Chapter Four: The Bravest Coward

Disembodied and disparate floated the consciousness of the Overmind known as Kaali. He was near what he sought. He could feel it. So close, oh so close, and yet he could not sense where it was or even what it was. All he knew was that it was a feeble creature, as delicate as a butterfly’s wings in a raging windstorm, but it was a survivor. That was the most critical factor. It knew when to run, when to hide, and when to strike. And with that realization, he knew where it was and that it was unquestioningly perfect for his needs.

His body coalesced around his thoughts, and the Lord of Monsters, now recognizably humanoid in form, hunched down and peered into a small hole that was roughly two feet wide. It was not a form that he commonly took, nor was it comfortable for him, but it was the one that would best serve in this situation.

He could see a pair of yellow eyes staring back at him in the darkness and hear a low whine coming from the back of the small hole. She sensed his presence and power and knew enough to stay as far away as possible. She had done such a good job that even his godly senses had practically been fooled.

He adjusted his form accordingly, growing short bristled fur and a face that was a cross between a cat and a mandrill. His paws barely qualified as hands, the digits ending in short, blunted black claws. His tail was that of a shaggy dog, matted and unkempt, and he was draped in ragged clothes. He had not taken on the complete appearance of a kobold but had kept himself close enough for her to be comfortable in his presence. His tail differed most notably, as her species had hairless tails like most vermin.

His voice was guttural when he spoke, like a rabid dog attacking a screaming rabbit, “Shhh, little one. You have nothing to fear from me.” he said as softly as his voice would allow, “I am here to help you.”

Eyes deep in the shadows blinked, and the god could hear the hidden creature sniffing the air in the hope, he assumed, of confirming just precisely what he was. He did not doubt that she would recognize the scent of another of her kind and would remain cautious but would eventually allow her curiosity to draw her out.

Patient as an ancient statue waited Kaali. It took over a half an hour for the trembling creature to work her way out of her cubby, and the moment she saw him in full, she recognized him for what he truly was. She fell to the ground in supplication and covered her eyes; the god could feel the fear emanating from her. It crashed upon his body like waves on a rocky shoal, continuous and unrelenting. Empathizing with her, he reached out a clawed hand and drew out her fear. He let it dissipate and waited for her breathing to slow to a manageable pace.

“Look at me,” he said in a gentle and calm voice despite the words being formed from growls, barks, and coughs. The kobold raised her head and looked at his chest. He smiled, realizing that she was acknowledging his dominance in doing so in such a manner. He shook his head, “No,” his voice remained steady and soft but carried a tone of command within that she could not ignore, “Look at me. Look into my eyes.”

The kobold did as he bid her but held out a bent arm, palm forward just above her eyes to shade her from his unfiltered visage. He smiled at her, and he watched her relax. Her shoulders slumped into a state of ease, and she lowered her arm slowly. Her head bobbed as she obeyed. Kaali had to admit that she was very comely for a kobold. Her horns were small and slightly curved, her muzzle was mid-length, and most of her teeth were intact and unbroken. Though matted, her fur was a wondrous mix of browns, grays, and black, but her eyes stood out to him. They shone with an intelligence that few of her people had, and they were golden but ringed with brown and flecked with tiny dots of red; the sclera was a tenebrous black that threatened to pull one in if you stared too long. He had no doubt that she was as beautiful among her kind as she was intelligent.

Even now, he watched her, before the very manifestation of her god, scanning the horizon, sniffling the air, ears twitching back and forth, all in a constant state of alertness, perpetually on guard. He looked into her mind and found that she had already noted five paths she could use to escape if something attacked. She had spotted one rock that would handily convert into a makeshift bludgeoning tool and had not forgotten the option of returning to her cubby if she had to. Her mind was highly linear. She was to survive at all costs. Most of her species rotated their needs. Sometimes, their desires centered on procreation; at other times, they dreamt of war. Kobolds were mercurial in their moods and attitudes. They were small and nowhere near as powerful as his other children, but they made up for their lack of strength in numbers and possessing a strong sense of self-preservation. She had adopted the need to survive and placed it over all other things.

He pitied her. She existed in a state of constant fear. She could never let her guard down, relax, or enjoy life for even a minute. She lived from moment to moment, never planning for the next since she was not guaranteed another second. This made her perfect for his needs, and as much as it pained him to use her in this capacity, he had little choice. Two of his agents had finally connected, but they were far from having instant compatibility. Clackhissis was a pragmatist. She weighed every option and planned out everything that she could. That was built into her. All spiders were like that to some extent, just as all kobolds were survivors. This one was just more of a survivor. Clackhissis, like the little one before him now, had been molded to plan her every move and strike when her enemies were not prepared.

The human, Cushing, was wild and a creature of fancy. He did whatever he felt at the moment. He knew only the now. He was brash, foolish, and untamable. Kaali liked him and was glad that the human had caught his attention when he’d arrived. He knew of no other Gamers who treasured his monsters in the same manner as Cushing had proven himself. True, he was a puzzle missing some pieces, but the god did not doubt that he would benefit his team. The man was mercurial, though. His mind was a jumble that leaped from one unrelated topic to another until it somehow became a coherent thought. His style did not jibe with that of Clackhissis.

Again, he watched the small dog-like creature and took her full measure. To an untrained eye, she was cowardly, but he could see steel and conviction in her. It was buried so far in her soul that she might never find it on her own, but others might draw those traits to the surface over time. It was hard to tell if the others, the spider and the Game Warden, would have the time or the inclination to try and succeed.

“Your name,” he said firmly, no longer coddling her, “Is Tes. Is it not?”

She gulped and nodded quickly, not wishing to incur his wrath for having a slow response. “Y-yes, Lord.” Her voice quavered and shook so that Kaali swore he could see the air around her vibrate.

“I have a job for you, Tes. And this is not an offer. You have no choice in this matter. You will,” he said as he bent over and stared into her eyes, “Do exactly as I say.” He brought a furry fist down to her face and raised one finger, “If you do not follow my instructions exactly as I say, then I shall be forced to smite you.” He made his hand into a fist again and then slammed it into his palm for emphasis as he said the word smite. He hated doing this to the tiny thing, but he knew that she would leave the others at the first opportunity if he didn’t make his desire unquestionably clear.

Kaali then rose up and began to grow until he towered over the kobold. His form grew until he was taller than the trees, and still, he continued to become more massive. She was hundreds of feet below him, and his body continued to morph from one horrible form to another. Forms so dark and vile that one could not look upon them for long without going insane; it was simultaneously impossible and maddening. The god was vaguely humanoid, reptilian in nature, but with placoid scales replacing herpetological ones; nematocystic stingers dangled from four ape-like arms covered in quills rather than hair. His claws were dark and were longer and shaper than bastard swords. The lower half of his body was an octopoid base that had hundreds of tentacles but ones that lacked suckers, having slavering mouths in their place. He had seven dragon-like necks capped by a different creature. One was an open throat with a massive maw ringed with unending teeth; the second was that of a wyvern with flaming eyes; the third was a kobold fierce and feral; the fourth a dark spider cloaked with shadows, the fifth a human skull that gibbered incessantly, the sixth a gasping hammerhead shark, and the seventh was a hooded cobra with venom dripping from its fangs.

He only showered her eyes with this visage for moments before he toned the inherent monstrosity of his body down to acceptable levels for her small mind to handle. He did not wish to break her but only to instill upon her that he was not one to be trifled with in any capacity. He would not tolerate her self-serving lifestyle during his quest.

“This,” he said as he grew smaller and less horrifying, “Is what I want you to do.”

----

The way to Hellsingville was trying. Clackhissis and the human had secreted away all the bodies and removed all signs of the battle that had taken place so that Cushing would not stumble upon their mess and get distracted from his course of action. If he had found them, he might have deviated from his path to investigate what had happened or changed direction because he was concerned that there might be more Icthyoid ahead.

Once that arduous task was over, the human, Cushing, declared that he’d needed to rest. So they took a break. He was already proving himself to be annoying. He was like a fly that always flew near your web but never managed to light on it. One wanted to kill it but could not. That was how Clackhissis saw the man. He was a distraction and a hindrance. Thankfully, after he’d eaten an apple, they’d continued on their way.

“Do not count on my saving you if you become endangered,” her chelicerae clacked. “I will not oversee a helpless child foolish enough to walk into the woods.”

Cushing, taken aback, turned his head towards her, a quizzical look on his face. He began to chuckle and then stopped when he realized that she was being serious. “Wait, what? Do you think I need you to watch over me? Sister, I can handle myself.”

Clackhissis’s body dipped to the ground and then quickly rose back up. The Death’s Head Arachnid hoped that Cushing’s ability to understand monsters told him she was essentially shaking her head with that motion. “You move like your feet are filled with lead. You breathe heavily when you walk and never stop making noise.” She paused and raised a pedipalp in his direction, “We met because you were screaming at the top of your lungs and running blindly into a squad of Icthyoid that were ready to kill you, and even if they had not been there, you would have blundered into some of my traps.”

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

Clackhissis chirped several times in irritation and continued her beratement of the Game Warden, “You pay no attention to your surroundings and have no foresight.”

Cushing stopped walking and put his hands on his hips, “No foresight? What do you mean by that?”

The spider shuddered in equal parts frustration and anger. “We have been walking for hours. Have you once considered what might be around the next corner? Have you looked for a trap? I have not seen you search the ground for any sign that there might be something or someone else in the area?” Her voice was full of venom and accused him of laziness and inattention to details. “You act like a man with no concern of dying, and that is worrisome because while you might “respawn,” I cannot. I will not resurrect. For me,” she emphasized, “Death is final. I do not feel like sacrificing myself for someone who cares so little about his life.”

The spider spit, and a mist of venom hazed the air in front of her. Her black and silver body shook with pent-up rage. She raised a leg and aimed its spear tip-like point at his chest. “You are so blind that you do not see the danger that you are in and expect me to watch over you like some sort of wet nurse. I do not have teats, and I am not your guardian.”

Cushing did not hold back and tried to imitate the spider and spit as hard as he could. Unfortunately, the saliva barely cleared his lips and ended up dripping down his chin. Nonplussed, he slowly wiped the spittle away with the back of his glove, in the same way a man who had just been punched in his mouth would, his fist clenched and teeth bared.

“Don’t,” he breathed heavily, “Ever treat me like I’m an incompetent child. I survived my three trials required by Kaali, earned the right to be a Game Warden, and while I may be a Gamer, I’ve yet to be killed. I’ve never respawned, and I killed quite a few of those Icthyoids back there all on my own. I don’t recall begging you for help, Charlotte.”

Clackhissis lowered her limb, “Is that some sort of a curse or a vile name of malignancy?” She slowly advanced toward the human, who immediately took a tentative step away from her. She watched as his hand fell onto the pommel of his sword.

“What? No! No,” he stammered, “Charlotte is the name of a spider in my world.” He watched as her mandibles clicked together menacingly, “A very revered and admired spider.”

She paused as he stepped away, “What did this spider do to be so respected by humans?”

“Charlotte did everything in her power to protect a pig from being slaughtered as food.”

“Did she plan on eating this pig herself?” Her interest and incredulity in the story were apparent. Her cold black eyes studied the human, who was now sweating profusely.

“No,” he whispered, “She pitied him. The pig, Wilbur, feared dying, and she swore to help him. She did it out of the kindness of her heart.”

Clackhissis burst into a series of clicks, barks, and chirps. She was a terrifying spectacle to behold as her deadly fangs vibrated and violently careened off of one another. When she had finished, her breathing was very nearly asthmatic; she inhaled so loudly that Cushing couldn’t help but hear her.

“Did you just laugh? Did I just see a spider burst out laughing and practically lose her breath doing so?” Cushing’s eyes were wide and filled with childish wonder.

“This tale,” she practically gasped, “Was made for children, was it not?”

Shocked at her incredible act of perception, Cushing nodded, “Yes, but how did you know?”

Indignant, she angled away from the man, “Because a real spider would have let the prey animal die or taken it for herself. Any other outcome is a fairy tale.”

----

Tes found herself struggling to continue in the direction she had been commanded. She had been given assurances that no monsters would bother her while she went to the others, but that did not mean she was completely safe. There were always other humanoids about, be they human, elven, or dwarven. That she had to keep an eye out for those kinds of danger was not in question. There was also a new menace that she needed to be alert for, something called the Icthyoid. She had just learned about them from her god, and they filled her heart with more terror than any Wode warrior ever could.

No matter what, she would not travel by night, and by her reckoning, that only left her about two hours to find her targets before she called it quits for the evening. Bad things happened to you in the dark. She knew this from experience. Bad things also happened in the light, but at least there, she could see it coming. She had a chance.

Tes was small, even by Kobold standards. She stood approximately three and a quarter feet in height, but not quite. Most of her people reached four feet, but the runts barely topped three. She was also very frail, as she was usually the last in her tribe to eat. She was often left with just the shell of a bone, the meat stripped, and the marrow sucked, to dine on once the others were finished. She had not known a full belly since she had been born. She had seen more days end in hunger than with a bite of food.

Her job, ironically, was that of a simple scavenger. She was to gather food each day, and if she did not bring back a sufficient amount, she was beaten for her shortfalls. She soon learned that no matter how much she brought back, it would never be enough. If she dared to eat even a bite before the others, she was severely punished. Clever and quick, Tes realized that her only hope for survival would be finding a better tribe. A tribe that could weather any storm would ensure she had food in her belly at least three times a week.

That was precisely what her god had promised her, but she could not help but disbelieve him. The new “family” that he had created for her seemed unlikely to be willing to take her in. Still, she had to trust in something, and so she pushed onward.

Her dog-like ears perked up, and her rat-like tail curled up to resemble a pig. She had heard a soft noise, but more than enough of one that she froze in place. Immobility was just as effective a lifesaver as flight was. There were things that looked for motion, could feel it, and she had learned that there were times when you should not move unless you knew where the danger was coming from.

Her eyes darted while her head slowly moved to allow her to look upward and then over her shoulder. She saw naught but forms and shadows in the woods. Her ears strained, refining the natural sounds of her surroundings from anything that did not belong. She heard only the faintest snapping of a twig and the light inhalation of a small animal in the brush. In the end, it was her nose that located the danger. It did its job a moment too late for her to do anything.

She smelled the distinctive odor of Ogre coming from her left. Their sweat was a pungent scent that was hard to miss, and she was surprised that they had managed to keep so quiet that she hadn’t heard them as she approached. She had just bent low, digging her claws into the earth as she decided to run when a colossal hand snatched her by the nape of her neck and hoisted her off the ground.

“Oh, ho,” came the voice of her captor from behind. It was a gravelly baritone that vibrated her bones when he spoke. She started to squirm, but his grip was too firm to escape. It was more likely that she would pull her head off than she would wriggle free. In an act of desperation, she began to scratch at the hand holding her, but a twist of his wrist was enough to put that effort to an end.

“We go out looking for a boy and find us a skruddly little kobold.” The arm holding Tes raised high into the air, and she could see three more Ogre warriors around her. He spoke in the common tongue, most likely unaware she spoke some of it, too. Tes was not a linguistic expert by any means but could communicate in common tongue when she had to do so.

“What say we put this dungeon rat out of its misery? Ya wanna play Splat the Rat,” the warrior holding her asked his friends. She watched as they each pulled a club from over her shoulders one by one. “Who’s first,” her captor inquired.

A young-looking Ogre missing several teeth and half his nose stepped forward, holding his club out with one arm. “I’ll start,” bragged the boy. The teen bore a nasty scar from his right eye, snaking over where his right nostril should have been, passing through his lips to the base of his chin. His mouth was puckered and curled from the cut, which only added to his unsightliness.

The boy began to wave the club back and forth, and it dawned on Tes that she was going to be tossed at the repugnant Ogre and that he was going to try to bat her out of the air. She suddenly found herself being drawn backward and realized she was about to be thrown like a rock.

Kobolds do not make good rocks, but they are great survivors, and Tes was one of the best of her kind in that particular department. Though she had moments to react, she waited until the arm of the warrior holding her began to move forward. As soon as she felt his grip start to release, she twisted her body so that her feet touched his wrist just as he let her go. She pushed off his arm, allowing the forward motion of his throw to propel her far faster than she would have been able to achieve under her own power.

She sailed through the air right toward one of the other Ogre who had not been ready to play. Her flight took seconds, and she flew onto the face of the scarred warrior, taking him completely by surprise. Her impact had not been enough to jar his head backward, but it was still so unexpected that he did not react before she had grabbed its nose ring and torn it free of its mooring. Blood gushed, and Tes leapt from the brute’s head to the ground. Once she had earth beneath her feet, she began to run. Tes ran for her life, and that made for optimum running speed.

She knew that no matter how fast her legs would carry her, the big men would catch up to her in no time, thanks to their long legs. Her only chance was to lose them in the brush and make her way to her new tribe before they could find her trail. Tes heard them bellow in rage, while several others seemed to laugh at their colleague for his facial denuding. She took advantage of their distraction and changed direction several times. She bolted back and forth, ensuring to stay away from the trail she had been on, and deliberately ran in the opposite direction of where she was supposed to go.

She wanted to curse Kaali for his overconfidence in her making it to the others without incident. She had been given assurances, and those assurances weren’t worth the words they were given to her. She shunted that line of thinking aside. She did not have time to get distracted; her mind instantly shifted gears and focused on the task at hand. She needed something to divert their attention from her. That was the only way she was going to get away.

So, she had to find something to shift their focus or make them think she was dead. Playing dead did not appeal to her. That band of bullies seemed to be the types that would desecrate her body if they came across it. Tes had the skill Play Dead, which allowed her heart to stop for several minutes and render her completely catatonic. For all intents and purposes, she would appear dead.

The kobold had never used this ability, however, out of fear that something would happen to her while she had no control of her body. That meant she needed to find something to distract them with and do it fast. She also had the skill, Hide in Plain Sight, which let her vanish from sight right in front of a person or persons from whom she did not wish to be seen. This was her signature move and the one skill she relied upon daily. The problem was it did not hide her tracks, and the big ones didn’t seem to have a problem following her, visible or not. Imperfect or not, it was all she had to use, and she activated her Hide in Plain Sight ability. Her form faded like smoke rolling into a deep fog, and she carefully stepped into the brush with a prayer to Kaali that she would escape their notice.

------

Skill: Hide In Plain Sight

A master of camouflage can blend with any surrounding at any time. The caster becomes effectively invisible to the visual senses.

Skill Type/Level: Spell/Initiate

Cost: 10 Essence

Range: Self

Cast Time: 3 seconds

Duration: 5 minutes per level

Cooldown: 20 minutes

Effect: This spell allows the caster to become completely undetectable without magic. The caster is both invisible and silent for the duration of the spell.

------

With luck, it would prove enough for her to make her way deep enough into the brushwood to escape. At worst, she would only get further away before they picked up her trail again. The kobold scurried off, well aware of how little time her ability allowed her to move unnoticed.