Only a few hours after he drifted off to sleep, Daggat woke with a start. He was sweating. Remnants of a nightmare were already fading from his mind. He was also alone. Klaw was missing.
As silently as he could, he slid out from the covers. The chill woke him up, he didn’t realize how warm those blankets were. He shook off the shock, then went to find Klaw. He had a bad feeling he was doing something that would ruin everything. Daggat had more information to squeeze out of the old man.
Zuss was still curled in her bed, which was larger than the one Klaw and Daggat shared. That wasn’t exactly FAIR. But, he supposed he deserved the smaller bed. He chuckled to himself. One day in this place and he was already complaining about softer beds. He would have to make sure this place didn’t make him soft.
He found Klaw in the kitchen. He had a large bag open on the floor, it was half-filled with food-stuffs. Jars and sacks.
“What are you doing!” Hissed Daggat. Klaw squeaked and jumped, but landed claws raised. He relaxed and then eyed him.
“Go back to bed.” His voice had a grave edge to it.
“We agreed that we would wait, at least until your wrist is better.”
“Daggat… just… go away. You can wait all you want. I’m leaving.” Daggat marched up to him, eyes wide.
“What? We need to stick together. We were going to get revenge!”
“Stick together for how long? Until another monster comes along, then you trip me and run. Sacrifice me like you did Zuss.” Daggat’s blood ran cold.
“What was I supposed to do? YOU could have done something, too, you know.”
“I did. I was protecting our sister.” His voice hissed in restrained anger.
“Yeah? How did that work out for you? Oh, right. You DROPPED her. Not me. YOU.” Klaw growled.
“Shut up, Maggat!” He angrily shoved a bag of root vegetables into the bag. “I tried to hold on to her. It was so strong…”
“Look, she’s here. Zuss is fine. Everything worked out.” Klaw jumped for Daggat, knocking him to the ground. He held his shoulders down, face inches from his.
“Worked out? Glut is GONE. We have no home. A warg is hunting us… and it doesn’t just want to kill us. Dag, do you know what wargs do to their prey?” Daggat did. He shivered at the thought.
“How is that my fault!? I’m just trying to stay afloat here.”
“You were the boss, the smartest. Always had the plans and a way out of any situation. Any time we fought, you always won. I followed you BECAUSE YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO BE THE BEST!” Tears dripped onto Daggat’s cheeks. Klaw slammed a fist next to Daggat’s head. “I’m too weak… you had to be the strong one. But you failed.” Daggat was stunned. What was he supposed to say to that?
“I’m sorry. But… please don’t go. I need you.”
“Sorry isn’t enough.” Klaw sniffed, then stood. He turned away from him and rubbed his face. “Why would you need me? I am useless.” He held his claws out before him in disgust.
Daggat felt like he was on the edge of a cliff. He needed Klaw. If not for his combat capabilities… he didn’t want to lose any more of his crew. The wrong word would send Klaw away for good. In these situations, Daggat would rely on trickery or logic. This… this felt too important for that.
He sat up, slowly, watching Klaw’s hunched shoulders, the way his claws curled in and out. He took a deep breath.
“Klaw,” Daggat said, voice low but firm. “I was wrong. I can’t be a good boss.” Klaw didn’t turn. But his ears twitched. “You think you’re useless? Look at me. If it weren’t for you, I’d be dead. I froze. You fought. You kept us alive.” Klaw’s claws twitched. “I talk a lot. Plan a lot. But you? You do things. That’s why I need you.” Daggat let out a bitter chuckle. “It’s not just that you’re strong. You don’t hesitate. You don’t think about the best move. You just move.”
Klaw swallowed hard. “I… that’s not true.”
“It is. You’re the one who stopped the drake. You’re the one who hurt the Warg and let us escape. You’re the one who carried Zuss. Hell, back at the camp, it wasn’t me they were afraid of. It was YOU.” Daggat shifted, leaning forward. “You say I failed. You’re right. I failed. But if you leave now? You’re the one giving up on the crew. And that’s not you. I can’t stand the thought of m- OUR crew giving up.” Klaw trembled. His claws clenched into fists. His breath shuddered. “Stay,” Daggat said, softer now. “Not for me. Not for revenge. But because you’re strong.” Silence. Then Klaw sucked in a breath. Wiped at his face.
“...I’m still mad at you.”
“Good,” Daggat said. “I deserve it.”
Klaw exhaled. “...Fine. I’ll stay.” But then his claws flicked up, pointing at Daggat’s chest. “But I swear if you ever freeze like that again—”
“You’ll rip me to shreds.” Daggat finished with a grin. “Got it.”
“Promise we won’t lose again, no matter what.”
“I promise.” Daggat meant that promise. One way or another.
“Do… you… mean… that?” The voice was raspy and weak. Both gremlins jumped in surprise. Zuss was watching, leering at them from atop a cupboard. Birdy sat in her lap, his tail idly swishing back and forth.
Daggat’s stomach twisted. How much had she heard?
“Zuss!” Daggat cried, “You’re up!”
“Do… you?” She repeated.
“Yes… I do. We won’t lose again.” He cleared his throat. “Zuss… look, I am sorry. I don’t know what you overheard but I need to come-”
“Stop. Heard… enough.” She hopped silently down to the ground. “How… long… till… we… leave?” Every word was forced. It sounded painful, but she did not wince.
“We heal. Right, Dag? Then what?”
“Yes. Heal, then we get out of here. The old man’s not so bad… but we can’t let this place soften us. We need to find a new nest, then we need to grow. Gain experience and get stronger.” Then an idle thought, “Maybe find more crew.”
“I hate to interrupt you three, but we should start cleaning up this mess.” All three gremlins jumped in surprise this time. Then Daggat cursed himself. They weren’t exactly being subtle. Calion was in the same outfit they met him in. His sleeping robes. He didn’t look upset, but he did look tired.
“We, uh, we were just organizing for you!” Daggat had to try, at least.
“It’s ok. I expected this. You are not imprisoned here. But… stay through winter, at least.”
“Willow will be back before then. He might just take us again.”
“I don’t think he will. It’s going to be a bad winter. Worse than he expects, I’m sure.” He waved a hand, “Besides if he does, I will send him away. I can’t agree with revenge… but I can respect the drive. It reminds me of my youth.”
“Thank… you… Calion.”
“My pleasure, my lady. Now, let’s get this cleaned up. While we do, could you tell me your story?”
Calion listened to their story without interjection or comment while they cleaned the mess Klaw made. Then, he made them an early breakfast. No use going back to bed, the sun will be up soon anyway. Zuss couldn’t eat easily, but she still sat at the table, slowly spooning stock thickened with cream.
“You’ve all been through so much.”
“It’s not THAT big of a deal,” Klaw said between bites of bacon.
“Well, you will all be here for a few months. In that time, I expect you to work on chores, but I promise I won’t beat you if you are too slow.” He chuckled, and then his chuckle died down when he realized the poor taste. He coughed, “Anyway. You won’t work for free. I promise I will reward you.” Daggat’s ears twitched.
“Reward us… how?”
“Well, what do you need?” They all spoke at once.
“Can you teach me to read? Tell me about the system?” - “I need to be even STRONGER, can you do that?” - “Better… knife…”
“Oh dear, one at a time please!” They repeated themselves. “I can teach you to read, but a few months won’t get you far. As for strength… have you said the prayers?” The gremlins looked at each other and then shook their heads. “It’s something usually done when a child reaches a certain age. Repeat after me…”
Calion led them through the prayers to the four angels. At first, they were hesitant. But, with each reward, they grew more and more excited. When they were done, each gained two skill points, one growth point, and a random attribute increase. Daggat gained a strength point. Klaw, a point in constitution. And Zuss, a point of charm.
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As an afterthought, Calion led them through a prayer to Sahrzuel, though he looked uncomfortable doing it. Each gremlin gained a biotrait. Zuss and Klaw leveled from achieving the feat, Devotion. Daggat did not.
“HA HA! Already you give us gifts. You aren’t so bad, old man.” Klaw was already sifting through his statistics to look for possibilities.
“Now, hold on before you spend anything. We have chores to do first, then I will guide you.” Daggat felt a bit jealous. HE was supposed to help the crew through this stuff. He kept his mouth shut regardless.
Calion’s home was larger than they first seen. Aside from the garden, there was some livestock in the back. The chores included gathering eggs from a small coop of six chickens, feeding a couple of pigs, cutting firewood, tending to the garden, and gathering water from a nearby spring. Zuss frightened the chickens, Klaw had shredded the wood rather than cutting it, and Daggat had pulled several underdeveloped carrots thinking they were weeds.
Calion, however, was a master. He swept each room tidily with one brush of his broom. The wind carried each spec of dust outside. When he washed the mornings dishes, grime slid right off and the plates seemed to dry instantly. The glassware had a polished sheen to it. His plants pulled themselves from the ground as he walked through them. At one point, he knocked on a fence with a loose plank and it fixed itself.
Eventually, they had finished. It was only a couple of hours of work, but compared to what the gremlins were used it, it was nothing.
It seems even Birdy was busy with her duties. As the gremlins moved back to the cottage, the cat spat a dead bird at their feet. It looked up at them expectantly, then meowed.
“Birdy! Ugh, I am sorry about her-”
“Don’t mind if I do!” Daggat snatched up the bird and ate it whole. Calion watched slack-jawed as Birdy walked away, looking pleased with itself. He shook his head.
“Gremlins indeed…” he muttered.
Once inside, Zuss and Calion went to a back room to replace her bandages. The two boys were not allowed to follow them.
“What do you think I should get? Theirs so many skills… Sword-play is in there. Think I should get that? What are you going to get?”
“Patience, Klaw. Let’s wait for the old man. There might be some nuance to them we don’t understand.” Klaw squirmed, but he waited.
Calion and Zuss returned a short time later. Her bandages were bright white and a fresh medicinal smell followed her. She scratched at the edge of the bandage. Calion had a stack of letters.
“Let’s see here… believe it or not, I have other gremlin friends. Well, one. He has told me extensively of your kind.” He scanned through the letters. “You have rot resistance. That is an enhanced version of disease resistance. It is your geneseeds greatest gift. How often do you get sick?”
“I don’t think we’ve ever gotten sick. But, I’ve seen some goblins drink too much.”
“That is the rot resistance. You can also eat as scavengers do. But I am sure you know that. Let’s see what else… night vision… regenerative teeth. Oh! That’s handy. More so than you think. Good news then!”
“What, is there some cool power we can get from it?”
“No… well, maybe. But, you do not need vile brew.” He shuddered.
“What’s that? And what’s a geneseed?”
“Dag… let… talk!” Calion motioned Zuss down.
“It’s alright, my dear. Vile brew is a common feat that humans, and other geneseeds, force their children to earn. You brew a mixture of the most vile, disgusting, diseased filth you can, then drink it!”
“Gross… Why?”
“It grants disease resistance. In the days before the gods fell, disease was humanity's number one killer. Now, most folk only get sick rarely.”
“Don’t care about humans. Geneseeds!” Calion sighed sadly.
“A geneseed is what you are when you are first born. In your case, gremlin. In mine, human. Geneseeds are more of a monster thing than a mortals.” He glanced over his notes. “Geneseeds branch out into different geneblooms. Which is your adult form, one that will influence your form no matter what path you take along the genesis route.”
“How does that work? Taking a new form?”
“At monster level five, you have a new option to spend biotraits on. Regenisis. Where you are reborn in a new form, with better statistics.”
“Will… that…” Zuss then gestured to her face.
“That… I don’t know. It heals all wounds, but some scars… some scars cut deeper than the skin. They persist. I can’t promise you the scars will go away or not.” There was a moment of silence. “Anyway… just so you know. Gremlins evolve into…” he read from a list provided in his notes. “Goblin, hobgoblin, and bugbear naturally. Depending on the environment, there is kobold, Vodnik, or imp. Then there are the favors of each of the angels.” He glanced up from the notes. Daggat was paying close attention. Klaw was carefully petting Birdy. Zuss seemed to have fallen asleep.
“Don’t worry. I’ll help them through it.” Daggat noticed this as well.
“Oh my, well. Very well. If you have favor with Sahrzuel, you can become a troll. Ithrenial, a redcap. Mythraziel, a brownie. Finally, Vaelion, a nilbog. I can go over what these are later if you wish.” Daggat nodded. “Keep in mind, monsters might go through multiple regenisis in their life. It is possible to go down unexpected or usual routes. I once knew of a sea serpent that had found a way to regenisis as a giant tortoise, then to a giant. Just so it could hunt the fisherman who slew its mate.”
Daggat thought through dozens of possibilities. Himself as a giant gremlin, smashing the landscape. Or finding a way to gain the form of a warg to out-warg the one hunting them. He was close to level five, so he had to think of these things.
“You mention monsters as an exception to something. Mortals, I think you said. What’s the difference.”
“It’s soul type. The source of this has to do with history and the fall of the gods. Wars between angels. What you should know is there are two primary soul types. Monster and mortal. Monsters, like yourselves, gain experience through devouring enemies and can gain biotraits to evolve themselves into a perfect form. Some call these perfect forms dragons. Mortals work differently. Humans are mortals. Elves, dwarves, ogres, drakyn… these are mortals as well. We gain experience by slaying. We also need to select a class, of which there are many. Mortals gain skills, rather than biotraits.”
“But… I have skills.”
“Indeed. And I have a biotrait… now. You will have to experiment with those, I’m afraid, I do not know much about them.” He seemed annoyed. “The two methods of leveling are not exclusive. You can gain skill and biotrait points in a variety of ways. In fact, You can gain the qualities of another soul. Most mortals avoid that route, calling them abominations. It is far more common for a monster to gain the properties of a mortal soul.”
“Will that allow them to have a class? What is that?”
“It does. And you can get such a soul easily enough, as a gremlin. A class, at its simplest, is a collection of unique skills that is added to your list of available skills. There is more to them than that, but we should leave it there for now.”
“Wait, how can I get a mortal soul?” Daggat looked almost sick. Calion chuckled.
“I used to teach this, you know. As a professor in a private school. I wish all my students were as curious as you. Redcaps and brownies, both grant you a monster mortal soul combination. There are other ways, too. But, I am ignorant of those methods. I apologize.”
“Are those the only souls, mortal and monster?” Calion looked grim.
“No.” He said, hesitantly. “There is a third. Untethered. I do not know much about them, but undead abominations, spirits, and the like have them. It is not my field of expertise.”
“This is boring. What about my skills? What skills should I get? I want sword stuff, to work with my claws.” Klaw had managed to get the cat off of him. It was curled up near the fire.
“That IS important. Let’s have some lunch, then I can continue our lesson.” Zuss woke up at the sound of lunch.
Somehow, Calion found the time to make bread, just in time for lunch. They ate it with some slices of cheese and cuts of salty pork. Zuss drank from a cup of broth, she still could not chew comfortably or swallow large objects.
“Zuss, how are you doing? We are worried.” Daggat asked this as Calion cleaned the table. He seemed to like everything to be overly clean.
“Not… good. Hard… to… breath… swallow… talk.” Daggat winced.
“I’m really sorry. I thought it was going to burn me, not you.”
“Is… dead?”
“Yes. We killed it.”
“Glut… really… gone?” Daggat looked anywhere but at her eyes.
“… yes. I’m sorry.”
“Revenge… Gobma.” Her eyes narrowed. It wasn’t anger in her voice. It was judgment.
“We’ll make sure he pays. All of them.” She nodded.
A short time later, Calion gathered several books and stacks of notes. For reference, he said. They met at the dining table.
“Listen carefully, this is IMPORTANT.” He raised his voice for the first time. Not out of anger, but as though he was addressing a class full of students. He cleared his throat. “Sorry, habit. Each of you has two skill points-”
“I have three!” Daggat puffed up his chest.
“Oh! Well… well done. Anyway, you might be tempted to spend these skill points on certain skills you wish to have. Literacy,” he nodded to Daggat, “swordsmanship,” Klaw grinned, “or acrobatics.” Zuss leaned in. “But, whatever you do, DO NOT!” The gremlins fell back in shock.
“What? Why not?”
“There are two types of skills. Natural and divine. You can spend a skill point to increase a natural skill. But this is always a waste. Those who do it are always left behind. Instead, you can increase natural skills through training them.”
“What’s the difference?” Klaw asked.
“Good question!” Calion reached into a pocket and tossed Klaw a candy. Where was Daggat’s candy?! He asked questions, he should get some too. “Natural skills are things you can learn on your own. Sewing, fighting, climbing, stealth, literacy, poetry, cooking, cleaning… the list goes on and on. Divine skills are… well, they are more like powers. Things you cannot do on your own, no matter how much you practice. These are what you should spend skill points on.”
“Wait, so what’s the point of spending points on natural skills, then?” Daggat watched for his candy. It didn’t come.
“It is to bridge the gaps. As you practice a natural skill, it gains levels. How this is accomplished depends on the skill and the character. Some people find it hard to learn some skills, others have them come to them naturally. Once the skill reaches level five, it cannot be increased anymore.”
“Is that mastering a skill?”
“Well… no. For some reason, the angels have decreed that skills must be earned through the system, as well as practice. There is a mental block once you reach level five. This is called the amateur stage. This unlocks divine skills tied to that natural skill. For example, I raised my cleaning skill to five. Then, I bought advanced sweeping. I can sweep a whole room in one go!” He mimed pushing a broom. “After that, you can train the skill to level 10, get a new divine skill, and so on. There are four stages to a skill. Amateur, apprentice, journeyman, and master. Levels five, ten, fifteen, and twenty.”
“How… spend… skills… then?” He about tossed Zuss a candy but stopped himself.
“First, don’t for now. You need to train whichever skill you wish to invest in first. I recommend something practical. Like cleaning!” The gremlins scoffed. “Or… whatever you wish. Just remember, life is not all about fighting and death.”
“How do we start then?”
“With practice.”
Daggat
True Name: Daggat
Soul: Monster
Genseed: gremlin
Monster Level: 4
Attributes [1]:
Strength: 7
Dexterity: 7
Constitution: 7
Intelligence: 16
Will: 6
Charm: 7
Feats:
Encounter: True Angel
Act: Fledgling Alchemist
Knowledge: System Knowledge
Ability: Mighty Intellect
Act: Devotion [layered feats]
Skills[3]:
Alchemy: 1
System Aptitude: 1
Biotraits [1]:
Base size: Tiny
Regenerative Teeth
Enhanced Night Vision
Rot Resistance
Dominating Gaze*
Fire Resistant Skin
Other:
Variant: +10 Intelligence
Klaw
True Name: Klaw
Soul: Monster
Genseed: gremlin
Monster Level: 4
Attributes [2]:
Strength: 8
Dexterity: 7
Constitution: 7
Intelligence: 5
Will: 6
Charm: 6
Feats:
Knowledge: System Knowledge
Act: Devotion [layered feats]
Skills[2]:
System Aptitude: 1
Biotraits [2]:
Base size: Tiny
Regenerative Teeth
Enhanced Night Vision
Rot Resistance
Forged Claws*
Zuss
True Name: Zuss
Soul: Monster
Genseed: gremlin
Monster Level: 4
Attributes [2]:
Strength: 6
Dexterity: 9
Constitution: 4
Intelligence: 5
Will: 6
Charm: 7
Feats:
Knowledge: System Knowledge
Act: Devotion [layered feats]
Skills[2]:
System Aptitude: 1
Biotraits [2]:
Base size: Tiny
Regenerative Teeth
Enhanced Night Vision
Rot Resistance
Improved nerve conduction
Improved Balance