Zuss threw another shadow knife at the tree. Daggat had a bad habit of letting the wodewose kidnap him. The last time it happened, he was unconscious. There was no excuse this time.

The others were panicking over the event. Well, Anath and Hunter were. Klaw, like her, was more annoyed. They had already waited for an hour.

It will all work out in the end. Probably. It usually did with Daggat. What was bothering her wasn't her kidnapped brother. It was that she was forgetting something. She SWORE something was watching them. Maybe the thing that hurt Bobby. She just couldn't remember what.

"Hey, Zuss, we're heading back," Klaw called to her.

She nodded absently, "I'm going to check something out."

Anath, who had a tangled mess of webbing between her hands, said, "Want me to help?"

"Nah, should be fine. I'll slip away if I run into trouble."

Elyndris hopped towards her, "What is it?"

"I don't know. Thought I saw something, but now I'm not sure." Zuss stared at the faint, three-fingered handprint on a tree. There had been a goblin near. She should have spotted it. "Just a hunch. Consider it stealth training."

Hunter gave her an infuriatingly empathetic look. She rolled her eyes at him, then he waved at her, "Okay! Don't get kidnapped, too."

Zuss watched them go, then she slipped behind a bush. As she hid herself, she deepened the shadows to further encase her in darkness. The heat residue was fading as the day was getting hotter, but she could still see it. From that point, she sought any more signs of a creature's passing.

It didn't take long. The dirt was kicked up. Loose where it should have been packed down. A leaf was trodden on a few yards from that, and further along this invisible path, she found a half-eaten squirrel. It was, indeed, a goblin she was following.

[You have trained a skill, Tracking, to apprentice level. Divine skills available.]

She smirked as the notification appeared. Apprentice skills were easy to achieve, but some required insight or practice. She had several natural skills. Stealth, climbing, daggers, rope dart, and dodging, to name a few. She had earned some unexpected natural skills over the months as well. Napping, scouting, perception, and scavenging. Things she didn't think would be natural skills.

Then there were the natural skills she didn't even know were skills until she had earned them. Shaping, which was connected to shaping her shadows. Flow dancing, which involved twirling her rope dart. And torture. She did not remember actively torturing something, so it must have counted with the dagger. Or perhaps it was from her playing with her food. She learned a lot from Birdy.

Improving one of the natural skills to the next tier required spending a skill point in that skill. She had done this with climbing and stealth, but still had not learned the next step. Perhaps she needed more practice. Or maybe there was some idea that had yet to come to her.

Without her heat vision, Zuss was sure she would not have been able to track the spy. It was good at stealth, it seemed. But there was no masking the faint trail of heat difference. Barely perceivable, but there. In the footsteps, and when the creature brushed against a bush. In the small droplets of sweat and the occasional heat spot where it rested.

Finally, she heard something. Faint voices speaking softly. Zuss climbed up the nearest tree. Tracking from above would have been tricky, but nobody ever looked up.

She found a group of seven goblins huddling in a cluster of roots. Survivors from the battle.

Beneath her mask, Zuss grinned.

Before her was a banquet of prey. Sure, she would have to wait for them to separate. Even Zuss wasn't confident in fighting seven of them at once without possible backup. But this was a chance for her to test out her new critical hit skill.

Something tugged at the back of her mind. The others wouldn't want her to just kill these. At least, Hunter and Anath wouldn't. And she had made that mistake before. Then again, these were the enemy. Surviving enemies that had fled… because Daggat had let them go. So if she killed them, he would be mad. If Daggat was mad, Klaw would get mad, then the others would fall in line, and soon she would be sent away. But if she didn't kill them, they might report to other enemies. Then she would get in trouble for not dealing with the problem when she could.

Zuss resisted a groan. She hated this. The indecision. Not knowing exactly what to do. That was when the doubt crept in. What if she made the wrong choice? What if she hesitated? Would they get away while she battled with herself internally? Around and around the thoughts went, racing and building atop one another. More and more negativity, and the decision became heavier and heavier.

It didn't happen often. But every once in a while, she would find herself overwhelmed by her own doubts. Once, she had the opportunity to learn a skill from a skill book. But she froze from the pressure and ended up giving it away to Hunter. Then there was the incident with Desmond, the human. She had ended up killing him, which led to no end of trouble.

Deciding to kill was always easy. Choosing to become deadlier was equally simple. But… afterwards was always tricky. Secretly, she hoped Daggat or Anath was here to tell her what to do.

Hunter, she remembered, had climbed a tree for her. If she did make the wrong decision, then at the very least, she knew Hunter wouldn't abandon her.

That thought settled over her like a blanket. She calmed her thoughts and refocused on the now. While she was thinking, she missed the start of a conversation.

"You can't be serious." One of them said, "It… ate them?"

"Yes! Gliby knows what Gliby saw. The tree opened like a mouth, then ate them up!" This one was small and frail-looking. Plain and forgettable, as far as goblins went. Which, in itself, was a worthy feat. Among goblins, it was unusual not to be unusual.

"So he's gone! Who is going to help us now?" Said another goblin, this one had a whining edge to his voice.

"Gliby doesn't think he is dead. The others weren't too worried. They sort of… stood around for a while. It was creepy." That must have been when they were messaging Daggat. Why did she talk like that? Even gremlins had the concept of "I" from an early age. Mostly because gremlins had a hard time saying their own names.

"We should just go and hide somewhere." Another spoke, this one spoke with an almost shrill voice.

"Where?" Gliby said, "We'd starve! Orcs ran away, too, and they'd eat us if they found us. Without a strong leader, we get squished."

Three goblins spoke at the same time, "What do we do?"

"Gliby is going to keep watching… but carefully. The Shadow spots Gliby, but she still forgets Gliby."

Gliby was clearly their leader. There was a certain satisfaction from being called the Shadow. Did the goblins have names for the rest of the party? And how long have they been watching? More importantly, she had some ability to make Zuss forget about her. That explained why it was so difficult to continue the chase once she spotted her.

Zuss came to a decision. These goblins won't die, not yet. First, she wanted to find out more.

She waited patiently while the goblins chit-chatted beneath her. Her inventory was gone, Daggat must have been too far away, so she couldn't snack on the rat she was saving. It was a juicy-looking rat. Instead, she managed to find a nest not far from her.

The nest contained three eggs and a freshly hatched chick. It was small and fuzzy, and it chirped at her. She reached for it, then gently patted the small creature. It was soft and warm, reminding her of Birdy. The eggs, however, were a perfect combination of crunchy and slimy.

While she absently watched the creatures below, Zuss received a message.

Anath: <Hey, you've been gone a while. You okay?>

Zuss: <I'm fine. I found some goblins. Going to interrogate one of them when she's alone.>

Anath: <Oh. Do you want help?>

Zuss: <No. This lot looks pathetic. Daggat back yet?>

Anath: <Noooope. Hunter's really worried. Hey! What do you think my nickname should be? The Cutest Spider Girl was a bit much.>

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Zuss: <What about the Most Annoying Spider Girl?>

ZBFF: <Rude. Hunter has been slow-roasting a fat goblin we found. Sounds gross, but I think you might like it. Does smells good, though. So, hurry back!>

Zuss: <ZBFF?>

ZBFF: <Zuss's Best Friend Forever!>

Zuss: <…>

Zuss: <Whatever.>

Suppressing a smile, Zuss turned her attention back to her quarry.

Finally, Gliby was wandering away from the group in search of food. Zuss began to prowl. Carefully maneuvering from high above. She could see her clearly even from twenty yards up. Deepen Shadows darkened the shadows she cast on the branches, which were then transformed into a chain.

This goblin was slippery. There was no room for error, so Zuss couldn't reveal herself before she grabbed her. She retrieved her teleporting dagger, the Knife of the Traveler, and aimed.

Gliby was stalking some creature, too focused on her task to see the dagger falling towards her like a dropping acorn. Just before it landed, Zuss tossed the chains in a wide loop.

She teleported to the dagger's location, directly behind the goblin, then pulled the chains tight. The chain loop was wide enough to encompass her. Gliby squeaked, but was tangled, grasped by the chains. Zuss pushed her forward and pushed her knee into Gliby's lower back.

Zuss held on tightly as Gliby frantically wriggled and screeched. Zuss shoved a handful of dirt into her mouth to silence her.

"Shut up, or I kill you now," Zuss whispered directly into her ear. She could practically smell the panic coming off of her. For good measure, Zuss placed her second enchanted dagger, Blade of a Thousand Screams, to her throat. The magic of this dagger enhanced the pain it inflicted.

Normally, when an unknown assailant has a dagger to your throat, that was a sign to freeze and do whatever the said assailant wanted you to do. Nobody had explained this to Gliby. The goblin redoubled her efforts and her panic. Her skin changed color like a chameleon, and the effect transferred to her clothes. Zuss could see through such basic disguises, of course.

The foolish goblin nicked herself on Zuss's knife, which caused her to scream and cough up dirt, then somehow panic more. Zuss moved the dagger away so she wouldn't accidentally kill her captor, and covered her mouth with her hand. She felt the wriggling of a worm that was mixed in with the dirt.

What was she supposed to do now? Zuss wasn't exactly an expert at these things. Not yet, anyway. But she hadn't expected this. It was somewhat awkward. More chains were wrapped around the creature, and then Zuss waited. Eventually, Gliby stopped shaking.

"You done?" Zuss asked.

Gliby nodded.

"If I take my hand away, will you scream?"

After a moment of thought, Gliby nodded. Zuss sighed.

"Look, I'm not going to kill you. Right now. I just want to talk. So… if I take away my hand and you scream, I WILL have to kill you. Then we can't talk. Neither of us will be happy. So, let me ask again, if I take my hand away, will you scream?"

Another moment of thought, then Gliby shook her head.

"So... Then I… ungag you." Zuss hesitated, "Right?"

Gliby nodded vigorously.

Zuss shrugged. Why not? She moved her hand, and Gliby spat the dirt out in gloppy chunks.

"Why are you watching us? And answer truthfully, I have the torture skill." Zuss asked.

"We are very skilled goblins!" Gliby blurted out.

"What?"

"We can clean well! Gliby is great at making hot drinks. Hogo made Gliby do it. Also rolling cigars. We can cook too! And hunt. And clean. Did Gliby say that already?"

Zuss tilted her head in confusion, "Stop."

Gliby shut her mouth.

"Answer the question."

"Gliby didn't know how to approach. Watched and waited."

"How many of you are there?"

"Um… four hands worth."

"Who leads you?"

Gliby hesitated, "Me? I think."

"Seriously?"

"Gliby knows! That's why Gliby is here. Gliby sucks as boss. Need new one."

Zuss realized she was still shoving her knee into Gliby's back. It felt a bit silly at this point. She seemed harmless enough.

"If I let you go, will you run off?"

"Please let Gliby go. Gliby will do what you want!"

The shadow chains dissolved away, and Zuss slowly crawled off of her. It would be easier to talk if the goblin were at ease.

In a flash, the goblin skittered away. Zuss cursed and went to run after her. New rule: don't believe the captive.

Except… which direction did she run? Zuss had forgotten. She thought about tracking her again. But now her target would be on edge. Instead, she messaged Anath.

Zuss: <Goblin got away, but I don't think they are very dangerous. On my way back.>

Thinking of the tracks Gliby left behind, Zuss began to take more of a conscious effort in not leaving any behind. Stepping on stones and avoiding webs. Dodging weeds and resisting the urge to chase down a passing chipmunk.

[You have trained a skill, Stealth, to journeyman level. Divine skills available.]

Zuss

True Name: Zuss Soul: Monster

Genseed: gremlin [ 3 Str, 4 Dex, 3 Con, 2 Int, 3 Wil, 3 Cha; Regenerating Teeth, Rot Resistance; Tiny Size] Genbloom: hobgoblin [ +1 Str, +3 Dex, +2 Con, +1 Int, +1 Wil; Nimble Fingers; Small Size]

Base Size: Small [Largest Size: Hobgoblin]

Monster Level: 15

Attributes (0/6) (base growth, +5; Devotion, +1): Strength: 10 (Base 8; Class/Genesis +1; Growth +1) Dexterity: 16 (Base 9; Class/Genesis +3; Growth +4) Constitution: 10 (Base 8; Class/Genesis +2;) Intelligence: 8 (Base 7; Class/Genesis, +1) Will: 10 (Base 8; Class/Genesis +1; Growth +1) Charm: 9 (Base 8; Class/Genesis +0; Devotion, +1)

Feats: System Knowledge - Discover the system. Reward: System Aptitude skill. Devotion [layered feats] - Offer a prayers to Sahrzuel, Ithrenial, Mythraziel, Vaelion, and Zenthaviel. Reward: Experience gain, +2 skill points, +1 random ability, +1 growth point, +1 biotrait. Mighty Alacrity - Raise Dexterity base to 15. Reward: Improved Balance Biotrait. Shadow Born - Remain in complete darkness for a full week. Reward: Shadow Core. Recursion - Be affected by a recursive effect. Reward: Infinite Limiter.

Skills(0/3) (Mortal Level +0; Devotion +2, skill potion +1): System Aptitude: 1 [Source: System Knowledge] Deep Shadows: 1 (Natural Skill: Stealth) SP SPENT = 1 Path Finding [Type: Climbing]: 1 (Natural Skill: Climb) SP SPENT = 1 Critical Hit Infinite Limiter

Notable Natural Skills: Stealth: Journeyman Climb: Apprentice Rope-weapon: Apprentice Daggers: Apprentice Tracking: Apprentice

Biotraits (0/15) (Monster Level, +14; Devotion, +1):

Inherited biotraits: Regenerating Teeth [Source: Gremlin] Enhanced Night Vision [Mutations: Dark Vision, Magnified Vision, Heat Vision; Apex reached; Source: Gremlin] BP SPENT = 4 Disease Resistance [Mutations: Rot Resistance; Source: Gremlin] Nimble Hands (below)

Standard Biotraits: [Synergy]Improved Body Control [Mutations: Autonomous Reflex] BP SPENT = 1 --Improved Balance [Source: Mighty Alacrity] --Improved Nerve Conduction BP SPENT = 1 --Improved flexibility BP SPENT = 1 [Synergy]Nimble Hands and Feet [Mutations: Mighty Grip] BP SPENT = 1 --Nimble hands [Source: Hobgoblin] --Prehensile Feet BP SPENT = 1 Cold Resistant Skin BP SPENT = 1 Enhanced Visual Acuity BP SPENT = 1

Core Biotraits: Shadow Core [Source: Shadow Born] Shadow Smith [Mutations: Partial Shade, Swift Shade] BP SPENT = 3 Shadow Step [Mutations: Shadow Surf] BP SPENT = 1

Other: Skill potions used: 1/5

Notable Gear: Blade of a Thousand Screams Knife of the Traveler

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