"A human?" Ango's disbelief made him pause, staring at Baik.
Run.
"Yes." Baik looked to Leik. "A dead one... but he wasn't alone; Leik and I were almost discovered."
All five of the kobolds had run a short distance away, yet Baik still didn't want to stop and discuss this; it had only been because the torch-wielding kobold kept whispering for an explanation.
Nehlka was distraught but thankfully held it together, reassuringly looking between Baik and Ango. "Th-they won't chase us, right?"
Run.
"It's too soon to know, Nehlka. Leik and I might have been seen... or, if he investigates too closely, he might find our trail. For now, we need to keep moving. We'll avoid the roads and hope that we can put enough distance from here he doesn't spot us."
Although I felt killing intent from him, my body... it's not shaking. Why... why am I mentally nervous but so physically calm?
The four kobolds moved into position whilst Baik looked toward the direction they'd fled from; so far, nothing seemed to be coming along after them. His tail's fin was still flared, annoyingly bumping off the ground anytime the appendage moved; it wasn't something he had known to happen, even when he was in danger before. Although the prince wanted answers, he figured he would find out when the time was right.
Run.
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All of them had been close to a resting period, yet now none of them felt comfortable enough to stop. The sun had come up and yet Baik couldn't justify finding a hiding spot to wait for the night. Bailaka Forest had been within an arm's reach but assuming he knew everything about it felt foolish now after they had come so close to being found by an enemy far more terrifying than a mere wolf. Their masks and robes made him think of the famous cults or stereotypical villains that hunted at night; if that were true, it was far more sensical to risk the wolves rather than people. Another concern was the dead human and his condition. Aggel had spoken about normal kobolds rarely being able to take a normal human on in a one-on-one fight. That corpse's damage was nothing like any kobold's primitive weapon, but more as if the man had been beaten to death by a hammer in the hands of someone like Bai.
The sun had fallen low since their encounter and constant pushing, finally driving them to the point both Nehlka and Hanaya were being carried. Nehlka was on Leik's back, whilst Baik carried Hanaya; even though she was bigger, Baik's stamina had endured the best out of all of them.
"Prince," Leik whined, looking back at Ango stumbling in the rear. "We... we must rest."
Run.
Baik heard his mind echo the same word it had been echoing on and off through the day, yet only now did he muster the energy to stifle the instinct. The prince looked at a nearby pair of trees that were partially overgrown with nearby foliage. "You're right; we'll set the girls down there... between the trees."
He slowed down whilst both of the boys stumbled their way past him. Hanaya's arms tiredly loosened their grip around his shoulders, waiting until Baik reached the base of the tree to lower herself down.
"Prince," the longer-haired female tiredly groaned. "Can we eat wolf meat instead? I... I'm too tired to look around for anything."
Aside from the fact they were so exhausted, Baik had already lifted the wolf pelt bag around in anticipation of such a request. Not only was it easier, but the meat would have a lot more calories to give them to make-up for their overmarching. Every slice of meat was precious when the only other food they'd get would be nuts or roots. Of course, Leik had mentioned during skinning that eating bones were possible for kobolds as the last option but devouring their weapons is next to impossible.
Baik handed each of the group two of the thin slices, yet handed Leik a third.
"Wait, why is Leik getting an extra slice!?" Ango barked.
His anger was logical... but so was Baik's decision. "If we're in a fight, are you going to be able to kill a wolf with by yourself?"
Ango hesitated, yet Leik evidently hadn't expected the answer either. The trio of meat slices were stacked together in his hands, turning his gaze to Baik with a frown.
"Prince, the youngest warriors don't normally do well against a wolf in a fight. How would I be able to kill one?"
Baik could understand his skepticism. For now, the prince took his first bite and looked to Nehlka.
"While we eat, I'm going to go over what I need you to do, Nehlka." He pulled out the belt he'd stolen from the human, tossing it over to their crafter kobold. "Listen carefully, too. If we use this belt properly, all of us will be able to kill a Bailaka wolf by the end of this."
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Resting and working with some semblance of a "camp" had granted them a much more effective means to recuperate. The repeating voice to flee had altogether vanished whilst Baik gathered wood; however, while three of them sought out wood, he looked for branches with desireable flexibility and durability. The amount of material from the belt when it was portioned up had led to a great increase in their productivity; not only did their tools and weapons have a better grip for use, but they all had a mix of vine and leather to carry everything. Yet as predicted, the thick belt provided an impressive length of material.
So, given their size, Baik finally set down and worked a curved branch, smoothing it out. Bows would have been an immediate thought to most warriors, but they lacked the strength to make a bow of any sufficient skill. The ideal weapon for them in their current situation was one that took on various forms but none more untraditional than this one. Using a roughly-carved wooden bowl as a hard pouch, he twisted the leather materials into tight cords and secured them in carved nooks along the end of the branch.
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Ango sat across from him, carefully bashing rocks to give them squarish shapes as instructed. "What exactly are we making, Prince?"
Baik grinned, raising the staff and letting the pouch droop down. Its weight balance was fairly decent and it had enough length to its leather bindings to give it about a foot worth of slack. Their leader took one of the rocks, nestling it in the wooden bowl and standing up.
"A weapon."
"A weapon?" Ango's disbelief returned, raising a brow. "Really? Are you... okay? That thing... looks a little weird, don't you think?"
Both of Baik's ears flitted downward in disappointment. Rather than convince him through speech, though, he knew the better way was to show by force. Baik turned and angled himself to face a tree across from them; it was about ten to fifteen feet, yet with such a short stick and pouch there wasn't a need to worry about accuracy. He twisted his hips and swung the staff like a bat, carrying the pouch along in an arc... before it snapped past the top of the staff, launching the rock at the tree in a blink. The stone cracked off the tree, smashing into the bark and sending splinters everywhere. It momentarily stayed in thanks to its edge digging into the crushed bark, yet ultimately tumbled clear and fell to the forest floor. All four of the kobolds around him lept up, Ango staring in silence while Hanaya ecstatically approached him.
"That's a sling, isn't it!?"
"Yes," Baik nodded, turning to face her. "Aggel, my... mother told me slings were sometimes preferred by younger warriors. But this form of sling allows you to generate a lot more force than a cloth or simple leather sling, don't you think?"
None of them could have possibly seen the prior; cloth slings could sometimes outperform a leather sling but the ability to make true cloth wasn't a traditional kobold thing. Any of the slings made of cloth by kobolds would have been made from shredded clothes.
Now, however, Baik didn't need either. A stick sling using leather was strong with or without proper cloth or rope, as it allowed its user to draw far more power than a single hand. It was harder to use, but with a small one and for close-range it was similar to throwing overhanded. Not only that but in an emergency, one could use it to beat an opponent who was trying to rush them. Ango had been making ammunition and so far there were about six stones. Using the pouch he recovered for the sling wasn't an option because whoever wielded it needed to carry the rocks for it.
He handed the staff to Hanaya, then gave her the pouch. "Anjo will give you the rocks; fill this bag and draw one anytime you have to use it. Among us, you have sharper eyes since you're always looking for things to scavenge. And, given you know about them, I guess you know how slings work."
"The basics," Hanaya squealed, taking the staff and holding it tight. "I won't fail, Prince Baik!"
She had grown considerably more confident since their rest but Baik didn't feel a need to criticize her.
"I want you to practice using smaller stones. Anjo will make about four more while Leik, Nehlka, and I focus our attention on preparing spears from the other branches. With our tools, we'll be able to give everyone one or two spears."
"We're arming the girls now?" Leik's disbelief rode on the young boy's tongue, clearly not agreeing with it.
"Yes," Baik answered. "Females may be necessary to replenish kobolds but you need to realize us getting killed means they'd be alone. We need more than just the girls to survive. And for us to survive, we need to work together and find somewhere to hide from that human and the wolves. Returning to our village too soon may make us seem weak, don't you think?"
Leik fell into his bait, immediately scowling and turning his childish gaze onto the branches. "Hmph! I'm not weak!"
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The plan is simple. After preparing the spears — most of them ultimately getting carried by Leik in a bundle by Leik — we are ready. Hanaya will provide ranged support with Leik and Nehlka to guard and support her. Nehlka will throw rocks and retrieve more if Hanaya runs out of her special stones, while Leik will set-up spears as ground-stakes to guard our flanks. Ango and I will be at the front since his repaired shield can endure a few more hits now and the looted dagger can block fangs or claws while simultaneously cutting through flesh with ease. Although we're defensive, keeping Leik in the middle means he can either defend the girls more easily or assist us if we need additional strength.
Perhaps the only downside is that assuming this positioning from marching is nearly impossible. In the case we're caught while moving, Ango will replace Leik and act as the middle guard while Hanaya retreats; once she's in position, we'd look for an opportune moment to swap the two males so that we're able to fight regularly. We don't have time nor safety to drill over this and learn it, so it's most likely we'll start a fight with our ideal position or be forced to fight with our back-up.
All of this is important because of what we found as we marched; the forest had stayed fairly normal for a time, but now we found ourselves approaching an old stone tower. It's unlike anything the kobolds back at Bailaka made and none of them understood what it was either. Moss rode up the tower's stony walls and some bricks had been missing, exposing cobweb-filled insides and dark shadows within. Although old, the fact it has stood all this time impressed me. It's wide enough that it has at least two floors comparable to a kobold's house. This place could become my own beginning... my means to pass the Trials of Inheritance.
The only issue, however, lies at the foot of the tower: a young chimera. A beast nearly four feet tall, these creatures are born and abandoned by mothers after only three months. The smallest of them are about the size of a small dog, yet those that survive their first year grow to that comparable to a wolf. Compared to a bailaka wolf, this creature was a more feral hound with circled ram horns and a snake-headed, scaled tail. It was far more dangerous and as they grew older, chimera began to mutate and evolve into unique creatures. Bai had mentioned killing one was a feat normally reserved for elite warriors or princes, but facing one wasn't impossible for five of us. My original concerns about how dangerous a chimera was came from the full-grown adults and unprepared kids that likely wouldn't make it back.
Compared to the kids of Bailaka, these four are adapting and matching my stride. They're willing to follow me and only Ango will bother questioning me now after the sling. We've prepared and the prize of beating this chimera is more than just food; it's fulfilling many of the core laws of kobold society. We're going to face the chimera and when we win, all of us will have thoroughly survived. All of us will have become capable enough to endure. This tower will be only the beginning.
"Baik," Ango whispered beside him, raising his torch and the prepared embers that Leik gave him. Their bush cover was thin enough for them to see through but the unaware chimera sleeping at the open-door of the tower hadn't picked up on them. Unlike wolves, its hearing appeared more normal. "Are we really going to fight a chimera?"
If there ever was a time, now would be it.
"... Yes." Baik squeezed the grip of his bonewood club and dagger, looking at Ango. "Light it."
Ango nodded, raising the embers to the fat-greased torch. The flame lit up the poorly lit dusk-faded area, casting its fiery lights across the washed-out surroundings and bringing them back with a vibrant flare. The chimera stirred, shifting and slowly standing as the group barged forward through the brush.
Baik's eyes flashed crimson, snarling at the beast as it reached its feet and a stone sailed overhead. Even though he said no more, the killing intent around him and Ango's doubt fading away echoed a singular pulse in the child. Unlike the droning fear, their pack-like instincts fed into one another with a single desire.
KILL IT.