God Agent: All Hail The Great Kobold

Ka’z rode North through the forest, the large wild boar moving steadily beneath him as its hooves crushed leaves and loose branches beneath its weight.

The forest path was uneven and narrow in places, forcing Ka’z to occasionally lean forward and shift his weight whenever North passed between trees or climbed over exposed roots.

Behind him, Layla, Tega, and the other Gnolls ran on all fours, their bodies moving with an effortless rhythm as they matched North’s speed without showing any signs of exhaustion. Ka’z occasionally glanced back over his shoulder at the distant walls of Vaal’kor, watching them slowly disappear behind the dense trees.

Every time he looked back, the familiar sight seemed smaller, and after several minutes, the walls finally slipped beyond his vision.

"Staying in your Vaal’kor village has been one of my most pleasant experiences. It’s truly amazing to hear this village was only built through your vision and effort." Layla said while running on all fours beside North.

Ka’z’s attention was stolen by her words, and he glanced down at her. "What type of place is Galoria?"

The Gnolls’ faces immediately lit up at the question. It was the first time since they had arrived in Vaal’kor that Ka’z had shown genuine curiosity about their homeland, and the change in his demeanor was noticeable enough that Layla’s ears perked up.

"Well... It’s just a place with many uneven lands, so it’s like a natural fortress for us. We do live on the surface, but in huts, not buildings like in Vaal’kor." Tega explained, his eyes scanning the surrounding forest as they continued moving.

"What about walls?" Ka’z asked.

Tega opened his mouth, but Layla answered first with a contemplative expression. "I won’t call it a wall. I consider it a fence when compared to what you guys have."

Ka’z’s heart sank at those words, though he did his best to keep his expression neutral. He had seen the difference between Vaal’kor and Galoria in his head immediately. The Vaal’kor walls were thick enough to withstand attacks from powerful beasts and organized armies, while the Gnolls apparently relied mostly on the natural terrain around their home. Considering what he already knew about the Halflings, that was deeply concerning.

"What about your population?" Ka’z asked.

Another Gnoll suddenly ran closer to North, effortlessly keeping pace with the boar. He had light blue fur and was considerably larger than Layla and Tega, with a heavily built frame that made it obvious he was one of the stronger warriors among them. His muscles shifted beneath his fur with every stride, yet his breathing remained steady.

"I apologize for not introducing myself until now, but I was sent here merely to serve as a bodyguard. I’m called Olaf, and this is my partner, Luke." Olaf introduced himself while gesturing toward the crimson furred Gnoll running beside him.

Luke nodded respectfully in Ka’z’s direction but said nothing else. He simply continued running with the same calm expression, barely acknowledging the conversation. For a moment, Ka’z wondered if the Gnoll was simply quiet, but the silence was so complete that it almost felt like Luke was a mute.

"If you are wondering about our population, we Gnolls are about seven hundred strong, and out of that, our military force is at least five hundred men strong. Almost every soul in Galoria is a fighter. That’s why we were able to resist the Ashmork as effectively as we did for so long." Olaf explained.

Ka’z’s face finally revealed genuine surprise. It was the first time since he had begun communicating with the Gnolls that his expression had changed so openly.

"That many?" Ka’z muttered.

Olaf nodded firmly. "We Gnolls are quite fertile. If not for the constant wars, our population would be at least over one thousand, but we have lost too much already due to battles and wars we were not prepared for." He let out a heavy sigh, and his ears lowered slightly.

"True. It’s not uncommon for Gnolls to bear twins or triplets. So we can easily repopulate after suffering heavy casualties." Layla confirmed.

Ka’z remained silent for several seconds.

Down here in the south, Vaal’kor had been slowly dying because their environment had damaged their health, fertility, and ability to reproduce. Their population had barely reached several dozen, and even with their recent improvements, they were still struggling to recover. Yet somewhere else in the Evergreen Forest, another race was practically overflowing with life.

It seemed unfair.

Ka’z couldn’t help but wonder how different Vaal’kor would look if they had possessed even half of Galoria’s fertility.

"What about magic?" Ka’z asked.

The question immediately changed the atmosphere.

Every Gnoll’s expression became noticeably more depressed, and their ears lowered as though the subject had reminded them of a wound they had learned to live with.

For some strange reason, Ka’z felt a small sense of relief. Finally, there was something Vaal’kor was better at. Perhaps nature had decided to balance things after all.

"Unfortunately, we are no different from Goblins in this aspect. Currently, only one Magus lives amongst us, and that’s our Chief Warrior, Bao. If we had more than that, no force in the Evergreen Forest would be able to match us." Tega said.

Strangely, Ka’z didn’t feel offended by those words.

He actually agreed.

Currently, he was sitting on the back of a wild boar while four Gnolls were keeping pace with him on foot without any difficulty. Their physical abilities were ridiculous compared to the average kobold. Their hearing, eyesight, sense of smell, and overall perception were equally terrifying. If Ka’z did not possess Divine Perception, he would never have realized just how many times the Gnolls had secretly watched him while they were in Vaal’kor.

Who knew how many people they had observed without anyone noticing?

Imagining a race with all those physical traits possessing a large number of powerful Magi made goosebumps spread across Ka’z’s body. The Gnolls were already terrifying without magic. Giving them magic would transform them into something else entirely.

"So, apart from longbows, what else do you guys have?" Ka’z asked.

"Nothing else. Everything else we got was from the Ashmork who tried to invade our home or loot from raids." Tega answered honestly.

Ka’z silently nodded.

These people were basically like the Vaal’kor Clan before the Ashmork war, just a little better equipped and far more numerous.

The rest of the journey passed quietly. The Gnolls occasionally exchanged a few words among themselves while Ka’z remained mostly silent, observing the forest around them and occasionally looking toward the direction they were traveling. The farther they went, the less familiar the environment became. Eventually, the sunlight began to fade between the trees, and the group decided to stop for the evening.

A small camp was established beneath the trees, with several Gnolls gathering around the fire while others remained nearby as sentries. Ka’z sat slightly away from the main group, leaning against a tree beside North with his legs crossed and his eyes closed. The wild boar was enjoying its meal nearby, happily eating an entire portion of meat mixed with vegetables such as carrots while a bowl of water sat beside it.

Ka’z listened quietly to the voices around the fire.

The Gnolls laughed and talked among themselves while tearing into large pieces of roasted meat, their voices blending together in a way that slowly reminded him of something else. Before long, the sound of the Gnolls around the campfire shifted in his mind until he could almost hear the voices of his own warriors during their expeditions against the Ashmork.

Mi’ya laughing.

Thrak arguing with Tark.

Krov discussing their next hunt.

Bigi and Bruk eating enough food for three people.

Drak calmly maintaining his equipment while everyone else talked around him.

The memories came naturally, and Ka’z didn’t try to push them away. A small smile bloomed across his face as he indulged in them without hesitation.

"God, I miss them already..." Ka’z slowly opened his eyes and stared into the darkness beyond the camp. His smile faded slightly as another thought entered his mind. "But it would be worse to watch them die to Halflings."

From everything he had heard that morning, it was clear that the Gnolls were accustomed to losing people. Their history was filled with wars, raids, and battles, and their ability to reproduce quickly had allowed them to recover from casualties that would have crippled another race.

Ka’z was different.

He wasn’t the type who could easily accept the deaths of people he loved. He had already lost Tud’or, Suki, and countless others during the Ashmork conflict. His circle of people he genuinely cared about was small, which only made every individual within it more important.

He would rather leave them behind than watch them die.

Ding!

Ka’z’s eyes widened at the familiar sound, and he immediately shifted his attention toward the light panel that had suddenly appeared before his face. Several lines of text began appearing across the translucent screen.

[New Quest: Liberate Galoria]

Ka’z narrowed his eyes as he read the title. The timing was almost suspicious.

He had barely left Vaal’kor, and already the System had given him a quest directly related to the Gnolls’ struggle.

"Seems like the heavens expect me to win this war." Ka’z muttered under his breath.