Chapter 175: The Gnolls Arrive

Ka’z strode into the Chief’s Court, a sizable open space within the building where the Chieftain lived and where matters concerning the village were discussed. Lan’ka sat upon a makeshift throne at the far end of the chamber, while Tong’a and O’nil flanked him on either side, seated upon smaller wooden stools. Lady Zira was present as well, though the noticeable bulge beneath her clothes made her pregnancy impossible to ignore.

She sat quietly, one hand resting over her stomach as she observed the gathering.

Kurg and Tu’ka were also present, but neither noticed Ka’z’s arrival. Their attention remained fixed on the four Gnolls standing before them, several unfamiliar items carefully arranged upon a large mat at their feet.

The Gnolls were small, wolf like beings capable of standing upright on two legs, and they wore simple clothing similar to that of the kobolds. Each had a scarf draped around their shoulders, while their most noticeable differences came from the various combinations of colors covering their fur. Their facial structures were vaguely distinct from one another, but their overall appearance was unmistakably similar, making it clear that they belonged to the same race.

The moment Ka’z stepped into the court, however, all four Gnolls reacted.

Their ears immediately rose, and their heads snapped toward him almost simultaneously. Their bodies shuddered as an instinctive sense of danger surged through them, and within moments, they had all risen to their feet.

The sudden movement caught everyone by surprise, causing Lan’ka, Tong’a, O’nil, Lady Zira, Kurg, and Tu’ka to turn toward them.

The Gnolls looked visibly unsettled. Their fur stood slightly on edge, their ears remained raised, and their eyes twitched with unmistakable fear as they stared exclusively at Ka’z. The atmosphere within the chamber changed almost instantly, but Ka’z paid little attention to their reaction. His gaze had already fallen upon the light panel that had appeared before him.

[Gnolls have unparalleled perception... They can sniff out danger, emotions, and their hearing is one of the best in all of Athedal. To crown it up, Gnolls completely trust their instincts, and this has kept their clan from extinction.]

Ka’z stared at the information for a few seconds, committing it to memory before dismissing the panel. Whatever had frightened the Gnolls was clearly connected to their natural instincts, but he had no intention of wasting time trying to figure it out without them explaining themselves.

He walked toward Tu’ka and Kurg and lowered himself onto the floor beside them, finally drawing their attention.

"Where is Ru’k?" he whispered to Kurg.

"Hangover issues. He drank too much last night." Kurg sighed.

Tu’ka immediately rolled his eyes, his expression suggesting that Ru’k’s current condition came as no surprise to him.

Ka’z chuckled lightly. That really did sound like Ru’k.

"What about Za’r?" Kurg asked.

"She has a few things to do at home, so she stayed back." Ka’z replied.

The others nodded before their attention slowly returned to the Gnolls. They were still standing, their eyes fixed on Ka’z as though they were waiting for something to happen. Their reaction had become strange enough that even Ka’z could no longer completely ignore it.

"Is there a problem, Tega?" Lan’ka finally asked, drawing the Gnolls’ attention away from Ka’z for a moment.

Tega, a black furred Gnoll with crimson stripes running across his body, shook his head. His expression remained cautious as he glanced briefly at Ka’z before looking back toward Lan’ka.

"I apologize for my rudeness, but we Gnolls are slaves to our instincts. As soon as that man stepped in, all my instincts screamed at us to run."

Lan’ka’s eyes widened, and Tong’a and O’nil exchanged a brief glance. For a moment, none of them knew how to respond. Then Lan’ka suddenly laughed, and the elders soon joined him.

"It’s only natural you feel that way around Ka’z. He is the one who destroyed Ashmork Village with only ten warriors by his side. He is currently our strongest warrior." Lan’ka laughed.

Tega shifted his gaze back toward Ka’z, studying him more carefully this time. His eyes traveled over Ka’z’s large frame before returning to his face. After several seconds, however, the Gnoll slowly shook his head.

"That’s not what I mean. The two beside him are extremely powerful, that much we can tell. But him..." Tega paused, his expression becoming more serious. "There is a lot of darkness residing within this man. It’s nothing like I have ever seen before."

The other three Gnolls immediately nodded in agreement, their expressions confirming that Tega was not exaggerating or speaking only for himself.

The laughter disappeared from Lan’ka’s face. He and the elders turned their attention toward Ka’z, wondering if the Gnolls were reacting to his Blood Magic. Yet that explanation did not completely make sense. Tu’ka possessed Darkness Magic, both were unorthodox magic and none of the Gnolls had reacted to him with anything close to this level of fear.

Then Ka’z understood.

"You can sense my Sacrificial Magic affinity?" he asked casually.

The question immediately silenced the chamber.

Everyone turned toward Ka’z with shocked expressions, their gazes fixated on him for several long seconds. Even Kurg and Tu’ka stared at him, clearly surprised that there was yet another part of his power they had never known about.

Ka’z did not bother looking at any of them. He simply stared ahead, a cold gleam settling within his eyes.

Tega and the other Gnolls quickly nodded.

"You have another element?" Kurg asked, genuine shock evident in his voice.

Ka’z shrugged indifferently. "It’s a vile element I have sworn to never use, and for that reason, I never acknowledged its existence."

He finally turned toward the multitude of shocked eyes staring at him.

"That’s what I meant when I said I need to stop here. The Greater Kobold is trying to make me into a monster you all cannot exist around."

The words immediately brought an uncomfortable silence over the court.

Everyone shuddered as they remembered Ka’z saying those exact words when he returned from his expedition. Back then, they had assumed it had something to do with his Blood Magic. Some had even believed he was exaggerating because of what he had experienced during the battle. Now, however, it seemed they had been sorely mistaken.

There was a great deal about Ka’z that they clearly did not know.

"Do you know anything about this power of mine?" Ka’z asked as he leaned forward, resting his chin upon his interlocked hands.

"No. We have never come across such a presence before. We are only pointing out what we perceived." Tega answered honestly.

Ka’z raised a brow.

"Why do you speak for everyone?"

This time, one of the female Gnolls stepped forward. Her fur was a mixture of white and red, giving her a distinct appearance among the group. She had thick C-cup breasts and an hour glass shape her clothes. Maybe it was because of the Koji he had last night, but Ka’z’s gaze carried a hint of lust in them.

Layla could literally smell his lustful intention and this made her hesitant beneath Ka’z’s gaze, but she quickly gathered herself and lowered her head respectfully.

"Great Magus, we Gnolls are pack beasts by nature and tradition. Tega speaks for us all as our representative." She explained.

Having said that, she moved back behind Tega, allowing him to stand between herself and Ka’z. Even then, her eyes remained fixed on Ka’z, occasionally peeking at him from over Tega’s shoulder as though she still wanted to observe him without drawing too much attention to herself.

"I see..." Ka’z leaned back and crossed his legs.

The strange revelation had certainly raised several questions, but Ka’z had no intention of allowing the conversation to become sidetracked. The Gnolls had traveled all the way from the northern region to reach Vaal’kor, and there had to be a reason for such a journey.

"Now we have everything cleared out and Ka’z is here. Go ahead and tell us why you traveled all the way from the north to visit our humble village." O’nil finally spoke up, shifting the conversation back toward the reason for the Gnolls’ arrival.