On his way, he saw a small notification. He focused on it and it expanded.
Congratulations, you have received 1000 relationship points with Sawbones - Relationship has improved from Neutral (1500) to Friendly (2500)
“Well that was unexpected!” Skree thought while considering his relationship with Sawbones. He had assumed they were already on friendly terms after their battles, but it looks like now it was Facebook official. He had made his first real friend in Raiya.
Walking beside his new friend Skree asked “Sawbones, how far to the Chieftain?”
The Kobold scratched at his ear for a second, looking thoughtful. “Not far now.”
Skree signaled for him to slow down. “How many guards are there in the Chieftans area?”
“Guards?” asked the Kobold “Gertrude most strong among all clans. Gertrude not need guards.”
“Okay, but when we fight Gertrude” Skree asked with a snicker “how many warriors will join the fight?”
“None. Chieftain must accept challenge. Gertrude must fight alone.” the Kobold answered with surety.
Skree got a suspicious feeling in his gut. “And, we can both fight her at the same time?”
“No. You my champion, you fight Gertrude, Sawbones kill any who interfere.” He responded matter of fact, as if this was something written in stone.
Skree stopped, looking at little bastard with wide eyes. “I have to fight her by myself? In one on one combat? I thought we were team!” He asked incredulously.
Sawbones nodded. “You agreed help kill Chieftain, challenge only way, otherwise fight entire clan. You champion. Sawbones be Chieftain!” He answered with a grin.
“Is this little shit mocking me?” Skree thought as he clenched his fists. “And Gertrude is the strongest Kobold in all the clans?”
“Definitely. She kills Cave Troll barehanded. Eat heart and swallow soul.” Sawbones shuddered. “Gertrude Scary.” Then he turned and continued down the tunnel as if nothing had changed.
Oh great, now Skree had apparently agreed to engage in single combat with the most deadly Kobold on the island, one who had killed a cave troll with no help and no weapons. Skree was starting to have second thoughts but he didn't have many choices. He had already come this far, best to just do his best to finish this. “There is no try, only do” as a certain Jedi Master had once said to his apprentice.
They continued moving at a good pace, when they rounded a corner and a larger tunnel opened up before them, dim firelight illuminating the far end. Sawbones turned back and looked at his friend.
“We go to warren, Skree say nothing only listen. Sawbones challenge for Chieftain.” the Kobold said while gesticulating each word like Skree was some kind of idiot.
Skree nodded, leaning against his spear, and running his fingers along the hilt of his sword. With a nod in return, Sawbones turned and marched toward the flickering light at the end of the tunnel, tail swishing back and forth nervously.
“What have I gotten myself into?” Skree asked himself as he followed Sawbones toward the glowing lights.
The tunnel grew brighter and Skree could hear the chittering of Kobold speech. At first it sounded like a dull murmur but as they closed the distance, it became much louder, able to make out occasional words. As they walked into the radius of the light, and his eyes adjusted to the sudden brightness, Skree’s jaw fell slack as he took in the sight of hundreds of Kobolds.
The cavernous space was probably a hundred feet high and even wider across, the walls covered in oval shaped alcoves, each filled with one or more Kobolds sleeping, eating or playing. Some of the groups were clearly family units, with two adult Kobolds and numerous smaller creatures. There were handholds carved in the stone between each alcove and Kobolds could be seen climbing fearlessly with ease to even the highest points near the ceiling.
Sawbones drew his knife and squawked or maybe it was a roar, his diminutive size made it hard to tell, but it was definitely a squawk of challenge. The whole cavern fell silent as thousands of beady eyes focused on Sawbones, who was making his way to the center of the cavern where a crude stone building sat.
The Kobold continued to march forward, coming to stop ten feet before the stone building. “Getrude! Sawbones issues challenge!” the little Kobold shouted.
The room exploded with murmuring voices, the Kobolds chittering about this strange new development. A few of the Kobolds started laughing and soon enough, the entire cavern was filled with the roaring sound of grating laughter.
To his credit, Sawbones did not flinch or lower his weapon. He stood motionless, staring at the stone building. The laughter slowly died, and the silence settled across the crowd. Skree saw the motion from inside the stone building, as shadows dancing inside. The shadows moved about, and a figure appeared in the doorway.
A small Kobold wearing a decorative headdress hopped forward, small staff in hand. She continued bouncing to Sawbones until she stood just before him. To Skree’s surprise, the chieftain appeared to be about the same size as Sawbones. He smiled to himself, maybe this wouldn’t be so bad after all.
“Sawbones challenge for clan chief. Gertrude must accept.” the Kobold said, still holding the weapon aloft.
The small female looked at Sawbones with narrowed eyes, her gaze looking him up and down. With a surprised hiss, she finally noticed the monstrous human behind Sawbones stumbling back a few steps.
“Filthy Human!” she hissed, pointing at Skree. “Explain!” she demanded.
Sawbones glanced over his shoulder at Skree then back at the small female. “This is my slave, I capture and make champion.”
Skree nearly choked when he heard the word slave. This little guy is really pushing his luck.
The small female Kobold hopped over and poked at Skree with her staff. She hissed at Skree then moved back in front of Sawbones. “Dirty tricks from Sawbones. Priestess does not like. Does not matter. Chieftain accepts challenge to fight filthy human slave like any other slave.”
She stepped in, nearly snout to snout with Sawbones. “When slave die, Chieftain torture Sawbones forever. Priestess hope you know what you are doing Sawbones.”
He nodded to Priestess, looking determined. She spat at his feet and laughed, raising her hands into the air.
“Challenge for Chieftain accepted. Gather and witness! “She proclaimed as the room exploded into motion. Kobolds leapt from their alcoves or scurried down the walls. As Skree watched, he realized there were a lot more Kobolds than he had imagined. Sawbones was right, attacking the warren would have been horrifying and deadly. Fighting this tiny female chieftain was a much better option.
The Kobolds gathered around them, forming a tight circle for them to fight inside. Skree backed up a few steps and drew his bow, staring at the small Kobold. Sawbones moved off to join the crowd as the small female made her way to the center of the circle.
“Challenger Slave!” she pointed at Skree and the assembled crowd hissed and spit angrily. Skree smiled and looking around, channeling his best crazy eyes. Some of the Kobolds shied away but others threw small pebbles at him.
“Chieftain Gertrude” the female shouted, dramatically waving her staff until it slowed to a halt, pointing at the door of the stone building. Skree felt his stomach drop as the crowd went silent and a monstrous shape appeared in the doorway. The shadowed figure raised its hands in the air and the crowd of Kobolds screeched in rapturous joy as an enormous Kobold exited the building.
Once the dim firelight revealed the creature, Skree’s smile vanished. Gertrude was truly and utterly gigantic, standing taller than even Skree who was six feet tall himself. She wore tribal leather armor, lined with black fur. She wore a belt that looked like something from a WWE championship match and carried a deadly looking hatchet in each hand. Her head was adorned with silver and gold chains, draping over her rugged lizard features.
Skree used Analyze and was truly worried at what he saw.
Gertrude, Legendary Kobold Chieftain B
oss, Level 13.
Health 380
Mana 220
Stamina 400
Disposition: Hatred.
“Kobold Chieftains rise to power through blood and combat, and only the strongest will survive as a Chieftain for long.”
The small female Kobold dropped her hands, silence falling across the crowd. She looked to Gertrude who nodded. She looked to Skree, who swallowed nervously then nodded.
“Challenge begins!” the small female shouted then scurried away and stood beside Sawbones.
Not wasting a second, Skree activated Careful Aim, this time targeting the chieftain's leg. Time slowed as usual and he felt the mana drain away as he drew back on the bowstring.
Before he could even finish the draw, the chieftain had covered nearly half the distance between them and was closing fast. He released the arrow, Ebon-tipped arrow whistling through the air, thudding into the thick muscle of her thigh. To his surprise, the Kobold barely even flinched, never breaking stride.
Skree had desperately hoped that shooting her in the leg would give him a speed advantage, allowing him to fire a second shot, but no such luck it seemed. He tossed the bow away, rolling away as twin hatchets smashed into the stone where he had just been standing, chips of granite showering his face and armor.
Skree drew his Glittersteel Short Sword, raising it in a defensive posture. He had never had the opportunity to fight to the death with a sword before, so he just did like he had seen in countless movies. Gertrude roared in anger having missed a powerful strike, and lunged forward, chopping overhead with her left arm.
Skree lifted the blade, trying to deflect the blow, only to be taken by surprise as her right hand shot forward, slamming the flat of the blade into his solar plexus. He let out a forced OOF as the wind left his lungs. He stumbled backward from the blow and saw that he had already lost 10% of his hit points from a basic attack. She hadn’t even used the pointy end. Skree knew he was in trouble.
Gasping, he swung wildly toward her neck, hoping to surprise her, but she was ready for the strike and drove a knee into his guts, further punishing his midsection and removing even more hit points. He stumbled to his hands and knees, gasping for air.
Instead of finishing the fight, Gertrude raised both her hatchets in the air and turned to face the crowd, inciting squeals of delight and excitement. Skree recovered quickly, pulling the dagger from his waist throwing it as hard as he could. The shining blade tumbled through the air, end over end and with a bit of luck, driving tip first in Gertrude's lower back.
She let out a yelp of pain and dropped one of her hatchets as she reach back and pulled the dagger free. She whirled and returned the dagger with a wild throw which he narrowly avoided by dropping to flat to the ground.
“I see you learned how to fight from Sawbones the coward.” She taunted, pointing a hatchet at the tiny Kobold. “I learned to fight from years of battle, let me show you how a real warrior fights!” She roared, snatching her hatchet from the ground, sprinting forward, and leaping into the air. Both blades held overhead, she used the momentum to deliver a powerful dual attack.
Skree managed to halt the falling blades with his own, the force of the blow sending painful vibrations travelling up his arms and into his shoulders. He grunted with effort as she brought her full strength to bear, pushing her blades down, the razor-sharp metal inching ever closer to his face. Beads of sweat started to pour down his face from the exertion and he watched as his stamina started to drain away at an alarming rate.
He had to do something quickly or he would be left crippled without stamina. A sudden flash of brilliance - or what he hoped was brilliance and not sheer stupidity gave him an idea. He slowly lessened the resistance against her, letting the hatchets come within inches of his chest. Gertrude leaned in and locked eyes with Skree. A grin split her face and she started to speak.
“I am chieftain, you are just a filthy hu-” she managed to say before Skree slammed his forehead directly into her soft snout. She yowled in pain and brought her hands up to hold her throbbing face, stumbling away from Skree. He leapt into action, slicing horizontally at the back of her legs. The sharp blade tearing through her leather pants and cutting deeply into her hamstrings. she buckled immediately, unable to support her own weight. He saw in his combat messages he had scored a critical hit when he needed on the most.
Blood poured onto the stone floor of the circle as Gertrude struggled to move away from him. Her legs pushed weakly, and blood flowed freely from her nose. Skree moved to finish the fight, holding his blade in both hands, sword tip toward the ground. He raised the glittering weapon driving downward, hoping to penetrate her ribcage and end the fight in a single blow.
Unfortunately, he had underestimated his opponent. Fast as a snake, she deflected the blow, Glittersteel sword driving into the stone with a noisy clang. Her free arm shot up and buried the head of her axe in Skree’s upper arm. Blood sprayed as he screamed in agony, his arm falling limply to his side. He dropped the short sword and fell away purposely putting any distance he could between them, holding his arm desperately trying to stem the flow of blood.
Through gritted teeth, he looked to his health bar and saw it was nearing 25% and in addition to massive damage from the attack he was also bleeding at 5 hit points per second. If he had any chance of winning, he would have to take a big risk. He watched in fear as Gertrude clawed her way toward him, using the pointed end of her hatchets to gain purchase on the stone.
He frantically looked around for something he could use. Like a beacon of light in the dark, he spotted his spear laying just a few feet away. He scrambled over to it, hoisting it from the ground with a groan. He raised the spear over his good shoulder, bringing the dark tipped weapon to bear on Gertrude. He threw the spear with all the strength he could muster, watching it streak through the air.
Gertrude did not have time to react as the spear tore through her chest, the finely sharpened weapon punching out of her back. Blood welled from the wound, spilling around her as she shuddered in agony but much to his chagrin, she did not fall dead. Instead she began to laugh, using her hatchet to force herself to her knees. Blood poured freely from the wound, coating the front and back of her armor.
“Cowards... victory… is meaningless” she growled through clenched teeth. She drew back her hatchet and made to throw, but a Brass dagger flew through the air, striking her in the face. Her arm shot forward, but the throw went wide, the hatchet flying into the crowd and killing a random Kobold.
The crowd scattered away from the surprised creature now spraying blood from a gaping chest wound.
“All’s fair in love and war.” he muttered, watching as his health reached 10%, the bar turning a brilliant red. Fortunately, the bleeding had slowed, and his Amulet was keeping him alive a little bit longer.
Gertrude slumped to the ground, her body in a kneeling position supported only by the Ebon Tipped spear protruding from her chest. The remaining hatchet slipped from her hand, clattering on the stone floor. The crowd settled into an eerie silence as they all realized the fight was over. Skree had won, shocking everyone including himself.
CHAPTER TEN
Sawbones broke away from the crowd, running to Skree. He knelt beside his friend, concern etched clearly on his lizard features.
“Skree done it, Skree killed Gertrude!” The little Kobold was shaking Skree excitedly, sending fresh waves of agony through him from his ruined arm. Skree hissed in pain and pushed the tiny Kobold away from him.
“That freaking hurts dude! Can’t you see I am super injured here?” he snapped at Sawbones.
Sawbones hit himself in the head with his hand. “Stupid Sawbones, stupid, stupid, stupid!” he berated himself. He reached out, slowly, placing his clawed hands on Skree’s chest. A green aura surrounded his hands and a feeling of delightfully numbing shill filled Skree with blessed relief from the pain.
Skree watched as his arm slowly started to heal bit by bit. The mangled flesh knitt
ing itself together from the deepest part of his wound, the healing magic working its way to the surface. Before the wound finished closing, the magic stopped suddenly, the cooling sensation fading away and the pain returning to his arm. It was not nearly as bad as it was before, but it was still damn painful.
Sawbones muttered to himself before speaking to Skree. “Healing spell not strong enough. Healing spell only once a day. Sawbones Sorry.”
Skree opened and closed the fingers on his injured arm, wincing in pain but glad to see his hand was working again. “That was amazing buddy! I can move my arm again!” He exclaimed before pulling the tiny Kobold in for a hug with his good arm. Sawbones froze not understanding what was happening, but he didn't resist. together they sat in silence, surrounded by a sea of Kobolds.
The small female Kobold walked forward into the circle, raising her hands to gain the attention of the crowd.
“Challenger victorious. Gertrude is dead, Sawbones is new chieftain.” she pointed at the small Kobold. “Skree is now champion of chieftain. Welcome in warren until Sawbones is dead or no longer chieftain.” A murmur washed over the crowd and unexpectedly, a cheer arose from the assembled Kobolds. The crowd broke like a wave and washed over the two conquering heroes. The Kobolds hoisted Sawbones into the air, tossing him up and down, celebrating the new chieftain with surprising exuberance. They chanted Sawbones name over and over again for several minutes.
Several of the critters came close to Skree, but none laid hands upon him. They did bow and wave excitedly before moving away however, which surprised him greatly. He had just killed their chieftain and they seemed far too happy about it. He really had no idea how Kobold society functioned and wondered if he should be concerned.
Raiya: Starter Zone - A LitRPG Saga: Archon's Chosen - Book One Page 7