New Eden: Live to Play, Play to Live

Chapter 1002: The Great One

And on this stone, veins of bright lava pulsed, following a rhythmic pattern, thrumming with power.

*thump thump* *thump thump* *thump thump*

The surrounding mana pulsed in and out with each pulse, like air coming in and out of lungs, leaving all its pure fire essence inside the stone.

Kneeling before this stone, a single kobold, wearing robes with a pair of red eyes dyed into them, currently glowing.

"Oh, great one! What impudence these human intruders have to take refuge in your lair and even steal away your precious sustenance! We are lost without your guidance. What would you have us do?" the kobold asked, face lowered toward the ground in deference, his voice filled with reverence.

Silence enveloped the room, only broken by the bubbling of the magma pools around the stone and the steam spouts releasing pressure from the ceiling.

Seeing that his master wasn\'t responding, the kobold was about to ask his question again before a low, rumbling voice echoed in the room, making the mana inside him tremble instinctively.

"You dare disturb my peace with news of a mortal group in my home? I gave you a sliver of my powers so you could uphold the peace in my stead. Are you so useless that you can\'t deal with some puny humans?" the voice asked, the cavern around it shivering.

The voice was omnipresent in the cavern, sounding like it came from everywhere all at once. But the kobold knew where it came from.

Raising its eyes to look at the stone still pulsing with enough fire essence to light a fire to the world, the kobold frowned.

"But, great one... They aren\'t regular humans... They are using mana to make themselves powerful, just like us. And, they have access to a mage who can wield flames almost as well as I..." he mumbled.

The cavern shook, this time a bit more vigorously, almost as if the voice was angry.

Yet, its tone remained the same.

"You dare say that a human rivals the power I gifted you through my eternal generosity? What is it that you are spouting out of your inferior gullet, slave?"

The kobold shuddered, feeling the power inside him rousing against his will and the heat in his body climbing to dangerous levels.

"I would never dare spout such blasphemy, oh, great one!" he said, falling face first to the ground, prostrating.

"I was only saying that the human is using some kind of trick to rest the power of flames from my control. Of course, I would never assume her power to be greater than what you gifted me, venerable Dragon!"

There was silence once more in the cave, which made the slight cracking of the stone ever so prominent.

With a sigh, the rumbling voice spoke once more.

"No matter your insolence, I won\'t need your services much longer. My power will surge once I hatch out of this egg, and your utility will become nil. Make sure you remain useful to me until then, and I might leave you alive to bask in the flames of the world I create," the voice claimed, making the kobold grin in glee.

"But," it added, cutting his joy short.

"If these humans make it to the antechamber behind you, and you can\'t handle them, rest assured of one thing, slave."

"What, oh great one?!" the kobold asked, showing pure devotion.

"If the humans were to leave you with your life, once I am done dealing with them, I will not show you that same mercy."

The rumbling reduced to almost a whisper, the voice fading away. But its threat was echoing inside the kobold\'s mind like the stampede of a thousand oxen, rattling him to the core.

"I will not disappoint you, oh great one."

Rising to his feet, the kobold backed out of the room before spinning away and ordering the two guards next to him to close the massive stone doors behind him.

"If the humans breach these doors, I will consume your bodies and shit them into the lava pits. Do you understand me?" he spat at them, his eyes narrowing to slits.

Both the guards nodded, not saying a word in return, and stood before the doors after closing them.

Looking before him, with all the kobolds in the central part of the lair looking up to the antechamber entrance as he walked out, the sorcerer raised his arms high.

"The great one has promised us great power if we stop these humans, my brothers and sisters! So, let us rise to his expectations and defeat these intruders! Now go! Be his flaming retribution, and burn these humans to cinders!" he chanted, rousing their spirits.

Of course, what he was promising was a lie, and the great one would have never promised such things. It was already a miracle that he and a few of his brethren had been gifted with power.

But he couldn\'t let them know. If they found out they were considered nothing more than slaves to the dragon egg, the kobolds would riot, and the dragon would slay them all.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

None of them would stand a chance from inside his egg, as the dragon had already made abundantly clear when they found him. He had already lost his blood brother; he wasn\'t willing to lose the rest of his people...

\'I will make these humans wish they had never been born. Even if it costs me my life,\' he

silently swore.

But a few minutes later, the main cavern shook, a roar blasting out from the deepest part of the dungeon behind the closed doors.

The kobold sorcerer could feel the rage inside this roar, and his mind trembled.

The red eyes on his tunic flared up, and the voice blasted into his mind.

\'What are you idling around for?! Kill the humans!"

It was the first time the dragon was actively seething at him, his rage making the sorcerer\'s

knees shake instinctively.

\'Yes, oh great one!\'