Titanfell Manor seemed to sag under its own weight. It was mostly built from wood, likely from the same tree that had become the manor entrance. Not every glass window was shattered, but many were. Those that remained were thick and cloudy.
The central feature, a large golden tree, towered above the manor. The top of the tree was a canopy of dark leaves.
“Before we go in, I want to make sure nothing is out here waiting for us. We need to check those buildings first before we tackle the big one.”
“I’ll get that one!” Then Klaw was sprinting off toward the warehouse with their big bag of loot. Daggat suppressed a sigh, then turned to face Zuss. She was already gone.
“I’M the party leader…” he mumbled to himself as he headed towards the smaller house. “But sure, yeah. Do whatever you want.”
The house, like the other two buildings, was built into the wall surrounding the manor. It was one story with just a few rooms. Its wooden structure was once covered in whitewash. Over time, the paint wore away, leaving just hints of white that blend with the surrounding snow. The roof was shingled and relatively intact.
He tried the front door and found it unlocked. Inside was a simple dwelling. There was a bed, with a smaller one beneath it. A fireplace sat in one corner, complete with a decent-sized cauldron. Other necessities were scattered about. Pots, pans, maintenance tools, and a few simple pieces of furniture. There were no decorative elements. It would have been a cozy little house if it weren't for the thick cobwebs and… roots?
Tree roots snaked from the ground, each no thicker than Daggat’s wrist. They intruded from small holes in the ground, and they wrapped themselves around virtually everything. He prodded one. It felt like a regular tree root.
Two other rooms were open to the main living space. A closet-sized pantry with nothing of note within and a fenced-in room with a door to the side of the house. For bringing in animals in the winter. A large tub rested in one corner, the roots spilling from it like water.
A sudden voice called out from the courtyard.
“Hello! Hello?” That wasn’t one of his siblings. Daggat ran to the door and peeked out.
A small ogre stood in the middle of the courtyard. He was alone and leaned on a crutch. Was he here the whole time? Then he spotted Klaw skulking toward the ogre from behind. He was going to kill him unless Daggat intervened. At least they should get information out of him first.
He pushed open the door and stretched loudly. It never paid to show a potential enemy you weren’t on edge.
“What?” Then he eyed Klaw. He gave him a subtle shake of the head. He HOPED Klaw understood.
“Is this your home?” Oh, he wasn’t local. Good.
“It is. What do you want?”
“Oh.” The ogre looked embarrassed. “Are you sure? 'Cause… the place is abandoned.” Klaw was lying in wait, ready to pounce. He wasn’t very stealthy, but the ogre wasn’t paying attention, either.
“I am. I’ve claimed it.”
“Would you be so kind as to allow me and my friends to rest here for a while, then?”
“What friends?” Klaw dashed forward, much to Daggat’s dismay. He needed to get a leash one day. But as he closed in on the helpless ogre, something launched at him from the ogre's shoulder. It was pink and fast. It struck Klaw in the forehead with a wet slap. Klaw was knocked back to a vertical position and hit the ground heavily.
Daggat growled and readied his sword, but the ogre didn’t attack.
A distant scream caught his attention, then something crashed in the manor. It sounded like wood splintering. Zuss? Two leashes, he decided.
Klaw was thrashing on the ground. A worm latched onto his fur. He managed to stand while trying to pull the thing off him. It was like a leech.
“Elyndris!” the ogre yelled, then he tried to call reinforcements. “Ana-”
“Stop.” Daggat accompanied his order with his dominating gaze. Zuss could handle herself. The ogre looked at him, transfixed. Finally, Klaw ripped off the worm with a cry. It took a tuft of fur with it. The worm spat it out.
“Unhand me, you cretin!”
"Whoa! A talking worm. Hey, Dag, can I eat this?” He lifted the worm above his head. It thrashed, each movement of its body causing Klaw’s hand to jerk. Then he opened his mouth wide as though to swallow it in one gulp.
“Hold off for now.” Daggat calmly walked forward. He noted that it was dusk; the sun was just a sliver of light. “Now, tell me, ogre, why are you really here?”
“Me and my friends were looking for somewhere to settle. Anath saw this manor, and it looked abandoned.”
“UNHAND ME! I WILL DEVOUR YOUR FAMILY LINE!” Daggat ignored the screaming worm. One thing at a time.
“How many are there of you? Where do you come from?”
“Three. We come from all over. We’re all lost… so we’ve teamed up.”
“Why?”
“Safety, mostly. See, we mean you no harm. Can you have him put down Elyndris? She is getting mad.”
“Not yet. First, tell me about the worm.” The ogre shrugged.
“It can talk. That’s all I know.” Daggat scrunched his eyes. The dominating gaze didn’t force the truth out of people. It was starting to ache, so he dropped it.
“And what is Anath? Another ogre or a worm?” The worm, Elyndris, continued to scream in outrage. Klaw kept her above his open jaws.
“She’s just a human girl, mostly. Please put her down. We have her watching from a distance, in case something goes wrong. We don’t want anything to go wrong. Right?” The ogre seemed sincere. Daggat wasn’t sure what to do here. If the ogre spoke the truth, they were here for the same reason as the crew.
The sun dipped out of view, and terror descended on Titanfell Manor.
A sudden gust of cold wind, far colder than the norm, chilled Daggat as it passed. The shadows seemed to grow darker, more menacing. Then the ground groaned. Snow shifted as though it held hundreds of waking snakes. The four of them, including the worm, went silent.
“What… what is this?” the ogre asked.
“I don’t know.” Then there was movement, like a shadow passing above. Daggat looked up to see a large seed drop from the tree. It was larger than a man.
It hit the ground with an earth-shaking thud. Terror froze Daggat for a moment. The thing was large enough for Klaw to hide inside. Roots bundled together into a tear-shaped ball. But it was the feeling of it that set off Daggat. There was an aura of WRONGNESS from the seed. As though it were cruelty and madness made solid.
Daggat felt something close around his legs.
Roots had burst from beneath the ground and wrapped around his legs. Much like Calion’s trick from before. He sliced them with his sword and was free.
Klaw was already running, the coward! Sprinting towards the manor, the worm still in his fist. He cut and tore at the roots with his free claw. Daggat ran after them.
The ogre cried out in pain, and Daggat turned to look at him. Roots wrapped around his legs, and the ogre looked as though he would cry from fear at any moment.
Daggat weighed his options. He could just run, which would be the smart move. Or… he could possibly get the ogre to owe him a favor. Ogres were pretty strong when they got bigger.
Some other instinct, one buried deep below the caked, mud-like layers of gremlin and goblinhood, urged him to save the ogre. It was the same tiny voice that he heard when he saved Hudd or Klaw. He cursed it but relented.
He cut at the roots as they grew, and they split like butter.
“Hold still! You are going to owe me for this.” Daggat cut the ogre free.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you!” he stammered his thanks as the two of them headed towards the manor.
The ground erupted before them. A great root tore itself free. This one was as thick as Daggat’s torso. The tip twisted and knotted. Several smaller vines snaked along it to add to the mass. Together, they formed a gaping maw.
Daggat ran the OTHER way. Behind him, the ogre limped by slowly. He sighed and went back to help him. This ogre was going to owe him BIG!
The manor was on the other side of that root monstrosity, so he had one reasonable choice. The warehouse.
The root monster snaked through the snow like a shark through shallow water. But the two of them reached the warehouse. The door slid open and closed, and it was currently open. Daggat pushed, but it wouldn’t budge.
“Ogre! Close the door!” The ogre kicked the log holding the door open with his crutch, and the door slammed closed. Then the door shook as the monstrosity pounded against it.
Stolen story; please report.
Daggat and the ogre collapsed, panting. They had made it. Now he just needed to figure out one thing. What the hell was going on?
—
Daggat had said something about checking the buildings, but Zuss had tuned him out already. She had a large, spooky building to explore!
Hiding as she moved had started as a joke, but had become a habit. She greatly enjoyed scaring her brothers by just appearing out of nowhere. Plus, it was great practice. So, she skulked away.
Zuss set Birdy down near the manor. The cat could watch itself for a bit.
The manor itself looked fun to climb. With the use of her path-finding skill, she created a route to the top. As she climbed, she noted the wood felt old. Not necessarily weak, but there was an ancient quality to the wood. One she couldn’t quite place.
She scaled the building easily. At the top, she had a good view of the place. Mentally, she noted where her brothers ran off to and wondered which one she would have to save first. Looking out to the surrounding land, Zuss found that this manor was not alone. Small roads, overgrown with disuse, snaked between the trees. They led to other, smaller buildings. All abandoned. Perhaps this place was more of a village than a house.
That was good. There are plenty of hiding places to store loot.
Then something else caught her eye. Movement. A human-sized ogre was limping into their new home. That was a problem.
She was about to climb down and deal with it when she spotted the second creature. This one was skulking, trying to hide atop the walls. It resembled a human girl but with spider-like legs and features. Now THAT looked dangerous.
Zuss tucked herself into the shadows and watched. Soon, the spider girl climbed up the manor to get a good view. Same as Zuss. She allowed her to settle into position, watching over her ally before Zuss approached.
She sat two feet behind the girl. She didn’t notice. Zuss slowly pulled out one of the rusty daggers she had scavenged from the gremlins.
With a pounce, she wrapped herself around the girl. One hand slapped the mandibles down, so she couldn’t bite, and her legs locked together. She put the knife to her throat.
“What do you think you are doing, little spider?” Her many eyes widened.
Then the girl SLIPPED. It wasn’t an attack or a method of escape. A simple accident on an icy roof. She fell back and squished Zuss between her and the roof. An angled part speared Zuss in the back. Not enough to actually harm her, but it hurt like hell.
She lost her grip on the dagger and the spider. The spider girl rolled off, and the spider legs lifted her onto her feet. Zuss wasted no time. She had complete control over her body, so standing while drawing another dagger was easy.
The two of them squared off atop the roof, Zuss balancing easily on the slick tile. The spider was supported by her two legs. She looked scared, as she should. But a spark of… resolve? Fight? Defiance? Something like that had kicked her into gear. The spider girl lifted her hands into fists.
“Okay, let’s go, bitch.” Zuss struck first, her knife whistling through the air. It met a cage of metal-like spider legs. The material reminded her of Klaw’s signature weapon. She tried to throw a punch at Zuss, but dodging the attack was easier than walking.
Zuss feinted, allowing the spider legs to defend. Then she clambered up them like branches and kicked off the girl's head. This sent her tumbling down the roof, only to be saved by the spider legs digging into the tile. Zuss had landed on her feet easily.
Her opponent stood up. A childlike look of anger on her face.
“Ooh, did that hurt?” Ugh, she was spending too much time with Daggat. The girl screamed and charged. She swung wildly. Even though Zuss controlled her body well, she lacked experience handling six attacks at once.
She prioritized dodging the legs, so she left herself open to a punch directly to her jaw. It wasn’t a particularly STRONG punch. But then again, Zuss wasn’t exactly the toughest goblinoid on her team. She stumbled back, forced to backpedal.
Soon the girl was above her, bearing down at her with a flurry of stabs and strikes. Zuss ducked, weaved, danced, and retreated. Every stab from the leg splintered tiles and wood. Tears of frustration and anger were dribbling off the girl's face. “Die you stupid monster!” she screamed at her.
Zuss simply wasn’t fast enough to dodge and attack back. She desperately looked for a way out.
CRACK.
The ceiling gave way, and the two found themselves falling into the manor. The girl's frantic attacks had done enough damage to the already weakened structure.
The air left her chest as she slammed into the hard floor at least twenty feet beneath her. After several agonizing seconds, she was able to gasp in pain. The spider also groaned. Zuss felt at her ribs. All good.
They were in what looked like an infirmary. Rows of beds lined either side of this long hall. Atop each bed was a skeleton. Zuss had seen plenty of bones growing up, but these looked off. The skeletons appeared to consist of tree bark or roots, not bone. Like two dozen trees grown into the shape of the dead.
Both girls noticed at the same time and squeaked in shock. They backed up and bumped into each other. They both screeched again.
That was when night fell. The room groaned solemnly. A tree-corpse's finger twitched. One head snapped to look at them.
Slowly, with the cracks of dead wood, they began to rise. It was as if they were tearing themselves free from decades of rest.
The girls screamed again and instinctively hugged each other tight.
—
Klaw couldn’t fight that thing! It had no flesh to rip. So running wasn’t cowardly… it was strategic. Yeah, Dag would be proud of him.
He ran from the ball of terror without a specific plan in mind. Somehow, he ended up inside the manor.
The roots still chased him. They covered every surface of the place. So, he kept running and clawing.
Up some stairs, down a hall. The further from the door, the less the roots grabbed at him. Finally, he threw open a door and jumped through. The room on the other side had no roots. He collapsed in front of the door.
Daggat! He suddenly remembered. He left him behind. Klaw groaned and knocked his head against the door. Idiot Klaw, IDIOT!
“Let… go…” The voice came from his hand. Oh… right. He was still holding the worm. He had completely forgotten about it. He released his grasp, and the worm gasped in relief.
“Oh, sorry.” Wait, why was he apologizing to a worm?
“You… you’re not going to try to eat me NOW, are you?” The worm slid out of his hand. “Because I am not as easy prey as I look.”
“Nah. Not in the mood.” He had lost his appetite from that shock. What was that thing, anyway?
“Where are we? What was that?”
“Some sort of monster…” He looked around the room. There was a desk piled with papers, a shelf of books, and a very dead plant next to a closed window. “This looks like Dag’s paradise.”
“What?”
“Nothing. Hey, how come you can talk?”
“When will people stop asking me that? This is a weird world, okay?” It paused. “I can feel it moving out there. It’s all around. The very earth itself has risen.”
“Great. Can you… uh, feel the others?”
“No. It’s not so refined. If you let me eat you, then I could.”
“Not gonna happen.”
“What’s your name and what were you doing here anyway?”
“You ask a lot of questions for something bite-sized.”
“I wouldn’t eat me, in your place. I might be your only way out.”
“Yeah? How do you figure?"
“Can’t give away all my secrets, can I?” Klaw stared at the worm for a moment. Well, it sounded confident. Why not? He could always eat it if anything happened.
“Klaw. That’s my name, I mean. We’re trying to find a new nest, somewhere we can build up in safety.”
“Why?” Klaw shrugged.
“We got some killing that needs doing. You?”
“Same, actually. I’m Elyndris, by the way. The great and terrible.” She stood tall. “Eventually.” She added.
“Well, Miss Terrible.” He stood up. “We should probably figure out what’s going on.”
Daggat
True Name: Daggat
Soul: Monster
Genseed: gremlin
Genbloom: goblin
Monster Level: 7
Attributes [0]:
Strength: 11
Dexterity: 11
Constitution: 11
Intelligence: 20 (+10 from Variance)
Will: 10
Charm: 12
Feats:
Encounter: True Angel
Act: Fledgling Alchemist
Knowledge: System Knowledge
Ability: Mighty Intellect
Act: Devotion [layered feats]
Act: Usurper
Skills[0]:
Alchemy: 1
System Aptitude: 1
System Assistant: 1
Mind Codex: 1 (Skill Synergy; Copy Tome, Mental Notes, 15 or greater intelligence.)
Biotraits [2]:
Base size: Small
Regenerative Teeth
Enhanced Night Vision
Disease Resistance (Rot Resistance)
Hypnotic Gaze (Dominating)
Temperature Resistant Skin (Biotrait Synergy: Heat-Resistant Skin, Cold-Resistant Skin)
Scavenger
Transformations:
Drakeheart Form:
+2 strength
+2 charm
Extreme temperature resistant Scales
Fire breath
Other:
Variant: +10 Intelligence
Klaw
True Name: Klaw
Soul: Monster
Genseed: gremlin
Genbloom: bugbear
Monster Level: 7
Attributes [0]:
Strength: 19 (Skill boost, +2)
Dexterity: 10
Constitution: 11
Intelligence: 8
Will: 9
Charm: 8
Feats:
Knowledge: System Knowledge
Act: Devotion [layered feats]
Ability: Mighty Strength
Skills[0]:
System Aptitude: 1
Burst of Strength: 1
Biotraits [0]:
Base size: Standard
Regenerative Teeth
Enhanced Night Vision
Disease Resistance (Rot Resistance)
Claws (Forged, Retractable)
Dense Muscle Fibers
Rough Fur (Insulating Fur)
Reinforced Bone
Transformations:
Drakeheart Form:
+2 strength
+2 constitution
Fire-proof Scales
Burning Claws
Zuss
True Name: Zuss
Soul: Monster
Genseed: gremlin
Genbloom: Hobgoblin
Monster Level: 7
Attributes [0]:
Strength: 10
Dexterity: 16
Constitution: 8
Intelligence: 8
Will: 10
Charm: 9
Feats:
Knowledge: System Knowledge
Act: Devotion [layered feats]
Ability: Mighty Alacrity
Skills[0]:
System Aptitude: 1
Deep Shadows: 1
Path Finder (Climbing): 1
Biotraits [2]:
Base size: Small
Regenerative Teeth
Enhanced Night Vision (Dark Vision)
Disease Resistance (Rot Resistance)
Improved Body Control (Biotrait Synergy: improved flexibility, improved balance, improved nerve conduction)
Nimble Feet and Hands (Biotrait Synergy: Nimble hands, prehensile feet)
Cold-Resistant Skin
Transformations:
Drakeheart Form:
+2 strength
+2 dexterity
Smoke Aura
Lesser Wings
Anath
True Name: Anathema
Soul: Monster/Mortal
Genseed: Human
Monster Level: 3
[Class] Level: 4
Attributes [0]:
Strength: 9
Dexterity: 8
Constitution: 10
Intelligence: 11
Will: 9
Charm: 8
Feats:
Encounter: True Angel
Knowledge: System Knowledge
Act: Vile Concoction
Act: Devotion [layered feats]
Skills[2]:
System Aptitude: 1
System Assistant: 1
Survival (Boosted): 1
Purge Poison: 1
Biotraits [1]:
Disease Resistance
Extra Limb (Arachnid), x4
Venomous Mandibles
Multi-eye (Magnified)
Hardened Chitin
Other:
Variant: Arachnid Traits
Elyndris
True Name: Elyndris
Soul: Monster
Genseed: Larva
Monster Level: 4
Attributes [0]:
Strength: 7
Dexterity: 5
Constitution: 5
Intelligence: 4
Will: 4
Charm: 4
Feats:
Encounter: True Angel
Knowledge: System Knowledge
Act: Devotion [layered feats]
Act: Blasphemy
Skills [0]:
Burst of Strength
Pounce
Biotraits [0]:
Base size: Miniscule
Jaws
Tremor Sense
Complex organs
Hunter
True Name: Hunter
Soul: Mortal
Genseed: Ogre
[Class Availiable] Level: 5
Attributes [2]:
Strength: 9
Dexterity: 6
Constitution: 9
Intelligence: 8
Will: 7
Charm: 7
Feats:
Knowledge: System Knowledge
Act: Vile Concoction
Act: The Ever Hungry
Skills [7]:
System Aptitude: 1
Biotraits [0]:
Disease Resistance (Rot Resistance)