“Great one, the time has come.”
Rue stirred at the voice, the jingle and clink of shifting coins ringing pleasantly in her ears. She lifted her head from the pile of gold and searched for the source of the disturbance. At first, it was an unfamiliar creature, but she could feel a forged connection with it. She realised it was the kobold she had blessed.
He stood far taller and prouder than before; over a foot taller and more human-sized than kobold-sized. His red scales gleamed in the low light, catching her attention as they appeared not dissimilar to her own. His muscles bulged, and his scaly hide stretched tight by enlarged muscle, shifting and rippling beneath his scales as he adjusted his position to kneel before her.
She approved of the changes; they made him look far less weak and feeble. If it cost her nothing, she would have granted this power to several elite kobolds to guard her hoard and herself while she slept. But she could feel the tiny portion of her power linked to the king. It amounted to just a percentage or two of her total mana, barely significant, yet too much to bestow similar pacts on a whim.
Rue stretched, pressing herself into her hoard, basking in its warmth before rising to stand. She gazed down at the king, lost in thought.
“King of koboldss, is the time for battle upon usss?”
“Yes, great one, the army is moving to surround the capitol as we speak.”
“Very well, I shall attend and observe for mysself.”
The king led her to the entrance, and together they walked through the carved and ornate gateway to her mana-rich cave. Rue did not remember the entrance being this elaborate, but she decided she liked the carvings and the small statues of dragons that had been etched into the stone. The surrounding area was also different, having been cleared of much of the old equipment and buildings, leaving space for barracks and defences manned by large, well-equipped kobolds.
Rue and the king, accompanied by a sizable escort, moved through the entrance and into the city proper. It was a hive of activity: workers pulled small carts laden with spears, arrows, building materials, and food through the bustling streets. She was led to one of the high towers along the walls, and she barely managed to fit through the entrance and up the stairs. If the tower had not been designed to allow two kobolds carrying bulky weapons and armour to pass on the stairs, she would not have been able to make it.
When they reached the tower's summit, they gazed down from above, and Rue got her first look at the enemy they would soon face.
Still marching slowly out of the forest were steel legions. Unlike the king’s regular forces—who were clad in little more than the occasional helmet, chainmail, or other light armour—the enemy troops were all clad in plate armour, marching in perfect, uniform columns. The king’s elite forces had comparable protection, but the attackers had an obvious advantage in both numbers and equipment.
The king grimaced and tightened his grip on the ramparts, his new, powerful body leaving scratches on the stone.
“They have been preparing this for a long time, the traitorous snakes; falling iron production my ass…”
The army moved slowly, barely at a sedate walking pace, as they emerged from the forest and set up camp about a mile from the city. For hours, Rue and the king's entourage watched as more soldiers filed out of the woods to assist in building the war camp. They watched as the invading army erected tents and crude wooden huts. Fires were kindled, and meals were prepared as the enemy set in for a long siege, Rue caught faint smells of cooking meat coming from the enemy encampment.
Rue observed the king and his retinue as they prepared the defences and deliberated over strategy. Messages were sent, and he consulted with even more advisors, most of whom counselled caution and advocated for holding out in a prolonged siege. Sallying forth, they warned, would only end in disaster.
“Damn it all! I know, I know! Of course, they have better soldiers when they control one of the most active entrances to manage and patrol. Why do you think the royal faction’s power has been declining for years now? Stop telling me what I already know and start offering solutions!”
The king’s outburst made his staff flinch and scramble like startled prey animals.
Rue gave a huff from where she was sitting. A large joint of meat had been prepared for her, and she tore off a chunk of spiced flesh. Cooked and seasoned meat was a unique experience for her. She had always enjoyed the texture of raw meat and often eaten pieces burned or charred by her own fire, but this was something else entirely. The texture was still tender and moist, yet enhanced by a sweet and spicy flavour from the seasonings. She savoured it far more than her usual meals. Instead of ripping and swallowing large chunks straight from the bone, she used her razor-sharp teeth to slice off smaller bites and savour the flavour.
In the background, the discussion on strategy grew more heated. It all seemed rather pointless to her. Not that she was against strategy, but they seemed to be merely going around in circles.
From what they had uncovered, only the elite troops posed any real challenge for her, with levels ranging from 20 to 30 at most. Individually, they were far weaker than the dwarf she had slain, but she knew from experience that proper teamwork among weaker foes could still cause significant problems.
She bent her head to rip off another chunk of meat, savouring its flavour.
She mused over her options. Should she thin their ranks now? Or would it be better to conserve her fire and energy for the elite troops? She was glad to have the time to consider her choices. Charging directly into the massive army was what her instincts urged her to do, and once she might have followed them blindly. But not now. Now, she would plan.
Finishing her meal, Rue stood and placed her front paws on the ramparts of the wall, gazing out over the camp. The enemy forces were still setting up, their elite guard having arrived only recently. The elites were clustered together, working to establish what appeared to be a command tent.
Something deep within her stirred as her gaze locked onto the formation. It looked like a herd—separated, distracted, and vulnerable. A low growl rumbled from her jaws, drawing the attention of the king and his entourage. They fell silent, turning to stare at her.
“What is your will, great one?”
“I will perform a raid, I shall be back…”
She heard excited whispers and movement behind her as she turned back to the wall.
With a powerful push, she raised her wings and leapt off the ramparts, pulling with her front legs and then pushing with her hind legs to launch into the air. It was far easier than taking off from the ground—the height allowed her to flap her wings freely without fear of them contacting the ground, letting her climb faster. She began to gather speed, shooting toward the rank-and-file kobolds in the enemy forces.
Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
A loud call rang out from the enemy camp, and the army kicked into motion. A unit broke off from the elite section, moving to intercept her. Rue grinned as she climbed higher, her wings beating a steady rhythm against the wind.
She was fast. Within a minute of flight, she was soaring near the enemy. At a height of just 30 meters, she was flying low enough for the enemy to retaliate with arrows and spells. She kept her magical and mundane senses sharp, searching for powerful attacks, and avoided flying in a straight line. Most arrows missed her, however the sheer volume meant she was still struck several times. The arrows ricocheted off her scales; mundane and fired from weak bows, they didn’t even scratch her tough hide.
One arrow came close to her face, but she simply angled her head, letting it glance harmlessly off her scales. A few arrows found the membranes of her wings, though most bounced off the durable hide. She felt no pain but noticed a few small holes. Air pressure from her wingbeats would worsen the damage, so she glided momentarily, focusing magic into her regeneration to seal the wounds. Her wing material may not have been as durable as her scaly flesh but it was tough and healed quickly with focused regeneration, making the mana expenditure well worth it. As she healed, she ascended higher to reduce the impact and accuracy of enemy fire.
A few kobolds responded with spells; glowing projectiles of force, wind, and fire. The force and wind spells she dodged, unwilling to risk them tearing large holes her regeneration might not fix quickly enough. Being grounded in the centre of the enemy camp would be disastrous.
Spotting the heart of the camp as the perfect place to attack, she dived lower. A fire blast rolled over her scales, but she absorbed the heat, converting it to mana.
Gathering her magic, she took a deep breath.
As she descended, more arrows and spells struck her, but her folded wings protected her body, deflecting the attacks with her armoured hide. At 20 meters from the ground, she pulled out of her dive. At this range, more arrows were hitting her but she focused through the barrage and closed the distance, then she unleashed her cone of fire, it obliterated a huge swath of the enemy army, flames flowing like liquid from her jaws. The fire from her breath flowed effortlessly down and into the camp, aided by gravity and her momentum, splashing and flowing far easier than when she breathed fire horizontally.
The flames were mostly mundane, their volume and spread amplified by magic to conserve her flame reserves. They rolled outward from the impact point as she dragged an extended line of fiery destruction through the centre of the camp. She continued until her lungs emptied, then ascended.
Below, screams and howls echoed as kobolds scrambled to escape the flames. A burning scar 20 meters wide and over 200 meters long marred the camp. Few kobolds still fired at her, too preoccupied with extinguishing fires, saving their clanmates, salvaging supplies or trying to stop themselves from burning. Several tents had caught fire, and scattered groups frantically tried to contain the spread. Smouldering lumps of flesh and metal littered the burning camp from victims who succumbed to the flames.
Rue’s long neck craned as she watched the chaos while circling above, keeping her speed high to make herself a harder target. She spotted the elite squad pushing through the edge of the destruction. One black-scaled kobold stood out, gathering a large amount of mana, far more than the feeble attacks she had seen so far, an amount that concerned her slightly, she had not expected lower-level opponents to be capable of such feats.
The spell completed, and a lance of frost shot toward her. It lost power over the hundred-meter distance but still struck her body, a sharp pain followed by numbing cold that seeped into her flesh. Rue roared in rage, focusing her magic to heat her body to blistering temperatures. The cold lingered, refusing to be burned away. As she lost focus momentarily another shining projectile was launched from the group, slower but it homed in on her to a degree. Her attempt to evade it failed and the force construct made contact with one of the small rib bones in her left wing. She heard and felt a snap as the small bone broke. Now every time she beat her wings the bone ground against itself and she was treated to a dose of pain. Though annoying she was glad the projectile had missed her main wing bones, she doubted they would have broken as easily as the ribbing. Still, the attack had been dangerous and she looked towards the elite group, narrowing her gaze and giving them her full attention.
She narrowly dodged another powerful ice projectile, feeling the cold even from 10 meters away as it raced past her. The cold in her chest was starting to fade but unlike most other wounds it still hurt even if her regeneration was telling her flesh was intact, the cold sapping the strength of her muscles.
She prepared to turn toward the caster and their group but reconsidered. These were powerful opponents, capable and probably specialised in ranged combat and using spells that could hurt her. It galled her to be forced to retreat from an inferior enemy but she resisted her urges to meet them in battle. With annoyance and the cold pain still in her chest, she roared and turned her attention back to the camp. As she flew over the scrambling kobolds, she released another torrent of flames, raking another fiery wound through the enemy camp.
More magical projectiles flew from the elite group, but Rue’s flight path now took her away from them. She was struck by one more frost ray, her now heated body preventing some of the damage but still the cold bit deep and she felt the muscle that had been struck slowing and faltering.
Rue considered another pass, but the elite group had reached a central position and were now on guard, ready to strike at any angle of approach. She dodged the long-range sniping attempts, looking for an opening, but the pain from the ice spells made her reconsider. Though seemingly healed some factor of the spell had lingering effects. She roared once more and turned back toward the city; this would be a prolonged engagement.
Her descent was slower and more deliberate this time, partially from a pride standpoint and partially because she was still feeling the cold where she was struck. Ensuring a relatively controlled landing, she skidded to a halt with claws raking across the stone but maintained her balance. She grinned in satisfaction at the landing.
Inspecting her body for damage, she found herself fully healed but with lingering effects from the cold spell. Even her heat aura didn't make the effect go away and she decided that all she could really do was monitor the effect. She lowered the mana supply to her aura skill, no longer needing the heightened temperature and unwilling to waste resources, she let it smoulder, keeping the worst of the lingering chill at bay. The attack had been minimal in cost, but its effects were visible even from the city; a burning, chaotic camp in ruins.
Rue grinned as she surveyed the destruction. A part of her was disappointed, she would have loved to stay and fight in the flames, testing herself against the stronger kobolds. The feeling lingered, souring her mood. She gave a huff and absentmindedly scraped her claws against the stone, wishing it was soft flesh and bone rather than unyielding stone. Her tail lashed in further agitation as she watched the blazing fires. With great effort, she turned her head away from the glorious chaos, her tail drooping as the excitement drained from her. It was all part of her plan, she would get many more opportunities for battle and should not to be disappointed, instead, she should think of the future battles yet to come. This mollified her somewhat, but still, her disappointment and battle lust lingered.
To distract herself, she turned her thoughts to whether she had gained anything from the chaos she had wrought.
Ding! For Slaying [Kobold Lv18] In Combat +233xp
Ding! For Slaying a Foe [17] Levels Below You Own [-17%] xp -40xp
…..
…..
…..
Ding! For Slaying [Kobold Lv12] In Combat +107xp
Ding! For Slaying a Foe [23] Levels Below You Own [-23%] xp -25xp
Ding! For Slaying a Foe 2x Under Your Level [-20%] xp -21xp
Ding! Devourer Of Flame +56xp
Total Xp Earned From Combat Encounters +3714xp
The kills ranged in levels from the high teens to barely above level 10, but the sheer quantity made up for the lack of quality. It was a decent chunk of experience toward her next core level, bringing her closer to even greater power. However, it would still be some time before she could level up again.
Her next maturation was limited by her size; she would need to grow to well over twice her current dimensions. Frustratingly, her growth seemed to slow as she became larger, making progress feel incremental. With a thought, she brought up the conditions required for her next stage.
Ding! [1/2] Conditions Met For Species [Maturation] : Requires [8+ Meters] & [Lv 35]
At least her core seemed to have no limit to its growth, or at least none she had encountered yet. While it was far more costly to level than her racial advancement, it didn’t diminish the benefits she gained from defeating lower-level opponents, unlike raising her primary level.
She grinned. The enemy army was shaping up to be a vast repository of experience, one she would gladly harvest.