“Well Loose, I have some good news.” Cromus said

  Loose Tooth blinked, confused.

  Due to your actions, Loose Tooth wishes to become one of your followers. Accepting him as a follower will allow you to unlock his choice of class at the expense of sacrificing 1,000 Experience points each and spending 100 mana. Do you wish to unlock Loose Tooths class? Yes/No?

  He mentally clicked yes, dropping his mana to only 20, and taking his exp down to 2090. But for Cromus this was a wise investment.

  Loose Tooth’s eyes widened as an interface appeared before him.

  "This... this is a lot," he mumbled, scanning the options.

  Cromus chuckled. "Yeah, it can be overwhelming at first. What did you get?"

  Loose Tooth studied the options, reading them carefully.

  “Bombardier, Feral Trickster, and... Thorn Foliage Druid.”

  Cromus paused. "I guess that makes sense. But man, these naming schemes are all over the place." He smirked. "So, which one are you leaning toward?"

  Loose Tooth frowned.

  "I don’t know," he admitted. "I mean... I like my sling, but I don’t know if I want everything based on that. I don’t like fighting up close, so Feral Trickster doesn’t seem right." His nose wrinkled. "And Thorn Foliage Druid sounds... kinda meh."

  Cromus thought for a moment.

  "Well, let’s break it down. Bombardier sounds like it’s all about range and explosions—good if you want to stick with your sling and go all in on damage. Feral Trickster? Might not be as close-range as you think. Some classes like that get illusions and mind tricks, which could fit with how you like outsmarting people."

  He gestured toward the trees.

  "But Thorn Foliage Druid? That’s probably the most versatile of the three. Foliage is everything around us. It’s not just thorns—it’s vines, roots, leaves, even flowers. In the right environment, you could be a nightmare to fight. Especially in the forest."

  Loose Tooth stared at the options, deep in thought. “Yeah, I trust your words.” he said choosing Thorn Foliage Druid.

  Before Loose Tooth could even react, Cromus noticed something odd. His speech pattern was different, not just a little. A lot.

  He tilted his head, curious. "Loose... what's your Intelligence?"

  Loose Tooth blinked and checked his character sheet.

  "Uh... 12. Why?"

  Cromus exhaled. "Huh. Jagz and Ush both started at 10 or lower. So for you to already have stats above 10 before assigning points? That’s... interesting."

  Loose Tooth grinned. "I told you, Biggin—I’m smart."

  Cromus laughed. "I guess you were telling the truth back then."

  Loose Tooth clutched his chest dramatically. "You think I would lie?! That hurts."

  His mock offense was spot-on. Almost too spot-on.

  Cromus narrowed his eyes. "Okay. It’s clear you’ve picked up some bad habits already."

  Loose Tooth beamed. "I just understand the humor better now."

  Cromus sighed. "Alright. Let’s see that character sheet."

  Loose Tooth grinned and shared it.

  Name: Loose Tooth

  Age: 16

  Level: 1

  Exp: 0/400

  Health: 100/100

  Mana: 120/120

  Stamina: 120/120

  Stats

  Strength: 8

  Dexterity: 12

  Constitution: 10

  Intelligence: 12

  Wisdom: 10

  Charisma: 6

  Race: Goblin: A race of small, cunning, and often underestimated creatures. Known for their quick thinking, adaptability, and resourcefulness, goblins thrive in environments that would break most others. Their nimble bodies and sharp reflexes allow them to avoid danger rather than face it head-on. However, goblins are often seen as untrustworthy or weak, leading to a -2% penalty to charisma checks when interacting with those who look down on their kind. Despite this, their low profile and agility grant them advantages in movement and stealth. You have night vision, in areas of low light you are able to see normally.

  Path: Thorn Foliage Druid:

  A warrior of the untamed wilds, the Thorn Foliage Druid bends nature to their will—not with whispers, but with force. Where others see forests as peaceful havens, they see weapons waiting to be wielded. Twisting roots, razor-sharp thorns, and strangling vines become an extension of their own body, allowing them to bind, pierce, and crush their enemies with relentless ferocity. As they grow in power, a Thorn Foliage Druid becomes a living extension of the forest’s wrath, capable of creating deadly brambles, commanding monstrous plant creatures, and shaping entire landscapes into treacherous domains where only they control the fight. The wild does not bow—it strangles.

  Abilities

  Scavenger’s Fortitude: Able to digest spoiled or questionable food without getting sick.

  Identify (inferior): The basic ability that most intelligent beings, can be used to identify items, creatures, and other humanoids.

  Spells

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  Bramble Lash: Three vines lash out in a small area, striking nearby enemies & causing Bleed. Cost 20 mana, Duration: 10 seconds.

  Blooming Grenade: Creates 5 explosive seed pods that can be thrown for piercing AOE damage. Cost 25 mana.

  Heal (inferior): You are able heal you or a willing target for ten hit points. Cost 10 mana.

  Nature's Assistant: You can help a plant grow a stage in its growth or remove any harmful effect it may have. The bigger the growth or larger effect consumes more mana. Cost 4 mana

  Skills

  Quick Reflexes: Gain a small bonus to dodging attacks, allowing them to evade danger more easily.

  Trickster’s Cunning: When facing a stronger opponent, goblins gain a small boost to Dexterity-based actions, allowing them to outmaneuver foes rather than overpower them. This includes dodging, sneaking, feinting, and other agility-driven tactics that rely on speed and clever movement.

  Nature’s Awareness: Thanks to your connection to Gaia, you are acutely aware of usable herbs and minerals nearby.

  Cromus took in everything, but his eyes locked onto that stats. Ush and Jagz both had several single digit stats, and originally he choked it up to them being goblins, but now looking at Loose Tooth’s maybe it was more of the age, experience before getting the class, or could the system just show favoritism. Way to many questions and things he will reflect on with Sais.

  "Well, that makes three. Four if you count Kaazz, since he deals with nature as well," Cromus said, smirking.

  Loose Tooth tilted his head, confusion clear on his face. "Huh?"

  Cromus chuckled. "Nature-based classes, Loose. You, Jagz, Ush… and Kaazz, in a way. That means Sais is outnumbered now."

  He grinned and shot Loose Tooth a wink. "And I fully intend to remind him of that."

  Turning back toward the Slynx’s body, Cromus reached for his weapon—then froze.

  A rustling sound came from the bushes.

  His hand instinctively tightened around the hilt of Raging Boar, his body tensing for another fight.

  Then, a familiar toothy grin peeked through the leaves.

  Cromus let out a relieved sigh, his grip loosening, shoulders relaxing. "Athas!" he called happily, kneeling down and scratching the Asalisk between the horns.

  Athas leaned into the affection, his tail flicking back and forth.

  "He always finds a nice place to hide when combat starts," Loose Tooth said, walking up beside him. "At least, it seems pretty clear when he shows up. He’s got a good sense for danger."

  Cromus nodded. "Yeah, he does. He’s such a good little guy, aren’t you?"

  His voice pitched higher as he spoke, almost sing-songy, the kind of voice someone used when talking to a pet.

  Loose Tooth stared at him. Hard.

  "What?" Cromus asked, noticing the look.

  Loose Tooth didn’t answer immediately. He just squinted. Then, finally, he spoke. "Why did you talk like that?"

  Cromus blinked, then shrugged. "Oh, I don’t know. Just an urge when I see cute things."

  Loose Tooth’s eyes widened slightly before he leaned forward. "Wait. You do that when you find a female cute?!"

  Cromus jerked back. "What? No! That’s different!"

  Loose Tooth nodded slowly. "Yep, you are weird Biggin."

  Cromus shot him a look, but the goblin’s grin widened. Then, after a moment, they both chuckled.

  His eyes turned to the Slynx’s body as he rubbed his hands together. “Well, let’s see what we get.” Cromus reached out and placed his hand on the corpse.

  They watched as the Slynx dissolved into the air essence, leaving behind its core and a neatly folded bundle of silk.

  Cromus frowned. “Well, I guess I was just spoiled with the Bearded Vulture Bear. I expected more.” He sighed, crossing his arms.

  “I’m sure we can do something with the silk,” Loose Tooth offered.

  “Oh, definitely,” Cromus agreed, picking up the silk and feeling its smooth yet durable texture. “Just… man, that fight was annoying.” He let out a chuckle—then paused as his eyes caught movement.

  Athas was waddling up to the core.

  “What’re you doing there, buddy?” Cromus asked, tilting his head.

  Athas sniffed the core, then opened his mouth.

  And kept opening.

  And kept opening.

  His jaw unhinged wider than seemed possible, stretching beyond what should have been natural. Then, without hesitation, he scooted forward and swallowed the core whole.

  Cromus and Loose Tooth froze, eyes wide.

  Cromus broke the silence first. "Did... did he just eat that whole?!"

  Loose Tooth, without missing a beat, replied, "Yeah."

  Athas gave a satisfied gulp, his belly now noticeably bloated. He took a few awkward steps forward, struggling to waddle properly, his usual nimble movement reduced to a clumsy shuffle. After a few moments of valiant effort, he gave up.

  With an exaggerated flop, he rolled onto his back, legs sticking up in the air, and let out a happy burp.

  Cromus blinked. “That’s not normal.”

  Loose Tooth, arms crossed, just nodded. "Nope."

  The two stared at the content, overfed Asalisk for a long moment.

  Then Cromus sighed. “Well, guess we’re learning new things today.”

  Athas wiggled slightly on his back, letting out another soft burp, looking completely unbothered.

  Cromus just stared at Athas, lost for words. Loose Tooth, on the other hand, couldn’t hold back his laughter. “Well… guess we don’t have to figure out what to do with the core anymore.”

  Cromus let out a long, defeated sigh but smirked all the same. “I guess you’re right.” He shook his head. “Which just leaves us worrying about getting food back to camp.”

  Turning toward where the deer had been, he expected to see a pile of meat. Instead… there were only antlers.

  Cromus blinked. Then he rubbed his eyes. Then he blinked again. “You have got to be kidding me.”

  Loose Tooth followed his gaze, squinting. “Uh… was there supposed to be more?”

  Cromus ran a hand down his face. “You would think.” He scratched the back of his head, frustration creeping into his voice. “Maybe it’s like everything else—the system has trade-offs. The looting ability lets me get materials easily, sure, but maybe there’s a downside. Like, maybe it doesn’t give me all the resources I normally would have gotten?”

  Loose Tooth didn’t respond right away. He could tell Cromus was working through the thought, and he had no idea how the system worked beyond what little he had seen.

  Cromus crossed his arms, processing the realization. “Wait…” His eyes widened.

  His head snapped up.

  “THAT MEANS WE COULD’VE MISSED OUT ON BETTER SHIT FROM THE BEARDED VULTURE BEAR!”

  Loose Tooth flinched at the sudden outburst, then grinned. “Too late now, Biggin.”

  Cromus groaned, raking his hands through his hair. “Damn it! I should’ve tested this sooner!”

  Loose Tooth laughed. “Eh, no use crying over missing bear bits.”

  Cromus turned to glare at him.

  Loose Tooth threw his hands up defensively. “I mean, we still got good stuff! exp for you, and a class for me! And—” He gestured toward Athas, still sprawled on his back, belly full. “Entertainment?”

  Cromus exhaled heavily, forcing himself to calm down. “Fine. Fine. I’ll figure it out later.” He glanced at Athas, who let out a lazy, content burp.

  Cromus shook his head, smirking. “At least one of us is happy.”

  Loose Tooth grinned. “Yep. And I’m still laughing at you.”

  Cromus shot him a look before rolling his shoulders. “Alright, enough of that. Let’s grab what we can and get moving. We still need to find food for everyone.”

  Then Cromus remembered something. Nature's Awareness. “Loose tooth can you use Nature's Awareness?”

  Loose looked up at him. “I mean I haven’t tried, how do I?”

  “Maybe mentally poke it.” Cromus guessed and attempted it himself. almost like a pulse from his body spread out 5 meters around him. His mind was flooded with information of small plants that were nearby and easily used for itch relief. and another that can help with dry mouth. Cromus’s grin widened.

  “Alright Loose, we are going to try another kind of hunting.” Cromus said.

  Loose looking at his smile, smiled back before hiding it. “Yeah but… what are we going to do with him?” He asked, pointing at the awkwardly bloated Athas.