Chapter 4: Appraisal time!

"This is a bad idea..." Verka said as she took up her position with Eggi under a bridge.

"I can't believe I let them talk me into this!" She then said, knowing they should not be doing this.

"Quiet, Verka," Eggi said, hushing her.

Blake had explained how they would go about the operation in detail, even drawing it in the mud with a stick so they could all see what the plan was.

It was a simple distraction within another distraction before they would steal the loot without them even realizing it was gone.

Blake had found out roughly what time the food was to be transported and planned accordingly given that there was only one route that led to the elder's house, toward the top of the village.

All that was left to do was to wait for the cargo to be transported by some of the guards, taking their place around the small bridge that crossed over the path.

The plan was rather simple, with Eggi and Verka waiting just under the bridge, Nev on top of the bridge and finally, Blake, who would be the one making the steal waiting in the shadows.

It had been quite a while now and Eggi and the others had started to lose hope that it was coming. However, Eggi caught movement in the corner of his eyes.

"H-Here they come!" Eggi said, watching from under the bridge as the cart made its way along the dirt path like Blake said it would.

Only two guards were with the cart, along with another who was pulling the thing by hand through the mud.

"Now," Blake said, seeing the perfect opportunity present itself.

Eggi ran around the bend before he purposely slipped on the mud and dropped in front of the guards, splashing mud all over them too as a result.

"What in the hell!"

"Why you runt!" The guards yelled, not looking happy at all.

"I'm sorry, sir. My friend and I didn't see you otherwise we would have been more careful." Verka said.

"Well, be more careful next time." One of them said, about to make an exception for them seeing they were only kids.

"I've got you now!" Nev suddenly yelled, jumping down from the bridge into the mud, once again splattering everyone that was there.

"Are you fucking kidding me!" The other guard snarled, letting his teeth show.

"Nev! What are you doing!" Verka shouted, quickly dropping to her knees and forcing both Eggi and Nev down too.

"We are so sorry, please we were just playing sir," Verka said, begging for their forgiveness.

"Come on, they are only kids." The other guard said, letting it slide as he tried to calm the other one down.

"Fine, but don't let it happen again." He said, snarling at them once more.

"We won't sir," Verka said, making sure to keep her head low as they walked passed them and continued escorting the cart toward the elders house.

Nev and the others watched them walk off before running away, heading off to the rendezvous point where they could see Blake leaning against a wall with his arms crossed.

"So, did you do it?" Eggi asked, not sure if he had been able to pull it off or not.

Blake smiled before he kicked off of the wall and nodded his head over to a small crate.

"I got it."

"No way!" Nev said, quickly pulling the cover off so he could get a sniff, seeing the large body of the giant rat.

"Tonight we feast!" Blake yelled, getting a cheer from the others as they all punched the air with excitement, feeling their mouths watering.

The whole group led around the small campfire they had made each of them too stuffed to even move, having devoured the whole giant rat between them.

"Oh boy... I can't move." Eggi said while holding his stomach.

"Me neither," Verka said, doing the same.

Blake led on his small mat picking his teeth with his claw while the others chatted among themselves. This was also the first time that his Dragon belly ability had come into use. Seeing that after eating the meat of the giant rat, seeing that he had gained an ability called keen smell.

The town was quiet at the moment, with most of the folk having called it a night by now. From what Blake could tell, this town had a population of around 750, making it larger than he had first thought.

Still, he had to wonder just how big this world was, never mind the dungeon he found himself calling home.

"Everything alright, Drak?" Nev asked, seeing that something was troubling him.

"I'm fine, just wondering what else is out here in this dungeon," Blake said, getting the attention of the others.

"I know... It's scary." Verka said.

"Who cares, as long as I have a full belly at the end of the night I'm more than happy," Eggi said, lying back and putting his hands behind his head.

"I want to become stronger," Nev said, making a fist while looking at it.

"The strong rule and the weak have no choice other than to follow." He said, sitting up.

Eggi and Verka didn't say anything knowing that Nev was a lot stronger than them.

"How about you, Drak?" Nev then asked, waiting to hear his answer.

Blake didn't have to think about it at all, standing to his feet before he spoke with determination.

"I want to become strong too," Blake said as they all looked at him, wondering what he was thinking.

"Good," Nev said as he stood up to face Blake, looking down at him.

"I wouldn't have my rival do anything else!" He said, holding his fist out.

Blake bumped his fist against Nev's and locked eyes with him not having to say a word as he met his challenge.

Before the group knew it the time had gotten late, not that they could tell with living inside of a dungeon and all. Still, they needed their rest and had soon fallen asleep around the fire, drifting off into their dreams.

"That's the one."

"Get them."

"No! Drak help!"

Blake opened his eyes to the sound of screaming, watching as Verka and Eggi had been grabbed by a pair of guards.

"Let them go!" Blake yelled, rushing forward before striking one of them in the face, knocking him down.

Suddenly more guards pinned Blake to the ground, pressing his face into the dirt.

"Try that again you little bastard!" The guard yelled, putting more weight on the back of his head to prove he wasn't messing around.

Blake looked over to see Nev had also been taken down, watching helplessly as his friends were carted off.

"This is the group responsible alright. Take them away." One of the guards said, getting a good look at them and the leftover giant rat carcass that they had eaten the night before.

Blake tried to resist, knowing it wouldn't do him any good. Still, he tried his best. Only to be pinned back against the ground.

"Come on you good for nothings, the elder wants to see you." The guard said before he picked Blake up off the ground, keeping his arms pinned behind his back.

Blake and the others struggled as much as they could but soon found themselves thrown into cages and carted off without being able to do a thing.

This isn't looking good. Blake thought as he grabbed hold of the metal bars to try and look through and see the others.

However, there was nothing he could do, not being strong enough to move the bars, and even if he could there was no way he would be able to fight off six guards, let alone one after Blake got a look at their levels.

Before Blake knew it his cart had come to a stop before one of the guards opened his cage and threw him out onto the ground.

"Don't make a move, or else." The guard said, pointing his spear at his back.

"Blake took a look around, seeing that Nev and the others were in the same situation, with all of them in the courtyard of the elder's house.

Blake had only been here once to check it out, not being able to get very close thanks to the guards that were stationed outside.

Still, he knew what was about to happen.

"Bow your heads for your elder." The head of the guard shouted, waiting for them all to do so. Blake could see that he was the strongest Kobold there, also wearing the best-looking gear out of all of them.

Blake and the others knew it was not a good idea to disobey and did as they were told, still being children after all.

"That is enough commander." The elder said as he walked out of his house, showing his face.

He was a much older Kobold with black skin and two normal horns on his head. He wore a nice cloak and used a large brown staff to help him walk.

Blake could see the older Kobold standing over him and the others making sure to get a good look at him.

"My... We sure have an interesting bunch this time." He said, taking a special look at Blake.

"It has come to my attention that you are the group responsible for stealing the giant rat I ordered." He then said, walking closer to Blake and the others with the use of his staff.

"The only question now is what should we do with you." The elder said, stopping in front of Blake, seeing that he was the strongest of the small group.

Blake slowly lifted his head, looking up at the elder before he met his gaze, taking the old Kobold by surprise.

"Oh my... Very interesting indeed." He said before walking over to get a look at the others.

"I have made my decision." The elder then said, raising his voice so the guards could all hear him.

A small crowd had also gathered around to watch what was happening, unsure what all of the commotion was about.

"I deem them worthy to be appraised. The one called Drak, and Nev. You shall both join the warrior clan. As for the other two, I believe becoming a hunter will serve you well." The elder said, letting all of the tension in the air fade away with a smile.

[New quest, the path to becoming a warrior started.] The system suddenly sounded inside of Blake's head.