"We're close," Lisa said.

They had moved off a trail and skulked through the woods for the last hour. For Lisa and Anath, it came naturally. Daggat was naturally sketchy, so he had little trouble with skulking.

Pote, on the other hand, has been fighting not to wheeze his breath and to make too much noise. Why did she bring him? He was clearly unsuited for the environment.

"Before we go on," Daggat said, "We need to go over what we can do. Class, levels, fighting style."

Pote pulled out his book. Eager to write down any notes.

"You first… no. Anath. You first." Lisa said. The two hadn't said more than a word to each other. But Daggat had noticed a flash in Lisa's eyes whenever she noticed the girl. Something akin to anger or… jealousy?

"I'm a berserker specializing in quick strikes with two blades." She said with a somewhat wooden voice.

"Oh yeah? Me too. Sort of. The berserker, I mean. Well, not quite. Those legs of yours do wonders for that style, I bet." Lisa said.

A faint trace of anger flared in Anath's expression before it was cooled. Daggat began to open his mouth to steer the conversation away from sensitive topics, then he decided against it. A little push could help her along. And Daggat knew enough not to be the one to push for once.

"If I have to," Anath mumbled.

"Those things are wicked. And the mandibles. Bet they've got some nasty venom. How did you get the biotraits?"

"It's a variant. I don't use the mandibles… ever."

"Why not? If you've got it, flaunt it. You are so lucky. I would kill to get traits like those."

"Lucky?" Anath spat. "The spider ruined EVERYTHING."

Lisa laughed. "The spider? Girl, if you couldn't control those legs, then that's on you."

Anath's spider legs snapped into an aggressive pose. Four blades pointed directly at her throat. Anath was one step away from raging. Lisa's stance shifted as well. She took a low stance, similar to Klaws. Her fists moved to her side, tightening with an audible clench.

She had a look of glee and hunger on her face. Like a hound finally allowed to eat a treat.

Daggat stepped between them. "That's enough of that. Lisa, don't complicate things. Anath, you too. Wait until we've got the town's blessing before you two fight."

"Stupid human," mumbled Anath. Then she walked off angrily to blow off steam.

Daggat didn't miss what she said. That's a point for Team Monster.

"Fine. But… man do I want those legs." Lisa said.

"So, what can you do?" Daggat asked, trying to return to the topic.

"I'm a Gestalt. Hybrid of Brawler and a variant of Berserker called Beastheart." She flashed him a wicked grin. "I'm a front-line fighter. As for the specifics, you'll get to see soon enough."

"Wait, Gestalt? Hybrid? How… what is that?" Daggat reeled from the complexity of her class.

"It's a human class, Gestalt. She blends two classes. It's… risky, however." Said Pote. He had been trying his best to avoid the conflict with the girls. "The combinations are not fully documented, and are not always beneficial."

"It works for me," Lisa said.

"I'm a Skald, myself. It's a unique class for my culture." Pote continued. "I recite tales and epics, which grant various benefits."

Daggat wrote these in his notes. With every new thing he learned about classes, the more complex they became.

"I don't have a class. But, I'm alright with a spear." Daggat didn't want to tell them about his potions. Not yet. Not that he hid them very well.

He explained his fighting style with a bit more depth, and the two worked out a relatively simple plan. Anath and Lisa would rush, while Daggat would look for opportunities to strike. Afterwards, he politely excused himself to go and speak to Anath.

"Hey, you good?" He asked. Anath was fuming, mandibles wriggling in frustration.

"I'm fine." She snapped.

"Well, it didn't look fine. It looked like you were about to bite her head off."

Anath shot him a dangerous glare.

"Figuratively speaking, of course." He quickly added.

"Yeah, well, she doesn't know what she's talking about. Nobody does."

"Well, it would help if you could tell us the problem. Rather than just getting pissy with us and walking away." This wasn't going the way Daggat wanted. But he deserved to be a little mad, too.

"You won't get it. Nobody will. You don't know what it's like to not be fully human."

"I DO know what it's not like being a human."

"That's not what I meant! Ugh, let's just drop it. We've got a monster to kill."

"Fine. But hold yourself back. I've got plans with these folks, and I don't want you to ruin them."

She stuck a tongue out at him, but the two went to join the mortals.

A short time later, the four hunters skulked towards a ruin.

Daggat had been expecting a cave or hole. This looked to be the ruins of some ancient castle. Yellowed stone bricks stubbornly holding themselves together.

It was so old, ancient trees grew through crumbling walls, and vines clung to old columns. A stream gushed underneath an intact archway.

Daggat had a million questions, but he dared not alert whatever monster waited.

He could see its evidence. Bones and rotting gore strewn about. Deep rivets were cut into the ground by the thing's claws.

Its lair was more cave-like, Daggat admitted. It was a hole in the ground that led to a set of wide stairs. Ultimately ending in a wide entry to a dark and foul-smelling subterranean lair.

He imagined it would have once been a cellar, dungeon, or perhaps vault.

Deep breathing echoed from within.

"We need to lure it out." Whispered Lisa.

"I've got this, don't worry," Daggat said.

He withdrew a clay jar from his belt and popped off the cork. Then, he dropped a tooth into it.

After a moment, it started to bubble and shake. He threw it.

The clay jar shattered, and a small green blob tumbled out. It pulsed and grew, growing legs and arms.

Finally, with a tiny war-cry, the gremlin stood. It looked around at its new environment. Slowly getting to grips with existence.

Something grunted, causing the gremlin's ears to perk up. It grew a mischievous grin and crawled towards the noise. Something to smash or break, perhaps?

Then something lumbered from the hole. Black fur and wicked, white scars. One scratched eye and flea-bitten ears.

To Daggat's disappointment, it was a bear. A simple black bear. Old and battle-scarred, sure. But no monster.

Then the bear crawled from the hole. What followed it was more bear. Then, more bear still. A six-legged beast.

Ah, so it WAS a monster. One that was much larger than it first appeared. This was the otsorieus, Otto. Daggat gulped at the same moment as the gremlin.

With a short, deep roar, Otto rushed the gremlin.

It squeaked and ran. Skittering over rocks and bricks.

But the monster was faster. It reared up at its full height. A giant bear with a smaller bear where its head should be. Daggat could now see bonus ridges covering bits of the beast. Like armor covering the spine, legs, and ribs. It crashed down on the short-lived gremlin, crushing it into a gray powder.

"Now!" Lisa roared, and she rushed the beast. At the same time, Anath flew to meet it on the flank.

Daggat rushed forward, spear in hand. Pote began to read from his tome.

"Three men came north to lands of bone." He began. His voice had an echoing, mythical quality to it. Like it was being enhanced, but without the volume.

Otto roared in surprise and challenge, but Lisa was already upon him. Twisted glee was evident on her face as she attacked. She hit it in its back set of ribs with a quick underarm punch. She was a fraction of its size, yet the impact ripped through its flesh. An audible thrum of power accompanied the hit. How strong was she?

The beast swiped a well-used claw at her, but she easily ducked it. Then it grunted in pain as Anath slashed her two blades, one enchanted, against its other flank.

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It swung one of its paws at her as if knocking back a fly. It met a cage of six blades. Her spider legs were moving automatically. The blow threw her off her feet.

Neither girl had raged yet.

Daggat poked at the bear ineffectively. He wanted to see what Lisa could do.

"With arms like trees and hearts of stone." Continued Pote. Daggat felt a swell of strength course through him. Risking a glance at his stats, he noticed his strength had increased by three points.

Lisa laughed wildly as she struck the bear again and again. Each punch caused the bear monster to stagger back. One of its bone armor pieces cracked.

But it had had enough. Lifting itself on its hind legs, it stood well over twelve feet tall. It half fell/ half lunged at the mad woman. Daggat swore he heard a faint "oh no" as she failed to get out of the way in time. She was fast, but so was it.

Daggat cursed. It seemingly crushed her into a vicious hug. He ran to the side and thrust with all his might between bone plates. Despite the bonus to strength, he was still no match for it. All he managed was to stab a few inches into its tough skin. It was hardly noticed.

Well, he would just have to be a bit more clever with his next attack, then.

From the corner of his eye, he watched Anath stand slowly. Blood was pouring down half her face. Daggat winced at the rage in her eyes. She dashed forward with astonishing speed. Carried not only by her human legs, but the spider ones as well. She lept onto the otsorieus. All four legs speared into it easily. Digging in like a knife into cork.

Four successful attacks. Daggat did the math in his head. Anath should have twenty-five strength right now. He shivered in excitement. His party was becoming stronger by the day.

Otto tried to roar in pain, but something held its head closed. Daggat then noticed that Lisa hadn't fallen. She caught the beast's head. It had bitten a forearm, which streamed with blood, but she had a grip of its head with her other arm. She laughed madly as she smashed her forehead against its snout. Blood was gushing from it, the nose already broken. It tried to throw her off, lifting its smaller bear torso in the air and shaking her. But she held on doggedly.

Lisa didn't seem to notice the claws that ripped at her back.

"Their foe rose screaming, red with death." Pote recited. "They broke its spine and stole its breath."

Daggat felt, well, not useless. But insignificant. How was he supposed to help at this point? If he used a root bomb, it would grab them all. Poison was out of the question. He might as well forget the spear. He might hit one of them.

So, as Anath crawled up the otsorieus, slicing and cutting as she did, he simply sat down on a brick.

Daggat began chewing on a piece of jerky he brought along as a snack.

The bear monster could feel its death approaching. The wounds caused by Anath were so far minimal, given its bulk. It could survive those. But Otto knew where she was headed. A monster didn't get this powerful without being a little clever. It stood on its back legs, then let itself fall back, attempting to crush Anath with its body.

She jumped off of it like a jumping spider and skidded to a stop in the dirt. Lisa, lifted high in the air, pulled her arm free from the beast's jaws, then kicked off of it. The power of the kick slammed it onto its back harder than the beast expected. With an elk-like cry, Lisa had entered her rage in mid-air. Something seemed to overlap her form. It was a deer-like creature made of the same stuff as his assistant. It had the jaws of a wolf and antlers that seemed to be made of raw iron. The monster was an illusion copying her movements. Not limb for limb, but the closest equivalent that its form would take.

Her eyes glowed white. She and her deer-monster projection scratched the earth in a charge.

Daggat whistled and offered Pote a piece of jerky.

The dwarf gave him a worried look and continued his poetry. "One tore flesh with an iron fist, one split skull, leaving red mist."

Daggat felt his hands harden. Looking down, he watched as crude iron gauntlets grew out of his flesh. Cool.

Otto rolled onto its side. Face a ruin of blood. It moaned in pain.

But Anath wasn't done. She scampered towards it. Its throat in her sight, blades at either side of her.

Then something slammed into her. Lisa. She shouldered her to one side. At the same instant, the elk beast gored her with its antlers. It wasn't clear which hit her. The monster or the woman.

"My kill!" Lisa hissed.

Daggat stood, growling. He gripped his spear tightly. He started to rush to Anath's side.

Pote continued his poem nervously. "The last drank blood and did not speak. The woods grew still. The gods grew weak."

Lisa charged Otto with increased speed. The deer sprinted atop her. She easily dodged a desperate swipe from the effectively blinded beast.

Then she punched it. Once in the broken snout. Teeth were shattered and scattered on the forest ground. The bear monster, now nothing but prey to be finished off, staggered back from the blow. Again, she struck. Crushing bone plates, ribs, and breaking limbs. She screamed with bloodlust as she broke the bear again and again. Finally, something gave. The bear fell limp.

Immediately after, the deer monster illusion faded away. Something replaced it. A six-legged bear. It and Lisa roared in victory.

Anath hissed in pain. Daggat was at her side, but was transfixed on the display of brutality. He had thought he had given up on fear. But the mess of blood that was the bear's face reminded him there were worse ways to die than being stabbed.

"Are you okay?" Daggat asked. Anath hadn't stood back up. She held a hand to her shoulder. It looked strange. As though it didn't fit right. She, too, had metal gauntlets. They crumbled to dust as Pote's magic faded. Daggat felt his strength fade away.

"You… EXPERIENCE WHORE!" Anath shouted towards Lisa. Where had she learned that word?

Lisa lazily looked their way, her bloody face accented by a hungry grin. "I needed it. I've been cultivating this beast for a whiiiile. Finally found where it slept." She shook her shoulders. The bear illusion did the same. Then it faded away as her rage ended. "You shouldn't have gotten in my way."

Daggat felt his stomach drop. Maybe, just maybe, he backed the wrong humans. He had realized what those glances towards Anath meant. It wasn't jealousy. It was hunger. She could use the monsters she killed, somehow. Lisa wanted Anath's biotraits.

He watched Lisa lick her lips free of blood.

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: 10

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 (1/10): 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 Cords (Beguiling Voice)]

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

Regenerator form: Advanced Regeneration

Other: Variant: +10 Intelligence Skill potions used: 1/5

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

Anath

True Name: Anathema Soul: Monster/Mortal Genseed: Human [ 3 Str, 3 Dex, 3 Con, 3 Int, 3 Wil, 3 Cha; Standard Size]

Monster Level: 5 Berserker Level: 5 [+3 Str, Dex Con, -1 Int, Wil, Cha; Berserker's rage, Great Vitality]

Attributes [0/7]: Strength: 12 Dexterity: 11 Constitution: 13 Intelligence: 10 Will: 8 Charm: 7

Feats: Encounter: True Angel Knowledge: System Knowledge Act: Vile Concoction Act: Devotion [layered feats]

Skills(0/8): System Aptitude: 1 [Source: System Knowledge] System Assistant: 1 Skill Boosts: Survival (1) Savage Legs: 1 Berserker's Spirit: 1 [Synergy: Warrior's Spirit (Burst of Strength + Burst of Alacrity + Burst of Vitality) + Berserker's Rage] Purge Poison: 1 Great Vitality: 1 Blood Rhythm: 1

Notable Natural Skills: Survival: Apprentice Savagery: Apprentice

Biotraits [1/5]: Disease Resistance [Mutations: Rot Resistance; Source: Vile Concoction] Extra Limb (Arachnid), x4 [Source: Variant] Venomous Mandibles [Source: Variant] Multi-eye [Mutations: Magnified, Night Vision; Source: Variant] Hardened Chitin

Transformations: Night Stalker form: +2 strength +2 dexterity Claws Dark Vision

Notable Gear: Blade of the Dessert Flower

Other: Variant: Arachnid Traits

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