Born a Monster

At nightfall, I moved to a more promising campsite with views on both them and where I’d been watching.

My time with the Hyenadae had taught me to recognize laughter; the night owl had excellent hearing, not all of which is in the shape of their ears. <1 >

“I can hear you.” I said in Achean. “Come forward, we are on the same side.”

The kobold cursed at me in his language, and did no such thing.

“I know you think you’re being stealthy, but you’re just wasting time.”

Now, let me be honest here. I didn’t want to speak with him or her. I didn’t want them on the same hillside. Kobolds terrified me, as they should have.

It isn’t just their second tier tissues; I had those. In most cases, it was just a free plus one to your statistics. Those were easy enough to come by.

No, it is their society; the bullying, racist, “not cannibalism if it isn’t one of us” society. That regarded torture as a past-time, and had chased Kismet and I for a few miles. Kismet doesn’t run that fast; they could have caught us at any time. Instead, they wanted us to live in fear.

.....

I cleared my throat. “My name is Rhishisikk, and I am a Truthspeaker. I literally cannot lie to you. I do fear kobolds when you swarm in packs. I prefer to talk, but if you desire to fight, then let’s be about it. I plan to have a busy day tomorrow.”

More curses, the least of which was something about anal rape. None of them had... wait...

“Drown Curse.” I said to the one sneaking in from my right.

One of the ones I hadn’t seen let out a brief whine; they’d probably been looking forward to whatever it was supposed to do.

One of. Now that I knew it wasn’t just two of us, I searched with all my senses, locating three of them.

I reached out in my mind and took hold of the creeping sense of dread. No, of course I couldn’t fight three kobolds, not all at once.

“I don’t have enough food for all of you, and I’m not risking a fire to offer you tea. If you wish hospitality, I’ve got water.”

“Bugger your hospitality.” said the one from behind and to my left. The other two remained silent.

I knew better than to turn that way; they’d take turns speaking just to see how long I could turn before wearing out. We’d be at it until morning, and I really needed to get some sleep that night. So instead, I pulled a short spear out of inventory, and thrust the point into the ground before me. I began circling to the right, and repeated the process.

“You know you can’t ward against us.” the one originally to the right said. “We are flesh and blood, with all the magical freedom that brings.”

Five elements, five spears. I took comfort in the precision with which I’d placed them. Good to know I could still do that with distractions.

“Ah.” I said. “You mistake the circle as being for you. Vanity.” I moved to the center.

The one from uphill, the one I’d first detected, laughed. “Your feeble aura isn’t enough to call any spirit worth spitting on.”

“Oh.” I said. “You think I mean to control it.”

The laughter stopped.

“You’re bluffing.”

“I am Truthspeaker. I literally cannot lie to you.”

They became silent.

I pulled a bag from my inventory, spread a pinch of the contents so the one downwind could smell it. “Wild maize.” I said. “Not so effective as cornmeal, but more than enough to waken the local manitou. How much blood, do you think, has been spilled here since...”

“Too big.” the sorceress said. (I’d been wondering if I’d be able to identify their females; now I knew.) “Your loudest cries will not awaken it.”

<Already, I am awake.> it said. <And THIS one,> A pebble rolled downhill and slammed into my ankle. <I will have words for this one when you’re done with him.> <2 >

Well, THAT was unexpected. Its tone was... hostile.

The one uphill laughed again. “I never thought to have the aid of so powerful spirit. Shall we just remove you from the flesh, so that the two of you can speak freely?”

I sighed. It was going to be a long night.

I might still get some sleep, but it was becoming less and less likely.

What the hell? I hadn’t used the ability in a while, but it was still in my System.

“Mother Moon who shines above, it is I, Rhishisikk, Shaman and Dreamwalker. Hear my plea, grant me your aid, infuse this pattern with your spare energies, radiating already upon this ground. Anti-Taint Ward.”

The hafts of the spears glowed briefly in the moonlight, and when they faded, a small sphere of protection existed in that space.

A pebble from the sorceress struck me near my eye. “Hey, asshole. That won’t stop any of us.”

I took a deep breath of cool pure air. “It isn’t meant to.” I said. I looked up at the moon, “Thank you, mother.”

Into the silence, I said, “I am Rhishisikk, servant of Rakkal the Axe Hero.”

“We know who you are.” the third finally spoke. “It will not save you.”

I pulled a shield from my inventory, strapped it to my left arm. “I suspected as much, once I knew your numbers. Who would know or care what happens on a remote hillside?”

Laugher showed himself. “The prey knows. This isn’t fun any more.”

“I could have played with him longer.” Sorceress said, rising from beyond the lip of a depression.

“My name is Kizon.” the third kobold said.

“Taren.” the sorceress named herself.

“Bok.” the laughing one said. “We will be killing you tonight. Bring our names to your afterlife... if the spirit of this hillside permits it.”

I sighed, pulling a blade too long to call a knife, but two short to properly call a sword. I swapped my grip so that I was holding it defensively.

<System. Champion Points. Enhance Critical Chance.>

[You have expended a champion point. 2/5 champion points remain.]

Have I explained kobold combat tactics? When Kizon feinted charging, I pretended to turn toward him. Well, no, I began turning knowing I wasn’t going to complete the maneuver.

It was Bok who leapt, intending to fall upon my back. Taren the sorceress was already chanting, calling forth magic of blood and darkness.

I spun back right, adding that momentum to a strike only possible because of how I was holding the blade.

Bok looked surprised; I looked surprised.

[You have scored a RED critical for eight times normal damage.]

I’d been expecting some manner of ability to lower the severity of a critical hit.

I’d been expecting a blow, not for his arms and legs to just dangle there.

For a moment, I held him aloft, and then, “Move Water! Water Shield!” I cast.

The Blood Spear came right on through; no mere water barrier was going to stop it. I grunted as it thrust at my rib cage.

Then, both spells were expended, and splashed to the ground.

“Bok!” Kizon screamed, coming in low.

“Kizon, NO!” called Taren. “No.” she repeated, after he had stopped.

She straightened her shoulders, and said to me, “Nothing has happened here.”

I spread my hands helplessly. “If asked, I cannot lie.”

“Who would ask?” she confronted me.

I shrugged. “I have no clue who would ask or why.”

“You mean to give them reason to ask.” Kizon accused.

I shook my head. “Who would believe this possible? Nobody renders a kobold unconscious.”

Kizon tilted his head. “Bok lives.” he said.

Taren’s shoulders wavered but held firm. “Mystic Sight.” she said.

Her lips fell toward each other, concealing her sharp teeth. To her credit, the step she took was forward. “Nobody has that much mana! Nobody has that much life!”

I snorted. “I am Titanspawn. I am a monster. The limits of people are not my limits. Water. Nature. Fire. Earth. Metal.” I cycled each through the outer layer of my aura as I called their names.

“We are taking my mate.” she said, showing the tips of her teeth.

I moved away from Bok, giving Tizon a clear route to approach him.

He moved slowly, guarded, prepared to spring at me. To be fair, I was also taking much the same posture toward him.

He shook his head, spittle flying. “Luck.” he said. “Luck favors you unfairly.”

“I fear kobolds when they swarm.” I said. “I do not fear a single kobold when at nearly full health.”

No more words were exchanged. I let loose a breath I didn’t even realize I’d been holding.

<And now,> the spirit of the hill sent, <we have things to discuss, you and I.>

<1 > I find ears to be inconvenient, and easily lost in combat. Add in the amount of heat you lose with even a light wind... I like ears less than those flat teeth in the back, and don’t often grow them for my native form.

<2 > No damage beyond what my scales could handle, but it did knock that leg hard enough that I had to make a balance check.

.....