Zuss and Glut stumbled into the nest while Daggat was pouring over the options. Both were drunk. Glut snored the moment he toppled into his corner of the nest. Zuss looked at him, smiling. “Daaag. You missed the fun.” She twirled in a dance before flopping into her corner. “Not as fun out there without you.” She admitted. She WAS drunk.
“Stomach thing. Better to rest for me.” He gave her a smile.
Zuss reached over and boobed his nose. She WAS drunk.
“Get better. Gobma’s maaaad.” She fell back into the blankets. “What… did you… do?” Then she was asleep.
Hours of tossing and turning latter, he finally drifted off to unconsciousness as well. Almost immediately, he was woken by Glut probing him.
“C’mon, Dag. Time for work!” He groaned as he stood. How much sleep did he get?
The previous nights events crashed into him all at once. He wanted to do nothing but sift through all of the system information some more.
Reluctantly, Daggat followed his siblings into the light. Now that he knew what to look for, he judged the gremlins. Each of them seemed different than before. More solid and confident. They must have enhanced their ability scores.
Daggat followed Zuss, but realized he didn’t know where to go. The walls are done. Gobma must have told her. Zuss stopped in front of the wall. Daggat realized they had taken the path they usually take to meet up with the others. “Oops. I forgot… the walls done, huh?”
“WHAT! I thought you knew where you were going?!” Daggat practically screamed at her.
“Why would you think that? YOU are the smart one.” He stared at her for a long moment. Then, Daggat yelled into the air. Even Klaw took a step back. Glut looked worried.
“Dag, you feeling ok?” That was the last straw.
“NO! Glut. I am not. I’m under a lot of stress here. I barely slept last night. Gobma is mad at me already, I think. Now he’s going to be more mad. Wargs are out there wanting to EAT me. Does anyone care if we die or are beaten? NO! Also, humans can just… kill goblins with AIR! AND EXPLODE INTO LIGHTNING PEOPLE?! Now were fighting them. The adults keep secrets from us, we’re led by a maniac, alchemy continues to elude me, and I AM SURROUNDED BY IDIOTS!” Daggat breathed quickly. His siblings just stared at him in shock. He knew they likely didn’t keep up with his outburst. If he talked to quickly, it tended to just wash over them.
“Uhm… you know you can, like, talk to us. Right?” Klaw, of all people, said. “You got a problem, I’ll rip ‘em to shreds. Only one who gets to torment you is me. Oh, and Zuss.” He carefully patted Daggat on the shoulder.
“Yeah, Dag. We got your back. You got ours.” Was that true? Daggat didn’t remember actually helping his siblings. Only… pretending to. He convinced them, time and time again, to do something that would benefit him while making them think it was good for them. He felt a strange sensation. Guilt? Bah, Unlikely.
“Gobma’s mad, but we won’t let him hurt any of us. We’re a crew, right? Take what we want, when we want.” Zuss was smiling at him with a wicked grin. They were a crew. Daggat had always seen them as gremlins he tricked into protecting him. But, at what point was the lie… not a lie?
Daggat looked at his siblings. Were they always like this? They were, but it was hard to tell. Maybe he could be kinder to them. Why was he hiding things from them, again? Right, he remembered. His siblings couldn’t keep up. They didn’t understand. They had the minds of goblin children. But, so did Daggat. His mind was just faster. Realization dawned on him. Their attributes increased when they gained the monster level. Each one was smarter, more charming, stronger and overall more reliable than before.
For the first time, he saw the crew as it was. A collection of siblings, friends, and rivals sticking together to make it through the next day. Daggat came to a decision.
“Thank you,” he said to Klaw. “I just… got mad at a lot of things. Tell you what. I have a secret.” Glut’s eyes opened wide, Zuss hopped down from the broken crate she was balancing on. “After we make it through today, I’ll tell you all.”
It turned out, the gremlins were supposed to meet Gobma near the communal fire, not like he told them or anything. Gobma was, indeed, mad. After a minor beating, Gobma was still hungover so he didn’t put his heart into it, he set them to their chores. Scrubbing pots, scooping filth, and other menial, but necessary, tasks. The whole time, he felt the eyes of his crew on him, waiting for their secret.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, they had completed their tasks and were set loose.
Daggat took this time to investigate the system. He snuck off to a secluded area and opened the biotraits menu again. He spent most of the day thinking about what he wanted. Something subtle, so the goblins wouldn’t know he was different. It needed to give him sway over the other gremlins. His master plans would fall short without the support of them. He glossed over fins, claws, enhanced teeth, and other external forces. There were many glands available, some of them produced pheromones. Those were at the top of his list. It wasn’t until he scrolled through the eyes menus that he found what he didn’t know he was looking for.
A short time latter, Daggat was surrounded.
“Where were you?” Klaw asked.
“You promised us a secret.” Zuss had her arms crossed.
“Listen, listen! Sorry, I got distracted. Let’s head to the nest, and I’ll tell you the secret. But, you can’t tell anyone. Got it!” They all nodded eagerly.
They all crowded into the nest. It was odd being in the nest while the sun was still up. After making sure no one could hear, Daggat took a deep breath. Then, he told them everything he knew about the system.
One by one, each slowly understood. It took some work. But, when Zuss achieved the system knowledge feat, she gained access to her statistics as well. Using her as a bridge between intellects, Daggat explained to the others in a way they would understand.
When they all had access to the systems, Daggat snapped his fingers to draw them out of their systems.
“I know it is a lot, and can be confusing. But, I can help you.”
“You figured this out yesterday, what makes you the expert?” Zuss’ eyes focused back on her statistics.
“Thanks for the secret, but we’ve got this. Hey! Looks like I can increase my strength more!” Daggat frowned. Then, he activated his new biotrait.
His eyes opened wide.
Slowly, they swirled. Colors bleeding into the whites of his eyes, spiraling down to his pupils like a whirlpool. Golds, silvers, blueish yellows and greenish red flowed in Daggat’s eyes. Hypnotic Gaze.
Gaining the mutation was surprisingly painless. A slight pressure and numbness in his eyes, some temporary blurred vision, and it was done. He wasn’t sure why, but he had expected some overwhelming itching sensation.
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
The light drew their attention, then all of their focus. Each stared at Daggat in awe. The gaze didn’t effect them with any magical properties, but it took hold their focus like a cobra.
“I give you this gift and you act like this? Look upon my eyes. Remember how smart I am. I am here to teach you the way forward, guide you. I can make you stronger! No one knows the system like I do.” Among gremlins, at least. “Do you want to be under Gobma’s thumb our whole lives?” They shook their heads, completely entranced by his gaze. “Then let me make you stronger. Listen to my advice. Follow my lead.” They nodded once again.
Not once did the thought of NOT using minor hypnosis to manipulate his family cross his mind. The three goblins melted before him. Their wills were weak and easily molded while he distracted them. It gave Daggat a thrill.
“You got it, Dag!”
“If you can make me even stronger… I’ll listen.”
“I thought this was a trick. But, it’s real, isn’t it, Brother? This is the difference between them and us. I’ll listen to your advice.”
Daggat’s smile was as sharp as a knife. He began to laugh. Ideas already flooded through him. To forge his crew into the ultimate followers.
“Good! First, we will work on your attributes, you should have growth points. He blinked away his hypnotic gaze. His head swam. While it was active, the world seemed to twirl and spin. It was nauseating. “Oh, and one more thing. This is important.”
“What is it, Dag?”
“From now on. Call me Boss.” Zuss rolled her eyes, but she smiled at him.
“You got it, Boss.” Klaw flexed and laughed in excitement and Glut giggled along. Daggat activated his hypnotic gaze again as he laughed triumphantly. Today, his crew. Tomorrow, the rest of the gremlins. Gobma wouldn’t stand a chance.
“We have challenges ahead of us, crew.” They each waited in excitement. “First, we need make sure the other gremlins know who’s in charge now. While, at the same time, not letting the goblins know. Their time will come.” Daggat knew, vaguely, that gremlins somehow became goblins, hobgoblins, and the rest. He hoped that would happen before he had to start posturing to creatures double his size.
“What’s the plan?”
“One step at a time. We show off our new strengths.”
“What if the other gremlins don’t like that and beat us up?”
“Don’t worry, buddy,” Klaw slapped Glut on the back, “I’ll protect us from those shit-heads.” Daggat kept his skepticism to himself.
“Well, I can just get them before they get us! I am the sneakiest, after all.” Zuss crouched into a predatory position. This led Daggat into the next step. First, he wanted to confirm a theory.
“Everyone, what is your dexterity?” He asked.
“Six!” they all replied. Zuss nearly fell over in shock. Just as he thought, the gremlins had the same stats. Though, there was a clear difference with his siblings. Did that mean the abilities were not all there was to a person?
“See, you are all the same right now. But, that brings us to topic two. We need you all to grow stronger.” The group giggled with excitement. “Klaw, lets start with you. How many growth points do you have, and how many biotraits?”
“Two points for each!” That was as he expected. Good.
“How strong are you?” For a moment, Klaw looked embarrassed. Then he mumbled something. “What?”
“It’s only five.” Everyone else said they had the same. “But I am strongest… spiritually?”
“Sure. Alright, then I suggest you pump those numbers up. Both into strength!” Daggat considered having them put points into intelligence. Just to make talking to them all less of a pain. But, ultimately, he wanted that monopoly to himself. With glee, Klaw did so. Visibly, his muscles swelled. Not much, but it was noticeable.
“Now I AM the strongest.” Klaw laughed maniacally.
“Yes you are! But we ain’t done yet. I know these biotraits like the back of my hands.” Klaw flexed infront of Daggat. “I know the perfect one for you. Claws!” It was his name, after all. If you are born with a theme, you better stick with it.
“Ooh, yeah. How do I do that?” Daggat talked him through it. Before their eyes, Klaw’s sharp nails expanded and grew into long, sharp claws. He was beside himself with glee. Now the tricky part.
“Now, you have another biotrait. We could do something else with it, but I want you to check something for me.” Daggat had not spent his second biotrait in case it locked away the list, he wanted to see the options. Besides, he had the idea to save it for an emergency. After several grueling minutes of talking him through it, Klaw found the evolution options for his claws.
“It says… Great claws: Your claws get bigger. I like that. Forged Claws: The claws become metal and sword skills affect them like swords. Then there is retractable claws: You can stow and retrieve the claws. I like great claws! How do I select it agai-”
“Wait!” Daggat shouted. If forged claws worked how he hoped, that was an investment. He had no idea how to get skills, but that human used a sword to slash with wind. “Klaw, you remember when that human cut up goblins with just air?”
“Uh huh, that was cool.”
“If you choose forged claws, then you can eventually do that too. Isn’t that fun?” Klaw thought it was. The claws fell off like loose teeth. In their place, grew very similar claws of steel. Everyone admired them. Even Daggat was a bit jealous.
“Glut. You’re next. Any idea of what kind of biotraits you want?”
“Uh…” he thought for an agonizing three or four seconds. “No.”
“What do you want to do, Glut? As part of a crack team of mission doers, I mean.” He thought for a moment. Then a longer moment after. “Zuss! What about you?” Blurted Daggat after he finally ran out of patients.
“Easy. I want to sneak around and climb things. Death from above!” Zuss always did enjoy climbing trees and poles. Daggat thought through the possibilities.
“If you increase dexterity, you will be sneaky and silent. As for biotraits, improved balance would let you stand on anything. Then you can sneak from branches, walls, tall boxes and things. No one would see you coming. Camouflage would also help out there. But, that’s not very offensive. Ooh! Here’s a fun one. Improved nerve conduction. It’s big words, but it basically means you’re reflexes are improved. Dodging, catching things, stuff like that.”
“Done.” Zuss brought her dexterity to a respectable 8. She had the second highest stat, under Daggat’s intelligence. There was no physical change, but a subtle grace accompanied her movements.
“Have you figured it out, Glut?”
“I’m no good in a fight… but I’m tough. I want to protect you guys!” Daggat almost sneered, and Zuss made an “Aww” sound. Klaw wasn’t paying attention. He was currently cutting various objects to ribbons.
“Well, alright. We can work with that. If you increase your constitution, then you would be tougher. You could put both points into it, or you could move the other to strength. If you do that, you should be well rounded.” Glut did so, bringing his strength, dexterity, and constitution to six.
“What about biotraits?” What indeed. Daggat scrolled through the list.
“Shock distribution. Thick skin. Pain tolerance. Dense bones. Dense soft tissue. Those sorts of things make you tough. Then theres claws, teeth, venom… things like that. Up to you really.” Glut thought about the options, then he smiled as he came to a decision. His hands moved as if you select options. That wasn’t necessary, but if the helped Glut understand, then so be it.
“What did you pick? I don’t see a difference.”
“Pain tolerance!” Well, that would be good in a fight.
“Good, good. What else?”
“Poison! In case I get in a fight. I can chew ‘em and poison ‘em!.”
“Excelle- Did you just say poison?”
“Uh huh.”
“Not… uh… venom?”
“Nope.” He said proudly. Daggat sighed and pulled at his ears.
“Glut.” He beamed at him.
“Yeah, Dag?”
“You are a moron.”
Daggat
True Name: Daggat
Soul: Monster
Genseed: gremlin
Monster Level: 3
Attributes [0]:
Strength: 5
Dexterity: 6
Constitution: 6
Intelligence: 15
Will: 5
Charm: 5
Feats:
Encounter: True Angel
Act: Fledgling Alchemist
Knowledge: System Knowledge
Ability: Mighty Intellect
Skills[1]:
Alchemy: 1
System Aptitude: 1
Biotraits [1]:
Base size: Tiny
Regenerative Teeth
Enhanced Night Vision
Rot Resistance
Hypnotic Gaze
Other:
Variant: +10 Intelligence
Klaw
True Name: Klaw
Soul: Monster
Genseed: gremlin
Monster Level: 3
Attributes [0]:
Strength: 7
Dexterity: 6
Constitution: 5
Intelligence: 4
Will: 5
Charm: 5
Feats:
Knowledge: System Knowledge
Skills[0]:
System Aptitude: 1
Biotraits [0]:
Base size: Tiny
Regenerative Teeth
Enhanced Night Vision
Rot Resistance
Forged Claws*
Glut
True Name: Glut
Soul: Monster
Genseed: gremlin
Monster Level: 3
Attributes [0]:
Strength: 6
Dexterity: 6
Constitution: 6
Intelligence: 4
Will: 5
Charm: 5
Feats:
Knowledge: System Knowledge
Skills[0]:
System Aptitude: 1
Biotraits [0]:
Base size: Tiny
Regenerative Teeth
Enhanced Night Vision
Rot Resistance
Pain Tolerance
Poisonous
Zuss
True Name: Zuss
Soul: Monster
Genseed: gremlin
Monster Level: 3
Attributes [0]:
Strength: 5
Dexterity: 8
Constitution: 5
Intelligence: 4
Will: 5
Charm: 5
Feats:
Knowledge: System Knowledge
Skills[0]:
System Aptitude: 1
Biotraits [0]:
Base size: Tiny
Regenerative Teeth
Enhanced Night Vision
Rot Resistance
Improved nerve conduction
Improved Balance