Within the town, on the outskirts to the mountains.
Kreka dodged a sharp blade strike from a green man with little budding horns. The green humanoid reached far past his height.
Kreka barely managed to reach the man's chest in height, but he was not feared. He had to reach the skies above, past the water prison that surrounded them. All for the great warrior that freed them from their shackles.
He would pay back the great warrior twofold, no, threefold, no, tenfold! He and his n would reach the heavens, and follow the great warrior and rule the world!
The blade scratched up against his scaled cheek. He snarled at the near miss.
The great warrior would not have been hit by that. I needs to be faster, stronger, more flexible.
Kreka growled a hiss. He knelt down to the ground and snapped his leg forward while grabbing a hand full of fine dirt.
The green humanoid stepped back, out of range of the kick, but it was never Kreka’s intention to injure.
Kreka dashed forward, hand full of dirt in one and his spiked club in the other. He was about to swing his mace, but pulled it back at the last second. He threw the handful of dirt just as the humanoid flinched from the attack. The dirt buffeted its face.
The green humanoid didn’t dare wipe its face, and instead dodged to the side. But a wide swing of Kreka’s mace collided against its skull.
The pointed tips of the mace stuck into the side of the hardened brain cage.
Kreka wasted no ti and thrusted his sharp, clawed nails into the humanoid's throat. He clenched his hand tight around the bone within.
The green man attempted to break free, but Kreka’s grasp only tightened as the blood seeped into his scales. A red hue emitted from the cracks in between his scales and his hand tightened like a high-powered vice.
A crack transmitted into Kreka’s palm and the green humanoid powerlessly fell to the ground.
Kreka took a deep breath and glanced behind him. His brothers had finished their fights, and only one had died. They had won.
Kreka raised his mace high up into the air, as high as a kobold could reach, anyway.
The other kobolds scread and shouted, their throats turned raw. But they continued anyway.
“For the great warrior,” Kreka howled. “For the Lady, we will take over the world and help her rise. We will bleed, and we will die, but we will ascend!”
The kobolds war cry erupted into a boom as it resounded through the entire forest.
Kreka scratched his head as a foreign voice entered his head. It had happened when he approached the body of Warlord Dreigno. So miniscule black thing, not even the size of a human fingernail had leapt at him. It didn’t hurt, and with life down in this place, everything was usually out to hurt him.
So he didn’t mind it. Until a strange voice began talking to him. At first he was concerned, but as he fought, he got stronger. Faster than the others, it even gave him sothing called a class?
He wasn’t sure, the other kobolds didn’t know either.
Kreka gazed at the screen within his mind.
You have defeated a Hobgoblin - level 56
You have levelled up!
Kobold level 46 -> Kobold level 47
You have reached the next evolutionary stage as a - Kobold.
You are evolving...
Kreka could feel an intense jolt through his body. Like sothing had pervaded inside and begun kindling a fire.
He collapsed to the floor and violently thrashed around the bloodied forest floor. The muscles in his arms and legs were torn, the bones in his legs crackled, then snapped. Kreka howled at the pain as his eyes turned an ominous red.
His previous green and grey scales peeled off from his skin, as if flayed with a knife. Blood seeped onto the floor, but it wasn’t long before the red flesh hardened into a vivid white grandeur.
Kreka’s thin horns thickened, and turned from an orangey-red, to a black that resembled a deep void. They were slightly curved at the back, giving a streamlined appearance.
Soon, the pain stopped.
You have achieved a rare mutation in your evolutionary stage!
You have evolved!
Kobold -> Essence Spore Kobold
Kreka looked down at his thickened forearms. A powerful blue light pulsated from underneath his skin.
So itchy! Kreka thought.
He tried to resist it but the temptation was too strong. Kreka howled as the pent-up strength gargled from up his throat, then blossod into a screeching, powerful roar that trembled the ground.
He threw his fist toward a nearby wooden tree. The light, frigid blue underneath his skin exploded forth like propelled steam. Kreka’s fist’s speed heightened and blasted into the thick tree bark.
Kreka’s fist continued and crashed through the tree like it was nothing. Wooden fragnts splintered off and flew.
The tree could no longer hold its weight, and crashed down onto the floor.
Kreka gazed at his fist.
It’s all because of the Lady…
Kreka gazed up at the bubble, where the rumoured ancient sky lood above. Soon, they would make their mark and join the Lady.
We need to get stronger. Kreka slamd his fists against each other.
As they collided, blue powder expelled from the top of his back and swept towards the other kobolds.
They sniffed the strange substance, and it was like a stimulant had shot into their veins. Their muscles bulged and looked as if they were tal wire.
They grew taller and stronger, they roared with a renewed strength, as if they were dragons themselves.
It was ti to fight so more.
Just as Astrid and the others were about to leave with an entire haul of the Voidbent tal, a monstrous roar filled the forest. It ca from the other side of the town, far in the distance.
Although it was far, she could feel the intense ferocity of the roar. It was filled with desperation, a need for strength.
She felt a strange form of kinship with the monster's howl, and although she was sure it was just a mindless monster. It was inspiring. A heat bubbled up within her.
She gazed back at the graves. Astrid would be lying to herself if she didn’t feel a little bit of guilt deep within her. If she didn’t go in, then Jules and Jeremy may have lived.
Astrid shook her head. It wasn’t her responsibility. It was harsh, but they were warriors, and warriors died.
“Let’s get out of here,” Josh said. “We have a lot to report and no doubt it will shake up the entire Wayfaring division.”
“When was the last ti pirates dared to attack like that?” Mina nibbled on her lips
“That wasn’t just any pirate.” Gloria rubbed the poml of her almost stolen knife. “He calls himself Prince. Self proclaid royalty of the seas.” She scoffed.
“I know him,” Leena said.
“You know him?” Calum said.
He cradled the wound that was still recovering on his chest. His eyes were intense, and they held venom within.
Leena scrunched her brows. “Watch your gaze.”
Calum took a breath and nodded.
“As Astrid’s battle-maid, it is my duty to research all about the various risks around the world. Risks that may bite in the future,” Leena said. “The pirate kings are one of the main risks, although they tend to focus more on our cargo boats, rather than attacking us during an expedition.”
“The pirate kings…” Nick said. “Prince is one of them?”
“No,” Leena continued. “He’s the son of one. There were rumours going around that he was preparing to challenge one of the kings for their position.”
“But why?” Nick asked. “Is it important?”
“Very,” Leena said. “The main reasons the pirate kings live for so long uncontested, is because of the resources they gain once they beco a king.”
"Also becoming a king ans they control a section of the sea," Astrid added. "The reason they aren't hunted down by my father, or nobles, is because they are also protectors of the sea where they are stationed. Killing them ans we will suffer attacks from all over."
“And any resources that it brings.” Josh added.
“With resources, cos strength.” Leena nodded. “Strengthening pills, life saving potions, top tier equipnt, and with it, they only continue to grow stronger. I assu you’ve all heard of the Great Pirate Queen, Noah?”
“Noah,” Nick said as his eyes bulged.
Astrid smirked. Who hadn’t heard of the Pirate Queen?
When she was younger, she always ran about the manor role playing as her. Although she was fearso and the strongest of the pirates, she was fair in her rulings of the seas. Her tales of adventure were often the talk of Rebirth. They spread far and wide. So were more grand than others.
If her father was the spearhead of Rebirth, then the pirate queen was the anchor of the oceans.
The pirate kings often held a peace treaty with the the forces of Rebirth. They were only limited to plundering stray, unregulated cargo boats. But with Prince attacking them, and even killing, it was shattered and the consequences were to follow.
“Who hasn’t?” Nick said. “I heard the woman even fought against the Leviathan at one point.”
“Then she’d be dead, no matter how strong she is,” Gloria added.
“Well, let’s not get into the details,” Nick continued. “The fact is, she is terrifyingly strong. There is a reason all of the pirate kings have been kept in check for so long.”
“He’s right.” Tony held his hand on Calum’s back, supporting the majority of his weight. “Without Noah, then the pirate kings would freely pillage even our own cargo ships. It would be total chaos.”
“It would be war,” Astrid said.
She was well aware of what would happen. Because it wouldn’t be the first ti it had happened during history. Not only that, it usually happened once every fifty years. Or when the pirate overlord perished in battle.
Whenever that happened, the entire world would turn into a battlefield. The pirate kings would all wage war with each other to decide who would ascend the salty, watery throne.
“That’s what this world is all about,” Mina lanted. “Isn’t it?”
“It’s always been that way,” Leena said. “It is the way we have lived for hundreds of years, and it's only going to get worse with the mysteries of the veiled gateways.”
The group continued through the forest. Their chatter would remain in bursts, but it didn’t last very long as no one was in the mood for idle talk.
As they passed by the bubble’s wall, and into the frigid cold ocean. Astrid’s thoughts already turned to ho. Her mother, father, brothers, and cousins were all waiting for her.
Yet, Ruitera wasn’t willing to spare her a mont's rest.
Through the dense water, the glowing of red barrelled towards them like a high powered, underwater speed boat. She readied herself for an attack.
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