+85 XP
+87 XP
Two hours before dawn, Caleb crouched beside the bodies of two kobold guards at the western edge of the village, by the backs of the homes. Laila had told him the kobolds had all been asleep at this time last night, when she was held prisoner, except for the two guards to watch her all night by a small fire that had done little to keep the cold away.
He’d been cautious nevertheless, finding these two sat at a corner, chittering to each other instead of watching. Sneaking up on them had been easy. Kobolds weren’t the military type. They were ill-disciplined. Easily distracted.
He wiped his blade clean, sheathed it then crept around the homes. His HUD was active, dim bars visible on the other side of the walls. Kobolds unmoving. The timer in the corner of his vision displayed less than thirty minutes. He reached the next corner, opposite the town hall and peeked around the edge. There were four more guards, posts abandoned as they slept huddled together by a fire burning in the village square.
Very ill-disciplined.
He withdrew the ceramic jug he had in his inventory. Laila had been more than willing to provide all the oil she had in her home. She was leaving everything behind. She had no need of it. More than that, her eyes had burned with a religious fervour at the promise of vengeance. She even offered to come with him until he pointed out that her mother and Aron would be alone.
He moved quickly between the homes, splashing the oil against the walls. They were so close together—thatched-roofs touching above thin paths—that it wouldn’t take long for a fire to spread.
With the jug emptied, he positioned himself where he could see the four sleeping guards and retrieved the three Molotov cocktails he had prepared, along with two torches. Laila also had two more [Tinderboxes] at home with their own slender vials of oil. He’d used those to fill the three empty vials he had from the health potions, and had torn his blood-stained linen shirt into rags, soaked them in the oil, then stuffed them into the necks of the vials. He’d wrapped the remaining rags around two wooden torches.
He took out his own [Tinderbox], grabbed the flint and steel and struck them together. He was at it for a minute before the strikes created sparks. The sound of the steel against the flint echoed loudly in the silent night and he kept an eye on the sleeping kobolds in case they stirred as he carefully struck again and again.
Hot sparks fell on the tinder in the box. The flame caught, spluttering at first as he cupped his hands around it and blew gently. The flame burst into life and he quickly touched it to the oiled rags of one of the torches, watching as the fire caught. He used that to light the second one, as well as the three Molotov cocktails.
With a final look at the sleeping guards, he threw two of the molotovs on the roofs towards the middle of the dozen homes. Then he threw one of the torches on the roof closest to him, before grabbing the other and the last Molotov. With the torch in his hand, he touched them against the walls of the outside homes in quick succession as he ran around the buildings back to the village square.
The flames went up in seconds, crackling like whips striking at the night air.
The four guards began to stir, rising from the floor but they were too late. Caleb threw the cocktail at them, glass shattering as the flaming oil splashed across their bodies, flames leaping between them.
Yelps and frightened chitters rang out from inside the buildings.
He took a few steps back, standing on the northern side between the village and the stream, torch in one hand, his other on the hilt of his dagger. The four guards howled into the cold night air, hands swatting at their bodies, trying to pat the flames away. Behind them, the fires jumped from roof to roof, spreading across the wooden walls until all dozen homes blazed in a giant bonfire.
Then the notifications started.
+85 XP
A door flung open, a flaming kobold ran free, flames licking at its scaly skin. It swung its head right, then left, its eyes settling on the stream—flames reflecting from its shimmering surface. The kobold made a run for it but it didn’t make it far, collapsing a few metres outside the homes.
+86 XP
That flare of golden light enveloped him for a brief second. He gripped the hilt of his dagger as the guards noticed him in that moment. But there was nothing they could do, rolling around on the dirt, trying but failing to put out the fires.
[Level Up!]
Level 2 > 3
Strength 22 > 24
Endurance 22 > 24
Agility 22 > 24
Chi 22 > 24
Sustenance 22 > 24
Focus 22 > 24
Vitality 22 > 24
Resonance 22 > 24
Conviction 27 > 29
HP 330 > 360
Aether 264 > 288
[Mastery Shard: +1]
The guards slowed down with their thrashing. One tried to run towards the stream, rushing past Caleb. Caleb didn’t try to stop him. The creature didn’t make it. It stumbled and fell a few metres from the water’s edge.
+59 XP
+57 XP
+87 XP
It wasn’t long before the thatched-roofs started collapsing, crashing to the floors beneath, flames temporarily flaring to the skies. Dim health bars flashed in his vision of the kobolds inside as they tried to find a way out.
+56 XP
+90 XP
Some managed to but the flames had taken hold too firmly. There was no point. Even if they made it to the stream, the burns and the smoke would put an end to their lives.
Some tried anyway. Caleb let them.
+56 XP
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+88 XP
One of the kobolds made it to the stream, diving in, flames extinguishing with a hiss. It collapsed as soon as it returned to shore, its snout planting in the dirt.
+92 XP
+88 XP
He didn’t know why it made him feel so uncomfortable. Frightened chitters and shrieking yowls fought to be heard against the crackling of the flames.
+57 XP
+57 XP
+56 XP
+57 XP
He glanced across to the homes on the other side. The ones that had burned down days ago.
The people in those homes had met the same fate.
Their village taken over by the monsters that had killed them.
+88 XP
+87 XP
He recalled the leg on the spit.
Recalled the kobolds trying to take Aron from his mother.
This wasn’t wrong.
+85 XP
Then why do I feel so uneasy?
+48 XP
A brilliant golden light flared around him, brighter than the fires.
[Level Up!]
Level 3 > 4
Strength 24 > 26
Endurance 24 > 26
Agility 24 > 26
Chi 24 > 26
Sustenance 24 > 26
Focus 24 > 26
Vitality 24 > 26
Resonance 24 > 26
Conviction 29 > 31
HP 360 > 390
Aether 288 > 312
[New Skill!]
Ability: Disorient
Rank: 1
Tooltip: Fires a bolt of energy at the target for 0 damage. If a successful hit, target unable to act for 2 seconds
Cast Time: Instant
Cost: 6% Aether
Cooldown: 10 seconds
[Mastery Shard: +1]
He kept an eye on the bottom of his vision but the XP notifications had stopped.
Then a ping sounded in his ears.
He checked the notification in the shadows of the flames.
[Quest Complete: Kobold Trouble]
Rewards: +9s 16b | +1,050 XP
A sound like money clinking together sounded in his ears as the notification faded away.
He kept his eyes on the burning homes, the fires still crackling though not as intensely as they had, consuming the last of whatever could burn. The screams and the yelps and the frightened chitters had long gone silent.
He knew this hadn’t just been murder. It was worse than that. Killing them in their sleep, unarmed and defenseless. No matter that he had good reasons. He was protecting Laila and her family. Protecting himself. He needed the XP. From the quest. From the kills. To get stronger to find his son.
They’re just monsters.
He watched the flames burn for a moment before he headed back towards Laila’s cabin, careful not to look at the bodies.
Jasper’s what matters.
It would have been better if the bodies did disappear.
It was just after dawn when Caleb returned to the cabin. He entered and found Laila in the main room at the table, packing a satchel with some extra clothes and some food. She’d found time to straighten out her dark-blonde hair and was dressed in cotton trousers and shirt, and a leather hooded tunic. More practical for the journey. It looked like she’d given Aron a wash too, the little boy clutching her legs. He had brushed-back hair above a pudgy face and an innocent gleam to his hazelnut eyes.
Laila turned at the sound of Caleb’s footsteps. “It’s done?”
Visions of burning kobolds flitted through his mind.
“It’s done.”
There must have been a look in his face because she held his gaze and declared, “You did the right thing.”
He didn’t want to dwell on the right or wrong of it. It was simply what was required. And right now, he just wanted to be on the move. The quicker he could get to civilisation, the quicker he could start getting some answers.
“Is your mum ready?” he asked.
“Yes. Wait here,” Laila closed the satchel, putting it by the door as she went to her mum’s bedroom. Aron kept his eyes on Caleb, though his lips were closed, a little worry on his face. Caleb made faces at the little boy, sticking his tongue out, hiding his face behind his hands and playing peek-a-boo. It eventually worked, Aron letting out a small chuckle that got louder every time Caleb opened his hands to show his face until the little boy couldn’t stop giggling.
It took a short while before Laila returned with a frail old woman, several inches shorter, her face lined with wrinkles. She had her grey hair up in a bun and a hunch to her back as she shuffled slowly into the main room, holding on to Laila’s hand.
“Mum, meet Caleb,” Laila said.
“It’s good to meet you,” Caleb said, then added, “ma’am.” That sounded suitably respectful.
The old woman cackled. “Ma’am? Do I look like royalty to you, young man? You may call me Ethel. Now, I hear you’ll be my mount to Fishervale.”
“Mother!” Laila gave Caleb an apologetic look. “You’ll have to forgive my mother’s sense of humour.”
“It’s fine,” Caleb chuckled.
“What she wanted to say,” Laila began with a pointed look at her mother, “is if you would be so kind as to put her on your back and shoulders, then I can wrap some linen sheets around her and you. It should make it easier.”
Caleb nodded. “Are you ready?”
“Yes,” Laila replied.
“Let’s do it then,” Caleb said, coming to stand in front of Ethel and kneeling. Laila helped her mother clamber onto his back, her arms over his shoulders and then she grabbed some linen sheets and wrapped them around her mum and around Caleb’s body, making sure there was a good amount of support.
Caleb stood. Ethel probably weighed around thirty-five, maybe forty kilos but his slightly enhanced strength and stamina made it manageable, like a military man on a long hike. Laila secured Aron to her chest in a homemade baby sling, before grabbing the satchel and putting it over her shoulder.
She had a final look around the cabin when Caleb spoke. “Did you leave the note?”
She nodded at him, finishing her once-over and leading the way out. She headed to the northeast, Caleb following behind, his hands below Ethel’s thighs to keep the weight balanced.
“There’s a road from the village to Fishervale,” Laila explained. “We’ll stick to the forest along the road.”
They made good time, moving silently, quickly. Laila knew the land well, leading him via the easiest terrain that she could, minimising the effort they needed to expend. Ethel’s weight was manageable but it wasn’t negligible, pulling on his shoulders and arms and pressing on his legs. Laila struggled even more, carrying Aron.
On their way, they passed several homes tucked among the trees, most quietly abandoned—a window hanging open here, a door swinging on its hinges there. They eventually came across one whose windows were shattered, its doors half smashed, broken pottery and furniture flung outside.
“Goblins,” Laila whispered, putting a finger to her lips for her mother and son as she looked around. Aron and Ethel looked wide-eyed at the home.
“What makes you say that?” Caleb whispered back, though his eyes darted between the shadows among the trees.
“A single home like this? Kobolds would have scavenged, left it intact. Goblins destroy because they can.”
The home looked like it had been ransacked recently. Recently enough that the goblins might still be nearby. Laila backed away from the home, then snuck among the trees, picking her path carefully, eyes scanning the undergrowth for any signs of the goblins as Caleb followed close behind.
As they got further north, the homes became sparser until they disappeared entirely. Just dense forest with areas of flat grassland stood between them and the port town. The terrain was rarely flat, rising and falling though Laila led them around the steepest hills unless it couldn’t be avoided. At points, they would emerge from the dense woods and cover patches of open ground. Those were the stretches they ran fastest, eager to be beneath the cover of the woods again. Twice along the way, they had to cross streams though never more than ankle deep and all the while, the peaks of the mountains miles to the east towered above them.
Three times they stopped on the way—when Laila tired from carrying Aron—resting their legs and having a small bite. Caleb, with his enhanced stats, could have continued on for longer but the breaks were welcome. They didn’t linger for long however—moving on before ten minutes had passed.
It had taken more than a third of the day but as the sun hung past halfway to the horizon, Laila led them up an incline, dotted with oak and pine and flattened grass beneath their feet. Caleb’s arms and calves burned a little with the sustained effort he’d put them through. He shifted Ethel’s weight again as he crested the hill, joining Laila in a small clearing.
Ahead of them, the forest sloped gently down for a mile but above the trees, in the distance, he could make out the walls of a town. It couldn’t have been more than three or so miles away.
“Fishervale,” Laila announced, the corners of her mouth curving as she blew a sigh of relief. He could guess why. It had surprisingly—but thankfully—been an ordinary journey. No monsters. No fighting. Just an easy escort quest.
“Do you need to rest?” Laila asked.
“No,” Caleb replied, his eyes on the town in the distance. “We can make it in just over an hour.” He turned to Laila. “What about you?”
Laila shook her head. “I’ll manage. There’ll be plenty of time to rest once we get to safety.”
“It’s a shame,” Ethel croaked over Caleb’s shoulder. “It’s been a long time since I rode a buck so young.”
“Mother!” Laila cried out, giving Caleb an apologetic look. Caleb didn’t mind though, his shoulders shaking a little as he laughed. He’d been so on edge ever since the news announcements that it was good to hear something so frivolous and outrageous from the mouth of this little old lady. Laila and Ethel joined in with his laughter and even little Aron chuckled, a sparkle returning to his eyes.
There was a rustle to their left—a tree branch being pushed out of the way, before a gravelly male voice spoke.
“I wonder what’s so funny?”
