God Agent: All Hail The Great Kobold

Ka’z let out a heavy sigh as he sat on the ground and stared at his team, who were gathered around him in a loose circle. Drak, Mi’ya, Thrak, Luk, Krov, Bigi, Bruk, Gruk, Kren and Tark all wore deep frowns. None of them looked happy about what they had just heard, and for once, nobody immediately argued against Ka’z’s decision.

They had heard the entire discussion surrounding the Gnolls, the Halflings and the threat approaching from the west. More importantly, they had heard the reasoning behind Ka’z’s decision to go alone.

They might not have liked it, but they couldn’t honestly argue against it. They simply weren’t strong enough yet to accompany him into a conflict involving a race that had already killed a regional guardian beast.

"That’s why I have to go alone," Ka’z said, his voice carrying a tired acceptance rather than excitement.

The words hung over the group for several moments. Mi’ya lowered her gaze, while Drak remained silent with his arms folded across his chest. Thrak scratched the side of his head, clearly frustrated, and Krov stared at the ground as though trying to find a solution that didn’t exist.

"So what are we supposed to do here while you are gone?" Mi’ya finally asked.

Ka’z glanced toward her and considered the question before answering. "I’ll spend the next few days writing down everything I know about runes and arrays. I need some of you to learn how to carve runes and use them while the others learn how to create arrays. Don’t try to learn both. It will be too much for you guys. Specialize in one thing until you are very good at it."

Ka’z’s gaze eventually drifted beyond the group toward Ru’k, who was standing beside one of the wild boars. Ru’k was apparently attempting to feed it, but the animal refused to take the food from his hand. After several failed attempts, Ru’k’s patience finally snapped and he began yelling at the boar as though screaming would somehow convince it to eat.

The sight was ridiculous enough that Ka’z stared for several seconds before quietly shaking his head. Apparently, becoming Chieftain had done nothing to improve Ru’k’s ability to handle animals.

"How long will you be gone?" Krov asked, pulling Ka’z’s attention back toward the group.

Ka’z shrugged.

"Honestly, I don’t know. But from what I know, the Halflings are not weak, so the conflict may end very fast with the Gnolls being defeated, or last very long depending on how much we can hold out. It’s not something I can predict."

Nobody responded immediately. They slowly nodded, their expressions becoming heavier. That uncertainty was perhaps the most frustrating part of the situation.

They couldn’t decide what pissed them off the most, Ka’z being forced out of retirement to protect them again or being unable to help him because they simply weren’t strong enough.

They had spent months training, fighting and improving themselves, yet the moment another genuine threat appeared, they were once again being left behind. The realization hurt their pride, but none of them could deny that Ka’z was right. Going with him would only create more people he had to protect.

Ka’z eventually rose to his feet and flexed his left arm, looking over the group with renewed determination.

"Regardless, I expect you all to be much stronger by the time I get back. I will also write down what I know about the Mana Body and let you guys practice it. Even if you cannot learn how to use it as well as Grash or Loki, it will improve your overall physical capabilities."

Everyone’s eyes immediately sparkled with excitement. They had personally witnessed how dangerous the Mana Body could be. Loki’s physical strength had been terrifying even before Ka’z exploited his weaknesses, and Grash had demonstrated similar physical capabilities during the earlier conflict.

If Ka’z could teach them even a portion of that technique, their warriors would become significantly more dangerous.

Ka’z, however, scratched his head and fell into thought. The more he considered everything that needed to be done, the more overwhelmed he became. There was so much knowledge to pass on to the new generation that it felt almost wasteful that he wasn’t making full use of the academy he had built.

He also needed to introduce a monetary system and he needed to put everyone to work.

Since the creation of the village, many traditional occupations had become unnecessary. Trap setting, trap repairs and other occupations were no longer as important as they had been when the Kobolds lived underground and relied heavily on hunting.

The new village had farms, livestock, workshops and a growing economy, but the transition had not been properly organized. There were still many Kobolds who had little to do during the day. They simply came to the village square, received their share of food and spent the rest of the day with nothing productive to occupy them.

Ka’z couldn’t help thinking about Logi. The man had possessed no meaningful occupation after the village was built, and with so much free time on his hands, he had turned his attention toward harassing the goblins and encouraging others to drive them away. Ka’z didn’t believe every idle Kobold would become like Logi, but giving people meaningful work would at least give them responsibility, purpose and a reason to contribute to the community.

"I’ll have to get back more gold, silver and bronze from the Gnolls to create coins. I’m done giving out free meals to these wastrels," Ka’z muttered under his breath.

"Did you say something?" Drak asked.

Ka’z immediately looked toward him and scratched his head nervously. "No... Nothing."

He cleared his throat before continuing. "Well... That’s all I had to say. Right now, I should focus on putting down everything I know so you guys can learn from it. I only have six days before leaving the village."

Ka’z had barely finished speaking when he felt a palm grab his shoulder firmly. He looked toward Drak, who gave him a serious expression.

"Come back safely, Captain."

Mi’ya immediately stepped closer. "Yeah, take good care of yourself."

Kren nodded firmly. "If it gets too dangerous, ditch them and run back."

Ka’z blinked at him before slowly smiling.

One by one, the others began adding their own words of encouragement. Some told him to be careful, others reminded him not to take unnecessary risks, while a few simply told him that they expected him to return.

By the time they were finished, Ka’z was smiling from ear to ear, his face noticeably reddened. He looked embarrassed and touched at the same time, clearly uncomfortable with receiving so much affection in front of everyone.

Eventually, the entire group pulled him into a group hug, surrounding him from every direction. Ka’z initially tried to protest, but after a few seconds he simply gave up and laughed as he hugged them back.

Ru’k, Kurg, Tu’ka and Za’r watched the scene from nearby. Za’r’s expression slowly tightened as she watched Mi’ya holding onto Ka’z.

"Have we ever had group hugs?" she asked with a frown on her face.

Tu’ka glanced at her without much interest. "Stop it... You look ugly when you are jealous."

Za’r immediately turned toward him with a sharp glare, but Tu’ka didn’t even flinch or look in her direction. Ru’k covered his mouth to hide a laugh while Kurg simply shook his head.

"I think it’s g toood he has people like this around him," Ru’k said, his expression becoming serious.

Everyone’s attention shifted toward him.

Kurg raised a brow. "Why do you think so?"

Ru’k looked toward Ka’z and his team before answering. "Well, haven’t you noticed Ka’z resents our people a lot after everything that has happened over the past few months? He even had them sent away just moments ago when they came to see the saddle. So it’s good he has other people apart from us whom he cherishes. It will help stop him from falling into a dark place."

Buzz!

Everyone’s eyes widened slightly as the meaning of Ru’k’s words settled over them. They had noticed Ka’z’s growing resentment toward the Vaal’kor Kobolds, but none of them had really stopped to consider where that resentment could eventually lead.

Now that Ru’k had said it aloud, they could remember the expression on Ka’z’s face when he had ordered the crowd away from the livestock pen. It had not simply been irritation. There had been genuine disgust in his eyes.

"You can’t blame him either," Tu’ka said with a shrug. "Our people haven’t made life easier for him despite him trying to make life easier for them."

Ru’k shook his head. "It’s not about what our clan has done. It’s about what he can do to our clan if this hatred is allowed to grow beyond what it is already. And it’s just like you guys said. He has a darker power he has kept hidden all this while. He even admitted that it felt like the Greater Kobold was trying to pull him deeper into darkness. Ka’z is more fragile right now than we think. As his friends, it’s our job to keep him from falling over to the dark side."

Za’r, Tu’ka and Kurg stared at Ru’k with surprised expressions. There was a seriousness in his voice they rarely heard, and for perhaps the first time, they were seeing a different side of the new Chieftain.

Kurg eventually broke the silence with a grin. "You know, if you always show this side of you, I’m sure you will have a lot of girls dying to be with you."

Ru’k’s stern expression immediately twisted into an awkward smile.

"You think so?" he asked, suddenly looking genuinely interested.

Za’r covered her lips to prevent herself from laughing, but the amusement still escaped through her eyes.

"He’s hopeless," she chuckled.