Kobolds and Wizards

*Crunch, crunch—* Aisjin and Big Dumb Hum gnawed on ice cubes beside him with curious fascination. "Is this big fellow a dragonborn kobold? He also said he comes from the Red Horn Tribe." Luge looked toward Old Gold Tooth, who was still lingering on his last breaths, though those last breaths seemed likely to drag on for quite a while yet. The kobold who had fought the giant serpent lay limply nearby, eyes rolled back. In terms of build, he was slightly taller than Big Dumb Hum, though his shoulders were not as broad and thick. Still, judging by how he had stood toe-to-toe against the serpent, his strength far exceeded Big Dumb Hum's. "Ooh! Not the same. Looks like one, but feels different somehow..." Old Gold Tooth scrutinized him closely with an expression full of curiosity. Luge stepped forward and examined him carefully. The big fellow's fur was exceptionally thick, with only a few red scales around his elbows and similar joints. This was the biggest difference between him and the dragonborn kobolds Old Gold Tooth had seen before. Luge scooped up a handful of shaved ice from nearby and splashed it right across the red-scaled kobold's face. Watching from the side, Big Dumb Hum merely smacked his lips a couple of times, looking as if he had not eaten his fill, but dared not utter a peep. Jolted by the icy slush, the red-scaled kobold showed signs of stirring. A sudden commotion broke out among the kobolds gathered in the distance. Luge and the others merely glanced over, then paid it no more mind. The kobold on the ground slowly rolled his eyes, gradually regaining consciousness bit by bit. The fellow seemed quite vicious. The moment he came around, he bared his teeth in a snarling display and tried to clamber up, only to be kicked back down by Luge. His weakness was blatantly obvious. To Luge, these were merely symptoms of fear born of vulnerability—the unease of suddenly finding oneself in unfamiliar surroundings. When someone inherently strong lost their strength and grew weak, they were often all the more terrified. "Red Horn?" Luge looked down with a grin at the kobold lying on the ground. Being kicked down by an abnormally short kobold like him seemed hard for the big fellow to accept; he was already bordering on outright rage. "I ask, you answer. I know you can understand." He knew kobold habits all too well. No amount of reasoning worked as well as making the other party realize how powerful you were. And so, without giving him any time to respond, a blue-and-white beam of light was already flickering at Luge's fingertips. The kobold on the ground dodged instinctively, twisting and rolling half a turn, taking a Ray of Frost square on his back. "You've got thick fur. What a fine coat. So lush—you must eat very well on normal days..." He whispered like a demon, wearing a smile that was both sincere and sinister. He wanted this fellow to remember that smile forever. Slowly raising his hand, he released the spell he had long prepared. In truth, he could cast this spell just as easily without pointing his finger. Adding the accompanying gestures and spoken words was partly to buy time to quietly recover spent mental power, and partly to project a sense of oppression. That slowly raised hand was meant to stay fresh in the other's memory for a very long time. Zero-ring spell: Hair Removal! The wrath that had just surged into the Red Horn Tribe warrior's head was abruptly cut short by what happened next. The spell's effect was astonishingly good. It didn't just strip a patch of fur, nor did it affect merely whatever spot he casually aimed at—instead, an entirely hairless dog was born in an instant. Old Gold Tooth and Aisjin looked at Luge in utter horror, while Big Dumb Hum, who had been sitting by enjoying the show, instinctively began scooting backward. *Zzzt!* Another Ray of Frost! "Awooo!" The kobold let out a sharp howl of terror. Each shrill screech felt like a needle pricking the hearts of the three kobolds watching. After several more blasts, Luge finally stopped—not only out of fear that he might freeze this suspected dragonborn kobold to death, but also to conserve some mental power for any unexpected turns. "We're all kobolds here, all one big family. I just wanted to chat..." Shifting his stance, he sat cross-legged on the ground, meeting the fallen kobold at eye level. Yet the kobold did not dare meet his gaze. Once defeated by one of their own kind, kobolds surrendered immediately. That was actually a good trait; it ensured that the kobold race maintained a basic order to survive in such a harsh environment. "The Red Horn Tribe? Are there many kobolds like you?" Luge asked. The bald kobold nodded vigorously. "It is the King. The King gives us power. Many, many tribesmen go looking everywhere, bringing back tribe after tribe. I couldn't fight them for claims... I walked very far..." The bald kobold's voice grew quieter and quieter. Already weak, he was now shivering all over, with thick clumps of ice crystals clinging across large patches of his shoulders and back. Luge signaled with a glance. Big Dumb Hum immediately stepped forward, first piling the heap of fur back onto him, and then using his fists to hammer away the crust of ice. Big Dumb Hum even secretly popped a piece of ice into his mouth, though it didn't seem to taste very good. "Your King—is he a dragonborn kobold?" Luge asked. The bald kobold nodded, then shook his head. "The King failed. Back then, he wasn't the King yet. He was thin and small, only he started getting very smart. The King said he awakened distant ancestral memories, with more and more things filling his head. He said kobolds have no master, said we once had our own civilization, that kobolds once had our own empire, very, very big..." The bald kobold rambled on without stopping. Meanwhile, Luge and the others had already turned to look at Old Gold Tooth. "Then one day, the King suddenly grew tall and big, and red curved horns grew from his head. The King killed the Holy Lord of the tribe. The King said it was only a subdragon beast, not a true dragon, which was why the kobolds of the tribe were always failures. The King led us a long way to a pool filled with red water. It was very hot. He made us drink. We became smart, with more power! We cheered! We ate the dead Holy Lord into our bellies! The King's command..." As the bald kobold spoke, his eyes burned brightly as he looked at the three of them, even casting a glance at Old Gold Tooth, who was likewise lying nearby. Luge realized in an instant: it looked like this fellow really had become smarter. The reason he had suddenly grown so cooperative was to flaunt his strength and his King's ideals, boasting on his King's behalf in an attempt to convince them to join the Red Horn Tribe. Clearly, the three kobolds who were visibly sharper had caught the eye of this warrior from the Red Horn Tribe. "Where is your King right now? And what is this wizard you mentioned?" Luge found it amusing and couldn't help chuckling. "The King? The King usually soaks in the pool water and only comes out when facing powerful enemies. The King's curved horns are growing redder and redder. The King said we have a curse—it is a wizard's curse that makes little kobolds born stupid! We must kill the wizards!" Here, the bald kobold paused, glancing once more at Luge and the others. "You are very short, but very smart, very strong. The King will definitely like you! The King likes smart kobolds. The King always complains that we're dumb..." The bald kobold had remarkable recuperative powers. The ashen listlessness from when he had first woken was already gone, and the look in his eyes could no longer be described as merely fervent. Luge was considering whether to give him another hit, but as soon as he raised his hand, the bald kobold shrank back in fright, his swagger instantly evaporating. "How many times did your belly go hungry on your way here? And what else does the King have the tribe's kobolds do on normal days?" Luge asked. The bald kobold began thinking hard, but in the end, thinking seemed to fail him. "The King's command: dig more ore, catch more bugs, and find more kobolds! Bigger territory, dig more ore, catch more bugs, and... and I forgot how many times I got hungry..." Toward the end, his eyes drifted involuntarily to Luge's hand. Seeing that he wasn't being scolded, the bald kobold began speaking in fits and starts once more about the King's greatness. Luge did not listen closely, nor did he interrupt. He was pondering how to deal with this peculiar kobold from the Red Horn Tribe. "In your lands, are there also places with intricate great caves and small tunnels like this?" Luge asked. The bald kobold had been turning to tell Big Dumb Hum about the King's valor when Luge's voice cut him off with a start. He turned his large head back and nodded furiously. "Have you ever walked to the end?" Luge asked again. The bald kobold shook his head vigorously. Not long after dying down, the clamor of the distant kobolds swelled once more, wave after wave of noise rising higher. Vaguely, cries drifted over that the great Gray Longneck Holy Lord had vanished.