with the greater agility its legs provided. It darted past the beetle's head, positioning itself alongside the opponent's body.

  Then, the tactic formed, a unique combination of Adult form capabilities. Jade's mandibles clamped onto the beetle's leg, a vice-like grip. And at the same instant, Swarmaster commanded the core Adult ability: Curl. Jade tucked its legs and head, its armored plates locking into a tight, incredibly tough ball, holding the beetle's leg fast.

  The beetle, unbalanced and trapped, scrabbled helplessly within the circle of the goblin's arms.

  The goblin watching made surprised sounds, leaning closer.

  Then, the counter-move. With a sudden, explosive exertion of stored energy, Swarmaster commanded: Uncurl (Forceful). Jade's body snapped open with surprising power, the trapped beetle's leg acting as a fulcrum. The force was directed upwards and outwards within the confines of the goblin's arms. The beetle was bodily lifted and flung, landing heavily on its back, legs flailing uselessly in the air. It was defeated.

  The goblin let out a sudden, loud shout – a sound that conveyed pure, unadulterated joy and astonishment. It sprang back slightly, its eyes wide, before immediately jumping up and down, clapping its grasping limbs together. Its excitement was palpable, a raw, simple delight.

  The goblin then carefully approached the still-curled Jade, which slowly extended its legs and head at Swarmaster's will, resuming its ready posture. The goblin nudged Jade gently with a finger, making soft, curious sounds that seemed almost questioning. Then it reached down again, its intention clear – to pick Jade up.

  A crucial decision point. The instinct to bite, to defend against capture or potential harm from this giant, was present, a raw, biological command ready to execute through Jade's powerful mandibles. But overlaid was the strategic imperative from months of cultivating symbiosis with other large beings – the potential to learn, to spread, to gain new perspectives by attaching to hosts. This goblin was a new, complex type of 'host'. Biting would likely lead to immediate, fatal retaliation. Passivity offered opportunity. Swarmaster felt the goblin's presence, its excitement, its careful handling.

  Do not bite… Remain passive… Observe… Seek connection… A new host… A new world…

  Jade remained still, allowing the goblin to carefully scoop it up. The goblin held Jade in its palm, bringing it closer, examining it with intense curiosity. It gently poked at Jade's legs and antennae, making soft sounds. Jade remained passive, a silent, armored enigma in the goblin's hand. The goblin smiled, a wide, toothy grin, a display of simple, unreserved pleasure. It didn't place Jade in the pouch with the other beetle, seemingly wanting to keep its prize separate. Instead, the goblin continued to hold Jade carefully in its hands as it rose and began walking away.

  The world from Jade's perspective shifted again, swaying with the goblin's gait. The sounds of the forest floor receded, replaced by the rhythm of the goblin's steps and the scent of rough cloth and the goblin itself. Swarmaster had successfully placed a unit inside the goblin's world. The encounter had been initiated by the other. But the potential for a new, perhaps even more valuable, symbiotic relationship, one based not on instinct but on perceived performance, had just been born from a simple beetle fight. The Fog of War surrounding the goblin's existence had just gained its first, vital, moving point of perspective. The swarm was entering new territory.