Subspecies

"I've heard of Kobolds and Gnolls living together, but flying ones? That's new to me," Chris said, shaking his head.

"Judging by its size, it was a little bigger than an ordinary Kobold. Could it have been a Giant Vampire Bat?" Rain asked.

"Giant Vampire Bats would never live alongside Kobolds. They'd just use them as a food supply," Fabian said, shaking his head.

"Rain, from your description, I think I know what it was." Leia's expression turned serious. "A Winged Kobold!"

"A Winged Kobold?"

The others, Rain included, turned to look at Leia.

"Yes. They're rare, but they're close relatives of Kobolds and often live among them. They rank above ordinary Kobolds, though, and mainly serve as lookouts and fighters."

"Ordinary Kobolds have to find food, dig, and do other odd jobs, while Winged Kobolds tend to rest or keep watch from high places. But..."

Leia looked thoughtful.

"But what?" Chris asked.

"But... Winged Kobolds usually only appear in medium-sized or large Kobold groups. Rain, were there a lot of Kobolds inside?"

"Not many. Around a dozen, I think." Rain did not give an exact number, but that was enough.

"Huh. That's a little strange." Leia looked puzzled.

"Whatever the reason, Rain spotted them early, so we can handle this."

"I'll fire a flare first. Fabian, Grand, get your crossbows ready. The three of us will take the Winged Kobolds. Rain, Chris, can you two handle the ordinary ones?"

"Of course."

"No problem."

With their plan settled, the five of them extinguished most of their torches and crept forward.

Before long, several faint points of light appeared ahead. A closer look showed that they were candles.

Each wavering light belonged to a Kobold walking about with a candle in hand.

The passage opened up ahead, confirming what Rain had said: there was an underground hall.

But no one spared Rain a glance now. They tightened their grips on their weapons and prepared to fight.

Whoosh!

A red flare shot from Leia's hand!

The underground hall was bathed in crimson light, revealing every Kobold inside to the Whistling Hunters.

In the red glow, they saw a dozen or so ordinary Kobolds holding mining picks. Up near the ceiling, they found the three creatures Rain had mentioned.

They looked almost identical to ordinary Kobolds, except for the striking pair of fleshy wings on each one's back.

Winged Kobolds, just as Leia had said!

For a moment, everyone had the same thought about Rain: How did he do that?

The thought vanished as quickly as it came.

The attack began!

As for the Kobolds—

Both the Winged Kobolds above and the ordinary Kobolds below instinctively turned toward the sudden red light, their canine faces wearing almost human expressions of shock.

Whoosh!

An arrow hissed through the air behind Rain.

A blurred shaft streaked toward the ceiling, and a winged Kobold fell with a shriek!

Its cry snapped the others out of their daze. This was no strange red light—it was an enemy attack!

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Fabian and Grand fired their crossbows.

Rain and Chris charged the Kobolds in front of them.

The five-person ambush threw the hall into chaos.

"Yip! Yip!"

Crunch!

Rain's pointed hammer came whistling down and smashed into the center of a panicked Kobold's skull.

Its skull should have been fairly tough, but against a hammer built to pierce armor, it offered little more resistance than thin wood. Rain had also used Armor-Breaking Strike for his first blow!

Warm, foul-smelling blood and a milky substance sprayed in every direction!

The force of the blow nearly pushed the Kobold's eyes out of their sockets...

Rain killed the Kobold before it had even grasped what was happening.

That single blow also told him roughly how tough an ordinary Kobold was.

No need for Armor-Breaking Strike. The hammer's point alone can punch through a Kobold's skull. The thought flashed through Rain's mind.

Bang!

Rain swung again, smashing open the forehead of a Kobold that had just raised its mining pick to fight back.

Chris shook the blood from his longsword and charged the next Kobold!

Whoosh!

Rain caught a glimpse of something flying at him from the side and immediately raised his shield.

Two sharp thuds sounded as the objects struck it and fell to the ground. They were stones.

He looked up. Two Kobolds stood side by side, each holding a strip of leather with an oval pouch in the middle for a stone.

Rain knew the Beginner Monster Compendium well. One glance was enough to identify their weapons: slings, one of the Kobolds' most common tools in a fight.

Facing the two Kobolds that had ambushed him, Rain drove his left foot hard into the ground!

Whoosh!

Wearing his Bull-Horn Helmet and Chainmail and carrying a metal shield fitted with three angular spikes, Rain burst forward like a bull released from its pen. Wind roared around him as he charged the pair!

Bang!

The nearer Kobold's eyes widened in terror. It tried to dodge, but a heartbeat later, the metal shield struck its frail body like a spiked wall.

It barely felt the three spikes pierce its flesh before a far greater pain overwhelmed it!

The Kobold flew backward like a cannonball. Bones cracked rapidly in midair before it slammed into the hall's rocky wall.

Splat!

Its body slid slowly down the wall like crumbling tofu.

Whoom!

The muscles in Rain's left arm bulged as he swept his shield sideways. With a rush of wind, the metal shield slammed into the second Kobold, which had managed only one step away.

Bang!!

The Shield Bash struck the Kobold's face at a downward angle. It fell without even a grunt!

Even Chris, who already knew how strong Rain was, stared in astonishment. Rain had taken down four Kobolds as easily as chopping vegetables, all in three to five seconds.

"Haa..."

Rain let out a deep, hot breath beneath his Bull-Horn Helmet.

Though his Boarfolk Warrior bloodline bolstered his stamina, using combat techniques in quick succession still left him needing a moment to steady his breathing and pace himself.

"Rain! Watch out!"

Fabian's urgent shout suddenly came from behind him!