Muck has been too busy peppering the goblin with inane questions to have any reaction other than blind trust.

Finally picking up the darkened tone, Muck forms a quizzical expression to the other companions. “Why are we being mean to our friend? He’s been so nice to us.“ He then constricts some of his form around the goblin’s neck.

”But if you reeeeeally want me to give him a dying hug, I guess I can.”

"Let's keep the little twerp alive for now. He serves no purpose to us dead. Now, where exactly are these sentries?"

"Goblin tricksy. Tried ambush us. Kill us. Not friend", Bok'Shir replies to Muck. "Goblin family took boss. Want eat Sildar, they not friend either".

He looks at the goblin and points two finger at his own eyes, and then towards the goblin.

"Bok'Shir keep eye on goblin".

Bridgette nods.

"Yeah, definitely would be a good idea to keep him around for a while... I'm sure he's more useful to us alive than dead... but... is it really a good idea to just leave him wrapped up in Muck? What if we need Muck for something else?"

Hearing its name mentioned, Muck swivels its pseudo face in Bridgette's direction and replies in the same hushed tone everyone else is using. "Ooh. I'm really good at disguises if that would be useful. I can make myself look like a person or a rock or a Muck or a different person..." Muck continues listing stream of conscious "things" it can disguise itself as until someone tells it to shut up.

"Not now, Muck. You can transform later. How about this: We tie up his hands and mouth, and tie a rope round his middle. We can drag him around, so that way Muck is able to defend itself" Penley pulls rope out of his bag

Muck slops off the goblin to enable him to be bound with rope.

Once this is done, muck will detach a piece of itself to crawl up and over the goblin's mouth like a gag. "Here. I'll leave behind a chunk. This way I can have all my pseudopods free while still staying close with our new goblin prisoner friend. And if I get bored or curious or someone tells me to do so, I can always send this chunk of myself up his nose and see what a goblin looks like from the inside. How fun would that be!?"

The goblin isn't very happy with this turn of events, but also has no real choice at all. He points over to the other side of the stream,  to the bushes near the cave entrance. He tries to say something, but gets a mouthful of Muck so thinks better of it.

Bridgette looks a bit greener than usual when Muck forces a piece of their slime into the goblin's mouth...

"You know... if we're worried about him sounding an alarm I'm pretty sure using a normal piece of cloth would work just fine..."

Seeing the goblin pointing at the bushes, Bok'Shir frowns.

"Perhaps gag not best. Need goblin speak so goblin tell of dangers", he suggests. "Goblin foolish if betray us. Goblin die quick fast if did. Believe goblin do as agree", he adds tentatively, hoping the others are still open to his thoughts.

Muck reforms its detached chunk into something like a mustache, opening space for the goblin to breathe and speak, but equally prepared to crawl up his nasal passage and out through his tear ducts upon request.

“Oh, I’m so so sorry new friend for blocking your talk hole. Did you have something you needed to say?”

"Just the watch post is over there. If you make much more noise they will probably notice you and start firing" 

"How about we kill them first, then? And Bok'shir, you are wrong about one thing: If he betrays us, his death will be slow and painful." Penley says in a low voice. "Who wants to kill the guards?" he looks around at his party members

"No killing! You have killed enough already. I don't care if you threaten to give me a slow death. If you start killing them I won't be helping you inside at all."

Bok'Shir looks at Penley with mistrust and fear.

"You say do this no killing. Now you say we kill. You say Bok'Shir friend, perhaps not mean friend", he says to Penley, moving away from the Tabaxi and raising his shield up slightly. He looks to the others, "Goblin help, do this quick quick".

Penley looks around, then thinks for a second, confused. Then he remembers, and an "Oh, right. Musta forgotten. Goodness, my memory is bad. Guess we won't kill then. And Bok'shir, of course you're my friend. Twas a simple mistake, a slip of the tongue. Right then, shall we go knock those Goblins out?"

OOC: If Penley's speech starts sounding vaguely british, just know it's because I'm re-reading Harry Potter.

Bok'shir eyes Penley for a moment, and then relaxes his shield and gives a very toothy smile.

"Good good", he says. "Shhh", he adds as he starts to creep towards the bushes, sword and shield in his hands hoping to surprise them.

Stealth: 20+4=24!

(OOC: Nice, I just hope Bok'Shir doesn't start talking too much like Dobbie!)

Muck listens to the back and forth between Penley, Bok'Shir and the goblin.

As Bok'Shir snakes off to deal with the goblins, Muck whispers to the goblin, asking "Sorry if this is a silly question, but why do humanoids like to hurt each other so much? I haven't quite figured that out yet."

Muck listens to the back and forth between Penley, Bok'Shir and the goblin.

As Bok'Shir snakes off to deal with the goblins, Muck whispers to the goblin, asking "Sorry if this is a silly question, but... why do humanoids like to hurt each other so much? I've only been alive for a short while and I haven't quite figured that out yet."

The goblin just shrugs in response to Muck. Bok'shir sneaks around unseen, and sees a small area in the briar thickets has been hollowed out to form a lookout post. Wooden planks flatten the briars and provide room for guards to lie hidden and watch the area—including the three goblins lurking there right now. One of them seems a bit larger and stronger than the other two.