As they walked through the forest, Cromus couldn’t help but notice the trail left behind by his earlier captors. The flattened grass and uprooted patches of dirt were unmistakable. He shook his head, irritation bubbling to the surface. “Man, they really didn’t care, huh? Just dragged my ass all the way here? Did they really think you wouldn’t come looking?”

  Sais chuckled softly but shook his head. “Honestly? They had every reason to think I wouldn’t. To be fair, Keezz’s reaction wasn’t exactly encouraging when we found you. Our abilities aren’t super rare, but in this region? They might as well be. Healing myself until my body could fight off the poison? That was maybe a five percent chance of success. But hey,” he shrugged, his tone lightening, “I’m not complaining. I got a notification saying I’ve started something called Poison Body.”

  That caught Cromus’s attention. He came to a stop, eyes narrowing as something clicked in his mind. “Wait, hold up,” he muttered, opening his notifications with a quick mental command. After sifting through the backlog, he found what he was looking for. “Here it is,” he announced.

  Nearby, the three younger goblins looked around in confusion, clearly unable to figure out what Cromus was doing. Keezz, walking a little ahead, turned and gestured for them to stop. “It’s a class thing,” the old goblin explained. “Not somethin’ you see. Just happens.” Despite Keezz’s reassurance, the younger goblins still looked bewildered but eventually shrugged and kept walking.

  Cromus focused on the message that appeared before him:

  CONGRATULATIONS!!!

  You have begun the Poison Body enhancement. Through your battle with the Croaker and Naga poisons coursing through your veins, you’ve developed a remarkable resistance to these toxic threats—no small feat without a substantial health pool or a healer at your side. However, your journey is far from over. To complete this process, you must defeat three more powerful poisons in a similar manner. Once you succeed, you will unlock the Poison Body enhancement, making poisons significantly less harmful—or even entirely ineffective.

  Poison Body

  Progress: 2/5 (inferior)

  Cromus read the message aloud, and Sais’s eyes widened. “Wait, what? That’s crap! You got two counts just from dealing with the Naga poison for a short time, while I had to fight the Croaker poisons for hours? Wait a second… Did you fight the entire time while poisoned?”

  Cromus snorted. “What? No. I got poisoned repeatedly, sure, but I scavenged for antidotes like crazy. That’s what kept me alive.”

  Sais frowned, his shock giving way to something closer to irritation. “Antidotes? And it still counted for resisting the poison? That feels like a massive loophole! If that’s how it works, you could just line up vials of poison and antidotes, take one after another, and grind your way to unlocking Poison Body.”

  Cromus scratched the back of his head, looking sheepish. “Maybe? Or it could’ve been the Core. When I used it, it enhanced my body enough to naturally resist the poisons. That might’ve made the difference. I mean, they do count as ‘inferior poisons.’”

  “Hmm, maybe.” Sais’s tone was dubious, and his scowl deepened. “Still, I don’t like it.”

  “Uh-huh,” Cromus said, smirking. “You just don’t like it because it’s not something you can exploit right now.”

  “That’s not it!” Sais snapped, though his expression betrayed a hint of guilt. “But think about it. If you’re right, what’s stopping me from gathering a bunch of poisons, taking them all, and using the cores I’ve got here over and over again to counter them? I could progress my Poison Body that way.”

  Cromus shrugged. “Maybe? But I don’t think it’s that simple. When I used the Core, I was completely wiped out after the time ran out. Overuse probably messes you up. Hey, Keezz,” he called, turning to the old goblin. “Do you know anything about this?”

  Keezz glanced over his shoulder, his staff tapping softly on the ground. “Some tried, long ago,” he said simply. “Young dumb goblins. Take core. Too much power, poof—gone. Others… changed. Look like beasts, think like beasts. No more goblin.” He shook his head. “After that? No more try.”

  Cromus shuddered at the mental image, suddenly aware of how close he might’ve come to a terrible fate. “Welp,” he said, forcing a grin, “I don’t think either of us should test that theory.”

  “Yeah,” Sais agreed with a quick nod. “Definitely something we’re not going to do.”

  “Keezz, I got a question for you,” Sais began, waiting for the goblin to acknowledge him. Keezz lifted his head slightly in their direction but didn’t stop walking.

  “What level are you, and what is your class?” Sais asked.

  Keezz paused, considering if he should answer. After a long moment, he said simply, “Level three. Shaman.”

  Sais tilted his head, a look of surprise crossing his face. “So, before the cave, you were actually a higher level than us. Why did it feel like there was still such a huge gap?”

  Keezz shrugged. “Most biggins stronger. Bigger. Could be size, could be age. But I got question too.”

  Cromus and Sais exchanged curious glances, then turned their attention back to Keezz. “How many points you biggins get?” the old goblin asked.

  “Ten,” Sais answered casually.

  Keezz stopped in his tracks, his eyes wide with shock. “TEN!?”

  The rest of the group halted as well. “Yeah… is that a lot?” Cromus asked, confused.

  Keezz shook his head, his disbelief clear. “I get five. Half what you get.”

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  Sais frowned. “Well, that explains the gap. But why such a big difference?” he wondered aloud.

  Cromus scratched his chin, thinking it over. “Maybe it’s tied to age, race, or even how the class was received?”

  “Could be,” Sais said, though his expression showed lingering doubt. Both of them looked at Keezz expectantly.

  Keezz stood silent for a moment, then sighed. “Long story. We need camp, food, before I talk.”

  “I can live with that,” Cromus said, nodding. Sais agreed, and the group continued walking.

  The silence between them felt heavy as they moved. Keezz fell back a little, his thoughts distant. Loose Tooth walked beside him, glancing up at the elder goblin with a smile. Keezz, snapping out of his thoughts, returned the gesture. Together, they followed the others.

  Breaking the quiet, Cromus said, “We can’t be this lucky.”

  “It’s lucky we’re even here,” Sais replied. “We’ve survived two encounters that honestly should’ve been the end of us.”

  “True. But man, double what Keezz gets? And with the other stuff we’ve unlocked? I’d be cursing the system if we only got five points per level,” Cromus said.

  Sais looked over his shoulder at the goblins trailing behind them. “Maybe, but we probably shouldn’t say stuff like that in front of the person who actually gets five.”

  Cromus glanced back and caught Keezz’s eyes. “Uh… sorry.”

  Keezz waved him off. “It fine. You talk to learn. Go on. I listen.”

  Encouraged, Cromus and Sais began explaining their abilities and the things they’d unlocked at level five. Keezz listened quietly, nodding along as they spoke. At certain points, Cromus thought he saw a glimmer of determination in the old goblin’s eyes, which brought a small smile to his own face.

  Before long, they reached a familiar spot—the clearing where the Croakers had ambushed them. Cromus stopped, scanning the area warily as if expecting an ambush all over again.

  Sais shook his head. “Relax. I doubt they’d come back here. They probably hightailed it back to wherever they came from.”

  “You’re probably right,” Cromus said, though he still frowned. “But it bugs me that they got the drop on us in the first place.”

  “Yeah, me too. But we’re a lot stronger now,” Sais said. “Just gotta remember, there’s always something bigger and badder out there.”

  “Why you always stopping or complaining?” Loose Tooth asked, his tone impatient. “We hungry. You promise food.”

  Cromus smiled. “You’re right, loose. Camp’s not too far.”

  When they arrived, the camp appeared untouched, save for the few things Sais had rummaged through before he left. The makeshift campfire was still intact.

  “I’ll gather bark, twigs, and wood,” Cromus said as he turned to leave. To his surprise, the two younger goblins, Ush and Jagz, immediately followed him.

  “You don’t have to help,” Cromus said.

  “I’s want to,” Ush said earnestly.

  Jagz nodded, picking up a handful of dead leaves. “We owe biggin.”

  Hearing this, Cromus smiled warmly. “Alright. Thanks for the help.”

  The young goblins beamed and hurried to gather materials, their excitement putting a pep in their step. Seeing their energy, Cromus decided to collect some sturdier branches, an idea forming in his mind.

  When they returned, Cromus heard Sais’s voice. “Back, you neanderthal!” Sais had a hand on Loose Tooth’s forehead, holding him at arm’s length.

  “You promised food. Food there. Me hungry!” Loose Tooth protested, weakly struggling.

  “We’re going to cook it. Don’t you cook your food?” Sais asked, exasperated.

  “Take too long. Stomach demand food!” Loose Tooth said, his stomach growling as if on cue.

  Keezz hobbled over and thumped Loose Tooth lightly with his stick. “Patience good. Wait,” the old goblin scolded.

  “Ouch!” Loose Tooth rubbed his head but sulked off, arms crossed.

  “I promise you’ll get the first piece, Loose,” Cromus said as he started rigging up the healthier branches into a grill-like structure.

  Loose Tooth perked up slightly but was soon distracted by Cromus’s construction. “What’s that?” he asked, while even Sais raised an eyebrow at the makeshift contraption.

  “Just something I wanted to try,” Cromus said, arranging the kindling beneath the grill. He was about to strike a spark when Keezz stepped forward, holding a dead leaf above the pile. The old goblin closed his eyes, and a flicker of flame ignited the kindling effortlessly.

  “Oh, the crystal,” Cromus said, realization dawning. “Right. Thanks, Keezz.”

  Keezz smiled faintly and settled back as Cromus carefully placed two pieces of Vulture Bear meat and three pieces of rabbit meat onto the grill.

  “Well, Keezz,” Sais began as the smell of cooking meat filled the air, “while we wait, could you tell us about your class and your levels now?”

  Keezz nodded, letting a moment of silence stretch before speaking. “Shaman is great honor,” he began, his voice solemn. “Normally, follow older shaman long time. Learn. Then class passed. Usually blood-related. My clan… dying. Bad sickness. We were fifteen. Then eight. Shaman, she tried everything. My mate, my child, already gone. I helped her, but she was young—just got lucky herself. Then she got sick. No one else helped. She gave me class with her last strength. She died.”

  Keezz paused, the weight of the memory heavy in his voice. “After she gone, words come in my face. I couldn’t read before, but now I could. I had choice: heal spell or boost spell. I chose heal. Chief say we move—he call sick land cursed. We leave with seven. Lucky, I healed every cough. No more die. We grew. Became thirteen. Then one born strong. Big. Red Fist.”

  Keezz’s tone softened as he spoke of Red Fist. “His father, chief, proud. At six, Red Fist held spear. At ten, he fought chief. Won easy. Led raids. Clan grew. New goblins came. New shamans, younger ones. Red Fist picked them. I stayed back, heal only. Got my levels then. Not much after.”

  He sighed, his expression a mix of pride and sadness. “That why I think I only have five points. Old shaman weak, sick, when she passed class. Other shamans get six, seven. Me? Only five.”

  “That’s… rough,” Sais said, frowning. “It might make sense, though. If the strength of the shaman passing the class affects the next one, that explains it.”

  Cromus nodded thoughtfully. “Still, if we helped you level, maybe that’d boost your abilities. What do you think?”

  Keezz hesitated. “I… too old to fight now.”

  “Maybe,” Sais said, “but leveling might fight the effects of aging. It’s worth a shot.”

  Keezz’s eyes glimmered with a trace of hope. “Maybe. Could be.”

  “It’s settled, then,” Cromus said. “We’ll help you level and see what happens.”

  Just then, a loud “Mmmmmmmmmmm!” drew their attention. Loose Tooth had snuck a piece of Vulture Bear meat and was already swallowing it down.

  “So good!” he exclaimed, his face lit with joy.

  The group laughed, the tension of the day melting away. As they ate, Cromus handed out portions to everyone, including Athas, who danced happily with a piece of meat in his jaws.

  Cromus bit into his portion, a bit too hopeful after Loose Tooth’s reaction, only to be met with the same bland, tough flavor as before. The charred bits helped slightly, but he couldn’t stop himself from mentally praying to Gaia for a future filled with seasoning.