Malice and Light

Ruger emerged from meditation and fell into thought.

On examining the Spell Model, he found that it had changed. No, the change was substantial: the Spell Model fixed in his spell slot and fused with him had gained an extra node.

Could a spell change on its own without a Wizard Apprentice deliberately modifying it?

Was it because a spell fixed in a spell slot had fused with its caster and become something like an instinct? He could only guess. He wanted to ask whether other Wizards who had fixed spells in their spell slots had encountered the same thing.

If it was uncommon, it would interest Wizards all the more. Someone would surely record it, compile figures, and study it. The Wizard Academy mentioned in Ka Liu's diary might have answers to his questions. Perhaps in a place like that, this was no mystery at all.

Half-Man should know too, shouldn't he?

Half-Man's strange, mysterious nature had raised him in Ruger's estimation. At the very least, Ruger thought he must be more powerful than the mentors described in Ka Liu's diary.

As for the altered spell's effects, Ruger already had a rough idea.

He raised both arms and stretched.

A night's sleep and a session of meditation had restored his spirits, and his arms no longer ached.

He had planned to use the two remaining Inheritance Scrolls, then choose a spell from his books to study. Now a dream had thrown those plans off course.

He got up and headed straight for Old Gold Tooth's Kobold settlement. There were a few things he wanted to discuss with the old Kobold anyway.

The appearance of the Lizardfolk, the inexplicable replacement of their Holy Lord, and those distant relatives who had come from who knew where carrying iron weapons seemed to have had little effect on the tribe's Kobolds. After their initial panic, life had returned to normal.

When he saw two Kobolds walking toward him, an idea struck. He activated Foul-Smelling Skin.

The extra node affected every other node in the Spell Model.

As he sensed it, the spell had not changed completely. It had gained another function.

He passed them without drawing attention. By the time they drew close, both Kobolds were well within the spell's range. Yet neither reacted. They strolled along with crude wooden sticks over their shoulders, not even bothering to tie the beast fangs to them.

Just as he thought that, one Kobold turned to glance at him and fell to the ground with a thud.

Ruger watched him twitch on the ground. That all but confirmed his suspicion.

The corners of his mouth lifted again despite himself.

For a moment, he was a smug little Kobold. It was a pity his branch of the tribe had no tails; otherwise, he would have raised his too.

He had noticed before that he could sometimes sense others' malice toward him more clearly. He had wondered if it was a Kobold's wild instincts, or if becoming a Wizard Apprentice had sharpened his senses along with his mental power. Now it seemed the Zero-Ring Spell Foul-Smelling Skin, fixed in his spell slot, had something to do with it too.

The spell's change let him sense others' malice toward him more clearly.

And when he entered that state, beings who bore him no malice would be spared the stench.

He still did not understand how the change had come about, but it was certainly a good one.

For a while, he felt like a child with a fascinating new toy.

Unfortunately, he had no one to share it with. He genuinely wanted to find another Wizard Apprentice and talk it over.

If he sensed it correctly, the stench inflicted in return was not the same as the original spell's. Perhaps the stench had been different from the moment he learned it. It came from the mind: the Stench of Malice. The greater and deeper the malice, the more of that foulness, born from malice itself, the spell returned.

It was a response, and a gift from evil.

Thud!

The other Kobold fell too.

Kobolds were simple creatures. Seeing his companion collapse, the second one had noticed Ruger in the distance and immediately felt a surge of malice toward him.

That was understandable, but it also meant he needed to be more careful with this spell, Ruger thought.

This was the kind of spell that could leave him with no friends.

He certainly could not use it recklessly if he lived in a great city or a Wizard Academy. Who had no malice in their heart?

If he went around knocking everyone down, he would have no friends left to see.

He had already stopped the spell now, since he was going to see Old Gold Tooth.

Malice came in degrees, as did the threat posed by the person harboring it. To Ruger, Old Gold Tooth fell into a category where it hardly mattered either way. The old Kobold could barely move and did not have long to live. However deep his malice, it could do Ruger little harm.

"Young Kobold sage, you've come to chat with Old Gold Tooth again. What stories would you like to hear this time?"

Old Gold Tooth seemed delighted to see him.

Aisijin was nowhere nearby.

"Little Aisijin took the big fellow out to catch bugs. With that belly of his, he might not be back for a while."

As Old Gold Tooth spoke, he fiddled with the Light Threads on his body, looking utterly unconcerned about his approaching death.

"You mentioned the sun before." Ruger sat down casually, unwilling to stand over the old Kobold. "Have you been up to the surface? Or do you know the way to the Surface World?"

Old Gold Tooth froze, apparently not expecting that question.

"Mm, I knew a young fellow would be interested in that," Old Gold Tooth said with a chuckle. "You even know of the Surface World. Seems you have other friends. Before I met those dark-skinned, pointy-eared folk, I knew nothing about it. When they spoke of longing for the surface, I couldn't understand a word. When they mentioned the sun and moon, I thought they were foods only elves ate."

"But I'm afraid you'll be disappointed, young fellow. I've never seen the sun. I've only heard the pointy-eared elves talk about it in the little taverns on their territory. They didn't know how to reach the surface either. The Dragonborn Kobolds were the same. No one I've met has ever been to the Surface World."

Old Gold Tooth pursed his lips, then twitched a corner of his mouth. The Light Threads on his face seemed to be bothering him.

"Oh, right. Those pointy-eared folk said the suns in the humans' Grotto Cities are enormous. Every great Grotto City has a sun above it. They said its light illuminates the entire Cavern Domain around the city. Every so often, the light dims, then brightens again after a while. When it grows dark, the humans sleep in their dens."

Old Gold Tooth kept marveling at how powerful humans were.

Whenever Ruger stopped hearing anything new, he steered the conversation to another subject. Old Gold Tooth was happy to oblige.

Unexpectedly, the old Kobold proved a treasure trove that was hard to exhaust, though even he sometimes drew a blank.

"The Kobold tribes that serve dragons must be powerful," Ruger said, guiding the conversation. "I saw a group of tall Kobolds carrying iron weapons around here. They happened to run into a band of Lizardfolk, and a fight broke out. I wonder if they came from the same place as you."

"You were right not to let Aisijin go hunting. I never thought things nearby had become such a mess. A pity I've got no strength left. Even eating meat takes effort..."

Old Gold Tooth rambled on, but he never mentioned his former tribe.