Ed snatched up the gnarled stick and gripped it as hard as he possibly could. Underneath his blue gray fur, his knuckles whitened and his hands shook as he held onto his weapon as if his very life depended on it; and in his perspective at the moment, it might as well have been. Asteria had moved beside him...but her mother was nowhere to be seen. Ed then peers out slightly to see that the one making all that ruckus was a lone goblin. A young timid looking one at that. From the looks of what the little goblin had on her person. She was the source of the smell of smoke, earth, and vegetation. Ed's sharp hearing could pick up the goblin girls mutterings and soon realized that he was the cause of their current predicament. Though she was currently not alerted of their presence, Ed thought simply to stay put and wait until the goblin left. He gave her one more cautious glance and finally saw that Asteria's mother was on a branch atop the goblins position, visibly distressed by the fact that the goblin was so close. He understood that surviving and living in this world would require him to keep killing and adapting, and Ed was willing to end her life...but her demeanor and young age caused Ed to hesitate and doubt himself. Perhaps this would be an occasion where she would not need to die? Ed looked down at Asteria and whispers to her. [color=chocolate]"Asteria, would it be possible to resolve this without killing her? I mean, if you have any alternative plans, I am willing to give it a shot. Perhaps bluffing and scaring her off?"[/color] From what Ed understood, the goblins were not very bright and that gave Ed hope that a good enough bluff could fool this one and convince her to leave on her own volition. [hider=Stats] LVL: 5 HP: [color=Green]Healthy[/color] SP: [color=yellowGreen]Rested[/color] MP: [color=green]Full[/color] Effect/s: [b]SKILLS:[/b] Unspent Skill Points: [color=red]12[/color] Current Skills: Beast Sense II (1.4) Rabid Fit I (1.2) Stronger I (1.05) [color=green]ACTIVE[/color] Muffle I (1.0) [color=green]ACTIVE[/color] __________________________________ SKILL PROGRESS: Material Analysis (0.2) Magic Analysis (0.6) Monster Analysis (0.6) Faster (0.4) Warcry (0.1) Alert (0.3) Dexterous (0.8) Tremor Sense (0.025) Mental Resistance (0.9) Telepathy (0.075) Mana Shape (0.6) Focus (0.6) Shield (0.5) Mana Shell (0.3) Soil Manipulation (0.45) Overwork (0.5) Harder (0.2) Crafting (0.25) First Aid (0.1) Meditate (0.3) [b]Inventory:[/b] - Vine Belt (Shoddy Quality) - Healing Herbs x 5 - Flame touched crystals x 2 - Tainted Crystal x 1 - Gnarled Stick (Unknown Quality) [NEW!] [/hider] [hider=Action Summary] Snatched up the stick. Gripped it has hard as he could out of anxiety. Soon discovers and deduces that the goblin was the source of the anomalous scents. Wanted to wait it out and let her pass, but Mama Rat is distressed. Ed hesitates and doubts his willingness to kill her. Asks Asteria if she has any alternative plans. [/hider]