Deep within the Palm Jungle, at the location of a towering mound, there resided a unique ethnic group living in caves here. Apart from their distinctive living environnt, due to their long isolation from the outside world, they had developed a unique culture and belief system. The village was composed of several patriarchal family-centered clans.
The inhabitants of this village were also quite special. In the outside world, so referred to the people of this race as the "scale tribe" or "Naga," but the most common term for them was "Lizardkin."
This village was nad Kozawa.
"The [Goblin] horde is coming!"
"Block them!"
"OOOO, OOO—[Wind Bullet]— What! A magical barrier! There's a mage among them!"
At the southern entrance of the village, the sounds of clashes between blades and spears echoed incessantly. Green and red blood splattered everywhere as a fierce battle unfolded.
Lizardkin of various colors and heights, all with formidable combat skills, wielded different weapons and killed the approaching [Goblins] at the village entrance.
The Kozawa tribe of Lizardkin had been settled in this monster-infested swamp forest for hundreds of years. Although their population was only around three hundred, each mber had grown up through constant battles and was skilled in combat, whether as warriors, mages, or even commoners.
However, despite their fierce nature as a warrior tribe, they had been pushed to the brink in this extraordinary situation.
"Yaaaahhhh—[Triple Slash]!!!!!!!!" A brown-scaled, bipedal Lizardkin swung a short axe and cleanly cut three one-ter tall [Goblins] in half before they could react.
But the upper halves of the [Goblins] still wriggled on the ground as the next wave of [Goblin] warriors replaced them.
"Damn it! There are too many of them!" another green-scaled Lizardkin cursed, his short axe severely damaged from the constant clashes with bone and tal.
"OOOO, OOO, OOOOOO, OOO—[War Cry Boost]!" A petite and slender yellow-scaled female Lizardkin waved a shaman-style staff and cast a buffing spell on the other two.
The three Lizardkin slowly retreated, with several injured comrades dragging their battered bodies behind them.
"Fall back to the second barrier!" shouted the brown-scaled Lizardkin, cleaving through the [Goblins] in front of him.
"What!? Are we going to abandon this place too? We've already lost our hunting grounds...!"
"We don't have ti to worry about the hunting grounds now! Chivara and the others can't fight anymore..." The brown-scaled Lizardkin was about to continue when he froze.
A massive figure clad in full iron armor, wielding a giant embossed steel blade, was cutting through the [Goblins] around it and charging at the three Lizardkin at terrifying speed.
"It's the [Rolling Blade Goblin]!" the brown-scaled Lizardkin roared in despair.
The distance to the magical barrier erected by the tribe's mages was only fifty ters, not too far, but perilous under the current circumstances. Before they could retreat to safety, that thing would crash into them, leading to certain doom.
But in this desperate situation, they were powerless...!!
"Kewa, Lava, retreat!" just as the situation seed hopeless, thunderous roars erupted from behind the three Lizardkin, each roar corresponding to one of their nas - Kewa and Lava.
The next mont, a massive shadow, wielding berserk dual axes, clashed with the [Rolling Blade Goblin], tearing apart the smaller [Goblins] with the force of its impact, splattering blood and flesh.
The [Goblin] horde at the southern entrance dispersed, crumbling thirty ters from the Lizardkin's final defense line.
Finally, when the giant Lizardkin carrying the massive double-handed axe returned to the tribe's camp, the other three were sitting together, tending to their wounds.
"Kuzan, big brother! Why are you so late?" Noman, addressing the giant Lizardkin as Kuzan, said.
"I took so ti at the north gate...," Kuzan replied with a seemingly relaxed smile, then sat down and began to catch his breath.
Seeing this, Noman also fell silent.
He knew that his big brother carried a heavy burden on his shoulders, and Kewa and Lava were well aware of it too. After all, the four of them grew up together as siblings.
Kuzan, their big brother, was the tribe's top warrior, a title that ant he bore the responsibility of protecting their holand. In the past, the tribe's priest prophesied that the strongest warrior of the Kozawa clan would be born in their family, which was a great honor. Later, as expected, Kuzan won the tribal martial arts competition, and their father was so happy that he invited the entire tribe to celebrate with drinks.
...But now, such a thing had happened.
"Hey, cheer up," Kuzan noticed the downcast mood of the other three and spoke up. As their elder brother, it was his duty to do so.
However, even he couldn't lift his own spirits because of the current situation. The tribe was on the brink of destruction. Though he didn't want to say it, unless a miracle happened, they would be wiped out sooner or later.
The tribe had already lost its hunting grounds and farmland. The [Goblin] infestation had started several months ago. At first, only the number of [Goblins] increased significantly, and adventurers from the city of Vanos ca over. The tribe increased its patrols, but they didn't take the situation seriously since [Goblins] were weak monsters.
However, things took a turn when stronger types of [Goblins] appeared, organizing and launching planned attacks on the tribe. Now, the tribe had lost everything except the central gathering area, and their survival was hanging by a thread.
Two of his siblings had also perished in this disaster. Out of the six siblings, only four remained.
Escaping the forest was not an option either since the nearest city, Vanos, was notorious for enslaving demi-humans. In the past, the Kozawa clan had a long history of conflict with that city, and fifty years ago, they finally succumbed to the city's overwhelming military strength, becoming vassals, and tarnishing their ancestral glory.
If they were to escape, they would lose the forest's protection, and the entire tribe would likely end up as slaves.
That was why the tribe harbored strong resentnt towards humans. Initially, Kuzan thought that if the tribe were to perish in the future, it would be at the hands of humans. However, he never expected it would be the [Goblins] that would bring about their downfall.
"Kuzan– Sothing bad happened— the [Goblins] are back— Just then, a scout from the tribe ca running in a panic. He had an arrow embedded in his back and collapsed before reaching Kuzan.
"What!? Weren't they just repelled?" Kuzan helped the stumbling scout and asked.
"...An even stronger individual arrived, it’s the [Goblin General]!!" The scout's body suddenly went limp.
Kuzan didn't have ti to attend to the scout's body. He grabbed his double-handed axe and rushed towards the south gate.
The south gate was in chaos, with bodies scattered all around. Standing amidst the carnage was a colossal figure, a giant [Goblin] with an axe over three feet long, sweeping everything around it.
For a mont, Kuzan felt that the axe in his hand seed to be sowhat inadequate.
Klang!!!!!!
Kuzan's grip cracked, and in the clash of axes, his prized warrior's axe shattered.
Thrown back, Kuzan fell into a heap of debris, feeling an overwhelming heaviness in his body.
The giant [Goblin] in full-body armor approached, dragging its massive axe. The sound of its dragging resembled the footsteps of a grim reaper.
Kuzan closed his eyes, accepting that this was the end of the tribe.
...
Five seconds weren't long, but if these five seconds were the last monts before death, they felt unnecessarily prolonged.
Kuzan opened his eyes and saw a fist.
The [Goblin General] knees gave in, but it didn't fall.
Because that fist had pierced through its chest, carrying the limp body, blood gushed out from the wound.
Amidst the haze, he seed to hear two female voices, whispers like angels, yet murmurs words that are like those co from devils.
"...Found them, here."
"We've wasted too much ti... we must quickly resolve this and return to master's side."
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