2 Volume 1 - Chapter 1

A few days had passed since my rebirth. I still have many questions about it, but it doesn't matter now. I seem to have grown up quickly. I'm still a child, but this species seems to mature a lot quicker than humans. Which probably means they're lifespan is a lot shorter as well. Well, I won't complain. I only lasted 20 years last time, so as long as it's higher, I'm fine with it.

I managed to pick up the language fast too. Same goes for my siblings. There are still words here and there that I don't understand, but most aren't a problem. So far, I've just stayed home, getting food and being taken care of. That's about to change. We're old enough to start learning how to fight, hunt and those sorts of things.

They took us to a dead end in the cave system we live in. They gave us pickaxes and told us to just continuously hit the rocks. After just a few minutes we were out of breath. The guy who took us there laughed.

"Why do we have to do this", I asked.

"To learn how it's done and to build up some strength. How do you think we made this shelter?".

I never really thought about it too much. I thought they had just found it and took it as their own. That's probably still somewhat the case. Some areas have a higher ceiling than others, so those must be natural. After a break we continued mining. We mined for a good 10 minutes each time before we got a break. It was hard work. I was starting to miss my old life even more.

After the final time, we got a rest before being taken to another room. I looked back at the mining spot. We got surprisingly far, probably a good 2 meters. We were taken to a room covered with dead grass. At the end of it were some wooden crates. Our teacher, I guess, went to one of the crates and pulled out rough looking daggers. He told us to grab one.

We were taught how to use them. We all stood side by side, slashing in the air like we're in some martial arts movie. He kept on drilling us on how to use them for a straight hour. We were worked hard the entire day. I was hoping on something delicious for dinner as a reward, but it was rat soup again.

Life like this is hard. I miss the easy life I had as a college student. I don't miss the large amounts of studying, but at least then I could play video games throughout the weekend. I also got to eat really good food. The food here isn't terrible, but it's not good either. I wouldn't have dreamed of eating a rat in my previous life, that's for sure, but I guess my taste buds have changed as well.

The next few days went on like the last one. We got trained on mining and fighting. I was begging to think we were actually Dwarfs in disguise. The training was gruelling, but there was no way of talking myself out of this one. Instead, I just focused myself on it. As I trained I remembered how I died last time. If I were able to stand up for myself, I would still be human, so I decided to do my best.

Up until now I've noticed something about the other Kobolds. Other than my mom and siblings, the others always seem to look at me with interest, but also some hate. I don't know why they do, but I've been careful around them because of it. I remembered how they reacted on my birth. They were shocked, but after awhile, they became jealous.

I figured the interest comes from then, actually. I probably acted a bit more mature than expected. I've seen the hatching of other eggs by now, and they act just like any other baby. Maybe they see me as a prodigy. Nice to be thought of that way by people other than my parents, but they're going to be disappointed rather quickly. Our teacher probably already is.

I've done my best, but I'm pretty much average in terms of strength and fighting ability. My brother, Vyth, is far stronger than me. He's the one who stuck with me at birth. I didn't know this at the time, but apparently his steel like colour is really rare among Kobolds. It's how mom came up with his name, which just means steel.

Vyth is incredible when it comes to fighting. He even fought our teacher to a stalemate when he challenged him. His strength does seem to not bode too well. He's okay with challenging anyone to a fight, as long as they seem strong.

After the hard days of constant training, we were taken outside for the first time. I had forgotten truly how beautiful the outside world is. Sadly, I couldn't see it in its full beauty. There wasn't a sunny sky to greet us, putting all the plants in a picturesque lighting. I guess they're being really careful with us.

The aim of taking us was to teach us how to hunt. I was confused, as I thought we were going to be miners. I had this idea that a profession was chosen for each batch of hatchlings at birth. I realise now how stupid that sounds, but I'm still confused by the sudden change.

"Teacher! Why do we also need to learn how to hunt?", I asked him.

"In case you'll become a hunter".

"Wouldn't it be better if we just learned one profession and stuck with it?".

"If someone's needed in a profession, you could be changed to that profession. Have you not noticed that?".

"No, but what exactly will we do after we're fully trained?".

"After I'm done with you, you can choose a profession that needs someone".

How was I supposed to notice that? Did anyone even change professions since I hatched? The teacher gestured us to crouch as he came to a halt. Through the tall grass, I could see a couple of boar. He wagged his tail left and right rapidly. We were taught that this meant danger was nearby. He was focused on the boars, though, so I guess it can be applied to dangerous prey as well.

He slowly approached the boars, with us staying right behind him. He stopped a good 5 meters from them and gestured to the right and left with his free hand. We split up and spread out to encircle the boars. Vyth was kept with him. Once we were all in place, our teacher stood up and threw his spear at one of the boars. Vyth followed his lead and did the same to the other.

The boars were hit, but still very much alive. They became enraged and stared them down. Before they could even start charging, the rest of us got up and slung rocks at them with our slingers. This barrage was enough to take down one boar, but the other was still standing. It began charging at Vyth and our teacher. I stood there and just looked, panic enveloping me.

The boar hit its mark and pushed him back hard. Vyth held on, though, and brought it to a stand still. The two seemed to be evenly matched in terms of strength. I could see our teacher look at him with both shock and pride, but not doing anything. The same went for the rest of them. I could see clearly, however, that he wasn't going to hold out much longer.

I pulled out my dagger and rushed out to help him. Just as Vyth was starting to lose, I stabbed it in one of its back legs and pulled down with as much might as I could muster. It caused a massive gash in the leg, causing it to kneel. Vyth was now again on equal grounds with it, even winning a bit. I cut another, smaller gash into the other back leg.

Vyth now had the upper hand. He lifted the beast, so its front legs didn't touch the ground. The beast could no longer muster any strength. He flipped it over and stabbed it in the heart. As its fresh corpse laid there, the teacher put his hand on my bro's shoulder.

"You've shown a lot of strength and capability today. You'll make an excellent hunter", he told him.

"Huh? Did he just ignore what I did to help? He didn't even do anything himself to remedy the situation, so he has no right to ignore me.

"And you, Othokentir. You've shown that you think fast. You could be an excellent trap maker or even hunter, if you train hard enough".

Maybe I was too quick to judge. I nodded and looked at Vyth again, who recovered from his fatigue.

"Grab the boars and lets go! Tonight, the tribe shall feast!", our teacher shouted.

It's then that we heard heavy footsteps approaching. We turned to see what was coming towards us. It was giant! It looked like a bear, with a body covered in feathers and an owl head. Before we could even react, the creature let out a deafening screech