Chapter 13: Winged Kobold. A sign of the dragon!

"Drak... Your back, are those wings?" The commander asked, looking at Drak with astonishment.

Blake wasn't sure what he was going on about and tried to turn around so he could see his back.

"Well look at that... I do have wings." Blake said, seeing a small set of wings that had indeed started to grow on his back, having had no idea they were there.

"Wings?" Nev asked, not understanding.

"Kobolds who grow wings on their back are known as winged Kobolds and are said to have the blood of our dragon ancestors running through their veins," Tir said, understanding now why Blake was so strong.

"I always knew you were special!" The commander suddenly said, bursting with amazement as he patted Blake on the shoulder, proud of him.

"I don't really get it, what does this mean?" Blake asked, not sure what was going on.

[Answer. Kobolds who can grow wings are a special class of Kobold that may follow a stronger line of evolution than other Kobolds.] The system suddenly said, answering his question.

Evolution? Blake asked, picking up on the word.

[Yes. Like all monsters, Kobolds can also evolve into stronger versions once they become strong enough.] The system explained further.

"Honestly I have never seen anyone grow a set of wings before. Only the elder in all of his years has ever seen one." The commander said as he scratched his chin.

"This is truly amazing." Tir also said.

From what the commander and Tir were saying, both Nev and Surge could understand why Blake was always one step ahead of them, meaning he was always going to be stronger than them no matter how hard they trained, somehow helping them come to terms with the fact now.

"Anyway, let us return to the village. Take what you can carry as your reward for surviving this battle." The commander said, becoming more serious all of a sudden.

"Yes sir." Blake and the others said, doing as he said and taking their spoils of war.

"Sir... What about the others?" Tir asked.

"You know the rules. They only have their own abilities to blame." The commander said, getting a nod from Tir.

Blake routed through some of the dead Goblin's bodies, not finding much that was worth taking, seeing only rusted weapons and small Goblin trinkets. Blake could also see dismembered Goblins all over the place remembering his Dragon belly ability, and remembering what had happened when he ate the giant rat meat that time.

Picking up a Goblin arm that had been cut off, Blake took a breath and reluctantly bit into the flesh, taking a chunk out of the arm before he chewed it up and forced himself to swallow it, wondering if he would be able to gain anything from doing so.

[Goblin language acquired.] The system said after a moment, proving that his dragon belly skill would come in handy after all.

It worked... Blake said to himself, also finding that it didn't taste as bad as he thought it might.

"Yo, Drak, you ready?" Nev suddenly yelled, causing Blake to drop the Goblin arm he had just been munching on.

"Y-Yeah, all done." He said, causing Nev to raise an eyebrow at him.

"Whatever, come on, hero." He said, making a joke before he turned around and walked off.

With that, the group headed back to the village through the dungeon the way they had come. Soon enough they reached the village gates and watched as they opened, finally returning home. Once they stepped inside, Blake, Nev and Surge were surprised to be greeted by all of the warriors in the village who had been waiting for them to return.

"Sir!" They all yelled, showing respect to the commander with a salute, placing one fist over their chest.

The commander smiled once the gates shut behind him and the others, returning the salute to the warriors.

"Here you have it men. Welcome home your new brothers in arms!" He shouted, introducing Blake and the others into the warrior's ranks.

The warriors all roared in respect for Blake and the others, as was the tradition for those who survived the test.

"I see you returned safe and sound, commander." The elder of the village suddenly said, appearing from the crowd that was also watching and cheering.

"Yes, thanks to this one." The commander said, nodding toward Blake before he put a hand on his shoulder.

The elder looked at the commander with an eyebrow raised before turning his attention toward Blake, seeing the small wings growing on his back.

"It cannot be..." He said, just as shocked as the commander had been when he saw them.

"A winged Kobold... This youngling is a dragon born..." He said, walking over to Blake so he could get a closer look at him, much to Blake's surprise.

"Elder?" Blake asked, watching the Old Kobold examine him, even grabbing his cheeks and opening his mouth to see his teeth.

"It's true..." The elder said, seeing how strong Blake had become since the last time he had seen him.

"Is all this really such a big deal?" Blake asked, seeing the rest of the crowd also start to whisper in shock as the word of his wings spread around them like a wildfire.

"Yes, my boy, yes! It certainly is." The elder said again as he crossed his arms behind his back, taking a step back.

"It is said that a winged Kobold has the blood of our dragon ancestors running deep within his veins. However, the chances of one being born are extremely rare, usually those who are dragon-born become fine warriors and are hailed as the strongest of their generation." The elder explained.

"Well, that explains a lot," Nev said, punching Blake in the arm with Surge crossing his large arms over his chest while nodding his head in agreement.

"What's all the commotion about?" Everyone, even the elder and commander, turned to gaze upon the owner of the mighty voice that had commanded everyone's attention.

"S-Sir." The commander said, bowing his head toward the large Kobold who had suddenly appeared, as did all of the other warriors, copying the commander and showing their respect.

Blake had never seen this Kobold before, but from how the others acted, he could see that he was important.

"Did I hear someone say something about a dragon born?" He asked, walking over toward the elder with everyone he passed bowing their head in respect toward him.

"What an honour, I did not think you would be joining us today my lord." The elder said, nodding his head toward the large Kobold.

Blake and the others could see that he was tall and well built, wearing a nice-looking set of armour, uncommon for a Kobold. His scales were a deep red with a black tint to them and his eyes a bright red.

"Yes, well I thought I would greet the new warriors to our clan personally today." He said, taking a step forward so he could get a better look at Blake and the others.

"However, I couldn't help but hear something about a dragon born, is this true?" He asked, looking toward the elder.

"Yes, my lord. Young Drak here has sprouted wings." The commander said, addressing the Kobold with respect.

"Drak?" The Kobold asked, turning his attention toward Blake.

"Holy shit... This guy is the leader of our entire village." Nev whispered to Blake, almost shaking.

Blake realised he had never seen this person before for a reason, given that he lived in the nicest and largest house in the entire village, complete with his own personal guard and never came out for anything.

"I am lord Kolu, leader of our clan." He suddenly said, introducing himself as he stepped forward to look at Blake, staring into his eyes as he weighed him up.

Both Nev and Surge could tell how strong he was, knowing that they wouldn't even hold a candle to his strength, feeling his power radiate from his persona due to the way he simply held himself.

Blake could tell he was strong too, seeing the level 18 above his head, confirming that he was even stronger than the commander who only had a level of 15.

Kolu noticed the wings on Drak's back and smiled, turning around before he crossed his arms over his chest.

"It certainly is a first that I have ever seen one of our kind with wings." He said, walking back over toward the elder.

"Honestly I was starting to think it was a myth that this old coot had made up. But, wings or no wings, don't go putting ideas in his head now, after all, he has only just become a warrior." Kolu said, almost snarling at the elder.

"Y-Yes... Certainly my lord." The elder said, clearly frightened of Kolu.

So, he is the strongest guy here. Blake said to himself.

This is the guy that I will have to beat if I want to become the strongest... He said to himself again, wondering how strong he truly was.

"Now, get these brave new warriors cleaned up. After all, they have a feast to attend!" Kolu shouted, getting a cheer from the other warriors at the word feast.

With that the leader of the village made his exit, leaving Blake and the others with the commander.

"You heard him, lads, get back and get cleaned up, then meet us in the mess hall after. We have some celebrating to do!" The commander said, getting a nod from Blake and the others.

With that Blake and the others made their way back to the old hut they had called home during their training. It seemed much more empty now that it was only the three of them, seeing that the other five recruits had been killed in the fighting.

"A fate that could have fallen upon any of us..." Blake said softly, taking a moment to think about the others who had been killed.

The only thing that matters in this world in strength. Blake then said to himself.

And I will become the strongest.