Chapter 21

Pua had heard the noise too, and quickly signaled for Fender to rejoin the party. The party cautiously walked towards the tunnel where they had heard the sound from.

It was a short tunnel, and they didn’t hear any other sounds. They poured into the next cavern quickly, hoping to surprise whatever was in there.

There was a group of about ten kobold adults, huddling in the corner. The kobold adults seemed smaller than the ones they had fought before, and they were clutching smaller-sized kobolds, probably children. The adult kobolds looked at the party in fear, while the children buried their heads in the adults’ bodies.

“We should let them be,” Pua said.

“What?” Vennoa exclaimed. “They’re kobolds!”

“Yes,” Pua replied. “But they’re women and children. They aren’t the ones that attacked us just now.”

Vennoa heard one of the kobold women muttering something. Vennoa somehow understood that the kobold was cursing them, and telling the party to leave them alone. Vennoa strode over to the group of kobolds. Kobolds killed Tempest. Kill them.

Vennoa stared at the kobold woman who had spoken, and grabbed her to a standing position. Vennoa put her dagger to the kobold’s throat, and said, “What did you just say?”

The kobold didn’t seem to understand Vennoa’s speech, but replied in her harsh and clipped language, which Vennoa could mostly understand, “Leave! Before our men return and kill you!”

Vennoa gave a laugh. “Your men? We’ve killed them! There’s no one left to save you!”

The kobolds probably didn’t understand Vennoa, but from her reaction, they could tell what she had meant. Most of the women hugged their children tighter, but the one that Vennoa was threatening steeled her resolve.

“Karott will save us,” the kobold woman spat out. Vennoa wasn’t sure how, but she knew that “Karott” was a name of some kind, perhaps their god. “He will kill all of you!”

Kill. Kill! The voice in Vennoa’s head urged her. In a flash, Vennoa pulled her dagger across the kobold woman’s throat, and her blood spurted out. Vennoa released her hold of the woman, and the dead corpse crumbled to the ground.

Vennoa’s action stunned the rest of the party, who were still standing near the entrance to the cavern. However, Vennoa’s action stirred the other kobolds into action. The adults quickly clambered up to their feet, clutching makeshift clubs out of wood and stones laying around them.

The kobolds tried to swarm Vennoa, but the rest of the party rushed in to protect her. As much as they had been shocked, and even disgusted, by Vennoa’s killing of the kobold woman, Vennoa was still a member of their party and they couldn’t let her get mauled to death by the kobolds.

Pua and Agate led the charge, but instead of slashing their way through the kobolds, they did what they could to neutralize them, punching the kobolds with their fists, or using the blunt sides of their weapons. It was clear that they were doing their utmost not to kill any of these kobolds.