Cathal took in the smells of the boar that Maol and Aimil just roasted. He silently cursed the bumbling fools, they could have arrived at their destination ages ago, but the constant sound caused by them made that impossible. Ciorsda came to join him.
“How about a small break, we’ll never make it in the time than planned anyways.”
“Sounds good to me. You can see they need a break, just look at them.” He answered.
“Yeah, it’s quite pitiful for seasoned adventurers.”
“True. So, did you notice our stalker?”
“Sure did, what do you think it is?”
“I'm not sure, it’s quite small, probably a goblin or kobold, they live in this part of the forest.”
“So a kobold; a goblin would have attacked us long ago.”
“Probably. Do you think it knows something? The wyvern must have come through here.”
“Doesn't hurt to ask. Let's warn the others first though.”
“Good idea.”
“How will we talk with it though, I doubt it can understand us.” He said.
“Hey Aimil, can you do illusions?” She yelled. The mage looked at them, her thoughts plain on her face.
“I'm a fire mage, not an illusionist.”
He chuckled. “At least she didn't add the insult. She can probably do anything you want, if you are happy with red, orange, blue and green.”
“You worked with firemages before?”
“Yep, three times. Swore I wouldn't work with one of the arrogant assholes ever again every time!”
“But hunting a wyvern without magic is suicide.”
“Yep. Now, let's talk to the others and see if we can lure out whatever is following us.”
“Right, do you think it will come out if we lure it with food?”
“It’s quite patient, though I think it will if it is hungry enough.”
“A lone kobold? I'm sure that won't be a problem.”
“Let's do this than.”
“Alright folks, we’ll take a small break and ask one of the locals if they have any leads on our target. I trust one of you two is capable of structuring your magic in the form of a wyvern? I doubt it can talk our language.” He yelled. The two mages immediately sat down in relief, making him snort in disgust. Real adventurers should be able to walk for days and still be in peak condition to fight after! The three fighters that joined them carried most of their luggage in addition to their shields and looked as ready to fight as the day set out.
They didn't need long to start a camp, practice made perfect after all. Once the seven of them were situated around the fire and the boar was roasting he turned to the location he knew their stalker to be. He had to commend the being, it perfectly blended in with the forest, he couldn't spot it even knowing it was there.
He cleared a little room at the fire and looked at the hiding spot and waved towards the spot next to him. His magically enhanced hearing heard something jump with a hiss, confirming their assumption. He had to repeat the action three times for something to happen.
A small kobold dropped out of the tree he had been looking at, hesitantly edging towards them. It was clad in furs. Most of that fur looked like that of a direwolf, not something he expected a kobold to wear.
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“It’s a child.” Ciorsda noted.
“Perhaps it’s lost, is it a he or she?”
“That's a female, they are more slender than males. And I very much doubt she’s lost. She looks well fed, and more curious than desperate. Considering winter wasn't more than two months ago she probably ran into us while playing in the forest.”
“That's true. Why did she follow us than?”
“Curiosity; children are always children.”
While his group chatted among themselves he kept watching the approaching child. For someone who had probably never met humans before and had just watched them dispatch a boar she seemed remarkably relaxed, normal kobolds were far more cautious than that. Not that the intelligent denizens of the forest had anything to fear of them, the free cities forbid killing anything intelligent without cause.
Once the child sat down he started trying to communicate with her, starting with their names. He introduced each of them, starting with himself.
The girl was remarkably quick on the uptake - normal kobolds were rather dim - understanding him at the first try and responding in kind.
“Ves’ra. ……………….” He only understood the name, and that only because it was different than the rest of her language.
He got her meaning after a lot of gesturing and confusion. Once he did he had to chuckle.
“What's it?” Maol asked as the child stood up.
“I'm pretty sure she asked why we burn our food.” He was proven correct as the kobold stood up and approached the fire. Conn went to offer his knife but Cathal stopped him, he wanted to see what she had in mind. She fumbled with something on her hip, a waterskin if he guessed correctly.
Mana left the kobold, entered the waterskin and water rose out moments later, forming into a knife and freezing in seconds. Every conversation stopped immediately. They all watched as the small mage cut some of the uncooked meat, sitting down in satisfaction after and looking at them with obvious confusion at their sudden silence.
“I feel inadequate.”
“Yeah.”
“Me too.”
“You sure she’s a child?”
“Yes, adult kobolds are a good deal taller than her. A kobold can grow up in a little more than a year with enough food, so seeing as she isn't starving I assume she’s about nine months old.”
“A mage and not even a year old? No wonder she doesn't fear us.”
“What do we do?”
“Nothing, we can't ask her to leave her family, we’ll report her to the guild but she doesn't seem dangerous so I doubt something will happen.” The rest agreed, now that they knew she was an ice mage they knew she could have easily killed one of them while they were ignoring her.
“Well, let's start after she ate, I'm sure she’ll understand us.”
“Yep, but how do you want to ask her, we are really unable to form illusions, just like our little friend here.”
“How good is you control over you fire, and can you change your flames to green?”
“Good idea, Aimil should do it, her fine control exceeds mine.”
After the kobold was done devouring the meat she smiled at them and happily resumed talking in her tongue - a strange combination of hissing and growling - completely ignoring that they couldn't understand her at all. He interrupted her, starting the slow process of conveying his meaning to her again. Aimil interrupted him.
“Stop it, I think I’ll be faster.”
The fire under the boar transformed, forming into their group walking through a forest, obviously searching for something. Soon enough they found a clearing, a wyvern feasting upon a deer within. He watched as the wyvern noticed them, lifting up into the air with a silent cry. She had them run in the direction the beast fled, looking around confused as the wyvern faded in the distance.
The child looked at them, transforming her ice into a perfect replica of the wyvern she just saw. She pointed at them, their weapons and than back at the wyvern. They nodded.
The incredulous look that came upon her face told them what she thought about that idea. She clearly thought them stupid. He had to chuckle, most humans would agree with her.
“Do you think she saw it?”
“I'm not sure, I didn't see any reaction but I can't read a kobold’s face.” They were interrupted by a wyverns cry, causing them to jump up and check the trees around them. Spotting nothing they looked back at the child in their midst, a child that had a guilty look on her face.
More water joined the wyvern on her claws, dissolving into a scene.
They watched as a band of seven kobolds moved through the forest, how the child killed a deer with her magic. After doing things they didn't want to think about the kobolds got ready to leave, all suddenly freezing up. Suddenly a wyvern dove down, catching the outermost kobold in its claws and flying off.
The child looked at them, making sure they knew she wasn't finished. The scene formed again, though the kobold was snatched by a huge wolf this time. She looked at them again, tilting her head and indicating she was finished.
“That was impressive.”
“So, something killed one of her family, it could be our wyvern or something else, she didn't see it.”
“That cry did sounded awfully close to that of a wyvern though.”
“Well, she can lead us to its new hunting grounds at least. Aimil, ask her about the clearing.”
They turned towards the fire again, showing the kobold leading them towards the clearing. She seemed to think, tilting her head in the process. After a few breaths she nodded, sitting down again.