Chapter 3 Kobolds

"Is Borvo going to do anything?" Ma asked.

"He told me to tell you guys to hunker down and if you want to come back and stay with the Familia. Other than that there's not much we can do. Hopefully this will just affect Orario and not Altena."

"I see, but we won't, sorry Mein."

The conversation lulled for a moment and I knew that I was the main reason for their refusal. Other than Teshgar on the day I had only ever seen my parents. There were a few other houses in the distant hills, and every once in a while I could see the silhouette of a person, but that was all.

"Alright, I understand. I'll make sure to tell Borvo and the rest," the man Mein said.

After a few moments the party seemed to split and I could hear my parents discussing quietly. They came inside, looking for me.

"Everything ok?" I asked.

"Yes dear, everything is fine," Relias answered, but I could see the worry on her face.

"We can move to the city if we need," I said. "I know ya both are worried that someone will find out, but you could say I'm your nephew or something."

Mom seemed a bit angry, but Dad just seemed surprised that I spoke so much. I usually help back because, well, two year olds are usually pretty sparse with their words.

"Why did you listen in," Ma questioned.

"Uhm, Da always says that choosing not to learn is like choosing to be blind."

Relias turned her glare to her husband and he backed away.

"Don't worry about it son, no monsters will be getting to us. Were the whole continent away from the Dungeon."

I nodded, not really convinced.

…

It had been four years since the news of the Zeus and Hera familias failure. I had thought that monsters would start spewing out of the Dungeon or that wars would break out all across the land, but I had been wrong for the most part. There was more talk of raids from the Kaios Desert and Rakia had declared war on its neighbor… again… apparently the entire country was led by the God Ares, so I wasn't too surprised.

The majority of destruction was to Evil Gods, or Evilus as his parents called them, but a lot of it was focused in Orario.

My life itself hadn't changed much, I helped out Ma with her potions and Da with his smithing. The most exciting thing that really happened in the past few years was a few months ago, kobolds, a type of monster that looked like humanoid dogs, had tried to raid the house. That was when I first saw real combat, though I didn't take part in it.

…

A howl erupted from somewhere deep in the woods followed by several others. I awoke with a start groggily looking around. At the same time I heard the sound of my parents rustling around in their room. For a few moments I thought they were 'Play fighting' as Da put it, but then I heard the sound of metal sliding against metal and jumped out of bed.

Unless they had actually started fighting something was wrong, most likely from the howls.

"Kova, stay inside, don't make any noise!" my fathers voice ordered.

Da ran out, a chain mail vest hastily thrown on and an axe and shield in his hands. Ma had a set of throwing knives in a belt sheath and a wand. She had pushed me into their closet, handing me a dagger to protect himself with, while I had listened to them regarding their familia member, there was no way I was going to miss my first sight of combat.

Tip-toeing out of the closet I snuck to the window, using the curtains to block everything but my eyes. I saw the shadow of my mother hiding behind a stack of uncut wood, three of the throwing knives in one hand while the rest was tied to her hips. Father was more out in the open, his shield already braced in front of him facing the forest.

The sound of rustling leaves and pounding feet began to grow louder, and moments later from the clearing a dozen kobolds appeared. Fear spiked through me, there were too many.

Da banged the flat of his axe on his shield getting their attention. Almost immediately they rushed him.

He blocked the first with his shield then shifted his position slightly pushing the monster into the path of the next one. Then he twisted making the one that leapt at him sail past. He continued his movement bringing his axe down on the skull of a fourth kobold.

Now that Da had gotten their attention Ma moved, she stepped out knives and wand still in her hands and pointed the wand at the kobolds.

"Oh stars that twinkle in the night and sleep during the day,

Show us your might and beauty

Tell us your story."

A wispy haze swirled around my mother glowing with a silver light.

Two of the kobolds broke off from Da and moved to Relias, charging her.

She didn't move her body, just flicked two of her three daggers into the air above her. In a blur of motion she tossed the one still in her hand at the closest kobold piercing its skull the second was dodged by the further monster but her last dagger intercepted its dodge lodging itself into the beasts throat.

"Let all the ignorant fall beneath your might."

"Shining Breeze."

The swirling haze around Ma grew and pushed out across the yard, it bent around Da who was bashing his shield into the chest of another of the monsters. Every monster it hit however was crushed and cut like they had been hit by… a truck… I shook my head. Every one of the dozen monsters was dead.

Ma had killed two with her throwing knives and Da had killed three with his weapons. The rest had been taken out by the magic.

They didn't lower their guards; however, Ma moved back behind cover, taking out more throwing knives and Da moved around looking at the monsters to make sure they were dead and glance at the dark forest in front of them. After a minute or two Ma moved around the house and then went inside, making sure that I was alright. In which I promptly got a spanking when she saw me not hiding in the closet. As someone that was about twenty in mental age it was embarrassing.

Afterwards I watched them dig out the magic stones that were in the chests of the kobolds, afterwards turning them to ash.

A smile spread on my face as I remembered the skill that Da and Ma showed when dealing with the monsters. Then there was the magic, outside the whole God and Teshgar turning into leaves thing, this was the first time I had seen Magic in this world. Though it sucked that you needed to chant it. Was there a way to chantlessly cast?

When my parents saw the wide grin on my face they groaned.

"Please don't say it my boy," Da said wearily, blood still on his chain vest and weapons.

"Too late! Can ya both teach me how to fight like that?" I asked excitedly.