Aggel's teachings always held importance to me; largely, that was due to my Trials and what I saw during mine. There was hidden meaning and expectations placed on a Kobold Prince, yet none greater than testing how far they'd go protecting the kobolds beneath them. At a young age, we lacked the size and strength to effectively or safely kill something on our own. While the woods around Bailaka anything aside from a chimera or the larger demonic birds that occasionally migrated in, there was one threat I had to be cautious of more than any other.
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Baik had run for a time yet now crept along the ground with his wooden spear in both hands, stealthily approaching where the call had come from. Whimpers of the other kobolds meant something dangerous was nearby but that they were still alive. If it was a chimera, there was no saving the others and this may very well put his own life at risk. Losing the trials and returning to his prior life wasn't something he could afford to. At last, he reached the brush bordering a clearing; the prince carefully waded into it, using his spear to redirect the worst of the branches and move aside enough leaves to peer in.
Two younger female kobolds held one another, whilst only one of the boys for their team stood nearby. He hadn't carved a spear, instead opting to make a two-handed wooden club; the kobold's build was big and likely meant that in the future he would make a great warrior.
But Baik didn't spend long worrying about the trio, instead of looking at the sight of another kobold facing off against something that lived in the area: the Bailaka wolf. The kobold boy had fashioned a shield from twigs and two vines that barely kept its shape, fearfully swinging a burning stick to attempt warding it away as they had been taught to do. Comparing their bodies, it made perfect sense to only have one of the kobolds scaring beasts in these teams of four.
Bailaka wolves were comparable to the wild wolves back in his prior life; bigger than most breeds of dogs and an apex hunter among canine species, even a malnourished loner had sharp enough fangs to pierce the toughened hide of a kobold. If it was a child, then the Bailaka wolf was perfectly capable of taking them down in a fight.
"Help us!" One of the girls called out in her panic, seconds before the other muffled her and the lad guarding them hastily drew closer.
The wolf had been keeping some distance from the flame-wielding kobold but now looked over at the trio.
"No," the torchbearer yelled. He stepped forward, shoving the torch against the wolf's neck; the beast immediately yelped and stepped backward, roaring and growing more aggravated with the clear-minded one. "Leave! Go!"
Baik watched the two dance along the clearing's edge as the kobold tried to keep the hungry beast back. Even though it was obvious they needed help, he didn't move. In his new life, such sights like this were supposed to be common. Aggel told him as much... yet he hadn't expected to learn so quickly how easy it felt to not take action.
I came all this way, hoping to help and get them to serve me. If I do nothing, they'll die... but... isn't it the responsibility of a kobold to survive on their own?
Interfering now could hinder the future heroism of the kobold boy's life as a warrior, yet allowing him to die now would completely remove one from their ranks. Replenishing the number of kobolds was the most important aspect ruling over their society; would this be the same as hindering its population growth by saving the weak? It was a moral dilemma meeting one of practicality, knowing that all he needed to do was merely step in to aid them if he wanted to acquire his own kobolds to follow him into battle. Fitting into this world was important, too, since the kobolds were his own species; it wasn't as if this rebirth granted him an outright fortune, as even abandoning them to run off to one of the other nations in Daesal would have him killed.
Ultimately, it still boiled down to a choice: walk away and let them die, or risk it all to help them.
... Aggel, grant me strength.
Baik squeezed the spear and darted free from the foliage, the trio of kobolds spotting him immediately whilst the wolf-focused kobold stole a glance only when the girls gasped. The wolf saw the boy turn his head and immediately lunged.
But the prince arrived just as the wolf's paw struck and shattered the makeshift shield, jumping with astonishing prowess for a kid. Kobolds weren't like humans, after all; they physically matured quickly and even for their size, a kobold could still be dangerous. But the wolf wasn't smart enough to sense him as far more dangerous than another kid fighting to earn the right to thrive.
The torch clacked off the ground and the boy fell over. Time moved slower and Baik's fingers squeezed his spear, taking a deep breath.
Don't miss.
"Ango," the other boy yelled, starting to move in Baik's heightened perception but far too slowly to reach the collapsing kobold.
Don't miss.
The smell of animal disease and wolf spittle filled Baik's nostrils, making him gag; he thrust downward at the diving canine, both of his eyes glimmering blood red with killing intent.
Don't. Miss.
"Yehk-khhhrrr... rrr...."
In an instant, Baik's senses snapped back to normal; his weapon drove itself through the wolf's eye, rupturing and gruesomely spraying blood despite its shallow thrust. The beast tried to cry in pain and deal revenge with a swat of its paw, yet Baik lowered the rear end of his spear to catch it. No animal could have expected its own actions to make things worse, however. The Bailaka wolf's paw striking the spear helped drive its tip and pierced end upward... and deep into its brain. The beast's energy and hostility instantly ended, slumping over onto the ground away from Baik and stealing his wooden spear.
Ango's eyes fearfully looked between Baik and the dead beast, fearfully shifting the torch to him. The other boy was shaking and too scared to bother approaching. If it wasn't for Baik being mentally much older than the two, he'd have been scared just as well.
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This is the first time I've killed something, but... this was fine, right?
Baik looked at Ango and the trio beyond him, noting his boiling blood as the crimson color faded and his emerald eyes returned.
"P-Prince?" Ango asked at a hushed, uncertain whisper.
"Yes." Baik kept a calm tone, taking a deep breath and turning to the wolf. "I am Baik and it is dead. You don't-"
"Prince!"
The torch clattered from the kobolds hand and Ango hastily rolled onto his hands and knees; he threw his head low, letting his ears lower and tail droop in absolute submission. His friend and the two girls approached but kept further behind Ango, immediately imitating the gesture. Baik didn't understand what they were doing... at least, not until he remembered Aggel's teachings.
Kobolds must serve or lead; never can there be equals.
"Prince Baik," Ango said, verbally summoning the kobold back from his thoughts. "Thank you! Without you, the four of us would be dead!"
Baik wanted to disagree at first, thinking that it was likely only Ango might have perished. As starving as the wolf had been to drive it to attack them, despite having fire and numbers, it was unlikely to have tried killing all of them immediately. More than likely it'd have taken Ango away to eat and tracked the others if it needed more food.
"Stand up; it might be dead but we have yet to truly survive, Ango."
The kobold raised his head at Baik's words, watching the prince pace over to the wolf. Baik mentally disliked that blood splatter coated one side of his body and some of his face. Hygiene alone was reason to hate it but it also had left his clothes stained. Baik grabbed the wooden spear and carefully pulled it back, sickeningly slopping it free from the carcass before facing Ango.
"The girls," he said. "Can either of them make bindings?"
Both girls looked up and to one another; Ango looked toward the ground, yet when he raised his head it was with more confidence. The kobold even stood, retrieving the still-burning torch before nodding to the taller prince.
"Y-Yes. My shield was made on the spot, but it was some of their vinework we used to make my torch."
The other male stood afterward, looking at the Prince's kill. "Prince Baik, may I start preparing the wolf? Since it's your kill, you deserve it in its entirety; my father is a warrior and taught me some skinning last year, so it's only fair to prepare it for you!"
Taking an entire wolf was simply too much, however. Baik looked over his shoulder toward the treeline for a moment, ultimately looking to the group.
"No; we'll fashion a branch sled and take it with us back to my tree."
Their confusion left them speechless, looking between one another whilst Ango looked at the wolf.
"Take it with us? But..."
Right... we're still small.
"... Then we shall set-up camp here. Once we skin it, you four are to make clothes for yourselves." Baik turned, pointing at the legs and then the creature's chest. "We'll make its leg bones into clubs and the ribs into knives; they'll be better than our wooden ones, at least."
The wolf was large enough that its bones would be comparable to most wood at their size; normal-sized warriors at the village had often carried bone knives harvested and crafted from them, even though they were adults. With so little available to them, it was plainly apparent how the true Trials could be challenging. Both girls hastily got up to start searching for vines to twine, whilst the still-unnamed kobold moved to begin skinning the large wolf. Ango waited, seemingly stuck in a bit of awe at the prince's quick deduction.
Although there were only five of them, the odds of survival had instantly risen when they joined together. Worst-case scenario, Baik would have a means of scapegoating them to survive. He didn't want to imagine it necessary, but it was possible that they might run into more than one wolf whilst trapped in woods. But there was a bigger question slowly dragging itself into his mind; although he had rushed in, Toif had mentioned taking him fifteen miles from the village. It had been a considerable amount of time since they'd have started, but four of them making it this far with so little equipment was unlikely. His interactions with other young kobold had been limited, too, but he didn't recall any of these kobolds among the initial group.
Without proof, it wasn't factually smart to suggest it... but these four weren't from his village. More than likely, they had come from another kobold group. Planned or unplanned, that meant there was a somewhat bigger issue.
"... Can I ask you something, Ango?" Baik asked, scanning the nearby trees. "When did you get put out here?"
"We were taken for our trials today," the kobold answered, raising a hand and brushing the back of his head. "I... think it was about six hours ago. The warrior who dropped us off seemed like he was trying to locate someone and rushed off in a hurry."
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Baik sat in Aggel's lap, looking at the nearby wall where she had hung up a pale sheet of leather. Parts of it were colored, depicting the village, field, and the surrounding forest.
"To the north," she said, placing her finger on a dot above the village. "Around here is where you'd find a good amount of food. Prince Bai suggested we may find suitable land to farm with there."
The prince didn't quite understand why they'd make a farm so far away, though. After arriving, he had assumed the fields quite large; with this map, it seemed to suggest the fields were miles off. But his attention diverted, causing the reincarnated man to point at a dot that ran along a river to the south of Bailaka.
"And that place?"
Aggel followed his finger, yet the shaman's voice came out far harsher than moments ago.
"That place is dangerous, Bai. You must never go there. When you're older, you may consider it... but until then, stay away. That place is..."
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They're from Totaina.
Though he had allies, it was perhaps only through blind fortune and the engraved laws of kobold survival. Young kobolds hadn't become true warriors or members, so none of the four could have possibly known that kobold princes would war against one another. Princes might ally with their ancestrally-tied Prince and their allies, but the ones who went to war would fight tooth-and-claw. The kobolds beneath them were prone to trying to kill these same enemies, which meant that the warrior who left them had possible heard about him and Toif. At a time like this, it meant Baik was in danger the longer they stayed.
"Then let us, too," the prince said. "We'll finish things up and leave as soon as possible."
Ango smiled, nodding and finally snuffing the torch. Whether through blind fortune, the four he had at his disposal were enemies... but now they were allies.
If Toif is still somewhere nearby, he may be in trouble. We'll finish gathering the materials, make a single pack to carry extra food, and then return to my shelter. Navigating naturally will be doable, but from now on it will be pivotal to move at night. We're small and harder to spot, which means we only need to mask our scent to escape notice.
By nightfall, I have to head north. Even if I returned to Bailaka, it would be safer than being caught by another village's warriors!