Free Web NovelChapter 17: First Team Meeting
[Mission Accomplished Successfully]
[Reward: 30 System Points]
[New Achievement Unlocked: The Signs Of A Hero]
[Description: Today, your contribution in avenging Su’ki’s death has been acknowledged by your people. You have shown them the first sign of greatness.]
[Reward: War Module Added to System Store]
[War Module I]
[Price: 100 System Points]
[Description: A command and battlefield management module designed to help the host organize forces, assess threats, and reduce unnecessary losses during conflict.]
[Requirements: The host must command at least ten recognized combatants or be involved in an active territorial conflict.]
Ka’z stared at the floating blue panel while the distant sounds of singing and dancing continued around Su’ki’s funeral pyre. The warm glow of the flames reflected against his golden scales, but his attention remained fixed on the information before him.
"Ooh shit," Ka’z muttered, quickly covering his mouth with one claw as his eyes widened.
The War Module was exactly what they needed. The Ashmork Clan had numbers, experience, and an established village, while Vaal’kor had barely begun expanding beyond its cave. A module that could help organize forces, assess danger, and reduce losses would be useful in a conflict like this.
The only problem was that it cost one hundred System Points.
Ka’z had nothing.
He had spent all his points on the Survey Module, and now the Combat Module was also waiting in the store. For a brief moment, he wondered whether he had made a mistake. If he had saved his points, he could have purchased the War Module immediately.
However, after thinking about it for a few seconds, he shook his head.
"Could it be considered a waste?" he whispered to himself. "The Survey and Combat Modules are actually useful."
The Survey Module had already allowed him to inspect Lady Zira, Lan’ka, the goblins, and the people around him. It had shown him core stages, bloodlines, elemental affinities, and things he would never have known otherwise. The Combat Module would also be important once the war began because he could not expect Dragon Scales and Flame Breath to solve every problem.
Still, looking at the War Module made his chest tighten.
He needed more points.
A small body suddenly dropped beside him, making Ka’z flinch. Kurg sat down quietly on the log, his shoulders drawn inward as he stared at the burning pyre. He looked like he wanted to say something, but the words refused to come out.
Before Ka’z could ask what he wanted, Ru’k approached from the side with his hands folded behind his back. He wore his usual confident expression, but his eyes kept drifting toward the dark forest beyond the towers.
Then Za’r appeared. She was dragging Tu’ka by one arm.
Tu’ka did not resist, but his expression made it clear that he would rather be anywhere else. His dark eyes remained blank as usual, though Ka’z noticed that he had not looked away from the forest since the funeral began.
"Guys, we need to talk," Za’r said.
Her voice was quiet, but serious enough that no one joked about it.
They moved away from the fire and gathered near a large tree at the edge of the settlement. The flames still lit the area, but the shadows beneath the branches gave them enough privacy to speak without the others overhearing every word.
Ka’z looked around at them.
Kurg sat beside him with both hands pressed together nervously. Ru’k leaned against the tree with his arms folded, pretending he was not worried. Za’r stood in front of them, shifting her weight from one foot to another while keeping her gaze fixed on the ground. Tu’ka remained behind everyone with his arms crossed, looking more like a guard than someone attending a meeting.
Ka’z realized something strange.
They had never done this before.
They trained together, hunted together, fought together, and sometimes fought each other, but they had never actually gathered to talk about something important.
"We know what may happen soon, and honestly, I’m scared," Za’r began. Her voice trembled slightly, but she continued anyway. "But that’s not why I brought you all here."
No one interrupted her.
"I just wanted to say that we may actually die. We may never get to see each other again. So before that happens, can we at least get along and train together?"
Her words sounded childish, but none of them laughed.
They were children. No matter how strong they had become, no matter how many spells they had learned or beasts they had killed, they were still children being told that a goblin village might come to destroy their home.
"But can we really win?" Kurg asked quietly. "Lady Zira said a village usually has at least a hundred soldiers. We barely have up to forty. How can we fight that many?"
Ru’k snorted and folded his arms tighter across his chest.
"We have magic."
Ka’z immediately covered his face with one palm as the others spoke at the same time.
"So do they!"
Ru’k’s expression stiffened.
Tu’ka let out a tired sigh, his shoulders dropping slightly. Even he looked mentally exhausted by their situation, and Ka’z could see that fear had settled over all of them in different ways.
Ka’z did not know whether he could truly make them feel better, but he knew that allowing them to remain trapped inside their fear would not help anyone.
"There is nothing to worry about," Ka’z said.
The lie came out smoothly enough that everyone turned toward him.
"Really?" Kurg asked, his eyes widening with hope.
Ka’z nodded as if he had absolute confidence in every word.
"Think about it. We know they are coming now. Tud’or will definitely make preparations, and I think I know what he will do."
"You do?" Za’r asked.
She sounded genuinely surprised.
Only Tu’ka stared at Ka’z with a blank expression that somehow made it obvious he could see through the lie. However, he did not expose him.
Ka’z stood up and picked up a long stick from the ground. He crouched near the dirt, and the others quickly gathered around him. Even Ru’k leaned closer with interest, while Tu’ka remained standing behind them with his arms folded.
Ka’z drew the cave entrance first, then marked the terrain beyond it. He drew the watchtowers, the forest path, and the deep gutter they had spent months digging during their labor lessons.
"With the information we have right now, Tud’or will probably send hunters out to gather as much food as possible. He will want the food reserves filled before the war begins so we do not starve while fighting."
The others nodded slowly.
Then Ka’z circled the open land between the cave entrance and the outer border.
"After that, the soldiers will build traps everywhere. Pitfalls, spike traps, hidden trenches, rope traps, and anything else they can make. This is where we make our first stand."
Ru’k’s eyes widened.
"Do we hold the line?" he asked loudly.
Ka’z immediately placed his palm over Ru’k’s mouth before he could attract attention from the nearby kobolds.
"Yes," Ka’z continued, lowering his voice. "The enemy has more numbers, but we have the terrain advantage. They are invading our territory. We know every path, every trap, every tunnel, and every place where they can be cornered. We reduce their numbers here, then withdraw to the cave."
He drew another line from the outer territory back toward the cave entrance.
"Once they enter the tunnels, they will be trapped inside our home."
"We finish them off there," Tu’ka suddenly said.
Everyone turned toward him.
Tu’ka stepped closer and stared down at the rough map Ka’z had drawn in the dirt. He could clearly tell Ka’z was trying to calm the others down, but he also understood that the plan made sense.
Goblins had numbers but kobolds had territory.
They might lose in an open field, but the caves were narrow, filled with traps, and built around tunnels that only the Vaal’kor Clan understood. If the goblins entered blindly, the underground colony could become a slaughterhouse.
Their situation was bad, but it was not hopeless.
For the first time since the goblin leader mentioned the Ashmork Clan, the fear in Za’r’s eyes eased slightly. Kurg sat straighter. Ru’k looked excited again, as though he had already imagined himself racing through the trees while goblins fell into traps around him.
Ka’z was about to continue when a heavy thud sounded behind them.
Everyone froze.
Lan’ka stood several steps away with Lady Zira beside him. The two adults had been watching from the edge of the clearing, their expressions stern enough to make Ka’z’s stomach tighten.
Lan’ka’s eyes moved from the map on the ground to Ka’z while Lady Zira looked at the children in silence.
Ka’z slowly lowered the stick in his hand. He did not need anyone to explain what those expressions meant.
The war was no longer a distant possibility.
It had already begun.
