Free Web NovelChapter 22: Runes
The bodies of the goblins remained hanging from the trees until the last signs of life disappeared from their twitching limbs. Only then did Tong’a raise his weathered staff and give a slight wave. The thick vines loosened their grip before lowering the corpses one after another onto the forest floor with dull thuds.
No one celebrated.
Even the younger kobolds who had been shouting moments earlier now stood in silence, staring at the lifeless bodies. The reality of what had just happened was finally settling over the colony.
War with the Ashmork Clan was now inevitable.
"Take the bodies," O’nil said calmly.
Immediately, several warriors stepped forward. They stripped the goblins of everything useful. Their weapons, armor, leather pouches, and even the saddles strapped onto the striped boars were collected. Nothing was wasted.
Ka’z watched quietly.
Back on Earth, he would have found the scene disturbing. Now, it simply made sense. Resources were resources. The dead no longer had any use for them.
His attention shifted toward the familiar blue notification hovering before his eyes.
[Mission Accomplished Successfully]
[Reward: +30 System Points]
[Name: Ka’z]
[Race: Kobold]
[Aether Core: Iron] [Low]
[Elemental Affinity: Earth & Fire]
[Bloodline: Draconic Lineage]
[Bloodline Tier: High]
[Bloodline Purity: Dormant] [5%]
[Soul Stage: Awakened]
[Status: Healthy]
[System Points: 60]
"Forty more points," he mumbled with a frown.
Meanwhile...
Tong’a slowly crouched beside the Blood Shaman’s corpse. His wrinkled fingers brushed across the strange carvings covering the goblin’s body while his cloudy eyes carefully studied every symbol.
"Hmm..."
He gently rolled the corpse onto its stomach. The markings continued across its back. To an ordinary kobold, they would simply appear to be decorative carvings etched into flesh.
Tong’a knew better.
As one of the oldest magic beasts in the colony and the individual who had travelled farther than any other member of the Vaal’kor Clan, he understood things few kobolds ever would.
He knew about runes.
Runes were words and letters of power that represented aspects of magic and could be engraved upon objects, weapons, or even living flesh. During his younger years, Tong’a had crossed paths with humans on several occasions. Though he never understood their language completely, years of observation had taught him enough to grasp the fundamentals behind their strange methods of casting magic.
Unlike beasts, who flowed naturally with the blessings of Athedal and shaped the world through instinct, affinity, and will, humans approached magic differently.
They imposed their will upon it.
Through the careful arrangement of runes, chants, hand seals, and magical formulas, they forced Athedal itself to obey predetermined instructions.
Using this system, humans gained access to every elemental affinity regardless of their natural talent. They could weave extraordinarily complex spells and even engrave those same runes onto armor and weapons, creating enchanted equipment capable of reproducing magical effects.
To beasts like Tong’a such methods bordered on heresy.
Instead of harmonizing with nature, humans sought to dominate it. However, forcing Athedal to act carried an equally heavy price.
Unlike beasts, who supplemented their mana with surrounding Aether, humans bore the entire burden themselves. Every spell consumed only their internal mana, causing them to tire far more quickly during prolonged battles.
Yet beasts possessed an advantage humanity could never replicate.
By surrendering themselves completely to the flow of Athedal, their affinity became absolute. They gradually transformed into living embodiments of their chosen elements, becoming creatures of overwhelming chaos and destruction.
That raw, instinctive power was something humanity could never truly reach.
Clearly, the Blood Shaman possessed only a superficial understanding of Blood Magic. His reliance upon carved runes proved that Blood was not his innate affinity.
"How do these goblins possess knowledge of this forbidden art?" Tong’a muttered, his frown deepening.
While this was happening, several kobolds gradually gathered around him. Nearby, Lan’ka dragged the enormous striped boars together with thick ropes, while Tud’or noticed Tong’a’s unusual fixation upon the corpse and walked over.
"What is it?" Tud’or asked.
Tong’a remained silent for several moments before finally speaking.
"These..."
His finger slowly traced one of the glowing carvings.
"...are Blood Runes."
Those words immediately caused Tud’or to frown. Noticing the growing commotion, Ka’z quietly approached.
Tong’a did not stop him. If anything, this was an opportunity for the Child of Prophecy to learn.Activating Dragon Eyes, Ka’z examined the carvings from only a few feet away.
His pupils slowly narrowed.
Even after death, faint traces of crimson mana still lingered within the engraved symbols. The runes almost seemed alive as they absorbed the remaining blood around the corpse before gradually losing their glow.
Soft gasps escaped the surrounding kobolds. None of them had ever witnessed anything like this before.
Ding!
[Inspect Successful]
[Power of Runes]
[Description: Runes are words and letters of power that represent an aspect of magic and can be imprinted upon an object. They are the language of magic regardless of whether they are formed through chants, hand signs, or other casting methods. They may exist temporarily like those used by Wardens or permanently like those engraved by Forgemasters. By arranging them in the correct order and infusing them with willpower, they can produce virtually limitless effects. Learning a rune is comparable to learning a single word. Constructing a spell requires understanding the grammar that binds those words together. Runes are used in spellcasting, arrays, and Forgemastering to define magical functions.]
’Inspect also works like this?’
Ka’z blinked in surprise. As he continued reading, however, his eyes widened even further.
When he first arrived in this world, he had imagined magic would revolve around lengthy incantations and glowing arrays. Instead, Lady Zira had taught him silent spellcasting, flowing naturally with his elemental affinities rather than commanding them through spoken words.
’Doesn’t that mean I can use other elements as long as I know the right runes?’ Ka’z asked inwardly.
[Yes. That is what is taught in human academies.]
The system’s response came immediately. Rather than exciting him it stung. If he had been reincarnated as a human instead of a kobold, he could have eventually learned every element through runic magic.
Instead he was limited to only two natural affinities.
"The Ashmork Clan will not be easy to deal with. We must prepare for the worst."
O’nil’s calm voice came from behind them. Only then did everyone realize the elderly chieftain had quietly approached during their discussion.
Tud’or and Tong’a slowly rose to their feet, their expressions growing solemn.
"We do not know whether their use of heretical magic is limited to Blood alone," Tud’or said, his gaze lingering on the Blood Shaman’s corpse. "We must prepare for anything... and everything."
The surrounding kobolds nodded silently. The war ahead had just become far more dangerous than any of them had imagined.
