Chapter 76: Final Preparations For War
The night became the longest in modern Vaal’kor history because almost no one slept. The screams from the previous afternoon still seemed to linger within the tunnels, trapped between the stone walls and refusing to disappear.
More than twenty kobolds had been killed in a single afternoon, including warriors, hunters and members of families who had lived together for generations. Worse still, Tud’or, their greatest warrior and one of the pillars upon which their clan had depended, was gone.
For many, his death was the moment everything truly became real. The goblins were no longer a distant threat. They had come into their home, slaughtered their people and taken away someone most had believed would still be standing when everyone else was gone.
Some kobolds cried quietly beside the bodies of their loved ones. Others sat in silence, staring into nothing as their minds struggled to process the sheer brutality of what had happened. Parents kept their children close, while warriors sharpened weapons that they already knew might not be enough.
Even those who had survived the battle struggled to sleep, knowing the goblin army could return at any moment. The only thing separating Vaal’kor from another massacre was a series of tunnels and whatever strength remained in the exhausted warriors.
Ka’z didn’t sleep either.
After executing Rok and Boi, he spent the entire night preparing for the possibility that the goblins would return before dawn. He began by drawing magic arrays around the cave entrance. From there, he moved deeper into the settlement, placing additional arrays near important junctions before extending them into several tunnels and false tunnels.
By the time he finally stopped, his body was covered in blood and dirt but he didn’t care.
Ka’z walked through the halls toward the sanctuary with his clothes stained, his hair disheveled and dirt covering portions of his face. His eyes were heavy from exhaustion, but his stride remained steady. The kobolds he passed instinctively moved aside, creating a path without being asked. Nobody spoke to him.
There was something different about Ka’z this morning.
When Ka’z finally entered the sanctuary, several familiar faces immediately turned toward him.
Tong’a, O’nil, Lan’ka, Lady Zira, Tu’ka, Ru’k and Za’r were already seated around the chamber. They looked exhausted. Their eyes were red, their shoulders slumped and the weight of the previous day seemed to have settled upon all of them.
As soon as Ka’z entered a few backs straightened, and Za’r immediately rose from her seat with worry written across her face.
Ka’z noticed the reaction and glanced down at himself.
"Don’t worry, the blood isn’t mine." Ka’z said before she could ask.
Za’r hesitated before slowly sitting back down.
Ka’z didn’t join them. He was far too filthy to sit among the others. Instead, he walked toward an empty corner and used his earth magic to elevate a small stone stool from the floor. Once it reached a comfortable height, he sat down and rested his arms against his knees.
The others watched him quietly. Nobody asked what he had been doing all night.
They already knew enough.
A few moments later, the wall behind them creaked and everyone turned.
A section of stone slowly slid aside, revealing a concealed passage before Kong’gong emerged from within it. The old kobold wore his usual robes and carried the same friendly expression he seemed to possess regardless of the circumstances surrounding him.
Kurg followed closely behind.
Ka’z’s tired eyes immediately settled on him.
Something was different about his friend. It was subtle enough that someone else might not have noticed, but Ka’z had spent enough time observing cores and magical development that the difference immediately caught his attention.
Kurg’s bronze core had begun developing tiny silver spots. They were scattered throughout the bronze like the earliest signs of something trying to emerge from beneath the surface.
But that wasn’t all.
Kurg’s stride was firmer. His shoulders carried themselves differently. Even his movements possessed a slight sharpness that hadn’t been there before.
It had only been a few weeks since he began training under Kong’gong yet the changes were already beginning.
Ka’z’s eyes narrowed slightly.
’Interesting.’
Kurg noticed Ka’z staring and briefly glanced down at himself as if wondering whether something was wrong, but Ka’z didn’t say anything. He simply leaned back against the stone and watched Kong’gong take his place.
O’nil slowly stood. The elder looked around the sanctuary before releasing a bitter sigh.
"Yesterday we lost so many that we are yet to bury them all. Unfortunately, we don’t even have the time to mourn their loss because the enemy might be upon us very soon."
Nobody argued.
Several kobolds lowered their heads, while Za’r’s fingers tightened together in her lap. Tu’ka looked toward the ground.
Lan’ka suddenly rose and Ka’z’s gaze shifted toward him. Only then did he notice the missing arm.
His pupils contracted.
For several seconds, Ka’z simply stared at the empty space where Lan’ka’s arm should have been. He had known the kobold was injured, but seeing the reality of it was different.
Lan’ka noticed Ka’z looking and didn’t attempt to hide it.
"We have barely over forty soldiers left," Lan’ka said, his voice rough from exhaustion. "We will need to gather them and block the entrance. We will make our last stand there. I won’t let those bastards go scot free for what they did to Tud’or!"
His remaining fist clenched so tightly that his claws pressed into his palm.
Ru’k immediately rose as well, tears already gathering around his eyes.
"I agree!" Ru’k screamed. "This is our home! We will fight and avenge everyone!"
His voice cracked toward the end. The emotional response was understandable.
O’nil slowly raised a hand.
"Of course we will fight," he said, gesturing for them to sit. "But first, we survive."
Lan’ka reluctantly lowered himself back down.
"That’s why I have put together our diggers. They are currently working on digging a way out of the settlement should we fail to protect our home."
Ka’z slowly nodded and several others did the same.
Nobody liked the idea of abandoning Vaal’kor, but survival had to come before pride. If the goblin army managed to break through their defenses, they needed somewhere to retreat. The alternative was allowing their entire clan to be trapped underground and slaughtered.
Ka’z had no intention of fleeing when the goblins returned. But that didn’t mean he was opposed to having an escape route.
O’nil eventually turned toward Kong’gong.
"Do you think we can survive this?"
Kong’gong’s expression didn’t change.
He nodded firmly.
"Ka’z spent the entire night setting up arrays from the entrance to the tunnels beyond the living areas. If the goblins enter the caves, it will be a massacre."
Several kobolds exchanged glances. Even Lan’ka’s expression softened slightly.
Kong’gong continued, "The problem is if they decide to starve us out. That’s why I’m in support of digging a way out."
Vaal’kor’s kobolds could be fierce, but nobody could fight hunger forever. Eventually their food would run out, their injured would weaken and their warriors would become too exhausted to maintain the defenses.
Ka’z’s eyes narrowed.
It was precisely why he had spent the entire night creating traps. If the goblins were foolish enough to enter, he intended to make them regret it.
But if they were smart enough to wait outside, the situation would become much more complicated.
Ka’z was particularly grateful that Kong’gong said nothing about his secret chamber.
The hidden chamber could potentially serve as another route out of Vaal’kor, and if the old kobold had mentioned it openly, questions would inevitably follow. Ka’z had no desire to explain how he had discovered it or what else he had been doing there.
Tong’a leaned forward.
"How long will our supplies last?"
Lady Zira answered almost immediately.
"Our supplies will last us six months at least."
The statement brought a small amount of relief into the sanctuary. O’nil nodded with a satisfied expression.
That didn’t mean they were safe, but it meant they had time.
That was the most important thing.
"We will need to ration everything carefully," Lady Zira added. "Nobody should be taking more than they need, and we cannot afford to waste food simply because everyone is afraid."
Tong’a eventually looked around the chamber before speaking.
"Za’r and I will do our best to keep everyone calm and high spirited. The clan needs something to believe in right now, and we pray that the Greater Kobold stands with all of us during these trying times."
Truly, this was the darkest era in modern Vaal’kor history.