Almost an hour later, Willow took Daggat and Klaw to a secluded campsite. It was impossible to see it from the outside. A hidden grove nestled between two cliffs. The camp itself was small. It held one tent, which had a simple log table within, holding maps. A large humanoid tended a fire.
The fire glowed warmly beneath what appeared to be a dome of shadow. Like darkened glass floating above it. The light seemed to draw towards it, giving the fire a warping look that was impossible to see from a distance. A way to hide a camp while still keeping the luxury of fire, Daggat presumed. He almost couldn’t take his gaze off of it. It just… floated there. Was this magic? He had heard of it but never seen it working. The creature tending the fire was equally strange. It was as tall as an orc but had wolf-like features. A wolf head, silver fur, and a tail. Hands that ended in claws and strangely shaped boots. It wore sturdy clothes, the sort a laborer would wear. Its tail wagged as they entered the camp.
“Welcome back!” it said in a singsong, girlish voice. “Hey… who do you have there?” She peered at the tied-up gremlins.
“We found them near the village. One of them says he can tell us all we want to know about the head takers. Apparently.” The gremlins were sat next to each other.
“Is that so?” She leaned over them and spoke in a cutesy voice like one would speak to an animal or a child. “Did the big bad goblins grab you? I hope they didn’t scare you too much, poor things.”
“Don’t bother.” Said brag as he sat near the fire. He began to work at the straps on his armor. “They led us into a trap. That one,” he pointed at Klaw, "hurt Moss.” The wolf was already being tended to by the archer.
“A trap? Who put them up to it? Were you discovered already?” Her tail sank.
“Led us to a pack of wargs. Two got away. So, now the head takers know we're here.” The archer unstrung her bow and began to brush the wolf's coat.
“If I may,” Daggat spoke up, and the wolf-like woman blinked. “It was a trap, yes. But it was for me. Also, lady, there is a very good chance that I am more intelligent than all of you. Please stop talking to me like I’m a child.”
“Oh… he’s adorable. Can I keep him?” Her tail wagged, and the warrior laughed.
“First thing, have you left your party yet?”
“Oh, yeah. I did.” Telling him WHEN he left the party wasn’t necessary. Daggat wanted to try to squeeze as much information out of these people as possible. “Are any of you familiar with the party system? What is this experience sharing, anyway?” the warrior replied.
“We are a party. I am the leader. Experience sharing… shares experience with everyone. So you all get credit for a kill.”
“What is that? Experience, I mean.”
“Did they not teach you this stuff? What’s your system aptitude level?”
“One.”
“What did they tell you when they taught you about the system?”
“No one said anything to me about the system. I figured it out on my own.” He raised his eyebrows. The warrior's brow furrowed in suspicion.
“Wait, did you know about the system when they made you join the party?”
“Not even a little. Hey, can you untie us now?” the warrior ignored the question.
“Uh huh… what was your experience share set to?”
“Ninety to the boss, the rest for me.” The scouts hissed, growled, or cursed.
“That’s dirty.” Said the archer.
“Oh, you poor things… I bet you didn’t even get to say no, did you?” said the wolf girl.
“Is it that… bad?” Daggat thought it was a bit much, but who wouldn’t take 90 percent in Gobma’s position?
“It can be a hangable crime, unfairly gouging your party experience. What they did to you is considered taboo, evil, and cruel. You could have killed a dragon with your bare hands, and the leader would get all of the rewards.”
“Shouldn’t the leader get extra?”
“No! Even split. Anything less would be immoral. We speed up leveling for new joiners. We also do this if someone hires us to level their brat. That is why I keep an open slot. Good money in training up some merchant's kid. They get to sit all safe at home, and we take on the risk.”
“Willow, you are talking too much. Get what you need, then get some rest," Bragg called out, his armor halfway off. Daggat was soaking up this information. Klaw looked bored.
“He’s right. I get carried away.” Said willow. “Alright, I want you to answer a few questions.” And Daggat did. He shared an estimate of the goblins and mercenaries. He noted the camp's size and its operations. He also mentioned who was in charge and shared any other details he could recall. Honestly, if they burned the place down, he would warm himself on the fire. They have given him nothing and have only unfairly taken from him.
“I have questions of my own… tit for tat and all that. Can you explain classes to me?”
Willow tossed Daggat’s book in front of him. “Tell you what, find out yourself. That’s a copy of Divine Will. It will teach you all you need to know.” Daggat’s eyes shone. If only he could read…
As the sun started to rise, the silver wolf goblins went to rest in various positions throughout the camp. Klaw was just as exhausted as they were and fell asleep. They were still tied up, but they were at least given a blanket.
Daggat, however, couldn’t sleep. His excitement about the book and its possibilities kept him up. The wolf-girl didn’t seem tired at all. She sat in a cross-legged position, eyes closed. Occasionally, he caught her peeking at them. Eventually, she whispered, “Can’t sleep?”
“No… I don’t think I can. Too much going through my mind.” The wolf girl looked around mischievously.
“We could… chat, then?” Her tail whipped back and forth slowly. “I almost never have anyone to talk to on night missions. The rest of the party is nocturnal. So I just keep watch by myself.”
“That would be lovely, but… I can’t talk where I might wake my brother. I am tied to him, after all.” He hoped she would get the hint. She did.
“Promise you won’t run? I don’t look it, but I'm just as scary as these guys.”
“Promise! Can’t leave without Klaw, anyway. What kind of brother would I be?” She pranced over, tail wagging quickly. Then she untied him. Daggat stretched. He never would have expected how much being bound for so long hurt. Then, he sat by the fire with his book. What else would he do? He really couldn’t abandon his crew. Besides, they needed their rest. “Do you know what’s going to happen to us?”
“No, sorry. We have to discuss it. Our home is on the coast, pretty far away. It’s dangerous to travel around. We can’t even send you back home…” She sighed. “Real stinker of a situation you’re in.”
“Yeah…” Daggat stared into the fire. The way it danced around the edges of the dome was mesmerizing. The wolf girl seemed to pounce on him.
“So anyway. Why are you so smart? My intelligence is 14, by the way. So I am PRETTY good in that department. Names Ivory. What’s yours?” Daggat found her cutesy voice grating. But being rude gained nothing.
“Daggat. And I am a variant. Plus ten to intelligence.” He smirked, “And I AM smarter than you still.”
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
“Whoa. That is rare, even among variants. Plus ten is a huge head start. The highest I’ve seen is a plus five, and that was to charm.” She blushed. ”Anyway, I’ve heard of a plus twelve before, though.” That only added to Daggat’s ego. But something had been distracting him.
“This was bugging me for a bit, but what are you? Your species, I mean.”
“Oh! I’m a lycan. I was born a cute little cub. Evolved into a wise wolf, and then I chose lycan, just like the rest of my family. It’s the best option. Humanoid is a lot of work and you miss out on the powers of a dire wolf or warg, but classes are not something to scoff at. Besides, who would CHOOSE to be a warg?” Daggat’s stomach grumbled, but he didn’t notice. He had so many questions. "Let's get some breakfast started, shall we?”
Ivory set up a pot to make porridge. He asked her about classes and the ties between wargs and lycans. She only shushed him. She concentrated fully on the meal.
Instead, he opened the Divine Will. The script, while familiar to him, was unreadable. In the system, it was as if he simply knew what the words meant, rather than reading them. That did not transfer to the real world at all. But the tome contained small illustrations, so perhaps he could derive some meaning.
Images of warriors, shepherds, kings, and monsters. In the middle of the book, in its own section, was a sweeping two-page illustration. Five figures were depicted above a distant world. Two were identical, but one held a sword, and the other a shepherd's crook. Next to them was a monstrous creature with large, gaping jaws. In the middle was a judge, wielding a gavel and a tome. The final being broke the symmetry of the piece. A human with almost serpent-like flexibility that intruded on the space of the other beings. Behind each was a halo of different colors.
Daggat gasped and ran two fingers over the last creature's halo. A multicolored hue with no pattern. It looked familiar.
“Ooh, that’s a good copy.” Ivory was reading over his shoulder. He jumped and nearly dropped the book.
“Do you know what this is?”
“Of course. It's a famous depiction of the true angels.”
“Who are those, who is this? I’ve seen this before…” Ivory smirked and giggled.
“No spoilers. Read for yourself. That book will tell you the story better than I will."
“I can’t read.” Her smile didn’t change.
“You’re pretty smart. If I could learn how, so can you. Now, do you want some porridge?” Maybe Ivory was more bothered by the intelligence comment than he thought. Daggat made a mental note of that.
The meal was a thick porridge. It had a gravy-like texture, made from bacon fat and grainy flour. There were also thick bacon cubes and chopped carrots mixed in. A piece of stale bread accompanied the dish. She seasoned it with salt and herbs. It was the most delicious meal Daggat had ever eaten. Seasoning and flavor balance were unknown to the world of goblin culinary arts. He devoured the bowl and begged for seconds. She obliged, laughing with joy.
For the next few hours, Daggat shared his life stories with Ivory. Each tale horrified her more than the last. She, in return, told him of her life and her home. Ivory came from a large family of Lycans who lived near the silver wolf tribe’s town, Brinehaven. Wise wolves, lycans, and dire wolves primarily made up her people. Her people could become wargs, but the act was taboo. Ivory did not want to expand on that topic.
Eventually, the goblins woke. Willow saw Daggat out of his binds, asking even more questions, but said nothing. Bragg complained, but was ignored. The archer, whom Ivory called Tips, simply yawned and tended to the wolves. Their wolves, the wise wolves, were more like companions than pets. Just as intelligent as goblins, but unable to speak. Only lycans and wargs were equipped to speak as humanoids do, as far as he knew.
“I thought about what to do with them last night,” Willow said, chewing on dried meat for breakfast. “The sage owes me a favor. Let’s drop them off there; he can keep an eye on them.”
“Then what? Let him figure it out?” asked Tips.
“We go home. Then I’ll ask around. Someone might be willing to adopt them. My sister… well. She might be willing.” Daggat was stunned.
“Why?” All eyes looked at him. “Why would you go to the trouble?”
“We can’t let you go back. Sorry, kid, but that isn’t in the cards.”
“No, I mean. Look, at the risk of signing my own death warrant, I’ll be blunt. Why not just kill us? That is what we would do in your situation.”
“Hey, don’t talk like that.” Bragg pointed a finger at him. “We aren’t about to kill kids. Rob kids? Sure. Beat them if they're rowdy? A bit. But even goblins have limits. Do you think you could do that? We may be monsters, but we are not monstrous.”
Daggat shrugged. “My first memory is killing one of my siblings, and then eating them. We all had to do it. Three kills, and you graduate from the pits. In this world, it's kill or be killed. We could do it.” The goblins stared at him for a long moment. Then Bragg leaped from his seat, pacing.
“I’m going to tear that place down. Those savages!”
“The wargs do the same. It’s to clear out the weak and give their young a head start with experience. I would bet my tail that the wargs were the ones who gave them the idea.” Daggat blinked. That wasn’t normal? His entire outlook on the world and life was slowly changing. There’s a chance they could be playing around with him, but why bother with that?
Klaw groaned as he finally woke, so Daggat rushed over to him.
“What’s going on? Daggat? LET GO OF- Oh. Right. Rope.” He struggled against the bonds.
“I’ll get you out; hold on.” Daggat started working at the rope.
“Whoa there.” Willow came up to them. “Not going to run off with him, are you?”
“No. That would be stupid.”
“Remember that warg is still out there. Somewhere. I was bluffing when I said I would kill you, but it will.” Daggat finished untying him. Klaw winced and held his wrist.
“What’s going on?” Klaw whispered to him. “What are they going to do with us?”
“Don’t worry, Bro. I made a deal with these kind folks. They are going to take us somewhere with shelter and food, then we'll check out their tribe. See if it’s up to snuff.” The scouts said nothing about Daggat’s exaggeration.
Daggat went on to explain all he had learned to Klaw while they packed. He noted that Ivory waved a hand over the shadowy dome, and it dissipated into light. Daggat wobbled on his feet as he talked. He had stayed up the whole night. They each then climbed on the wise wolves, sitting in front of a goblin rider. Daggat rode with Willow, and Klaw rode with Tips.
While they were getting settled in, Ivory transformed. Her body glowed for a moment as her clothing and belongings disappeared. Her body shifted into a quadruped position. Then, she was a wolf, identical to the wise wolves. Her tail wagged in the air fast enough to make a breeze. Ivory then ran circles around Daggat and skittered to a stop. The display of puppy-like excitement was enough to calm his nerves. He laughed as she trotted on. Then she whined at Klaw, who was watching dubiously. Bragg simply sprinted alongside the wolves as they ran through the forest.
Daggat held onto the back of the wolf’s head. It was warm and soft. He noted the fur smelled of the forest.
Hours later, Willow shook him awake. He didn’t realize he had fallen asleep.
They stopped in a small grove. The trees here differed from the ones he was used to. Smaller, less straight. Each bent towards the direction of the Fountain. A small stream burbled nearby.
“Stay here; I want to talk to him first.” Willow walked out of view.
“So, what should we expect?” Daggat asked.
Ivory turned back into her humanoid form and then yawned. “Don’t know. He’s a Sage. Sages are weird. But, good fella. Just help him out if you can, he’s pretty old.”
Klaw leaned on his shoulder. “Daggat, what are we doing? We don’t need some old goblin to snore at us.”
Daggat whispered back. “I agree, but we could use his stuff. Wait for him to sleep, nick his stuff, then make it out on our own.” There's no way the warg would follow Daggat this far, was there?
Willow came back, then waved them to follow. A few dozen yards, the forest opened into a fairytale paradise. A cottage sagged on a hill, the sort that seemed smaller than it really was. Below it was a garden, unlike anything the gremlins had ever heard of. Green vegetables grew in patches. Lines of root vegetables waited to be picked. Clovers covered the ground. A small pond took up room in the garden, crystal clear with fish swimming in lazy circles. Atop a post, glaring at them like a monarch, was a fat long-haired cat. Daggat did a double take as he realized it had a pair of furry wings.
Standing outside the cottage was an old man. Not a goblin, but a human. Daggat stepped back on instinct. The last human he had seen could slay a goblin from ten yards away. This one was old, haggard, and wrinkled. He had a long gray beard and a pointed hat. His dark blue robes looked so soft that they might float away on their own. He spoke with a smooth, deep voice.
“Well, come on, kids. Let’s get you settled in. I’ll get changed, then we can start some breakfast.” He smiled at them with yellowed teeth. “Oh, and don’t bother our other guest. She's sleeping right now, so let’s keep it down.”
Daggat
True Name: Daggat
Soul: Monster
Genseed: gremlin
Monster Level: 4
Attributes (0/3):
Strength: 6
Dexterity: 7
Constitution: 7
Intelligence: 16
Will: 6
Charm: 7
Feats:
Encounter: True Angel
Ability: Mighty Intellect
Act: Fledgling Alchemist
Knowledge: System Knowledge
Skills(1/1):
Alchemy: 1
System Aptitude: 1
Biotraits (0/2):
Base size: Tiny [Source: Gremlin]
Regenerating Teeth [Source: Gremlin]
Enhanced Night Vision [Source: Gremlin]
Disease Resistance [Mutations: Rot Resistance; Source: Gremlin]
Hypnotic Gaze [Mutation: Dominating Gaze]
Fire Resistant Skin
Other:
Variant: +10 Intelligence
Klaw
True Name: Klaw
Soul: Monster
Genseed: gremlinMonster Level: 3
Attributes (0/0):
Strength: 7
Dexterity: 6
Constitution: 5
Intelligence: 4
Will: 5
Charm: 5
Feats:
Knowledge: System Knowledge
Skills(0/0):
System Aptitude: 1
Biotraits (0/2):
Base size: Tiny [Source: Gremlin]
Regenerating Teeth [Source: Gremlin]
Enhanced Night Vision [Source: Gremlin]
Disease Resistance [Mutations: Rot Resistance; Source: Gremlin]
Claws [Mutations: Forged]
