Klaw stretched his shoulders, then rubbed his wrist. Ever since it was nearly cut off, it ached. It had healed fine, though he had never fully recovered full use of some of his fingers. That was alright, it didn't hinder his claws too much and it was his off-hand.

He moved on to stretching his legs. Good preparation for training was important. Calion taught him that, but he didn't learn it until he started using the gym. It was situated in the south wing. There was space to spar, equipment to enhance strength training, and various furnishings that Klaw was pretty sure were for balance and gymnastics. At least, that was what Zuss used them for.

Everyone else used the gym now and then, but not as often as Klaw. Here, he felt like he was doing something useful. Building strength. Cleaning bored him, he couldn't read, and he hated how patient you had to be when hunting. There wasn't much else to do.

Already he could tell a difference. His muscles, as dense and wimpy as they appeared, have been growing steadily. It was faint, and the fur covered it, but he could feel it.

After finishing his stretching routine, he moved to the log. It was his version of a punching bag. He worked on his technique. Slicing and cutting into a large, bugbear-sized log with as much speed and precision as he could muster. Now that they were planning on leaving again, he needed to make sure he was ready.

"Your arms are too wide." Spoke a gruff voice. Klaw dropped into a crouch and turned to the intruder. It was Skiz, the gremlin. Klaw relaxed. The visitors showed up yesterday. They were friends with Calion, so Klaw didn't have any beef with them. He laughed.

"Yeah? What would you know, pipsqueak?" He said. It was just a gremlin. What did it know about fighting?

"I'm old, kid. I've seen a lot." Skiz cracked his knuckles. "Fight me."

"Sorry, can't. Daggat specifically told me not to hurt you. And I would kick your tiny green ass. Go get the lizard, he's at least big enough." Klaw turned back to the log. The gremlin growled.

"You're pretty confident, for a weakling. Or is it cowardice disguised as arrogance?"

"I'm not a coward," Klaw said, turning back to him slowly.

"Prove it." Skiz narrowed his one eye at him.

"Fine. But if you don't die, you gotta tell Dag it was your idea." Klaw cracked his neck and moved to the sparing circle.

Skiz stepped into it. He had no weapon. Then again, neither did Klaw. The height difference was ridiculous. Klaw could easily punt him away. That was what he decided to do.

He stepped forward and kicked at the gremlin. Not with all of his strength, of course. Klaw didn't want to splatter him right away. Just humble him a bit. Skiz stepped to the side, dodging the attack, and then stepped into Klaw's range. Skiz hooked a palm on Klaw's other leg and twisted it from under him. Klaw hit the ground hard.

"People try that all the time," Skiz said absently.

Klaw growled and rolled away. His claws slid into place as he took a low stance. Skiz just stood there, arms behind his back.

The gremlin easily dodged Klaw's swipes. Ducking or sidestepping. With a blur, the gremlin lashed out, striking both arms in the wrist. They were knocked to the side, leaving Klaw vulnerable. Then Skiz jumped. For a moment, he seemed to hover in place in front of Klaw, who was too slow to react. The gremlin's tiny palm slammed into Klaw's chest. It felt like he was speared with a training weapon.

The air left his lungs and Klaw stumbled back.

"Oh? You're heavier than you look." Skiz remarked.

"And… you're stronger than you look," Klaw said after he recovered his breath. "Still small though."

Klaw began to breathe heavily. In and out, like an engine. Fueling oxygen to his blood. He beat his heart faster, then harder. Then faster still. He could feel the rush. Energy flooding his limbs, adrenaline naturally producing at an enhanced rate. His veins bulged and pulsed, making his fur look like it was waving in the wind. Klaw was proud of this technique. He made it all by himself.

Then he attacked. His claws were a blur, strike after strike. He hit something solid and sparks flew.

Skiz had drawn his own set of claws and was matching him strike for strike.

Blood dripped into the fray, instantly vaporizing. Then it gushed out of Klaw's nose like a geyser. He instantly cut it off.

Fatigue and wooziness hit him as his blood pressure dropped. It was enough of a distraction. Skiz was in the air again, claws pointed at Klaw's face. He struck with his palm, withdrawing his claws at the last moment.

Klaw was knocked firmly on his ass, again. The world spun around him.

"Stop that, before you kill yourself," Skiz said. "Match is mine." Klaw closed his eyes. He was glad no one else was here to see him lose a fight to a gremlin.

"Okay, okay. I admit. You got me." Klaw stood up. "How the fuck did you learn to fight like that? Thought your thing was… not evolving."

"Everyone needs to make a living. Few mercenary jobs here and there. Main gig is coaching monsters who want to REALLY fight. I've developed an eye for adapting combat styles to different biotraits. I could give you some pointers."

"Alright, what have you got?" Klaw asked.

"First, what biotraits do you have?"

Klaw told him.

"Good choices… good choices. I've got a few of those. You are going to want to get reinforced organs. That will combine with your bones and muscles. But, evolve those a bit first."

"Noted. But it will be a while. I've got a class now. Paladin."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah. I hate it."

"Well, that's on you. Now, you've got some advantages you ain't using. Your muscles and bones are hard as steel. Don't rely on the claws so much." Skiz walked over to the log.

"Claws are kind of my thing. I want to use them." Klaw followed him.

"Sure, but that's not what I meant. But, let me show you something. Do this without your claws." He held out a hand and curled it into a claw-like pose. Klaw did so. "Tighter. Pull in the fingers, yeah like that." He pushed on Klaw's palm. "Do you feel how tense and hard that is? You should strike with your palm. Try it out."

"Alright…" Klaw smacked the log with his palm. It rocked and a small dent was left in the log. "Yeah, hits good. But, doesn't draw blood."

"Not yet. That is the first step. This is the full technique." Skiz stepped up to the log. He widened his stance and curled his fingers into shape. He hit the log with viper speed. There was a crunching sound and a huge chunk of wood flew from the log. What was left was an ugly gaping wound.

"How did you do that? Do it again!"

"As I strike with the palm, I extend my claws. The force from the strike is multiplied by the force of the claws extracting. That's the key. Use the claws to help you fight, don't fight WITH them."

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"I see." Klaw gave it a try. He hit the log with his palm, but his claws got stuck in the wood.

"We'll work on it. Another thing, that trick with the blood. Same idea."

"I don't follow."

"You used it too much. You were lucky with just a nosebleed. If you burst a blood vessel in the brain or cause your heart to explode, you are dead. Don't rely on that."

"Aw, come on. It's like a bonus strength boost."

"A strength boost that will kill you if you do it wrong."

"KLAW! COULD YOU COME TO MY OFFICE?" Boomed Daggat from somewhere in the manor. Klaw growled.

"Good timing. While I am here, I'm willing to share what I know. For a price. Tell your master that I am offering my services for coin."

"Ain't my master. He's my brother. I'll tell 'em. But you gotta train Anath, too. Oh, and I want to know how to swing a sword."

"The spider? Fine. I'll mull over what techniques fit for you while you're gone. If he agrees, we will hash out a deal. Then, meet me here first thing in the morning."

Klaw wiped off the blood with a half-dissolved towel, then nodded at him. Having a gremlin teach them to fight felt weird. He had killed several gremlins without even trying too hard, they weren't the most impressive foes. But, some guidance on how to kill more effectively would be handy.

About ten minutes later, Klaw threw open the door to Daggat's office.

Daggat sat at the desk and Alfred floated in a corner.

"What?" Klaw asked irritation in his voice.

"Have a seat," Daggat said.

"What do you want?" He demanded.

"I'm going to tell you how to solve your paladin problem, asshole. Sit down and get in the status void."

Klaw took the seat. He was still grumpy from getting his ass kicked by a two-foot-tall, old gremlin. In the status void, Daggat had copied his office using the upgrade Anath bought. Gold and silk seemed to adorn the place. Hypocrite.

"You found a way around the oaths?" Klaw asked.

"Sort of. I found some interesting tidbits. There are a lot of interesting figures in history to pull from." Daggat pulled up a note. An image of a warrior in gleaming armor appeared. "This guy used his paladin abilities to combo with a cleric. Boosted his will, which in turn was used to boost the paladin's attributes. It created a loop that made the combination more powerful than it would seem. You and Hunter could do the same."

"Meh, I'm not really a support kind of bugbear," Klaw said.

"Thought so." Daggat flipped the page. An ogre in natural wood armor was shown riding a giant mammoth. "This guy was a paladin. He focused on smite. It was said that a charge from him was unavoidable death. But, he had to go vegetarian… for some reason."

"Nope. Love meat too much. What else you got?" Klaw said. Daggat brought up another note. There was an image of a dark warrior wielding a blazing sword.

"Ooh, what's that?" Klaw asked, suddenly much more interested.

"That," answered Alfred, "is one of the most hated and despicable humans ever to be born."

"Logan, The Vile. Or Logan, Oathbreaker. He has a lot of titles." Daggat said. "More importantly, this man began his career as a paladin, just like you."

"How did a paladin end up with a name like The Vile?"

"He killed an entire village for experience," Alfred answered. "It didn't even give him a level. The things he did for power were terrible and extreme. He led an army against invaders. Then, when the battle ended, he turned on his men. No one left the battlefield alive. If you go that route, people will hate you for it."

"I don't care what people think," Klaw said.

"No, I mean, people will literately try to kill you on the street."

"Even better! What do I have to do?" Klaw asked.

"As far as I can tell, if you break your oath, you lose all of your paladin abilities. But, there is a workaround. Sort of." Daggat began.

"The Oathmaker class," Alfred added. "It is one of the few basic classes you can choose after breaking an oath. It, as far as we can tell, allows one to remake their paladin oath. Since Logan, it is considered taboo on par with getting a monster soul for humans. At least, in this part of the world."

"So, I can make my oath? Anything I want?" Klaw asked.

"It's an agreement," Daggat said. "To do it, you need to track down an altar to Mehr. After that, the text is fuzzy on the details."

"Cool, so we keep an eye out for that. Anything else?"

"It might not even work. But, hey, it's an option. In the meantime, focus on smite skills, work towards warrior spirit, and see if you can't figure out how to swing a sword."

"Sounds like a plan. Oh, that reminds me, the little guy that showed up? Yeah, turns out he's a badass." Klaw said.

"Naturally. He's a lot higher level than us. And WE are pretty badass." Daggat said.

"No, I mean, he is REALLY good. He said he'd train us, for some coin. I think we should go for it."

"How much does he charge? We are sheltering him…" Daggat's eyes narrowed.

"Don't know. That's a you thing." Klaw stood up from his chair. "Welp. Good chat. I'm going to see if there's any bear left." He turned to leave.

"Klaw," Daggat said.

"Yeah?"

"If you pull off the Oathmaker, I will make sure people forget about Logan," Daggat said.

"Klaw, the Vile?" Klaw said, grinning.

"We can workshop the title. Send up Hunter if you see him."

Klaw nodded. Oathmaker… the name implied he would make his own oath. Klaw would have to think about that. But, there was plenty of time to think. Who knows where an altar even was?

Klaw

True Name: Klaw Soul: Mortal/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: 8 [+2 Str, +2 Con, +2 Wil; Smite, Righteous Aura] Paladin Level: 1

Attributes (0/6): Strength: 21 (22, +1 belt) Dexterity: 10 Constitution: 13 (14, +1 belt) Intelligence: 8 Will: 11 Charm: 8

Feats: Knowledge: System Knowledge Act: Devotion [Layered feats] Ability: Mighty Strength Act: Arsonist

Skills(0/2): System Aptitude: 1 Burst of Strength: 1 Attribute Boost: Strength (+2) Flame Affinity: 1 [Source: Arsonist] Smite: 1

Notable Natural Skills: Savagery: Apprentice

Biotraits (0/8): 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 Cardiovascular Control

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 Belt of Last Stand

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