4 Sky Shard (1)

<Chapter 4>

It was a sunny afternoon but the Labeau Forest was darker than he had expected due to several towering redwoods and their thick foliage of leaves. Nevertheless, sunlight still shone through the leaves of the tall trees which provided a bit of light while casting eerie shadows on the forest floor which gave off a quiet and semi-dark ambiance. As such, it was not difficult for Jeri to run across the wide area, occasionally jumping when large boulders were on the way or when a particularly large root of a tree jutted out on the side.

Similarly, the group of small beasts with gray fur chasing him also did not encounter any issue. Just like Nina had warned, the Kobolds had [Night Vision] and could see with no problem in the dark.

Jeri was appointed the task to lure the kobolds to a particular spot in the woods while the others hid nearby for an ambush. In other words, he was the angler's bait. Rather than volunteering himself, it was more accurate to say that others volunteered him to do the dirty work. Unlike the other two in his group, Jeri was not particularly talented with magick or weapons.

The kobolds sported brown worn down leather armor and were armed with a variety of weapons like shortswords, bows and arrows, stone axes, and wooden spears. These were primitive weaponry to be sure, but they were still dangerous.

Kobolds were natural hunters and were adept at chasing their prey. Jeri knew that it would only be a matter of time before they caught him. However, the path he had to take was already set beforehand and all he had to do was follow it as fast as his legs would let him.

"Almost there! I'm almost there, damn it!"

He inwardly cursed as an arrow went past above his head. He quickly went behind a large redwood and slid down an inclined path. Upon reaching the ground below, Jeri rushed to the side and took out his knife to cut the rope tied around the trunk of another tree.

Snap!

The cut rope triggered a hidden trap beneath the kobolds' feet. In an instant a net sprung up to catch them, tightly coming together as it brought them high up into the large redwood. Two Kobold Warriors, two Kobold Spearman, and one Kobold Archer were caught in the net trap and dangled with bewildered expressions above. Jeri was about to climb back up when he heard a low growl nearby.

"Shit, did the trap miss one?"

Just as he was thinking this, a small figure dashed towards his location. It was the Kobold Axeman which managed to avoid getting trapped with the rest of its kin. Jeri noticed that this Kobold Axeman was noticeably fatter than the other kobolds who were lean with muscles. It had a large belly, thick arms, and even thicker legs. If it were not for the fact that it was a dangerous monster, a normal person would likely see an overfed dog on its hind legs.

Jeri surmised that the reason it managed to avoid the trap was purely because it was slower compared to the rest and naturally lagged behind the pack. Despite its appearance, Jeri knew he couldn't underestimate it. A monster was still a monster no matter how out of shape it may seem. For all he knew, perhaps all Kobold Axemen were this large in size. Jeri was not the type to judge.

An axe slash came down on him and, jumping back, Jeri was only barely able to dodge the attack in time. The stone axe hit the ground, causing its blade to become stuck. He unconsciously gulped saliva as he imagined the amount of force the axe swing carried to cause the blade to embed itself on the ground with just one swing. He grabbed his knife and lashed towards the Kobold Axeman. Unfortunately, the knife was blocked by the axe and was easily deflected.

"Hurk!"

He felt a searing pain on his hip. High up on the large redwood, Jeri could see the kobolds cutting away at the net made of rope. The lone Kobold Archer, on the other hand, was steadily nocking another arrow on its bow.

"Where the hell is everyone? They're supposed to be hiding nearby!"

Jeri ran behind a tree to avoid the arrows. He gritted his teeth and pulled the arrow out of his left hip. He was grateful the arrow wasn't poisoned or he would already be done for. Blood was quickly staining his pants so he put pressure on the wound with his hand. A large shadow came over him and he forced himself to dodge amid the pain. Just when he was about to get hit with the axe, an orange light shined brightly from behind.

"[Fire Bolt]!"

"Kihaaaaak!"

Three separate bolts of flame rapidly descended upon the Kobold Axeman. The first two bolts hit the left shoulder while the last one hit squarely on the chest. Despite wearing leather armor, the parts that were hit by [Fire Bolt] caused a wave of pain and were charred black. Slowly, the flames spread to engulf the body. The Kobold Axeman screamed in pain as it dropped to the ground and started to roll around.

Jeri sighed in relief and looked at the source of the bright light. Behind a large rock emerged a woman with shoulder-length black hair. She wore a light brown dress with white frills at the shoulder hem and skirt.

"Vel! I was beginning to think you guys forgot about me."

"Don't let your guard down," said a man behind the spellcaster. "It's not dead yet."

Upon hearing this, Jeri went back into a fighting stance and faced the Kobold Axeman. It managed to put out the flames and was now on its feet again. It swayed as if it was drunk on vodka. As beast type monsters, kobolds were innately weak against the fire attribute. The kobold growled in anger, its eyes turning red as it activated its skill [Muscle Buff]. Strong killing intent could be felt as its muscles increased in size.

However, even before the Kobold Axeman could take a step, Devin, the man who spoke earlier, dashed toward the kobold and brought his gloved fists down on its head. This attack rendered the kobold stunned for a moment and it was unable to move properly. Devin then swiftly grabbed the kobold by the arm and twisted it back. The axe it was gripping fell on the ground with a thud. Finally, he finished the combo with a knee strike to the stomach.

These three actions only took less than two seconds for him to perform, and the kobold was left incapacitated. If one were to observe carefully, you would notice that the kobold was slowly sinking in the ground. This was due to Devin's [Quagmire] spell. Sensing an opportunity, Jeri rushed forward and stabbed his knife deep into the kobold's neck.

"Kihaa! K-Kihaak!"

Blood spurted out of the Kobold Axeman's neck, staining the ground and its gray fur dark red. It didn't take long before its eyes lost its light and the kobold dropped face up on the ground.

"I got the kill! That means I get the reward."

"Good job on making it to the spot, Jeri. Your ability to escape is really reliable!" Vel who was standing far behind walked closer to the two men as she spoke, completely ignoring what Jeri had exclaimed. Somehow her words didn't sound like a praise to Jeri at all.

"Your fire spell is getting better every day," Jeri said. It was his turn to praise her. Unlike him and Devin, Velonica Fedina was the daughter of a nobleman. He dared not be rude in front of her.

"That kobold was stronger than I thought. I was hoping I could one-shot it with my [Fire Bolt] but I guess I'm not strong enough yet."

"What about the kobolds we trapped?"

<Chapter 4> End.