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Homeless Kobold Corpse
Description: These little monsters have nowhere to go here in the Dungeon of Endless Alleys, just like you! Considered thieving vermin by the Commonwealth, they are often found in large groups. While it is rare for them to willingly engage in overt hostile action besides thievery, when driven to the brink of desperation, they, like all creatures, resort to desperate measures.
Inspect (Basic) has gained a level!
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Colt stood up from looking at the crumpled monster’s corpse and ran a hand through his black hair. Dungeon of Endless Alleys? Looking down this alley, it was easy to believe. A dim light radiated outward every few buildings, leaving a mostly dark and sketchy alley that was difficult to see quickly down. Garbage cans, trash, and dumpsters littered it, meaning that if the description was accurate and these things came in groups, any number could be hidden down the way.
With Nate at his back, he felt more confident, but this place was terrifying. The moon leered at them from above. And the phrase, ‘when driven to the brink of desperation, they, like all creatures, resort to desperate measures.’ How long would it be until the kitchen hit that point?
Colt looked down the alley.
It split in either direction, feeding into more. It could be endless. What if it kept splitting again and again? What if this was all some hellish backroom scenario?
Colt took a step back from the brink of panic and went through the new information rationally.
Dungeon: That message said that we were in a dungeon. Are other people in dungeons? Is it just our kitchen? There has to be an outside, then.
Dungeon was the keyword. Everything else had been like from a game so far, so the word dungeon had to be an intentional hint. If it was a dungeon, it implied a boss or bosses. But in most games, Dungeons were not endless. There was a way out, and usually, that was by killing a boss.
Colt shook out his hands, rolled his shoulders, and tried to peer into the distant shadow corners of this alley. Were there more of these kobolds watching?
“Any idea what that thing is?” Nate asked. The tips of his hair were bleached, but his face was set aside from a trace of nerves; he kept it together—more than most people would. You didn’t need a careful eye to tell things were wrong. They’d just been shoved far down the creek without a paddle. But Nate had always had a cautious eye, catching the most mistakes on kitchen dishes and sending them back before the Chef got a look, so he probably understood just how screwed they were even more than Colt.
“Well, I know it’s called a kobold; I got a message from that weird system saying so. It approached slowly, then got on all fours and rushed Chef. They move like animals. And attack like them, too.”
“Any more of ‘em?”
“I’m afraid there might be, but I can’t see any from here.” Colt carefully held the knife, eyes constantly checking. It was good he wasn’t alone, and it felt even better to know he had Nate. The chef was in decent shape and had decided to take Colt’s rusty pipe. He’d said he played baseball in high school, and it was the closest thing to a bat. That and the rumor that he’d been in the military. Out of anyone in the kitchen, Colt was happy Nate had come out with him.
“…Aint our alley.”
“Yeah, like I said back in there, we’re not in Nashville. I don’t think that they really understood what I meant, with Donny bleeding and Bill wanting to stab me. We don’t have the restaurant anymore, and our phones aren’t working, and we don’t know where this is.”
“Guys like that lash out when scared. I mean, most people get scared, right? Anyone who sees something like this sees their boss torn up—most people are gonna lose it. They’re gonna lose it even more when they see this alley. It seems downright evil,” Nate stood up, too, having had his fill of the kobold corpse.
“I know. But we should bring back a little more information since we’re here. We don’t know if there’s more food or if there are more people. I need you to do me a favor. Sit right here. I’m going to check things out. If I yell, please come and help.” Colt decided to risk it a bit; Nate was always reasonable. The more people on his side in the kitchen, the easier it would be to direct the flow of how things went. The benefit of Nate coming out with him was that he had a backup plan in case things went wrong.
“You want to go further out there? Now? Why? I’ll tell the rest of the Kitchen you weren’t lying about the monster. We can come out with more people.”
“Information is power, and I’d like more. Everyone’s busy panicking and getting Chef patched up. We should see what we can find out. All you need to do is keep a lookout; tell me if you see something.”
Nate was wavering; that much was obvious. He didn’t think it was a good idea. And it wasn’t, given the information he had. There were probably more kobolds out there. God knows what else. But that was why Colt wanted to go in the first place. All he needed was a push.
Colt walked away, forcing the other man to play the lookout. With each step he took away from the safety of the light, he dived deeper into this new world. The more the shadows loomed, the more every bit of trash he passed set him on edge; its edges, as they danced with the dim light, looked like creatures.
Nothing moved.
The silence, aside from Nate protesting behind him, was eerie—there wasn’t a sound of cars or distant music or chatter that was normal in a city like this. When he got to the nearest door, Colt tried the handle. Locked. That didn’t mean it was impossible to get in, but he’d need something bigger than a knife if he wanted to.
I’ll try it later.
Maybe when he had more strength, which meant more levels.
He kept his eyes peeled, wandering about fifty feet from the kitchen before finding what he was looking for.
Black oval eyes met his around as he passed the next set of trash cans. The kobold’s body stiffened, a grin on its face. It thought it had the drop on him, but Colt saw the thing. Saw it as it started to lower to a hunch position, those wispy little hairs on its chin vibrating with joy as it plotted its launch to tear out his throat.
Colt beat the kobold to the punch, literally. He ran forward and slammed his fist into the monster’s head, twisting it and throwing it off guard. His recent level's strength boost played a role; the hit was enough to stun it.
With the distance closed and earning time with his opening move, it left plenty of space for Colt to go in with the knife. Stabbing it once was easy. Then he grabbed it by the shoulder and held it at arm’s length so that when he went to stab it the second time when held in place, it was even easier.
The knife went in and out, in and out; after about three thrusts, the Kobold went limp and collapsed to the ground as the blood began to spurt. It wasn’t too far from popping a water balloon.
When he was a teen, he’d seen several prison movies; they always had the ‘shank’ scene when the drama got intense. Given that it came from Hollywood, he’d always thought it so fake. If someone were getting stabbed, they wouldn’t sit still and take it… But no. It turned out to be surprisingly accurate. Surprise and pain were an effective tool to paralyze an enemy.
The Kobold slid into death as its bloody body slumped to the ground.
———
You have defeated Homeless Kobold - Level 4
You have leveled up!
You have 2 Stat points to spend!
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
Skill Gained: Knives/Daggers Proficiency [Common] (Basic)
You have previous experience with this tool! Due to this, you will start this skill at level 3.
Knives/Daggers Proficiency (Basic) - Level 3
This skill encompasses using Knives and Daggers or other small sharp-handled weapons in combat.
———
“What was that? You alright?” Nate called out from the kitchen, his voice making Colt wince.
He turned to wave at the guy to get him to quiet down, then stopped.
Past him on the other side of the alley, kobolds emerged from rubbish piles—five of them. They reminded him of zombies as they crawled out from the trash cans and black bags. Their hair was mangy, and the outlines shifted in the poor lighting. They all had poor coordination and could barely walk at all, as if they’d just woken from a long slumber.
They sighted him and Nate and were starting to put things together.
Trouble.
Not only was it dangerous to him, but he didn’t intend to get Nate into real danger. There was also the chance Nate would kill one and then level, which he did not want. Not yet. He might tell others. Then… If Nate got hurt—any wound right now, without a hospital, had a chance of being fatal.
There was too much distance. Colt broke out into a run but wouldn’t get there in time.
“Run back into the kitchen and lock the door!” Colt yelled.
He could run from these things—he didn’t like being alone out here, but he’d find a hiding spot and circle back to the kitchen. Maybe pick up a couple of levels before returning. Not a perfect plan, but it would protect Nate and give him more time.
“Naw, no way in hell am I leaving you with these critters,” Nate yelled, then ran to Colt.
Colt blinked in surprise, watching the bleached-hair man scramble down the alley as the kobold got down on all fours and began to scramble after the man like rabid animals, faster than he’d thought they could, but not fast enough to catch up to the cook.
He wasn’t used to this. Selflessness? After all the time working dead-end jobs? So few people were willing to help when the stakes weren’t life or death.
Act.
In the two seconds before Nate arrived, Colin spent the two new Stat points gained by his level-up. One went into strength, and the other he put into dexterity. A group fight would be tricky. Every little bit of power helped, as he’d seen when he was able to hold the kobold at arm’s length while stabbing it. Strength was a no-brainer. But with a group fight… There would be a lot to be aware of, and if dexterity meant what he’d thought it did, extra control of his body and speed would go a long way.
As much as two stat points went, at least. He still wasn’t sure how much each little bit added, not having had the time to sit there and test it.
As the points were assigned, he felt refreshed. His body is easier to move, and his legs are more powerful. Nate reached him and then spun around while holding his pipe like a bat.
The kobold arrived five seconds later.
Like a dumb animal, all five went straight for Nate, their prey. Not even thinking about Colt with their tunnel vision. The one in the lead flung itself through the air, right at Nate.
Perfect.
Colt moved like flowing water, his senses sharpening like the point of his knife, legs positioned just right to let him crash his shoulder into the leaping monster. It hit with a thud and sent the much lighter monster flying into a trash can, and Colt let out a little grunt. It hurt to body-check it, but it was better than letting it bite off his co-worker's face.
A second water scrambled through his legs.
Colt dropped, putting his weight on the kobold and stopping it. Next, his knife went in, a clean stab right to the creature’s spine. He knew just the right angle of attack to do what he wanted, and with one quick thrust and a jerk, the back legs of the kobold stopped.
Hot blood wet the ground underneath him. The kobold struggled, but it was out of the fight.
The last three kobolds were bunched together. Too many to stop; while two scrambled past him on either side, one finally had a lick of sense and threw itself right at Colt. A bundle of yellowed rotting teeth of a homeless kobold tried to bite off his face.
Colt did what came naturally and dived to the side. A whoosh of air from where it passed by.
Then, his senses sharpened further. The weight of the knife in his hand—the angle. It was perfect… Though he’d never flung a knife before, an urge screamed at him, along with a complete sureness that if he threw the weapon, it would land.
With a split second, he didn’t think and sent the knife flying.
It soared like a missile, then sliced point-first right into the Kobold’s throat. Crossing the three-foot gap in a blink. It wasn’t a perfect hit—the knife fell out and didn’t land exactly where he wanted, but it did enough damage. The kobold gurgled as blood bubbled and frothed, its body spasmed as a hand went to the wound to try to close it.
The monster was already as good as dead.
———
You have defeated Homeless Kobold - Level 5
Knives/Daggers Proficiency (Basic) has gained a level!
——
Correction: it was dead, according to the system.
Colt twisted as he heard a sudden noise; the kobold he’d flung into the trash cans was wobbling to its feet, one of its legs twisted. Broken.
Good. That one was essentially out of the fight.
But two had gotten past.
Nate was screaming—one of the Kobolds latched to the man’s arm by its teeth, and blood ran down its throat, catching the dim yellow light of a nearby lamp—the other was darting by, scrambling as it avoided the wild swings of the rusty pipe, each one a close miss. Were he not distracted by the pain and weight of the kobold on his arm, Colt was sure Nate would’ve already ended this fight.
There’s still time. Nate hasn’t killed one yet.
Colt scrambled over to the dead kobold, grabbed his kitchen Knife, and got to his feet.
CRACK.
Nate smashed the kobold, scrambling around in front of him with the pipe, sending it tumbling as he broke its bones. With a yell, he flung the other Kobold—it flew off, a chunk of arm meat taken with it as it soared through the air and then smashed into the wall.
Nate’s face was red with rage—he raised the pipe overhead to smash it into the broken kobold at his feet.
No!
Colt saw the line again—saw the knife flying through his hand and its trajectory right into the back of the kobold’s head. A part of him calculated the angle and force he would need.
The knife left his hand, piercing right through the back of the creature’s soft skull before the pipe came down and broke it open like an egg. Brain yolk spilled all on the ground. Another message box appeared.
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You have defeated Homeless Kobold - Level 3
You have leveled up!
You have 2 Stat Points to spend!
Knives/Daggers Proficiency (Basic) has gained a level!
You have gained 1 point of Dexterity!
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We can gain points in stats without a level? The information filtered in and out in a blink; the level was good. But more important was the ‘you’ve defeated’ message he received.
Colt let out a sigh of relief. He’d been quick enough to steal the kill, and Nate wouldn’t learn about leveling. Not yet.
That didn’t mean he could take a break yet. The rest of the kobolds were struggling, unable to get back into the fight. These things were dangerous in that they could do some damage, but their durability was very low, their bones were weak. By now, he had a feel for them, and any individual kobold wasn’t much of a risk. It was the idea of fighting a group.
If it’d been him versus the five of them alone, Colt didn’t know how this would have gone.
“Wrap your kitchen coat around the wound to stop the blood. I’ll finish these guys off; then we’ll get to the kitchen. If you don’t mind, keep an eye out. I’m not sure if all the noise will bring more out of the woodwork,” Colt said as he got up to collect his knife and finish the job.
“Thanks,” Nate said, sitting down and taking deep breaths as he looked at the missing bit of meat on his arm. It had to hurt, so Colt was going to make it quick.
Clean-up was straightforward, taking less than a minute. Separated and weak, it took a quick dive in and thrust to a heart or neck to put the struggling kobolds down.
———
You have defeated Homeless Kobold - Level 4
You have defeated Homeless Kobold - Level 6
You have defeated Homeless Kobold - Level 2
You have leveled up!
You have 2 Stat Points to spend!
———
As Kobold’s last body cooled, Colt ran a hand through his hair and took a deep breath. Level five, now. If his count had been on point. It was hard to track in the heat of the moment, but that gave him a nice little lead over everyone else. Enough, hopefully, to make it easier to survive out here without backup. That, in turn, would make it easier to snowball into the levels he wanted.
Ten? Fifteen? He had to pick an endpoint. At the target level, he would share everything he knew with the rest, leaving enough of a gap to contend with any trouble and take control of the situation. Those seemed as good a milestone as any.
Fifteen. That would be it. He could reach the level in a few hours if levels kept coming like this. Colt just needed to be careful.
Plan set in stone, he returned to Nate to help him return to the kitchen.
“All of’em down?” Nate asked, taking Colt’s hand to help him get back up on his feet.
“Yeah, that's taken care of. It doesn’t look like anything is coming out anymore. Let's get you back and patch it up before that changes. Thanks for coming to help.” Colt answered.
The alley’s darkness was creepy, but he felt a little more adjusted to this new reality every second out there. Maybe that was because he had a plan, and plans gave security and purpose. Maybe he was starting to go a little crazy, and this all was a coping mechanism. Either way, he needed it to survive and help everyone else.
“Aint in me to leave a man behind—Army didn’t train us like that… Say, Colt. Got a question.”
“Shoot,” Colt said as they walked back towards the kitchen, his heart skipping a beat. There was something to that tone. They were still a good thirty feet away from the door.
“Say, Colt…Did those boxes tell you that you gained a level, too?” Nate asked, stopping Colt in his tracks.