*Huff...huff*
I wheezed and gasped, trying to steady myself against the tree the boar had crashed into before falling to my knees from exhaustion.
"That...was close..." My one point in endurance was very nearly the death of me. If this attack hadn't killed the boar, I'd have been too tired to do anything else.
As I lay on the ground, trying to catch my breath, Koro looked down at me with a profound look.
"Wh...at...is it?"
"You no useless like thought."
"Thanks?"
"Bristles kill many kin in past." the female kobold looked solemnly at the dead boar. "But that not only bristle in forest." She sighed, offering me a hand. "You stand yet?"
Taking her hand, she gripped it tightly, pulling me to my feet. "We should...check on Rakuta." I said glancing at the fallen kobold, clutching his wound.
Koro ran over to Rakuta, kneeling down and examining him. "Wound deep...not sure if live." she shook her head, sadness in her eyes. "Rakuta you good fighter, but stubborn like boar. You end up like boar now too."
He grunted in response, trying and failing to sit up. "No worry about Rakuta...take boar back. Bristle feed tribe good..."
I activated status, looking over Rakuta.
Rakuta: Lv. 7
Hp: 3/14
I'm not exactly fond of Rakuta, but if it wasn't for him, I'd probably be dead. I pay back my debts. Besides, who knows how many other kobold there are at his level? If he's that concerned about feeding the tribe, that probably means there aren't many other hunters as capable as him. "He's seriously injured, but he might be able to make it back to the others alive if we help him."
"No!" Rakuta shouted, only to grasp his stomach in pain from overexerting himself. "Rakuta not important." he grabbed Koro's hand with the one that wasn't covering his wound. "Other members more important."
"We can't carry the boar by ourselves, it's too heavy. The only thing we can do is return to the tribe and send for greater numbers to come pick it up. We might as well save you in the process right?"
"Mmmm..." Rakuta still seemed hesitant, but the other one didn't give him a chance to speak.
"Yes!" Koro nodded. She ran over a bush, picking a medium-sized leaf and pressing it against Rakuta's wound. His face contorted in pain, but he didn't make a sound, holding the leaf against his injury to keep blood from pouring out.
***************
Provoke has reached Lv. 2
***************
Oh? So it can also be used like this huh?
Koro lightly elbowed me, gesturing to Rakuta. "No stand around. Help." she took one of his arms, slinging it over her shoulder. I took the other arm, and we slowly helped the wounded kobold to his feet. "We hunt at outskirts, tribe not far."
"Right." Rakuta was a little heavy, but with Koro's help, and my new leveled stats, we managed to move decently fast.
Now the question is, what do I do with the available points from leveling up? I'm tempted to put them into strength, but maybe I should off on that for now. Rakuta's battle with the boar showed me just how lacking the kobold are. His strength should be considerably above mine, and he was even the same level as the Bristleback. Despite this, after meeting the boar's charge head on, he was thrown like a ragdoll. Strength isn't a bad option, but right now I need to increase my survivability.
Intelligence and wisdom are off the table too. I don't know any spells. I don't even have a MP meter. Defense is alright, but making myself slightly harder won't make much of a difference at this point, and I already have 'Hard Scales'. Now I'm considering endurance, especially considering that low endurance nearly killed me. But after the level ups, it increased from 1 to 3, so it should be three times better than before. It shouldn't be TOO big a problem as long as I'm careful.
"Agility seems like the best option..." Speed tends to be important in video games. Dodging attacks, outmaneuvering the enemy, and running away. Of course, I don't expect two points to make a whopping difference. But even if my agility is ONE POINT higher than my enemy, it means I can escape if things look bad since I'm faster than them but then...
"How will I hunt?" Speed is only useful if I have a good weapon to back it up. Otherwise, I'm just running around. I could try and find more rabbits but, there's no guarantee I won't run into something more dangerous like a wolf. Dammit, I'm getting nowhere with this, I'll-
"We here. Be strong Rakuta."
Oh, we're already here...
"So this is it huh?" Just ahead was a small settlement. There several long wooden stakes jammed in the ground vertically in a line, with more stakes tied together by vines lined up horizontally to form a makeshift fence. Draped across the fence, were leaves and other foliage in an attempt to make it look more natural and hidden. Tents lay strewn about the village. Cloth draped over sticks propping the tent up. In the back of the settlement was what looked like five tents sewn together to make a sort of hodgepodge hut. Two guards stood at the entrance of the settlement with more shabby spears.
Riree: Lv. 3
Hp: 8/8
Obar: Lv. 4
Hp: 9/9
Upon seeing us, the two guards immediately dropped their spears and rushed over.
"Rakuta!"
"Rakuta!"
They didn't spare another word, instead, helping him into the village as quickly as possible. Other kobold gathered around us, concerned for his well being. Thankfully, they were all preoccupied with the injured hunter and didn't find my appearance the least bit strange. As I looked around, very few of these kobold seemed capable in a fight. Most were Lv. 2 and there was only one other at Lv. 4.
"How Rakuta hurt?!"
"He need help now!"
Several of them clamored about, expressing worry over his injuries. Each of them doing what they could to move him even a little bit faster. The others stood next to their tents, concern and fear plastered over their face. Counting up the bystanders, the helpers, and the guards, there was roughly 25 kobold in the entire settlement.
*FWAP*
Everyone looked behind them as the entrance to the large cloth hut opened and a figure walked out. A kobold with a wolf's pelt draped over his shoulder like a cloak. Across his neck hung a necklace with a few teeth bones dangling from them. There was a certain air about him, he looked completely unconcerned, nothing could phase him. As the approached the group surrounding us, he didn't slow down, but kept his pace. The crowd quickly became quiet as he arrived, parting down the middle to form a path for him as he walked toward Rakuta as if it were only natural.
Amon: Lv. 9 "Chief"
Hp: 16/16
Amon, as he was called, gestured with his clawed fingers behind him, and a hunchbacked kobold, supporting himself with a staff plodded forward. With a grunt, he knelt down with the crowd giving him space, and began applying a green salve on Rakuta's wound. He then placed a new leaf over the injury, before spreading a clear substance on the leaf. "Wait for sap to harden, then keep on few days." the hunchback said before stepping away, nodding to the chief to tell him he was done.
"What happen?" Amon asked, looking down on Rakuta. The injured kobold opened his mouth to speak, but once again, Koro beat him to it.
"We find Bristleback, had to fight." There were a few gasps as the crowd around us began to whisper among themselves. Amon merely narrowed his eyes, and gestured for her to continue. Koro went into detail about meeting the boar and Rakuta bravely charging in, taking one of it's eyes but getting wounded in the process. Then my 'heroic' exports of how I led the boar around crashing into a few trees before Koro and I gouged it's wound even further. Thankfully she left out the part about me being found not hunting and being clobbered for it.
Amon nodded quietly, before turning to me with a thoughtful look on his face. "I not remember you..."
Oh shit...
I unconsciously gulped, feeling my heartbeat speed up. "We bring down mighty boar! Take vengeance for kin killed! It eat us, now we eat it!" Trying to keep a straight face, I pounded my chest. trying to mimic something Rakuta might say.
The chief's expression didn't change. Whether or not he bought that act of mine, he moved onto a different topic. "Where boar now?"
"Boar lie dead in pool of own blood! We can't carry, so we bring Rakuta here, while we get more kin to carry boar!"
"Hmm, yes." He nodded, giving me a pat on the shoulder. "You do well for village. Obtain many merits for deeds." Amon turned around addressing the crowd, and pointing at several kobold. "You all go now, obtain boar! This night we dine with boar meat!" There were several shouts of joy as the selected kobold ran off with spears to go fetch their prize. The chief turned back to three of us. You all do great deed. Get first pick of boar. What want?"
THAT'S our prize? We nearly got killed hunting this thing and now we get to choose what part of the boar we want? Well...I guess this village is dirt poor. It's not like he could give out gold or anything. Honestly, what I really need is a weapon, but the only weapons these guys have around here are spears, and badly made ones at that. Maybe I could make a knife out of the tusks? No, wait!
"I want the boar's legs!"