God Agent: All Hail The Great Kobold

An unsettling silence persisted across the streets as several villagers covered their mouths, their faces twisted by horror and disbelief. No one seemed capable of processing what had just happened. Logi’s corpse lay beside the workshop, blood slowly spreading across the dirt, while the goblin artisans remained frozen nearby.

Ka’z had actually killed a fellow kobold for the sake of goblins, the very same race that had once invaded their lands and taken the lives of their people. For generations, Vaal’kor had known conflict with outsiders, but within the clan itself, killing another kobold was almost unthinkable.

Layla stood completely petrified, her eyes fixed on Ka’z as though she were seeing him for the first time. Tega and the other two Gnolls finally approached the scene, their expressions filled with equal parts horror and disbelief. They had expected their first day in Vaal’kor to involve negotiations, gifts, perhaps even discussions about the threat posed by the Halflings. They had not expected to witness one of the village’s most powerful warriors execute one of his own people in broad daylight.

A gap suddenly formed within the crowd as Lan’ka, Tong’a, O’nil, and Lady Zira hurried toward the workshop. Their expressions were grim, but even they seemed unable to hide their shock when they saw Logi’s headless corpse lying on the ground. Lan’ka’s eyes immediately hardened as they moved from the body to Ka’z, while Lady Zira’s expression carried something closer to worry.

Ka’z, however, seemed almost completely unmoved. He looked over his shoulder toward Tor, who was still kneeling beside the older goblin artisan he had tried to protect.

"Go back. Continue working on the saddle. We have no time to waste on unnecessary things." Ka’z ordered, his voice cold but controlled.

Tor hesitated for only a moment before kneeling properly and bowing his head. "Okay, Senior Brother."

He quickly helped the older goblin to his feet, and the two began moving toward the workshop. They had barely taken a few steps when Lan’ka’s cold voice thundered across the street.

"STAND RIGHT THERE!"

Tor and the older goblin froze immediately.

Ka’z’s expression turned ugly. He slowly turned his head toward Lan’ka, and the atmosphere around him seemed to grow heavier.

"You answer to me and me alone. Get back and focus on your work!" Ka’z hissed, his crimson eyes glowing fiercely.

"Ka’z, stop now..." Lady Zira said, a clear note of worry entering her voice as she sensed the confrontation escalating.

"STOP NOW?!" Lan’ka roared, his anger finally breaking through. "HE KILLED OUR PEOPLE FOR GOBLINS!"

His voice echoed through the street, and several villagers lowered their heads while others stared nervously between the two kobolds.

"How the hell do you call yourself a kobold when you kill your own for the enemy?!" Lan’ka continued, his fists tightening at his sides. "Tud’or will be disappointed to see how you have fallen!"

Buzz!

Ka’z froze.

The mention of Tud’or struck something deep within him. His crimson eyes burned brighter as he slowly turned toward Lan’ka, and the murderous pressure surrounding him intensified enough that several villagers instinctively stepped backward.

"Careful now," Ka’z said quietly, his voice far more threatening than a shout. "Or you might just become the shortest reigning Chieftain in the history of Vaal’kor."

"KA’Z!" Tong’a, O’nil, and Lady Zira shouted almost simultaneously.

Ka’z did not even look at them.

"If you cannot control these dogs, then you have no right to dictate my response to their crimes." Ka’z hissed.

He finally turned toward the gathered crowd, his crimson gaze sweeping across the faces of the villagers.

"Let it be known now that I did not build all of this for you alone. I am building a kingdom for all beasts in the Evergreen Forest. You will live side by side with goblins, Gnolls, and any other race that seeks shelter within my walls. If you cannot deal with that, then you are all welcome to pack your things and return to your filthy caves where you belong. I will tolerate insubordination no further!"

The declaration struck the crowd like a physical blow.

Everyone seemed to shrink beneath his words. Some looked away, others exchanged nervous glances, while the younger warriors remained silent and watched Ka’z with expressions that were difficult to read.

Layla and the other Gnolls, however, stared at him with widened eyes.

"He built this village... and he built it for everyone in Evergreen Forest?" Layla muttered, genuine shock written across her face.

Tega remained silent beside her, his ears lowered as he processed what he had just heard. The village they had entered believing to be merely another kobold settlement was apparently something far more ambitious in Ka’z’s mind.

Lan’ka’s expression twisted with rage.

"Do you think you have grown bigger than our clan?"

Ka’z looked directly at him, his crimson eyes burning with absolute conviction.

"Yes."

Buzz!

The word sent another wave of unease through the crowd.

There was no hesitation in his voice. No attempt to soften the statement. Ka’z simply believed it.

He began walking toward Lan’ka and Lan’ka remained where he stood, his fists clenched as Ka’z stopped directly in front of him.

For a moment, neither spoke.

Ka’z stared into the eyes of his former teacher.

"I killed Logi in cold blood. Now who is going to punish me?" Ka’z asked, his voice low and steady. "You?"

Lan’ka’s fist tightened even further. His arm shifted as though he intended to raise it, but before he could do anything, Tong’a reached out and placed a hand firmly over his fist.

"If you go against him, you will certainly die. Let’s not push him further than he has already been pushed today." O’nil said quietly.

Lan’ka’s jaw tightened, but Tong’a’s grip remained firm.

Tong’a slowly shook his head, his face marred by a complicated mixture of disappointment, concern, and sorrow. "Regardless of what happened, you shouldn’t have taken the life of your clansman."

Ka’z shifted his burning gaze toward Tong’a.

"Do you people not understand?" His voice rose slightly, frustration finally breaking through his cold composure. "I am trying to save this entire village from extinction. I’m trying to save everyone from an evil that will cost not just the lives of the young, but the children too. If killing a few of us will help me save all of us, I will do it without hesitation!"

O’nil and Tong’a frowned deeply, but neither argued.

They had been present when Ka’z spoke with Kong’gong. They had heard the things he had learned about the Halflings and the humans, and they had seen the change in his demeanor afterward. They had never seen Ka’z so desperate, nor had they ever seen him speak about the future with such urgency.

This was not something he had invented merely to justify killing Logi.

The threat was real.

The arrival of the Gnolls had only confirmed what Ka’z had already learned.

Yet no matter how they looked at the situation, they still struggled to justify the death of a Vaal’kor kobold because of a goblin.

Ka’z exhaled loudly, crimson steam escaping from his nostrils as he fought to contain his frustration.

"You are the Chieftain," he said, looking directly at Lan’ka. "Do your fucking job and tell these people to leave my goblins alone, or this will become a daily occurrence."

With that, Ka’z turned around and strode away without looking back.

Lan’ka and the others remained where they were, staring after him. Some wore deep frowns, others looked troubled, and several villagers simply stood in silence, unsure of what they were supposed to think after witnessing such a profound break from their traditions.

The kobolds instinctively moved aside as Ka’z approached, creating a path for him to pass through the crowd. No one dared block his way.

Several seconds after Ka’z disappeared into the village, Tu’ka, Ru’k, Kurg, and Za’r finally emerged from the crowd alongside the twenty warriors who had been helping clear the western forest. They had clearly been occupied elsewhere and had only just returned, but the moment their eyes landed on the headless corpse beside the workshop, they stopped.

They did not need anyone to explain what had happened.

Tu’ka’s expression hardened immediately.

Ru’k stared at the corpse for several seconds before slowly exhaling. "Bloody hell."

Za’r covered her mouth, her eyes widening as she stared at the body.

Kurg’s expression became grim. "He really went through with his threat."

Tu’ka said nothing. He simply frowned, his gaze following the direction in which Ka’z had disappeared.

Meanwhile, Drak and the other members of Ka’z’s original team stared at the corpse with complicated expressions. They had fought alongside Ka’z through battles that had changed the history of their clan, but even they struggled to comprehend what they had just witnessed. A kobold killing another kobold was not something their generation had ever experienced.

Their attention eventually shifted toward Lan’ka as he approached them.

His anger had not disappeared, but neither had the weight of what had just happened.

"Let’s talk at the Chief’s Court." Lan’ka said, his voice low and stern, the anger still burning clearly within his eyes.