Goblin Teeth: A Monster Party LitRPG

There were not enough goblin corpses left to level the party. Though Daggat didn't spend a lot of effort looking for carrion to eat, and other creatures had already harvested a good number of them.

When he returned, Zuss was still off looting her kill. She would turn up if he needed her. She might even be back, just watching from above.

Klaw was swinging the large hammer with a grin on his face.

Daggat shook his head, "Hey, don't get too attached to the hammer. You're a claw fighter, and skill points are hard to come by."

Klaw scoffed, "For you, maybe. But I'm just having fun. Could be good for bashing in doors."

"Think we can get Hunter to use it?"

"Doubt it. Even if he was as kill-happy as Zuss, he still has the torch."

"Yeah. Anyway, let's check out that inn." Daggat raised his voice, "Zuss, we're checking out the inn, come on."

They waited a few minutes for her to finish up. But she never came.

Daggy Two-arms: <Zuss, Where are you? Let's go.>

Still nothing. That's weird. But, uh, well. She was always a bit away from the party. Maybe she's scouting already.

Down the road, the two of them found the inn as they left it. It had a large gate that barred their way. It was locked on the other side by a thick board that they could see through the cracks.

Klaw laughed and hefted the hammer. "Perfect test!"

Daggat tilted his head, "Or I could just…" He lifted the wooden board, then swung the door open with telekinesis. Easy.

Klaw frowned, "That's cheating."

"After you."

The courtyard of the inn was well used and had several empty stalls that could be used by passing merchants. At the moment, no one was set up, for obvious reasons.

The main building had one large, obvious door. Light, smoke, and a delicious smell came from within.

Grinning, Daggat walked up to the door and knocked. After a moment, no one answered, so he tried the door. Locked.

"Go ahead. Don't kill anyone if we can help it; our goal is information."

Klaw smashed the door through with a single, mighty blow. He was grinning like an idiot.

Daggat moved to step forward, then Klaw stopped him with a hand, "I've got the armor."

He sauntered in and was immediately attacked.

An ax descended from above, swung by someone Daggat couldn't see. Klaw blocked it with his wrist, but was too slow at drawing his claws. The ax dug into the wrist, but did not cut bone.

"FUCKING… wrist," Klaw grumbled, snatching the ax away from the attacker. He hurled it, and it thudded into a distant wall. Humans screamed inside.

Off to a good start.

Daggat put on his best smile, then walked in. A human rushed him with a knife, then he stepped on a stray cup and tripped, landing on his face. Daggat laughed, then used telekinesis to throw the knife next to the ax.

A collection of humanoids cowered in the large room beyond. A calming fire roared in a hearth. A hearth tender's aura settled over him, relaxing him.

There was a bar with a fine selection of alcohols, presumably, and a tear-stained maiden on the other side. An old man stumbled away from the door, the one brave enough to attack Klaw.

Daggat tsked, "See. That's why you don't attack your guests. It's bad luck." The thin crowd was frozen in fear. Not a single one of them was over level twelve. "Relax! I'm not going to hurt you. Maybe. Depends."

He sat at an empty table and kicked his feet up. Klaw moved to his normal bodyguard position.

The Assistant hovered into view, "Master, can I get you any refreshments?"

"Ah, yes, please. Thank you." The humans only looked confused, then a shiver ran through the group as a bottle was hovered over a cup, filled it, and was set down. Daggat moved the cup to his hand himself.

Daggat took a sip, "Hey, this is pretty good!"

"What do you want, goblin?" The maiden suddenly snapped.

"We're just looking for some information. Know anything about a demon slayer around these parts?"

"Fuck you! We're not telling you anything, murderers!"

Daggat laughed, "Murderers? Today? That wasn't us, lady. We just picked up their stuff. Really, why do humans always assume the worst?" He didn't feel the need to mention the dwarf.

Klaw scratched himself, "We did break down their door."

"Hush, you," Daggat said. Then he noticed something. A set of stairs curved up the wall, leading to a second floor. Watching from the stairs, almost timidly, was a woman.

Her throat was slashed open, and blood stained her gown. But she didn't seem bothered. Her features were stretched and gaunt, as though she had been rolled out. There was a faint, transparent nature to her.

Daggat sat up, excited. "Hello!" He said with a sing-song voice, "Are you a ghost?"

The ghost looked around, surprised.

"What?" the maiden asked.

"Not you, I'm talking to your ghost. You didn't tell me you were haunted! My place is too, actually. Small world." The people in the room watched wide-eyed, stunned with confusion.

"Can… you see me?" The ghost said, a hint of desperation was in its feathery voice.

"Yup! What's it like being a ghost?"

"Lonely…" it said.

Daggat nodded, "Yeah, I can see that. Not many dead folk around to chat with. How'd this happen? My ghost was made by a demon. You too?"

"Murder… betrayal. No demon. I… couldn't leave. Not yet."

"And you just… didn't? Is that an option? I didn't get any options when I died."

"No… I… resisted. With all my might."

"Why?"

She walked down the stairs, then stopped in front of the maiden. The maiden was watching Daggat with wide eyes. Like a trapped mouse watching a cat whose interest is elsewhere.

"This is my granddaughter," the ghost said, "She was to inherit a powerful necklace from me. Until it is found, I must watch over her in its place."

"Where is it?"

"Buried with my corpse. Beneath the stables, under the hay."

"Do you know a way to restore an undead to life, by chance?"

"I do not."

Daggat shrugged, then looked to the maiden. "Hey, lady. The living one, yeah, you. Look, you are all skeptical. You see me and think, 'wow, what a dangerous-looking goblin,' but… nah. I just wanna ask some questions. I'll prove it to you. You remember Granny?"

She looked overwhelmed, "Wh- what?"

"Your grandmother. You remember her?"

"I don't-"

"She had a special necklace, right?"

Her lips quivered, "How did you know that?"

Daggat rolled his eyes, "Do you want it?"

"Do I… what?"

"DO. YOU. WANT. IT. The necklace. I can get it for you. I know where it is."

She nodded after a moment.

"Great." Daggat summoned his spear, "You, and you. Get shovels." He pointed the spear at the two strongest-looking people in the room. A dark human and a dwarf. Each flinched as he pointed the spear at them.

Well, this was working rather well. Though Daggat wondered if they were more afraid of him or Klaw. The bugbear had been slowly flexing his claws. His beguiling aura was doing the most work, keeping the people's attention on him and letting the people get to like him more.

"MOVE!" Klaw roared, and the two humans sprang from their seats.

Daggat stood as well, "Come on, to the stable. You too, ghost."

Getting the humans to cooperate took a bit more finagling, but eventually the two humanoids began digging a hole where the ghost pointed.

"So," Daggat said to the maiden, "Where are we?"

"What… are you? Are you just toying with us?" She asked, still somewhat dazed.

"Well, yeah. But only for my own amusement. I'm an adventurer! Just like those humans and dwarves. And the other thing. But, we're better."

"Are you the boss? Of the goblins?"

Daggat gave her a flat look, "No. Not yet. Look, I'm not with the goblins you think we're with. Actually, we're gonna kill 'em. Well, their leader. Names Daggat, by the way. Yours?"

"Lacy. How do you know about my grandmother's necklace?"

"Just assume I know… almost everything. Okay? It will be easier for us both."

Klaw grumbled and walked towards the budding hole, "You're slow. Give me the fucking shovel." He ripped it from the human's hands and started to dig at a much greater pace.

"Is it just the two of you?" Lacy asked.

Daggat flashed her a grin, "Sure." Zuss was probably on the roof, watching. She'd descend like a hawk if a fight broke out, for sure. Luckily, it didn't seem to be going that way. "What happened? With the other goblins, I mean. I saw the head spikes. Nice touch."

"They came from the forest, charging as a swarm. We managed to fight them off… but we lost some great warriors. Only the passing adventuring party survived."

Those goblins were probably fleeing from the giant they failed to assassinate. It was likely they didn't even know about the place.

He looked around, "There's no blood."

"I have a cleaning skill."

"Oh, handy."

"Got it," Klaw called. He reached down and ripped out a fifthly, crumbling roll of cloth. Some crumbled away, revealing rotten bone within. The humans stepped back with cries of shock and disgust. Lacy put a hand to her mouth.

A pink aura emanated from the corpse. Whatever that necklace was, it was powerful. For a moment, he was tempted to just take it. But then they would need to find another way to track down the demon slayer.

Klaw tossed the corpse to the ground, then moved to Daggat's side.

Daggat nudged Lacy, "Well. What did I say? There ya go. Believe me now?"

With shaking hands, she unwrapped the ancient canvas. A skeletal corpse wearing a simple necklace with a green teardrop gem was underneath. She began to cry.

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The ghost silently cried in relief. Then… she slipped. It looked as though she had tripped on the world itself and began to fall upwards. Not a graceful rise, but a panicked tumble as though gravity had reversed. Daggat waved her off. No feat… that was disappointing. Oh well.

Daggat sniffed, "Let's go back inside, Klaw. Let her… finish."

Klaw nodded, but snapped off a finger bone and tossed it to Daggat. With horror in her eyes, the maiden stared at Daggat while he swallowed it. A level 10 Craftswoman.

And the two went back into the inn. Everyone watching from the windows scattered back.

Daggat took the same seat, "Hey, something smells good. What's cooking?"

"You got coin?" Grumbled a gruff man in an apron. Daggat hadn't noticed him before. He must have been in the kitchen.

Daggat was in a decent mood and wanted to show off a bit. He summoned 20 gold coins. "For the night, and the fright." He placed them on the table, then used telekinesis to slide the stack towards the man.

He stared at the large sum of money, then looked back at Daggat. He opened his mouth to say something, then closed it. He nodded, then took the money.

When Lacy finally came back, Klaw and Daggat had a table of food spread out before them and were guzzling beer. A few humans and a half folk had joined the table. The tension of the encounter had completely faded away, leaving behind only goblin mirth.

Klaw guffawed into his cup as Daggat recounted a story from their youth, "Course, I didn't know how alchemy worked yet. So, I let the bastard drink the stew. You know what happened? HE GREW A RAT TAIL!" The table burst into laughter. "Oh, heeeeey, Lacy. Love the new accessory."

She was wearing the necklace and had dried her tears. "I think so. Thank you, Daggat. It means a lot to me. We all thought she ran off with my grandfather… I don't know why the necklace was left, but thank you."

"No worries. Now, you know anything about a demon hunter?" Where was Zuss? She was missing the fun. He had sent her another message, but she never replied.

"There was a lone Demon Hunter who passed by, yes. He was heading east, towards Icefield."

That put them far, far further north than Daggat suspected. That tree travel was handy for sure. "How long ago did he leave?"

"Two days."

"You know about how far he would be, by now."

One of the drunk men spoke up, "It's a loooong road to Icefield. On foot… he'd be halfway. Less if he stopped by any villages… if they were standing."

"Goblins wipe 'em out?"

The half folk nodded, "Rumor says they have a giant, cracking walls and destroying villages by the dozen."

"Well, good news about that. It's dead."

Lacy gave him an odd look, "Really?"

"Sure is. We killed it ourselves." Seriously, where was Zuss? He sent her another message; it was time to leave. They had a target.

"The giant?"

"Uh huh. It's just up the road, if you want to check."

She looked that way in wonder, "In the morning. Do you want to stay the night? We have plenty of rooms."

Daggat chuckled, "Y'all are far friendlier than the last batch of humans we met. Thank you, but no thanks. We got a quest we need to finish."

Zuss wasn't responding to him. Was she mad at him? He couldn't imagine why. Maybe he got rid of something she was hoarding in the inventory. He sent a message to Anath. She might be able to get through.

Daggy Two-arms: <Hey, Zuss is out in the forest, but isn't responding to my messages. Can you get through?>

ZBFF: <What did you do?>

Daggy Two-arms: <Nothing!>

ZBFF: <… I'll ask her.>

Now to wait. He turned to the half-folk, "Hey, little guy. You're a half folk, right?"

"Sure are." He said.

"I know about humans and dwarves. Elves, ogres, and drakyn, too. But, don't know a lick about your folk. Where do you come from?"

"Oh, we're all over. Most of us come from a plane from the south. I was born in a little town on the coast. Shallowsand, if you ever go that way."

"Got any cool half-folk traits?"

"We're quiet. And we've got a luck thing."

"Really? Me too! Well, bad luck."

He fished around a pocket, then produced a pair of dice, "Wanna test your bad luck against my good?"

Shadow: <Hey… so, I'm lost. Can you come get me?>

Daggat did a double-take. When was the last time Zuss asked for help? Or admitted she was lost. Something was very, very wrong.

"Next time… something pressing just came up."

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]

Base size: Small [Largest Size: Goblin]

Monster Level: 15

Attributes (0/10)(base growth, +5; Devotion, +1; growth potions, +4):
Strength: 11 (Base 8; Class/Genesis +2; Devotion +1)
Dexterity: 11 (Base 9; Class/Genesis +2;)
Constitution: 11 (Base 8; Class/Genesis +2; Growth +1)
Intelligence: 20 (Base 7; Class/Genesis +1; Growth +2; Variant +10)
Will: 10 (Base 8, Class/Genesis +1; Growth +1)
Charm: 16 (Base 8, Growth +8)

Feats:
True Angel - Encounter a true angel. Reward: Skill choice unlocks.
Mighty Intellect - Raise Intelligence base to 15. Reward: +1 Skill point.
Fledgling Alchemist - Successfully brew an alchemical potion. Reward: Alchemy skill.
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.
Usurper - Slay a previous or current party leader. Reward: One level in Party Leader.
Touch of Death - Perform two of the following: die and return to life, survive an untethered's life - draining attack, or perform the rite of Mihr. Reward: Death sight.
Reborn by Fire - Remain immersed in flame for a full day. Reward: Fire Core.
Devilishly Charming - Raise charm base to 15. Reward: Party Leader skill.
Aura Master - Obtain two different sources of an aura. Reward: Condense Aura
Victor - Successfully led a large force against another. Reward: One Skill point. Note: This skill point may only be spent on tactics, logistics, or leadership divine skills.
Recursion - Be affected by a recursive effect. Reward: Infinite Limiter.

Skills(1/6)(Mortal Level, 0, Devotion, +2; Mighty Intellect, +1; Skill Potions +2; Victor +1):
Alchemy: 1 [Source: Fledgling Alchemist]
System Aptitude: 1 [Source: System Knowledge]
System Assistant: 2 [Perk: Semi-sentience] SP SPENT = 2
[Synergy]Mind Codex: 1
--Mental Notes: 1 SP SPENT = 1
--Copy Tome: 1 (Natural skill: Literacy) SP SPENT = 1
Party Leader: 2 [Source: Usurper, Devilishly Charming; Perk: Party Loot]
Lunge: 1 (Natural skill: Spearmanship) SP SPENT = 1
Condense Aura: 1 [Source: Aura Master]
Infinite Limiter

Notable Natural Skills:
Literacy: Apprentice
Spearmanship: Apprentice
Acrobatics: Apprentice

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

Regenisis:
Goblin; BP SPENT = 1

Inherited Biotraits:
Regenerating Teeth [Source: Gremlin]
Enhanced Night Vision [Source: Gremlin]
Disease Resistance [Mutations: Rot Resistance; Source: Gremlin]
Scavenger [Source: goblin]

Standard Biotraits:
[Synergy]Temperature Resistant Flesh
--Fire Resistant Flesh; BP SPENT = 1
--Cold Resistant Flesh; BP SPENT = 1
[Synergy]Beguiling Presence
--Hypnotic Gaze [Mutations: Dominating Gaze, Mesmerizing Gaze] BP SPENT = 3
--Hypervocal Cords [Mutations: Beguiling Voice] BP SPENT = 2
[Synergy]Second Sight
--Aura Sight [Mutations: Ambient Aura Sense] BP SPENT =2
--Death Sight [Mutations: Death Gaze; Source: Touch of Death] BP SPENT =1
Telekinesis [Mutations: Mind over Matter (Boon), Tactile Telekinesis] BP SPENT =2
Hex Aura BP SPENT =1

Core Biotraits:
Core: Fire [Source: Reborn by Fire]

Other:
Variant: +10 Intelligence; Enhanced vocabulary
Skill potions used: 2/5
Growth potions used: 2/5

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]

Base size: Standard [Largest Size: Bugbear; Mighty Strength]

Monster Level: 13
Paladin Level: 6 [+2 Str, +2 Con, +2 Wil; Smite, Righteous Aura]

Attributes (0/6)(base growth, +5; Devotion, +1):
Strength: 27 (Base 8, Class/Genesis +5; Growth +6, Ability Boost +2; Belt of Last Stand +1, Muscle Helix +5)
Dexterity: 10 (Base 9, Class/Genesis +1)
Constitution: 14 (Base 8, Class/Genesis +4; Devotion +1; Belt of Last Stand +1)
Intelligence: 8 (Base 7, Class/Genesis +1)
Will: 11 (Base 8, Class/Genesis +3)
Charm: 8 (Base 8, Class/Genesis +0)

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 Strength - Raise Strength base to 15. Reward: Size increase
Arsonist - Slay over twenty enemies with one flame. Reward: Flame Affinity skill.
Life Eater - Ritualistically eat fifty hearts. Reward: Beast Core
Aura Master - Obtain two different sources of an aura. Reward: Condense Aura
Recursion - Be affected by a recursive effect. Reward: Infinite Limiter.

Skills(0/7)(Class, +5; Devotion, +2):
System Aptitude: 1 [Source: System Knowledge]
Burst of Strength: 1 (Ability Skill: Strength 5) SP SPENT = 1
Flame Affinity: 1 [Source: Arsonist]
Smite: 1 [Source: Paladin]
Wind Slash: 2 (Natural Skill: Swordsmanship; Perks: Razor Slash) SP SPENT = 2
Savage Attacks: 1 (Natural Skill: Savagery) SP SPENT = 1
Aura of Protection: 2 [Perk: Righteous Retaliation, ] SP SPENT = 2
Righteous Aura: 1 [Source: Paladin]
Condense Aura: 1 [Source: Aura Master]
Infinite Limiter

Notable Natural Skills:
Savagery: Apprentice
Swordsmanship: Apprentice
Bodybuilding: Apprentice

Ability Boosts:
Strength (+2; Natural Skill: Bodybuilding) SP SPENT = 1

Biotraits (1/14)(Monster Level +11; Devotion +1; Potion +2):

Regenisis:
Bugbear; BP SPENT = 1

Inherited Biotraits:
Regenerating Teeth [Source: Gremlin]
Enhanced Night Vision [Source: Gremlin]
Disease Resistance [Mutations: Rot Resistance; Source: Gremlin]
Rough Fur [Mutations: Insulating Fur; Source: Bugbear]

Standard Biotraits:
Claws [Mutations: Forged, Retractable, Great; Apex Reached] BP SPENT = 5
[Modifier; Synergy] Dense Body [Mutations: Reflective Leverage (Boon)]
--[Modifier] Dense Muscle Fibers BP SPENT = 1
--[Modifier] Dense Bone BP SPENT = 1
--[Modifier] Dense Organs BP SPENT = 1
Cardiovascular Control BP SPENT = 1
Redundant Organs BP SPENT = 1
Muscle Helix (Mutations: Inherited Strength, Tension Coils) BP SPENT = 3

Core Biotraits:
Beast Core [Source: Life Eater]

Notable Gear:
Belt of Last Stand

Other:
Biotrait potions used: 2/5