NOVEL NEXT Chapter 16 – Testing My Abilities
Nóttormr
Evolution: Tiny Wyrmling
Chaotic Evil
Race: High Kobold (Nox Ancestry)
Experience: 151/300
Awakened Bloodline: Twilight Dragon (Feathered)
Armor Class: 13
Hit Points: 6/6
Mental Energy: 2/2
Magic Points: 4/4
Strength 6, Dexterity 16, Constitution 10, Intelligence 18, Wisdom 12, Charisma 12
Racial Abilities: Darkvision
Draconic Gifts: Ether Breath (Locked), Ether Quills (Locked), Flight (Locked), Wings
Eldritch Sigils: Mental Enhancement (Telekinetic Gift, Telepathic Gift, Mind Alteration Power)
Languages: Common, Draconic
Proficiencies: Mining Tools, Natural Weapons, Simple Weapons, Thieves’ Tools
Skills: Arcana, Insight, Perception, Stealth
1st Level Eldritch Mind: Class Features (Death Bringer, Shape Magic, Sorcery, Soul Collector)
Cantrips
| Guidance
| Prestidigitation
| Vicious Mockery
| 1st Level Spells
| Comprehend Languages ®
| Detect Magic ®
| Identify ®
| Sleep
Attunements: 0/3
1st Level Familiar: Alsvartr - Tenebrous Bat
Divine Favor: Até, Dolos
Titles: Child of Até (+2 to Mind-Altering Spells), Harbinger of Death (+2 to Damage), Mendacious (+1 to Deception)
Status: Level 3 - Tribe of Einvaldskonungr: Skörungr, Level 3 - Tribe of Groenneitr: Andskoti
“Nice,” I murmured to myself. “I have already gained experience. I even know what the titles mean. Freaking awesome. I wonder how much information I would get if I made a lot of offerings. I might just have to try that out. Too bad I didn’t know this before I made all the big decisions already though. Oh well, live and learn.”
I was really pleased with what I was reading. In fact, it appeared that I was halfway to level two. It was a little strange that I gained so much experience. I tried killing another bug to see if my experience went up. Since it didn’t, I could only guess that I received experience for the titles and maybe for gaining a familiar.
“Wait a second,” I muttered as soon as I noticed the Find Familiar spell had disappeared. Was it because I had a familiar now? Would I get it back if Alsvartr died or would it be gone forever? From what I remembered, familiars could be resummoned. However, with my familiar, it might be a once in a lifetime situation. So, no expendable scout. Luckily, I hadn’t planned on using her in that manner anyway.
Looking at my information did remind me that I hadn’t tried out one of my cantrips. Judging by its name, Prestidigitation would enable me to do minor magical tricks. Unfortunately, I had no idea where to start. I probably needed to visualize what I wanted to accomplish. Hopefully, it would be like a magician making a card appear in his hand.
“Hey, Alsvartr,” I said, turning to my new familiar, “What did the mime say when I showed him a magic trick?” I paused for a moment while she woke up just long enough to stare at me as if asking, “What is wrong with you?” before ignoring me and going back to sleep. Seeing that she wasn’t going to respond, I finished, “She didn’t say anything. She was speechless.
Not sure what to create, I decided to create a tarot card. With a plan in place, I decided to give it a try. I imagined myself pulling in magical energy from around me and forming it into a tarot card. A card suddenly appeared in my hand. With a satisfied smirk, I looked down at it.
After a moment, I frowned, since I realized I had left out a crucial element in creating the tarot card. Despite forgetting that I had not imagined which of the 78 cards in a tarot deck I wanted to create, it had worked. I was holding a tarot card. What annoyed me was the card that I was holding.
“Really? I didn’t specify, so I got this card?” For some reason, I suspected the system was playing a joke on me. “You better not be trying to tell me something,” I muttered threateningly as I looked at the Fool card.
Actually, although I didn’t want to admit it, the Fool card was appropriate. The Fool represented new beginnings, opportunities, and adventures, among other things. Since I was at the beginning of a new life with many adventures ahead of me, it fit the circumstances.
As soon as I stopped concentrating, the card faded away into nothingness. I paused when I felt an emptiness in my stomach. Apparently, my stomach was a bottomless pit that could never be filled. Perhaps the only thing that could compare would be a gnome’s avarice for gold.
Pushing aside such an annoying thought, I concentrated on appeasing my hunger. There was no possible way every kobold wyrmling ate as much as me. I considered the reasons why I needed more food as I looked around for something else to eat. After all, I didn’t know when someone would be sent to get me.
It was at that moment that I heard a soft voice call my name. I turned to see a red-scaled kobold standing behind me. “Hi, I’m Fylgja. Dróttinn asked to escort you to your room. Please follow me,” she said with a gentle smile, gesturing for me to join her. “That’s enough practice for today.”
I hesitated for a moment. For some reason, it sounded like she wasn’t going to accept no as an answer. However, she also was trying to be polite. Realizing I was hungry and didn’t really want to argue, I agreed, “Okay. Thank you for coming to get me.”
Fylgja waited patiently with a kind, almost motherly gaze. When I reached her, she gestured toward the entrance to the tunnels. “You’ve had a busy day today,” she said as we walked.
“It’s important to practice, but it’s also important to rest and take care of yourself.” She was about to say something more when my stomach rumbled, which echoed loudly in the empty tunnel.
I ignored the sound and followed Fylgja through the tunnels. I was impressed. I had been navigationally challenged in my last life. However, there was no hesitation in Fylgja’s steps. I wouldn’t have been able to find my way to my room even if I had a map.
By the time we reached my room, my legs were starting to ache. I was glad that I would have my own room. Most kobolds preferred to live in communal sleeping areas. However, I couldn’t imagine sleeping in a dogpile of kobold bodies. My wife had forced me to share my bed with our dogs when I was alive. I had no intention of doing something similar in this life.
It didn’t take too long before we arrived at my room. Fylgja stepped to one side while I entered. “I’ll leave you to settle in,” she said. “There’s food on the table. Eat and rest. I’ll be just outside if you need anything.” After saying that, Fylgja gave me one last reassuring smile before leaving.
Showing remarkable self-control, I looked around the room instead of immediately attacking the food. It was lit by the glow of a firestone sitting on the floor in one corner of the room. Despite being a small room, it obviously wasn’t meant for kobolds. It was a room for visitors, human-sized visitors.
The bed was huge, and the chair and table were also clearly meant for normal sized humanoids. After seeing the large bookshelf, I wasn’t sure what I wanted more. However, despite my love for books, the delicious smell of the food was irresistible. My stomach growled and demanded that I feed it before examining the bookshelves. I gave the books on the shelves one lingering look and then clambered up the chair before climbing onto the table.
A bowl of soup and a plate of meat were waiting for me there. I could almost feel them beckoning to me. White mushrooms and some types of moss were on the plate with meat. A fragrant smell came from the steaming soup and meat. I didn’t even think about what was in the soup or what animal the meat came from. I just gobbled it down since I was starving.
I finished off the food, but it barely appeased my bottomless stomach. Although I was tempted to read some of the books, I decided that I could always do that later. What I was more interested in doing was discovering more about the world I had reincarnated into. However, I was also tired.
Because of this, I decided to take a nap. I climbed up onto the bed and laid down, asleep the moment my head hit the pillow. It seemed like only moments passed before I woke up to more delicious smells. Smiling, I jumped off the bed. Oddly, it didn’t seem as big as I remembered before falling asleep.
However, with new food ready to be eaten, I didn’t care. I quickly finished off the newly arrived food, ignoring my twinge of nervousness that I hadn’t noticed when someone had brought the food into the room. After I finished eating, I decided to start exploring the world immediately.
Once I stepped through the doorway, I noticed a new kobold standing just outside. Her dark red scales were almost blood colored. She turned to face me as I entered. She looked slightly older than Fylgja, but not by a lot.
“Ah, there you are,” she said with a gentle smile. “I was wondering when you’d wake up. My name is Forsjá, and I’ll also be looking after you while you get settled. The Chieftain assigned me to be your caregiver since you’re still young and new to our ways.”
I resisted the impulse to frown. Forsjá’s name was very similar to Fylgja’s name, which made me worry about mixing up their names. “Thanks for the food.”
“You’re welcome. I knew you’d be hungry. If you need anything, please don’t hesitate to tell me. It’s my job to make sure that you’re taken care of. Would you like me to show you around?”
“No. I’ll be fine,” I said. “Thanks for the offer though.”
Forsjá glanced at me, as if weighing whether to say something or not. Finally, she shrugged wordlessly and entered the room. Then she hopped onto the table and started collecting the plates.
While she did this, I left the room and chose a direction randomly before heading down the tunnel. At first, I was a little surprised she was letting me explore on my own. However, after thinking about it, I realized that Dróttinn had left me on my own as well. Obviously, helicopter parenting wasn’t a thing in kobold society.