《I am but Divine》


 Reincarnation

    The sun was shining brightly on the summer meadow under the blue sky, where a clueless soul seemed to have woken up. He lied down on the cold grass that was laced with morning dew, since of course it was early in morning. It was not in dawn, yet it was clear that the sun is too low to be in the time of noon. He sat up, feeling the grass under his hand, unconsciously, while he looked up at the sparse clouds that gathered under the pleasant blue sky. He suddenly let out a small laughter.


    ¡°Hahaha... I¡¯m alive! It was all just a dream! I thought I was done fo- oh I can¡¯t see myself.¡± His enthusiasm suddenly turned sour, as he realized that his body is now transparent, or rather, he had no body at all.


    There were only silence, save for the small gust of wind rubbing through the grass. The soul sighed, and looked around the field. There were only grass for miles and miles away. It¡¯s as if the field itself was an ocean of grass, and that you could actually drown in it. The fields of grass waved as the wind blew on them, creating that tidal wave pattern across the land, which seemingly calmed the soul down from it¡¯s peaceful pace of movement. He collected his thoughts together, and made a conclusion.


    ¡°I¡¯m dead.¡±


    That much was apparent and obvious as soon as he blurted out his first few sentences. What was surprising is that he had no disappointed reaction, or a hint of sadness on his face. He just¡­ stared on the ground blankly, or indifferently as per more appropriate term for such the expression he had. The soul looked like it could care less that it was dead. The fact that hedied, however,was something to him. He let out a gesture, which involved punching the air in a whip like manner, giving off that ¡®I was sure I got it¡¯ vibe. He held his non existent hips, just like his whole body but described as a physical object for some reason, as if to show disappointment on his still unknown previous action before his death.


    ¡°That damn dragon. He had a trick up his sleeve! Well, he had no sleeve¡­ Bah! Curse that dragon! On that one time where I could finally defeat a dragon, A FREAKING DRAGON, the dragon HAD to be a tricky bastard. That dragon got me good. Real good.¡±


    He ranted on himself on the grassfields. He had no problems talking to himself whatsoever, and it is hinted on his natural movement and face that it is used to it. The fact that the non existent face and body is still visible is another matter that is not important. It¡¯s just there. After he cooled down, he realized that he was alone. He thought that, since he was dead, there should be other souls around him. He had thought that he should already have gone to Soullen¡¯s Rest, but no, he is instead stuck in an endless open field of grass. An ocean of grass. He pondered on this case. One of the possible answer that he thought, is that this is some kind of ¡®mid plane¡¯ between the Plane of Existence: Arcusia and the Plane of Non-Existence: Soullen¡¯s Rest. Though the purpose of the ¡®mid plane¡¯ is vague, since there are no clues around him that could tell him what it was. Another of the possible answer is that he is really stuck as a soul, in this boring, uninteresting plain of endless hopelessness, eternally and-


    ¡°Oh god, no!¡±


    The thought of being stuck in this place forever freaked the soul out. He panicked and flailed his non existent arms about, but eventually calmed down and accepted his fate. An unusually quick recovery from a fate that might as well drive a sane mind crazy from the very thought of eternal imprisonment on a bleak and empty world. This was a talent the soul had, the talent of [Acceptance].


    No matter how dire the current situation is, no matter how dark his future is, the soul is casually ok with it. He would accept his fate, no matter how ridiculous it may be. ¡®That¡¯s just how life is¡¯ he thought to himself. He realized that he is now actually dead. ¡®That¡¯s just how existing is¡¯ he thought. Existing is never fair. You were never given the choice to be born on a poor and disrespected family or to a rich and prestigious nobility, nor were you always given a helping hand during your utter needs. The soul knew that existence is unfair and harsh. With that in mind, he accepted it. He accepted it all heartily. He let fate do it its thing, and that whatever happens to him, happens to him. This mindset gave him clearing from existential crisis. What a powerful talent.


    ¡°If that¡¯s how it is gonna be, then so be it. If I am to be stuck here, at least give me something to entertain myself for the rest of eternity.¡±


    He uttered those words on the sky, and just like an angel would come down from the heavens in shining light, an angel came down from the heavens in shining light. Wait, not an angel, but a god! A god? A GOD?! News flashed in front of the soul. He was shocked to see a god descend down from the sky, and quite a familiar one too. A bald head, old wrinkly face, a majestic long white beard and pointy moustache, and a blue robe decorated with gold edges and badges of celestial bodies, like moons and stars. He was sure about it, the father of his previous race, Wize, the god of wisdom and knowledge.


    From within his robe came out thin arms, bony and frail, one hand carrying a book while the other held a staff. His always closed eyes made the soul wonder how he could see. Does he see through his eyelids? Or is there some kind ofarc that allows you to see while not actually seeing. Wize suddenly smiled, releasing his book as it floated on air, and rubbed his majestically long beard, seemingly judging the soul. Though invisible and presumably non existent, Wize could clearly see the soul.


    ¡°I see you have doubts in you. The look in your eyes means that you wonder how I see things?¡±


    ¡®Holy hell¡¯ the soul thought. Wize sounded exactly like what he thought he sounded like in his head. An old man with a slightly high pitched voice and a slight sound of wheezing. He sounded like a very old arcusian trying to impress people with their Arcs.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    ¡°I never thought you would be able to have insane perception.¡±


    ¡°I am the god of wisdom and knowledge, Nemer, I possess the information, mind, and everything else to perceive how you were feeling and thinking. Plus, I have the help of my godly powers.¡±


    For a god that probably holds unfathomable knowledge and information, he sure doesn¡¯t talk like one. Nemer wasn¡¯t surprised at the mention of his name, even though he hadn¡¯t told him yet. It was obvious that he would know, yet it was also slightly creepy. Would he know of the things he did when he was younger? Embarrassing, those days of childhood innocence. Going back to the topic at hand, he asked for the answer of his mental questions.


    ¡°Really though, how can you see through that always closed eyes?¡±


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s a little bit of this, a little bit of that¡­¡±


    Little bit of this? Little bit of that? Is Wize making fun of him? Or is he not that ¡°knowledgeable¡± or ¡°wise¡± to understand his answer. His expression turned to mild annoyance and frustration, to which Wize took notice and stopped talking nonsense.


    ¡°I am a being of absolute certainty and existence, my boy Nemer. As such, I exist independent from the universe¡¯s laws, but still am under it for I am from it.¡±


    Nemer looked confused. He really didn¡¯t have the right mind to process what Wize said, but he tried to understand his words anyway.


    ¡°That¡¯s the fancy way of saying that I can cheat the universe and see through my eyelids!¡±


    Wize cackled a laugh, to which Nemer was not amused of. So much for the first impression of a god to him. His appearance seemed to emit out an aura of glittering wisdom, but his gestures and words says otherwise. Wize calmed down, and while rubbing his beard, he said another.


    ¡°Now for the business.¡±


    Business? Is it about the ¡®eternally stuck in this pleasant hellhole¡¯? Please let it be that, and make it a good news! Or at least something better than be stuck in a place like this. Nemer pleaded to a non existent deity, trying so much to wish something different. But he knew that if fate chose otherwise, he is bound to its choice.


    ¡°You did a great job in your previous life! As a human, you overcame your races¡¯ limit and instead of abusing your newfound strength, you helped everyone! You were a very powerful slayer, a benevolent one at that too! A rare combination if I do say so myself.¡±


    Nemer was flattered. This is the first time he receive a compliment from a god. The value quickly deteriorated however as he realized that this old man was the one who game him a compliment.


    ¡°Sadly, your overconfidence led you to your demise from your hunt of the dreaded plague dragon. Your merits, achievements, and other precious and valuables you treasured are now left behind after your passing. Even¡­ your tremendous power.¡±


    Nemer was a bit saddened, because that power he had was the result of many years of training, experience, and effort from his blood and sweat. He reflected on it for a while, and just like that, he recovered again to his indifferent state. He had accepted that his powers are now gone. Though he can¡¯t deny he was such a badass in his previous life. Flames blazing, spikes of gigantuous sizes sprouting from the ground, and countless corpses of the slain beneath his feet, all to help the world become a much safer place to live. All of that, just memories now.


    ¡°But after your death, we were surprised. You harbored no grudge, resentment, or any signs of hatred against the thing that killed you! You truly had a benevolent heart, and a great mind.¡±


    Wize seemed happy at Nemer, to which Nemer responded with a wide smile back at him.


    ¡°You are what we needed, for our new project we would like to implement.¡±


    A project? For what? This is giving him bad vibes, because a project was NEVER a good thing when it came out from a god¡¯s mouth.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I-¡±


    ¡°And with this project, we will give you a second chance.¡±


    Nemer was cut off, but at the end of the sentence, the words ¡®second chance¡¯ stuck into his head. Another go at living? Another life to use and become something much greater again? He likes that idea! It was enticing to him, and even though it sounded suspicious, he never cared about it. He just wanted to have a second life.


    ¡°Alright, sign me up! If I can have another shot at living, then I¡¯ll take it!¡±


    ¡°Not so fast! Let me give you a brief summary of our project first.¡±


    That¡¯s odd. He was pretty sure that the deal would instantly be sealed, and there would be a catch to his life that would make living his second life harder. This was better though, so he would know what dangers he would step unto.


    ¡°We call this project: ¡®The Scion Project¡¯. It is where we pick worthy souls from the Plane of Existence and turn them into our weaker forms; the lesser gods. You will become one, and the first ever lesser god to exist. You shall grow and become like us, the greater gods. Earn worshippers, build temples, and flourish cities. We are giving you a chance in becoming one of us.¡±


    Hold up. Wait a minute. Hold that thought. WHAT?!?! Become a lesser god to ultimately become a greater god? So there¡¯s like, big responsibilities? This troubled Nemer. He doesn¡¯t want to be a god. He just wants to live again as a mortal. This was a poof. Wize is a pood. He doesn¡¯t want this.


    ¡°Actually, I changed my mind-¡±


    ¡°No can do, Nemer! You have accepted my deal, you were already sealed!¡±


    ¡®Curse my bad luck.¡¯ Nemer thought to himself. ¡®Curse my stupidity!¡¯ He just jinxed himself previously.


    ¡°However, once you become a lesser god, your memories shall be fragmented. Not lost from the world, but lost from your mind. You will also be binded with an object of worship, and the area around your sacred object shall become your domain. Your domain is your world, and your world runs on your rules. Of course, these rules must also be in accordance with the universal laws, as you may be independent from it, but the things you make and set on the Plane of Existence are not.¡±


    This is not getting good from him, specially the losing memories part! He will lose his memories from the time when he was an ass kicking badass? Oh no! Nemer panicked, and as he panicked, Wize spoke again.


    ¡°I believe this should be enough of an explanation. The rest will be filled in during your job as a lesser god. Have fun!¡±


    ¡°Wait! I-¡±


    ¡­


    ¡­¡­..


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­


    And there was silence and darkness.

 Beginning

    Nemer opened his eyes. There was a towering stone in his sight, and a really huge tree, humongous even for a normal tree, behind the stone. If the tree wasn¡¯t odd enough, the tall stone seemed to have glowing markings on it, a light colored blue pulsating on each of the three marks. The marks gave illumination under the shade of the really, really huge tree. The tree¡¯s canopy was thick and wide enough to block out the sky from Nemer¡¯s point of view. He was apparently lying on a stone slab, just besides the tall stone with markings. It was rough, unpolished and natural, like a monolith. Nemer lies on his back, confused but does not know on what. He could only see the canopy of the tree from where he lied.


    Slowly, he sat up, holding his head with one hand, trying to remember something. He can¡¯t. His memories are lost. The only thing remained in his memories is his name, basic information about the world, what he is, and what¡¯s he¡¯s supposed to do; turn into a greater god. Other than those things, he can¡¯t remember anything else. Not like it matters anyway. He didn¡¯t give it much thought before he looked around him. He was inside a forest, in a clearing where the center is the glowy stone and the unbelievably huge tree. The tree shaded a large part of the clearing, making only ? of the clearing be able to be hit by the sunlight.


    Nemer tried to stood up, but he floated. ¡®This is not bad.¡¯ He then immediately floated around to check more of his surroundings. He got out of the giant tree¡¯s shade and looked up. To his surprise, he only saw a grey mist. The mist blocked out his view, the sun, the sky, everything! He was confused, since everything else seemed to light up with no problem like there were no mist in the morning. The ground bounced back the sun¡¯s light as usual, the leaves reflected their green color from the sunlight they bathed on.This made Nemer confused, but he accepted it anyway as a fact. ¡®Maybe being a lesser god made me unable to see beyond at a certain point?¡¯ he thought to himself, pondering over that possibility.


    As he was doing this, he immediately felt a presence. It was weird. He felt tingly, and weird all over, but somehow, he knows that it means someone has come to his domain. He shot up to the lowest branches of the giant tree, and waited there to see if the presence¡¯s intention was anywhere near the stone. He looked at the stone, and was surprised that the stone didn¡¯t glow anymore. The markings disappeared, and it does not emit that pulsating blue glow anymore. Before he could think of possibilities of the occurence, a figure showed itself in the edge of the clearing, directly in front of the stone. The figure had¡­ orange fur? It was walking on two legs, legs resembling of that a hound or wolf. Blocking its face was a basket, full of natural goods inside like herbs and such. Somehow, Nemer knew what it was. It was a kobold. Fluffy humanoid creatures that are dog like in appearance. This was further confirmed when the kobold held the basket to the side of its face, looking at his destination to see if he is still on the right path.


    The kobold had a face of a dog, a cute dog, as his tongue hangs from his mouth. He was excited, you could tell from the wagging of his tail behind him. The kobold also wore clothes, that looked like that of a militia; leather chest plate, a white long sleeved short, and a dull green shorts. The wagging tail soon stopped and his tongue pulled back in his mouth, as the kobold discovers that the glowing markings on the stone had disappeared. He quickly rushed towards the stone, trying his best to not flip the basket over. It seemed like the basket was too big for him to carry.


    The kobold arrived at the tall stone and kneeled in front of it, setting the basket aside. He rubbed the stone slab, and looked curiously everywhere on the stone. It was clearly trying to find the markings of the stone. Nemer felt compelled to look for the markings too, as the kobold was too cute being confused and trying to find the hidden markings. Nemer approached the kobold, and as he went nearer, the marking of the stone slowly started to glow. The kobold noticed and became excited again. Nemer took notice of it too, and immediately come to the conclusion that Nemer¡¯s proximity triggered the markings. This was proven true when he arrived and stood on top of the stone slab, and the markings glowed a pulsating blue light.


    The kobold was even more excited, his tail wagging about behind him. The kobold doesn¡¯t notice Nemer¡¯s spirit, and proceeds to bow his head with his hands together, as if to offer a prayer, and closed its eyes.


    I pray to the spirit that dwells on this forest. I have returned with tributes for you.


    Nemer heard a voice. He looked around. No one were there. He looked back at the kobold, the only living being in his area that he could see.


    O spirit, grant me strength so that I may protect all those who I know and love.


    It was there again. He then realized that, it came from the kobold. The kobold did not open his mouth nor lift up its head to talk. The kobold offered a prayer to the stone, to him. Nemer felt¡­ happy. He never knew that hearing someone pray to him would be this satisfying. A stupid grin came out from his face, overjoyed by the fact that he has gained his first worshipper. As he bathes on his feelings of wondrous joy, the kobold continued his prayer.


    I praise you O spirit. Let your light guide me in the cold embrace of darkness. I pray, that you would watch over me and this forest.


    The kobold finished his prayer and he lifted its head, seemingly happy. Nemer was happy too. The kobold took his basket and put it on the stone slab, beneath Nemer¡¯s feet. That¡¯s when Nemer took notice of his form. He isn¡¯t transparent! He can see himself, glowing with a sky blue light. Oddly, for a spirit, he was clothed in some kind of grand clothes of high nobility, probably reflecting his status as a lesser god. He didn¡¯t mind his appearance much however, because the kobold doesn¡¯t even seem to notice his presence. The kobold bowed again and stood up to turn around and go back inside the forest. Nemer watched as the kobold ran happily towards the forest, his tail wagging enthusiastically before disappearing to the mist. The area was once again lonely.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Nemer sat on the stone slab, leaning on the tall stone as its markings pulsate. He crossed his arms, wondering on what does he need to do to become a greater god. He thought for a while, before looking at the basket the kobold left him. A tribute? Can he take it? Nemer tried to grab the basket, bit he phased right through it. Figures, Nemer knew that. He tried again anyway, to no avail. If he can¡¯t even use the tribute he was given, then what use does it have on him? It¡¯s probably time for acceptance, but Nemer did not give up. He wants to take this basket that was given to him by the kobold. It would be rude not take take an offering after all. With all the knowledge he has, he tried to think of a way to take the tribute.


    ¡°Hup.¡±


    He tried to slap it.


    ¡°Hnnghhh.¡±


    He tried to use the force on it.


    ¡°HMMMMMMM¡­..¡±


    He tried going in its mind.


    His trials just became more and more absurd as he runs out of idea of what to do. He was running out of ideas, but he didn¡¯t give up. If only the basket could become like him¡­ wait. That¡¯s it! New found knowledge and memories suddenly surged through him. Fragments of his memories rushed inside his mind and gave him information on things he learned and experienced on Arcs and Arcus. He remembered that everything is made out of Arcus. That means, the basket can be turned into Arcus in its pure form! Yes! But how? Nemer wondered.


    That was the extent of his knowledge. He does not know how to turn the basket into Arcus. Sure, he knew how to turn physical objects into Arcus in his past life, but that was a memory that is now fragmented. He only received information on ¡®What¡¯ Arc and Arcus is, not ¡®How¡¯. He also seem to not know the requirements yet for unlocking more of his fragmented memories. He continued to think, and finally decided to do something. If everything is made out of Arcus, wouldn¡¯t that mean he should able to see Arcus? Nemer focused and narrowed his eyes, trying his best to try and make his eyes like an X-ray vision.


    Fortunately, something worked! He suddenly saw everything as Arcus. Not biological or inanimate, physical objects, but malleable almost incorporeal multicolored Arcus. His vision was filled with Arcus shaped with their physical objects. Trees looked like trees except glowing. And as for the empty space, air, it was just darkness. The air had too little of concentration of Arcus to form any visible form for the Arcus vision. The mist previously was also like a dark barrier, cutting his view of the probably more trees outside the mist. He named this ability of his: [Arcus Vision].


    But [Arcus Vision] didn¡¯t even help. It just merely made him see the world in a different light. Not that he disliked it though. It was actually pretty to look at. He looked at the basket below him and saw it as a¡­ basket¡­ except glowing on the also glowing stone slab and grassy ground. Nemer tried grabbing the basket again, but failed. He still phased through. [Arcus Vision] really is just a vision Arc.


    But now that he can see them as Arcus, this means that he can turn them into a kind of Arcus that he can get. But the question remained unchanged; How? How indeed. Maybe if¡­


    ¡°Uhhh¡­. Let me grab you please?¡±


    It did not work. Nemer was honestly getting frustrated. He tried all manners of physical contact, verbal pleads, and mental powers to try and at least budge the basket a little. All of those failed. He is incredibly annoyed by now. Is he missing something? ¡®Is it because I am a lesser god?¡¯ He pondered for a while, then it hit him. He is a lesser god, bound to an object of worship. Soon enough, he got the point. This tall stone he was standing on top was obviously his object of worship, a physical object in the Plane of Existence. What would that mean?


    ¡°This stone is my gateway!¡±


    Referring it to just ¡°stone¡± was a little bit plain, so he come up with a name for it. He would name it: ¡°Bluemark Altar¡±. He was not that creative with names, but he¡¯ll improve.


    He still had his [Arcus Vision] when he realized that there is a thin outline that was connected to his own Arcus. He himself emits some kind of faint aura outline from his entirety of Arcus, which connected to that long outline. After upon closer inspection, the outline was actually a cord of some sorts, connecting Nemer and the altar.


    He got the idea. He strengthened his link with the altar through concentration and focus, and a bit of narrowing of the eyes and grunting like he¡¯s about to let out a massive dump. He successfully did it. The cord glowed brighter than before, and the markings from the stone seemed to distinguish itself from the rest of the environment Nemer was seeing, which was rather very bright.


    The markings glowed intensely. Just as the markings became bright, he felt¡­ something touch him. He looked around him, but nothing touched him. He felt it again and it made him slightly nervous. ¡®What¡¯s touching me?¡¯ There wasn¡¯t even anything touching or clinging to his ethereal body. He looked back at the altar, and when a leaf from the tree fell and touch the stone slab, he felt that sensation again.


    ¡°Is the altar¡­ my body?¡±


    Not quite. Close, but it is not. He already has a body, which is his floating, invisible, incorporeal body. The altar was a proxy, a ¡®gateway¡¯ like Nemer said, to the Plain of Existence. Without this altar, he would be stuck in his incorporeal state and never be able to interact anything with the physical world. This altar synced with Nemer¡¯s body, turning itself into a proxy body that can feel like a normal body would.


    ¡°Ohhhh..¡±


    Nemer finally realized that after thinking for a while. He was rather perceptive, intelligent, and wise. A proud child of Wize, but doesn¡¯t even compare to the god¡¯s aforementioned three attributes. What''s left to do now is to take the tribute.


    Again, he concentrated on turning the tribute ¡®his own¡¯, not being sure on what he mean by that. The markings began to glow intensely, and the basket seem to start glowing too. It was working! While he did his tribute taking, the kobold went back unnoticed and hid behind a tree.


    The kobold was witnessing the event before his very eyes. The stone markings was glowing very brightly and intensely, and the basket is starting to glow blue. This is it, the mark of a god; a miracle.

 First of Many

    The basket glowed bright, until it turned into a blue light shaped like the basket. It then diffused and flowed towards the altar, seemingly being absorbed by it. It was a success! Nemer felt also slightly, juuuuuuust slightly, more powerful. Of course he would be, he absorbed something.


    He suddenly felt like, the mist barrier got a little bit larger. Wait a minute. He turned off his [Arcus Vision] and shot up through the canopy of the large tree, and when he got up, he saw the mist steadily get farther. It did not go very far though, only roughly 5 centimeters away from its original position. ¡®Was this due to me absorbing the basket?¡¯ he thought. He was wrong.


    Arcus absorbed from physical objects does not make a god stronger, both lesser and greater. They simply gain fuel from them. Actually, they don''t even need to take tributes, as another plane is already providing them with ample supply of Arcus. Gods were different from mortals, who needs Arcus to survive and get stronger.


    Gods are, like what was said before, absolute beings. Their bodies and minds exist outside of the Plane of Existence. They are powerful, almost omnipotent beings that can do anything given they have the right amount of Arcus and they know how to do it. The separation of a god''s existence in the Plane of Gods from the Plane of Existence is what kept them abusing the world thoroughly. What made them stronger is absorbing faith. That means more worshippers, more power.


    Nemer doesn¡¯t know all of those yet though. He also didn¡¯t know that the radius of his perception from the altar was related to the amount of faith his worshippers currently have. Nemer only falsely believed that the basket has made the mist barrier get bigger.


    Nemer was quite proud of himself for being able to successfully take, or ¡®absorb¡¯ rather, the tribute that kobold has given him. A little celebration is needed for this achievement! Nemer tried to fly more upwards to do a backflip, but something tugged him back. He stopped and turned back to see where the tugging came from. There was nothing.


    ¡°Oh right!¡±


    Nemer quickly realized that he was still strongly connected to the altar below. He activated his [Arcus Vision] and immediately saw the long cord that connected him to the altar. It looked thin, probably from being stretched to it¡¯s limit. Though how rubbery it looked, Nemer felt no tension before the cord finally tugged him. Not like it matters though.


    He then started concentrating, only this time trying to ¡®loosen¡¯ up it¡¯s connection to the altar. And it did. The cord became dimly lit and loose, almost hanging from Nemer. He then rubbed his hands together and did what he wanted to do; do a backflip.


    And that¡¯s what he precisely did. He shot up through the sky, then bent his body back abruptly to do a backflip. He then raised his arms, as if to show his success to the nonexistent judges. He felt happy, really happy. In his joy, he flew around blindlessly, until another feeling came to him. This one was familiar.


    Nemer looked behind to see a certain kobold come out from the edge of the clearing. It was the same kobold as before, but as he ran towards the altar, he felt a dozen of tinglings and weird feelings all over his body in quick succession. He shivered.


    ¡°Brrhh¡­ I need to get used to that.¡±


    It seems like more people had come to his domain, kobolds rather. A dozen of kobolds followed suit after the orange kobold and appeared one by one from the edge of the clearing. The orange kobold seemed to have arrived to the altar and gestured the others to come. Leading the kobolds was two smaller kobolds, grey and brown, followed by a golden brown kobold of the same size with the orange kobold, and 9 others follow them with differing fur colors 3 meters behind.


    ¡°Oh? Are they going to pray too?¡±


    He again went to the lowest branches of the tree, and waited patiently. The other kobolds finally arrive. The orange kobold from before started speaking to them in a language Nemer cannot understand. The others seemed to listen attentively, while Nemer himself struggled to at least understand a word the kobold was saying, because there were no sound. The kobold stopped talking, faced the altar, and kneeled down. He bowed his head and prayed.


    O spirit, I request your presence. Please heed my call.


    ¡°Oh, right.¡±


    Nemer forgot that the altar wouldn¡¯t light up unless he was near it. He flew towards it, and the blue marks promptly light up. The other kobolds looked at the altar with awe, as their tails starts to wag. The kobold was still busy praying to notice what¡¯s happening around him.


    O spirit, enlighten these souls!


    ¡°Enlighten?¡±


    Enlightening is rather hard to do for a moment. The god has very limited information on everything right now. Plus, he still doesn''t know that his memories are fragmented. Therefore he couldn''t find a way to enlighten them. He completely missed the fact that the kobold was meaning something else.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    ¡°How do I do that?¡±


    Nemer thought for a while, letting the altar glow for a while. As he thinks, the other kobolds started gathering around the altar and kneel, intending to pray. Nemer noticed them and began to smi-


    O spirit, lend me your strength!


    Hey dude, nice meeting ya!


    You there?


    I entrust my life to you, O great spirit!


    Spirit spirit of the forests, do you love large chests?


    Is my dad your follower?


    MUUUFFIIIIIINNN!!!


    Nemer briefly went deaf from the last one. Was that even necessary? Actually, all of those prayers came into his head all at once, disorienting him. Other prayers then continued on in his head, making him even more disoriented. Some of them can¡¯t even be considered prayers!


    It took an unbelievably long 2 minutes before he had enough. It would only be a matter of time before the voices in his head turns him insane.


    With only thinking of one way out, he immediately strengthened his link with the altar, and intended to shout his freaking mind out to them. How would he do that though? His proxy body didn¡¯t have any mouth. Only his incorporeal body did.


    ¡°SHUT YOUR TRAAAAAAAAAAPS!¡±


    All the kobold would immediately spring their head back up from the shock, some even stumbled behind to their backs. The markings glowed intensely, mirroring Nemer¡¯s frustration about the current situation.


    ¡°Don¡¯t freaking pray all at once with different intentions! Do you even know how painfully ear raping it is to hear a dozen of voices speak in your head at once? DO YOU?¡±


    All the kobolds just kneeled and sat there in silence as the markings pulsate with every syllable spoken. They had innocent looks in their face. Of course they would, they didn¡¯t know that their simultaneous prayers caused Nemer annoyance.


    ¡°And who the hell kept screaming muffins?¡±


    A hand raised from the back. All the kobolds turned their head to the suspect, which was a young black furred kobold. He was only wearing blue shorts.


    ¡°Please, for the love of Wize, pray for something meaningful for once!¡±


    Spirit, I humbly ask for forgiveness and muffins.


    Nemer face palmed his incorporeal face. He grunted in annoyance as he crossed his arms. Of course, his is still not seen by the kobolds. As for how the kobolds could hear him, it was merely because of the telepathic link. He figured out that, if the kobolds can send a prayer to his head, then he can also speak to them through their heads.


    He only needed to create a link from the altar to their heads. It was easier said than done though. Creating things were harder than taking. Nemer had to struggle quite a bit to reach the kobolds from the back, as it seems the link gets harder to create the farther they go from their source. Not only that, but also because the altar wasn''t a living being. All was done with the help of [Arcus Vision]. Once they are connected to the altar, all he had to do now was shout.


    After having calmed down, he observed the now silent kobolds. They were trying their best to not pray to upset Nemer further. They thought that he would wipe them out if they continued.


    ¡°Well, at least you are all in good hearts.¡± he said after a long sigh. ¡°Just please keep in mind to not pray different things at me all at once. It¡¯s just really disorienting and annoying.¡±


    The kobolds nodded in agreement. They didn¡¯t expect for Nemer to calm down this quick. These particular group of kobolds heard that spirits are generally hot-headed and would destroy anyone that annoys them. That would¡¯ve been true if the prayers kept going, and if Nemer was just a spirit.


    Nemer saw this as an opportunity to introduce itself. After all, what kind of god would have worshippers that doesn¡¯t even know his name? It¡¯s his purpose to become a greater god after all, and to become one, he must have a really big fanbase. Clearing his throat, he spoke in a proper and moderated voice.


    ¡°I am Nemer, the dweller of this stone. I am a god, a lesser god in fact, and I wish all of you would get along with me.¡±


    From that sentence alone, he felt a surge of incredible power. He felt stronger than before, like he can turn someone inside out with a single snap. Unfortunately, he still can¡¯t do that. The mist barrier also became even bigger, more than just centimeters. The radius became bigger by about 26 meters, a great boost compared to the 5 centimeters earlier.


    Nemer then realized it, what made a god truly powerful; the faith of their worshippers. It¡¯s almost cliche as those stories where the hero triumphs over the power of friendship. Although quite similar, there were differences. The first and most obvious reason is that faith powers the gods up both literally and figuratively. Second, the gods give blessings through worth, not love. The third and probably the last bit of important information, is that gods literally need worshippers.


    And that¡¯s what came into Nemer¡¯s conclusion. He knew that he needed worshippers, but he never knew that worshippers would give him THAT much power, especially with only 13 kobolds! The truth appeared in his head that the basket did not give him any power at all. This made him slightly disappointed, since he thought of making the kobolds continuously offer him tributes. Oh well, truth¡¯s the truth.


    After accepting that fact, he found the orange kobold, the original visitor, had stood up. He then opened his mouth and spoke with a language Nemer could understand for the first time.


    ¡°H-hello, my lord. I am Barnon, this group of mine¡¯s chief. I would like to humbly serve under you."


    So now Nemer can understand him. What¡¯s the deal? How he understand him is not important right now, but him saying that he technically accepted him as their god without questions was surprising. Were kobolds this gullible?


    Nevertheless, he still gained a considerable amount of followers for a lesser god such as himself. Well, that considerable amount of followers made Nemer break the ¡®The lesser god with the most followers¡¯ record.


    ¡°Ermm¡­ Just to make sure¡­ Do you really accept me?¡±


    ¡°Of course!¡±


    Barnon responded with an excited wag and a hanging tongue. Everybody else seemed to agree. They all agreed TOO wholeheartedly. It¡¯s like they are dogs that have been begging to have an owner for a long time, which wasn¡¯t that different on what¡¯s currently happening.


    Besides, domestic dogs needed good owners.

 Domestic Dogs

    Barnon wanted to live a simple life. Get a house, a wife, raise children, all of those peaceful stuff you do in a normal life. Maybe even be in a religion. Yes, that certainly reeks of normality. Unfortunately for him, it¡¯s not easy to achieve.


    Shackles cling and clang as Barnon walks along a dirt path in a forest, alongside his fellow kobolds. He was located at the far side of the enslaved group, the group being kept in check by the numerous guards walking along with them in the perimeter. Chains drag on the ground, steps produce thuds on the dirt. They were the only noise they could hear from the silence the kobolds and guards have.


    There were 25 kobolds in the group, while there were 23 guards around them. The kobolds drooped their shoulders from the weight of the chains and their exhaustion from walking, while the guards marched straight with their spears on their sides. The kobolds all wore white ragged clothes in contrast with the leather chest plates, iron helmets, and blue dull uniforms underneath, while walking on leather boots and their hands wear leather gloves. One look and you can easily tell that the humans were superior than the slave kobolds.


    Barnon was one of them, evident by the collar he possesses, and wearing only white, ragged shorts. The collars mark their positions as mere slaves, locked by a chain they could not break. It was normal for a slave to be chained, it was normal for their perspective of the world. Their beliefs and attitude has been downgraded so much that they truly believed that they were nothing more than a slave.


    But Barnon won¡¯t have any of that. He is the only one from his people that had the capability to free his people. From his very birth till currently, he has been regarded by people of higher ranks as nothing but slaves. He was kicked and abused almost every day by people who thinks their priorities are much higher than his life.


    Such were the fate of monsters. Kobolds are monsters in the truest of senses. They are a savage species that only hunted and killed for their tribe. They never knew love or fear, until they were utterly humbled by the humans. Humbled is an understatement. They are more broken than just being turned passive. Their very minds were shattered to the point where they believed their lives are worthless.


    Because of this, kobolds were now regarded as ¡®slave monsters¡¯, living only for the use and disposal of their masters. The humans believed that they deserved it. After all, kobolds have taken thousands of life before their race¡¯s enslavement.


    That was very true for generations until Barnon¡¯s generation came. Some of his kin were the same in mindset with Barnon. The kobolds wanted freedom. Unlike their other peers who would not even think of rebelling, they would reject the commands of their masters. This resulted in Barnon¡¯s and his brother¡¯s frequent abuse from their masters. Some even died due to others that actually intended to kill them. However, those who survived are now walking along the dirt path.


    These kobolds have been regarded is ¡®malfunctioning¡¯ slaves. Apparently, they doubled the security for the slaves by brainwashing the generations to believe that their masters were their gods. They even placed an everlasting curse upon them that would make them beg for a master if they have been left with no commands for long enough. Barnon¡¯s generation somehow had resistance against the brainwash, marking them as malfunctioning slaves.


    To remedy this situation without spending much resources, the humans decided that it would just be better to make them do forced labor. And so the order was set in motion.


    These rebellious kobolds were then gathered as a one large group and was dragged towards their grounds of labor. It has been an hour of walking, and the sun seem to be setting. From the weight of the collars and chains, the untrained bodies of the kobolds were exhausted from their long walk. Barnon was sure that they could have crossed the kingdom borders by now.


    Unbeknownst to the humans, he actually has taken something essential for his planned escape. Kobolds were not very clever because of their race¡¯s history, but Barnon was clearly an exception. His cleverness has given him an opportunity. During their gathering, Barnon snuck a crystal bomb inside his mouth from the house of his master he used to serve. The crystal was 1 centimeter in diameter. Judging from its size, it¡¯s more or less serves just a distraction. However, that¡¯s all Barnon needed.


    His fellow kobolds then started falling to the ground. Their exhaustion has gotten to them. The commander, the leader of the guards who obviously wore much grander garments, ordered the whole group to rest. The guards were exhausted too since they too have been walking nonstop for 5 hours. As for why they are not using carriages and carts, let''s just say that this group''s sponsor is mentally challenged.


    Barnon was waiting for this moment. Barnon and the kobolds were ordered to stay put as some of the guards set up a camp for themselves, leaving the enslaved kobolds having the shades of the tree for their shelter. The kobolds were all chained together on their collars and handcuffs to prevent individual kobolds rom running away from the group. Although their chains are indeed durable, their locks can be undo by anyone who can lockpick.


    Although the humans were smart enough to double their security on the kobolds loyalty, which only lasted for a limited time, they weren¡¯t smart enough double the complexity of their locks. If one were to look in the lock¡¯s inner components, a simple push to a button inside was needed for it to unlock. It was unbelievably stupid for the humans to implement such a lock to these kobolds. Their decision was justified however, because the kobolds were hopelessly robotic when they are slaves, never doing anything unless said so. They also did not want to spend more quality and resources to slaves that won¡¯t even benefit them. This kind of thinking was an annoyance to their masters because they have to manually order them to do things necessary for their survival.


    And as probably have guessed, these locks will be the cause of this particular group¡¯s escape. Barnon already knew how to unlock the locks of his collars and cuffs. He gained the knowledge so, by happening to be in front of a mirror in his previous master¡¯s home and finding out that there is a hole on his collar. Curious, he put his finger in to see if there were any reaction. There was. He unknowingly pushed the button inside and the collar unlocked by abruptly opening sideways and falling unto the ground. The dumbfounded Barnon was still for a good few seconds, before realizing that he has been freed.


    The clever Barnon then donned the collar back since it knew what would happen if they find him out from his collar. He wanted to escape, but there are times for things. If he tried now, his untrained body would very much slow him down and would eventually cause his death. He waited, until the time finally came.


    He heard about the news of him and his kin being planned to get out of the kingdom and be forced to do labor by mining in a mountain on the west four days from now. With the news in mind, he then started planning his escape in secrecy. During the first night, he went to some of his brothers and sisters to teach them how to unlock their locks, and made them keep it as a secret for their plan. During the second night, he educated the rest with the help of others. Finally, during the last night, he told his plan to all of them. If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Back at the present, the exhausted kobolds sit down and rested their legs. The camps have finally been set up at around the same time the sun has fully set. It was now dim, the area being lit up by the torches around the camp. 7 guards station themselves around the group, turning their backs from the kobolds as if they were an easy kill even if they try to hit them in the back. They know full well that the clangs of the chains would tell them that a kobold has moved. Surprisingly, all of the kobolds were all staying still, waiting for the signal to come.


    ¡°They¡¯re quite tonight huh?¡± Said one of the guards to the other guard to his right side.


    ¡°Yeah, sounds like they finally know their place.¡±


    The two guards looked back at the quiet kobolds behind them, and turned around again once they have checked up on them. They continued to talk to each other, while Barnon patiently waited for a moment to strike. Fortunately for him, he was located near one of the tents of the camp. This tent was very big, probably holding a lot of people inside. All he needed now was to wait till they were deep in the evening and make a¡­ ¡®distraction¡¯.


    *PTACK!*


    A sudden explosion was then heard, and when the guards turned around to look, it looks like one of the tents has bursted up in flames. Screams can be heard inside the tent, as some of the humans inside started coming up. The startled guards then began running towards the tent to help them, but to their surprise, some found themselves on the floor. And dead.


    ¡°Help! The tent¡¯s on fire!¡±


    Yelled on of the humans while another throws a bucket of water unto the flames, but it seemed like it did little to stop it¡¯s spread. The fire eventually spread to another tent, causing it to fire up too. The humans continued to try and kill the fire, but were stopped short.


    ¡°AHHHHHHH-¡±


    A scream was heard before it was cut. The humans near the camps on fire turned around to realize that the kobolds have been set free, and armed. The panic that ensued after the explosion apparently made them unaware of the kobolds freeing themselves. Taking the spears of the 7 dead guards, they quickly rush in to go and fight the other humans. 11 of the men were unarmed as they were soundly sleeping inside their tents when it caught on fire, and only 4 were armed, including the commander. One of them also died from being trapped inside a burning tent.


    The commander then immediately ordered the 11 men to go and take out their weapons from the armory, but a third party seems to not want for them to get to their destination. The ground rumbled, and both the kobolds and humans were stopped on their tracks.


    ¡°An earthquake!¡±


    But it was no earthquake. The rumbling of the ground became stronger and intense, which scared the kobolds shitless. After all, this was not part of the plan. They have no idea what¡¯s coming to them, but looks like the humans have. The humans widen their eyes in realization. That explosion and screams has summoned a Night Guardian.


    ¡°To Arms! The Night Guardian is upo-¡±


    The commander was cut off, as a gigantic worm sprang out of the ground, making 3 of the humans disappear from their positions. The kobolds, who had no idea what was happening, was overrun with fear and started running from the opposite direction of where the Night Guardian sprouted, and was also what Barnon did. Despite his cleverness with the formation of the plan, he never took random variables into consideration, including the chance of THAT thing appearing.


    As a result of having no experiences with plans, improvisation was quickly thrown out the window and him and his kin just booked it for their lives. It¡¯s not like they can do anything else. Unfortunately for them, the worm was still in the air, and it seems like it¡¯s aiming for in front of the group.


    ¡°Guys! STOP!¡±


    Barnon shouted, and many did, but a three in front were too late when the worm has already landed on them. The kobolds recoiled from the sight, as the worm moves through the soil like it was water. Barnon and his kin were in utter shock, so much that they have become stiff and still. The humans however were scrambling about after finally getting their weapons out. Barnon realized that they can¡¯t run unless the worm comes out into plain sight.


    The torches were the only things lighting up the are under the night, but those weren¡¯t even enough to locate the worm. Of course, it¡¯s still underground. The rumblings on the soil continued as the people in the area anticipated it¡¯s next appearance. These people knew that it wasn¡¯t done just yet. And so it was. This time however, the worm seemingly targeted the humans who were running around like a chicken. The kobolds were so still they you could say they looked like beautifully detailed statues. They did so for 10 minutes until the commander was finally gobbled. He was no match for the Night Guardian, as the commander didn¡¯t even have an Arc to help him fight off the monster.


    The almost-petrified kobolds waited for their deaths, but the shaking on the ground seemed to have become lesser and lesser, until it finally stopped. Looks like the Night Guardian has stopped his hunt. Of course, there were no more distinct vibrations it could detect, so now it wanders off from the area. Now the kobolds are free to move.


    ¡°What just¡­ happened?¡±


    One of the kobolds asked. It was Barnon¡¯s close friend, Khrus. Like Barnon, he wore a ragged white shorts. His face was also closer to resembling a wolf than a dog, and his fur was dark grey. Though his appearance gives off a vicious aura, he is actually quite the coward.


    ¡°W-we are not going to f-face any m-more of t-t-those right?¡±


    Khrus wanted to make sure. Who could blame him for being horrified from that worm? It¡¯s humongous size coupled with its destructive power was nothing to laugh at. Even the other kobolds seem like they also wanted to ask the same question. That worm ate 3 of their kin and the remaining humans after all.


    Barnon didn¡¯t know the answer to his friend¡¯s question, but assured them it won¡¯t come back as long as they keep quiet. Barnon hasn¡¯t discovered why the Night Guardian didn¡¯t try to eat them next, and only wanted to keep his kin quiet because noise would surely attract other monsters in the night other than that worm. The kobolds trusted their leader, and they didn¡¯t question him any further.


    Barnon and his kin then salvaged the corpses of the humans and took their equipment. They wore their clothes and armor for themselves and moved on to the north, where the forest kept on stretching farther. Days turned nights and nights turned days as weeks pass by after their escape. They could only be on the run as they believe the humans would be after them. Their survival however, was very lacking due to them being an inexperienced and untrained lot from combat. As a result, 8 of them died from the vicious monsters they have encountered in the forest. 4 died from the first few days, 2 with a wide gap between days, then finally it reached to the point were only one died in increasingly bigger gap between days. The encounters have obviously given them enough experience to finally survive in their own. Except for the Night Guardians, the monster commonly found here are small fries anyway.


    As smooth as things were going, the curse that have been placed unto their race started to kick in. They have been out without being given a command for so long, that their minds began to beg for a master. As days went on, they are starting to unconsciously let out begs just for someone to go and give them commands. Barnon was not exempt from this. His generation¡¯s resistance was only for the brainwashing, not the curse. The curse would give them increasingly painful headaches. It would also not register any kobolds as a master. Barnon, although he wanted freedom, could not deny that they would never live long without a master.


    One bright morning, just as when the curse was getting worse, Barnon suddenly felt a feeling rush in him during when their group was walking. It feels like it¡¯s beckoning him to somewhere. Leaving the others to Khrus for a while, Barnon followed this feeling. Through the thick foliage of the forest, he then came across a clearing. In the middle of it was a giant tree, and under it, was a tall stone with glowing pulsating blue markings on it. It was such a sight to behold and a feeling to savour, as seeing the altar made him somewhat light. He felt warm, protected, like the altar gives off aura of that of a guardian.


    Barnon believed that a spirit dwelled within that altar. Although spirits of the forest are hot headed and sometimes rude, they are undoubtedly benevolent as they would never harm anyone without good reason. This, this spirit should become their master. A master that will finally show them love and respect.


    And what surprise did they have, when they found out the the spirit was actually a god.

 Thrive

    Nemer was dumbfounded by the kobolds¡¯ warm welcome complete with open arms. Nemer could have sworn that there were screws loose in their head, but choosers can¡¯t be beggars. At least for now. Nemer just let out a sigh while the kobolds waited for the god¡¯s answer.


    ¡°Well¡­ If you truly want me as your god, then I gladly accept.¡±


    The kobolds threw their arms up in joy, glorious joy. They did a little celebration which elevated Nemer¡¯s mood. Even though they were annoying at first, they are really quite a bunch that he could get with. Nemer knew in his past life how saddening it is to live a life of solitude. He doesn¡¯t remember that memory right now, but that feeling still carried on to his soul. These kobolds easily washed this feeling away from Nemer¡¯s subconcious. Nemer was about to join in the celebration, when something suddenly grabbed his shoulder. Startled, he immediately zoomed away and turned around, only to see Wize waving at him. This old man has a habit of being creepy without even intending to.


    ¡°Wize? Is that you?¡±


    ¡°It is indeed me, Nemer. I have come to check up on you.¡±


    The gods have been monitoring Nemer¡¯s growth. This rate of improvement was not much of an impressive feat, but it was still a good progress. Wize was told to go and check up on him because they feel that Nemer would be able to talk to Wize normally.


    ¡°Checking up on me after you¡¯ve dumped me in here?¡±


    Nemer knew that it was Wize who struck him that deal, but he could not remember the details other than he needed to become a greater god and that he was the last one he saw before everything went black. Needless to say, his bitterness from the abrupt ¡®drop off¡¯ dragged on to his second life.


    ¡°Woah, easy there. You do remember that you accepted the deal, right?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Oh, right.¡±


    Wize momentarily forgot that Nemer¡¯s memories were wiped and fragmented. Though Wize shrugged it off as just a little mistake. He had a bigger mistake to fix. He came for more than checking up, because apparently a certain god forgot to give Nemer more important information.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry if I caused you disturbance.¡±


    ¡°Yeah yeah, whatever. What do you want old man?¡±


    ¡°Quite rude, eh?¡±


    ¡°Not as rude as dropping someone without any notice.¡±


    ¡°Touch¨¦.¡±


    Nemer really can¡¯t forget that particular event. Whether Wize likes it or not, Nemer will have a special place for him in Nemer¡¯s heart. A special place of distaste.


    ¡°That matter aside, I¡¯ve also come to inform you more on your mission.¡±


    ¡°About time! I can¡¯t seem to remember anything to help me become a greater god.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why I am here my child.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to do anything with my memories, do you?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    It would¡¯ve been much better if Nemer kept his previous memories. The gods however, had other plans. It¡¯s not like he needed those memories.


    ¡°Alright. So, what did you want to inform me?¡±


    ¡°Before that, you might want to tend to your kobolds first.¡±


    Nemer looked at the kobolds, and he found them stopping their celebration and staying silent. They have heard the conversation, albeit them only hearing Nemer¡¯s words. He had completely forgotten that the link was still strengthened.


    ¡°Oh, sorry about that. I have a business to attend to, so do what you want while I am away.¡±


    ¡°Yes, my lord.¡±


    Barnon replied. Nemer then loosened the connection and saw Barnon talking to his kin, though he couldn¡¯t make out what he was saying. That¡¯s not important right now.


    ¡°So, what now?¡±


    ¡°Now I give you part of your memories back.¡±


    ¡°Wait, so you did have something to do with my memories!¡±


    ¡°...No¡±


    The forgetful god forgot that he was supposed to keep his relation to Nemer¡¯s memories a secret. Nemer¡¯s look of disdain tells him that he failed horribly.


    ¡°Very well then. You have caught me red handed. It was indeed I that tampered with your mind.¡±


    ¡°Ugghh¡­ give them back!¡± exclaimed the lesser god while whipping out his hand to gesture him to give it to him.


    ¡°I was about to give part of it to you. Be patient please.¡±


    ¡°No! All of it!¡±


    ¡°I am certain even you wouldn¡¯t want to remember the things you have done.¡±


    Nemer was taken aback from the last sentence Wize spoke. That sentence could only mean that he has done unspeakable things in the past, and Wize was right that Nemer would definitely not want to remember those again.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    It was the truth. Nemer really did unspeakable things in the past, but most of those were from Nemer¡¯s embarrassing childhood memories. Seriously, who would want to remember that time where you ate your own poop? What¡¯s worse, is that the ignorant child Nemer actually liked it. Wize pitied Nemer¡¯s mind and heart if he were to give those memories back.


    But the things he had done did not just stop in childhood memories. It extended till his life ended. He was a slayer, taker of thousands of lives. A slayer lived on murdering monsters and other race alike. Slayers were believed as indiscriminate killers that bathed in the blood of their enemies. However, as much as they were bloodthirsty warriors, they had preferences. Some would not kill monsters, some would only kill humans, etc. And it so happened that Nemer preferred to help in wars by siding with the faction that he thinks is the most righteous. It was going so well, until he realized that his choices weren¡¯t that good.


    He had slain countless of soldiers, many of whom are innocent and were just forced to draft themselves to protect their family behind walls. Nemer¡¯s blind white and black mentality has caused him a great deal of trauma because of this sudden realization. He even found out that some of the factions even lied to him to get him in their side. These factions then discovered that their kingdoms started falling one by one, but could do nothing as they eventually all fell to the ground.


    Ever since then, the slayer had seen the world in another perspective. He would try to help others, but he did so with isolation from others. He killed troublesome monsters, sliced greedy liars, pummeled criminals, and did vigilante work all alone. He could never trust anyone ever again.


    Wize wanted to erase that mentality, but the heart could never forget. After all, trust is a crucial thing for a god.


    ¡°That is why you don¡¯t have your memories. We were simply giving you another chance.¡±


    Nemer finally understood his reason for wiping his memories. The two fell silent for a while, before Nemer spoke.


    ¡°Then, I shall gladly have part of my memories.¡±


    The old god nodded, and reached out to hold Nemer¡¯s head. As soon as Wize touched his head, memories rushed through Nemer¡¯s mind. How to do this, what is that, even his experience in combat and knowledge in many subjects flooded unto him. All of these were informational memories, none had the power to change him.


    Wize then let go, as the receiver of the memories floated still, trying to process this sudden influx of information. It would seem like that Nemer broke a fuse, and instantly fell on the altar.


    ¡°Oops.¡±


    Wize muttered as he forgot that not all gods have excellent processing power. Specially this lesser god before him.


    Nemer opened his eyes and he found himself lying on the altar under the shade of the giant tree. He sat up and grabbed his head, trying to remember something. He can¡¯t. He only remembered having blacked out. That isn¡¯t much important however, since he finally remembered a quite good amount of memories and information. The god sighed in relief from the-


    My lord, Nemer, I humbly request your audience.


    Nemer looked to the side where Barnon was kneeling and praying to him. He was pleased to see his loyal subject praying to him.


    ¡°Wait, what?¡±


    Over the head of Barnon, he spotted the kobolds doing something. Two were hammering a large stick on the ground with a rock. The others were busy carrying materials around, passing by a large hut made out of sticks and foliage. A set of sticks has been arranged and constructed together to make a primitive fence 8 meters before the edge of the forest, with a length of about 6 meters. They have been starting to establish a settlement around Nemer¡¯s altar.


    Nemer quickly strengthened his link and connected with Barnon.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    Barnon¡¯s head sprang back up, happy to have his lord answer his call.


    ¡°We are currently building a village, my lord.¡±


    He can see that. He had actually no idea why he said that. It¡¯s maybe out of habit from his previous life. Focusing on the current situation, he asked another question.


    ¡°Why did you call for me?¡±


    Though the some others only wanted to pray for the sake of it, Nemer had a feeling that this kobold would pray to him with only necessary things. Of course, Barnon did have something important to say.


    ¡°Me and my family, my friends included, are worried that we might burden you. We know that you would protect us from any harm, but even we know how tiring it is to keep protecting a defenseless herd.¡±


    It is true. No matter how much you want to protect something, tiredness and stress will inevitably accumulate and cause anyone to be less efficient. By the flow of things, Nemer knew where this was going.


    ¡°So you want me to teach you how to fight?"


    Barnon nodded. Nemer more or less wanted this situation. He remembered that kobolds were a race of monsters that are agile and ferocious, with sturdy bodies and sharp minds. Though their intelligence is just several times lower than the humans, lesser minds were still capable of forming a society and lay out flawed but effective plans. They were more than enough to be deadly monsters.


    These kobolds in front of Nemer was but a peaceful lot. They have seemed to wash away the image of their ancestors from themselves, and looks like they have reborn anew. These kobolds diligently working on their village couldn¡¯t be the kobolds he once saw and knew. But Nemer believes the inner savage kobolds were still in them somewhere. He wants to turn them into capable warriors by harnessing their instincts.


    ¡°Alright. It¡¯s what I planned to do anyway.¡±


    Barnon wagged his tail with excitement. He assumed that Nemer would be as impatient and lazy as the spirits of the forest, but he suppose that gods were vastly different from spirits. The god accepting his request was giving him joy.


    ¡°Once you complete your little village, we will then start training.¡±


    ¡°Of course, my lord. Then I shall take my leave.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    Barnon then went back to the other kobolds and spread the news. The young ones cheered while the males sped up their work, eager to start the training. The females helped their brothers and their friends create their small village.


    Nemer was watching them do their best in their work. The lesser god smiled at the rapid development of the village. Truly, a god¡¯s happiness dwells within the joy of his subjects. He weakened the link of his altar and flew around the village area. Barnon was helping carry a log with 2 others while also giving them commands. Barnon was being a very good leader to them, that was shown by the other¡¯s obedience of his commands.


    On the other side was a wolf like kobold, Khrus, pounding a sharpened log towards the ground, and another kobold was also doing the same with another sharpened log. The females would then help the working kobolds by giving them water and food. The remaining 3 youngs would just play around the materials, trying to help without actually doing anything significant.


    Everyone was currently busy under the afternoon sun, and if they were like humans, they would be surely bathing in sweat right now. Nemer admired the teamwork this particular group of kobolds are showing, surfacing a deep emotion from within him.


    He was a lonely and distant person from when he was a slayer. He yearned for companionship, friends, families to keep him company, but his trauma would not let him. He even pushed away those who were genuinely good people, since he felt like one day they might betray him. His isolation took a toll on his previous life.


    This time however, he finally achieved that yearning. That emotion wasn¡¯t that of sadness for being alone all through his living years, but happiness from finally having people he could trust. Monsters rather.


    He continued on to watch them, until the darkness of night descended. They worked surprisingly fast, having completed 3 huts, 3 perimeter primitive fences that each had a length of 6 meters, and one tall wooden watch tower. The watch tower housed Barnon inside as he keeps watch during his shift. They didn¡¯t need the watch tower since Nemer could just keep watch for them, but the understanding god knew where the tower was coming from.


    The night grows ever colder, as his first day of being a god ended.

 Eager

    The sun rises over Nemeran, which was not the new name of the god, but the given name of the village that has been settled around a giant tree. The village composed of a wooden watch tower, 2 large huts, 5 regular huts, a sharpened sticks fence that covered the village in the perimeter that reached about 300 meters in length. The population: 13 kobolds and 1 god. Lesser god as a matter of fact.


    It has been 3 days since the kobolds started their work on establishing their small village. They have shown why they were regarded as monsters that works fast be it on hunting or constructing. On this day, Nemer would be training them for combat. The adult and capable kobolds gathered around the altar, while the remaining 3 youngs stay in a hut playing. The gathered kobolds were listening to Nemer through their head, since they were about to start their training.


    ¡°Simply put, you are all weak and need some serious training.¡±


    Nemer is ending his debriefing to the kobolds, who are very serious considering their faces has been focused solely on the altar.


    ¡°This is why I had you all work your village first to at least give you guys some muscles, but I don¡¯t think these three days were enough for that.¡±


    Nemer knew that this group¡¯s constitution is absolutely wrecked as opposed to a normal kobold. Using Nemer¡¯s [Arcus Vision], the Arcus of the kobolds are unbelievably weak. Not just the glowing kind, but they all feel weak. That is prominent by their thin and lean looking bodies. They did help with agility as they don¡¯t carry much weight, but their lack of endurance and strength makes them laughably weak that a good punch will knock them out cold. Though every living being emit an aura from their Arcus, these group¡¯s aura is almost non existent. They could be barely seen by [Arcus Vision] that it feels like they hide in purpose out of shame.


    This was to expected since these kobolds were formerly slaves, and they were always almost  given less than enough basic needs. They became frail and weak due to this, but became even faster. There is also the case of stamina. Although their body may look like a good clubbing will snap them in two, the countless days where they were given nonstop orders gave them incredible stamina. They were rebellious, but most of them were not stupid enough to let themselves die out of blind idealism. So they had to make do and did their master¡¯s orders.


    ¡°Seriously, how did you all even survive out there?¡±


    The kobolds just remained in silence. They turned their gaze away from the altar as if they tried to hide away their shame on how weak they are. ¡®Probably shouldn¡¯t have said that.¡¯ thought Nemer as their pitiful faces made his heart twist in a painful way. He slowly returned normal when Barnon, his most trusted follower, didn¡¯t move nor turned to look away in shame. His adorable dog face was filled with determination, and he knew full well that if he wants to make his lord not make that remark again, then they need to be stronger. Barnon has steeled himself for this very day.


    Nemer was actually moved by this human-dog¡¯s resolve. Those eyes tells him that this kobold trusted him with the fullness of his heart despite only being with them for only 3 days. He wanted to hug him right now, but his incorporeal body won¡¯t allow him to. Barnen turned then around as he felt the same discomfort that his fellows had, so he wanted to cheer them up.


    ¡°Brothers, sisters, friends, my love. Do not avert your eyes in shame!¡±


    The others then looked at their leader as he spoke. Their eyes clearly hinted that they seriously thought they would just become a hindrance and unhelpful to the protection of their village. With a stern look, he continued to speak.


    ¡°My lord, OUR lord, Nemer, did not speak that out of ill will.¡±


    ¡®I really didn¡¯t.¡¯


    ¡°He merely inquired us on how did we survive out there. Not because he thought we were weak, but because he saw our potential.¡±


    ¡®Yeah- wait what?¡¯ was what was spoken in Nemer¡¯s head. He was sure that the first reason was definitely why he asked that. As for the other kobolds, they started to feel inspired. That¡¯s definitely what their god meant, right?


    ¡°Thus it is why he agreed to train us, to use that potential to the fullest.¡± raising his fist to chest-level and clenching it. ¡°We were slaves before, but now we are servants, servants to our lord!¡±


    ¡®Wait, slaves?!¡¯ Nemer was in shock. Them being former slaves was surprising, because he thought that the agile and slippery creatures wouldn¡¯t be caught and enslaved so easily.


    ¡°And with his divine protection, we shall offer our life to him. As his servants, we shall strengthen ourselves to be worthy to be called followers of Nemer.¡±


    The kobolds now had renewed resolves. Their eyes glimmered with inspiration and strengthened will. All of their negative thoughts were washed away and replaced by this new and one ideal; eternal servitude to Nemer.


    ¡°So should we mope around? No! For the lord and us, we shall rise!¡± shouted Barnon as he raises his fist.


    The other kobolds raised their fists in unison, as their voices preach praises towards Nemer. Barnon successfully reinvigorated the group, and he turned around to the altar to smile.


    Rather than be grateful, Nemer became wary of Barnon after witnessing how his most trusted follower can be so cunning. He felt fear for once since becoming a deity. He shook it off, as this loyal kobold couldn¡¯t possibly betray him. ¡®Yeah¡­ I know he can¡¯t.¡¯


    ¡°My lord, we are now ready for the training.¡±This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    Barnon spoke. Nemer eyed the group, the other kobolds had the same intensity of determination imprinted on their faces like Barnon. These kobolds are really eager to serve him, huh? His lips curled into a smile.


    ¡°Alright! Let us start! The first thing you¡¯ll have to do is run around the clearing with 10 laps nonstop!¡±


    The perimeter of the circular clearing is roughly around a mile , more or less. Nemer wanted to test their staminas first, since speedy monsters and people alike needed great air to be able to keep up with the strain on their body for being so fast.


    ¡°Yes, my lord!¡±


    The kobolds then started to run the laps, fast. Holy moly Nemer couldn¡¯t believe his eyes. In a matter of 3 minutes, 4 and a half laps were already done. The kobolds didn¡¯t even break a sweat during their run. It¡¯s as if they are already used to running. They are. Running away for their lives, that is.


    Nemer watched them blaze through the laps as if they were nothing. They were more than running, they were sprinting at full speed. It¡¯s as if their great speed made their images blur. It really wasn¡¯t blurring them, because Nemer is just having trouble comprehending this speed.


    Nemer knew the kobolds were fast, but he didn¡¯t know that they were REALLY fast as balls. This only made Nemer like his kobolds more.


    After they have done their laps in roughly 6 minutes, the kobolds slowed down until they went to a complete halt. As expected, the kobolds showed only a minor sign of exhaustion. There is now no doubt that their stamina is nothing to worry about.


    ¡°Great job!¡±


    The kobolds perked up from those words. Hearing their lord¡¯s words of praise filled them with glorious joy. They patted each other in the back and chuckled as they celebrate their little achievement.


    ¡°Now, I do not doubt your stamina anymore, but I don¡¯t think I can say the same to your strength.¡±


    The kobolds went serious again. Looks like their god is about to give another thing.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to train your strength to the point of ridiculous muscle mass. I just need you to have enough strength to be even faster.¡±


    The kobolds murmured with each other. They thought of how could strength possibly help them get any faster, showing that they have little to no knowledge about anatomy.


    ¡°You speedsters may think strength is not important, but it is. In your case, it is more appropriate to say that you need controlled strength.¡±


    The kobolds were confused. For one, they absolutely have no idea how could strength help them get faster. Their thought process thinks that strength is just pure brawling-punch-everything kind of attribute. Well, at least a certain orange kobold gets the drift of his lord.


    And also, they are still close to the edge of the clearing. How can their lord¡¯s voice still be clearly heard? Not that they mind it though. They are glad to have heard their lord¡¯s voice.


    ¡°What I mean is that you will need good control over your strength. Right now, there¡¯s nothing to control on your bodies.¡±


    The kobolds looked over their bodies, seing their thin meats being showered over by sunlight. Some even pinched their arms, feeling only flaps of their skin. Probably the only limbs they have that showed a promising amount of muscles are their canine legs.


    ¡°That is why I¡¯m going to fill all of you with some muscles, specifically in your legs. Strength in legs means much more powerful thrusts.¡±


    The kobolds murmured again. ¡®That is true¡¯ is what they finally realized after that sentence. After all, if you can jump to a tree¡¯s canopy, then you can definitely run a mile without a sweat.


    ¡°And to do that, you are all going to run again while carrying weights.¡±


    The kobolds readied themselves. They were prepared to run, but what are they going to use as weights? There is nothing they can u-


    ¡°You are all going to use those extra logs over there.¡±


    They couldn¡¯t see where Nemer was pointing, but they understood what he meant. After seeing the surplus of logs they had stocked, their resolved wavered as the logs were long and big, heavy too. Barnon was about to do the run first, but his close friend Khrus ran to a log first and carried it on his back. The log he took was 6 meters long with diameters of about 20 meters. He took a hem rope that was laying around next to the logs and strapped the log to him.


    After tightening the rope around his chest, he started to walk to the starting point. The weight of the log, which was about 53kg, made Khrus slow like a turtle and made him almost trip from some steps.


    Seeing the determination of his friend, Barnon went next in line in taking a log. This one was roughly the same size with the last one. He strapped it around himself and also started going. Just like Khrus, he went incredibly slow.


    The others were then again inspired and one by one took a log and carried them. Just like the two from before, they had a hard time carrying the log until they reached the starting point.


    All of them where then positioned, and after Barnon signaled, they started to run. Nemer again couldn¡¯t believe his eyes, because it¡¯s as if he is looking at a snail race. Then again, those weak kobolds are carrying logs while trying to run, so it¡¯s understandable.


    Each step they took made them wobble a bit and made them almost trip, but that did not stop them. Their hearts were already set on their training, never letting their weakness get to them.


    Their eagerness is commendable, but none would say the same on their fallen, exhausted bodies. Not a quarter of the lap has been travelled and the kobolds already gave up. They were panting heavily like they were about to die. Khrus, the first of the kobolds to take up a log, was behind the others when he was finally defeated by the weight of the log.


    ¡°This is going to take a while.¡±


    Murmured the god while looking at his defeated followers.


    For the next few days, the kobolds were trained morning till sunset. The kobolds went better with running under weights as days went over them, but they still hadn¡¯t manage to do a single lap. Indeed, the training these kobolds had helped not only run faster, but also boosted their stamina and endurance.


    The females were subjected to a less harsh training since Nemer remembered that female kobolds are naturally fragile and weak than the males. Rather than give them strength, he increased their agility by making them leap around the tree branches, which of course made numerous cases of kobolds raining from the sky.


    The progress was rather slow, but was surely and steadily flowing. As to why the god, Nemer, was training them like this, well he merely needed the kobolds to be at least in the minimum standards of properly harnessing and using arcus, and having a fit body is one of them.


    Trying to make the kobolds stronger through traditional means is certainly slow, that is why Nemer is rushing them to be able to do a much faster way of getting that good ¡®ol power up; Arcs.


    With Arcs, these kobolds would be able to properly handle their body, and not just that, but also use themselves to their full potential and be able to do feats normally impossible for anyone normal.


    ¡°OOOMPHF!¡±


    But that will have to wait until Barnon stops tripping on himself.

 Arcs and Arcus

    Khrus let out a triumphant yell as he falls down on his knees with his arms raised to the afternoon sky, his head bent back and his face filled with accomplishment.


    ¡°YEEEEEEAAAAAHH!¡±


    Khrus was the first one to run to the first lap. Well, he actually gave out halfway through the lap and just started to crawl the next half all the way to the end. Behind 13 meters from him was Barnon, still trying to run to the lap with the log behind him was being dragged across the ground. The rest behind Barnon either walked, or crawled with their logs on their back.


    Unlike the males who had to suffer heavy burden literally, the females have already past did their first lap and is now closing in to the second one. The females had to jump from tree to tree in the edge of the forest. Although they had a lot of mishaps, they eventually got used to the tree hopping thing. This was because it was still inclined to these kobolds high stamina and crazy agility.


    The males, on the other hand, had to do strength training which their muscle-less body cannot get used to easily. They have been training for 7 days straight, stopping only to hunt and eat then finally sleep. Their bodies still have a long way to go, but their endurance sure are progressing well.


    The observant god, Nemer, had been watching their training from the start. The steady progress of the training pleased him quite well, since he expected that the kobolds wouldn¡¯t be able to do the first lap in the first week. Actually, they were crawling and walking instead of running, but that¡¯s good enough. Nemer only wanted them to be at the minimum health requirement for Arcs. At least the muscle-less can now be replaced with muscle-good-enough.


    ¡°Alright guys, that¡¯s a wrap. All of you rest until your next training.¡±


    Is what the kobolds heard, and surely enough, they immediately took the chance to stop whatever they are doing and go to their huts and sleep. The straight days training really strained their bodies that caused them to always be feeling exhausted even though they had a good night¡¯s sleep.


    As for the god, he loosened the link from his altar and started to think. From the time he had watching the kobolds train, he has been thinking a ¡®lesson plan¡¯ of sorts for the teaching of the kobolds about ¡®Arc and Arcus¡¯, a universal phenomena and system akin to the other worlds¡¯ magic and mana. This pseudo-scientific system has been the foundation of every arcusian on Taerrea that could date back to the beginning of time.


    The universe that Nemer and others knew is entirely made out of arcus, an element that encompasses everything that existed. From the atoms to the galaxies, all of those are arcus.


    Arc would then the ways of manipulating arcus according to one¡¯s will, bending reality just like how an arc line bends. There a lot of types and kinds of arcs, and all of them uses arcus.


    Just as the universe has the law of physics and theories, so does arc and arcus. One of the universal arcs and arcus law, is that no one can destroy arcus. Even the gods cannot defy this law, as some tried and failed. Another important law, is that arcs override physics. That means no matter how illogical, impossible and absurd an arc is, you have no choice but to accept the fact that it broke reality.


    All of these information are definitely important, but not obligatory. For one, only dedicated or intelligent arcusians would want to have extensive knowledge about the universal law of arc and arcus, that or they are just bored. Most of the accomplished arcusians simply go by with general information and experience, making it more clear that you do not need to know everything about arc and arcus to make a difference. Knowledge would still certainly help though.


    Nemer himself is not that knowledgeable, but he knows a thing or two regarding the matter. Which is why he finally decided on the approach of the training. Of course he would have to wait-


    Snooore


    -because he can in no way teach a sleeping village.


    The next morning, the kobolds have realized that they slept all the way through from afternoon till morning. The worried look of the kobolds in their huts indicates that they''re worried that their slumber may have irritated Nemer. From what the kobolds have heard, gods were supposed to be impatient, and anyone who would dare test their patience would be smitten.


    Of course, this was just a baseless rumor spread by people for the purpose of making offerings and prayers be as brief as possible. Patience has been the overwhelming virtue of most of the gods, including the naturally energetic goddess of peace.


    The kobolds hurriedly changed and gathered around the altar. Just then, the Bluemark Altar would emit it¡¯s signature glow, before the kobolds hear a voice speak.


    ¡°Hm? Why are you all here?¡±


    Inquired the confused god, as he had never told them to gather just yet.


    ¡°Ermm¡­ we fell asleep yesterday afternoon, my lord, and slept through the whole remaining training hours, so we gathered here to see if you are¡­ mad at as.¡± Barnon spoke with a nervous tone.


    Nemer is quite happy they are fiercely loyal to him, but their loyalty seems to be caging them more than they were still slaves.


    This was no surprise however, since their previous masters would be mad if they slept through their ¡®working¡¯ hours, and be beaten or abused or anything related to those. Not one of the kobolds had a kind master to tend to them.


    ¡°I said to rest till your next training right?¡±


    ¡°But my lord-¡±


    ¡°No buts. Do as I say, but keep in mind that you are still free. I¡¯m not going to force you to do something that you don¡¯t want.¡±


    Barnon, who had much left to say, kept quiet. He never thought that his lord would be this benevolent. Truly, their lord is befitting of a god.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    ¡°So rest up. The next training will only be given to those who want it.¡±


    The kobolds then bowed with a ¡®Yes, my lord¡¯ before going to to their village grounds to relax and rest. As Nemer expected, Barnon would take part of the training seeing how his face once again was filled with determination. He understood that lving beings like them still has freedom, and he doesn''t want to take that away from them.


    Nemer underestimated the will and loyalty of these kobolds. The next morning, right before him were 10 kobolds standing in front of the altar, bodies tuned and faces stern. Turns out, these kobolds would do anything for their beloved lord, and what other way to do that than to partake his training?


    ¡°I see all of you have gathered.¡±


    Nemer has sent out a message to the kobolds to go to the altar if they want to do the activity, and all of them wanted to do it. The shocked but amused god was grinning like an idiot over his followers. He could¡¯ve never asked any better followers than these lot.


    ¡°Yes we have, my lord. If I may ask, what training are we going to do today?¡±


    Barnon and co could not wait anymore, as their enthusiasm is slowly showing on their wagging tails.


    ¡°Ah, right.¡± Nemer then cleared his throat. ¡°Todays training will be about Arc and Arcus.¡±


    The kobolds halt their wags, and looked at the altar, curious and confused. ¡®What¡¯s an arc? Is it tasty?¡¯ ¡®Arcus? Who is that?¡¯ And other related questions started sprouting from their mouths, or snouts, as they murmur from each other. Even Barnon, the cleverest of them all, has no idea what those are.


    Of course they wouldn¡¯t, since their previous masters were despicable lowlifes with less than desirable constitution that their body and mind could not do any Arcs. The fact that even their kingdom are devoid of arcusians is enough of a reason to why the kobolds weren¡¯t exposed to anything regarding arcs and arcus.


    ¡°First off, arcus is what we call the element that makes up everything you see. Rocks, trees, air, even your body is made out of arcus.¡±


    ¡°Does that include you, my lord?¡± asked Barnon.


    ¡°Yes it does.¡±


    The gods were not exempt from this law. Even the 3 Planes are made out of arcus, with the Planes of Gods having the most amount and concentration of arcus. It is only right, because a god needed a lot of arcus to maintain themselves.


    ¡°Second, arc is the thing were you manipulate arcus to your will and bend reality.¡±


    The kobolds got once again excited. The very thought of being able to do impossible stuff was tempting to them.


    ¡°Lastly, for the next few weeks, I will be teaching all of you arcs.¡±


    The kobolds threw out a cheer for the upcoming training.


    And so the kobolds once again trained, but with arcus instead of arcus. Nemer told them the basic arcs: expand, contract, focus, spread, contain, release, attract, repel, imbue, and absorb. These arcs are called the ¡®Essential Arcs¡¯, where if one to use master arcs, one must know the essentials.


    The Essential Arcs uses the arcus of one¡¯s body, because no matter where you go, your body will always be the first thing available that has arcus. No, the arc does not manipulate the arcus of body, but the arcus of the soul.


    There are two things essential for arcs, which are; The Heart and The Soul. The Heart is responsible for pleasures and instinct, and is also responsible for one to control arcus. The Soul is responsible for compassion and sympathy, and is also responsible for containing arcus. This is why only living beings can control arcus, and this includes non sentient life like ants or worms.


    The kobolds are doing meditation of sorts, standing up while breathing very slowly with eyes closed. They needed to bring out the arcus from their souls in order to use their arcs. They have been doing this for over an hour already.


    ¡°Snifffff, haaaaaa¡­¡±


    Those onomatopoeia are the only sounds coming from the group, save for the swaying of leaves and the gentle breeze of the wind. Nemer watched closely as his followers are about to breakthrough.


    Just then, the kobolds feel something burst from them. It wasn¡¯t painful, but actually pleasant, as if their bodies were now relieved of burden. They felt their body got colder, and the air became minty. When the kobolds opened their eye, the knew they succeeded.


    The kobolds saw arcus for the first time, flowing out from each other¡¯s bodies. Like smoke, they diffuse, but like water, they look viscous. The shock in the kobolds faces were amusing for the god. He purposely omit anything that would happen during a breakthrough as a surprise, and boy did he like it.


    ¡°Is this¡­ arcus?¡±


    One of the kobolds asked, a brown fur kobold that wore only shorts just like the other males.


    ¡°Yep. Congratulations on your breakthroughs.¡± Nemer declared.


    The kobolds celebrated while their bodies emit arcus and automatically forming auras. There was clapping, high five-ing, hugging, and other celebratory stuff.


    ¡°But we aren¡¯t done yet.¡±


    The kobolds abruptly stopped their celebration and once again focused their attention to the altar.


    ¡°Now, what you need to do is manipulate your arcus in any way possible. This one¡¯s on you guys. I¡¯ll be stepping out from here.¡±


    The kobolds were confused. They have no idea how to manipulate arcus. Sure, Nemer has already told them what to do, but they needed ¡®how¡¯, not ¡®what¡¯. At least one kobold has an idea. Khrus grunted all he could, earning the attention of the others as he tried his best to manipulate his arcus. He flexed his arms downwards and slouched, trying to imbue his aura of arcus to his skin. The kobolds were in awe of Khrus¡¯ demonstration.


    Pooooot


    Then that awe turned to laughter. Khrus let out a ghastly air with a whistle, in it wasn¡¯t pleasant for the wolf-like kobold. However, Khrus grinned when his highly hazardous gas reached the nose of the other kobolds, and he laughed in turn to the faces of disgust, all trying to cover their nose from the horrid smell. Their higher attuned senses made it even worse for them, and Khrus. It took a while before Khrus smelled his own fart and started rolling on the ground teary eyed.


    Nemer shook his head on the kobolds, but nevertheless happy for Khrus. That gas wasn¡¯t just a normal fart, but an arcus infused one that multiplied its intensity several times. In a way, Khrus succeeded, through his ass. Now, if only he could do that to anything else other than his fart.


    ¡­


    ¡­.....


    ¡­...........


    A carriage zooms on a road with the horse in front kicking in full gear. 5 armed guards escort the carriage, as they ride their horses and trying to flee from a group of people.


    ¡°Faster! Do not let them take away the princess!¡±


    One of the guards yelled, donned in a steel armor, and was replied with a ¡®Yes sir!¡¯ by the others.


    One of the guards took out a bow and aimed at his back. He shot an arrow and pierced the horse of one of the people chasing them, resulting in the horse going down and taking another three with him before disappearing behind the group.


    The attackers then retaliated by sending a ball of fire that struck the ground under the carriage, exploding and throwing the carriage and escort away from the blast. The resulting explosion kicked up a lot of dust, and covered the area of impact.


    The attackers stopped, and investigated the area once the dust settled after a while, and realized that the VIP has escaped and the opposition was met with retaliation of 3 guards.


    At least, the princess is safe for now.

 Damsel

    A lone soldier clad in steel armor walks through the forest, injured and mind hazy. On his arms is a beautiful girl aged 17 to 19 years old, dressed in an attire of nobility.


    Her long black hair is messy,she has fair skin, and a body that is only right for a princess, but she isn¡¯t one. She is the daughter of a lord and the 3rd child. She is only called a princess because of her fair beauty and genuine kindness. However, the princess is now unconscious on the arms of her saviour, a grizzly man in his 40¡¯s sporting blocky features in his face, a full blown beard, and long brown hair that reached up to his neck. His hair lays a number of greyed hair, riddled by the sands of time.


    This man, with name of Jarun, dutifully carried the unconscious princess deeper into the forest, following a feeling he felt after he entered. He could not run, and was instead limping towards his uncertain destination. The unknown did not scare him, for he trusted his guts. Something is leading him to somewhere, and he believes in it.


    Jarun tripped over a root and fell on his back towards the trunk of a tree, making sure the princess wouldn¡¯t get hurt from the fall. He held the princess in front of him, unable to carry on due to the injury he suffered in his chest and leg. His vision is slowly failing him from being bled out.


    He only did what he could do right now, embrace the girl that he has sworn to protect. He laid her down to the ground, and started to weaken. Just as his vision was about to get dark, unknown figures showed up in front of him, then he blacked out.


    Leisha woke up by immediately sitting up, panting heavily. The sunlight bathed her as she regained her composure. She turned to the side, only to be greeted by a grey fur wolf-like kobold face-to-face.


    ¡°Hi.¡± Said Khrus while he held his palm up, adding a smile that was more or less like a snarl.


    He was only replied by the girl''s fearful scream. The close proximity to the girl prompted him to cover his sensitive ears, the pain resonating in his eardrums.


    Barnon busted in with a worried expression, only to witness the girl cowering in the corner of the hut and Khrus clearing his ears.


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°This girl just screamed in front of my face like it was the most natural thing to do!¡± Said Khrus while flourishing his arms.


    Barnon held his forehead and sighed. Of course, who wouldn¡¯t scream when a wolf suddenly talked in front of your face? It was even a monster. Just then, the girl spoke.


    ¡°W-who are you? Where am I? Where¡¯s Jarun?¡± demanded Leisha while shivering.


    ¡°Apologies, ma¡¯am, you do-¡±


    ¡°SOMEBODY HELP ME!¡±


    Leisha rudely interrupted Barnon, irritating him. He didn¡¯t liked humans from the start, and her whimpering is only making it worse. He prayed to Nemer that this girl would just shut up before he slaps her across her face.


    ¡°Come on, Barnon, don¡¯t be like that.¡±


    His thoughts were stopped by Nemer¡¯s remark.


    ¡°You gotta talk to her nice and slow.¡±


    Barnon sighed. He didn¡¯t think of this option. Being confronted by a human that complained and asked every now and then is annoying, even by their fellow humans, thus slightly clouding his judgement.


    The girl, still cowering in the corner, suddenly covered her ears. It¡¯s as if she is turning mad, which is exactly what she''s thinking right now. The god is speaking to her, but it looks like the girl is not taking it in good.


    ¡°I¡¯m even hearing voices¡­¡± said Leisha while tears well up in her eyes.


    She buried herself on her knees, sobbing from the turn of events. Khrus just sat there without a know in the world.


    Barnon wanted to slap this human. Very badly. Then again, this human might have circumstances that prompted her to cry in the corner, so he can¡¯t judge.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t help much, did I?¡± asked Nemer with a forced chuckle.


    ¡°Yes, my lord.¡± Barnon said with all honesty.


    The god grumbled from his failure to calm the girl down.


    ¡°What did you do to me? You monsters!¡±


    The girl yelled at the kobolds. Khrus looked at Barnon, and recoiled from the display of animosity.


    ¡°C-calm down Barnon. It¡¯s ok!¡±


    But his words fell into deaf ears. Barnon is already thinking of ways to dispose of her, but his loyalty to Nemer and morals prevented him from doing so. Khrus just slowly tip toed himself towards the door, and ran away.


    ¡°Hey, Barnon,¡±


    Barnon snapped out of it.


    ¡°You¡¯re kinda showing your hatred.¡± Nemer told to the angry dog.


    He realized that when he saw the girl look at him with frightful eyes, the look you would have when meeting your killer.


    Guilt coursed through his body. He regret ever thinking those unspeakable things towards the girl, who is clearly scared because things are unknown around her. Just like a child.


    He didn¡¯t want to stoop to his previous master¡¯s level, who would beat and abuse him whenever he got the chance. No, Barnon wants to be better than that prick, prick being an understatement.


    He calmed down, and approached the girl. Leisha only responded by cowering to her corner more, shaking and begging Barnon to stay away from him as her tears pour down.


    He stopped a feet from the girl, who had now turned her face away. He semi-kneeled and spoke with a calm and gentle voice.


    ¡°My lord does not wish you harm, nor do I.¡±


    His voice strangely reassured the girl, who slowly turned her head to look at the kobold.


    ¡°You are safe here, I swear in my life. Whatever that may have distraught you, we shall comfort you.¡±


    Barnon looked the girl in the eyes, not out of hatred, but out of kindness. The girl''s amber eyes glowed with the feeling of ease. Leisha surprisingly calmed down. Probably because Barnon''s adorable dog face. She is no longer trying to hide in fear, and she slowly relaxed her body.


    Barnon responded with a smile, his adorable dog face popping it out even more. He patted the girl on the head, but Leisha only stayed still as he pats her head. If one were to look at this situation, one would assume that the roles have been reversed.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    Leisha suddenly averted her eyes, causing Barnon to raise an eyebrow.


    ¡°Ummm¡­ y-your torso¡¯s¡­ bare¡­¡±


    Barnon looked down on himself and saw his naked torso. He was only wearing blue shorts at that time. He stood up and held his hips.


    ¡°Why? Is there something wrong?¡±


    Being a slave has its perks. One of them, is that you won¡¯t be embarrassed being naked.


    ¡°N-n-no! It¡¯s just that¡­ I¡¯m n-not used to seeing ot-ther people like t-that.¡±


    Barnon laughed. This girl may have been pampered too much to not see other men having a bare torso. He kept talking to her, while Leisha would retort at his every tease.


    Nemer, who has been watching from the start, shed a single drop of tear, proud of this orange kobold. Seeing his followers achieve something he couldn¡¯t, even though he¡¯s a god, surprisingly gave a positive feeling to his very essence. After all, he is like a father looking after his children.


    Having defused the situation, he went inside in another hut, and checked up on an unconscious Jarun, sleeping on a leaf bed. It¡¯s not comfy, but does the job.


    ¡°How¡¯s he doing?¡±


    The god would naturally worry because he isn''t a heartless douche.


    ¡°He¡¯s doing fine, but I don¡¯t think he will wake up anytime soon, my lord.¡±


    Said a golden brown fur kobold while putting her hands over the soldier and giving him arcus. Her hands glow a sky blue color as arcus transfers from his hand to the soldier¡¯s chest.


    It has been 8 days since the kobolds first started dabbing in Arcs. It was not till recently did the duo of humans were brought back from the forest, both not moving but still breathing.


    The girl, who looked like a noble judging by her clothes, woke up 3 hours later after being brought to her bed, and screamed her lungs out.


    The man, on the other hand, was obviously still in a coma on the bed. The kobold who was tending to him, going by the name Khasa, has been doing the boring act of arcus imbuing on the soldier for the last 3 hours. The increased concentration of arcus in Jarun¡¯s body will naturally heal him.


    The appearance of these duo worried Nemer, since this might mean that there are other humans nearby. Since they were discovered by his kobolds, it¡¯s safe to assume that they would be in a close proximity.


    This foresight made him decide to send out two of his fastest and most silent kobolds to scout the forest. He didn¡¯t send them without proper preparation though. They were equipped with throwing stones, admittedly low tier and primitive, and the arc [Conceal]. [Conceal] allows the arcusian to hide their presence by blending their arcus to the environment.


    Before he set them out, he had already decided that all of the kobolds learn this arc. Even though it sounds like a complicated arc, it¡¯s actually not. It¡¯s one of the many beginner arcs that anyone can do. It can easily be countered by any other detecting arcs that doesn¡¯t involve directly finding the target¡¯s arcus.


    The decision was risky, due to the humans likely having an arc that can easily locate them. The risk is somewhat reduced by the kobolds¡¯ [Conceal] and their keen senses. Right now, he could only hope for the best.


    He got out from the hut and looked towards the direction of the two kobolds he sent out, and to his surprise, he can actually see the two kobolds. The mist barrier is still there, but it looks kinda mind boggling-y.


    Looking at the radius of the mist, his sight of the kobold should have been cut off considering their distance, but he can apparently see the kobolds, and a small area around them.


    Of course, this was new to Nemer. He tried rubbing his eyes to try and clear up his vision, but it was still the same sight. He is as if looking at a fog of war, except extra foggy.


    He was about to go to the two kobolds¡¯ location, but he¡¯s got other things to do. He flew towards the west of the village, where a training ground has been built. There were training dummies sparsely put in random locations inside.


    Inside it were 3 kobolds, and one of them were Khrus. This kobold is a unique one, because unlike the others, he is actively developing his strength rather than his agility.


    In just a case of a few weeks, Khrus has gone from lean to buffed. He¡¯s not exactly that big, but his muscles are clearly defined and well built. That is because he has been punching logs while using his arcus as strengthening. This caused his body to have rapid development, and turned his body to this fit and buffed body he has now.


    The big guy now looks more like a werewolf than a kobold.


    ¡°AAIIIIEEEEE!¡±


    But he¡¯s still the same coward Barnon knew.


    ¡°Worm! Worm! Worm!¡±


    Said Khrus while pointing at the worm on the training dummy he was working on, while also backing away. His shaking body and pathetic expression clearly shows how scared he is. It would¡¯ve helped if the Night Guardian didn¡¯t happen.


    ¡°Calm down, Khrus, it¡¯s just a worm.¡± A dark grey fur kobold said after picking up the worm.


    ¡°You don¡¯t understand, Veni! That thing is monstrous!¡±


    As if it heard Khrus, the worm squirmed in protest. This only made the intimidating kobold let out a cry.


    ¡°Dangit dude, can you keep it down?¡± Said another kobold, who had brown fur. He was practicing forming an arcus blade in his hand.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Nick, It¡¯s just that worms are scary.¡±


    ¡°You mean this?¡±


    Khrus turned around, only to find Veni holding the worm in front of his face. He didn¡¯t move.


    ¡°Oh? Got over your fear now?¡±


    The phantom sounds of one¡¯s soul shattering didn¡¯t seem like it, specially when the petrified victim fell on his ass and started foaming.


    ¡°Oops.¡±


    Nick just facepalmed while Veni tried to carry the big guy to a hut. There was a series of ¡®I¡¯m sorry! I¡¯m sorry!¡¯ from Veni as he dragged the sorry Khrus. Nick just continued on to practice his arcus blade.


    Nemer shook his head at the event that just happened. He recognizes Khrus¡¯ strength, but that won¡¯t be put to use if he keeps being a coward. Not that he doesn¡¯t recognizes the others, it¡¯s just that Khrus is different, and difference can attract attention.


    Before he realized it, the scouting kobolds already came back with bad news. A group of humans are heading towards the village, probably using the soldier¡¯s tracks to lead them to Nemeran.


    Judging from the girl¡¯s assumed nobility, she might be the target of this group. This was expected, but was still nerve tingling. If things become worse, then his followers might get their first battle.


    It¡¯s both a good and bad thing; good because the battle would yield experience to the kobolds, allowing them to be more efficient in further battles, bad because there might be casualties on his side, which he does not want to happen this early.


    He had to act now, since the group of humans are rapidly closing in to their location. He calmed himself down and decided. It is time to test his followers.


    ¡°Are you sure about this, Sera?¡±


    A man, probably in his 30s, spoke as he follows a cloaked human. He too wears a cloak, hiding beneath leather armor and and a sword strapped on his belt. Behind him were around 20 or so of cloaked humans, 7 of them seemingly injured.


    The man¡¯s eyes were blue like the sky, his face having sharp features for a middle aged man. His cloak covers most of his body, except for his head. He had black hair, with some grey strands sprouting around.


    ¡°I am sure. Besides, I am the only arcusian in this group. I can easily find the princess with my arc in no time.¡±


    In front of him leading the group was a cloaked woman, whose appearance is hidden within her cloak. Only her cherry led lips, fair complexion, and her long brown hair is exposed.


    ¡°And I trust your arc will keep us safe?¡± Inquired the man.


    ¡°I assure you, we won¡¯t be ambushed when I¡¯m around.¡±


    The man could only sigh. He has no choice but to trust her. Him and his men are not suited to detecting things from out of sight. The woman is apparently the only arcusian in their kingdom, appearing last month.


    ¡°We are almost there.¡±


    The woman¡¯s words made the man looked over in front of him. Looks like they are approaching a clearing, which is evident by the gradually increasing illumination from sunlight as vegetation and trees make way.


    They emerged from the forest and into the clearing, where a giant tree stood in the center. What appeared before them was a village. What¡¯s odd, is that the village seem deserted. There were no living soul that could be seen. Even the woman¡¯s [Detect] isn¡¯t picking up anything.


    ¡°This is strange¡­ I was sure they were here.¡±


    The confused woman looked around her. The man nodded and commanded his men to investigate the area, which is replied by ¡®Yes sir!¡¯ and the cloaked soldiers hurrying to do their job.


    While still confused, the woman spotted an object of interest in the center of the clearing. Under the giant tree, there stood a tall stone with glowing markings on it.


    There was really something wrong, when her [Detect] picked nothing up although there was definitely someone standing there.


    She stepped closer to take a closer look, before realizing that-


    ¡°Welcome to Nemeran.¡±


    -it was an orange fur kobold.

 Encounter

    The cloaked woman stood there looking at the kobold, confuzzled. It was a strange situation. The kobold wore a militia-like attire instead of the common white ragged shorts all kobold slaves seemt to had.Harle went to check, only to stand in the same confusion with the woman.


    ¡°Why is there a kobold here?¡±


    Uttered the woman, since she and the others know that the kobolds are already a ¡®slave race¡¯, and none should be away from any kingdoms. So why is a kobold here?


    ¡°If a kobold¡¯s here, then he should have a master nearby.¡± whispered the man


    With a pat at the woman¡¯s shoulder, he slowly approached the kobold with caution. The kobold then spoke as he stepped closer.


    ¡°My name is Barnon, and I humbly welcome you to my village.¡±


    Harle stopped on his tracks. He thinks that the master may be hiding somewhere out of reach of the woman¡¯s [Detect] and is using the kobold as proxy. His soldiers should be investigating the area, so it¡¯s only a matter of time till they find the master.


    ¡°I am Harle . I believe you may have something rightfully ours.¡±


    Harle  decided it would be best to stall for time. The woman on the other hand disappeared and is currently finding the master too. The initiative of this group made him glad that he wasn¡¯t lumped into a bunch of idiots.


    ¡°Ah well, you see, I believe that this ¡®thing¡¯ does not want to go to you.¡±


    ¡°Then how much money do you want?¡±


    Barnon was clearly displeased. Harle was being blunt and obvious about their motives. Trying to bribe him only shows how despicable he is, but he has orders.


    ¡°I do not want your riches.¡±


    ¡°Then you are making this hard for you, buddy. Tell your master he made a mistake.¡±


    Harle unsheathed his sword and ran towards Barnon, intending to cut this pathetic kobold.


    ¡°Oh, trust me. My lord did make a mistake.¡±


    Harle sliced first with an overhead strike, but it was instantly parried by Barnon, hitting the side of his blade with the back of his bare hand. Harle was taken aback.


    ¡°What the-¡±


    But his jaw was met with a right hook before he could utter another word. He stumbled back, grunting from the pain.


    ¡°The mistake of overestimating you.¡±


    Barnon then assumed a fighting stance. He already had some experience sparring with Veni, who preferred using long weapons, or sticks, which allowed him to easily read the man¡¯s attack. Barnon and Veni had equal scores, their spars always ending on a draw. Barnon¡¯s cleverness and all-arounder was in balance with Veni¡¯s elegance and finesse.


    The other party was at fault here, since he didn¡¯t think the kobold would fight back. The man¡¯s ignorance boosted his confidence to danger levels and caused him a tooth, which fell out from his mouth by the way.


    ¡°You trash!¡± barked the man


    Barnon only continued his stance, while mocking Harle with his smug face. Harle was angered, but kept his rationality and reassessed the kobold. His parry didn¡¯t look like it was a lucky hit, nor was his punch, so it¡¯s safe to assume this kobold had some training or fighting experience. This assumption forced Harle to take another approach.


    Barnon saw Harle running at him with his sword drawn to his right side. Barnon instinctively changed his stance to allow easier blocking on his left side. Harle saw his change however, and quickly turned around to do a left slash instead. This caught Barnon off-guard and made him barely evade the slash by backstepping a huge distance.


    Harle didn¡¯t allow the kobold breathing room and quickly ran up to him and did a rising strike, making the kobold backstep again. Harle then did an overhead strike while Barnon was still recovering. Knowing that Barnon cannot dodge anymore from the close range and the speed of the attack, he immediately clapped the sword between his hands mid slash, forcing him to semi- kneel from the force.


    Harle was surprised with the kobold¡¯s quick reflexes for a moment, but then immediately kicked the kobold to his right side, making the kobold fly to the left for a few meters.


    Barnon landed on all fours and bare his fangs in pain. The kick was surprisingly powerful, but the arcus protecting his body lessened the impact. It did not mean the pain was any less though. Barnon stood up and sprinted towards the man.


    Harle sees the incoming kobold and prepared himself. The kobold winded up a punch while letting himself slide on the ground. Harle shifted his sword stance to try and intercept the punch, but was denied of his tactic when the kobold actually threw the punch to the ground.


    Barnon has used a large amount of arcus and focused it on his hand to create a shockwave with a punch to the ground to try and shake off the man¡¯s balance, which he did successfully. The punch shook the earth in a small radius and formed a crack, which made Harle momentarily lose his balance before he was hit in the gut.


    Harle quickly slashed in front of him, forcing  the kobold to back away. He held his stomach while struggling to breathe properly. That punch had knocked the wind off him. His breathing room did not last long when the kobold started to run up to him.


    ¡°Damn it¡­¡±


    Harle never knew that a kobold would be such a pain in the ass to deal with. After all, it has been many years since the fall of the kobolds, after which no one ever saw how a kobold fought anymore. This is his first time experiencing hardship on trying to fight a kobold, who is much more capable than the previous kobolds. Those were more of an execution though, rather than an actual fight. Still, he still can¡¯t believe how capable fighters kobolds were.


    Barnon high kicked Harle when he was close enough, which made Harle jump back and slash forward. Barnon side stepped and ran a few steps before doing a roundhouse kick. Harle blocked with his sword, but the kick was surprisingly powerful enough to knock him off his feet.


    Seeing an opportunity, Barnon hopped and twisted, doing another roundhouse kick. Harle who still hadn¡¯t recovered, tried to block the kick again with his sword, and was then sent flying a few meters away from Barnon, before hitting the giant tree.


    Harle stabbed his sword on the ground, and used it to help lift him off the ground. He looked at the kobold with fierce and raging eyes, his anger clearly showing from his expression and gritted teeth.


    ¡°Damn you¡­¡±


    Barnon just grinned and did his stance again. Harle took his sword off, and started walking towards the kobold. His action seems to be more calm than his current mood would suggest. Barnon held his guard up, but was still caught off-guard when a quick slash rised up in front of him. His quick reflexes thankfully allowed him to barely get out of harm¡¯s way by just a strand of fur.


    ¡°I¡¯ll kill you!¡± roared Harle as he gripped his sword with two hands.


    His demeanor and tone of voice indicate that he is dead serious in his threat. The look in his eyes tells the kobold that he¡¯ll have his head, no matter what costs him.


    Harle then continued on with a barrage of slices and strikes, which Barnon struggled to dodge against. His speed suddenly increased, probably due to rage. The continued onslaught caused the kobold to gain cuts and wounds, and his right arm having the brunt of it. Realizing that he can¡¯t let this continue on, Barnon jumped a good distance away.


    His arcus skin protection allowed him to lessen the impacts of attacks by spreading them evenly to other body parts. It does not protect well against sharp objects however, since these objects¡¯ impact is much more focused and pinpointed causing it to break the protective arcus covering.


    Harle just continued to rush at Barnon, who is now strengthening his body more with arcus, which is an Arc called [Enhance].


    This is what allowed Barnon to pull off those powerful punches and kicks, and allowed him increased body efficiency like stamina and reflexes. Barnon has been actively using [Enhance] in a lesser degree since the beginning of their fight, the use if this gone unnoticed by Harle.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    Barnon¡¯s aura started to faintly glow. Harle saw this, but were too into his rage that he kept rushing Barnon. The kobold was met with multiple slashes, but he managed to dodge more successfully this time. He still sustained damage, but not as much as he had before.


    Harle thrusted his sword towards Barnon¡¯s stomach, but the kobold caught his sword mid-thrust with his two hands, which caused it to bleed. Harle went stiff for a while, as he didn¡¯t expect the kobold to be willing catch it and injure himself, so he was immediately disarmed when the kobold kicked the sword on the side and made Harle release it from the force.


    Harle, now disarmed, was relentlessly greeted with punches. He could only cover his face as the kobold continued barraging him with punches. As a last ditch effort, he took a wide right hook targeted towards the kobold¡¯s face, but was easily evaded by ducking.


    Realizing he screwed up, he could only watch as the kobold¡¯s fist start to glow, and be thrust up to the bottom of his jaw. The kobold did an uppercut with significant force that Harle was sent flying to the sky for a few meters before falling on the ground unconscious.


    Barnon deactivated [Enhance] while panting. Despite the usefulness of the Arc, [Enhance] was limited to the body¡¯s threshold and so therefore cannot exceed beyond two times the power of the body or else the user risks increased shortening of breath and rapidly deteriorating strength, or worse, rupture.


    Barnon looked at the unconscious man, feeling relief in his body now that the assumed leader of the group is down. Now he only had to wait for the others. He went to the altar and sat next to it to relax, smiling after he heard his god say:


    ¡°Good job!¡±


    Meanwhile, the group of soldiers were investigating the area when a group of kobolds decided it was fun to throw rocks at them. They took cover in the huts as the were being suppressed. They were separated into two groups when the rocks came flying to them, significantly lessening their power as a whole.


    ¡°Damn it! We can¡¯t get out unless these rocks stop- argh!¡±


    One of the soldiers in a particular group got hit in the head from a stray rock that flew into a window, making him stumble to the ground and grunt in pain. Another soldier rushed to his companion¡¯s aid and treated his now bleeding head.


    ¡°Where¡¯s that woman? Where is she when we need her?!¡±


    Unknown to the others, Sera has another problem to deal with. She went inside a hut after the rocks started raining, but was immediately come face-to-face with a wolf kobold, which made her let out a scream.


    Back at the supressed soldiers, who was now down to 4 healthy soldiers and the rest injured, they unmistakenly heard the scream of the arcusian they failed to find.


    ¡°There she was. Damn it! Looks like we¡¯ll have to be on our own now!¡±


    ¡°Like that wasn¡¯t obvious a long time ago!¡± A soldier sarcasticly said.


    ¡°Keep the sarcasm to yourself until we¡¯re out, Jim.¡±


    The soldier named Jim then looked around the hut, his companions down on the ground and trying to treat their bruises and wounds, along with a lot of stones flying inside and lying on the ground. He looked back at the soldier he was talking to with a troubled expression.


    ¡°And how do you expect us to get out from this mess?¡±


    The soldier was silent. He had actually no idea. They had nothing to defend theirselves from the rocks. They either run and risk dying, or stay and risk capture. The soldiers could only hope the kobolds would run out of rocks to throw before they ran out of soldiers to spare.


    Sera, on the other hand, was busy fighting Khrus, who despite the simple patterns, had immensely strong attacks that Sera herself can¡¯t endure. She got hit once, never does she want to get hit again.


    Khrus punched towards the woman, but Sera dodged and Khrus instead hit the wall behind her, creating a hole. Sera widened her eyes after seeing the hole the kobold created, and saw the kobold immediately started going at her again, making her feel chills in her spine. The kobold was like a juggernaut of fury and anger, since his face looks like of that a wolf chasing its prey and his attacks were relentless and powerful.


    In truth, Khrus was having a hard time maintaining his facade in front of the arcusian. He¡¯s scared to fight, but had no choice since this woman is part of the group of that man, who attacked his best friend first. He was ordered by Barnon to hide in a hut and come out if he hears a fight break out. After he felt the earth vibrate, he wanted to get out and help his friend, but his fear got the best of him.


    Eventually, he gulped down his fesr and donned his game face. He was about to leave the hut, when a woman entered.


    ¡°Hi.¡±


    Needless to say, the woman screamed.


    Now they¡¯re here, fighting like it¡¯s nobody¡¯s business. Khrus kept going at the woman while she kept evading. Although not obvious, Khrus is intentionally holding back because he¡¯s afraid that he might give her a critical injury, or worse, kill her. Though it¡¯s not necessary, because Khrus does aim for Sera, but she easily avoids his simple attacks.


    And so they were stuck in a stalemate, the winner going to the one who would knock the other one out first. Both had high stamina, but their respective strengths and weaknesses cancel out each other.


    Sera, not wanting to take this any longer than she should, decided to use her arc [Fire], and flung a small fireball at Khrus. The kobold then stopped on his tracks and tried to block. The small fireball made contact and exploded on Khrus¡¯ arms, but wasn¡¯t powerful enough to nudge the big kobold down. Khrus¡¯ arcus covering thankfully protected him from the relatively weak fire.


    Sera tried to make another small fireball, but was interrupted when she saw Khrus going low. Sera instinctively moved away by sidestepping before Khrus pounced and missed her, going through the hut and roughly landing outside. Wind seemed to have made way for Khrus¡¯ pounce, and blew off the hood of Sera.


    The woman named Sera had a beautiful face, soft red lips, glimmering eyes, and a fair complexion. Her straight hair was brown like hazelnuts, and so was her eyes. Her hair swayed from the gentle wind that blew over Nemeran.


    Opportunity has come to her, so she quickly tried to go for the exit, but Khrus unexpectedly burst out from the wall and caught Sera. They both rolled and went through the other side of the hut. The damage the hut has taken made it crumble and turn it into just a pile of materials.


    They stopped, and Khrus had the woman pinned down under him. He grabbed her arms and sat on top of her, making sure she¡¯ll have no chance to escape.


    ¡°Let me go you monster!¡±


    Sera struggled desperately, but this kobold¡¯s strength was too much for her. She tried to conjure another fireball, but immediately stopped when the kobold covered her neck with his jaws. She could feel his fangs touch her skin, shaking from the hunger, his breath rapid and humid as if he has been waiting for this for a long time. Sera could not resist any longer, and just waited for her death as her eyes started to swell up.


    In truth, Khrus was shaking from nervousness as he didn''t think that he¡¯ll go this far to keep her locked. In turn, his breath became rapid as his heart beats faster than an engine in full gear. In fact, his eyes is wide and going wild, trying to look for something that would ease him down. Unfortunately, the flying rocks didn¡¯t do much for him.


    The rocks then finally stopped, and the kobolds that has been hiding in the woods came out and went inside the huts where the soldiers were hiding. There were a series of grunts and screams, before the area went silent. The short battle has finally ended.


    Khrus sighed and loosened his grasp on the woman, but realized that she has her eyes closed and panting heavily, sweat bathing her in every part of her body.


    The cloak gave way to her clothes below, which are also drenched in sweat. Apparently, this woman sweats absurdly everytime she gets nervous or gets scared. She wore a long sleeved white shirt, which clung to her bra covered modest chest, and a navy blue skirt that went down just above her knee, with leather fingerless gloves on her hand. Her boots were leather with heels, making it surprising that she was able to keep dodging last time. She had a sling bag on her, probably carrying some necessity like food or water, but Khrus wasn¡¯t sure about that.


    Sera then opened her eyes, but keeping her head turned away, gave a look at the kobold that pinned her down. Her face turned from fearful to confused and surprised since what she was seeing was quite a sight.


    The kobold in question was frantically looking around, as if it was trying to scan his sorrounding for any onlookers. He was still on top of the woman, but his naturally worrying mind made him forget about that.


    ¡°Umm¡­¡±


    Khrus immediately stood up and got some distance after realizing that he has been on top of her this whole time. He¡¯s face turned from a vicious looking werewolf to a flustered and panicking kobold. He held his hands, or paws rather, up to the woman and tried to needlessly defend himself.


    ¡°I-i.. Uhhh¡­ I''m sorry! I swear! Please don¡¯t bear a grudge against me, it would certainly help me sleep at night if I knew you forgave me!¡±


    Sera just sat up, and chuckled. Her mind is now focused on this interesting kobold she has encountered. This kobold felt friendly, and she can''t feel any malice coming out from him. In fact, she only realized now that she didn''t feel any bloodlust from the kobold at all when they were still fighting. She then deemed the kobold harmless from the look of the currently panicking kobold. Somehow, the recent battle temporarily became a forgotten memory for her, which was reinforced by the fact her [Detect] tells her that her companions are still alive.


    The kobold also didn''t gave her much injuries, since the hit she took was more of a powerful push rather than a punch, so she is very certain this kobold won''t lay a finger on her as long as she didn''t do anything hostile. As if she would need to, she is completely enthralled by the gentle-maybe-not-so-gentle wolf kobold.


    The show of lightheartedness was not taken in good light by Khrus however, since his paranoia says that the chuckle meant ¡®as if I¡¯m going to do that¡¯ which made the poor kobold explain more needless stuff. Sera so far just looked at him with a smile and gave chuckles, which didn¡¯t put much ease to the kobold.


    One thing that gave Khrus the worst, however, was when he spotted Veni look out from one of the huts behind the woman, only his head sticking out from the window. Veni kept a straight face for a while, before smiling and giving a thumbs up, then slowly retracting back to the hut. Khrus took it as a mocking encouragement than an acceptance.


    The kobold¡¯s mind could only take so much stress, before he howled in disbelief in the events that had happened while trying to pull his fur out, startling Sera.


    Nemer watched his kobolds in action, observing them attentively to try and get a better grasp on how they react and counter react. This battle helped very much on that regard.


    As for the battle itself, Nemer has mostly not taken part in it. The plan was cooked up and laid out on the spot by Barnon, which all the other kobolds did their best to follow. The orange, adorable kobold had once again proved his right as the leader of Nemeran.


    Plus, this battle has not only gave the kobolds experience, but they also did not receive any casualties from both sides. Even though these suspicious group were definitely up to no good, Nemer is not the type to kill without good reason and evidence. Thus, his only meddling was that he asked the kobolds to not kill them and just capture them.


    And so the day ended with 0 casualties on kobolds and humans, 1 casualty for the huts. It went smoothly, just how Nemer hoped it would be.

 Serve

    A day after the battle, Barnon finds himself inside a large hut with his best friend, Khrus, where all the offenders were tied up. All of them had woken up and partially healed, including the just now confirmed leader of the group, Harle. Sera was tied up and put in the corner, looking at the soldiers in their state. She was mostly looking at Khrus though, giving the kobold the hibbie jibbies. It¡¯s not like she harbored malicious intent though.


    ¡°So, let¡¯s start.¡±


    Barnon sat in front of the humans, crossing his legs and arms. His face was stern, unmoving from the eyes of loathing of the leader.


    ¡°What do you want? You are not getting anything from me, you bastard.¡±


    ¡°Look who¡¯s talking. Khrus, let them in.¡±


    Khrus nodded and went out for a while, before coming back with the princess and her still recovering guard, who had woken up just recently.


    The quite large Jarun, standing in around 5¡¯11 feet with broad shoulders and well built and defined body. He is currently wearing dark blue trousers and a plain brown shirt. He was barefooted and unarmored. He had given his equipment to Khasa, the healer kobold from before, to be kept and taken care of before he comes back to take them back.


    The princess on the other hand, looked less of a noble than before. She still had her fair beauty, but her clothes are more of a peasant now. She was around 5¡¯7 and had a slender figure. She wore a white shirt, tied around her waist with another strip of cloth since it was too large for her showing her figure more, and navy blue pants. Just like her guard, she was barefooted.


    It¡¯s obvious whose shirts they were wearing, since both Khrus and Barnon were half-naked and only had their pants on. Being half-naked was not uncomfortable in their part anyway, they were former slaves that were like this for most of their lives. In fact, these two kobolds look even proud of their body.


    Barnon¡¯s was that of an athletic build, lean and much sleeker than his best friend¡¯s, with the height of 5¡¯10. His orange fur covers most of his skin, but his muscles is still clearly defined from the outside. His eyes were yellow with a tint of green. The body contradicts with the kobold¡¯s adorable dog face. However, that face can turn more twisted if Barnon is put in a battle.


    Khrus¡¯ was much bulkier and broader, and standing in the staggering height of 6¡¯2. He had large muscles that made his dark grey fur unable to hide the shapes and forms of his muscles. His head and tail was that of a wolf, but with a set of teeth that of an omnivore just like the other kobolds. His eyes were a bright yellow. Other than his respectable muscles and wolf like features, he had no other defining features.


    ¡°May I ask why are we here?¡±


    The princess does not know why she was called, but made a little guess on what will happen. Jarun on the other hand knew from the looks of it.


    ¡°Miss Helena, would you kindly state what these people are?¡±


    Helena turned to face the humans, and her face showed a scowl. She still haven''t forgotten what these people did to her and her¡­ father.


    ¡°They are murderous! Traitorous lowlifes that want me for their own gains!¡±


    Instead of growling in hatred, the group instead showed gasps of disbelief.


    ¡°What are you talking about, princess?¡± inquired the obviously confused Harle


    ¡°What do you think?! How am I supposed to not say that after what you have done to my family!¡±


    Helena was shaking in anger. She still remembers after all, vividly, the reason why she¡¯s here right now in the first place.


    Helena was born on the Saireha family, an influential noble family in the kingdom of Gaimain. Along with her 3 brothers and a little sister, she was taught politics and was given proper education and was also raised to be a proper noble of kindness and goodwill. Not that the other nobles were pricks, most are actually more or less as respectable as the Saireha family. As a result, the kingdom favored the nobles greatly, except for the royalty, since king wasn''t really that great. The king didn¡¯t particularly like having his subordinates cling to the nobles more than him, and so his pride and greed took his mind.


    With his judgement clouded and morals shattered, he fed his loyal soldiers lies.


    ¡°These nobles have done enough! They have been trying to round up my people and plotting for a revolution!¡±


    Lies spewed from his malicious mouth, seeding hate and distrust to his royal soldiers'' mind. Their loyalty made them even more susceptible to his deceit.


    ¡°And what¡¯s worse, they have even brainwashed their own children to make them overthrow me! It is your job to eliminate these nobles, and bring their children to me for safety!¡±


    Of course, there is an ulterior motive behind the taking of the children. He wanted to have a heir for a long time, yet his queen cannot provide him, so has been the last 27 queens before they were executed for being useless.


    This was the work of the gods, specifically Namia, the goddess of love and marriage. They have made it so that this awful and despicable king would never have an offspring in his entire life.


    But he didn¡¯t know that nor would that stop him from finding his heir. The taken children would then be under his care, choosing the right boy to be the next ruler for his throne, and a girl to be his wife. He had sick tastes, but his loyal soldiers don''t question it.


    And so the soldiers were dispatched. They were also given the task to be discreet in their mission, but the secrecy was doomed from the start for they had a mole in them the entire time. The spy quickly went to the various noble families to warn them for the impending threat, especially the Saihera family.


    The king had his eyes on Helena to become his wife, and no one in her family wants that, nor do they want their lives to be forfeit by the king. With such a short notice, they were eventually caught trying to escape and the royal soldiers gave chase. The escaping Saiheras split into three groups, one with Helena, and Jarun in it, one with her siblings and her mother, while the other had his father in it.


    His father lured the majority of the chasing group away, but somewhere, he failed to keep his life. Helena¡¯s group was then downed next, but she and Jarun were saved and now they¡¯re here. They had no idea what happened to her mother and her siblings, but she could only hope for the best.


    ¡°But they brainwashed you, have they not? The king told us so!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s absurd! Why would my own family brainwash me?! And for what purpose?!¡±


    ¡°T-the king said you are being brainwashed to walk on your father¡¯s shoes, and to try burn Gaimain down with a revolution!¡±


    ¡°What in the blazing hell are you talking about? Revolution? Why would my family, who had loved Gaimain more than the king, try to burn what we call home?!¡±


    Harle went silent. He didn¡¯t think about that, he didn¡¯t think about it at all. Nor the soldiers he had at hand. Why did they try to destroy a noble family that loved their kingdom so much?If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    ¡°B-but the king-¡±


    ¡°Enough of your king this king that! You are all blinded by loyalty and you all know that! Your king is a pig that only wants everything for himself!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not true!¡±


    Harle argued back to Helena. Even though he had doubts, his loyalty still haven¡¯t shattered. He still had faith on his king, his saviour.


    ¡°The king might have made a mistake! I am sure he-¡±


    He was once again cut off with a slap to the face delivered by Helena. Harle turned to face her, and what he saw was a woman who looked at him with hatred and disgust.


    ¡°Mistake? Are our lives unimportant to you that you would consider this as a mistake on the king¡¯s behalf?¡±


    Harle realized what he has said. Making the order of his king as just a ¡¯mistake¡¯ made it all the worse.


    ¡°Father was right. All of you are just a bunch of dogs on leash.¡±


    Helena then stormed off the hut, leaving Jarun behind. He sighed, and looked at the soldiers, who are all now gloomy.


    ¡°I do not blame you for being loyal, but it would¡¯ve been better if all of you would think before you act.¡±


    Jarun then promptly left the hut. There was total silence in the hut. Barnon then shrugged.


    ¡°Well there¡¯s that. Looks like the bastard was actually you.¡±


    Harle couldn¡¯t say anything against that. The truth that statement held made it all the more painful to him. He can¡¯t believe how blind he was to the king¡¯s deceit, even after serving him for almost 30 years.


    ¡°Uhh¡­ are we done?¡±


    Khrus was getting uncomfortable from the event that happened earlier. He raised his hand to ask so that he could get out of here. Though, probably the biggest reason is because the woman kept staring at him.


    ¡°Hm? Not yet Khrus, we still need you to guard these people.¡±


    Khrus could only sigh and droop his shoulders. He needs to follow his orders, because he is his friend and he respects him. He set himself straight, but it¡¯s hard to do so when that woman has her eyes on him. He would give the woman a glance every now and then, and she would respond with a smile every time.


    ¡°Now then, It¡¯s my turn to talk to all of you.¡±


    Barnon then cleared his throat. Looks like he is going to say something important, so the captives reflexively divert their attention to Barnon.


    "Have you ever heard of our god, Nemer?"


    That¡¯s odd. Who the hell is Nemer? The soldiers gave each other confused looks, before the woman in the corner yelled, or asked loudly rather.


    ¡°Nemer?! THE Nemer?! The Legendary Slayer from hundreds of years ago?¡±


    Now Nemer, who was actively observing the happenings in the hut, got his interests on that statement. Sure, he knew what a slayer was and that he was a slayer, but he never knew his history. Sera then continued to talk while the others looked at her.


    ¡°Is he really that guy? Tell me! I want to know!¡±


    Barnon was silent. He actually doesn¡¯t know if his lord is that legendary guy from the past, or it was just a coincidence. Barnon didn¡¯t really know, until Nemer himself spoke, which everyone on the hut heard.


    ¡°Yeah. I believe that is indeed me.¡±


    Nemer suddenly felt powerful again. This time, he knew what it was. He was also surprised in the fact that another group instantly believed in him. He was sure that these people would at least be skeptical about a god they have never heard before. Then again, maybe his mark on the world allowed him easy gains on followers.


    ¡°OOOHHH!! It really is you! I can¡¯t believe it!¡±


    But this surge of power felt¡­ lackluster. Unlike the kobolds, the faith from these people aren¡¯t as big. That¡¯s to be expected, you wouldn¡¯t try to immediately give yourself to an unknown voice, would you?


    ¡°Is he really what you say he is?¡± asked Khrus.


    ¡°He is! The books say that he was a god amongst slayers! So of course he would become an actual god!¡± answered Sera.


    That kinda made sense in a way, but he¡¯s pretty sure just being godly won¡¯t be enough to be recognized by the gods to become a god. He doesn¡¯t remember much from the deal with Wize, but he vaguely remembers that there was another requirement for being a lesser god. Judging from him being the first ever lesser god, the others who were like him probably didn¡¯t meet that requirement.


    ¡°That¡¯s plausible reason, but it doesn¡¯t really matter, does it?¡±


    ¡°Of course it matters! Just wait till the people who knew of him knows of his reincarnation!¡±


    Nemer suppose that his popularity from the past would play a big role on him being a god. Afterall, a god¡¯s power depends on his popularity.


    ¡°Well, I guess that¡¯s true.¡±


    Harle and the soldiers were all silent. They had other things to think of than some legendary slayer claiming to be a god of unimaginable power. Nemer noticed this, and asked them.


    ¡°Is it okay to keep on trusting in someone after realizing what they have done to you?¡±


    Harle was quiet for a while, before answering.


    ¡°I myself have believed the king in his every word, yet I fail to realize how much I have been used and regarded as a tool by him. I can¡¯t believe I¡­ I¡­¡±


    Tears started pouring out from the grown man¡¯s eyes. He had done everything for the king with great diligence, believing in him for all of his life. He trusted him so much that when that trust broke, it hurt. It hurt a lot. He sacrificed his friends, family, everything, just to serve him, yet all was for naught. He despises himself for being foolish. He could do nothing now, but let his stress flow as clear tears of regret.


    The other men, who had probably gone through the same, started to follow his example. The hut was filled with silent weeping, the soldiers contemplating on their actions. The others who did not weep, felt their hearts shrink with pity. They did not weep with just regret, but anger and sadness. For someone like them, loyalty was their life, now it was taken away from them by reality.


    After an hour, Harle requested that they be taken to the kobold¡¯s god, which Barnon complied per Nemer¡¯s permission. He led them to the altar, where the three markings pulsate a bright sky blue color. Harle and the rest of his men kneeled in front of the altar, and prostrated themselves.


    ¡°O Nemer, lord of the kobolds, I ask for your wisdom. What should we do, now that we serve no one anymore?¡±


    Well that¡¯s easy to answer. ¡®Ya¡¯ll worship me.¡¯ is what he was about to say, but he¡¯s not that greedy and insensitive. These people are like his kobolds, existing for the purpose of serving their master. However, unlike the kobolds, these people have the choice to be free. Nemer just recently discovered the curse of the kobolds during their training. He did not like it, but he could not do anything about it. No point in worrying about it if he can satisfy the curse by just being the master of the kobolds, but these people are different.


    They are not cursed, nor are they bound by their master, their king. They have the right to be free and do whatever they want. He wanted to let them enjoy freedom, the same feeling he wants the kobolds to exercise. So he doesn¡¯t want to force these people to follow him, he wants them to choose the path they would take.


    ¡°It¡¯s your choice. You are people, and freedom is in your hands. Take it, and choose to do whatever you may want.¡±


    Nemer felt wise saying those words. After all, no advice is better than the words of wisdom from a god. Harle then sat up, the rest following him. In unison, the soldiers bump their fists towards their chest, where their heart would be. Their faces are determined, and full of hope.


    ¡°Then, we choose to serve you.¡±


    That¡¯s surprising. Nemer didn¡¯t think that these people would just serve another master after knowing their previous master made their lives full of lies.


    ¡°You are a god, yet you do not treat others as below you. We were your enemies, but you spared us. You are powerful, yet you did not abuse your power.¡±


    Nemer is getting a little bit uncomfortable from this speech. Sure, it¡¯s a heartfelt one, but every person has a certain threshold on how much they can handle emotions.


    ¡°I admire how you lead your kobolds. They are strong, but their humility floats above all. You are truly what a master, a ruler should be.¡±


    Then all of them stood, with their fists still on their chests, and in unison, they shouted.


    ¡°So we choose to serve you, O Nemer, our lord!¡±


    And so they concluded their speech, with Nemer responding with a cringe. Nevertheless, Nemer was happy about their conversion because not only did he get much powerful because of their newfound faith, but also because of him that these people now have a new king to serve.


    ¡°Then I expect great things from all of you.¡±


    ¡°Yes, my lord!¡±


    And so Nemer''s worshippers expanded evermore. The future is bright ahead of them, and surely, Nemer would give that future to his followers.


    Ahh¡­ bathing in faith truly is the best.


    ...................................


    "By the way, Barnon, I don''t think I ever overestimated these people. Why did you say that?" Asked the god to his most loyal follower


    "Oh, that? I just said that to make myself look cool." The orange kobold replied with a snicker.


    Nemer would''ve laughed, if he wasn''t wary of Barnon''s potential for lying.

 Hurl

    I¡¯m Harle Y. Kien, former royal soldier of the king¡¯s court of Gaimain. Honestly, I despise my previous title, my previous life, and my previous master. That king, that damned king, manipulated me in doing what he wants. He purposely steered my life so that it would end in me serving that pig. Well, at least I serve someone better now. Someone who would help me grow and become a better person, and stronger. Someone who cares for his subordinates.


    ¡°HHHNNNGGHHH!¡±


    Well, at least I think he does.


    It has been a day since I offered myself to a god, Nemer, who I know doesn¡¯t belong in our pantheon. Right now, I¡¯m currently trying to run while a log is being dragged by me with a rope tied to my torso to around the log. It was heavy, really heavy. Although I¡¯ve had military training, none had ¡®run a mile while dragging a hefty ton of log¡¯ in it.


    ¡°You can do it! Our lord believes in you!¡± Shouted Barnon, our instructor.


    I honestly didn¡¯t think i would be ordered around by a kobold, but at least he isn¡¯t trying to get back at me for wounding him. I hope.


    As for the running thing, this is actually training, or so I heard. Barnon said that before they used arfus, or whatever they call it, they had to put themselves under this training to get fit for manipulating arcus.


    I say that¡¯s absurd. I mean, just look at Sera! Those muscleless stick of a body she has was able to use arcus freely. So how come we had to do this? Oh good lord, I think I almost snapped my spine.


    But regarding bodies, isn¡¯t my body enough as it is? Why go all the trouble for this kind of training? But I can¡¯t argue. Barnon gave this training to us, so I guess we¡¯ll just have to bare with it.


    ¡°B-boss¡­ I don¡¯t¡­ I don¡¯t think I can take it anymore¡­¡±


    I looked to my right to see one of my soldiers struggle to run. He wasn¡¯t even running, heck, I myself didn¡¯t too. Both of us looked more like we are race walking, on a really deep and thick snow.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry¡­ hhnngghh¡­ you''re not the only one¡­¡±


    I jerked my head behind me. Behind us were the rest of my men, doing the same thing. Now that I¡¯m looking at them, they looked like zombies. I probably look one too, but it doesn¡¯t matter right now.


    ¡°Aye, let¡¯s call this a wrap shall we?¡±


    Barnon finally let us rest as he walks away, and me and my men fell on our asses sweating and breathing heavily. We have been at this for almost 3 hours, any more and I¡¯m pretty sure that crack I heard earlier would¡¯ve come from my bones


    I glanced over to our arfusian, ermm¡­ ardusian? Well, our reality defying woman was sitting on a log bench just behind the fence. She¡¯s got it easy, just sitting around and staring at that wolf kobold.


    Well, I asked for this. I am just going to deal with it.


    ¡°Hah...hah¡­ this training is going to snap me into half. We¡¯re even not halfway through the day, and we are already defeated by a bunch of logs.¡±


    My soldiers nodded in agreement after I said that. Looks like they are in the same boat as I am. That¡¯s when Barnon came back with an announcement.


    ¡°Ah¡­ well¡­ sorry about that guys! There was actually no need for all of you to do that training!¡± He said with a laugh.


    I think I feel a nerve pop from my temple.


    Ah, no use in getting angry now. I deserve it after all. The other soldiers on the other hand, just let out sighs of annoyance.


    ¡°In fact, you can all begin the phase to use arcs and arcus!¡±


    Ah, so it was arcus. I believe arcus manipulators are called arcusians? Yes, I remember now.


    Though, this is new to me, or to my men. Our kingdom has no arcusians around. I have no idea why. From what I¡¯ve seen, arcusians might even help the kingdom. No point in thinking about that however, I have no plans on going back there anytime soon.


    And after a while of listening to Barnon¡¯s instructions, we found ourselves meditating. Isn¡¯t meditating suppose to be closing our eyes and humming? We are just closing our eyes and breathing conciously. Well, it¡¯s not that-


    Whoa¡­ why do I feel cold? Why is the air minty? That¡¯s odd. I opened my eyes, an that¡¯s when I saw it.


    ¡°Is this¡­ arcus?¡±


    The others opened their eyes, and looks of awe and surprise began to show in their faces. I can see arcus! They appear as¡­ solid air-water? I can¡¯t really describe it, but I can¡¯t be mistaken. This is definitely arcus. I looked at Barnon, and all I could see is a protective covering of arcus on his body.


    Unlike me or my soldiers that have our arcus bursting out from our bodies like flames, Barnon¡¯s seem more compact. Then again, Barnon has better experience in arcus than we had, so I guess that¡¯s only natural that he can turn his arcus like that.


    ¡°It is indeed, Harle. What you see coming out from your bodies is arcus.¡±


    I feel¡­ refreshed. I feel light all of a sudden, like I could fly. Heh. This is definitely a feeling I can get used to. I feel fresh and better than ever, and this minty and cool feeling might even let me walk through fire. Not that I would actually walk through a fire, that would be stupid.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°Right, so, what now?¡±


    I asked Barnon. He smiled and nodded. I feel like I passed a test. Maybe Barnon was evaluating us?


    ¡°Now, all of you need to do one simple thing.¡±


    Barnon then formed his arcus, aura? Let¡¯s just say arcus. His arcus turned to the unrestrained state our arcus has. He then changed it again, contracting it to form a protective skin, and again to form a ball around his hand, and again and again and again.


    ¡°As what you have witnessed, you are all going to train to control your arcus until you can mold it to your will with ease.¡±


    Figured that might be it. It shouldn¡¯t be hard right? Hnnghhh¡­ I can¡¯t¡­


    ¡°HHHHNNNGHHH!!¡±


    I turned around to look at my soldier, who is grunting and flexing his muscles with all his might. He did so for a minute, before giving up and panting. The others tried their best to manipulate their arcus too, but also failed.


    This might take a while.


    Finally, after three days of constant grunting and focusing, I was able to form a small ball of arcus on my palm. Yes! A little bit more and I can finally control my arcus at will.


    I looked at my men, and they seem to be more or less getting some progress. Good thing my men are working hard.


    ¡°How¡¯s it been going?¡±


    I heard from a voice. Ah, it was our lord, Nemer. Haven''t heard from since our training started.


    ¡°We are doing fine, my lord.¡±


    ¡°Ah, good. After all of you are done with arcus, I will give your group a special assignment.¡±


    I nodded, and relayed the information to my men. They got worked up, and even worked twice as hard. I can relate to them. There¡¯s just something special about being expected by a god that makes me want to work harder. It¡¯s a good feeling.


    I tried to contract my arcus to form a protective covering, and after a few hours, I finally did it. It¡¯s now almost noon, and I don¡¯t feel that tired. Probably because I was just flexing my muscles and doing gestured that my body isn¡¯t that stressed.


    I looked at my men, and apparently, I was the first one to form a protective covering. This sense of achievement is great! I never thought arcus would reward you with a sense of accomplishment other than stronger power.


    ¡°Mhmm. Alright, Harle?¡±


    I diverted my attention to my lord.


    ¡°Yes, my lord?¡±


    ¡°Your assignment is to go to the kingdom of Gaimain, and recruit other people to my¡­ wing? Group? Just recruit people to us.¡±


    I can understand that. A god needs the faith of people, and more people means more faith.


    ¡°Pardon me, my lord, but why us? Our faces are famous as a part of the king¡¯s royal soldiers. We might get found out and be beheaded for treason! And the king will definitely try to find you!¡±


    My lord chuckled.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Besides, I am pretty sure the kingdom would be in ruins. Helena told me about the whole noble executions thing. Taking those nobles away will most likely cause an ironic revolution against the king.¡±


    Oh, right. The people favoured the nobles after all. The power vacuum that comes after the nobles¡¯ disappearances will cause the kingdom to crumble. The people coupled with many blindly loyal soldiers would only cause a battle to erupt inside the walls and destroy the kingdom in the process. Knowing the king, he probably fought to the bitter end.


    ¡°If that is so, then what¡¯s the point of us going there? If the kingdom is truly in ruins, then wouldn¡¯t that mean the population has left the area?¡±


    There¡¯s no point staying in a destroyed house after all.


    ¡°That might be true, but who said you¡¯ll go there when it¡¯s all over?¡±


    I blinked my eyes, ignoring a yell of triumph from one of my soldiers.


    ¡°Pardon?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if you could see it, but Barnon told me that there¡¯s currently a large pillar of smoke going on that direction.¡±


    I ran over to the altar, and climbed on it. Standing on the altar, there I saw it. Black smoke rised from over the trees. It¡¯s far away, but the direction of the source leads to it being the kingdom of Gaimain.


    Then that means¡­


    ¡°But my lord, we cannot go there simply be foot.¡±


    ¡°Again, who said that you¡¯ll go by foot?¡±


    We¡¯re not walking? What are we going to use- ah, that. A carriage was brought to the village. Instead of a horse however, who¡¯s in front was Khrus, dragging the carriage.


    ¡°You are going to pick up to 9 of your men, and ride the carriage until you get there.¡±


    The carriage was fully repaired. The repairs were a bit crude looking, but it looks like it will hold. The kobold in front of it was exhaling through his nose like a horse.


    Looks like this¡¯ll be one hell of a ride.


    ¡°Your will shall be done.¡±


    And so, I picked 9 of my men, who all are now able to make a protective arcus covering, and rode the carriage. Inside were ropes embedded on the wood of the carriage. Looks like I know what those are for.


    We strapped ourselves to our seats and prayed to Nemer that things would go well during our ride. My lord responded with a snicker. This is not good.


    ¡°We¡¯re ready.¡±


    I said in a reluctant manner. When I heard Khrus exhale, I prepared myself.


    Oh good lord, I think I¡¯m going to vomit. I steeled myself as the carriage flies fast like an eagle diving. The road was bumpy, and all of us bopped up and down slightly from our seats. Thankfully, the ropes held us do- hhhhurrpp¡­ I almost puked.


    I kept myself strong, but my other men wasn¡¯t like me. All of them screamed while they clung to their seats like it was their lives.


    ¡°Oh goodness me! Mother of all-¡±


    And other related stuff were pouring out of their mouths while we zoomed. I kept silent, but I wanted to scream.


    I can¡¯t¡­ keep my composure anymore.


    ¡°AAAAAAAAAAHHH!¡±


    That giant bump finally got to me. I screamed with the rest of my men, looking at each other with fear. Fear of this vehicle. Oh dear lord, please get us out of this hell!


    We¡­ we finally made it! It took about 2 hours, but those 2 hours felt like forever. I vomited 2 times during the trip, and that would probably increase when we get back. Bbrrhhh¡­ just thinking about the trip sends chills down my spine.


    I looked at my soldiers, and I can feel their suffering. Tears almost fell from few of my soldiers while holding their chests or stomachs. The others either covered their faces to contemplate on their lives, or slumped over in defeat.


    I sighed, and stepped down on the carriage to check on Khrus. When I went to the front, I saw Khrus lying next to the carriage, panting heavily with his tongue hanging. He looks completely exhausted. I looked at our destination¡­ wait¡­ the kingdom¡¯s still far away!


    ¡°Why are we still far? I thought we are there already?¡±


    Khrus looked at me with lazy and tired eyes.


    ¡°2 hours¡­. More¡­. Running¡­¡±


    ¡°Wait¡­ we are still halfway through?!¡±


    Khrus nodded.


    ...I think I heard my soul shatter.

 Problem

    ¡°Huh, Khrus is faster than I thought.¡±


    Nemer has just recently see Harle and his men depart to their destination on a carriage shouldered by Khrus, who is currently dragging the carriage like a horse on steroids that had legs that has the power to kick the world and make it stop rotating. A little bit exaggerated, but gets the point across.


    Just as he thought, he can clearly see the carriage even though they have far exceeded the range of the mist barrier. It¡¯s just really odd, as if the grey does not block his vision, but rather forbids anything in it from being seen by him. He could see the immediate area around the carriage, but anything else outside the range is covered by the mist.


    To give a clearer picture, imagine a tree. Now put a vehicle behind it. Can¡¯t see it, right? Now, cover your area with an impenetrable mist that blocks your view of the tree and the vehicle. Now imagine seeing the vehicle inside the mist with a small radius around it be clearly seen.


    Normally, since the tree is just in front of it, the tree should block your vision. However, the tree is still in the mist, therefore it cannot be seen. That¡¯s exactly what Nemer is seeing right now.


    ¡°Ughh¡­ this perspective is going to take a while to get used to¡­¡±


    He sighed. He looked at the carriage again, and it looks like they have gone very far, almost 37 kilometers away.


    ¡°But still, Khrus is pretty darn fast.¡±


    Nemer is quite proud of this little, big rather, kobold. He has seen this cowardly kobold struggle everyday, but he has also seen how he works hard everyday to compensate for his cowardice. He would do labor for the village, help with hunting, and also trying to get over his fears. He is a beaming beacon of hardwork.


    Of course, it¡¯s not like he isn¡¯t proud of his other followers, he does, especially Barnon. Barnon has been nothing but diligent, polite, and formal to everyone. He is a shining role model and a great leader to his peers. He is also clever, having most of the village of Nemeran¡¯s idea coming from him. The training grounds was his idea, and so was the village.


    The others are unique and interesting in their own ways too, but that¡¯s another story to be told. Right now, Nemer is recalling the information about his past, Nemer, The Legendary Slayer of Evil. Sounds cringey, but at least there is a ¡®legendary¡¯ put in his title.


    According to Sera, he was a powerful slayer that held many Arcs in his disposal. The most famous arc he had was [Fortress], which made him a walking fortress just like the arc name would suggest. Apparently, it was a ¡®Developed Arc¡¯, which just essentially means he made it and learned it himself from scratch.


    Just as his title would imply, he was also a vigilante, destroying all evils in his path. Be it criminals, dark lords, or demons, he would exterminate them all without second thoughts.


    He had also great achievements, one of the most famous being taming a Crimson Blood, an immortal who resembles that of other world vampires. Strange for a slayer, since they are supposed to eradicate, not tame. Well, not Nemer, because he certainly did deem the Crimson Blood to be worthy of living.


    As great as he was, he would ultimately fall against the world¡¯s greatest and most powerful being; a dragon. A Plague Dragon to be exact. There were no records of how he died against the dragon, but the historians was sure it wasn¡¯t pretty.


    That was a lot to take in and there were other details omitted, but those were just minors and can be just brushed off. The main idea was that, Nemer¡¯s name was a pretty famous one. He could use it to amplify his status more or make more people believe in him, but that''ll have to wait for later.


    He then flew towards the lowest branches of the giant tree, and looked over Nemeran. Huts litter about, a wooden fence stretched around it, and a training ground sticking out like a sore thumb.


    This sight made him decide that it was time for his village to have an upgrade. That is why he sent Harle to the currently-in-flames kingdom of Gaimain, or so he heard, to recruit potential people, like blacksmiths or farmers. The kingdom might be in turmoil right now, but it¡¯s his best bet for getting more people to join his¡­ watch.


    He then hovered down to the training ground, where three kobolds and a woman was doing their things.


    ¡°So this is how you hid your presence?¡±


    ¡°Yep. Pretty neat, huh?¡±


    Sera and Veni seems to be exchanging words. Barnon and Nick, on the other hand, was sparring with each other. While things were happening in the training ground, Nemer decided to use his [Arcus Vision] on his followers.


    When it activated, he saw Sera¡¯s arcus got camouflaged to the surrounding area. The user might become invisible to arcs like [Detect] that acts like a radar than a perception enhancement, but they are blatantly exposed when they are looked at with an arc like Nemer¡¯s.


    Speaking of arcs, it¡¯s about time Nemer makes another developed arc like his [Arcus Vision]. He deactivated it and pondered while looking at the two kobolds go at it. He was looking for an inspiration, and right now, the spar between Barnon and Nick is the most interesting thing to look at.


    He thought, and thought, then he hit him, a god with a familiar face appeared suddenly before him inches away from his face, which sent him flying.


    ¡°What in the world?! Come on, Wize! That¡¯s not funny!¡±


    Nemer does not like creepy surprises, but he got one again anyway when Wize once again suddenly appeared by his side. Nemer flinched back and cursed at him, which was just replied by Wize with a beard rub and a chuckle.


    ¡°Alas, I am here again, young one.¡±


    Nemer sighed and calmed down. Wize is here, so that means the gods are checking up on him once again.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    ¡°And yes, I am indeed here to check up on you.¡±


    And his perception is as sharp as ever, for an old man. Then again, he was a god, and gods are capable of things that even the most powerful mortal could not do.


    ¡°I thought you can see everything in your domain, so there should not be any frequent visits from you, no?¡±


    ¡°Good assumption, but just like before, I once again have something very important to give you.¡±


    Huh. Too smart to make a correct guess, too dumb to think he didn¡¯t have any other purpose. That¡¯s Nemer for him.


    ¡°What is it this time?¡±


    Last time was a memory injection, what about now? For all he could know, it might be something painful or something that would fry his mind again.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing complicated. Here, a letter from one of my siblings.¡±


    Wize handed Nemer a mail with a red seal on it, in the seal depicting a lock and two chains interlocked behind it, forming an ¡®X¡¯.


    ¡°From Unor, the god of chaos.¡±


    A letter from him? The god is an enigma to him, as all he knows about him is that he has the lowest count of followers in the whole world, while still being one of the strongest.


    Nemer opened the mail, and read the letter¡¯s contents.


    Dear young Nemer,


    News has just come to my ears about your promotion to a lesser god. With what is due, congratulations! I¡¯m probably the first to say that to you.


    Anywho, this letter is not for congratulatory purposes. I have been monitoring your progress, just like all the other gods, and I would like to ask you for a favor.


    The problem is that I have lost contact with one of my followers, and let¡¯s just say, she¡¯s crazy.


    She is very obsessed with chaos and she thinks that she¡¯s doing my work by spreading chaos over wherever she goes, which I do not like very much. I have my reasons for not liking the thing that I''m supposed to represent, don''t ask.


    I would have went and done her myself, but I cannot get in the world since¡­ I have my reasons. Therefore, I would like to ask you to intercept her, because right now, she is heading straight to you.


    Cheers, and good luck.


    Sincerely,


    Unor


    ¡°What in the world¡­¡±


    A crazy woman is currently marching her way to Nemer¡¯s area, and judging from the letter, she must be powerful. That¡¯s a problem, a really big problem. Why the hell are they giving me problems when I¡¯m still young? Please tell me this is a joke from a prank loving chaos god.


    ¡°If you think that the letter is joke, well, it would be if it was D.M. that wrote that letter, but he did not. It was Unor, who I know is very serious when it comes to matters concerning anything related to him.¡±


    Again, Wize could seemingly read one¡¯s mind by just looking at their faces. It seems like whether he likes it or not, he has to do his favor. Clever bastard. He looked at the back of the letter, because something important might be there.


    P.S. She should arrive in about a month.


    Goodness gracious, that is a short amount of time. He cannot possibly make his followers be powerful enough in time to stop her. Nemer¡¯s gonna have to remember to punch that god in the face for letting loose a possibly maniacal woman.


    ¡°Well, this will be part of your job as a lesser god. You will have to get through this to be able to get a step forward in becoming one of us.¡±


    Nemer¡¯s annoyed, very annoyed at this predicament. He isn¡¯t ready, and sure as hell he doesn¡¯t like this one bit. Wize just nodded with a smile, as if taking Nemer¡¯s frustrated face as a sign of success.


    ¡°Well then, I¡¯ll be going now.¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡±


    Wize turned around and started to walk in the air to nowhere in particular. He paused for a while.


    ¡°Am I forgetting something? Nevermind.¡±


    With another step, he faded into blue dusts thay were blown away.


    Nemer was currently trying to think of a solution. He thought, and thought, then it hit him. Instead of teaching them, he is going to bless them. Of course, a blessing is one of the greatest signs that you are a god, and giving one would improve the faith of his followers.


    However, blessings work just like arcs and to give a blessing, a god must have an arc to give, which goes back to Nemer¡¯s previous focus, making a Developed Arc.


    He only has [Arcus Vision], and nothing else. This is a very useful arc, but Nemer doubts this would be useful against the ever closing in woman, but it¡¯s enough for a test.


    Before he could give blessings, he must know how. Nemer realized that he could¡¯ve asked Wize, which made him facepalmed. Like god, like child.


    There¡¯s no point and brooding over his own stupidity, and just accepted the situation. Instead, he called for Barnon to the altar. Fortunately, Barnon was done sparring against Nick, but he lost to him due to to his speed and lack of experience against any combatants like Nick.


    Barnon arrived at the Bluemark Altar, and sat down in front of it.


    "What is it, my lord?¡±


    ¡°I just need you to stay still, Barnon. Keep it that way until I say so.¡±


    Batnon did what he was told, and sat patiently. Nemer on the other hand was struggling to grant Barnon the [Arcus Vision] to him. It was harder to do than making telepathic links to his followers. In fact, giving is much harder to do than connecting.


    After a few minutes, he was finally able to turn the arc into a glowing ball on his hands, as big as a basketball. He tried plopping it inside Barnon, but as expected, it didn¡¯t work. After all, anything he creates stays in the plane he''s in unless ported into the material world.


    ¡°Barnon, put your hand on the altar.¡±


    He had strengthened the connection of his altar before giving the command, which Barnon obediently did. Nemer can feel his rough paws-hand, and it felt uncomfortable. He then shoved the ball inside the altar, and the markings shined bright. This prompted Barnon to close his eyes from the intensity of the light, and when he opened his eyes, the world was not like he used to see it.


    Everything was glowing like he was in a world full of neon colored things. There was green, there was blue, there was grey, a rainbow of colors. The space, air, and sky are all colorless. Looks like the blessing has been recieved.


    ¡°My lord, w-what is this?!¡±


    Barnon tried rubbing his eyes, to no avail. Shock and confusion was clear on his face. He doesn¡¯t know what¡¯s going on. All he knows is that the view is very disorienting for him.


    ¡°Do not worry, Barnon, that is just an arc.¡±


    ¡°An¡­ arc?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Just deactivate it like a normal arc.¡±


    Barnon nodded, and tried to deactivate it. He closed his eyes, and when he opened it again, he could see normally again. Barnon sighed in relief.


    ¡°Congratulations, Barnon! You have received my blessing; [Arcus Vision]!¡±


    After hearing that, Barnon quickly bowed till his head hit the ground and thanked his lord and praised him with every fiber of his being. Nemer dismissed him, and Barnon ran to the village in the peak of joy, probably intending to spread the news of his given blessing.


    This was great news for Nemer, the placing of blessing was a success, and now he only needed to make an arc to counter the approaching danger.


    He used his free time, intending on developing an oh so needed arc.

 Trust

    We finally arrived at the outskirts of the kingdom of Gaimain, though the trip was not without sacrifices. Everyone of us are exhausted from the trip, especially Khrus, who has been running and dragging the carriage for over 4 hours in our whole trip, making it 5 hours of total time travelling if I include the halftime break.


    I¡¯m almost in no condition to start the assignment, and it looks like the others are too. Khrus is currently inside the carriage, faceplanted on the floor while snoring. Seems like he immediately fell asleep after that taxing trip.


    Unlike my men however, I still had some strength left in me and I need to check outside, so I stepped down from the vehicle of hell and looked at our destination.


    ¡°Whoa¡­¡±


    Is what I could only say. The setting of the sun amplified the atmosphere with tinting the sky red, accompanied by the lights of fire in the kingdom and smokes coming out from everywhere within it. It looked like it¡¯s in the middle of an apocalypse. We are about 23 kilometers from the walls, and it looks like the gates are broken.


    I could also faintly hear the sounds of screams and battles going on, even at this distance. Looks like they are still on it.


    Now the problem is, how do I recruit people from that battlefield? The people will see me as an enemy, while my former fellow soldiers wouldn¡¯t listen to me if it¡¯s against the king.


    I should make an advertisement, something catchy and interesting to make them join us. But how?


    ¡°Join us or suffer¡­ no¡­ hey hey, join us and stay? No¡­¡±


    I thought hard about the advertisement. Really, it¡¯s the only method I know to try and entice people in joining my lord¡¯s¡­ wing? Group? Whatever.


    This is harder than I thought. I need some help. I walked back to the entrance of the carriage and asked my men for suggestions. Looks like they have regained some life.


    ¡°Sir, if I may speak.¡±


    ¡°Go ahead, Jim.¡±


    ¡°We could try making a banner or a flag to show our allegiance.¡±


    Good idea, but we don¡¯t have time for that right now.


    ¡°Considered. Anyone else?¡±


    ¡°Sir, me!¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mikey?¡±


    ¡°How about we put them in a sack and bring them back?¡±


    ¡°God damn it Mikey, we talked about this!¡±


    Mikey just shrugged. That was a bad idea. I mean, I can do it, but I doubt my lord would like it if I do that, nor would I. Then Khrus raised his hand while still face first on the floor.


    ¡°What is it, Khrus?¡±


    He rolled himself to the side, and spoke.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you pray to our lord for wisdom?¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s a good idea.¡±


    Yes it is. I kneeled my right knee, closed my eyes, and prayed.


    O Nemer, my lord, I humbly ask for your wisdom on our current problem.


    That should be enough. I opened my eyes, and so I heard my lord¡¯s voice.


    ¡°What do you need?¡±


    I¡¯m relieved. Khrus, thank you for your suggestion.


    ¡°My lord, what should I do to gather people to our side? I cannot think of anything good.¡±


    Then I heard my lord think. It was just him exhaling, but I know that sounds like a person in deep thought. While my lord was thinking, I gestured my men to get ready for dispatch, which they did.


    ¡°Put them into a sack and bring them back.¡±


    My mind went blank from that statement.


    ¡°I¡¯m just kidding!¡±


    Oh thank goodness.


    ¡°It¡¯s simple. Promise them of a better land where they can live peacefully and that they will be watched over by a god, namely me, Nemer."


    So still advertisement. Much better than the ones I thought of though. Still, the kingdom is a battlefield. No doubt some of the people will be untrusting of us and we might get into problems.


    ¡°And also, your time limit is three days.¡±


    There¡¯s a time limit now? I sighed. It¡¯s been decided by my lord, so I should comply.


    ¡°Yes, my lord.¡±


    ¡°Mhm. I¡¯ll be minding my business now. Call me up when you need help again.¡±


    Then I heard his voice no more. I woke up Khrus, and told him to drag the carriage until they were a kilometer from the gates. Khrus did so, and me and my men prepared ourselves. Swords sheathed, cloaks gone, our insignias thrown away, and checked up on our equipment. No problems so far.


    As we get closer, and Khrus was surprisingly going at a modest pace, the noise of battles got louder and louder. I peeked my head to the front, and saw that there were no one in the gates. I went back and ordered my men to stay put, and picked one of them to be with me outside. We stepped outside and escorted the carriage. The night¡¯s kind of mesmerizing when combined with the light of flames.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    I told Khrus to go inside through the gates, which he reluctantly obliged. I was walking alongside the carriage on the right side, while the other soldier was on the left. Strangely, the first few blocks from the gates were deserted. Understandable, mosy wouldn''t stay in this particular place if there¡¯s a insurrection currently ongoing.


    We walked along the streets, only the echoes of distant battling resonates within our area. I am starting to doubt about this idea. Shouldn¡¯t we have waited till it was over before we marched in? I shrugged it off and just focused on my assignment.


    There was no one. We didn¡¯t want to go straight into a battle, we just wanted to recruit. Sure, there are people there, but who in the right mind would go there to recruit? We¡¯ll just get yourselves killed.


    Just then, Khrus suddenly stopped and looked towards a house on our right. I approached him and asked what¡¯s wrong.


    ¡°There are some people there.¡±


    These kobolds really have sharp senses, I didn¡¯t even hear anything that hints on someone being there. Though, this was a good chance. Finally, some people to recruit.


    I ordered his men to keep watch, and commanded another to guard me. We walked towards the house, arriving at the door and knocking on it.


    ¡°Whoever is there, I come in peace. I just want to talk something with you."


    We got no response. I looked back at Khrus to make sure that his senses was right, which he responded with a confident nod. I turned to a broken window, and peeked inside. It was dark, no lanterns or candles lighting up inside.


    ¡°Please, there¡¯s no need to hide. We assure you that we mean no harm.¡±


    I¡¯m trying to negotiate to people I don¡¯t even think are here. Is there no here? Maybe Khrus was just delusional? It looks like I wasted my ti- wait¡­


    I heard a noise. Sounded like a wooden furniture suddenly being moved. There was definitely someone in here.


    ¡°Hello? Please show yourself. We just want to talk.¡±


    I looked around the room through the window, but I could only see darkness. I let out a sigh.


    ¡°Look, whoever is there, I promise I will lead you out of here. I have been given a will by my god, and It¡¯s my duty to carry that out.¡±


    I waited for a moment, then a man stood up seemingly out of nowhere. The faint light from the flames outside is only enough to make out his silhouette.


    ¡°Are your words true?¡±


    Of course they are. No one would dare to make a statement with their god in it without fulfilling it. It would be cursing them and would lead to the damnation of the speaker¡¯s life.


    ¡°I spoke true. I swear on my life.¡±


    I replied to the man, which seemingly made tha man sigh. I¡¯m not sure what that sigh meant. Either way, the man seem to recognize us as reliable people. He beckoned some other people from something he came out from, probably a table. Then came out two other figures, one a little shorter than the man, and the other only reached up to the man¡¯s waist.


    ¡°We are coming out.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    I put myself some distance from the door with my guard behind me. The door opened, and what came out was a man, a woman, and a girl. The man wore dirty peasant clothes, looked well built, and looked like in his thirties. He had full beard and messy black hair. His face had normal brown irises and was blocky and defining, oozing masculinity. He had a worried look on his face.


    The woman also wore peasant clothes, and looked like around her twenties, nearing thirites. Her facial features were average at beast, with dominant sharp features and normal brown irises. She had long curly hair, reaching to the midsection of her back.


    The girl had short hair reaching to her neck, and had a child¡¯s peasant clothes. She was cute and innocent looking, also having the same brown irises. She was very small, probably she is around six years old.


    All of them had a worried and nervous look on them, the family having close contact with each other, as if protecting themselves from whatever might happen. The girl was hugging his father tight. Seems like they are tensed, so I did my best to smile reassuringly.


    ¡°Do not worry, as I¡¯ve said before, we will not harm you.¡±


    The man was about to speak, when he recoiled while looking at me and held his family closer to him.


    ¡°You¡¯re one of the royal soldiers!¡±


    I forgot that I was still wearing the uniform of the royal soldiers. My insignia¡¯s not there anymore, but the color of purple and black is enough for the people to distinguish us as royal soldiers. I sighed.


    ¡°Please calm down. I do not serve the king anymore, I serve my god now.¡±


    The family seems to not believe me. I looked at the man, and he was looking at me with scorn. That look¡­ I don¡¯t know why, but it hurts.


    ¡°How can we trust you? You say you will lead us out of here for it is the will of your god, but I know you royal soldiers. Your god is your king!¡±


    Distrust, hatred, and fear. I can sense them directed towards me, and my men. All my life, I¡¯ve seen people that go against the king as heretics, so I¡¯ve never cared about how they feel. Now, it¡¯s different.


    ¡°I have broken free from the king¡¯s control and deception.¡±


    Why do I feel pain from their distrust? I¡¯ve prepared myself for this, but it seems like I am not.


    ¡°I am sent here to gather people and lead them to a safe place to live, free from a tyrannical rule.¡±


    I don¡¯t get it. I was only doing what I was told, what I thought was right. It shouldn¡¯t be my fault, is it?


    ¡°...¡±


    But why do I feel guilt? Why do I feel sadness?


    ¡°But if you don¡¯t want to go with us, it¡¯s fine.¡±


    They¡¯ll be better off without us. I am just a terrible person in their eyes. Why did he choose me in this assignment? There¡¯s no way these people would believe me. I should just tell my lord to choose another.


    ¡°Thank you for your consideration anyway.¡±


    That¡¯s it. I don¡¯t want to do this anymore. I turned around to walk away, when something tugged me on my legs. It was the girl.


    ¡°Mister, don¡¯t go. I know you are good, so please stay with us.¡±


    She wasn¡¯t looking at me with a scornful expression like her parents. She was worried. It was confusing, why would the girl be worried about me?


    ¡°Mister, don¡¯t look so sad. It¡¯s ok, I am not mad or afraid of you.¡±


    Sad? I looked at the parents, and they were looking at me with pity, and they looked like they are in regret. Is there something wrong in my face? I don¡¯t- ah. So that¡¯s why my sight was blurry.


    My tears dropped from my eyes, as I looked down at the girl, hugging my leg. I feel¡­ relieved. All those thoughts from before have been seemingly washed away by this little girl. This girl would trust me when others won''t. I feel truly grateful for the existence of innocence.


    I looked at the parents. They were looking a each other, and then smiled at me. The parents then approached me.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to have doubted you. I can see your guilt and regret from your eyes, and that¡¯s all I need to know that you are honest and sincere.¡±


    The man said as he held my shoulder. He gave me a reassuring smile. That was suppsoed to be my job.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    I wiped off my tears from my face. The man patted me on the shoulder.


    ¡°You can go inside the carriage for escort.¡±


    He nodded and took their daughter with them inside the carriage. The girl looked at me with a smile, before disappearing inside the carriage. Innocence of a child truly lifts my heart. Maybe I should start a family soon.


    ¡°Hey sir, you should really stop crying. You¡¯re a grown man, yet you cry like a pansy."


    Maybe I should, but it''s not his concern. I punched my guard in the shoulder getting him to let out an ¡®oof¡¯ from the impact. I think I know now why my lord chose me, and frankly, I am starting to appreciate his decision.


    "I survived more than thirty years being like this, so it shouldn''t be a problem."


    My guard just snickered at me. He said something under his breath, but I didn''t mind it.


    I went on with my mission. I ordered more of my men, 5 of them, to get out and escort on the sides. We then continued to search the streets for more people to recruit.


    ¡°By the way Khrus, do we have any rations for the three days mission?¡±


    I walked to his side, and then he replied.


    ¡°There is. Under the seats, there should be boxes strapped in there. Inside those are our supplies to last us a week.¡±


    ¡°A week? That¡¯s a tad bit longer than three days. Why would our lord give us a surplus?¡±


    Khrus just shrugged. I see, so he doesn¡¯t know, huh? It doesn¡¯t matter. My lord gave me this mission, and I shall do it to the best of my ability, even though I almost dropped it.


    Well, this unrest shouldn¡¯t last for more than today, and things should start to settle down tomorrow, or the day after. Once that happens, there should be plenty of time for us to recruit.


    I wonder why my lord needs to recruit more people? Well, I¡¯ll just wait and see.

 Easy

    It¡¯s been almost three days since the mission has started. It¡¯s currently morning, and we are currently walking around the streets with three carriages, all having civilians in them. All of my men are currently escorting the line of carriages in the sides. One of the carriages is carried by Khrus, while the other two is one horse each. There was one extra horse when we found them around a street, so I rode it. I thought the insurrection would be done by now, but it seems like it¡¯s not the case.


    They are still going at it, both sides seemingly haven¡¯t exhausted themselves yet. What kind of funding did they have? The king, I can understand that he got his funds from taxes and bought supplies beforehand, but the people? I don¡¯t know. Maybe they are keeping each other alive by supporting each other with their professions, like bakers bake food, blacksmiths repair equipment, etc. Honestly, if they are going to go this far, they should have just left this place and let it fall under that king¡¯s rule.


    Speaking of professions, we¡¯ve recruited quite a number of people in these last few days. There are about twenty-three civilians with us right now, less than a half of them have jobs. They all willingly joined with us because they have nowhere else to go. The promise of being lead to a peaceful land while being watched over by my lord was very appealing to them. It¡¯s not always that kingdoms and villages are actively being watched over by their patron gods.


    Also, Khrus doesn¡¯t like corpses, at all. We once passed by a street with littered dead bodies everywhere, and the sight was enough to make Khrus hurl his lunch. Hang in there Khrus, our lord chose you to come with us for a reason.


    My horse strode in a slow pace to match the slow speed of the other carriages. I ordered the others to stop while I pray. The carriages did and I went down from my horse, kneeled, and prayed.


    I heard the civilians inside whisper, probably looking at me pray. I didn¡¯t mind them that much.


    O my lord, Nemer. Hear my calling upon you.


    ¡°Nemer here. What¡¯s up?¡±


    My lord seems to be quicker to respond this time.


    ¡°I believe it¡¯s almost due for our mission. We are now going to head back.¡±


    ¡°I know. I¡¯ve already sent reinforcements to your location earlier. They should be waiting outside the gates when they arrive.¡±


    ¡°Yes, my lord.¡±


    I don¡¯t get why my lord would send us reinforcements with such a low number of current followers, but it¡¯s better than having less than ideal numbers in certain situations. I stood up and rode my horse, commanding the others to turn and start getting out of this ruins.


    The kingdom looked like it has been ravaged by a natural disaster, with crumbled buildings everywhere, and destroyed infrastructures as far as the eye can see. I can¡¯t believe the unrest is still going on despite the damage they already caused.


    Not my problem anyway. I¡¯m only here to recruit, not worry about a sorry of an excuse kingdom.


    We started to go to the gates, maybe about fifteen minutes travel from here to there in our current pace. Not yet a minute, and some people already ambushed as from the sides. They were royal soldiers, about eleven of them.


    ¡°Surrender now, heretic scum! You are surrounded!¡±


    These royal soldiers are stubborn. Time and time again, they would try to make us surrender, then we would fight them off and let them live, but they would come again another time. This is really getting ridiculous.


    ¡°Have you all not learned your lesson?¡±


    ¡°Quiet, you! Surrender now and no one would get hurt!¡±


    There¡¯s no point in talking to them. I wasted no time and jumped off my horse, engaging one of the soldiers. My men did the same and started fighting, including Khrus. They all fell in no more than thirty seconds. Honestly, they were a pathetic lot.


    ¡°Arghh¡­ all of you will one day experience the king¡¯s wrath!¡±


    ¡°Oh shut up.¡±


    I clobbered the royal soldier¡¯s head, turning him unconscious. My men did the same to their opponents. We¡¯ve been always attacked by the royal soldiers because we are apparently traitors. I am, but I am a traitor in a good way. The people of Gaimain would just ignore us once our civilians convinced them. So all in all, the royal soldiers were the one giving us a hard time.


    We tied the sorry group of soldiers and put them inside one of the carriages. Killing them would stain our slowly growing reputation, and would certainly cause some of our recruited to decide not to come with us. Sure, they were enemies, but mercy is a great attractor. The civilians inside the carriage were uneasy with them inside, so we searched for another one for the royal soldiers, and for my men.


    We found a turnt over carriage in the streets, along with other destroyed ones. This carriage seems to be fine, so my men flipped it right side up and hooked the horse I was riding on it. We then rode it, me coaching the carriage. Our line of four carriages then moved along the streets.


    Judging by the number of carriages in this street, there might be a transportation of people, or goods judging from the spilt supplies in the streets, when the revolution happened. Actually, we should probably take them.


    I ordered 5 of my men to get off and started hauling the supplies while we move, which they did. Food, plants, even clothes, stuff only a merchant would have. I pity the loss of income for the unfortunate merchants who happened to be here during the insurgence.


    We passed by some rebels, but they ignored us once they saw who was coaching two of our carriages. One was a renowned blacksmith, the other was a kind apothecary. They passed by us without uttering a single word.


    We then arrived by an outpost laid down by the rebels. By the time we¡¯ve arrived, we have already gathered quite some supplies from looting the carriages.


    ¡°Aye! They¡¯re here!¡±


    Called one of the rebels on top of a stone building, looking like a miniature fortress. This was formerly the outpost of the royal soldiers, but the rebels overtook it and made it their own. We passed by this outpost, and I met some good people here. Part of the reason I stopped by here is to bid the people here farewell.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    We stopped at the front of the building and the civilians we escorted started going down and mingled with the outpost inhabitants. There were a lot of people here than I remember.


    ¡°Good to see you back, Harle!¡¯


    Called one of the rebels. It was Greg, a long time friend of mine. He was the first royal soldier I knew that became aware of the king¡¯s deception. He tried to snap me out of it and many others, but sad to say we drove him off. Now, we¡¯re friends again after he realized that I am free.


    He was a tall man, around 6 feet high, and sported a wolfish sideburn. His face looked like he was around his thirties, like me, and had amber irises. He was buffed with defined muscles, giving the impression that he is the toughest of the tough around here. The truth is that he is actually one of the softest in the bunch here. He wore moderate steel armor, and had a sword sheathed on his side.


    ¡°Good to see you too Greg. Anything new happened?¡±


    Greg smiled and cocked his head behind him, beckoning me to follow him as he turned around to walk inside the outpost. I went down from the carriage and followed him to roof.


    ¡°This is what you wanted right?¡±


    He was looking over the ledge, and when I did the same, I saw a long line of carriages covering the street behind the outpost. There are probably around twenty-six of those carriages. What the hell, that¡¯s a lot!


    ¡°We disseminated the news of your gathering, and these people wants to come with you.¡±


    ¡°Really? Then what was my search in the streets for, if I could have just waited for you to gather this much people?¡±


    ¡°It was a surprise!¡±


    ¡°Surprise my ass.¡±


    I could have spent those days doing something else, like practice controlling my arcus. Oh well, it¡¯s not like it¡¯s big of a loss for me.


    ¡°The kingdom will be broken beyond repair once were done overthrowing that king, and these people want to stay out of it and stay in a place where they could live normally.¡±


    ¡°I see. My lord should be glad of this. Thanks.¡±


    ¡°Happy to be of service.¡±


    Greg pat my shoulder and descended from the roof inside the outpost. I stayed here, looking over at these people. These many people, I realized how much responsibilities a god needs to hold on their worshippers. Would my lord be able to protect all of them? I shook my head. There¡¯s no use in thinking about it. What I should do right now is carry out my mission, for my lord.


    I went downstairs into the hub, where people were talking with each other. Greg was talking with the others. Too bad he won¡¯t come with us. He said that he has to stay and finally give the king the retribution he deserved. Well, I hope he would come to our village once this is all done, and I hope the others who will stay here does too.


    ¡°Greg, we¡¯ll be leaving now.¡±


    ¡°Aye!¡±


    He stood up and clapped his hands, getting the attention of everybody inside.


    ¡°Harle here will start departing. All of you that are going with him better start packing and go inside your carriages.¡±


    Then they started to do exactly what he said. Most left while few stayed. I went outside and coached the carriage me and my men were in. Greg approached me.


    ¡°Good luck in your trip.¡±


    Greg stood there, waving his hand.


    ¡°Thanks. We¡¯ll be off now.¡±


    I whipped the horse, and started moving. We moved through the streets, the long line of carriages following behind us. After a while, we passed through the gate were Barnon and the other male kobolds were waiting. The faces they made when they saw the long line was priceless. They probably didn¡¯t expect this much to be gathered in such a short time.


    We were finally a good distance from the kingdom after an hour. Looking back, the kingdom still had smokes and flames lighting parts of the kingdom, but at least those have lessened down during the previous days. Barnon was walking next to my carriage, us leading the others behind.


    ¡°So, uhhh¡­ how did you get this much people?¡±


    ¡°From the help of a friend of mine.¡±


    ¡°Wow, that¡¯s some helpful friend.¡±


    We would have small talk along the trip, until we arrived at the forest. From our current pace, I suspect we will arrive at our destination around 2 days, not counting the times we have to rest for the night.


    ¡°Anything happened while we were away?¡±


    ¡°Yep. I received a blessing from my lord called [Arcus Vision].¡±


    ¡°Really? What does it do?¡±


    ¡°Apparently, it allows me to see everything as arcus. It really helps me identify differences in arcus, allowing me to see things before they come.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s quite handy.¡±


    I envy him. Receiving a blessing from a god is enviable by anyone. It¡¯s a god we¡¯re talking about.


    ¡°With that being said, aren¡¯t we going too slow?¡±


    ¡°No, we are absolutely not. We are not going to go apecrap insane with speed.¡±


    Lord no. There is no way I¡¯m going to have to experience that hellish trip from the first time. Just thinking about it makes me sick.


    ¡°Oh well. There¡¯s no rush anyway.¡±


    Yeah, that reminds me. Why did the lord give me a time limit? Is there something bad that¡¯s going to happen if I didn¡¯t comply with the time limit? Hmmm¡­ Well whatever it is, I at least did it before time ran out.


    Wait, aren¡¯t we getting things a little too easy? None of us got injured, my mission was successful, Barnon got a blessing, it¡¯s almost as if this is the calm before a storm. This thought is making me uneasy. I should prepare if anything bad does happen.


    The trip went by smoothly. We arrived two days later in Nemeran in the morning, but there¡¯s something off. The clearing seems to be much larger, there are a lot more residence than before, and now we have eight watch towers. The whole space is also covered with a wooden wall that is as high as 6¡¯3 feet, and there were two wooden gates, northern and southern. So that¡¯s why there are a lot of cut trees.


    We went inside the southern gate, and we were surprised to see the interior much larger than the outside indicates. The carriages went inside and unloaded all of people inside. They themselves were in awe of Nemeran. The area was large, really really large. If I had to guess, maybe over a thousand carriages would fit inside the village. That¡¯s probably an exaggeration. There were wooden houses everywhere, with a few large buildings here and there.


    ¡°Uhhh¡­ are they the people you gathered?¡± my lord said in my head.


    ¡°Yes, my lord.¡±


    ¡°Umm¡­ good job!¡±


    ¡°Thank you my lord.¡±


    I¡¯ve been praised! Well that¡¯s to be expected for completing my mission. What I did not expect is how Nemeran expanded in such a short time of five days. From the looks of it, upgrades are still in progress from the sight of my men and the female kobolds carrying around logs and construction materials.


    Barnon then came and instructed everyone to go to the altar for a meeting with our lord, which all of them complied, albeit with some doubts. The altar was quite easy to find, since it sits just under the giant tree and it¡¯s impossible to miss that tree from how tall it was.


    Once everyone, about two hundred or more of the newcomers, was seated in front of the altar on the ground, the altar started to glow. The newcomers stared in anticipation and shock at the altar.


    ¡°Welcome to my village!¡±


    Suddenly. I heard my lord¡¯s voice.


    ¡°I¡¯m Nemer, the patron god of this village- wooaaahhhh!¡±


    My lord suddenly let out a weird noise, cutting himself from speaking the full sentence. There was a moment of silence, before my lord spoke again.


    ¡°Ahem, sorry about that, had an extreme power surge there. Anyway, I am Nemer, and I am this village¡¯s patron god.¡±


    The newcomers seated still. It¡¯s only natural to pay respect to a god by not doing unnecessary things. Their eyes were glued on the altar, its marking pulsating in every syllable my lord spoke.


    ¡°All of you shall live peacefully under my watch, as long as you don¡¯t cause any trouble for me, or for anyone else. I want all of you to be friendly with each other as much as possible.


    There are rules that I want to implement in here. One is what I just said before. Please be civilized. Second, do not pray to me unless you have something important to pray. Lastly, contribute to the development of Nemeran in any way you can. As long as you agree and follow of my rules, you are welcome under my wing. Understood?¡±


    The newcomers nodded in agreement. I did too, and so did the other kobolds.


    ¡°Good. Now go, do whatever you need to do. Please talk to Barnon here to find a residence for you and your family. The others who couldn¡¯t take a house will have to wait in one of our dormitories until another residence is available.¡±


    Then the people stood up and went on to their carriages to take their belongings and such, amd returned to Barnon for finding a residence. Others took out construction tools and other necessary materials and started helping with the upgrade of Nemeran. Some took out axes and went outside to chop wood, while some helped carry the materials to their destination.


    This sight of people helping each other eased my heart. I wonder if this is how our lord feels right now? If so, then now I understand gods a little bit better now.


    <hr>


    "Oh god, there''s so many people..."


    Little did Harle know, many does not always mean good.

 More Problems

    Let¡¯s list the problems of Nemer¡¯s current situation.


    One, the influx of population is an unexpected event. Nemer didn¡¯t prepare anything enough to accommodate the population.


    Second, there is no constant food supply. The people might be good for a while, but soon hunger might become Nemeran¡¯s downfall.


    Third, the infrastructure is shoddy and low grade, courtesy of Nemer¡¯s not engineer followers. At least it¡¯s currently fixed by a newcomer architect, and is currently taking the lead in construction.


    Fourth, the crazy woman is going to come here in less than a month and might terrorize everything he had worked for. There is no other information about her other than she is crazy and that she obsesses over chaos, both not a good thing to have.


    Last, he still hasn¡¯t made an arc to counter her.


    ¡°Curses¡­¡±


    Nemer has been mumbling to himself for the past few minutes trying to think of ways to cure these problems as fast and efficient as possible.


    ¡°Uhmm¡­ god Nemer?¡±


    Nemer snapped out of it. Beside him is the architect that is currently taking the lead for Nemeran¡¯s reconstruction and any constructions in the future. He was an experience architect, his wrinkled face and godly beard gives proof of it. He had blue irises, and roughed face features. He wore a plain long sleeved shirt, and brown belted pants, with matching brown shoes.


    ¡°You were mumbling for a while there, god Nemer.¡±


    ¡°Ah, don¡¯t mind me Ben.¡±


    ¡°Alright. So, as I was saying¡­¡±


    Ben was explaining things to Nemer regarding the plans about the houses. He thinks that the foundations are good, but he can¡¯t say the same to the overall appearance and integrity of each of the buildings. He pointed out that they were built in a rush, and constructing things like this will cause all sorts of problems to surface in the long run, or short if it¡¯s really low grade.


    Of course, he¡¯s not here to just poke at the mistakes of the buildings. Ben told Nemer that the reconstruction shouldn¡¯t take more than a week with how fast some of the workers are - referring to Harle¡¯s men and Barnon¡¯s kobolds - so time shouldn¡¯t be a problem. What they have to worry is that in order to complete the plan, they need to have some construction materials not found in Nemeran. Supplies for those are finite and can only make up to a few houses at best.


    As for Nemer¡¯s request, which involved in creating a farm, they would have to get a huge land of the forest to be cleared of trees and be used for agriculture. Fortunately for the people, the soil here is fertile to allow multitudes of plants to grow without any problems, and there is little monsters that live here. Before they do that though, they have to finish residential constructions first and deal with gathering and hunting first before they could make a farm for the village needs. If they start to make the farm, it would take them between three to seven days to completely condition the soil for agricultural use.


    ¡°That¡¯s it, god Nemer.¡±


    ¡°So what I need to do now is to do something about the construction materials?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Got it. Anything else I should worry about?¡±


    ¡°Not in the construction department, no.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll be checking with the others.¡±


    Nemer floated away while Ben waved goodbye at the wrong direction.


    Nemer flew over the village of Nemeran, looking down at the busy village. Two hundred fifty plus of people are currently going about on the ground, doing what they needed to do. He saw a man tend to his pigs that were making quite a fuss. He saw children playing outside their homes. There were a lot of things currently happening, but even though he is a god, Nemer couldn¡¯t think how can any god look out for this much people, much less than millions.


    Despite the feeling of heavy burden of responsibilities, he accepted it. He accepted that he is a god now, and he must do what a god must do. He really cannot do anything about it, and even if he can, he will still feel obligation for his position. Things are the way it is right now and the only way forward is to accept and move on.


    Inside a building, Nemer found himself inside the room of a man wearing clothes of a noble who was currently sitting on a box in front of a wooden table with papers neatly ordered on it. The man seemed to be in distress seeing how he is leaning to his hand and he had the face of a person that you would call under an immense stress. He had long hair tied in a low ponytail with stray strands of hair everywhere. His eyes had brown irises and visible bags under them, and his face looked like he was around 30s with sharp features. He covered his face with both of his hand, then grabbed his pen to continue whatever he was doing.


    ¡°Excuse me.¡±


    Nemer¡¯s voice startled the man and made him frantically look around for him.


    ¡°Calm down. It¡¯s me, your god, Nemer.¡±


    Indeed the man calmed down and sighed in relief, putting down his pen and grasping his hands over the table. He smiled a weak smile.


    ¡°What can I do for you, god Nemer?¡±


    Nemer looked around the room for a moment. There was nothing interesting inside save for a lamp next to the table and a bed in the side.


    ¡°What you may be?¡±


    Nemer asked the man since his place doesn¡¯t seem noble enough for someone who is wearing noble clothes.


    ¡°Ah, I am the lord of the people that came here, god Nemer.¡±


    ¡°Oh, is that so? What¡¯s the papers for?¡±


    ¡°These?¡±


    The man sighed and took a moment to rest for a while.


    ¡°I am currently keeping track of my people, trying to keep things in order. Population number, supply count, healthy vs. sick, everything I need to keep an eye on.¡±


    Nemer looked at the papers laid on the table, and indeed all of them have something to do with what the man just said. The man continued on with writing whatever he needed to write on one of the papers.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    ¡°It¡¯s my duty to ensure everyone under me will have a satisfactory living here in our new home and to record every necessary detail.¡±


    Dedicated man is he.


    ¡°You seem to be a nice guy.¡±


    The man seemed to smile at the remark. There is just something about gods that make the words they say into something special just by saying them.


    ¡°I get that a lot. It also seems to be the reason why my life isn¡¯t endangered yet, and that I keep being a lord.¡±


    Although these paperworks are getting to his mind, this man kept on writing and reading. He beared his responsibility with accepting shoulders knowing what will happen and the consequences such path entails. Stress may show from his face, but what Nemer sees in him is dedication and determination for the people he leads.


    ¡°May I have your name?¡± asked Nemer as the man writes.


    ¡°Ah yes, how rude of me.¡±


    He stopped writing to do a proper introduction.


    ¡°I am Carlos of House Beritin, the fifth son of Norin of House Beritin, and current lord of the house.¡±


    Carlos introduced himself to no one in front of him.


    ¡°Nice to meet you Carlos.¡±


    ¡°Likewise, god Nemer.¡±


    ¡°Continue what you need to do. I¡¯ll be off now.¡±


    Nemer flies through the roof like a ghost as Carlos waves to the wrong direction.


    Nemer feels inspired now. Carlos did a great job as a lord of his people despite how powerless he might seem. Without arcs and arcus, the man was still able to keep these people in check without them causing much trouble in the village. ¡®If Carlos can do it, why can¡¯t I?¡¯ that thought alone was enough to boost his confidence.


    With the newfound inspiration and motivation, he sets off to the barracks where the kobolds are currently eating their lunch. He phased inside and found Barnon and his kin eating and talking to one another in a long dining table.


    ¡°Yeah, and I totally dig that girl.¡± Veni admitted while eating some leafy veggies for that healthy diet.


    ¡°Really, Veni? You dig every pretty girl you meet.¡± Khrus was sitting directly in front of Veni while pointing at him with a bone.


    ¡°Hey! It¡¯s not every girl! I have standards you know.¡±


    ¡°And apparently, those standards are low enough that you would instantly fall for any pretty girl.¡±


    Everyone of the kobolds laughed. Veni grumbled and pouted, crossing his arms while doing so. Barnon was naturally at the long end of the table, acting like the head of the family. He had to catch his breath after laughing at Veni.


    ¡°Whew. Isn¡¯t that great. At least you have standards.¡± Barnon remarked before stuffing his mouth with an apple.


    ¡°Don¡¯t mock me.¡±


    Barnon chuckled. It has been a while since all of them gathered around to keep each other company. This feeling of family has been a genetic trait of the kobolds, sharing happiness and sadness with their members being the core morals of their action. As such, times like these is what would one say as a refreshing day.


    ¡°We¡¯ve been busy huh?¡± Khasa asked after finishing her plate, looking out at the window near her.


    ¡°Yeah. Unlike in the past, this kind of busy actually makes me happy.¡± Barnon has stopped eating his apple in is now looking at it.


    ¡°What would it have been if we were still slaves?¡± A silver fur kobold asked.


    ¡°Lune, I¡¯d rather not think about it.¡± A red fur kobold replied.


    ¡°It was a rhetorical question, Vivia.¡±


    ¡°I still do not want to think about it.¡±


    Everyone suddenly fell silent, only breaking when they heard Nemer¡¯s voice.


    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±


    All of the kobolds stood up and stiffened.


    ¡°Whoa whoa whoa, calm down you guys. Geez, you don¡¯t have to be formal when I¡¯m around.¡±


    Hearts have calmed down and now the kobolds are sitting on their seats nervously.


    ¡°So, I have a mission for some of you. I need three volunteers for this one.¡±


    Naturally, every kobold in the room raised their hands. Nemer sighed.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take Barnon, Nick, and Khasa.¡±


    Nick pumped his fists in excitement, while the other two were just as excited as he was without the actions. The rest groaned or drooped their moods in disappointment.


    ¡°Alright you three. You are going to go and talk to Ben, our architect, to know what materials he needs. Then, you must take a carriage with you and go to the nearest city, that is Gaimain, and search for the necessary materials.¡±


    The three nodded and quickly went out to do their assigned mission.


    ¡°As for the rest, all of your are going to joint with Harle and his men to keep the order in the village, while training a the same time. Meet with him and discuss what all of you should do.¡±


    All of them quickly cleaned up the table before setting out to the other barracks to meet with Harle and his men.


    Now that it¡¯s settled, Nemer went back to his altar and disconnected, leaving only silence for him to hear. He used his time to go and organize the village, and now he is going to think in peace. Thinking about the counter arc or what to do next, both were high priority for the god.


    ¡°Carlos should be the lord of Nemeran¡­ politics and anything like that should be handled by him¡­ farms must be made this month¡­ what arc should I make¡­¡±


    Nemer has a habit of mumbling whenever he is seriously thinking deep. One thought that crossed his mind is how there¡¯s so much problem that is going on right now because of his previous decision to go and invite people to his clearly underdeveloped village. He thought that maybe, just maybe, if he thought about it for a little bit longer and more carefully, things wouldn¡¯t be like this.


    Well, it¡¯s not like he can change that now. He has already accepted that he made the decision and the consequences were these, and so he has to put up with it and do his best for him and others. He has better things to do than to think of those things.


    The training his only military force had to do was a safety precaution in case he fails to make an arc for protection. That way, they could at least buy enough time for the others to evacuate and start anew somewhere safer. To not let their effort be in vain, Nemer has finally dedicated his free time to create an arc.


    Meanwhile, Carlos was quietly working with his papers on his table. Letters after letters he would write on the papers, his tired hands and body not giving up until the deed is finished. His attention and focus left him unaware of a person entering his personal quarters.


    ¡°Uncle Carlos?¡±


    Carlos face turned into that of shock and happiness, as he witnesses his niece alive and healthy. He immediately stood up and approached Helena for an embrace.


    ¡°Helena! My dear!¡±


    ¡°Uncle Carlos!¡±


    Both of the nobles embrace each other in warmth, happy to see each other¡¯s family alive and well. Their eyes let their floodgates open as the reunion summoned onion cutting ninjas in their room. Carlos thought he would never see Helena or the Saihera family ever again after what the king has ordered, and Helena thought that his beloved uncle has died in the king¡¯s clutches. A family¡¯s embrace truly invokes a warm feeling of familial love. Behind them was Jarun, smiling on the event that is currently happening in front of him. He was glad he survived to see this moment.


    Carlos looked up at Jarun with a grateful smile and teary eyes.


    ¡°Thank you Jarun, for taking care and protecting Helena.¡±


    Jarun nodded.


    ¡°It¡¯s my duty and honor to do so, sir Carlos. I am glad that you are well.¡±


    ¡°I am glad both of you are well too.¡±


    Carlos let go and touched his forehead with Helena¡¯s before distancing himself and asking a question.


    ¡°Where¡¯s Alegio? Is he not with you?¡±


    Helena lowered her head and looked away. Carlos knew what that gesture meant as his eyes widened with shock.


    ¡°Father is¡­ dead.¡±


    His brother is dead. The person that he had known his entire life, the person that has given him much support and encouragement, the person that has given him purpose, the person that he has treated like his own brother, was dead. This news made him stumble back in shock, but after seeing Helena¡¯s face full of despair, he knew the girl had it rougher than he did. After all, his niece had the best father she could ever ask for.


    He embraced Helena again, this time reassuring her. Carlos has always been like a second father to Helena, and his father would always talk about him. Alegio even once said ¡°If I ever cease to live, Carlos will be the closest thing you¡¯ll have of me. Remember Helena, your uncle and I have been brothers since we were children. If you need help when we are not here anymore, seek your uncle.¡± and right now, the help she needs is reassurance, which Carlos delivered.


    ¡°We¡¯ll start anew, Helena. I¡¯ll be sure to make you and your father happy by taking care of you.¡±


    Once again, Helena cried - not of happiness, but of sadness.