Daggat, Klaw, Elyndris, Anath, and Hunter stood on the balcony. It was a nice day. Birds were singing, The sun was shining. The quest altar had a quest available. What more could you ask for?

The yard below had transformed. Just a month ago, it was a mess of roots, snow, and dirt. Now, it had been cleared. At night, Alfred had spent his time tearing roots from the ground and smoothing over the dirt. With a practiced landscaper, they might be able to return it to its former glory.

He turned to the statue. Behind its head was a golden glow that signified a quest.

"Anyone have a coin?" Daggat asked. No one said anything. He sighed, pulled a silver coin from a pocket, and flicked it into the statue's open hand.

In just a few moments, the same three-eyed angel smiled at them. Daggat wondered if this angel was specific to the altar or the party.

"Hello, Daggat." She said.

"Gimme the quest." He said. The angel's smile softened. Her version of a scowl.

"Don't be rude to the angel!" Anath hissed.

"It is fine, Anathema," now Anath was scowling, "I am not offended. Hunter, how is the foot treating you."

"It's good, um, thank you." Hunter was stiff and seemed unsure of himself. It was just a statue, no need to get worked up over it.

"Quest, lady. I'm out three days already, can't waste too much time." Daggat said. Anath kicked him in the leg. He scowled at her. The angel chuckled.

"Very well. Indeed, I offer a quest." Her tone shifted subtly. It now held a measure of importance. "A dragon is rising. To the west, a blood goblin has begun its march. Soon-"

"Oh shit, Rika started to march?" Daggat said, eyes wide in shock. Anath hissed for him to shut up and kicked him again. "Ow, stop that!" He kicked her back.

"Both of you shut up! What is the quest, oh angel of the tree." Elyndris said sarcastically. Daggat and Anath glared at each other.

"As I was saying, yes. It's Rika. She has amassed an army of goblins." Anath gasped but said nothing. "Your quest is twofold. Slay Rika and collect the ears of her fallen minions."

"Interesting. What is the reward?" Daggat asked.

"I will grant you three boons for the head of the leader. Plus several gifts determined by the number and quality of the minion ears." She said.

Daggat turned to look at his party. Anath looked pale and had her hands to her mouth in shock.

"Anath? You alright?" He asked her.

"Wavecrest… it is to the west. Is that where they are going?" She whispered.

"I think that is her hometown," Elyndris said.

"Then we should take it. Go and save it, right?" Hunter said.

"Anath? What are you thinking?" Daggat asked. Was it her home? Didn't she have some bad memories of that place? Daggat hadn't paid too much attention to Anath's story.

"That was where I was born, yes. But… I don't know. I don't want to go back. My father is there." She mumbled.

"Well, there you go. We refuse." Daggat said.

"Wait! Daggat, that's three boons! We might get an ichor!" Elyndris yelled at him.

"Look, I saw Rika kill a human. That human was stronger than anything we've faced so far. It could have torn that demon apart, I bet. Rika killed him like it was nothing. We can't handle her. Yet."

"I knew you were a twerp, but I didn't know you were a coward," Klaw growled.

"Coward? No. But, I'm also not suicidal. Listen, I want the loot. Believe me. But, I don't think it's a good move for us."

"So we just leave the town to it's fate?" Hunter said.

"What do you think we could do? Realistically. They have thousands of humans there. Not only can they take care of themselves, but they would be just as likely to kill US." Daggat pointed out.

Elyndris hissed in frustration. "He's right. It wouldn't be wise. Angel, do others have this quest?"

"It is a quest offered to all within the realm, yes." It replied.

"See, someone else will take care of it," Daggat said. "Though… we are likely to run into a minion or two. Can we take that part?"

"If you take the quest and fail to kill Rika, you will not be punished. You may still turn in any minion ears." The angel said. Daggat looked at Anath. After a moment, she nodded.

"Yep. We'll take it. Got anything else?" Daggat asked.

"Very well. There are no quests needed nearby, I am afraid." The angel said. Her face took on a sad expression.

"Ah, come on. You can do better than that. We gave you the coin and everything." Complained Klaw.

"Yeah, we paid. We're headed to Brinehaven, got anything there?" Daggat said.

"One moment." The angel said. Then she turned back into a statue. For a moment, the crew stood there awkwardly.

"Anath," Elyndris began, "Are you okay with Wavecrest falling?" Elyndris turned to face her. Anath's mandibles wriggled and her spider legs curled in on themselves.

"Well, they tried to kill me. I've also never really seen it." Anath said.

"Sounds like they're a bunch of dicks. Anyone who tries to kill you is an enemy of the Crew. Let 'em rot." Klaw said. Anath narrowed her eyes in determination.

"Yeah! Fuck 'em!" She said.

"Anath!" Elyndris said in shock. "You spend too much time with Klaw." Anath blushed.

"Sorry." She mewed.

"All those people… I hope they are going to be okay, though." Hunter said.

"Eh, they're humans. Did you guys read up on local wars? Nine out of ten of them were started by humans. Specifically these folk. They nearly wiped out the orcs, almost hunted the wise wolves to extinction, and destroyed a city of harpies. Fought countless wars against their own kind. And that was only in the last hundred years. Who knows what they get up to elsewhere." Daggat had spent a lot of time reading up on local history. He had a forty-year gap, but he had an idea of what the local humans were like. Hateful, especially towards monsters, and greedy.

"I mean… are goblinoids any better? We kind of suck." Klaw said.

"Well, sure, but at least we're honest about-" Daggat began.

Suddenly the statue came back to life. Everyone turned their attention to it.

"Thank you for your patience." She said, "Yes. I confirmed that quests do await you at Brinehaven's quest altar. I've been permitted to offer them to you."

"You have a boss?" Daggat asked.

"We all serve someone." The angel replied.

"Orc shit." Daggat and Elyndris said at the same time. They looked at each other and chuckled. "So, the quest? Or, quests. There's multiple?" Daggat continued.

"Two. First, tension is rising. Brinehaven is a city torn in two. Discover the two sides and end the conflict. A city divided cannot stand against the coming tide." She said.

"Why don't you do something about it? You seem to know a lot." Daggat said.

"My kind are forbidden from entering your world. We may only offer rewards and communicate through these altars. It is a mortal who has created these quests. We only offer them." She said. Daggat's ear twitched. That was an interesting tidbit to look into. "If you accept this quest, two boons await you."

"Yeah, okay. We'll take it. What's the other?" Daggat said.

"Murder has tainted the city of brine. Several deaths, each more grotesque than the last. Discover the culprit and stop them. For this, I offer two boons."

"Solve a murder spree. Easy enough. Say, what happens if we fail an entire quest or if someone beats us to it?"

"If you fail a quest, you are not punished. But, you receive no reward."

Daggat turned to look at his crew. "Well, I think we should go for it. Why not?"

"Might as well," Klaw said. The others mumbled their agreements.

"Then, we accept. Both of them." Daggat said. It was a bit more to add to his plate, but the boons could come in handy.

"I thank you for your bravery, heroes until we meet again." The angel transformed back into a statue.

After a moment, Daggat showed the statue a rude gesture. He was no hero, and she knew it.

"So," Daggat said, turning to his party, "Did I miss anything else?"

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

"I've been training. Ate a deer heart and a handful of rabbit hearts. Other than that, not really." Klaw said.

"The rest of us have been training some more," Anath said.

"Good. I'm going to go talk to Zuss. Back to… whatever it was you all were doing." Hunter, Anath, and Klaw wandered off, back to wherever it was they spent their day lately. Elyndris, however, remained.

"Daggat. I must talk to you." She said. She was sitting on the railing. Daggat walked up and leaned against it. It creaked in protest, and Daggat quickly took his weight off of it. They really needed a proper carpenter or two.

"What's up?" He said.

"You have a core now. I know a little bit about them. There is something you need to know." She said. Daggat had a feeling this was about what she almost said earlier. Perfect, another thing to mark off of his to-do list.

"It feels pretty good. I can feel it getting warmer." He said. It was true. The core was getting steadily stronger. Its presence gave him a sense of power.

"I presume you do not know what a core is, exactly." She said.

"Presume I don't. It will be easier." He offered.

"What do you know about essence and mana?"

"I know mana is everywhere. Essence is what happens when mana infuses into something. Usually takes a while."

"Yes. Well…" Elyndris looked at the statue with an expression that could only be suspicion. "Actually. Let's talk about this as we walk. I found something you might be interested in."

"Lead on," Daggat said. It was a nice day for a walk.

She ended up taking him out of the manor and down a game trail. He had run this way a few times when he decided to do morning runs. The tome recommended them. Eventually, however, she took him off the trail.

"So, what about cores?" Daggat asked as he climbed over fallen branches. He had his spear with him, so he used it to pull himself up easier.

"It involves… the path to becoming a demon." She said after checking no one was around.

"The WHAT?"

"Shh… listen. Demons are hunted by pretty much everyone. But, they are a path to power. A path I suspect we will walk, one day."

"You know how to become a demon? Like the tree?"

"Evidently. If my memories are accurate, at least. So far, they have been. I don't know all of the steps. But, one part of becoming a demon involves infusing your being with essence."

"Like alchemy?"

"No. Not like that. That was a physical thing. This infusion requires a lot of work. One must cultivate their spirit to be able to accept the essence. The process can take years."

"Okay. Why didn't you bring this up earlier? We could start early."

"You must not. At least, not yet. Once you start the path to becoming a demon, the angels will send their assassins after you. Not a deal breaker, but still. Not something we want to happen."

"We can handle some assassins. Probably."

"Never mind the assassins. You don't start getting real power from it until later. So, best get what we can now through the system before we complicate things."

"Alright… fine. I can wait. What does this have to do with cores?"

"A core is like a buffer. When the angels think a monster is on the path to becoming a demon, they install a core. It can block the process."

"AND YOU LET ME DO IT!?" Daggat glared at the worm, who was gliding alongside him.

"Relax, goblin. It's still possible. But, it will be a lot harder now. Fire essence is now streaming into your body. Touching other essence is going to be like trying to hear a song during a thunderstorm. But, if we can pull it off, we will be a lot more powerful. We can tear apart your core and combine essences. Fire and cloud, as a random example off the top of my head."

"Just how much do you know?" Daggat said, suspiciously.

"A lot. Several lifetimes of knowledge. All jumbled up in my mind. Not everything is linear, and I suspect things might be missing. But, it's a lot." Elyndris stopped and faced him. "I am telling you this now so you know what to expect when the time comes. You might be tempted to walk the path of the demon. But, wait until you are a champion, at the very least."

"I can't make any promises," Daggat said.

The path to a demon. That was something that interested him. If Daggat could gain the powers of the tree, or something similar, he was sure he could use them better. With the demon's similarities to alchemy, he might have an easier time understanding the process. Daggat idly wondered what essence actually was. It was instrumental to alchemy and demonic power. It was a form of mana, which meant it also had a hand in magic.

"What were you going to show me?"

"Well, speaking of essence. I was flying around our country the other day. I noticed a faint stream of mana. I noticed it was taking a… living form. It is hard to explain… but the mana seemed to become alive." They continued moving as she talked. "I followed it and I found something. A hidden little clearing. I think you can use what is inside. We are close."

A few minutes later, Daggat pushed through some thick vegetation. It was unusually thick here, as though a wall to keep someone out.

On the other side was a wide clearing. It was secluded and difficult to get to. A single opening in the canopy streamed in light. Where it illuminated, Scattered about in several clumps, were red flowers. Daggat did a double-take when he took a closer look at them. Each was topped not with flower petals, but tiny anatomically correct hearts. They gave off the scent of iron. What Daggat mistook as the wind gently caressing the flowers ended up being a faint, rhythmic beating. One dripped with what looked like blood.

"What…" Daggat started.

"Flowers infused with mana. Essence. I can see life. Beast and plant in equal measure. Could be useful for potion-making. Consider this an investment."

"This is great! Exactly the kind of thing I need. Can they spread? Be replanted? So many experiments are-" Something cut off Daggat. A deep, wet snort.

Slowly, Daggat turned his head to the beast that was menacingly stepping closer to them.

"That… wasn't here last time," Elyndris said.

The beast snorted again, then screamed. Daggat braced himself as the massive skinless boar began its charge.

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; Scavenger; Small Size]

Monster Level: 9

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 Act: Reborn by Fire

Skills(0/4): Alchemy: 1 [Source: Fledgling Alchemist] System Aptitude: 1 [Source: System Knowledge] System Assistant: 2 [Perk: Semi-sentience] Mind Codex: 1 [Synergy: Mental notes + Copy Tome] Party Leader: 1 [Source: Usurper]

Notable Natural Skills: Literacy: Apprentice

Biotraits (0/9): Base size: Small [Source: Goblin] Regenerating Teeth [Source: Gremlin] Enhanced Night Vision [Source: Gremlin] Disease Resistance [Mutations: Rot Resistance; Source: Gremlin] Temperature Resistant Skin [Synergy: Fire Resistant Skin + Cold Resistant Skin] Scavenger [Source: goblin] Death Sight [Source: Touch of Death] Increased Pain Tolerance Fire Core Beguiling Presence [Synergy: Hypnotic Gaze (Dominating Gaze, Mesmerizing Gaze) + Hypervocal (Beguiling Voice) Cords]

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 Skill potions used: 1/5

Notable Gear: Strange pure-white sword shard Spear of Bracing 2 Mihr Contracts

Elyndris

True Name: Elyndris Soul: Monster Genseed: Larva [ 1 Str, 1 Dex, 1 Con, 1 Int, 1 Wil, 1 Cha; miniscule Size]

Monster Level:

9

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

Act: Vile Concoction

Act:

Fledgling Mage

Skills (0/3):

Burst of Strength: 1

Pounce: 1

Construct Capacity: 1

Spellcraft: 1

Biotraits (1/9):

Base size: Miniscule

Jaws

Thaumic Sense

[Synergy: Tremor Sense + Magic Sense; Mutations:

Refined Sense

]

Complex organs

Limbs [Mutation:

Lesser Wings

]

Disease Resistance

[Source: Vile Concoction]

Force Distributing Flesh

Transformations:

Night Stalker form:

+2 strength

+2 dexterity

+2 constitution

Jaws [Mutation: Powerful Jaws]

Known Magical Components:

Engines

: Force, Energy, Beam

Drives

: Focus

Notable Gear:

5 Refresh Pills

Hero Scroll

Other:

Curse: Ungenesis

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