The road that Quintin walked on was long. Everything was quiet, but the obvious signs of recent activity were enough to make that a threatening thought rather than one of relief. However, given what he knew about goblins, it wasn't as tense for him as someone with less information might feel.

Quintin was almost sure this was an area where goblins once resided. The filthy state of the place was a dead giveaway, which admittedly, could've just been a mess created by any creature in their rush to escape. Yet the knowledge of a greater Goblin Tribe, and of how goblins were seen to live previously, was enough for a measure of certainty as he moved along the road. With [Sinisphere] active, there was even less of a reason to worry. Nevertheless, the lessons of the past made his approach one born of caution. An approach also rewarded by the yell he heard from far off down the line.

"That fork-tailed little Gremlin went this way! I swear-" came a woman's distant shout.

An angry man's bellow followed from even farther away. "Natalie! Stop running, come back to the Team! Let's figure this out rationally!"

"The little shit stole my goddam ring, Hiks- and I'll be damned if I let it get away with that," Natalie replied.

Quintin's ears perked up at the colorful language Natalie used to describe the would-be thief. "Could it be..."

Although he couldn't positively identify the who or what based on shouted words alone, it remained that Vissitri came to mind. Quintin could almost picture that chaotic ball of green fur stealing things just for amusement. Scarily enough, that depiction also made his decision to tail the team of Adventurers all the easier. Quintin didn't want to pass up the chance to regroup with the only friendly face he had met since coming to Whorrl.

The team continued to yell back and forth, even as he sprinted between [Cobblerite] houses and through narrow alleyways towards the source of their voices. As the distance between them shrunk, so too did he slow down, attempting not to alert them to his presence. The team showed up on [Sinisphere] by now, which meant for all intent and purposes; he had eyes on them.

The woman, Natalie, held a healthy lead over her teammates, yet they were all still within the thirty-six-meter coverage of [Sinisphere] and heading in the same direction. Rightfully so, every member of the six person squad was on edge. One in particular even held murderous intent towards Natalie; their lives were on the line now because of her—Quintin didn't fault the man.

"Stop this at once! It's just a goddam ring!" Hiks half pleaded, half provoked.

Natalie came to a furious halt, spitting out with some sarcasm, "Just a ring!? Really Hiks? That just-a-ring is only the last vestige of my house and family! You know what... Shit, we're bei-"

The reality of a predatory watcher meant the six person team was quick to regroup. Quintin could only watch as their negligent advance of before, turned into a concentrated standstill. It was a mild annoyance that they had caught on to him so soon, but nothing could be done about it now except to curse his artless wheelhouse.

After a good minute of silence, Hiks' powerful voice broke it, "If you come out now, we can talk. Otherwise, we'll have no choice but to regard you as a threat to our lives."

A good couple of seconds passed before Quintin sighed and rounded a nearby corner with his hands held high. "If you think about it, I may have saved your lives; so don't look at me so cruelly. I do apologize for the scare, though."

The adventurers grew even more agitated when they saw him, the subtle Nihilistic Aura caused them to unconsciously draw even closer together. Being the leader of their team, Hiks took an electric step forward. His stoic posture held a certain quality that worked to calm everyone's nerves in these tense few moments.

"You have a very foul aura, friend. We can talk so long as you explain that chaotic evil that roils off of you like a serpent shedding its skin."

Quintin thought fast. Even if he didn't know what the Title [Walking Calamity] would do to his interactions, he still had an answer preplanned to potentially excuse it. He would run if that didn't work, in the hope that they were more interested in sorting out their interpersonal issues than a drawn-out fight with him.

"It's a Skill. A very recent addition that I got at random. Honestly, it's more of a hindrance than a boon. However, it does help me appear more like a monster to, well, other monsters—and civilized folks too, apparently."

A few dry chuckles escaped from Hiks before a shrug accompanied his outstretched hand. "Name's Hiks. If you have the balls to shake my hand, I'll entertain your answer for why you're following us."

Quintin didn't waste any time. In reply, he walked over to grasp the man's hand in his own metallic grip, "I'm Quintin. The pleasure's all mine."

The others watched their handshake in silence for a few nervous seconds. Hiks seemed to gain some form of understanding as his eyes flashed blue, "Before you ask; that was a Skill of mine called [Heartread Handshake]. It told me, 'Your heart is in the right place', which is good enough for me. Now, why don't you tell us why you're watching us?"

Quintin nodded in understanding and shrugged, "I heard you guys making a bunch of noise. Call it curiosity, but some of- erm- Natalie's more... descriptive phrases drew me in to investigate," he paused in deliberation before adding, "this, 'fork-tailed little gremlin', could you elaborate on what exactly this creature looks like?"

Natalie got the stink eye from almost everyone in her group, as if to say 'told you so'. She stomped her foot and looked to Hiks for approval to speak, which she got.

"I guess you already know my name," she rolled her eyes, "The creature was a four-legged one, green, and very cunning. Small, and I think it had something embedded in its forehead, but I can't be sure. Why do you care anyway?"

Quintin scratched the bridge of his nose and spoke, "Let's just say I think that creature stole something from me too, so I want to know where it went."

One of the men that had remained silent up until now muttered, "He's lying."

The eyebrows on Hiks shot up in response. "Is that true, Levi?" He then shot Quintin an inquisitive look, "What do you say to that?"

A dry laugh escaped Quintin. He sighed in resignation, "Alright, listen. I'll level with you guys. I'm not in league with the theft of your ring. But, if I'm right about who took it, then I think I can help you get it back."

The combined shock of the entire team took on a comical tone as they spoke as one, "You know the creature!?"

"There's only one way to find out for sure. What do you say? Want to team up and find your stolen ring?"