The crew napped around the fire. Sleep came easily to most of them, having just a few hours the night before. Still, Elyndris volunteered to keep watch.
“Are you sure?” Daggat asked, surprised.
“I am under no delusions of my place in this coalition.” She said. “Until I can learn to master magic or some other skill, I am of limited use in combat. As much as it pains me to say.” Daggat nodded. It was true. The worm was kind of useless. If it wasn’t for the weird knowledge it had, he wouldn’t even pay it any attention.
“Hey, you’ll get there one day.”
“Do not treat me like a child, goblin.”
“Aren’t you only a few months old?”
“Irrelevant.”
As Daggat drifted off to sleep, he planned and strategized. It would be best to take out the current occupants one at a time, and he knew where one haunted.
A few hours later, someone gave him a quick kick to the leg, waking him up.
“Get up.” Zuss said.
“Whazzat?” Daggat was bleary from the rude awakening. Were they under attack?
“We only have a bit of sunlight left. Let’s get ready.”
He groaned and then stretched. Zuss was now kicking Klaw, while Hunter was gently prodding Anath. Speaking of Anath...
“Alright, gang, I made a decision.” He called out to them. They each turned an ear to him. “I want all the experience we gain today to go to Anath.”
“What?” Anath, Zuss, Klaw, and Elyndris yelled at the same time. Daggat didn’t flinch. He was getting used to everyone ganging up on him.
“Hear me out. A class is a BIG step up in power. If we are going to take them out, we need as much power as we can get, as soon as we can get it. She is one level off. Then I will turn balanced experience back on.”
“I don’t want to take anyone's experience…” Anath grumbled.
“That means we level slower, right?” Klaw asked.
“Just trust me on this; it will work out for the best in the long run.” Daggat wondered how long that would be. What would happen to these three when they finished their quest? He had put some effort into Anath already; he would hate to lose her.
“I agree with the goblin,” Elyndris added.
In the end, the others grumbled their agreement. He dove into his status void to make the change.
“Assistant, party page, please.”
“As you command, great leader.” It intoned back at him.
Daggat selected a custom experience and set all the experience to go to Anath. Then he noticed something. A party fund option. Willow had talked about this some.
After some tinkering, he found a shop menu. You could send some of your experience to the party fund to earn something called tokens. These tokens could be traded for different perks.
Programmable experience sharing, shared status void, direct experience transfer, messaging system, and more. He decided to add ten percent to it. Some of that sounded handy.
“Before we set out, we have a potion to test.”
He found the portions of the potion he had set aside previously. It was just Hunter who had not tried it and the cat. He would tackle that later.
When Hunter drank the potion, hair popped out of every inch of his skin. It was long, curly, and shaggy. He looked like a mound of walking hair. Everyone laughed, even Elyndris.
“What? What is it?” Hunter turned around while investigating his fur. He had a long, hairy tail. Daggat redoubled his laughter. Anath was petting him like a dog and giggling. Well, not every potion worked with everyone, it seemed.
He kept one potion for himself and gave the other to Zuss. Eliminate weakness and capitalize on strength.
After Hunter returned to normal, they were ready to go. Elyndris rode on Hunter as he led with his torch.
They traveled the halls protected by Hunter's torch. As the sun fell, the roots slithered towards them. But they stayed clear of the torch.
Three times they encountered wandering corpse wood. Klaw and Anath made short work of it. Eventually, they found their way to the baths. From there, they had an easy path to the garden and the greenhouse.
“Zuss, we got 'em, let’s use 'em. Wolf up and scout.” Zuss nodded and downed the potion.
As she did, the room darkened. Daggat felt the eerie sensation of being watched. She was on his side, so it was fine. Right?
Then she was gone.
“Now what?” Klaw asked.
“We wait for her to come back,” Elyndris answered.
“Is that a bathtub?” asked Hunter. Daggat ignored him.
A short time later, the room darkened. Zuss faded in. This time, he knew what to watch for. She wasn’t invisible, just small and dark. He found her as she skulked. She might have tried to do her appear-out-of-nowhere trick, but this time it didn’t work. She was still in her wolf form. He wanted to see how long it would last; he was a bit distracted with Klaw’s use.
“I saw her. She is in the garden, but she isn’t alone. Four dead, maybe more. She’s digging them up, I think.”
“Alright, great intel. Here’s the plan. There are three entrances to the garden. From the outside, from the bath, and the greenhouse. I say we jump her. Klaw, you go through the bath. Zuss, you run around and come in from outside. Anath, you take the greenhouse.”
“What about me?” asked Hunter. Daggat smiled.
“The greenhouse is made of glass. I say we make a spectacular entrance. THROUGH the glass. That is your job. You don’t have to fight unless you need to. Come in with a brilliant bash or two. What is important is that you are there. Klaw, Anath, flank her.” Anath had the swords, and she looked at them worriedly. “Zuss, strike fast. Take down the zombies. You know what to do. Here, take this.” He handed her the broken sword. It wasn’t much, but it was far sharper than the daggers.
“Now what are YOU going to do?” asked Elyndris.
“You and I are back up. You get in if someone is locked down. I’ll step in if it’s needed. But I will watch and direct. Any questions?” There were several. He re-explained the plan in simple terms and gave everyone precise instructions. Now all that was left was to see how quickly the plan would fall apart.
A short time later, they were in position, mostly. Daggat had followed Anath and Hunter into the greenhouse. It was warm and humid. Almost moist. Mushrooms of all shapes and sizes covered every surface. The rotten stench was less than it had been before.
“Okay, Anath, through that.” He whispered and pointed at the moldy hole in the wall. She gave him a horrified look.
He peeked out to the garden. The lady was outside, muttering to herself and digging in the dirt. Five corpse woods wandered around her. He saw a dark shadow approach. Zuss. Then he saw the door to the well creak open slightly. Perfect.
He lifted a hand and counted with his fingers. One… two… “NOW!” he roared.
Zuss dashed into the garden and took down a corpse wood. Klaw burst the door open and rushed, cutting down two. Anath whined and jumped through the hole, breaking the weakened wall. Then Hunter ran. He was slow, even for an ogre, but he had mass. He jumped for the window and smacked into it.
The window held. Hunter and Daggat groaned for two very different reasons.
“Get up, you bull!” Then Daggat ran outside to help with the fight. Elyndris was already in the air and through the hole.
The lady was muttering the same phrase over and over.
“We were asleep. We were asleep, We were asleep…” Her dress, he could now see, was a giant mushroom growth, as was her strange, putrid flower.
Together, Anath and Klaw attacked. Her blades awkwardly sliced into her, while Klaw rended her like an animal. Immediately, she exploded in a cloud of foul-smelling spore.
Klaw and Anath both reeled back, coughing.
“We were asleep until you came. Go away, go away, go away!” the lady screamed incoherently and lifted her arms. Roots broke through the ground and began grasping.
“Hunter! Hurry up!” Daggat called. What could he do in this situation? He needed to get his hands on a decent weapon.
Anath was still on the ground, coughing, even though Klaw had recovered. He was ripping at the roots around his legs.
Roots were wrapped around her, draining her life away. He cursed and ran towards her. The stench hit him like a hammer. It was revolting. He coughed and felt sickness well up in his stomach. The cloud was somehow diseased. He had rot resistance, a stronger form of disease resistance. Anath only had disease resistance. He wondered how someone without disease resistance would react… Elyndris!
“Elyndris, stay back!” He turned to yell at the flying worm. It was too late; she dove at the monster like a hawk. As soon as she encountered the aura of filth, she dropped out of the sky. She fell like a stone, her wings going limp.
Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Daggat leapt and caught the worm before it could hit the ground. She was unconscious.
Zuss was already dealing with Anath. Good. So he didn’t have to.
Tendrils wrapped around his legs, and he felt the cold draining effect. Then, they retreated. Light flooded the garden. Hunter had given up fitting through the hole and had simply shoved his arm through. His torch glowed beautifully.
“Good enough.” He tossed the unconscious worm toward the flame. He didn’t have time to deal with her.
Unlike the butler, this awakened corpse wood, if that was indeed what it was, did not attack directly. She was back to digging in the dirt.
Klaw dove at her, slicing and cutting. With each slash, more of the spores burst out. Suddenly, she had what she was looking for.
She ripped a corpse wood out of the ground. But this was not human. It was a wooden skeleton of a dog. Its jaws snapped open and closed madly. She ignored Klaw’s attacks as she whispered to it.
“They woke us up. Be a good boy and chase the monsters away.” Then she released the hound.
It came straight at Daggat, who promptly ran. He wasn’t fast enough.
The dog-corpse-wood thing knocked him down. Daggat managed to land on his back and held his arms up to protect himself.
The beast bit down on his wrist. He let the pain fade away to the back of his mind and struggled with it.
“Klaw! You aren’t doing anything?” Weren’t there six of them? Where was everyone? Hunter was stuck. Elyndris and Anath were down. So… where was Zuss? “Come get this off me!”
A moment later, Klaw tackled the dog. They rolled off Daggat and began scratching at one another. The dog was oddly silent, but Klaw growled plenty for them both.
His arm was a mess of blood and splinters. But that was a future Daggat problem. He stood and observed the battleground. She was back to digging in the dirt. For another dead pet?
Then Daggat spotted the pile of tools Klaw had knocked over earlier. He scavenged through it.
He grinned as he withdrew a sturdy shovel. Perfect!
“Here, this will help!” Daggat told the digging madwoman. He swung the shovel with all his might and hit her in the head. That was a mistake. She stood quickly and arched her back, as though in pain. Then, the flower atop her head bloomed.
The stench that assaulted Daggat was unlike anything he had ever smelled, and that was saying something for a goblin. His eyes stung and watered. Daggat retched, then vomited as he fell to his knees.
The lady's long, delicate, branch-like fingers closed around his neck. The stench was going to kill him, of all things.
“My boy wants you dead… so now you will feed the garden.” His life force began to drain away. Once again, he heard his assistants scream.
Then, there was a flash of metal reflected off the torchlight. Zuss was twirling in the air, building momentum. Had she jumped off the wall?
With a satisfying thwack, she chopped the lady's head off. The life-draining effect faded away.
The hands were still closed around his throat. He struggled with them but managed to snap the fingers like dried twigs. He gasped, then coughed and vomited again. He decided this was the WORST thing he had fought so far.
Klaw roared and dug his claws into his enemy, then pulled the dog apart at the chest. Daggat smiled and spat.
“Anath?”
“I thought she was going to cough up a lung, but she recovered. What the hell happened?”
“Disease. We’re more resistant. Elyndris didn’t fare so well.” This fight would have ended them all if they were not gremlins.
A crash pulled his attention. Hunter had finally broken his way into the garden. Elyndris was in his hand, breathing shallowly. Well, that fight could have been worse.
Eventually, they retreated to the front of the manor, where they could breathe.
“Ok, so, lessons learned. No more flashy entrances," Daggat said.
“Sorry,” Hunter said. Daggat waved him off.
“Anath, you good?” She, like Daggat, had vomit down her shirt.
“Yes. That was awful. Worse than my vile concoction. Got the level though. Woo.” She didn’t seem excited about it. Elyndris gasped and coughed in Hunter’s hand.
“What… where? What happened!”
“We won. Do you not have any disease resistance?” Daggat asked.
“No. Never came up.” Elyndris did a quick head count, then relaxed. Hunter began to laugh.
“Well, we have the PERFECT ingredients for a vile concoction. And it’s that time of year.” He said.
“What’s the vile concoction?” Elyndris asked. So she didn’t know everything. He began to chuckle darkly.
“Well… we know what we have to do! But… I need a bath.”
"No," Anath declared. “It is tradition. Vile concoction, bath, then sweets.” Daggat rolled his eyes. It wasn’t like HE was going to drink it.
“Fine. Then we deal with your level up.” He relented. “Who gets the honor of brewing it?”
Both Anath and Hunter giggled, then cackled. Daggat was making an impression; it seemed.
Daggat
True Name: Daggat
Soul: Monster
Genseed: gremlin [ 3 Str, 4 Dex, 3 Con, 2 Int, 3 Wil, 3 Cha; Regenerating Teeth, Rot Resistance; Tiny Size]
Genbloom: goblin [ +2 Str, +2 Dex, +2 Con, +1 Int, +1 Wil; Scavanger; Small Size]
Monster Level: 7
Attributes (0/6):
Strength: 11
Dexterity: 11
Constitution: 11
Intelligence: 20
Will: 10
Charm: 12
Feats:
Encounter: True Angel
Ability: Mighty Intellect
Act: Fledgling Alchemist
Knowledge: System Knowledge
Act: Devotion [Layered feats]
Act: Usurper
Act: Touch of Death
Skills(0/3):
Alchemy: 1 [Source: Fledgling Alchemist]
System Aptitude: 1 [Source: System Knowledge]
System Assistant: 1
Mind Codex: 1 [Synergy: Mental notes + Copy Tome]
Party Leader: 1 [Source: Usurper]
Notable Natural Skills:
Literacy: Apprentice
Biotraits (2/6):
Base size: Small [Source: Goblin]
Regenerating Teeth [Source: Gremlin]
Enhanced Night Vision [Source: Gremlin]
Disease Resistance [Mutations: Rot Resistance; Source: Gremlin]
Hypnotic Gaze [Mutations: Dominating Gaze]
Temperature Resistant Skin [Synergy: Fire Resistant Skin + Cold Resistant Skin]
Scavenger [Source: goblin]
Death Sight [Source: Touch of Death]
Transformations:
Drakeheart Form:
+2 strength
+2 charm
Extreme Temperature Resistant Scales [Synergy: Fireproof scales + Temperature resistant Skin]
Fire breath
Night Stalker form:
+2 strength
+2 dexterity
Dark vision [Night Vision Enhanced]
Deepen Shadow
Other:
Variant: +10 Intelligence
Notable Gear:
Strange pure-white sword
Hunter
True Name: Hunter
Soul: Mortal
Genseed: Ogre [ 8 Str, 2 Dex, 6 Con, 2 Int, 3 Wil, 3 Cha; Ogre's curse; Large Size]
Hearth Tender Level: 6 [+1 Str, +1 Con, +4 Wil; Invoke Torch, Hearth Fire]
Attributes (1/5):
Strength: 13
Dexterity: 6
Constitution: 12
Intelligence: 8
Will: 13
Charm: 7
Feats:
Knowledge: System Knowledge
Act: Vile Concoction
Act: Devotion [layered feats]
Act: Slayer
Skills (0/7):
System Aptitude: 1 [Source: System Knowledge]
Invoke Torch: 1
Hearth Fire: 1
Sacred Flame: 2 [Perks: Debilitating Warmth]
Encompassing Warmth: 1
Brilliant Bash: 2 [Perks: Hearth Flame]
Bounty Hunter: 1 [Source: Slayer]
Seek: 1
Biotraits (0/1):
Base Size: Large
Disease Resistance [Mutations: Rot Resistance; Source: Vile Concoction]
Other:
Curse: Ogre Curse
Zuss
True Name: Zuss
Soul: Monster
Genseed: gremlin [ 3 Str, 4 Dex, 3 Con, 2 Int, 3 Wil, 3 Cha; Regenerating Teeth, Rot Resistance; Tiny Size]
Genbloom: hobgoblin [ +1 Str, +3 Dex, +2 Con, +1 Int, +1 Wil; Nimble Fingers; Small Size]
Monster Level: 7
Attributes (0/6):
Strength: 10
Dexterity: 16
Constitution: 8
Intelligence: 8
Will: 10
Charm: 9
Feats:
Knowledge: System Knowledge
Act: Devotion [Layered feats]
Ability: Mighty Alacrity
Skills(0/2):
System Aptitude: 1 [Source: System Knowledge]
Deep Shadows: 1
Path Finding [Type: Climbing]
Notable Natural Skills:
Stealth: Apprentice
Climb: Apprentice
Biotraits (1/7):
Base size: Small [Source: Hobgoblin]
Regenerating Teeth [Source: Gremlin]
Enhanced Night Vision [Mutations: Dark Vision; Source: Gremlin]
Disease Resistance [Mutations: Rot Resistance; Source: Gremlin]
Improved Body Control [Synergy: Improved Balance + Improved Nerve Conduction + Improved flexibility]
Nimble Hands and Feet [Synergy: Nimble hands + Prehensile Feet]
Cold Resistant Skin
Transformations:
Drakeheart Form:
+2 strength
+2 dexterity
Smoke Aura
Lesser Wings
Night Stalker form:
+2 strength
+2 dexterity
Enhanced Scent
Deepen Shadow+, Widen Shadows
Pet:
Name: Birdy
Genseed: Cat
Attributes:
Strength: 2
Dexterity: 4
Constitution: 2
Intelligence: 2
Will: 2
Charm: 3
Biotraits:
Lesser Wings
Anath
True Name: Anathema
Soul: Monster/Mortal
Genseed: Human [ 3 Str, 3 Dex, 3 Con, 3 Int, 3 Wil, 3 Cha; Standard Size]
Monster Level: 4
[Class] Level: 5
Attributes (0/7):
Strength: 11
Dexterity: 8
Constitution: 9
Intelligence: 10
Will: 9
Charm: 8
Feats:
Encounter: True Angel
Knowledge: System Knowledge
Act: Vile Concoction
Skills(2/7):
System Aptitude: 1 [Source: System Knowledge]
System Assistant: 1
Skill Boosts: Survival (1)
Savage Legs: 1
Warriors Spirit: 1 [Synergy: Burst of Strength + Burst of Alacrity + Burst of Vitality]
Notable Natural Skills:
Survival: Apprentice
Savagery: Apprentice
Biotraits [1/4]:
Disease Resistance [Source: Vile Concoction]
Extra Limb (Arachnid), x4 [Source: Variant]
Venomous Mandibles [Source: Variant]
Multi-eye [Mutations: Magnified, Night Vision; Source: Variant]
Hardened Chitin
Transformations:
Night Stalker form:
+2 strength
+2 dexterity
Claws
Dark Vision
Other:
Variant: Arachnid Traits
Klaw
True Name: Klaw
Soul: Monster
Genseed: gremlin [ 3 Str, 4 Dex, 3 Con, 2 Int, 3 Wil, 3 Cha; Regenerating Teeth, Rot Resistance; Tiny Size]
Genbloom: Bugbear [ +3 Str, +1 Dex, +2 Con, +1 Int, +1 Wil; Rough Fur; Small Size]
Monster Level: 7
Attributes (0/6):
Strength: 19
Dexterity: 10
Constitution: 11
Intelligence: 8
Will: 9
Charm: 8
Feats:
Knowledge: System Knowledge
Act: Devotion [Layered feats]
Ability: Mighty Strength
Skills(0/2):
System Aptitude: 1
Burst of Strength: 1
Attribute Boost: Strength (+2)
Notable Natural Skills:
Savagery: Apprentice
Biotraits (0/7):
Base size: Standard [Source: Gremlin]
Regenerating Teeth [Source: Gremlin]
Enhanced Night Vision [Source: Gremlin]
Disease Resistance [Mutations: Rot Resistance; Source: Gremlin]
Claws [Mutations: Forged, Retractable]
Dense Muscle Fibers
Rough Fur [Mutations: Insulating Fur; Source: Bugbear]
Dense Bone
Transformations:
Drakeheart Form:
+2 strength
+2 constitution
Fire-proof Scales
Claws [Mutation added: Burning]
Night Stalker form:
+2 strength
+2 dexterity
+2 constitution
Dark Vision
Notable Gear:
Mountain Heart Armor
Elyndris
True Name: Elyndris
Soul: Monster
Genseed: Larva [ 1 Str, 1 Dex, 1 Con, 1 Int, 1 Wil, 1 Cha; miniscule Size]
Monster Level: 6
Attributes (0/12):
Strength: 10
Dexterity: 8
Constitution: 8
Intelligence: 15
Will: 7
Charm: 7
Feats:
Encounter: True Angel
Knowledge: System Knowledge
Act: Devotion [layered feats]
Act: Blasphemy
Ability: Mighty Intellect
Skills (1/3):
Burst of Strength
Pounce
Biotraits (1/6):
Base size: Miniscule
Jaws
Enhanced Touch [Mutation: Tremor Sense]
Complex organs
Limbs [Mutation: Lesser Wings]
Transformations:
Night Stalker form:
+2 strength
+2 dexterity
+2 constitution
Jaws [Mutation: Powerful Jaws]
Other:
Curse: Ungenesis