Asteri went to the missions board, and did not look at the F grade missions but the E grade ones. And immediately one of them caught his attention, in the mission it was written that here near Quisque there was a cave currently occupied by very aggressive coblocks. In the lower part of the sheet were written the prerequisites that must be met. The adventurer must be at least in the first phase of the green core, which Asteri re-entered.
'Bingo.' thought Asteri.
He tore the sheet off the bulletin board and headed back to Thalia.
"Here you are Thalia, I chose this one." she told him.
"Show me." Thalia checked the mission.
"Are you sure Asteri? You enter the criteria but as your first mission isn't it worth taking a simpler one?" she asked with a hint of concern.
"No, I've decided, this is fine," Asteri said confidently.
"Aaaah okay, I will report it as the mission started and accepted, but Asteri be careful, the kobolds are not a big problem alone but together the matter changes, especially if you play at their house."
"Don't worry Thalia, I'll be very careful and I'll be back safe and sound." Asteri said but still saw Thalia's worried expression.
"I understand but ..." not even Thalia knows why she is caring so much about him, she was like the others a new adventurer, maybe because he is a rookie?
"So listen to this, how about when I get back we go to dinner together, it's you?" Asteri said with a sly smile.
'Young fox ...' he heard Aurelion say.
'Sometimes you have to throw yourself a partner.' Asteri said back.
Thalia was shocked by what the boy said, he even blushed a little but she immediately recovered "if you pay for sure, very willingly" Thalia replied with a hand in front of her mouth.
"Deal! This is a promise between us. See you again Thalia." saying this Asteri turned and walked towards the door.
"See you soon Asteri ... it's good luck" the last sentences she told her in a low voice embarrassed she is reproaching herself for having accepted without even knowing the reason for this choice 'stupid! Stupid! Stupid'
'Have you seen partner? I hit the mark, 'said Asteri enthusiastically.
'Sure, sure.' Aurelion replied bored.
. . .
So Asteri walked towards the cave infested with kobolds, thinking to himself.
'From what I have read the kobolds are an almost primitive race, they can barely speak the common language, but they know the dragon language very well and they can also read it.' Thought Asteri.
'Exactly, but they are also divided between various clans, and each of them thinks differently, and they are usually led by a patriarch or a matriarch. But there is one thing that makes them all the same ... they worship dragons a lot, they are their gods, in fact it is not strange to see a few whole tribes serving one of them. ' Aurelion told him.
'But they are usually not aggressive, on the contrary they tend to stay at a certain distance from other breeds, but these instead have raided some farmers nearby and stolen crops and livestock' replied Asteri.
'Most likely they are hungry and food is scarce, they would have no qualms if the survival of the clan is at risk' Aurelion concluded.
'We'll see ...' Asteri replied.
After an hour of walking Asteri found himself in front of the cave, the entrance was adorned with tribal signs and bone pendants and two poles positioned on both sides of the cave.
'No guards?' Asteri asked.
'Maybe they don't need it, they can even entice newbies like you to come in confidently and then cruelly slaughter them by stealth in the darkness of the cave.' Aurelion answered.
'What a nastiness towards a poor newbie like me. I'll tell them if they'll take it slow, after all it's my first time. '
'Who knows maybe it might work.' Aurelion suggested.
Asteri entered the cave, but one thing disturbs him, the presence that pursued him since he left Starling still followed him, but for now he ignored him, perhaps inside the cave he would have had a chance ...
As she entered Asteri she saw only darkness, so she used an ounce of his magic to release a flame from his palm, colored purple, blue and gold.
"We're off," Asteri said.
But as soon as he took about ten steps inside the cave, from the two sides of the ceiling jumped two beings of not even 1 meter in height of red color, they were armed with daggers pointing one to Asteri's neck and the other to his heart.
"Predictable kobold friends." Asteri said. that with a very fast hand movement he took a kobold and slammed it very hard at his partner who crashed on a wall with both of their hearts that stopped beating for the loud crash.
Asteri analyzed the two it is known that they were completely naked apart from the piece of cloth that covered the lower part of the body, they had a red skin with small black scales that covered various parts of the body. Their snouts were elongated and at the end of it they had a nose that resembled that of a canid, and their mouth was equipped with small sharp teeth. They had a small reptilian tail and a very thin physique, and on the paws of the hands and feet they had sharp nails. is their height was between 60 and 65 centimeters.
'What are you doing? they are simple kobolds why do you observe them? ' Aurelion asked him.
'Why do I observe them? simple I've never seen them, and this is my first time I'm curious. ' he answered him.
'Hmph, be careful not to overdo that curiosity it could bring you a lot of trouble.' Aurelion warned him.
'I'll pay the consequences if it ever happens.' Asteri answered.
'I warned you, do as you please.' Aurelion finished speaking.
'How serious you are my friend.' he said he sighing Asteri is getting up to continue the walk in the cave, still followed by that mysterious presence.