God Agent: All Hail The Great Kobold

Mi’ya and the rest of the group stared at Ka’z as he sat cross legged beneath the cover of the trees, his eyes closed and his breathing slow and steady. Pure aether flowed toward him from the surrounding forest, carrying faint traces of blue, red, green and violet within its otherwise translucent body.

The streams of rainbow colored energy gathered around him before being drawn into his body through his pores, passing through his mana circuits and disappearing into his Core.

The sight was mesmerizing, but none of them dared interrupt him. Ka’z had been sitting like this ever since he returned from the mission, refusing to speak to anyone or even touch the food they had prepared for him. He simply sat there and cultivated, leaving everyone to wonder what exactly had happened inside the Ashmork village.

“Could he always do that?” Thrak finally asked, unable to contain his curiosity as he watched another stream of rainbow colored aether disappear into Ka’z’s body.

Drak raised a shoulder, his expression carrying the same uncertainty. He had never seen anyone cultivate with this kind of efficiency or with aether gathering around him so visibly.

“Maybe this is his reward for completing the mission from the greater kobold,” Luk mumbled thoughtfully, and almost everyone nodded in agreement.

It was the only explanation that made sense to them. Their captain had returned from the enemy village with new abilities before, so none of them found the idea particularly strange anymore.

Gruk approached Drak and lightly punched him in the arm. “This is why you should never question the captain or stand in his way. He is the mouthpiece of the Gods.”

Drak looked away with slight embarrassment. He remembered all the times he had questioned Ka’z’s decisions last night only for the young kobold had eventually proven himself right.

After a moment, he slowly nodded. “Maybe you’re right.”

Before anyone could say anything else, a distant roar suddenly rolled across the forest.

“RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”

The sound came from several miles away, yet the strength behind it allowed it to reach them clearly. The kobolds instinctively turned toward the distant Ashmork village, and even Ka’z’s peaceful cultivation was interrupted. His eyelids slowly opened as he stared toward the direction of the sound.

“I killed an old man last night.”

Ka’z’s calm and strangely unenthusiastic voice immediately drew everyone’s attention.

The aether surrounding his body gradually dispersed as he stopped cultivating. He lowered his gaze toward his hands, staring at the dried blood and dirt covering his scales. The excitement of the previous night was gone. The adrenaline that had carried him through the enemy village had disappeared hours ago, leaving him alone with his thoughts during the long journey back to camp.

And now that he had finally stopped moving, Varg’s face had refused to leave his mind.

Ka’z had killed enemies before, but this felt different. Varg had not attacked him out of hatred. He had simply been doing his duty.

“What does it matter? We are enemies after all…” Thrak said recklessly, but his voice slowly trailed off when Ka’z turned his head and glared at him.

The murderous intensity in Ka’z’s eyes made Thrak’s entire body stiffen. He immediately shifted backward and instinctively hid part of his body behind Drak.

Ka’z looked away.

“He was an old, sweet man… The former Chief Shaman of the Ashmork village.” His fingers slowly curled into fists. “Killing him made me feel like I had cut down Tong’a.”

Ka’z lowered his gaze again, studying his palms as though the blood covering them belonged to someone else.

“I feel filthy.”

The words carried more weight than any of them expected.

Mi’ya immediately rushed toward him and knelt beside him, gently grabbing both his wrists before he could continue staring at his hands. Ka’z raised his face and their eyes met. For several seconds neither of them spoke.

“You shouldn’t say that,” Mi’ya said softly. “It wasn’t your fault. He was an enemy.”

Ka’z shook his head firmly.

“The man wasn’t there to kill me. He just wanted to protect his village.” His voice remained low, but there was no uncertainty in it. “The old man was performing his duty, just like any of us would if we were in his shoes.”

He gently pulled his wrists from her hands.

Drak immediately stepped forward, his expression hardening. “You can’t sympathize with these people. They raped and killed Suki.”

Ka’z’s eyes narrowed.

“No. Five goblins were responsible for Suki’s death, and they are all dead already. These people don’t know that.” He looked directly at Drak. “In their opinion, they are the righteous ones trying to avenge the deaths of their people.”

Several faces slowly twisted into deep frowns because they knew he was right.

They had seen Loki’s expression when Ka’z explained why those five goblins had been killed. Even Grash’s own son had not known the true reason behind the beginning of the conflict. If the strongest young warrior of the Ashmork Clan had been ignorant of what truly happened, how could the ordinary goblins inside that village possibly understand it?

Both sides believed they were fighting for their people.

“That boat has sailed,” Gruk finally said. “We’ve lost too much now to turn back.”

Ka’z slowly nodded.

There was no returning to the way things were before Grash came south. Too much blood had already been spilled, too many lives had been lost and too much hatred had already taken root.

This war would end when one side was defeated.

Ka’z slowly rose to his feet, and the others immediately straightened with him. The casual atmosphere disappeared as they recognized the change in his expression.

“Regardless of what I feel, the Ashmork Clan is still a threat to our Vaal’kor Clan and cannot be allowed the chance to retaliate.” His gaze swept across the group. “We will crush their army completely, destroy their home, steal the red scripture and capture their artisans. Those artisans will help us build our own village. But that’s where it ends. No women, children or elderly will be harmed.”

Drak immediately shook his head.

“Children will grow into men. They will carry the resentment of today into the future and eventually lead another army against us.”

Ka’z walked toward him without hesitation. He stopped directly in front of Drak and placed both hands firmly on his shoulders, forcing the older kobold to meet his gaze.

“That is why we’re taking away the reason behind their growth and strength.” Ka’z’s voice became firm. “With the red scripture in our hands, we can build a kingdom the Ashmork Clan can never threaten again, no matter how much they rebuild.”

Drak frowned deeply. He wanted to argue but the more he thought about it, the more sense it made.

If they took the red scripture, captured the artisans capable of working their metal and destroyed the Ashmork Clan’s military strength, the village would lose everything that allowed it to compete with Vaal’kor. Even if the surviving goblins eventually rebuilt their homes, they would need an entire generation to recover.

That would give Vaal’kor time to grow, learn and develop. By the time the Ashmork Clan became strong again, the Vaal’kor Clan could already be far beyond their reach.

Drak finally let out a defeated sigh.

“Alright.”

Ka’z nodded firmly and released his shoulders.

Drak lowered his gaze for a moment before adding, “I would prefer to remove the threat completely, but if this is what you want, I’ll go along with it.”

In the end Ka’z was still their leader and the one chosen by the greater kobold to lead their races toward something greater.

Ka’z gave him a small nod before turning toward the rest of the group.

“Alright. This war is about to come to an end, but before we can attack the village directly, we need to cut down their remaining forces.”

The relaxed expressions disappeared immediately.

Everyone began gathering around him as Ka’z explained the next stage of the plan. Bigi approached with his weapon resting against his shoulder, while Thrak and Luk listened carefully. Mi’ya remained close beside Ka’z, and even Drak and Gruk focused completely on him.

“Ashmork has no food now. Eventually, they’ll be forced to leave their gates and hunt.” Ka’z pointed toward the direction of the village. “We will pick off their hunting groups one after another. We will keep cutting them down until their fighting force is weak enough.”

Bigi scratched his head, his expression becoming increasingly confused as he tried to follow the larger strategy.

Ka’z glanced at him.

“Any questions?”

Bigi lowered his hand.

“No.”

“Good.”

Ka’z continued. “Only after we completely destroy their hunting groups will we proceed to the final step of the invasion.”

Everyone slowly nodded.

After everything Ka’z had accomplished, nobody felt the need to question the plan anymore. He had repeatedly taken situations that seemed impossible and somehow turned them into victories. Whatever method he was using, they had learned to trust it.

The group immediately began packing their belongings, extinguishing the remains of their campfire and preparing their weapons. Their new destination was the southern part of the Ashmork village, where the released cattle had disappeared into the surrounding wilderness. It was the most obvious route for any desperate hunting party.

The war against Ashmork was finally reaching its zenith.