Klaw, Anath, Leofric, Lisa, Oswald, and ten other men joined Elyndris on their March to the barrow fields. She had spent all night last night preparing for the attack.

Three spells, that was all she had access to.

A focused energy beam, a force beam, and one spell she wanted to try. An energy force beam. She had wanted to add focus to it. But, trying as hard as she could, she couldn't handle that complicated of a spell. Not yet.

She was currently riding the first and most loyal of her steeds. Anath. In truth, she would have preferred Klaw. He simply had more surface area, and his fur was easier to grip.

But, he was grumpy. Daggat and Klaw argued about who would stay with Zuss. Klaw lost. So, Daggat and Hunter were left behind to care for the idiot hobgoblin. She poisoned herself, which is one of the most embarrassing things you could do to yourself, realistically.

It did not matter. Hunter and Daggat were among their weakest warriors. And Zuss was small. So was Elyndris, sure, but Elyndris was small with style.

Leofric, Lisa, and Oswine were with them. As well as ten nobodies. They had names, but Elyndris couldn't be bothered to learn them. They were weak and would die anyway.

Most of the party jogged ahead, except for Oswine who had brought a pony. Why the large man was here, she had no clue.

What intrigued her, however, was the tattoos that they all carried. Oswine didn't have one, but the rest wore them proudly. In her thaumic sense, they glowed with magic. Tendrils like mist streamed from them, disappearing in the distance and connecting them to their village.

Elyndris pounced off Anath's shoulder and glided to the large human, Oswine. He yelled in surprise when she latched herself to the ponies neck.

The pony shook its head in frustration, but the human calmed it down.

"You, human, answer my questions," she demanded.

"We're in a hurry, can this wait?"

"The pony is doing all the work. And we're still an hour away."

"An hour!" Cried Anath. Elyndris ignored her.

"Very well. What do you want to know… umm, I'm sorry. I didn't get your name."

"I'm Elyn- Elly… no, I'm Elyndris." she considered giving a fake name. These humans might know of her past life, and she didn't want to stir up too much trouble. But, Dammit, that was her name and she would own it.

If he recognized the name, he didn't show it. "What do you wish to know, Elyndris."

"What is the significance of the tattoos? The blue, flowery ones."

"Hmm, oh. It's a local tradition. A mark of adulthood for the village. Been a practice for over a century by now, but I don't know its origin."

"What do they do?"

He frowned. "They are cosmetic. Culturally important. Nothing more."

Interesting. Either the human was lying or was ignorant.

"Who applies the tattoo?" Elyndris asked.

"The altar keeper, Mary. You are… quite curious for a larva. I've never known your kind to speak."

"Ah, well, no wonder. I am the most powerful and wisest larva in the entirety of history. Don't think about it too hard, it's not that big of a deal."

Oswald chuckled and adjusted himself on the pony.

"I have another question." Elyndris continued. "What do you know about inkbeast scrolls?"

"Quite a bit. They are my primary method of survival. I am a calligrapher, by trade and class. Why do you ask?"

"I happen to have one. We have yet to use it because we do not understand it."

"It is a good thing you didn't. Inkbeast scrolls are prisons, of a sort. Monsters on the verge of death may be trapped, bound, and summoned. If you found one, it was likely designed to keep whatever foul soul within from reincarnating."

"So, it must be powerful then. And clever."

"They are. More so than we can handle. But, I will inspect it, when we have the time."

"Good. That is all." She turned to fly off.

"Wait, little one."

Elyndris hesitated.

"Do I not get a question or two?"

"If you wish. I will answer only two."

"Alright. Why… can you talk?

"Why does everyone ask that? I hatched with vast wisdom. No, it's not a variance. That's all I know."

"Interesting… and what are the intentions of your leader, Daggat."

"He means to grow in strength, as all of us do. For you, he seeks someone to fix the house. We are not carpenters."

"It is truly that simple? No ulterior motives?"

"Indeed. We do not have the greed of men. Just the hunger of monsters and the want of a safe home. If there is something we want, we will take it. Do not forget it was you who attacked us."

"As I am reminded. For what it is worth, I apologize for my people. You can understand why we would be hesitant."

"Bah. What is done is done. You can make it right by gathering the ears of the fallen for us."

"Very well." Oswine chuckled.

The pony huffed in surprise when Elyndris leaped from its back. She flapped her wings a few times to steady herself, they weren't good for gaining height and then settled back onto Anath's shoulder.

They continued their march for some time before Leofric called them to a halt.

"Sylvester, scout ahead. Make sure we aren't running into a trap." He said. One of the men disappeared in the brush.

"Anath. You scout too, from above." Klaw said.

Anath nodded, then jumped to the nearest tree. She climbed it with speed, then lept from tree to tree. Soon, they had a clear view of the field ahead. Elyndris couldn't make out anything. Her vision was detailed, but short. To her, it was a distant blob of darkness.

"What do you see?"

"A field with several hills and defiled graves. Some of the hills have been dug into. I can see goblins moving in and out of the holes. They have piled bones in the middle of the field. The goblins… they aren't like Daggat. They are white, like bone. Some are lazing around, others are arguing. But most are moving bones."

"How many are there?"

"I don't know. A dozen? Maybe more inside the mounds."

"Interesting. Let's head back."

The two of them beat the human scout back. Anath recounted what she had seen to Klaw and Leofric.

"Alright, we need a plan," Klaw said.

"Hold on. We wait for my man." Leofric said.

"Why? Anath was faster."

"Just wait."

If she had eyes, Elyndris would have narrowed them at Leofric. The man still didn't trust them. She didn't blame him, but at this point, it was getting frustrating.

The human scout arrived without incident and conveyed more or less the same information to the group.

"They likely outnumber us," Oswine said.

"But, we have a surprise," Klaw said.

Leofric was deep in thought. His eyes jumped from person to person.

"They are high level, surely. But they would lack experience. If we attack fast and hard, then the day is ours." He said, eventually.

"Or, we could do the fucking obvious first." Klaw countered. Leofric glared at him, but he continued. "Look, I'm a bugbear. They might think I am on team headhunter. I go up, gather what information I can, THEN we attack. We've got a hero summoning scroll that we can use, that will nullify the numbers and then some. Our biggest issue is them retreating to the holes."

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"He has a point," Oswine said.

"I'd rather not take the chance," Leofric said.

"Take the chance on what," Klaw growled.

"Oh, please can we stop bickering and just get out there? I REALLY want to try out my new rage. Look, Leofric, if they were going to warn the goblins, they would have by now." Lisa said.

"The RISK is them not falling for it. But, fine. If you get yourself killed, then it's just one less headache."

"Take me with you. They will not question a worm on your person." Elyndris told him.

She moved to Klaw's shoulder.

"You going to be fine?" Klaw asked Anath. She glanced towards Lisa for a brief moment, then nodded. Then Klaw reviewed the potions he had. Two Drakehearts and a gremlin bomb. Just as a precaution. Anath had the same, though she didn't know what Drakeheart did to her.

Klaw, with Elyndris on his shoulder, sauntered forward with practiced confidence. After some time, he found a small road and followed it to the barrow fields.

Once a graveyard, now the fields were a mess of ruptured dirt and shattered stones. The pile of bones at its center was almost ten feet high. Each bone was gnawed.

Several creatures eyed Klaw's approach. They were goblins, for sure. They had the same shape and size. But, to Elyndris's view, they seemed to be made of bone. White and brittle with sunken, skull-like faces. Clouds of death shimmered in the air around the fields. This place was rich in essence.

One of the bone goblins scuttled towards Klaw.

"Who are you?" it called out.

"Klaw. Here to check on things."

"I don't recognize you. Who's your boss?"

"I ain't got a boss," Klaw growled.

"Hogo make you a new boss then? Where's your squad?"

"I ATE THEM. Well, all but a couple of 'em. So, how's it going?"

The goblin sneered, "We don't need the help of a bugbear. Get lost."

"Tough, I'm here anyway."

"What's that?" The goblin pointed to Elyndris.

"A snack. Stop wasting time. Look, I don't want to be here either. Just walk me through what you are doing, then I can decide that I'm unneeded." Klaw said.

Elyndris almost snapped at Klaw for the snack comment but managed to hold back. The goblin growled and allowed Klaw to follow him. Elyndris was slightly impressed. She was worried about Klaw's ability to lie. Turns out, his bravado did all the work for him.

"Well, we've dug up all the humans that were in the ground. Ate them up good, but someone got to them first. No experience from half of 'em. Then we found out there's a lot more bones in these hills. So, we dug. We got a kobold working through the earth. It's slow, but each bone is a full kill, or close to it. If it's not already been feasted, of course. Most are."

"You throw them in the middle, so you don't waste time eating bones already eaten."

"Indeed. Indeed. The bones… they are insidious. Eat too many, and they change ya." It knocked on a hard shell of bone armor that encased the goblin. "But, you eat the bones that are too old… thems will kill ya. Lost two goblins to them. But, now we know."

"How many have you eaten?"

"Dunno, but it's a lot. Hundreds. That last level was from us."

"I'm a bit ahead in levels. What level are you now?"

"Thirteen!" The goblin said with a giggle. Elyndris shivered. These goblins were higher level than the crew. Higher level, but not stronger. There was more to strength than levels.

They turned a corner around one of the hills. There, held aloft by a spike, was a human corpse. It was an older man. Now broken, disemboweled, and on display.

"What's that?" Klaw asked.

"Oh, some human that lived nearby. We think he managed their corpses. Not very strong, but I let the boys have fun with him."

The goblin had led them to a hole dug into the side of the hill. Death essence streamed out of it like a swarm of bats. It was so thick with the stuff, that Elyndris couldn't see far into the depths. They heard the working of goblins within.

"Do you want to go in?" The goblin asked.

"No… that's fine. Are you the boss?" Klaw asked.

"I am. Bit is what I'm called. Now, go back to Hogo. Tell him we are doing good work."

"Just a few more questions. What about the other chiefs? They send any help?"

"What? You stupid? The other chiefs are in different parts of the woods. We ain't helping them, they ain't helping us."

"Really? And where is Rika?"

"She's- wait, how come you don't know?" The goblin narrowed its eyes in suspicion. A few other goblins were milling just out of casual talking range.

"Ah, Klaw, I think that's the cut-off," Elyndris said.

"Yeah, I see that," Klaw said, unsheathing his claws.

"It can talk? Wait, what's going on?" Bit asked.

"Would you do the honors of starting things, Elyndris? I have this pesky Oath."

"My pleasure," Elyndris said, activated burst of strength, and pounced.

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 Paladin Level: 3 [+2 Str, +2 Con, +2 Wil; Smite, Righteous Aura]

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(0/3): System Aptitude: 1 Burst of Strength: 1 Attribute Boost: Strength (+2) Flame Affinity: 1 [Source: Arsonist] Smite: 1 Wind Slash: 1 Savage Attacks: 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

Elyndris

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

Monster Level:

11

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 (3/11):

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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