God Agent: All Hail The Great Kobold

The tension inside the Chieftain’s Court was almost suffocating. The room itself had never felt this small, despite the large number of people gathered within it.

Outside, dozens of kobolds had crowded around the entrance and along the walls, desperately trying to hear what was being said. Some stood on their toes to look through the openings while others whispered among themselves, their voices carrying fragments of speculation through the gathering.

Lan’ka sat upon the makeshift throne, his expression stern as he looked across the faces of those gathered before him. Tu’ka, Kurg, Ru’k, Tong’a, O’nil, and Lady Zira were all present, while the twenty warriors who had been working with Ka’z remained outside with the other villagers. Lan’ka took a slow breath before finally speaking.

"Today, a kobold was murdered in broad daylight, within the view of dozens of people. Ka’z cannot go unpunished for the murder of a clansman, or we will be setting a precedent." Lan’ka began, his voice carrying through the court and toward the people gathered outside. "Mind you, this has never happened before in all two hundred years of the history of the Vaal’kor Clan. If we let this slide, then we must be prepared to hear about things like this more often. I..."

Lan’ka suddenly stopped when a cold chuckle came from across the room.

His brow furrowed as he looked toward Tu’ka.

Tu’ka sat with one hand covering his face, his head tilted slightly upward as he laughed quietly to himself. The sound was strangely calm compared to the tension surrounding them, which only made it more unsettling. After several seconds, the laughter stopped abruptly.

Tu’ka lowered his hand and rose to his feet.

His cold gaze settled upon Lan’ka, and his eyes narrowed.

"Let me ask you a question. Do you know why Logi died?" Tu’ka asked.

The question immediately drew the attention of everyone in the court.

Lan’ka’s expression twisted. "It doesn’t matter."

Tu’ka scoffed loudly and glanced around the room before looking toward the entrance, where he knew the villagers were listening.

"Logi died because he tried to interrupt the goblins working tirelessly to build a saddle that will help us build our first ever cavalry warriors and strengthen our military." His voice grew louder with every word, ensuring that those outside could hear him clearly. "A fool who had no knowledge of leatherwork was harassing people who were building something this village needs to develop a stronger army, an army that will protect these walls from invaders, and your problem is the one who put an end to his worthless life?"

Tu’ka raised a brow, and a crazed smile slowly spread across his lips.

"Tu’ka!" Lan’ka growled.

"NO, YOU LISTEN!" Tu’ka roared back.

Everyone in the court drew a cold breath.

Tu’ka stepped forward, his anger no longer restrained. "Ka’z has done nothing but improve your lives. When he first spoke about his dream of building this village, we all ridiculed him. Even I got into a fight with him over the construction of this village, and now we all live in the home we once called impossible!"

His voice carried beyond the walls, and the villagers outside fell silent as they listened.

Layla, Tega, and the other two Gnolls stood among them, their expressions filled with growing surprise.

"With just ten warriors, he traveled east and destroyed the Ashmork Village, killing hundreds of our enemies, avenging the deaths of our friends, fathers, and brothers without losing a single man!" Tu’ka continued furiously, turning his attention toward the crowd beyond the court. "Now he is working hard to build a military camp to train our warriors into elites capable of defending this village from a threat that has sent the Gnolls running to our door, begging for help, and this is what he gets?"

Tu’ka’s expression became murderous.

"Ka’z is literally the reason you are all still alive, breathing, and living well! He is the reason you will keep breathing and living well! He has proven time and time again why he is the child of prophecy, but still our own people are the biggest opposition standing in his way!"

Tu’ka turned back toward Lan’ka.

"If you ever move against Ka’z, I will be the first to cut you down, and believe me, there will be no statues of you like Tud’or has gotten because you are no hero."

Buzz!

Tong’a and O’nil immediately rose to their feet.

"TU’KA!"

"BE QUIET!" Tu’ka roared.

The force behind his voice shook the room. His eyes burned with a violent black light as his Darkness Magic surged instinctively from his body. His shadow expanded across the floor, spreading outward until it covered the entire ground of the Chieftain’s Court. The sudden darkness swallowed the light around everyone’s feet, and several kobolds instinctively stepped backward.

Even Lan’ka’s expression changed.

Tu’ka stood at the center of the darkness, his breathing heavy as he stared at the elders.

"I have doubted Ka’z once, and even then he showed me nothing but love and care. I cried myself to sleep out of shame because of it. I won’t make that mistake again." Tu’ka hissed, his voice carrying an intensity that left no room for doubt. "IF THE OLD GENERATION CANNOT SEE THE FUTURE KA’Z HAS FORESEEN, THEN THE OLDER GENERATION MUST STEP DOWN FOR THE YOUNGER GENERATION!"

"THE PAST HAS NO BUSINESS DECIDING THE FUTURE OF THE PRESENT!"

Gasps erupted from outside the court.

The words traveled through the gathered crowd, and whispers immediately broke out among the villagers. Some sounded offended, others frightened, while many of the younger kobolds simply stood in silence, clearly absorbing what Tu’ka had said.

"I WILL REPEAT MYSELF ONLY ONCE!" Tu’ka continued, his gaze sweeping across everyone present. "WHOEVER STANDS IN KA’Z’S WAY OR TRIES TO HARM HIM WILL DIE BY MY HANDS BEFORE THEY REACH HIM. MAN, WOMAN, YOUNG OR OLD, THERE ARE NO EXCEPTIONS!"

The threat hung heavily in the air.

Tu’ka finally turned his attention back toward Lan’ka.

"If you cannot do your job properly and safeguard the people who truly have the interest of the clan at heart, then step down and let someone who understands what must be done take your place."

Buzz!

Tu’ka turned around and began walking toward the exit.

Ru’k and Kurg exchanged a glance before immediately following him. The twenty warriors outside shifted as the three emerged from the court, and several of them instinctively fell into step behind Tu’ka.

Inside, the atmosphere remained painfully tense.

Lady Zira calmly rubbed her belly, her expression exhausted as she watched the younger generation leave. The situation was worsening with every passing moment. Never in the history of Vaal’kor had there been a time when the younger generation had openly united against the older generation like this.

"I can’t do this anymore..." Lady Zira sighed. "This is not good for my child."

She slowly rose from her seat and left the court without waiting for anyone to respond. Lan’ka, O’nil, and Tong’a did not attempt to stop her.

For several moments, the three remaining kobolds simply sat in silence.

"Those kids are not wrong, though..." Tong’a finally sighed.

"Kong’gong agreed with him..." O’nil added quietly.

Lan’ka’s head snapped toward them.

"Elder Kong’gong sided with him?"

Tong’a and O’nil slowly nodded.

"I believe we just don’t understand the scale of the threat Ka’z is trying to combat." Tong’a rubbed his forehead. "Even Kong’gong was deeply worried when they spoke about them."

Lan’ka’s expression darkened.

He remembered Kong’gong’s reputation. If the ancient kobold had truly taken Ka’z’s concerns seriously, then perhaps the situation was far more dangerous than Lan’ka had allowed himself to believe.

"Maybe it’s really time for us to stop and let them run the village." O’nil said after a long silence. "If they are old enough to build it, they are old enough to run it."

"Elders!" Lan’ka cried out, his gaze moving between the two of them.

O’nil released a tired sigh and walked toward him before placing a hand on his shoulder.

"If we keep going head to head with them, eventually blood will be spilled, and with all the younglings on his side, it is ours that will be spilled." O’nil explained.

"A smart man knows when to stop." Tong’a added, moving to Lan’ka’s other side and resting a hand on his shoulder as well. "The younger generation grew faster than we ever did. We cannot compete or compare. So it is not shameful to bow out gracefully."

Lan’ka’s face twisted with hesitation and pain. Only a week ago, everyone had still been a family. Now they were standing on opposite sides of a widening divide, with threats of violence being exchanged between members of the same clan.

Lan’ka lowered his gaze, his hands slowly tightening against his knees.