I check my system notifications. The war will be a good opportunity to kill Zerenek. I need to make sure I don’t forget to pick perks beforehand.

Both Zerenek and I will have to go support the tribe. Foary is good enough to support a group of goblins in a fight, so I’m sending him as well. Zerenek’s disciple will likely go as well, but if Zerenek decides to keep him here, then I can be fashionable late to the battle and bribe the goblin first. In a way, it may be easier this way.

You have killed 51 1st tier monsters! You have earned 4335 Experience Points!

You have killed 126 2nd tier monsters! You have earned 94500 Experience Points!

Your Strategy skill has reached level 36.

Your Iron Stomach trait has reached level 26.

Your Spear Fighting skill has reached level 29.

Your Dodging skill has reached level 22 → 23.

Your Mana Manipulation skill has reached level 50. (Perk Available!)

Your Soul Perception skill has reached level 30. (Perk Available!)

Your Move Soul skill has reached level 19 → 20. (Perk Available!)

Your Leadership skill has reached level 29 → 30 → 31. (Perk Available!)

Your Plotting skill has reached level 29 → 30 → 31 → 32. (Perk Available!)

Your Rune Scribbling skill has reached level 39.

Your Vitality Clot skill has reached level 30 →31 . (Perk Available!)

Your Vitality Bank skill has reached level 25 →26 .

Six new perks. Some of them for very useful skills.

Minor Mimicry

Learn how to use a mix of isolating and connecting mana to manipulate elemental mana types.

Enhanced Shield

Create a powerful, double layered shield of isolating mana in a moment.

Mana Domain

Neutral mana you control will become harder to take over for another mage.

Mana Manipulation perks are rather disappointing. If my guess is true, and it’s most likely, then Minor Mimicry is just herding mana via a mix of connecting and isolating natural mana. In a way, it’s the same as what I’m doing to move souls. It’s worth learning, I suppose, but I’m not sure if it’s worth wasting a perk on it. On the other hand, it may help me with Soul Blade project. I suppose I can always reset the skill.

Enhanced Shield is likely a muscle memory. The perk's only worth is checking system standards about mana shields. Sooner or later, I will either reset the skill or drop it. Relying on the system-provided shield is going to bite me back.

The last option seems most promising, though it has the same problem as Enhanced Shield. The effect will disappear when I reset the skill. As long as I have it, though, I will allow myself to form shields uninterrupted. Disrupting the formation of the enemy's shield, or outright trying to seize it, is one of the tactics nearly every mage is using.

I pick Mana Domain. Given the upcoming battle, it seems most useful.

Relationships Analyzer II

Learn how to figure out relationships among a group of people.

Humanoid Expression

Learn how to better recognize emotions on the faces of humanoid creatures.

Nobody Important

Learn how to behave to invoke the feeling that you aren’t an important person.

Which one should I pick? All of them are useful. Nobody Important won’t work for me currently, though. I want to improve my position in the tribe right now. Relationships Analyzer II seems the best for now.

Know Everyone

Increase your memory capacity to remember your minions.

Eye for Managers

Learn how to recognize ambitious and capable minions.

Discipline

Be able to punish, with weak pain and health damage, anyone who considers you their leader.

Leadership perks are interesting. Know Everyone is pretty useless to me, though I can see how it is a great perk for the enlightened. Discipline? On the one hand, that gives me godlike powers over those who are loyal and helps me keep them loyal. I could also keep checking who is loyal by periodically punishing everyone. It would make everyone hate me, wouldn’t it?

I sigh. I check Treason Sense description. It’s a perk I unlocked on level 20.

Treason Sense

Notice minions who are dissatisfied with your rule.

The reason I haven't picked it up is that being dissatisfied is no treason. I would even say that a large part of the tribe is probably dissatisfied. However, this would work nicely with Eye for Managers. It’s good to know who is both capable and unloyal. I select Eye for Managers primarily because it begins with word learn, so I should retain the tricks even if I reset the skill.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Soul Storage

Placing numerous souls in one place will decrease soul degradation.

Soul Sacrifice I

Learn how to sacrifice souls to Gods.

Berserk Soul

Be able to sacrifice the latent potential of your own soul for tremendous temporal benefit.

Berserk Soul is a resounding no. I’m trying to find a way to transplant my own soul and be immortal. Damage to the soul and mind is something I need to avoid the most. This leaves two options. Soul Storage seems more useful to me, but Soul Sacrifice is a learning-type perk. I can pick this and then reset the skill and pick the second option. I pick Soul Storage. I don’t know the benefits of a sacrifice, and right now, Soul Storage seems more useful.

Minor Identify

Be able to identify another soul to receive information on its name and race.

Time of the Body

Be able to learn about the remaining natural lifespan based on a soul.

Mage Sense

Learn how to distinguish a mage from a non-mage.

Those perks seem better, which makes sense, given that those are for level 30, while Move Soul perks were for level 20. I pick Mage Sense. This is a learn-type perk, and the other perks don’t seem that useful. Minor Identify is tempting, but it’s only name and race. Figuring out the lifespan of green-skins is also very useful, but I already know hobgoblins live for at least decades. That’s enough for me right now.

Sleeper Clot

Learn how to create an inactive clot in the body and activate it later.

Hidden Bomb

Learn how to hide another mana type inside your clot.

Vitality Clot's perks are rather disappointing. I have already figured Sleeper Clot on my own. That’s how I left clots in Rike’grak’s body. Unless I want to compare my knowledge with perk’s, there’s only one option. I also already cycled this skill and picked all the learn-type perks from previous thresholds. I pick Hidden Bomb.

To create a clot, I mix vitality mana and isolating mana. When the clot triggers, vitality mana changes to vitality and becomes hard due to the vitality rune on the clot using isolating mana to influence vitality. Sleeper Clots are essentially clots that remain in a pseudo-Vitality Bank-like construct. I can then send a signal for it to self-destruct, which would release clots inside. My new perk, Hidden Bomb, shows me how to create some isolated space inside the clot that I can fill with a different mana type. For example, I could fill it with fire and some runes that would make it a hidden fireball.

I feel this is a bit redundant. Vitality Clot is already very deadly. It’s main weakness is that it’s hard to hit someone with it, given that everyone strong has a mana shield.

Perks picked, I go to Zerenek’s house to search for his disciple. I don’t find anyone. I shrug. That works as well. I go back to my home and pick up weapons and put on armor. I take the fire bomb as well. I doubt I will use it, but it’s better to be prepared.

Goblins have gathered outside the walls, and Axi is giving a speech. The speech is pretty generic; she still has quite a lot to learn. I join Zerenek’s group.

“You? What are you doing here?”

“Joining the army? Isn’t it obvious? It’s best for us magic users to gather in one tightly secured location.”

Zerenek scowls but doesn’t say anything more. There are six hobgoblins that work as Zerenek’s guards. A bit impressive. I wonder what he promised them.

Zerenek probably thought I wouldn't dare to join him. I’m not afraid of assassinations. Too much. I have the Vitality of a physical fighter and can buff myself as well. While this isn’t enough to fight physically oriented hobgoblins, it’s enough to survive the first strike. After that, my own group will come to my aid.

As we start marching, Axi leads in the front. I may not be able to depend on her in this, but there’s also Anastasia, who stays with the archers in the back. Asaru should also help me after our coitus. She was quite shy after she woke up.

I walk to an unassuming goblin, following Zerenek. He keeps hobs around him, so this goblin is eye catching.

“I’m assuming you are Zerenek’s disciple. A new priest. Am I right?”

“I’m stronger than your disciple!” He replies with some hostility.

I chuckle. “That’s just a bet between me and Zerenek. You don’t need to worry about that. After the bet, why don’t I teach you some things as well? You will surely be stronger with two great teachers than with one.”

He is confused. “You are a bad goblin.”

I make a surprised face. “Why? I just want the tribe to be strong. That’s why it may look like I’m hostile, but I have the best intentions.”

“Stop it! This is my group!” Zerenek shouts at me. I need to be quick. If Zerenek decides to throw me out of this group, there’s not much I can do.

I shake my head and take out my order mana core. “Here. I want the shamans of our tribe to be the strongest. This is a gift showing my good intentions.”

I smile, seeing how stunned the young priest is. I lower my head and whisper in his ear. “Hide it. It’s a precious treasure, and many will covet it. Maybe even your master.”

The young goblin quickly hides it beneath his armor. I take a look at Zerenek, and there’s a bit of greed in his eyes. Damn. I should have picked the Invoke Greed perk.

Zerenek keeps marching. I wonder how he is planning to steal the core. That works too. Now, I just need to find an opportunity to kill him. I have a bone dagger. One, even shallow wound, and I will deliver a few clots.

Bodyguards are a problem. Even if I succeed, they may cut me down. I also need to make sure I either have some justification or nobody sees it. It would be disastrous for my reputation if I killed Zerenek in cold blood. Those loyal to him may rebel. Those who are neutral may pick their side. It’s bad, especially before a big battle. If I can assassinate Zerenek, then I can then dismantle his faction or just slowly purge them.

I sigh. Unfortunately, kobolts don’t use bows. I can’t ask Anastasia to shoot him and tell everyone she missed. I won’t be able to protect her, especially given that she is a human. Maybe I should have recruited Asaru for this. I’m not sure how she would react. Hopefully, there will be a chance to get close to Zerenek and kill him. Maybe we will be attacked directly, letting me fish in troubled waters.

Two hours later, we arrive near our border with the kobolt tribe. We form a loose formation and march forward. A few minutes later, we see the first kobolts. I thought there would be a skirmish before the main battle. It seems the kobolts prefer a direct fight right now. A 3rd tier kobolt marches in the front. I attempt to glean something from his soul, but he is too far away. The perk Mage Sense seems to teach me where mental stats are in the soul. I’m not good enough to tell precisely someone’s stat numbers, but I can tell whenever they have a lot of mental stats compared to their tier.

Axi charges at their leader, and the battle starts. Zerenek uses some skills, but it seems it only amounts to a blessing. As I thought, he lacks the means to attack fellow monsters. The only exceptions are probably heretics. While Anastasia accumulated quite a few titles like that, it seems Dark Gods don’t care that much.

Kobolts still don’t have any archers, while we have quite a few. Unfortunately, all kobolts are at the peak of the 2nd tier, while we have a number of regular goblins. All of them are in the back and are firing arrows, though their strength seems insufficient to pierce scales. Arrows frequently only scratch kobolts.Second-tier archers are doing better. I think I saw Anastasia kill three kobolts already.

Rike’grak, being 3rd tier, is also devastating kobolts. The rest of the line is either fighting evenly, thanks to the support of archers, or is losing. The only exception is Axi. The enemy chieftain has an earth mana core. He tries to trip and grab Axi, but her control of the earth's mana is enough to render his efforts meaningless. After a few exchanges, the chieftain creates soil armor to defend against Axi’s fireballs. He is on defense and seems to be losing.

I sigh. It’s no good. I need a distraction to kill Zerenek. One of the kobolts creates a gale and sends it at our archers, creating a cloud of dust. I crouch down. This is a good environment for an ambush. Right. I seek Zerenek. Tss. He is surrounded by his bodyguards.

Our archers fire at air mage. He runs back after getting pierced by four arrows. I notice a disturbance in Axi’s vitality and take a peek. I see her removing an arrow from her shoulder. I frown. Who dares? Besides, one arrow is too little.

Damn. Axi’s vitality is getting weaker. The arrow has been poisoned. So that’s your plan, Zerenek. He tries to mask assassination with poison, hoping the enemy chieftain will finish the job. What should I do now? I need to save Axi. This is now my priority, but Zerenek has to die as well.

I frown. Kobolts used the distraction well. Several hobs at the front died to a sudden attack from a flank. The archer-assasin? Those in the front may have missed the shooting, but archers and most goblins in the back must have noticed. That’s including Asaru. Even if they let it go this time, if that archer tries again to aim in the Axi direction, someone will probably react. Actually…

I take a look at Rike’grak. He is in top condition. That could work. I stop boosting Axi with my skills. She stumbles. I then send her a signal through my Strategy perk that she should retreat. She tries to turn on the rune-based spell I left on her, but I interrupt her. This makes our wills clash, and I’m thrown out of her vitality. I hope she got my meaning. I send her signals a few more times. It’s really my fault. I just didn’t expect we would need a signal for surrender.

Without my buff and with poison in her veins, Axi starts losing. The enemy chieftain strikes her with his club, and she takes a few steps back and falls to her knee. I sent her a signal to stop and to retreat. Axi, take a hint!

The enemy chieftain tries to finish Axi off, but I sent a few Mana Orbs his way. A few arrows also fly. He blocks everything with soil, but it stops him for a moment. I need to take action.

“Axi’s wounded." I shout just loud enough that Zerenek can hear it. "I’m ordering a retreat. We can’t fight without a chieftain!”

“Wait!” He then shouts loud enough so the entire tribe can hear it. “Rike’grak! You need to fight the enemy chieftain!”

Rike’grak roars and charges. I don’t wait much longer and remotely destroy the vitality bank in Rike’grak that contains all vitality clots. In a few seconds, Rike’grak suddenly stops moving, and the enemy chieftain hits him in the head. Rike’grak falls to the ground. Kobolt raises his club and hits orc’s head with all his strength, smashing Rike’grak’s head apart.

I smile. That'd do. “Retreat! Kobolts are too strong!” I shout with Loud and Clear perk and take out the fire bomb, while sending vitality to Axi. Let’s see if Zerenek likes fire.