[rework] Minglings - chapter 39: Alies?

"You're sure he is ok now?" Darsi asked Melissa as she jogged to keep up with the taller, purple Kobold.

"He is fine. Listen, it's a good thing! If he is this upset from losing his friend, it means he didn't lose his humanity," Mellisa said. And hopefully, neither will we, she thought.

The small, heavyset blue Kobold fervently nodded a few times. "Yes, yes. I understand, but we were terrified down here, you know? It sounded like the heavens were collapsing down on us!"

Melissa bit back a sharp remark. Darsi had been following her around for an hour now, hounding her about what had happened. Couldn't she leave her alone for a while?

"Perhaps he could-"

"Enough!" Melissa swirled around, glaring at Darsi. "He is fine! Until you go through the change yourself, you don't know anything. Now go bother someone else!"

Darsi stumbled back, wide-eyed, her mouth still hanging open. "I- I," she muttered.

Melissa took a threatening step forward, and Darsi yelped before scrambling away. Melissa followed her until she disappeared into one of the ragtag cabins built between a tangle of roots.

"I think you scared her."

Melissa almost jumped out of her scales. With an audible swallow, she looked up. Jake's barrel-sized head was a few feet above her as he hung upside down from a branch.

He is growing so fast, she thought as she tried to calm her frayed nerves.

"How long-"

"Long enough. Don't worry. I don't blame her or the others. Who wouldn't be scared if some lunatic dragon caused a major storm on top of their head?" A soft chuckle followed the statement.

"Why did you come down? Are you alright?" Melissa examined him quickly, but there wasn't anything wrong with his beautiful sapphire-colored scales, strong muscles, and- she caught herself and cleared her throat.

A low rumbling came from Jake's stomach, and he grinned his draconic grin. "I am fine, just famished, and wondering if you found anything left to eat."

Melissa shook her head, a sour look on her face. "I think you ate all the fish in the lake. There weren't any left. Bolyr is out hunting now. You will have to hold on until he gets back."

Jake sighed, and the smile faded from his snout. "That'll teach me to go crazy. Well, thanks anyway."

With a swish from his tail, he clawed his way up, disappearing in the glistening canopy of leaves.

You're welcome, Melissa thought with a snort.

--

When night fell, Jake was still sitting at the top of the tree. The worst of his hunger was appeased by a Kobold-sized fish Bolyr had brought him, but he would need to go hunting soon.

"Jake, we need to free the other Kobolds and eradicate the Goblins. If we wait much longer, we won't be able to, even if the others come back as Dragons," Bolyr said. He sat on a branch close by, munching on a small piece of meat.

Jake ignored him, staring at the distant clouds that were still partially pink from the setting sun that had vanished behind the horizon. The other had been repeating the same thing for days now. He agreed, but before, he hadn't dared make a move. Part of it was due to the horrible toll that attacking the island had brought. More, though, was his fear that the Goblins would kill their captive Kobold slaves and, with them, Emma.

Her likely death still made his chest hurt, and he hoped she managed to get away against all the odds. Bolyr had gone back searching and hadn't found any trace of her.

"We don't have enough people to fight the Goblins. Even if we manage to win, what use is there if nobody survives in the end?"

As the leaves rustled, Jake became lost in his own thoughts. Shouldn't he leave? There had to be a reason he felt this way. Perhaps-

Bolyr whispered something that shook him wide awake.

"What? Say that again?" Jake's long neck curved towards Bolyr, his head hovering close to the other.

Bolyr sighed, a small smirk on his face. It was something Jake hadn't seen him do before.

"We need to get the rest of my tribe here."

Jake blinked in surprise. "You haven't spoken of them since we got here. Do you even think they would come?"

Bolyr nodded as if there was no doubt in his mind. "They will if you promise they can join the new tribe you are building."

"Join the what now? Why would they do that?" Jake asked.

A soft laugh bubbled up in Bolyr's chest, and as Jake looked at him in surprise, he erupted in laughter. It didn't last that long, but the blue-armed Kobold smiled widely at Jake when he finished.

"Because from what I've seen, many of your people will turn into Dragons! And you have a mana-well. With these two things, and as long as the Goblins do not wipe you out, you will grow to become the mightiest tribe I have ever heard about!"

Bolyr's voice rose in pitch as he spoke, the enthusiasm sparkling on his face. He looked younger than Jake had ever seen him, the worries and burdens seeming to melt away. When he was silent, he just stared at Jake with the utmost confidence.

Damnit, I wish Mason and Sandra were here to help with these things, Jake thought.

He turned away, getting uncomfortable from the fervent look in the other's eyes. It was a good idea, and he wasn't worried that some overzealous Antracii tribe elder would try and use them as breeding stock like the last time. But... he knew he wasn't going to stay. That meant he shouldn't be the only one deciding this.

"Bolyr, find Melissa and Tergin and ask them to come to me."

Bolyr blinked a few times rapidly, and slowly it seemed to dawn on him that Jake wasn't just going to agree. Feelings raced across his face, confusion, resignation, and worry until it ended with a look of steely resolve. With a nod, he climbed down the tree.

Jake stared into the distance, weighing his options. He was still doing that when he heard someone scrape their throat. Looking next to him, he saw Melissa sitting there. The dim starlight caused her shape to blend into the darkness. Only her shining eyes were clear as day, almost seeming to glow from within as she stared straight at him.

"You called for me, oh my king?" she said. A curt bow accompanied the thick mocking tone.

How the hell did she do that while clung to the side of a tree?

The corners of Jake's mouth curved up. "I did. I need a backrub! Do you mind?"

"Not at all, now hold still!"

Before he had a chance to realize what was going on, Melissa jumped at him. It was a good thing he lay curled around the tree again and wasn't sitting on a branch.

"Hey, are you crazy? Be careful!" he shouted.

Melissa ignored him and clambered up his shoulder, not being too careful with her sharp nails, which scratched over his scales.

"Hold still. It'll be over in a minute," she said.

Jake heard the grin in her voice as she stood up on his back and reached for his head. Her legs wrapped around his neck, making it hard to breathe. Still, he didn't feel at all worried.

That was until she touched the soft frills on his neck, and he almost threw her off.

"Wait. What? No! That tickles!"

Melissa didn't seem to care, and he felt her rub along his frills and the softer-scaled flesh below.

A loud, barked laugh caused both of them to freeze. Jake slowed and turned to look at a branch a bit further down. Tergin was sitting there, peering at them.

"Jake, would you like me to come back later?" Tergin asked, a glint in his eyes and a wide grin on his face.

Melissa laughed, releasing her hold on his thin frills and lying down on his back. "He doesn't. Now tell us why you had Bolyr summon us."

Jake flexed his long neck, watching her as she used him as a sofa. From her mocking smile, he knew she wasn't about to get off. He wasn't sure he wanted her to.

Shaking the sudden thought from his mind, he looked at Tergin. After everything that had happened, he trusted the quiet Antracii Kobold more than Bolyr. There was also the fact that Bolry had a daughter. Jake knew very clearly how much family mattered to Kobolds. He thought of Mason and Emma as his family. The feelings that rose seemed out of proportion compared to what it used to be as a human. Bolyr's reasoning for him creating a tribe might be colored due to his desire to guarantee his daughter's safety.

"Bolyr thinks we should get the rest of your tribe. He says they will join us and help us get rid of the Goblins. What do you think about this?"

The scarred Kobold frowned before looking at the sky. He reminded Jake of a classmate who always did that when trying to do trigonometry in his head.

"They will help, but they won't simply join," Tergin said. He turned his gaze at Jake. "Many will reason we should join the Antracii. Especially if you go there and ask for help."

We? Jake let the questions that little word raised rest for now as his mind began spinning. As unsure as he was about many things, he knew that Bolyr was right about one thing. They couldn't live on this island together with the Goblins. And Bolyr had made it clear there was no other island nearby as well suited as this one, so that left getting rid of them.

Killing them all.

He let the thought simmer for a moment, then frowned. The idea of wiping them all out didn't bother him in the slightest, which in itself bothered him immensely. Shouldn't he care more about them? His emotions told him he shouldn't, while his old human upbringing told him he should, and he sighed.

"Is there a way to get them to help us without us becoming Antracii?" he asked.

Tergin thought again and was silent for a lot longer. So long that Melissa began fidgeting. When Tergin started talking, she let out a long sigh of relief.

"Offer them something as recompense for the losses they will have. Either some of the females or the mana-well."

Jake's mouth opened, but Mellisa beat him to it.

"Not going to happen, and those females have names. Got it?" she hissed as she stood upright and glared at Tergin.

Tergin just stared back at her, a look of confusion on his face.

"What Tergin forgets to add is that the current leader of the Antracii is a woman," Jake interjected when he saw the anger rise on Melissa's face. "She is very unlikely to allow what you are thinking right now."

An uncomfortable silence reigned until Melissa sniffed and sat down.

"Tergin, the Antracii want to leave their island and come here, right? What if I offer to bring them here, and they can share the island with us?"

Tergin shook his head. "If you don't want anything in return, they would owe you. But not enough to help you with attacking the Goblins. There are too many of those horrid creatures, and the Antracii might lose half their number."

Jake tried a few more ideas, but Tergin shot them all down. In the end, he asked Tergin to go and find Bolyr.

"Damnit... either we lose full control over something we don't even understand, or those Goblins will run rampant until they slaughter us all!" Jake hissed, moving with care so Melissa wouldn't fall.

"Don't forget our pest problem." Melissa sighed, sounding as tired as he did. "What we need is a big nasty monster to wipe out the Goblins for us, then we can focus on one problem."

A shiver ran through Jake, and he almost sat up. "That's it! "Melissa, you're a genius!"

"No, you're just not that smart," she said. A wide smile took the edge off, and she continued. "Now remind me, what is this brilliant idea of mine again?"

"Let me think about it. I need to ask Bolyr something before I can be sure."

He had barely finished when he heard a soft shuffle and rustling of leaves. Bolyr pushed himself through the canopy and climbed the branch as if it were as easy as climbing a stair.

"Jake? Have you decided?" he asked, an almost hungry gleam in his eyes.

Jake ignored the question.

"Tell me, do Hydraci and Goblins get along?" he asked.

--

Jake floated high above the sea, expertly using the air currents to waste as little energy as possible.

A soft tap on the left side of his neck made him bank left. It took him a moment to find what Melissa had seen. Far below him swam a group of tightly knit shapes. They were heading towards one of the giant sea turtles while the reef sprawled across the sea bed below them, seeming smaller and less intimidating now that Jake saw it again.

Only eight or nine... we should be fine even if they attack, he thought. He folded his wings and grinned in anticipation.

"No. Noooo!" Melissa screeched, hugging his neck so tight it almost hurt.

Air howled around them as they plummeted down, Melissa's screams never weakening.

Ten meters above the water, Jake cursed as he realized something. He couldn't just dive in like this with Mellisa on his back! He unfurled his wings, the force of the downward motion bending them back. He tried flapping to slow down, but he was too late. A moment later, they slammed into the water with such force that it splashed dozens of feet into the air.

As the water surged around them, Jake welcomed the familiar surge of energy. An abundance of energy particles gravitated toward him, like metal to a magnet. A quick look showed that Melissa was still there, glaring at him.

Good, she's fine, Jake thought as he looked up.

A group of eight Hydracii stared at him with wide-open eyes from a short distance away. They seemed to have forgotten about the turtle they were hunting, which fled in a straight line away from Jake.

"Oops, I guess we ruined their hunt," Jake said.

He grinned and swam towards the Hydraci while Mellisa let out a growl, unable to speak below the surface.

When they saw him move over, the Hydraci raised their harpoons and spears and spread out. Jake just snorted and stopped when he was eight meters away from them. Something about them made him want to growl and snarl at them, and it took him some effort to suppress it.

Right, let's try plan A first.

"Do you understand me?" he asked in the harsh Dragon tongue.

The Hydraci glared at him but seemed confused. Many were staring hungrily at Melissa, one going as far as to lick his thin, scaly lips.

Jake frowned. Why would someone need to wet their lips underwater?

A heavily scarred individual who grasped his spear with a three-fingered hand stepped forward.

"What want filthy one?" it growled.

Filthy one? That's a bit harsh. Jake's frown deepened, but he would continue for now. He only wanted to use plan B if it was absolutely necessary.

"Do you know the islands surrounding us?" he said.

The Hydraci burst out in hissing laughter before snarling. "You stupid?"

The Hydraci pointed its spear at him and swam a little closer.

Jake cursed. This wasn't going as he had planned. Bolyr had warned him the Hydraci hated Kobold, but he had expected them to at least listen.

"There are filthy Goblins on one of the islands, breeding like crazy," he tried again.

The Hydraci just snorted, and Jake felt his fury bubble up. That his instincts were telling him to attack these horrible things and rip them limb from limb wasn't helping either.

"We have heard they have something precious in their village," he said, forcing himself to remain calm. "Very special..." he added.

The Hydraci hesitated, then began whispering amongst themselves in a throaty, frog-like language.

A soft tap on his neck made him look up to see Mellisa point to the side. He just made out a Hydraci circling behind him.

Try me, he thought as he kept half an eye on it. A moment later it vanished in the reef below.

The Hydraci had quieted down, and the leader stared at Melissa for a moment. "Goblins have nothing we want!" he spat as he scowled at Jake.

"A mana-well."

For a moment, the slow and steady pull of the sea was all that moved. Then the stunned silence was broken by excited shouts and screams.

The leader turned around, roaring at the others until they were silent.

"You lie! If they did, you would never tell us!" the Hydraci snapped, but Jake could see the desire and greed in its shiny eyes.

He shook his head. "We will not stay here. Soon we will leave. But when we do, we don't want those soft skins to have the mana well! Although there is hate between us, at least we have something in common. Scales. Goblins are vile, repulsive creatures!"

Melissa fidgeted and tapped him on his shoulder. Jake looked around, then down, and saw a massive group of Hydraci heading towards them.

Hundreds, if not more, he thought. As he saw them, they saw him, and they shot forward. The sound of their swimming was like a tree rustling in the wind.

Okay, enough is enough, Jake thought.

With a flap of his tail, he sped upwards. He tried a final time, roaring so loud the incoming Hydracii should hear it too.

"Don't let those loathsome Goblins swarm these islands! With a mana-well, they will be unstoppable and kill you!"

He broke through the water's surface, shooting up and quickly unfolding his wings. With quick flaps, he gained altitude, water streaming down and clattering on the sea surface.

"Loathsome? Seriously? You sound like my grandfather!" Melissa giggled behind him.

"Do you think they will believe me?"

Melissa's tone became flat. "I don't want to hurt your feelings, but... no. And even if they do, I don't believe they will attack the Goblins."

Jake sighed inwardly. He had feared as much, but it was worth a shot. "So that leaves us with plan B."

Melissa hit him on his back with a curse. "I don't know what that is, but I don't like the sound of it."

"Neither do I," Jake responded while flying toward the distant smudge that was the island.

--

It was dark, but the little moonlight filtering through the canopy was enough for Jake to see Tergin as if it was the middle of the day. The morning was another hour or two away, giving him plenty of time for his plan.

"You're sure you won't get caught?"

They were sitting high up in a tree, staring at the swamp. High-pitched screams and clacking came from the jungle behind, a notable difference from the silent and dank swamp.

"Jake, I will be fine. But you should reconsider."

Tergin seemed almost fuming, something Jake hadn't seen him do before. He vehemently pointed at the swamp, his finger shaking.

"That Noshrile in there is hundreds of years old. Even if it is stupid and can't fly, it is fast and lethal."

"I know. Don't worry so much! You sound like my mother," Jake said with a grin.

Tergin's face fell, and Jake continued in a less ridiculing tone.

"I managed to get away when I was half as big and fast as I am now. I will be fine!"

Tergin glowered at him before shaking his head. "I don't see why you can't just give the Antracii the mana-well. That's a far safer option!"

Jake cringed when he heard the native Kobold repeat the exact same words Melissa had used an hour ago.

"If we do that, we don't just give them the mana-well. It means the Antracii will live here with us and determine what happens. And I don't trust them enough for that!"

Seeing Tergin look at the ground, he cursed the other's prickly personality. Since when was he this hard to talk to?

"Not yet, anyway! If we can free those captured Kobolds, I expect those will join us. Then we can talk with the Antracii but from a position of equals."

Jake realized he sounded a lot like his estranged father as he spoke. A successful lawyer, Jake had heard him argue with his mother many times when he was younger.

Never thought any of that rubbed off, he thought grimly.

"You think too badly about the Antracii. I know what happened before, but that was just a few of u- them..." Tergin sighed, still looking at the ground, and Jake wondered when the rugged native had changed into a petulant child.

He knew that talking to him triggered something in Tergin and Bolyr, something ingrained that caused them to act out of character. But this?

"Listen. I won't continue if that Noshrile gets too close. I'll just fly up and out of reach, and we can try something else. Alright?"

Tergin shook his head and began climbing down. "I'll head to the edge of the Goblin camp. Next to the swamp."

Jake sighed as he watched the Kobold disappear into the bushes, then made a decision.

As soon as these Goblins were taken care of, he was going to head out and search for Mason. This whole leader-of-a-tribe thing sucked. Pushing his annoyance to the back of his mind, he jumped into the air. Wings spread wide, he glided to the middle of the swamp, his full attention on the murky surface.

Almost at the point where he had seen the Noshrile the first time, he saw a few three-eyed crocks lurking between some driftwood. Not crocks, small Noshrile, he corrected himself. He focused on the water energy, drawing it towards him and using it as fuel for his plan.

The water below him began churning as he forced it to move as he wanted it. Driftwood and plant debris floated in a circle, slowly increasing speed until a whirlpool formed. Low and soft at first, a roaring sound began to grow, echoing from the tree line as the whirlpool increased in power. White foam appeared on the water while the small Noshrile tried to swim away.

This should get your attention! He barely finished the thought when he sensed movement below the water. An enormous shape moved up from one of the deep fissures hidden below the bog.

Here he comes! Jake banked, turning back to the jungle edge.

A massive disturbance in the water dispersed the large whirlpool as if it was nothing, and Jake felt his connection to the water severed.

"Here we go!" he roared, increasing his speed.

From behind him came a sound like a waterfall as the giant Noshrile surged up out of the bog. It roared, drowning out all other sounds, and a soundwave propelled Jake forward. Gritting his teeth, he took a quick look behind. Holy shit! The thing seemed bigger than he remembered.

The enormous crocodilian monster closed its mouth, but the animal sounds from the jungle had fallen silent. With a massive wave of its tail, it swam after Jake's flying shape.

Jake had expected he would have to slow down so the thing could keep up, but as he raced across the bog, he knew he was wrong. The Noshrile was gaining on him rapidly, and Jake increased his speed until he was going as fast as he had ever flown, shooting towards the distant part of the bog.

He had timed himself and knew it took him ten minutes to get from this part of the bog to the small Goblin cabin at the other side. At the time, it had seemed fast enough, but as he heard the growls and snarls get closer, he was starting to doubt his plan.

When he saw the cabin on the shore, he already felt the proverbial hot breath on his back. The cabin seemed so close, but... would he make it?

A slight movement close to the cabin told him the others were ready. He needed to do this! He focused on the water, and a massive wall rose behind him. The Noshrile crashed through, barely slowing, but Jake created another and another.

It barely held back the Nosrhile, but barely was just what he needed, and he shot past the cabin like a blur.

The Noshrile followed him, crashing out of the bog and spraying water and mud across the cabin. Jake saw it had three pairs of legs, but as fast as they moved, it was slower on dry land.

Jake grinned wickedly as he looked ahead. Small pricks of light flickered at the end of the chopped-down path through the jungle.

Let's see how you like being hunted!