Free Web NovelChapter 15: The Ashmork Clan
The goblins stared at him in disbelief. Clearly they have never seen a kobold control their scales like he did.
Ka’z’s eyes narrowed through the smoke. The initial shock was gone and the realization of their current situation settled in him.
These were the bastards that raped and murdered Su’ki!
"That was rude." Ka’z hissed as his eyes revealed an unusual crimson glow.
He opened his mouth and felt heat gather inside his throat.
"Fire Magic: Flame Breath!"
A torrent of flames erupted forward.
The closest goblin barely managed to leap aside, but the other was caught directly in the blast. It screamed as its rag clothes ignited, rolling through the dirt while clawing at the flames covering its body.
The goblin with the spear charged through the smoke.
Ka’z barely had time to turn before the weapon stabbed toward his stomach. The spear scraped against his Dragon Scales and snapped in half, but the impact still sent pain through his body.
Before the goblin could retreat, West leapt from Ka’z’s shoulder and clamped his jaws around its wrist. The goblin screamed and tried to shake him off, but West dug his teeth deeper, his small body hanging from the goblin’s arm like a furious parasite.
Ka’z stepped forward and slammed his clawed fist into the goblin’s face and the creature collapsed. Without mercy, he raised his feet and began stomping at the goblin’s head repeatedly until bone cracking sounds rang across the battlefield and red liquid began leaking and pooling beneath him.
West proudly climbed back onto Ka’z’s shoulder with blood around his mouth.
Meanwhile, Tu’ka moved toward the ravine.
The rope holding the net suddenly snapped as a dark spear cut through it. Kurg and Za’r fell hard against the ground, but Za’r immediately pushed herself up and crawled toward Lan’ka.
The poison had already begun spreading. Dark veins crawled from his shoulder toward his neck, and his breathing had become heavy.
Za’r placed both hands against the wound and a faint golden light gathered around her claws.
"Light Magic: Purification."
The glow spread into Lan’ka’s shoulder, pushing the dark poison back from his veins. Sweat formed across Za’r’s face as she struggled to keep the spell active, but she refused to stop until the black color began fading from Lan’ka’s scales.
Kurg stood nearby, trembling violently.
Then he heard movement behind him.
A goblin had crawled out from beneath the ravine, its body covered in mud and blood. It held a curved knife in its claws as it rushed toward Za’r’s unprotected back.
Kurg’s eyes widened.
Fear filled his face but this time, he did not run. He raised both hands toward the ground.
"Earth Magic: Wall!"
The soil erupted upward between Za’r and the goblin.
The wall was uneven and weak, barely reaching Kurg’s chest, but it appeared just in time. The goblin’s knife struck the stone instead of Za’r’s back.
The creature hissed and tried to climb over it.
Ru’k appeared above them like a blur.
Wind wrapped around his feet as he jumped from a branch and kicked the goblin directly in the side of the head. The force sent it crashing into the ravine wall.
"Bastard do not attack our healers!" Ru’k yelled proudly.
Tu’ka stared at him for a moment and Ru’k quickly threw him a dramatic thumbs up the moment he noticed his gaze.
Tu’ka did not respond. He simply formed another dark spear and threw it.
The spear struck the goblin through the throat and the part of its skin grayed out. It quickly clutched its throat, kicking, thrashing and gasping for air.
Tu’ka could have struck at its heart to give it a cardiac arrest or something but he wanted to see it struggle and suffer just like Su’ki did.
Silence soon returned to the ravine, only the sound of heavy breathing remained.
Five goblins had attacked them.
Four lay dead.
The final one stood near the far end of the ravine.
It was larger than the others, standing nearly four feet tall with a hunched but muscular body. Its scales were covered in old scars, and a crude iron blade rested in its hand. Unlike the others, it wore pieces of leather armor reinforced with bone plates. Its eyes moved between Ka’z, Tu’ka, Lan’ka, and the other children with growing fear.
Lan’ka slowly stood.
The poison had weakened him, but Za’r’s healing had allowed him to move again.
"Do not let it escape," he growled.
The goblin backed away.
Ka’z and Tu’ka moved forward together.
Ka’z’s scales remained hardened while fire still flickered faintly between his teeth. Tu’ka held a dark spear in his hand, its violet edges pulsing like a disease waiting to spread.
The goblin looked toward the bodies of its companions, then it laughed. The sound was ugly and broken.
"Filthy kobolds do you know who I am?" it spat in rough beast tongue. "My Ashmork Clan has already crossed this forest. Our chief has hundreds of soldiers. Your filthy little cave will burn when they come. Do you not know what you have done?"
Ka’z’s eyes narrowed.
"Ashmork Clan?"
The goblin grinned through bloodied teeth.
"Your females will scream. Your hatchlings will feed our wolves. Your treasure will belong to us."
The rage inside Ka’z finally snapped and he stepped forward. The goblin raised its blade but Tu’ka’s spear moved first.
The darkness spear pierced directly through the goblin’s heart. The creature froze with its eyes widened and then its body slowly turned gray around the wound.
Ka’z walked closer, his eyes widening with surprise, disbelief and anger.
Did Tu’ka just kill a kobold they could have brought back and interrogated?
"It freaking just revealed the existence of a powerful clan with hundreds of soldiers and your first thought is to kill him?!" Ka’z snapped at Tu’ka furiously
Tu’ka on the other hand blink with a hint of naive confusion written all over his face.
The goblin tried to speak again, but blood filled its mouth. It’s gaging and coughs got Ka’z’s attention.
Ka’z looked into its eyes and frowned. It was already going to die so he might as well make its death as painful as possible
"For Su’ki."
He raised his clawed hand and flames gathered in his palm. The goblin’s final scream echoed through the ravine as Ka’z released the fire.
When the flames faded, nothing remained except smoke, ash, and the smell of burnt flesh.
No one spoke for several moments.
The children stood among the bodies, breathing heavily as the reality of what they had done settled over them.
Lan’ka finally stepped forward and looked toward the deeper forest. His expression was grim.
"The Ashmork Clan," he muttered. "If what that goblin said is true, then this was only the beginning."
Ka’z stared at the smoke rising from the dead goblin. For the first time, he understood that Su’ki’s death was not the end of something.
It was the beginning of a war.
