Chapter 494 The Kobold Tribe
As the group reached the entrance, nothing was in sight. However, Archer gestured for them to hide.
They spotted bloodstains leading into the cave. While they were watching, two Kobolds emerged from the shadows.
Archer's eyes widened as he laid eyes on a Kobold for the first time and paid more attention to them.
The creature stood about three feet tall, with scaly, reptilian skin that shimmered in shades of earthy browns and greens.
Its large, pointy ears twitched nervously, and a pair of bright, intelligent eyes regarded the surroundings with curiosity and wariness.
The Kobold's slender frame moved agilely, clutching a makeshift weapon—a crude spear made from scavenged materials.
Archer's eyes narrowed as he contemplated their strategy for luring out the Kobolds. Turning to the lion girl with a mischievous glint, he asked, "My lioness, can you be dramatic?''
Nala raised an eyebrow, a playful smirk forming on her lips. "Dramatic? You're asking the right girl! What do you need?"
Archer grinned. "We need to get the attention of those Kobolds and lure more out. A dramatic scene from you calling for help might do the trick. Can you pull it off?''
She chuckled as her blue eyes gleamed with mischief and excitement. "You got it, Archie. Get ready for the performance of a lifetime."
The other three girls exchanged curious glances, sensing that something entertaining was about to unfold.
Nala suddenly unleashed her dramatic side. She stumbled over an imaginary obstacle, arms flailing, and called out in an exaggerated tone, "Archie! Help! I'm in grave danger!"
Her theatrics took a comical turn as she continued to trip and stumble, hamming it up for the amusement of Archer and the other three girls.
Laughter echoed through the forest as they watched Nala's playful display. As she continued her dramatic screams, she took the opportunity to declare her love for Archer in detail.
Her theatrical monologue, directed at the unsuspecting trees, delved into the depths of a romantic saga.
With an infectious blend of humor and exaggeration, Nala described romantic escapades grand gestures of affection, and even shared intricate details of their fictional love story.
Archer, caught off guard by the unexpected turn of events, found himself unable to contain his laughter.
The forest echoed with the sound of Nala's passionate confessions and the joyous laughter of the group.
Even Teuila couldn't help but laugh uncontrollably as she listened to the silly lion girl who was still shouting.
Nala's voice reverberated through the forest, catching the attention of birds and rustling leaves.
Archer burst into laughter, and soon, Teuila, Talila, and even the moody Zarina joined in.
Undeterred by the laughter, Nala continued her dramatic wails, adding exaggerated gestures.
As the laughter subsided, Archer wiped tears from his eyes. "Nala, that was... perfect."
The lioness took a bow, a grin playing on her lips. "Glad I could be of service. Now, let's see if our Kobold friends took the bait."
No sooner had she finished speaking than rustling noises emerged from the underbrush. A group of Kobolds, drawn by the commotion, cautiously approached the clearing.
Their reptilian eyes peered out from behind trees and bushes, curious yet wary. Archer noticed that there were about a dozen of them.
He motioned for the others to quiet down, and the laughter tapered off into a conspiratorial silence.
The Kobolds, thinking they had stumbled upon an easy target, crept closer, unaware that they had fallen into the adventurers' clever trap.
Teuila and Nala rushed forward with swift and coordinated movements, their weapons striking down the Kobolds precisely.
Talila and Zarina provided cover, ensuring no other threats approached as the two girls engaged in combat.
After a minute of fighting, all the Kobolds lay dead with missing limbs and blood staining the ground.
Archer watched the two fight and was happy, but he also wanted to fight, so he took the lead before walking into the cave.
The four girls followed behind while his Aura Detector picked up dozens of signals in the tunnels and caverns.
He turned to the girls and spoke. ''Do you mind if I summon some help? They are hidden in small crevices and tunnels?''
The four girls nodded with eager smiles before he opened a portal to the domain. Stepping through, he summoned the Nightmare Cave Spiders, commanding them sternly.
"Hunt down the Kobolds in here. Find their nest, and don't leave any survivors," he instructed.
With their sinister appearance and gleaming eyes, the massive spiders acknowledged the order with an unsettling hiss.
After that, they scuttled through the portal, vanishing into the dark depths of the domain, ready to carry out their deadly mission.
As Archer and the four girls walked through the tunnels, the echoing sounds of the spiders hunting the Kobolds reached their ears.
The screams took on an eerie quality, a strange blend of fear and confusion. The cacophony filled the tunnels, but soon, an unsettling silence replaced the screams.
As they traversed the tunnels of the Kobold nest, they stumbled upon a sizable chamber.
Archer turned to the girls, his expression serious, and spoke. "Wait here for a moment. I'll go deeper into the nest. It stinks horribly, and I can already smell it."
The four girls exchanged glances, scrunching their noses in unison before nodding in agreement.
He continued forward, his footsteps echoing through the dimly lit tunnels. A foul stench invaded his senses.
Archer recoiled, gagging, as he came across macabre remnants—body parts from various beasts and humanoids.
But he shook his head before calling to the Nightmare Cave Spiders and giving them a command. "Don't kill the Kobolds anymore. Capture them from now on. Bring them to me unharmed."
As the spiders hissed in response, Archer ventured further into the nest. The tunnels led him to a cavernous chamber with a peculiar sight.
Hundreds of nests were scattered across the floor, which housed twelve eggs each.
That's when he noticed a group of Kobolds huddled together in the back of the chamber, surrounded by the Nightmare Spiders.
Archer's keen eyes spotted more movement as the spiders brought additional Kobolds into the chamber.
These newcomers struggled against the spider's silk, their attempts to resist evident in their frantic movements.
He crouched down and grabbed one of the eggs, catching Kobold's attention, and they hissed at him.
However, Archer ignored their hostility and used his mana to scan the egg. He realized what was causing them to attack the farming villages.
Their eggs appeared weak and lifeless. They resorted to feeding their females, hoping it would solve the problem.
Archer pondered the situation, his brow furrowed in concentration. As he examined the eggs, a realization dawned on him.
It wasn't a matter of insufficient food for the Kobolds; the issue lay with the eggs themselves.
The eggs weren't adequately absorbing mana, a crucial force for everything on Thrylos.
Considering that every entity in this realm was composed of mana, the egg's inability to absorb it indicated something was wrong.
As he looked at the egg, a slow smile spread across his face. The kind of smile hinted at mischief and cunning, a signal that an idea had taken root in his mind.
That's when he heard the girls walking down the tunnel and decided to eliminate the terrible smell and give all the remains to the Monster Army.
He opened a portal to Ksara's bedroom in the Ashguard mansion and used wind magic to funnel the smell into it.
After giving the command, Archer instructed the cave spiders to transport the gruesome remains to their nest to nourish their young, a task they eagerly accepted.
Once the spiders had gathered everything, Archer opened a portal, and the beats stepped through, leaving the Kobold nest behind.
As they disappeared, the Kobolds didn't immediately advance; instead, they gazed at him in astonishment.
The four girls appeared in the large chamber and looked around with wide eyes when they saw the portals close.
But Archer signaled them to wait a moment as he observed one approaching. He chuckled, thinking, 'A little old man lizard.'
The elderly Kobold came to a halt in front of him and knelt. Archer then heard a composed voice. "Thank you for helping the younglings, dragon. I can sense its life, but could you help the rest, and our tribe will serve you?"
Archer smiled as he closed his eyes before reaching out with his mana. He could sense the weak and lifeless energy emanating from the eggs, indicating something was amiss.
His mind raced with possibilities, and then it struck him – the eggs could not absorb mana properly.
That's when he channeled his mana towards the eggs, a gentle stream of ethereal energy that danced in the air like a shimmering mist.
As the mana touched the surface of the eggs, he felt an unexpected pushback, a resistance that sought to repel his intrusion.
Undeterred, Archer grinned as he intensified the flow of his mana, overwhelming the feeble resistance with sheer force.
As Archer persisted, the pushback weakened, and he felt a subtle shift in the energy surrounding the eggs.
The mana, now unhindered, seeped into the eggs, penetrating their lifeless shells.
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