"We have a problem."

  "What problem, Zig? The fact that we're all covered in bruises and never want to step in that wagon deathtrap again?"

  "...yes, Hepp, that problem. Also the fact that Teeth prefers to travel about four times faster than our donkeys."

  Teeth snorted in her sleep. She was resting on one side of the clearing they were in, keeping watch over a mound of bear meat and bones. Jints had done the nasty work of skinning the beast, and the bearskin was washed and hanging to dry in the fork of a tree. Jints had used up a good chunk of their salt supplies to coat the inside of the skin, and said they needed to bring it to a town within a few days for it to be treated. Zig was more of the "order a new rug online" type of person, so he had no idea what was involved. He did like the idea of a bearskin seat for the wagon, though, and wondered if he could trade Jints for it later.

  "I've been thinking about it, and we could solve the problem in two ways," Zig began to lay out his ideas cautiously.

  "The first way, which is safe and boring and slow, is that we just figure out how to make Teeth walk slower. That's, ah, that's it. That's the plan. The second idea is way cooler."

  Zig leaned forward and started sketching in the dirt with a stick.

  "The first problem we need to solve is all the bouncing around when we're traveling at speed. I don't think this world has much in the way of suspension. I was wondering if Gretta could smith us up some springs, but we don't have the equipment for that, and then I remembered the way goblins built houses in the mines and how branches supported each other in a kind of mesh that had a lot flex, and we have a lot of branches here, but we don't have a lot of rope, but I did make rope out of tree bark one time and we can..."

  Zig's diagram in the dirt grew more and more complicated. He spoke and waved his stick and gestured excitedly, and Hepp thought it almost sounded like the chittering sounds a goblin might make. Everybody's eyes glazed over and their minds started to wander. Gretta thought about smithing and whether to take it up again. Hepp wondered if his split arrow skill worked on special arrows, or if the ghostly duplicates would always just be plain wooden ones. Lady Jane was thinking about Liston and how she might approach the academy to take her on as a student, even though she didn't know a single spell. Jints was trying to follow Zig, but couldn't understand the diagram. Where did the donkeys go? And the people were there, and the food was... Jints thought about the last time he'd gone out with Grimsby's army, and how they organized the food carts to follow the army. That was the thing about armies, nobody knew how much logistics were involved...

  "...and I think I can do it, I mean legendary goblin crafting is legendary, right? It's gotta be more than simple goop mechanics. I think I'll call it the Nest."

  All four snapped out of their daydreams to see a bird's nest of lines and scribbles on the dirt. They all shuffled their feet and nodded and murmured vague agreements as if they'd been paying attention.

  "So you guys are all onboard with this idea? That's great! I thought I'd have to try really hard to convince you to let me try."

  With a beaming smile, Zig raced over to the food wagon and picked up the small axe they'd brought. He scurried back to ask Gretta for her hammer, then he went to the wagon and started pulling it apart. The rest of the Red Daggers looked on nervously.

  "He does have a legendary skill, right?"

  "He does indeed, Lady Jane," Hepp replied, trying to reassure himself more than her.

  Zig's project was a bit bigger than anyone anticipated, himself included. Night fell and they made camp there in the clearing. The wagon was thoroughly dismantled and in various piles. Zig had also chopped down several piles of branches. All the trees surrounding the clearing were just naked trunks pointing up at the sky.

  Hepp had taken lots of leaves and carpeted the floor of his dugout, and the crew had moved into it. Jints was roasting bear meat on the fire, Gretta was polishing her shield, and Lady Jane was reading. During her brief stay in Lancre, she'd somehow acquired a couple of books. Zig didn't even realize Lancre had books.

  Zig was still running about, sorting piles of branches, and weaving piles of bark-rope. His endurance let him do everything at a sprint. He still had the very base of the wagon there, the platform that connected all the wheels. Zig started constructing something similar to the bird nest he'd made in the forest before. It was a crisscrossing network of branches lashed together. There was an occasional need for goop, but mostly it was the rope and branches. He rebuilt the wagon larger than before, hanging off the sides and back of the platform. It was a masterpiece. It was horrific. It was somewhat ball shaped, and Zig didn't have the cloth to cover the top, but he made do with some leafy branches.

  The wagon had some windows, but the entire contraption was see-through. Nothing was solid, it was all mesh. Zig climbed in and noted how much his weight caused the mesh to bend and flex under him. That was the secret, getting the right amount of spring.

  Zig's reasoning was thus: You could made the wheels bouncy, like pneumatic tires. Or you could make spring suspension between the wheels and the the carriage. Zig wasn't sure how to do that, especially with the stuff they had on hand. The third option was to make the entire carriage bouncy. He jumped out and slapped the side of the wagon.

  "This bad boy will ride like a cloud."

  Zig then went over to the food cart and hitched it to the back of the wagon. He added a little suspension cage to that cart too, then ran over to the equipment cart. Another little cage, just to avoid the worst of the bumps, and he hitched that to the back of the food cart. He turned to the donkeys, who were doing their own thing as far from Teeth as they could get.

  "Rest easy tonight, my furry friends! You wont have to pull these anymore."

  Zig rubbed his chin, trying to decide what to do with the donkeys. Teeth did need a lot of meat... On the other hand, they could sell the donkeys at the next town, maybe get something out of it.

  They slept in Hepp's Hollow, as they named it, and Zig watched the stars in the night sky. He couldn't recognize any of them. He wondered how his parents were doing. He tried not to think of them too much. Sometimes he preferred the days where he fought for his life. It helped him not to think about life back home. He hoped Erica was ok. And Dave, and Abed. Zig wondered if Abed could be a healer in this world. He'd spent years studying medicine, how would he feel if he could just zap a guy back to perfect health? Dave would get along well with Gretta. Zig imagined the two of them taking the front lines as they fought a horde of goblins.

  The imaginary goblins didn't stand a chance.

  The next morning, they loaded up the Nest. Jints was frowning as he inspected the way the carts were all tethered to the wagon. Gretta was pushing the mesh of branches and seeing how the whole thing moved and bounced around in a way that didn't quite seem structurally sound.

  "We're actually climbing into this thing?" Gretta asked.

  "Where do the donkeys go?" Jints asked.

  "What in the name of the seven kingdoms is this?" Lady Jane asked.

  "This is awesome," Hepp said with a grin.

  The whole contraption was close enough to still being a tree that Hepp was able to scramble to the top at the speed of Extreme Tree Climbing. He laughed and jumped up and down as the springy cage bounced him up and down. Zig smiled at that.

  "The donkeys can run alongside us, mister Jints, I plan to sell them at the nearest town. Otherwise... Teeth might need some emergency supplies, if you know what I mean."

  One of the donkeys brayed uncertainly.

  The team all loaded their gear into the equipment and food carts, and climbed into the nest, adjusting to the strange vehicle. Zig covered the two carts with bedrolls and tied them down tightly so nothing could bounce out of the top. He saluted Hepp's Hollow, hitched Teeth up, and jumped into the driver's seat of the wagon.

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  "Ok, here goes nothing. Teeth, let's go girl! Ya!"

  Teeth gave something between a whinny and a chuckle, and pawed the ground for dramatic effect. Then she started moving. The food cart and the equipment cart were heavy. In fact, the Nest was quite a bit heavier too, with the added dimensions. It didn't seem to bother Teeth in the slightest. They rejoined the worn path that was a road of sorts, and headed north. Teeth was feeling fresh and energetic after so much food from yesterday. She ran. She flew. The road wasn't engineered asphalt. It was bumpy and filled with stones and clumps of dirt and grass. At this speed, the previous wagon would have tumbled the adventurers around like a washing machine.

  The Nest was built different.

  All the bumps and jolts hit the wheels, transferred to the lower branches making up the carriage, and petered out. The adventurers barely felt a thing, just a gentle rocking. Zig turned to look at the two carts trailing behind them. They were jumping up and down a bit, but otherwise looked fine. The donkeys were falling behind, again, but only by a bit this time. Since they had nothing to pull, they were able to race to keep up with Teeth. Kinda.

  Zig whooped. Hepp whooped. The others half-heartedly whooped, wondering when this entire thing would fall to pieces. They gained a little more confidence as the morning sun climbed in the sky. The Nest was flying across the land, making great time. It was comfortable and functional. It only looked like it was about to collapse and kill everyone on board.

  "So this is legendary goblin crafting."

  "Sure is, Hepp! Out of everything that landslide gave me, this is my favorite by far!"

  Hepp stayed on the top of the Nest, enjoying the height and using his Eagle Eye ring to see into the distance.

  "Look alive Zig, we're approaching company."

  Zig managed to slow Teeth down to a normal pace as they approached a wagon that had fallen on its side up ahead. Half a dozen people were walking around it, trying to push it upright or inspect the damage.

  "There are more people in the trees. Armed." Hepp said from his perch.

  "Bandits then?"

  "Looks like it. Should we turn back? Go around?"

  The bandits had chosen their spot well. The path was going through a patch of trees right where they were. All travelers would have to pass by them or take a very long detour away from the road to avoid trying to fit wagons in between trees. Zig considered the problem.

  "They've spotted us. And the path's a little narrow to turn... I think the only way out is through. Keep an arrow ready."

  The Nest rolled to a stop just shy of the fallen wagon.

  "Ho, strangers! It is so good to see you! As you can see, we are in dire need of some help. My name is mister Bellem"

  A man approached them, hat in his hands and an earnest expression on his face. He had gray speckling his hair, but carried himself with a bit too much muscle to be a wagon driver suffering misfortune.

  "Ho there mister Bellem, name's Zig and this here is the Red Daggers."

  Zig gestured at the crew behind him. Gretta smiled and lifted her spiked shield. She'd snuck back to the food cart and smeared some bear blood onto the spikes, so they dripped red. Hepp waved from his spot at the top of the Nest, holding his bow out, strung and ready to fire.

  Zig kicked a particular branch, and the harness holding Teeth fell slack. The nightmare horse stepped forward as if to prove she wasn't restrained.

  "And this here is Teeth. Don't worry, she ate yesterday, so she should be fine... I think."

  Zig was putting all his hope in Teeth. Sure enough, mister Bellem gulped as the horse looked at him and grinned, exposing all those sharp teeth.

  "Should, ah, should she be restrained, mister Zig?"

  "Ah, no, she's a free spirit. Works as a bit of security to our team, mister Bellem, you know how it is. Now, we were just passing through, and between me and you I'm not sure if you want to set that wagon upright or not. I do have something else to offer you, though."

  As if on cue, the poor donkeys finally caught up with the Nest. They collapsed, panting, making pitiful "hee haw" noises as they tried to recover from sprinting through the morning. Zig gestured to the prone donkeys.

  "These here are two fine animals, once they catch their breath. We outpace them quite a bit, so we're looking to sell them to the right buyer."

  The bandit scratched his chin.

  "We'd gladly take the animals, but usually we don't come up with much for payment..."

  There was a snort, and a wave of hot horsebreath washed over Bellem.

  "But ah, of course, this is a special circumstance, so,"

  At this point Jints came up.

  "If you would excuse me, mister Zig, I believe this is my area of expertise."

  Zig stepped back as Jints started haggling with the man. They settled on a price, and Bellem gave a sharp whistle. A man came out of the trees, and offered a money pouch to Bellem. The bandit leader pulled out a few coins, and was in the middle of handing them over.

  "Oh, and of course, this exchange of goods also includes each party giving safe passage to the other to leave this place."

  Jints slipped that in and reached out to grab the coins. Bellem hesitated, but Jints was already pocketing the profits.

  "Thank you, and good day to you sir."

  Zig and Jints jumped back into the Nest. Teeth wandered over to the harness, and Zig strapped her in. They got on their way and all the bandits watched as they passed by. Hepp gave them a salute. As they almost lost sight of them, Zig turned and saw Bellem shouting at the other bandits.

  "Huh, I almost thought they'd attack as soon as we hitched up Teeth again."

  "Undoubtedly, mister Zig. That's why I insisted on making the deal." Jints replied.

  "You, oh, that comment about safe passage? That was a skill?"

  "Enforced Terms," Jints replied, "quite powerful at the Advanced level. One of my top skills as a steward."

  "What else have you got, if you don't mind me asking?"

  "An excellent memory for inventory, an eye for talent, and I play the flute quite well."

  "Huh... ah, how many potatoes have we got?"

  "43"

  "Carrots?"

  "27"

  "Bear meat?"

  "113 pounds of meat, should last us a long time, but we'll need more salt to preserve it beyond a week."

  "Mister Jints that's amazing."

  "It does win me free drinks in certain circles."

  Zig tried to imagine a tavern full of accountants and merchants, all admiring Jints for his stock-taking abilities.

  "And an eye for talent? What's that all about?"

  "I can see something of a cross between current power and future potential. It's a highly coveted skill for hiring staff. You, mister Zig, light up like a bonfire. That's why I am quite happy to be part of this merry crew."

  "You can see I'm legendary?"

  "Not in words, mister Zig, but I can see a brighter spark in you than in the others. But even these fine people," Jints gestured at the other members of the Red Daggers. "You all have quite an intensity that I've rarely seen in Grimsby or Lancre. Big fish in a small pond indeed."

  "I knew I was special!" Hepp called out from on top of the carriage.

  "What was that about the flute, mister Jints? I never heard you play back in Grimsby."

  "Ah, Lady Jane, it was something I kept to myself. A hobby in my youth, not becoming of a steward, the late Lord Jorst said."

  "That says a lot about that vile man. Would you play us a tune?"

  "If I only could, my lady, but I do not have a flute with me. Perhaps we can find one in the next town."

  "Alright Daggers, team huddle."

  They had stopped by a stream for the night. It was still late afternoon, but stopping early gave them time to set up camp. Teeth was looking happy at being able to run the entire day. Zig wondered if she had the same endurance skill he had. She didn't seem bothered at all, carrying a wagon and two carts across the countryside for hours on end.

  Hepp had dug another of his Hepp's Hollows, a wide pit in the dirt, with a raised shelf around the perimiter as a bench to sit on or store goods, and a fireplace in the center. The team had thrown leaves and branches over everything as a cover, so they weren't sitting on bare dirt.

  Teeth was off hunting, and the sun was just setting as they were cooking dinner. Jints had mixed flour, water, and a couple of secret ingredients together into a dough. They wrapped the dough around sticks and held them over the fire to cook. The smell of baking bread was filling the hollow.

  Zig explained to the team again his experience getting the Endurance skill.

  "It was excruciating, and I only kept at it with sheer desperation. It was the worst time of my life. Not only was I stuck in that dungeon, but I had to do push ups every waking moment. I could barely move the whole time, my body was on the verge of shutting down."

  He looked at his friends, especially Hepp and Gretta.

  "So... I was thinking you guys should do it too."

  "Zig?"

  "Yes, Gretta?"

  "You ok?"

  "I'm fine, wh—oh, yea it does sound kinda crazy, but think about it. Think about it."

  Zig's eyes gleamed in the firelight.

  "I've met a few dozen people now, and they all seem to have anywhere between one and five skills. Does that check out with you guys?"

  There were nods all around.

  "Why? Why don't you have like fifty skills? Wouldn't that make everything better?"

  "It's not easy, Zig, skills only come once in a blue moon. Maybe in very extreme circumstances..."

  "Exactly, Hepp! Exactly. Skills seem to come to people in their trade. Whatever occupies them their whole lives. But also, skills seem to come from extreme situations. Hepp, I wanted a skill, and got it in a couple days. It wasn't the skill I was trying to get, but I got something."

  "So you want us to train, Mister Zig, to try and force new skills upon us?"

  "Absolutely, mister Jints. Now, you and Lady Jane can come up with your own methods, you aren't fighters, although I still think you can learn new skills if you push yourselves. You two, however," Zig pointed at Hepp and Gretta, "imagine how we'd do adventuring if all three of us got Endurance? We can explore other skills too, but since I know it works, we should start with Endurance."

  There was an excitement in the air. The thought of getting new skills. A tension, too. Endurance did not come easily for Zig. He expected Jane and Jints to do something less laborious, but to his surprise, all four of them agreed to give it a go.

  That night, as Teeth settled down to sleep, she cracked an eye open to watch her owner dancing around four people doing pushups. What an odd bunch. She licked her lips, cleaning some of the blood off them. Some of the funny men from the morning, dressed like commoners but smelling like death, had been pursuing the Red Daggers.

  They'd been absolutely delicious.