"Thoreen, done?" The night kobloid's expression brightened as he saw Thorian approach. He seemed terribly bored, doodling in the dirt with his claws.
"You did an amazing job," Thorian complimented his trusted follower. "And yes, we can start hunting in a bit."
Nox stood up with a grin, "Hunt, me strong!"
The simplicity of the kobloid's thoughts and words never failed to make Thorian chuckle. He walked past Nox and focused on the grandfather and grandson. While the old man was relatively at ease, the young boy was understandably shivering in fear.
"Are you going to let us go now?" The old man cautiously asked with doubtful eyes.
Seeing the man's attitude, Thorian quickly dispelled his doubts. "I have promised to escort you to the city safe and sound after the sun sets, and I do not go back on my words."
He then turned around and said, "Let's go, I don't like wasting time."
The old man's doubtful expression morphed into surprise before he turned to the young boy. The child was still scared, his lips quivering and eyes red from tears.
"Come here, little Roo," The old man scooped the young boy into his arms. "It's better this way, right?"
Roo nodded and curled into a fetal position in the man's embrace. Now ready, the old man followed Thorian, who had been patiently waiting.
"Hunt now?" Nox asked, seeing Thorian was free.
"We will be protecting the two first on our way to the city," Thorian gestured to the pair behind him. "We can start hunting after."
Nox nodded with a disappointed expression but remained silent. The walk toward the city was uneventful. When a pack of wolves or a stray bobcat dared to ambush them, Thorian's fireball quickly turned the aggressor into valuable experience points.
While Nox had fun relieving his boredom, the two humans could only watch in horror as he tore apart wolf flesh as if it were old parchment. The little boy could barely hold himself after the first few encounters before quickly fainting once again.
After an hour of slow walking, they finally reached the west gate of Locksley. Fortunately, there wasn't much commotion, and the guards were only doing their usual patrols.
With the gates in front of them, Thorian turned back to see the old man nearly collapsing to his knees. Tears streamed down his face as he gazed up at the tall watchtowers guarding the city.
"You are now free to go, and don't go babbling about what you saw," Thorian warned, and the old man frantically nodded.
As the man slowly walked past Thorian, the latter had a sudden thought. He clicked his tongue before saying, "Oh, and here's some advice."
The old man looked back at Thorian with a confused expression. He was obviously eager to reach the safety of the city walls, but Thorian knew that those same walls would soon become the bars of their birdcage.
"Before midnight, go to the city plaza in the center. You'll thank me."
The old man's confusion only grew at Thorian's cryptic words. "Why is that?"
"Just do as I say," Thorian sighed and turned away. He had already fulfilled his end of the deal and more. What the two humans would do from now on was no longer his concern.
Nox followed quietly after Thorian, and the two delved deep into the forest, out of the prying eyes of any would-be onlookers. Only after they had covered a significant distance did Thorian turn eastward, heading to the Wolvendale Territory where his Altar was located.
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I should have them unlock a class right now. That way, we can raid those damned goblins.
Thinking back about the pack of hobgoblins present in that cave, Thorian knew that they could not overwhelm them with their current force. While hobgoblins were weaker than kobolds in individual combat, there were just too many of them. Taking into account the horde of countless goblins, Thorian was certain that they would stand no chance if they fought at this moment.
But a kobold with a class, can I handle that?
Recalling the large kobold, even though he was obedient for now, it all rested on the precondition that Thorian was stronger than him. If the thought that he had grown stronger than Thorian ever germinated inside the kobold's mind, there would be dire consequences.
Thorian glanced back at Nox and asked, "What's your level right now?"
"Eleven," the night kobloid responded with a toothy grin. "Assassin ten!"
That's good enough, Thorian thought before furrowing his brow in confusion. Wait, his speed doesn't seem to match his level.
"How many free points do you have left?" Thorian inquired with narrowed eyes.
The night kobloid furrowed his brows, his eyes darting. Then, his pupils widened, and his mouth drooped with newfound realization. "Nox stupid. Free points fifteen!"
Thorian chuckled at his follower's words before saying, "That cleared up my confusion. Put twelve of the points in Agility and three in Strength. That ratio should be good enough for now."
Nox looked at the invisible stat panel with serious eyes before his lips parted in a deep, satisfied smile. He examined his body with a sense of wonder, as if he had just transformed.
Thorian chuckled, "It feels much better, right?"
Nox's eyes sparkled as he exclaimed, "Nox light! Nox fast!"
Thorian continued chuckling as he thought, With Nox, I shouldn't have any trouble with the kobold, especially before he can level up his class.
The two continued on their way toward the Wolvendale territory. The points Nox spent on his agility immediately showed their usefulness, as Thorian had to run with all his might to keep up with the night kobloid's relaxed pace.
His agility should be around fifty. I don't think the kobold even has one stat higher than thirty-five.
With more assurance than ever, Thorian formulated a plan in his head. Being cautious was important, but Thorian knew that never taking a risk was the biggest risk of all.
In less than ten minutes, Thorian and Nox crossed through the forest and reached the main road. After a few carriages passed and the path cleared, the two made their way to the territory where they found the kobloids still madly cutting down one tree after another. The kobold was also busy striking a medium-sized tree with his axe, sweat dripping down his forehead.
After the tree fell and the kobold let out a deep breath, Thorian walked toward him and said, "Good work, everyone seems to be doing well."
He then scanned the kobloids with his eyes before focusing back on the kobold and continuing, "Let's stop the tree-cutting operation here. I hope everyone kept track of the trees they cut."
"Me cut trees many," the kobold pounded his chest and grinned.
"I'm sure you did," Thorian chuckled before focusing on the other kobloids, "Stop! Everyone, bring all your trees in front of the Altar!"
The kobloids ceased their work and looked at Thorian, who continued his announcement, "Whoever has cut the most trees shall be named the tree-cutting champion, a warrior with strong determination, focus, and power."
Thorian's words thrilled the kobloids as they slowly carried the trees they had cut closer to the Altar. They removed the branches and only left the trunks, as carrying a full tree was a truly impossible task for their current strength. Minutes slowly passed as the monsters carried out this laborious task. Since the trees were too heavy for most of them to carry alone, they took turns helping each other. After around half an hour, they were finally done. Each of the thirteen kobloids stood wearily next to their stack of tree trunks, both tired and satisfied after their work.
Other than the kobold, who had twelve trunks stacked on top of each other, the rest's count averaged around five and six. One of the kobloids stood above the rest with his stout figure and strong muscles. He had cut eight trees and carried them all by himself.
Now that the preparations were finished, Thorian took center stage. "Kobold, as the one with the most trees cut, I declare you tree-cutting champion."
The kobold loudly howled to the sky and screamed, "Champion!"
I guess that is the only word he cares about.
The rest of the kobloids also chanted and praised the kobold for his strength. After the claps, howls, and cheers finally died down, Thorian pointed at the stout kobloid.
"As for you, while you are not the tree-cutting champion, you have still shown incredible abilities as a kobloid. You are truly a warrior that is determined, focused, and has a strong will. I declare you the unyielding warrior."
The kobloid looked with surprise at Thorian before also cheering, "Warrior!"
The rest of the kobloids also screamed and whistled in admiration for their stout brethren. Even the kobold was impressed as he nodded and clapped.
After the small festivities were over, Thorian laid out his most important announcement. He waited until everyone was silent before speaking with a low but powerful voice, "Now, let us talk about your true rewards. You shall all receive a class—a power and a blessing from the gods that will give you strength beyond your comprehension!"