I could barely see through all the blood in my eyes, my head was constantly aching and the ringing in my ears seemed louder than a mating minotaur...okay maybe not that loud. I struggled to my hands and knees lifting my small bruised body out of the sloshing mud and glanced up.
Ah, I forgot about that. That kobold......OH SHIT THAT KOBOLD! Without much thinking I leapt to my feet trying to ignore my pain. I desperately looked around for anything I could use as a weapon. AH-HAH! Crat's dagger was only a few steps away. I ran over to it as fast as I could with my short legs and grasped it in my hands.
Without further ado I once again looked at the kobold who was now advancing on Bognog, I didn't have time to think about how one kobold beat Bognog.
‘think think think think COME ON BRAIN FIND A WEAK POINT!!’
Then suddenly my eyes darted to an obvious and exposed weak point, like a mosquito to blood my whole being was solely focused on advancing to said vulnerability.
“SAY GOODBYE TO YOUR KNEECAP YOU BASTARD!!! “
I felt more emotion in these short seconds than I had ever felt in my entire life. I felt fear, pain, anger, hysteria, but the strongest of all of these emotions. The one emotion that overtook the rest and seemed to stem from my core was… EXHILARATION!
The kobold screamed in pain as it fell to one knee, its other knee simultaneously forced to the ground. Before the kobold had a chance to recover I ripped my small blade out of its destroyed bone and thrusted it into the kobold's ankle, near its tendon. Its movement now effectively hindered, I ripped my blade out and took a few steps back to think about my next move. While thinking I finally got a clear look at the kobold who I had stabbed.
Its fur was patchy all around its body, almost like it had been ripping its own fur off. Its tooth filled mouth was open in a constant snarl and there was white froth spilling out over the sides. Its pupils dilated with pure hatred and singularly focused on me. Looking closer I saw it had multiple wounds littering its body that I was certain weren't there before. Bognog had indeed inflicted it with near fatal wounds, I honestly had no idea how it was still breathing.
I turned my dagger into a reverse grip position out of instinct as I prepared to strike once more. However before I could even move a sword that appeared to cut through the wind itself came crashing down on the kobolds skull, effectively and efficiently slicing its head in two stopping just before its collarbone. I must have looked surprised because the person I had forgotten existed started to laugh.
“AHAHAHAHA Not bad for a young runt, you got some balls on ya, i've never seen someone smile while stabbing a kobold in the knee!”
‘Was I smiling when I stabbed it? I can't say if I was or wasn’t as it all happened so fast, and…and that feeling, I want to feel that again!’
“Well young one it looks like you’ve completed your coming of age ceremony, if helping hunt a kobold doesn't show that then I don't know what could! Help me take the bodies of the other two back to camp, while its unfortunate that they died in this forest such events are rather common during the ceremony.”
I hurried to respond but I was already so tired I decided not to waste more energy by speaking and simply nodded. After giving Bognog my nod of affirmation I walked over to the boy whose head was brutally caved in and struggled to hoist his limp body over my back and shoulders.
‘ Maybe that's why they don't give us names until after the coming of age ceremony, it makes it easier to dispose of the dead when they don't have names’
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
I walked back over to Bognog who had chopped the head off the kobold as proof of the kill and tossed the other dead boy over his shoulder. I didn't see him die but based on his mostly intact body it must have been from a blow that damaged something irreparable inside his body. That kobolds strength wielding that club was nothing to scoff at. Though I was curious why a lone kobold attacked us as they usually lived in communities similar to goblins, at least that's what the old man said.
After walking for an hour or so we arrived back at the camp, I was rather impressed with Bognog’s sense of direction. Even I didn't know the exact way back but he found it rather fast. We weren't the first ones back but we were among the few who had already returned, next to the bonfire where we were supposed to gather once we returned I saw one of the few goblins our age who I paid attention to. Everyone knew him though, it was hard not to when everyone thought he would be the next coming of Graktar, the goblin god of battle and fortune.
The reason for this common assumption was his staggering height and build for a mere eight year old goblin. He stood at 3.7 feet with broad muscled shoulders too muscly to belong to an eight year old goblin. He had a body rippled in muscle that screamed “POWER”, with eight pack abs a perfect V figure. The only way to even believe he was our age was his hilariously underdeveloped baby face. I'm not saying I was horribly jealous to the point of visible anger, but well,
‘WHY DID HE GET TO LOOK LIKE THAT WHEN I HAVE TO LOOK LIKE THIS!’
Life truly was unfair, but it's fine I can only make do with what I was given, for now. More time had passed than I thought when I left my thoughts, most of the mentors had returned, though only about three quarters of the young did.
While everyone was resting from the hunt or mingling amongst themselves the burly goblin who had first spoken to us stepped up onto a log that served to give him an appropriate height above the rest of us. Now that he was easily visible and the mentors had calmed the chatter he looked at each and every one of us and spoke with a smile.
“I truly am glad to see so many of my own return, I am the current Chief, Trax. As you have all proved yourselves tonight I congratulate you on taking your first steps to adulthood. Now all of you who the mentors deem worthy shall receive your first name, as well as a special title if your performance was truly astounding. Goodwork everyone, I hope you all work hard for the sake of the tribe in the future”
As the chief stepped down there was a thunderous clapping, with screams of joy and excitement for the future mixed in here and there. I did not make a sound and simply looked on, bored. All I could really think about was that feeling, the pure joy and ecstasy I felt when I stabbed that kobold, and saw the look in its eyes as it prepared to fight me. What I wouldn't give to feel it again.
Interrupting my thoughts the mentors had, one by one, started yelling the names of the new generation. No one had received a title yet but that was only natural.
‘titles are for the best of the best.’
Of course as I thought this to myself the massive “child” in my generation, if he could even be called that, had received his name, “Grog”.
‘A simple name for a simple creature’
But what shocked me was that his mentor wasn't done speaking.
“HEAD CLEAVER, This boy was able to chop the head of a yargvish clean off with ONE swing!”
A cheer resounded from the rowdy crowd. During this I too felt admiration for him, even though I had a severe inferi-
‘AHEM’
Even though I wasn't as genetically gifted as the boy I had to admit that it was an impressive feat. Besides that it seems to be my turn.
‘Give me a good name Bognog, Im counting on you’
As soon as I finished that thought I felt a drop of sweat trickle down my neck, what was I expecting from someone named “bognog”
‘dear Graktar im so fucked‘
“This ones name shall be GNAR!”
‘Oh I actually like the ring to that”
“ALSO!”
‘No way he isn't giving me a title rigtht?’
“For his courage and skill in the battle against a KOBOLD”
A murmur of whispers erupted from the mentors and more educated young goblins.
“No way a kobold?”
“That's insane, an exaggeration! look how small he is”
Bognog continued
“He shall be know as…GNAR, GNAR KNEE STABBER”
I paled, there's no way he's serious, who would want a title like that? But to my surprise after a small fit of laughter from some of the mentors, all the young started to loudly cheer. Even the ones who didn't know what a kobold was knew that it had to be impressive, right, I mean he got a title. I couldn't help but feel slightly proud, and out of the corner of my eye I saw Grog looking at me, with a genuine smile.