Chapter 10: Trial by combat!

Two months had passed since Blake and the others had taken up the art of archery. Giving every one of the Kobold's time to learn and adapt to the skill required of it.

Blake was now around four and a half years old if he had been counting correctly, thus far, a year and a half had gone by in his training. In human years, he was therefore 15, or almost 16 as the system told him.

Blake had honed his skill in the art of combat, training his bear fist, learning the way of the sword, the elegance of the spear and the deadly aim of an archer. All in all, Blake had been moulded into a fine killing machine. And the time was fast approaching for his skills to be put to the test.

Usually, the warrior training program was meant to be three years long. However, what Blake and the others didn't know, was that halfway through there was a test, designed to help weed out those who may not be worthy, and mould those who were. Ensuring that only the strongest of their tribe became warriors. 

The group had continued to train and hone their skills, with each of them sparring and competing against one another. 

They had been given the freedom to now choose what they wished to train and improve. Having been given the tools for all of the basics, it was now up to them to lean toward what they wished to specialize in. 

Even though Blake could use all three weapons better than the others, he found the sword to be his favourite. 

Although the spear held a huge advantage over it thanks to its reach, Blake found that his body seemed to flow more with a sword, feeling its movements match his body's flow.

He wasn't the only one either, with both Surge and Nev finding their preferred fighting style too, choosing to train toward their strengths.

Some of the other weaker Kobolds had gone with the spear or short bow. Still, Blake wasn't overly bothered and would use whatever he needed to win. 

The Commander and some of the other warriors watched from the sidelines while Blake and the others trained.

Some of the Kobold were sparring with each other, while others practised alone using the training aids as best they could.

"I see three, maybe four of them that might survive." One of the warriors said, watching Blake carefully as he went through the motions of his sword.

"That one certainly has talent." Another of them said, watching Surge who was practising his archery and close combat with his sword.

"That one too." The other said, watching as Nev thrust his spear into the straw dummy before ramming the flat of his shield into its neck, snapping its head off from the force.

"Yes... These three are my prime candidates for this intake." The commander said, already knowing that Blake, Nev and Surge were the strongest of the bunch. However, he also knew that strength and talent weren't everything, and that luck sometimes came into play.

"Only time will tell." He then said, getting a nod from the other two before they crossed their arms over their chest, watching as the commander stepped forward.

"That's enough training for now. The lot of you, get some rest and meet back here first thing in the morning." The commander then said, getting a questioning look from the group.

Nevertheless, the group was thankful for the time given to rest. "Yes sir." They all said before they fell out and dismissed themselves.

"Come on, Drak, let's go and get some food while we have the chance," Nev said, seeming happy to get a break for the time being.

Blake nodded, seeing that the others also seemed happy to rest, all except for Surge, who headed off alone.

"Sure," Blake said, feeling his stomach rumble as if on cue.

Later that night Blake and Nev found themselves back in their digs. It was the same room they had been given on the very first day of their training, with the same uncomfortable beds of hay.

The hour had grown late and Blake could hear Nev snoring away, with only one or two of the others still awake, giving Blake some time to himself to inspect his stats and abilities, something he had not done in some time now.

Name: Blake

Race: Kobold Lv12 (590/1600Exp)

Health: 63/63

Stamina: 61/61

Mana: 57/57

Ability points: 11

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Strength: 12

Agility: 12

Intelligence: 12

Unique Skill: Dragon belly.

Skills: Sprint. Quick hands. Sneak. Claw attack. Punch combos. Kick combos. Block. Counter strike. Stab. Slash. Sword combos. Spear combos. pin-point shot.

Blakes level and stats had grown exponentially, even shadowing some of the other warriors that Blake had seen walking around, with them only being at level 10 or 11 at a good average.

He also still had all of his ability points to use, something he had been saving for a rainy day, not sure that he needed to use them just yet.

After all, he was stronger, faster and smarter than the others, giving him no real reason to use them yet, having a feeling that he would need them for something soon enough.

The next morning came soon enough for Blake and the others with all 8 of them lining up at attention, waiting for the commander to greet them.

"Here we are, I hope you are all feeling rested!" The commander yelled, showing up on the dot just as he always did.

"Yes sir." The group yelled, making sure to stand tall.

"Good... You're going to need it." He said with a devilish smirk.

Suddenly a group of the other warriors appeared, carrying a chest between them before they placed it down and kicked open the lid, revealing a number of real weapons from swords, shields, short bows and spears.

"Take your pick." The commander said, watching all of them closely to see which they would go for.

Surge was the first to head to the chest, taking a short bow and a short sword, deciding he didn't need anything else as he flung the quiver over his back.

The others followed suit and quickly ran to the chest so they could try and get some of the better weapons there, even though there was plenty of each for everyone.

Blake did the same and was able to get his hands on short sword, a bow and a spear, wanting to equip himself with all three weapons he had been training with, holding the dull blade in his hand, feeling that it was lighter than the training swords he had gotten used to using.

Nev on the other had took a sword, spear and shield, deciding to leave the bow behind as he hadn't had much look with its use.

"If you are ready, follow us." The commander said, seeing that all of them had chosen their weapons and fallen back in line while the other warriors watched them all, acting cocky and superior.

Blake and the others did as the commander asked, following him and the other two warriors toward the edge of the village, approaching the gates, getting the same look from any guards they passed by.

"Don't tell me we are leaving the village?" Nev whispered to Blake.

"I've got a bad feeling about all of this." Blake said, watching as the guards on the gate opened it for them, wearing sinister smirks on their faces.

"Good luck." One of them said, laughing before they closed the gate, leaving Blake and the others outside of the village at the mercy of the dungeon.

"Keep up!" The commander barked, getting them to take their mind away from leaving the village and to focus on him.

The group marched through the dungeon as they followed the commander, not sure where he was leading them. Blake had done the math, seeing that they had been given real weapons and the atmosphere of the situation. Blake had to guess this was some sort of right of passage.

The group walked about an hour away from the village, not coming into contact with any other monsters until the commander finally gave the order to halt.

"We have arrived." He said, turning to face Blake and the others with a serious expression.

"Listen up!" He yelled, changing back to his drill sergeant persona.

"Ahead of us is a platoon of Goblins who think they can scout into our part of the dungeon." The commander said.

From what Blake and the others understood, Goblins were the mortal enemy of Kobolds, being their biggest rival in this dungeon they called home.

"You have one mission and one mission only. Kill all of the Goblins and leave none alive. If you survive, you earn your right to become a warrior of our clan. If not... Well then you die in shame." The commander said, not giving them any other words of encouragement as he stood above them, not as their instructor any longer, but as their chief and commander.

"Now, form a line!" He yelled, barking orders at them again.

"Yes sir!" They all yelled, forming a line in formation with their primary weapons raised. Those that had swords and spears stood toward the front while those who had bows took a rear position.

"Make sure you give it your all. These Goblins are no joke." One of the other warriors said as he joined their ranks.

"No mercy for those green bastards!" The other said doing the same.

Blake could smell the Goblins before they appear in the distance, showing that they had double the numbers of the Kobolds here, not giving the recruits much hope.

"Steady you maggots! Remember your training!" The commander yelled, getting them to hold the line.

"Swquk!" One of the Goblins yelled, speaking a langue that Blake could not understand, getting the large number of Goblins to charge toward the Kobolds, raising their weapons high as they all ran without any formation whatsoever.

Blake could see that these goblins had the exact same appearance as in the game, with short stature (about the same height as kobolds), green complexion, pointy ears, bold heads, and little tufts of hair.

"Here they come, ready yourselves!" The commander yelled, causing the others to brace themselves as he drew his sword.

"Drak, this is it. Today is the day we put our skills to the test and earn the title of warriors. Nev shouted, roaring as he pounded his shield with his spear.

Blake took a brief pause to collect himself before taking a big breath and adopting a serious expression, watching as the goblins closed the distance with their charge.

"Kill them all!" The commander yelled, signalling the start of the battle with a mighty roar.