If you end up reading this, I wanna say that it occurred to me that I didn’t credit you for having helped me settle on a path, and now that I have thought about it, I wanted to ask whether you wanted some credit or if you’d rather no attention be drawn to it.

The Shadow Man is just standing there like a weirdo, but more importantly, he’s pointing at Lauren…

“Lauren, why is the Shadow Man pointing at you? What aren’t you telling me?”

She freezes and the area becomes flooded with the smell of her fear. It’s pretty obvious that she’s been hiding something important that I very much need to know. Feeling a glare growing on my face, I take a breath and calm my emotions. I have to be supportive and show that I’m not angry with her.

“Lauren, we can't help you if you don’t tell us what’s going on. If the Shadow Man thinks it’s important enough to show up, it means that it is. Tell us what’s going on and we can all think of a solution.”

“They infected me with Vile Steel… This is not something we can fight, Kira. All I can do is prepare for my death, and I had hoped to have a little fun before I had to face reality…”

“Why did the adventurers do this to you? You were one of them. Do you need me to rough them up for you?”

Tears well up in her eyes as she struggles to look at me. Abandoning my comfortable, watery bed, I move to her and give her a nudge, making sure she knows I’m on her side.

“They didn’t know. The Guild members are just pawns for whatever is doing all of this. When they brought me to the leaders of the defensive force, I was enthralled by a spell as soon as the guards left and took me into the catacombs. I tried to break the spell, but whenever I did, an intense pain struck me, forcing me to surrender to the cursed magic again. I was too weak… I don’t know what’s going on, Kira, but you have to stop it. Please. Just leave me and focus on the larger threat.”

Bad news for Lauren, I’m not a big picture kinda person. But I am at a bit of a loss for how to help her. At least we have a bunch of clever cookies around, so we have to think of a way to do something. Although I may have to face the music and partake in the bigger picture soon… I can’t ignore them hurting the people close to me, and it’s clear that I haven’t done enough to make it common knowledge that doing so has consequences.

The thought of this stuff reaching Tuiran scares me, the whole soul destruction thing is terrifying. How the hell am I even supposed to stay away from this Vile Steel nonsense while also stopping it?! That’s an impossible ask! Looking down at Lauren, I give her a lick to soothe her, letting her know that I’ll be here for her.

I’m not sure the others will be, though. Aside from Raya, they’re still fixated on Shadow Man for some reason. He looks like he always does, so there isn’t anything new there. At least now that they’ve seen him, perhaps they’ll remember when I bring him up in the future, but I never did test that with Neithro. Not taking his eyes off the shadowy figure, Joras partially turns to me as he throws a question my way.

“Kira, what is that thing? It radiates tremendous power, and it's not of this world…”

Well, that’s a bit rude. Shadow Man hasn’t been anything but helpful, so as far as I’m concerned, he’s welcome to stay. Of course, I repeat everything I’ve already said about the Shadow Man, including the previous times I did that, but that just confuses people, as far as I can tell. They are less discomforted by him now that I’ve approved of him, so that’s something.

I am curious about what he is, though. Lily joins Joras in throwing questions around about what he is, what he wants, and stuff like that, but Shadow Man is the quiet type, resulting in their questions remaining unanswered.

It’s a little annoying that they’re focusing on the Shadow Man so much, we’ve got more important stuff to deal with than some harmless gas person or intangible threats from Plainshold. We should definitely be focusing on curing Lauren of this thing and saving her. And for that, we need more information.

“Focus, people! I can’t believe I’m the one who has to be the voice of concentration today, geez! We have to think of Lauren! Speaking of... Lauren, do you know why they did this to you? You’re a champion, so it has to have been far too risky.”

“That’s why they did it. Vile Steel needs powerful souls and mine has been empowered by the Divine… I’m sorry, Kira, I shouldn’t have gone alone…”

I can’t fault her for not bringing a multi-ton flying tank of a beast like me on a diplomatic mission... Admittedly, there is a small chance that I have a tendency to cause a mess, whether that’s my fault or not is debatable, but that’s not important now anyway.

As we’ve been talking, everyone has gathered around, a clear sign of the new found-family we have acquired. They’re all here to support her in her time of need, and there’s no doubt in my heart that they’d step up to the plate at a moment’s notice. We’ll find a solution for sure!

I just don’t know how… Nobody else is chipping in with ideas either, leaving silence to fall over the area. There is one person who knew this was going on though, so looking at Shadow Man, I send him some pleading eyes, hoping he’ll take pity on us and solve all of our problems. Of course, he doesn’t. He just stands there looking ominous… It almost makes me want to smack him, but this isn’t his fault.

Having noted the change in mood, Joras approaches and asks what’s going on. After giving him a quick recap, he furrows his brow and thinks for a moment.

“Have you asked your Goddess for assistance, Lauren?”

“No… My plan was to enjoy a few more days here, and then pray for her to smite me, purifying this evil thing growing inside me, so it stops with me.”

Okay, yeah, I can’t allow that. Geez… Nobody’s getting smote on my watch. We just have to figure out some way to cure her or something. Instead of standing in the lake, everyone moves to the lakeshore and settles around in a circle, focusing on Lauren. Silence dominates the area until the fearless Raya chips in with a question, clearly having listened in on the recap for Joras.

“If it eats magic, how come you don’t just feed it Kira’s magic? She has so much, so it might leave Lauren alone since she’s so weak.”

Lauren sends her a glare, which Raya just returns with a toothy grin, demanding they prove her idea to be a bad one or try it out. I’m not sure that’s how it works, and I would really rather have some assurances of success before experimenting on someone I like. But the only way I can think of for testing it out is to try it on someone else, and I’m not about to expose others to whatever that wrong thing is.

I think I might have to go back to Plainshold and try out some things on the Vile Steel already there, but I can’t really touch it, and I don’t want to risk anyone else’s life.

“If it happened in a dumb human town, we can just go to the dumb human town and find out what happened, right? No more sulking, it’s time to solve the problem the goblin way! Do whatever you think of first! And I think we should explore where it happened!”

Raya’s cheerful attitude certainly does manage to raise my spirits, and all I’m contributing is sitting on my claws feeling bad about the whole thing, so maybe we should let her steer.

“Commander Raya! I will follow your orders, lead us to victory!”

Giving her permission to boss me around causes a dangerous glint to form in her eyes, making me worry a little, but she hasn’t steered me wrong yet.

“Okay, everyone! I am Captain Raya and I’m the boss of all of you! Bow before my authority! Joras, you make sure Lauren is comfortable. Jeannie, you make sure Lauren is kept in good company. Tiffy, you stay a safe distance away from Lauren so you don’t shock her. Lily, you do Lily things. Lauren, you focus on preparing to teach Kira how to speak your dumb language, because she keeps being too busy to show up for Joras’ teachings. Skull, I don’t know what you’re doing, but you’re weird. Kira, you and I will go investigate Plainshold! That’s the best plan we have, because it’s mine, and that’s why we’re doing it!”

Throughout her speech, she manages to jump around on me, landing on my limb closest to whoever she is currently addressing. That was all well and fine until she got to me. With one foot resting on my lower lip and a hand grabbing my nostril, she swings around her dagger to look intimidating as she shouts about how we’re going to Plainshold and finding out what is going on there.

The tickling sensation in my nose makes my eyes water as I fight back a sneeze. With the agility of something I can’t think of, but really agile, Raya jumps onto my head just as I involuntarily unleash a torrent of flame into the sky. Dragon sneezes are dangerous, geez.

The mood in our little group does seem to have lightened because of Raya’s enthusiasm. I don’t even get time to worry about the efficacy of her plan before she taps my head with her feet, telling me to get moving. I do as she commands, creating some distance from the group before taking off.

I’m pretty sure she’s just making stuff up as she goes, but that is a tried-and-true method for not sitting around twiddling our claws. As we're flying, she's somehow able to just stand on top of me like a maniac as we fly toward the ruined town.

Instead of being worried, I’m kinda excited to find out what Raya might do, which serves to emphasize that I’ve neglected her lately with everything that has been going on. Once we get Lauren healthy again, I’m gonna be more responsible! In the context of my friends, at least. I’m not about to set unattainable goals here.

“Faster, mighty steed! We must reach the ruins by nightfall!”

Okay, but that was never in question. Even slowing my flight, we’ll be there quite fast. Regardless, we speed up, letting the magic flow as Raya digs one of her heels in to stabilize herself. Aside from the odd demand and order from Captain Raya, which she seems to have settled on instead of commander, the flight is uneventful.

As we reach the walls of Plainshold, it becomes clear that my flames are a lot more dangerous than I had imagined. The earthwoven wall has a huge gap of melted rock in it. Geez, no wonder people fled. I am a little proud, though, that’s a lot of destruction.

“Did you do that, Kira?”

There's a mix of worry and excitement in her voice as she asks me. And me being unable to restrain myself, I give her an enthusiastic affirmative. In return, I get a bonk on the head, leaving me to wonder what I did wrong.

“It’s impressive, but it’s a bit much. Next time, don’t burn down the town.”

That’s fair… But they started it, so I’m not entirely to blame here. Instead of arguing my case and risking another bonk, I leave it and focus on remembering where that place Shaft showed me was. Increasing our altitude, I spot the town square where I fought Shaft’s group, and I figure if I land there, I can retrace our steps.

Aiming for the scorch marks from my fight with Shaft and friends, we land with a gentle thump, and Raya jumps down to inspect the scenery. Moving through the charred cone of scorched stone, she kicks up a small ash cloud, finding the exact spot where the barrier guy died.

Touching her fingers to the ground, she rubs the char and brings it to her mouth before tasting it. That seems irresponsible, she shouldn’t just put things in her mouth like that, it could carry germs and stuff.

“What did you kill here? The magic is strange."

I tell her about the guy who blocked my entire tail swipe attack and that I just burned him away after, but when the heck did she become able to detect magic? If that’s something she’s gotten from me, I need to pay more attention to it. I know I can tell when someone casts spells, but if I can infer how strong the magic is in a given area, I could use that for... I can’t think of anything I can use it for right now, but I’m sure it would be useful.

“It’s this way.”

She seems very confident, so I ask how she knows, and I don’t like her answer one bit…

“It’s easy, I can see how your weight pushed down the stones in the street, so I can just follow your tracks.”

Seems a bit rude to focus on my weight like that, but as I lower my head to the ground to see it from her perspective, I see that it’s true. I haven’t made a mess of the streets, but there’s a clear waviness to the cobblestones.

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

Moving very slowly behind Captain Raya, we move toward the fancy house, which I suspect will be even less fancy now that the fire has died down.

“Kira, dig here.”

She’s indicating to the side of the street, and I do as she tells me. It doesn’t take long before I hit the weird metal again and feel the telltale magic drain. Knowing more about what I’m up against, I make sure to dig out a much larger area so the air pollution from it doesn’t get as concentrated as it did before.

Continuing my excavation, Raya jumps into the hole and inspects the bumpy exterior walls of the catacombs. Glancing over at her, I see her reaching out for the bumpy wall. Geez, that’s reckless. Yelling for her to stop, she jumps back as I startle her.

“What was that for?! You frightened me, Kira!”

“That’s dangerous, Raya! That stuff drains magic and eats souls, why would you touch it?!”

In response to my dire warnings, she just shrugs and places her hand on it. And as I’m waiting for something big to happen, I’m left with mixed feelings. I don’t like being wrong, but I do like my friend not getting her soul eaten by weird danger metal.

“It’s not doing anything to me.”

She pulls out her dagger and starts carving away at the material, the stuff breaking away without much effort. Just how magical is Raya? Geez…

“Open your mouth, Kira. I wanna try something with your venom.”

Following orders like a dutiful little dragon, I open my mouth and she starts rummaging around my teeth, scooping up globs of venomous saliva. Watching it cling to her makes me a little uncomfortable, it looks like thick egg white and she just carries it like… I have no idea what I would even compare that to…

As she reaches the steel again, she starts rubbing my venom all over it, which does in fact cause a reaction, like rapid oxidation. I don’t think I can make enough venom to rust away this entire structure. As she continues working, I'm surprised to find that the rusty Vile Steel takes on a pleasant odor and I kinda wanna eat it...

She repeats the process until my mouth feels unnaturally dry and uncomfortable, and I’m not sure what her endgame is here, but if I can stop the growth of this stuff, then that is a definite win. Watching Raya spreading out my venom is interesting and all, but I’m getting quite thirsty, and the hole she’s making isn’t big enough for me to get inside.

But I can look inside! The interior seems to be brick flooring with a mix of wood, brick, an Vile Steel for the walls. It is large enough that I should be able to crawl around in there, but I would have to watch my wings, so I don’t bump them against the ceiling.

Though I’m not sure I wanna go down there, I don’t really know how intense the Vile Steel contents in the air would be, which is definitely dangerous. Looking around some more, the place definitely looks deserted. They must have quite some resources if they abandon a place like this at a moment’s notice.

Unperturbed by the threat of all the possible threats, Raya jumps into the catacombs and starts exploring.

“It’s safe, you can come in, Kira!”

“How?! I don’t fit through the hole you made!”

“Not so fun being big now, huh?”

She’s just laughing at me as she wanders off... As the main producer of my venom, I take it upon myself to replenish my supply, and for that, I’m pretty sure I need to quench my thirst. Shouting for Raya, I ask if she’s fine with me leaving to get a drink, and she lets me know that she’ll be fine.

“Shut up! Your voice is very loud in here, and it shakes everything! Go get some water, I’ll be fine! I’m the toughest goblin ever!”

Even with her reassurances, I am a little hesitant to leave her alone, but I also wanna trust that she’s right about being strong enough to fight off whatever they may throw at her. And if she isn’t, she can draw on my power.

I am pretty sure I saw a well by the square, though, so retracing my steps again, I walk back there and, as I do, I take a moment to look around. The fires sure did spread fast, and that’s definitely something I have to be mindful of in the future. I wouldn’t want to accidentally burn down Wreyn’s town. I’m confident he wouldn’t be pleased with that.

Sticking my head into some of the more open ruined buildings, I sniff around, but I don’t smell anything of value to me, which suggests that people had time to leave before I got here. It’s a shame the fire spread so much, but I don’t regret my assault.

Pulling my head back into the street, I continue on my way toward the square in search of this mythical well I might have seen. The moment I stand still before continuing my trek, I hear a tap, tap, clank in the distance, it keeps repeating and I’m finding myself very curious all of a sudden.

Once again, life has presented me with a difficult choice… Sate my thirst or my curiosity. Taking a moment longer to think about it, it really isn’t that difficult a choice. I can’t leave whatever that tapping is to find Raya, so I have to find out if it’s a threat or just some debris getting knocked around by the wind.

Following the noise, I hide my own noise as much as I can by focusing on how my claws hit the ground, and trying to only walk on the fleshy bits of my feet. It mostly works, I’m definitely making less noise than whatever I’m tracking, but I still haven’t picked up its scent yet.

“It stalks them as they search for the affront.”

What the heck was that?

“They wonder if it chooses to be an enemy or ally.”

“Uhm… Ally for now, I guess, what are you people and how are you talking to me?”

Somehow I’m hearing them inside my mind, and if this is how Lauren feels, I might have to be more vocal with her because whatever this is, it feels like something is caressing my brain with cold fingers. I don’t like it.

“They accept its terms for a temporary truce.”

“I’m not an 'it,' you know.”

“They apologize to the Dragon.”

“My name is Kira, not ‘the dragon!’”

“They apologize to Kiranot the Dragon.”

Great, now the weird voice in my head is being snarky… At least that’s better than being hostile. I still haven’t managed to find them, and the tapping stopped when I started hearing the voice in my head, so I haven’t got much to go on here.

“Where are you?”

“They ask that Kiranot the Dragon remember the truce.”

“Of course, I’m a dragon of my word.”

As soon as I say that I’ll keep my word, a robed figure with a long staff comes out from behind a corner and it’s looking decidedly undead, so that’s a little alarming. The being’s skull is decorated with gems and inlaid with gold, and I have no idea how I couldn’t smell such wonderful materials. The robe they’re wearing looks fancy as hell. Black material with deep purple highlights and more gold and jewels than I’ve ever seen. I want it.

“They see Kiranot the Dragon carrying a prisoner locked in torment. They wish to bargain for the prisoner’s Soul.”

Okay, I have no idea what that means, but I’m pretty sure I’m not carrying any prisoners. I also wanna know what this affront is that they’re searching for, so I do the obvious thing and just ask about both the prisoner and the affront... No point in beating around the bush.

In response to my questions, the skeleton walks up next to me and taps my stom- I don’t feel so well... Feeling my stomach clench, I hurl all over the place, struggling to stay standing. Catching sight of the mess in front of me, I'm quite tempted to go find Raya and take her home...

Somehow I threw up a different skeleton… I think that might be the healer. Geez, I need to chew more.

“They see the prisoner has been released from Kiranot the Dragon. They wish to interrogate the prisoner."

“Fine, but no more making me puke, that was very uncomfortable… And I want a lot of repayment for my inconvenience.”

“They accept the terms proposed by Kiranot the Dragon.”

Looking at the skeleton on the ground covered in bile and what-have-you, it starts writhing and that makes me really uncomfortable. That thing was inside me?! Geez… I’m pretty sure it wasn’t a skeleton when I ate it. I’m pretty sure the only person I’ve eaten whole was that healer working with Shaft… mostly whole…

“Is that thing an undead like you?”

“The prisoner is unliving, but the prisoner is not the same as they. The prisoner is of the Dead King’s Legion.”

I can’t help but notice that Skelly here didn’t tell me what they are, and I still haven’t heard about this affront business. I don’t even get time to be indignant and pouty about it before Skelly touches the Healer with that staff of theirs. The rattling bones of the healer make it pretty clear that whatever Skelly is doing is very uncomfortable.

“The prisoner has told them that Kiranot the Dragon knows about the Affront. Does the prisoner speak the truth?”

“Depends, what’s the affront?”

“They wonder if Kiranot the Dragon is hiding knowledge... They choose to believe Kiranot the Dragon does not know what they mean. They explain that the Affront is undone Souls made manifest. They explain that the Affront is offensive to those unliving as they. They point out that Kiranot the Dragon is a beast of Magic and Soul, much like they are a being of Magic and Soul. They and Kiranot the Dragon are both in danger near the Affront.”

Well, that clears it up. Skelly is definitely talking about the Vile Steel. I still need to get a drink, though, so with the mystery of the tapping solved, I ask Skelly if they know where I can find a water source.

“They can conjure water for Kiranot the Dragon in exchange for a taste of Kiranot the Dragon’s Soul.”

Yeah, no… I’m not up for someone tasting me like that. It’s creepy, and I don’t like the sound of it.

“They explain that Kiranot the Dragon contains one point four Souls. They explain that Kiranot the Dragon produces more Soul energy than Kiranot the Dragon can contain. They soothe the worries Kiranot the Dragon carries.”

“Saying you’re soothing my worries isn’t soothing my worries… It just makes me more uncomfortable and worried...”

I think I might have to re-evaluate my weirdo scale… This skeleton has Merciferus beat by so much. I wanna rejoin Raya so I can experience some normalcy again. In fact, I’m gonna return to the entrance to the catacombs and find her. I’m sure she has found something interesting by now.

Moving along, I hear the tapping from Skelly behind me as they follow along, and the pace I’m going doesn’t really match the tapping along with them being able to keep up with me. Looking back, I see the skeleton floating, so why am I still hearing the tapping sounds? And what happened to the prisoner? I completely forgot about that guy. Throwing the question at Skelly, I get a reply that leaves me feeling even more uncomfortable.

“They consumed the prisoner. They can offer refreshments for Kiranot the Dragon.”

On one hand, refreshments sound nice, but on the other, it also sounds like it’s literally soul food. I don’t think I’m ready for that, I kinda hope I won’t ever be ready for that. Though this might be an opportunity for me to learn more about myself as we walk.

“Hey Skelly, how come the prisoner could survive inside me?”

“They explain the Dragon's digestive system to Kiranot the Dragon. They explain that Dragons consume magic. They explain that Dragons unravel the material to generate magic. They explain that Dragons do not consume Souls, leaving the Soul of the prisoner stuck within Kiranot the Dragon.”

Well, that sounds like something that needs a lot more explanation, but as far as I can tell, Skelly isn’t big on actually explaining things. Wait, what about the other things I've eaten? Are their souls also stuck inside me? I hope not, that would be creepy.

Leaving that uncomfortable line of thought unexplored, I focus on us nearing the hole Raya entered. We’re still a bit away, so I give a little shout to her to let her know we’re coming.

In response, I get hit in the noggin by a rock from above. Looking up, I see Raya sitting on a charred support beam and she’s looking mighty smug.

“What took you so long, Kira? And where did you pick up that bag of bones?”

“They greet the First of Kiranot the Dragon’s court. They focus on the Affront nearby.”

Skelly just wanders off after calling Raya the first of my court… I’m pretty sure I don’t have a court, but if I did, I would be proud to have her on it. I’m not sure how good I’d be at sports as a dragon.

Raya is quick to jump down from her perch and grab hold of one of my horns, using it to swing around and land on my head with a little more force than I would appreciate.

“You find some weird things, Kira. But I found some weird things this time too!”

As is entirely mandatory, I point out that I found her, earning me a bonk, followed by her pointing to where she has dumped a bunch of weird tools, gadgets, and bodies... Those bodies look suspiciously stabbed, and I suspect Raya may have been the cause. Prodding her about it, she’s quick to show a toothy grin.

“Yeah! They tried to attack me, but I got them first! I don’t even need magic anymore. I don’t need my dagger either, but I like it.”

It is a pretty dagger. Her trademark dagger is a quite simple iron dagger, and the wear is starting to show, so it might be time I commission some of that famous Dragon’s Gold I keep hearing about and have some made into a new, fancy dagger for her. Though I’m a little curious why she wouldn’t need her dagger for fighting, so I shake my head a little, causing her to struggle to hold on as I ask my question.

“My nails have become really tough and really sharp, much more than normal goblin nails, so I don't really need my dagger anymore.”

To demonstrate, she takes it upon herself to scratch up one of my scales. I don’t recall approving that! I’m not even sure how she manages it, but I can feel that she IS making scratches. Scratches in scales don’t buff out, Raya!

“Where did your skeleton go?”

Raya’s question takes my attention away from my scratched-up scale, and I can’t see Skelly either. I have no idea whether that skeleton is trustworthy or not, but so far, I’m not getting pure soul-sucking vibes from them.

“They wish to know what substance has been applied to the Affront. They wish to weaponize it against the Cult of the Affront and the Dead King's Legion.”

Skelly is nowhere to be seen, but I guess sight or earshot isn’t necessary for whatever method of communication they’re using. With a few steps, I see the large hole I dug and the opening to the underground catacombs. Skelly is walking inside some sort of bubble, pushing away a weird mist I’ve never seen before. I’m pretty sure that’s the Vile Steel dust that could kill me.

I want a safety bubble too.

“Raya, what do you think? Should we tell Skelly what we used on the Vile Steel?”

“They encourage the First of Kiranot the Dragon’s court to share the secrets. They express curiosity and utilize social adaptation to encourage favors.”

Well, when they say it like that… I don’t know, though. It’s a possible weapon against magical things that I could use to surprise an enemy in the future, and keeping some secrets, I feel, is a very good idea, so I don't think I'll share that just yet.

“It’s Kira’s venom, Joras says it disrupts magic, and the more complex the magic is, the more effective the venom is.”

I’m gonna have to find some other secrets to keep, apparently. The tapping speeds up and Skelly comes rushing out of the catacombs, reuniting with Raya and me.

“They do not understand. They can see that Kiranot the Dragon’s specialty is primordial flame. They have not known a Dragon to have two specialties. They hypothesize it is because of Kiranot the Dragon’s mutated Soul. They wish to taste Kiranot the Dragon’s Soul to learn more.”

“No.”

“They are displeased. They threaten violence in the hopes of Kiranot the Dragon fearing them enough to allow it.”

“Can you defeat me? Or hurt me enough to take anything from me?”

“They cannot. They are not built for combat.”

Not really much of a threat if Skelly just admits that they can’t defeat me. I don’t know why, but Skelly is weirdly endearing to me. I wonder if I can keep an undead as a pet.

With a wave of Skelly’s hand, I feel a little sick again as one of the things Raya defeated rises up and starts lumbering about and I’m pretty sure that’s necromancy. And I’m pretty sure necromancy isn’t allowed, but Skelly seems entirely indifferent to that rule.

“They request Kiranot the Dragon to use her venom on the risen Cultist.”

Sure, buddy, that’s not a big ask. Given that licking is reserved for only my best of friends and those I feel like licking, I opt for just spitting on this thing. It takes a while, but whenever my venomous spit lands on any of the cultist's body parts, it stops moving as the body stiffens again. Am I an anti-undead weapon?!

“They are pleased with the results of Kiranot the Dragon’s venom. They request a vial to analyze. They wish to understand the venom.”

That seems like a risky proposition for me, since this unknown entity that has only managed to reach truce status...