Chapter 32: First Quest
Ding!
[Congratulations on awakening your first Quest.]
[Description: Quests are a series of missions designed to lead toward a specific outcome capable of benefiting both the host and the Vaal’kor Colony exponentially. Such quests do not merely reward System Points. They also unlock knowledge, opportunities and upgrades capable of changing the fate of your people.]
[First Quest Acquired: Uncover the Secrets of Runes]
[Sub Mission Unlocked: Defeat and Capture the Ashmork Battle Shaman: Boi]
[Description: This goblin possesses profound knowledge of runes. Interrogating him and acquiring that knowledge may change the tide of war for the Vaal’kor Colony. Defeat him and capture him alive.]
The familiar chime echoed inside Ka’z’s mind and his tense expression slowly relaxed.
Strangely enough, the fear that had been gnawing at him ever since Lan’ka and the others disappeared into the distance gradually faded.
The truth was, his decision to remain behind had never been born from courage. In his first life, he had been many things but never brave.
Ka’z had only chosen to stay because he believed he actually stood a chance against this opponent. He simply hadn’t expected the System to agree with him.
Now, this no longer felt like a reckless gamble. It felt like destiny itself had placed him here.
If the Greater Kobold had entrusted him with this quest, then perhaps he truly possessed the possibility of victory.
A strong gust swept across the burning camp and the smoke parted.
Swoosh!
The Battle Shaman finally emerged from the drifting ash, his crimson carvings glowing faintly beneath the dancing firelight. His eyes calmly observed the young kobold standing before him, showing neither arrogance nor contempt.
Only curiosity.
"So, You’re the little one responsible for all this."
His raspy voice carried an oddly pleasant tone.
Ka’z remained silent and the old Hobgoblin slowly nodded to himself.
"Your battle instincts are remarkable."
His gaze drifted toward the collapsed earthen ramp before returning to Ka’z.
"Turning my own magic into another attack, that was beautiful. If you weren’t a kobold, I would’ve liked to make you my disciple."
He sighed softly.
Ka’z’s brows lifted ever so slightly. That wasn’t mockery, this adult goblin genuinely meant every word. Still, he couldn’t afford to lower his guard.
" Why would I become a student to someone I can beat?"
His reply came without hesitation and the Battle Shaman chuckled.
"Oh?"
Ka’z slowly raised one finger.
"I’ve already found the weakness in your runes."
The Battle Shaman’s eyebrows rose. Rather than becoming angry, his eyes brightened like a scholar discovering the unexpected.
"...Tell me." He said in an intrigued tone.
Ka’z blinked.
"...Really?"
The Battle Shaman laughed warmly before folding his arms across his broad chest.
"Of course. If you’ve truly discovered a flaw in my life’s work, I want to hear it, so I can correct it." His smile widened.
Ka’z stared blankly for several seconds.This old goblin was strange. There was a battlefield around them where dozens of warriors were trying to kill one another yet this man seemed genuinely more interested in discussing magical theory.
Wouldn’t allowing Ka’z more time simply increase the chances of Lan’ka returning?
Still...
Ka’z wasn’t foolish enough to reject free time.
"Well..."
He scratched the side of his head awkwardly.
"For starters your spells are empty."
The Battle Shaman tilted his head.
"...Empty?"
"They can be hijacked."
Ka’z responded and his eyes widened immediately.
"How?"
The curiosity burning within those crimson eyes almost startled Ka’z. It wasn’t the curiosity of someone pretending to listen. It was genuine and almost obsessive.
Ka’z crouched before pressing one palm against the earth. The soil rose together with his hand, forming a floating lump of compacted earth roughly the size of a melon.
"When I cast Earth Magic I mix together my willpower, my mana and the surrounding aether."
He gently squeezed the floating earth.
"It looks like ordinary dirt, but inside all three are present. But your spells only contain mana."
The Battle Shaman stepped closer. His attention became completely absorbed. He slowly nodded.
"I understand that much. But what does that actually mean?" His voice became quieter.
Ka’z answered immediately.
"It means your spell has no owner once it’s released. My will can enter it, My mana can flow through it and my aether can mix with it, effectively allowing me to steal your spell."
The Battle Shaman’s pupils contracted. Ka’z pointed toward the collapsed earthen ramp.
"That’s how I grew spikes from your wall and that’s how I collapsed it."
Silence.
The Battle Shaman remained completely motionless.
His breathing gradually slowed.
"A flaw. So that’s what happened..." He whispered to himself, his fingers absentmindedly traced the carvings along his staff.
"...Could this be the difference between Sorcerers and Mages?"
Those words instantly caught Ka’z’s attention.
Sorcerers and Mages?
"What do those mean?" He frowned.
The Battle Shaman looked at him before suddenly laughing. Not because the question was foolish. But because he had never expected to hear it from a kobold.
"Interesting... So you’re curious too." He smiled.
Most goblins cared only for war, hunting and breeding. Knowledge meant little to them. Standing before a young kobold whose eyes burned with genuine curiosity stirred something inside him.
He almost forgot they were enemies.
"According to the Red Scripture...Mages are people like us. We shape magic through runes, sigils and language of power. We approach magic scientifically."
His staff lightly tapped the ground.
"Meanwhile... Sorcerers are those who still feel their way through magic. They rely upon instinct, emotion and affinity. They surrender themselves to nature."
Boi shrugged casually.
"According to the Scripture they’re barbarians. Children who would rather leave their fate to chance and nature, instead of claiming control over it through science."
Ka’z remained silent. It felt weird listening to a goblin talk about science but the could tell there wasn’t the slightest insult hidden within those words.
The Battle Shaman was merely repeating what he had learned.
Still, one phrase captured all of Ka’z’s attention.
"The Red Scripture. What is it?"
Boi’s smile disappeared.
Instantly, the warmth vanished from the Battle Shaman’s face as though it had never existed.
His fingers tightened around the staff.
"I’m sorry but I cannot discuss my clan’s greatest secret with an outsider." His voice became cold.
Ka’z immediately recognized the change. Without another word he widened his stance and fire exploded around both fists.
The Battle Shaman sighed softly before beginning to walk toward him.
"It’s unfortunate. You were born into the wrong race. I would’ve gladly taken you under my wings." He genuinely sounded disappointed.
Bang!
The earth cracked beneath his feet as he burst forward. The skull atop the staff opened its jaws and an enormous sphere of swirling flames rapidly formed before launching toward Ka’z.
"Fire Magic: Fire Ball!"
The blazing projectile roared across the battlefield.
Ka’z remained calm. The earth beneath his feet suddenly sank, and then...
Boom!
It erupted upward, launching him high into the air.
The fireball streaked harmlessly beneath him. His eyes immediately shifted toward the Battle Shaman and his expression froze.
The adult goblin had never stopped moving. His staff was already pointed skyward and another rune glowed blue. Tiny arcs of lightning danced wildly around the skull while Ka’z’s pupils contracted.
Lightning.
"Lightning Magic: Lightning Bolt!"
"What?!"
Blue light consumed his vision.
Boom!
The bolt struck him squarely in midair.
His small body spun violently before smashing straight through the side of a nearby tent and the entire structure collapsed with him beneath it.
Boi lowered his staff while laughing heartily.
"Versatility is the true beauty of magic. This is something you barbarians, trapped within the old ways, will never understand."
He declared proudly.
His eyes looked toward the ruined tent and his smile slowly widened.
"And that is why your people will inevitably fall before ours."
Clank.
The Battle Shaman stopped laughing as the collapsed tent slowly shifted. Wooden beams rolled aside, canvas slid away and Ka’z stood back up.
Smoke drifted from his body.
The scales covering his arms, shoulders and chest had expanded dramatically, overlapping one another until they resembled jagged plates of golden armor. Even his neck and cheeks had become protected beneath the thickened draconic scales.
Dragon Scales.
For the first time since this battle began, the Battle Shaman’s composure cracked. His eyes widened. He had heard countless stories throughout his life and observed numerous magical beasts. Yet never not once had he encountered a kobold capable of consciously manipulating the size, density and hardness of its own scales.
Even more unbelievable those scales had endured lightning.
"...Impossible."
The words escaped before he realized it.
Ka’z slowly straightened himself. His entire body ached and smoke continued escaping from the gaps between his enlarged scales.
His breathing became uneven.
If he hadn’t noticed the lightning particles gathering around the rune before the spell was released and activated Dragon Scales a fraction of a second earlier, that attack would’ve ended the battle immediately.
His Dragon Eyes quietly remained fixed upon the Battle Shaman.
The countless elemental particles gathering around each glowing rune were painfully obvious to him. He couldn’t predict the exact spell. But he could always see the element being prepared before it was cast!
Comments