Vol. 2 - Chapter 27 - Entering the Kobold Tribe Settlement
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From the 'World Announcement' which was a first since the game began 3 weeks ago, everyone was clamoring to find out who the party who managed to achieve such a feat was. Just as the announcement ended, a storm of salty players, along with two guys he placed his eyes on their name tags called 'Grid' and 'Katz' came about to throw some insults to Mathias in his private whisper box, that started annoying him, into quickly turning off all incoming messages from people he didn't have on his friend list.
'Bunch of degenerates, why insult me so much when I didn't even want this announcement to be made. Hah, whatever, back to my business. If I gained 5% to my class growth from defeating Mallus, does this mean I have to hunt down bosses to grow my class? Isn't this class requirement too harsh for me? Old man, Alo, are you there?'
He asked that in his mind, wanting to try and see if the old ghost inside the crimson ring on his finger would react or say something, but instead it was dead silent.
"Hey, Mathias, what is with that downed expression? Did the items you gained are so bad?" asked Anjo, the blonde warrior who walked closer to Mathias with a happy expression, before continuing throwing another question.
"Or could it be that those noobs started throwing insults in your direction? Just do what I do, and reply back to them, place salt to their wounds."
"I've canceled the whispers from other players except those from my friend list. Do you think I will start entertaining random people who are so burned with the idea that someone appeared on some insignificant announcement?"
"It isn't really insignificant, we can get fame, money, and become internet sensations. Legends of the Satisfy."
Hearing Anjo say that Mathias immediately frowned and with his crimson eyes getting colder by the second when he heard the foreigner mention money and fame, he was about to tell the warrior something from his heart, but Vivian threw a leg kick at the back of the man, sending him hitting the wall of the room, maybe even saying the warrior from his lash, while adding her view.
"Sorry if you wished to remain in anonymity, that idiot should have waited before accepting that notification window."
Lowering his coldness when looking at Vivian, he sighed, turning to walk around the room, before he suddenly stopped, starting to hear something going wrong in the tunnel, from the entrance.
*ROAR*
When the monster approaching got even closer, all the party members could hear it, and instantly reacted by panicking.
"It is that cursed monster, Iljnoks! Why did he come this way when he was supposed to be in the grand room, its lair?" asked MikeIron who was the most familiar with the bear monstrosity, having to tank and fight him from melee range.
"Ahhh, let me get my arrows before the fight starts! Paula, start recovering your resources, this fight will be hard. Anjo, get your ass here, and prepare for the fight. Mathias? How are you faring with your stamina, you began breathing a bit hard when the fight with Mallus was on the end part."
"My stamina is at 35 right now. This fight will be truly harsh even on me."
"Damn it so frustrating. What now? It will take you about 2 hours to recover the remaining 60 stamina. I guess even I need some pause from all the firing I've done with that skinny guy." remarked Vivian, who began picking up all her fired arrows, using her system to automatically pick them whenever stepping near them.
Anjo who went back to the group turned serious when seeing that everyone was not faring so well with regard to their respectives resources. From what he heard them talk, Mathias who with Vivian were the firepower of the group, was lacking on his Stamina resource, the same could be said for Vivian, who was [46/100] while Paula had blown her cooldowns on the window, taking her about 30 minutes to recover her buffing spells and other supporting skills.
'Fuck, this situation really sucks. We don't have much time to fight against the bear monster as we are right now. Mike's shield is also close to being destroyed, while my sword is also not faring so well. Should I try to encourage them to fight to the death even knowing it is a last cause?' thought Anjo who wanted to try and risk it all against the bear.
The roars from Iljnoks were getting intenser with the tunnel started trembling and Mathias without waiting to meet his adversary extended his hand forward with his palm facing himself where his Red Energy began bubbling up into forming a small phoenix that he later sent flying in the direction of the tunnel.
It took only a brief moment for the phoenix to gaze at the monster, in doing so, also allowing Mathias to see Iljnoks, who looked more monstrous than in the past. He still couldn't gaze into his information, such as level or health, and stopping when noticing the red, small phoenix, it cleaved his monstrous claws at the flying energy construct, in doing so destroying it, but also hurting itself in the process.
*ROARRR*
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"What have you seen Mathias?"
"It morphed even more than the time I fought against him. Even my scouting spell was destroyed when encountering him, so better prepare yourselves, in one minute this monster will arrive upon us."
The trembling sound kept on going, before a loud sound of rocks collapsing was heard, like an earthquake, where rocks even splashed toward Mallus room that they resided in right now. This change made Mathias's remark in a cold, yet calm voice, announcing his party members of an inevitable event.
"The exit has been blocked. This monster for sure doesn't want us to escape."
"Mike, let's get prepared. I'll be damned if I don't win this time against the bear." said Anjo, who took out his sword from his sheath, gripping the hilt.
Vivian, too, managed to recover all her arrows thanks to the efficiency of the system, returning to draw her bow in preparation for the fight. Paula, too, was prepared with her staff to buff her party members, while MikeIron and Anjo stood at the front, as if telling 'Let us take the brunt of the fight, you just carry us later.'.
Meanwhile, Mathias remained in the same position, without even drawing out Ragnius or taking out his new staff acquired from Mallus, in fact, it seemed as if he waited for something, and indeed, a presumption of his, that got confirmed when from a destroyed part of the room, the rocks got kicked out, turning the attention of the party.
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They could see a small creature the shape of a lizard, being covered in some cloth pieces that looked rather old and moldy, while behind him a group of 4 same-sized creatures looked behind the one leading them, having a familiar name Mathias recognized.
[Kobold Champion Vek - Lv. 35] (5.000 HP)
"Humans quickly come here, into hiding. Hurry! The beast is soon to arrive here, and you are still too exhausted from fighting the evil human." said Vek who opened up a small tunnel toward the unknown toward the party members.
The group of players looked skeptical at the kobold that they only saw as zombies or other monsters from different games holding a fantasy theme, except for Mathias who nodded his head in a stoic manner, hiding a small smile under a cold exterior, starting to walk rapidly toward the kobolds.
"Follow me, humans. We don't have much time on our hands, the traps installed by my tribe are constantly triggering."
Vivian was second to follow Mathias, using her 'Tracker's Leap' to close the distance, and even take over, and enter first in the narrow tunnel which was visible having in mind only the kobolds, not humans.
Mathias choose to wait for the rest of the party to enter the tunnel before getting it crowded, and with the other four kobolds entering inside, only Vek and himself remained to stare at the distance, where Iljnoks would appear.
"Little kobold, how resistant are the tunnels if that monster would want to force his way inside?"
Vek, who felt the closeness from Mathias' tone, turned his head up, gazing with his draconic eyes at the crimson-haired human who was giving off a red aura from his body, while his hands started shining with a dark-purple light.
"That beast can't enter the tunnels. Why do you ask, human?" responded Vek, with a certain voice, before turning back the question at Mathias, whose expression turned cold.
"I have a gift for that beast before entering the tunnel." mentioned Mathias with his palms shining with an intenser arcane light.
"A gift?" inquired Vek, confused by what this human even mentioned.
"Just watch and swiftly enter the tunnel when you hear your ear buzz." replied Mathias calmly, before the atmosphere around him turned violent with a dark-purple eye appearing on his forehead.
The roar of the beast came into Vek's keen senses, and when he saw the monster who culled the lives of so many of his brothers, he could only close tightly his crocodile-like snout, but soon his ears started buzzing as if something was blasted close by.
"My greetings present for you abomination. When my Stamina recovers I will see your end. For now taste my two Arcane Barrages."
A barrage of arcane missiles was fired numbering three of those magical attacks which made contact fully with the newly arrived beast that released a beastly roar, shaking the ground.
Before it could even process the information about who was the enemy, Iljnoks woke himself with six projectiles approaching him at fast speed, not even giving him time to react, that it blasted his body, yet it wasn't enough that another dark-purple sword that gave off a wicked pressure dashed toward the monster, cleaving the monsters head.
[You have dealt 3948 damage to Iljnoks.]
[You have dealt 3948 damage to Iljnoks.]
[☆ Chaos Blessed has been triggered. Spell: 'Chaos Sword' has been casted, dealing a critical hit of 6580 damage to Iljnoks.]
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Not lingering too much when he saw the bear monstrosity exiting from his barrage of attacks unfazed, he at least got some information on the newly rebirthed Iljnoks.
[Iljnoks - Lv. 45] (105.524/120.000 HP)
When he jumped inside the tunnel, Vek who watched the gift Mathias had to offer immediately sealed the tunnel, not giving the chance to the beast to even entertain the idea of forcing the kobolds tunnel system.
Iljnoks wasn't fazed by Mathias's attack that took about 20% of his HP, and charged toward the underground tunnel entrance from where Mathias and his party escaped, roaring and even using his entire body to collide with the entrance creating a tremor inside the tunnel. Another of those collisions happened where the monster roared in anger and madness, but each time it tried this, the tunnel remained stable, unbreaking.
"Hey, Mathias, what have you done? This tunnel is about to collapse on us!" shouted Anjo who felt the narrow tunnel move around, making them feel more uncomfortable.
"Human, don't worry, our tunnels will not collapse on you. This is our gift to make tunnels that would remain unbreakable." mentioned one of the kobolds close to Anjo and MikeIron, before turning his draconian eyes at Vek who was talking something with Mathias, in a friendly manner, which surprised them.
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"Human, you did something unnecessary that could have backfired on us right now. That monster is not something to be trifled with, especially when it mutates each time it kills a target. I've watched those other four humans with interest as they fought against the monster, but each time they failed, and got consumed by that monster, in doing so, allowing it to grow faster."
Mathias who heard Vek explanation to why Iljnoks was stronger than in the past, turned his eyes at the group ahead while doing a sigh, before continuing on with Vek behind him in the narrow tunnel.
"Little kobold, it will be fine. My goal is to defeat that monster and let you guys free from its menace."
"Human, your help is much appreciated, but I will have to take you to my Elder, and let you talk with him about your plans. I am not in the position to negotiate with you even if I am the Champion of my people." mentioned Vek, who followed Mathias, and slowly in this narrow tunnel, they entered a bigger gallery which led to another section of the kobold settlement.
The party of players watched in awe at the new environment appearing in front of them, with two small raised nooks guard, about 8 feet tall with a ramp that leads into the nook where four kobolds were stationed, two per nook, who looked surprised at the human visitors that they entered a fight mode.
"Calm down, they are the humans who defeated the evil human who killed our brothers, and I have invited them to the tribe to recover their strength since that monstrosity was at the doorsteps." said Vek who appeared after Mathias, while looking at the four kobolds with his red eyes.
"Vek, you are fine, thanks to the ancestors." replied the kobolds, before lowering their vigilance at the party of humans, where afterward Vek guided them toward a long underground hallway where signs of excavations around the gallery were visible.
The party of humans, watched curiously at the kobolds who stopped in place, holding pickaxes, with their small bodies holding as little clothes as possible. The kobolds also stopped to see those new guests who they never had the chance of encountering in their lives, some looked vigilantly at Mathias and his group, while others were watching them curiously.
However, the moment Vek was seen moving ahead of the group, they looked at Vek and the other four kobolds as if they were ghosts that arrived to haunt them, soon sending the alarm, to another place of the gallery.
On something similar to a mound, where a building was resting, an old kobold having a spider silk fabric long tunic around his body, with a necklace made of sharp teeth, containing so many it was a pain to number them. His frail hands held a wooden staff with a gem on the head, decorated in an good taste, with his white fish-like tentacles, that were his beard, braided and adorned with some gems. Stepping out of his house, he heard the voices of his people more loudly, and walked to have a better view down, he saw Vek, and the four kobold elites next to him, accompanied by a group of five humans.
"Humans? Vek, child, why have you brought those humans to our tribe? Haven't you heard my warnings that humans are dangerous?"
Vek stepped forward, when hearing the old kobold, and with a bow, he told the elder respectfully.
"Elder Morkl, I've brought those humans inside because they were in danger of being devoured by that monster haunting our tribe's doorsteps. They defeated and killed the evil human who tortured our people, but was short of breath when that monstrosity arrived to harm them. I had no other choice but to assist them, as the Champion of the Gravelmark Tribe."
"They managed to defeat that evil human? The one even I fear facing without endangering you, children. Lead the leader of the humans to my house, while the other fours lead them to the warm spring so they can wash themselves and recover from their wounds suffered." said the old kobold after understanding the circumstances of the party's visit.
Anjo gave off a confident smile and was ready to ascend the mound with Vek, but Vivian sent a kick on his butt, while Vek turned his head at Mathias, saying to him.
"Don't worry humans, the elder is a wise kobold, who has outlived most of our generations. Follow me."
"But, I am the leader of the party!" said Anjo from where he was on the ground, while Vivian scoffed at him.
"Anjo, shut up. You have already ninja looted too much loot. Don't be shameless. By contribution to the fight, it is clear who is the leader, with Mathias being a key element to our party."
"What ninja steal? I don't know what you mean." replied Anjo while his eyebrow trembled a bit, with his eyes not gazing back at Vivian, making Paula chuckle, and MikeIron also look around vigilantly, as if he was in league with Anjo.