With crimson pooling on the porch, David's corpses lay near the kobolds' feet. Chest ripped open with clawed marks, heart missing. Face in a perpetual pained expression.
With cruelty burning in their eyes, the kobolds turned toward the door. Snarling, they closed in, clawing at it, eager to claim the lives of the humans who had betrayed the one they had just killed.
'How could a normal wooden door hold up against the might of kobold claws?' they thought.
Yet, the door held surprisingly well.
Their claws were sharp and vicious, but they failed to pierce the thick three-inch wood without the ability to coat them in mana or empower their strikes with skills.
Growing frustrated, they began slamming their bodies against it, trying to break the hinges apart… only to find the humans had braced the door with whatever human-made furniture they could find. Once again, their effort led to nothing but failure.
A moment of quiet followed, causing James and Paul to exhale a shaky breath of relief. Kobolds had finally stopped their assault on the entrance. They seemed to have given up.
A puddle of vomit stained Paul's clothes and spread across the floor beside him.
Unbeknownst to them, while the kobolds may have given up on the door, their claws were already digging into the house's walls, climbing steadily in search of another way inside.
…
Peter hugged the shivering, crying form of his mother, doing whatever he could to calm her down. He stroked her back while offering comforting words. Somehow, they had made it back to Aunt Amelia's house again after everything went bad.
In the end, Mariah just couldn't handle it. The pressure, the death, the sheer despair of watching so many of her close friends die so brutally. She collapsed when it all caught up to her.
Peter would've been a crying mess too, if not for his defensive skills. Eternal Ward was a constant bastion of defence, not just against physical attacks, but mental and spiritual weaknesses too.
Spirit of Fortitude resisted any fear or despair that managed to slip past that bastion. And with Undying Vitality constantly nourishing his mind and soul along with his body, Peter was in far better shape than he had any right to be.
With no news of Joseph, and most of the villagers either already dead or soon to be, Mariah had dragged Peter back inside the house when everyone agreed to split up, hoping it would decrease their chances of being found by the kobolds.
Now, with no one left to stop them, the kobolds roamed freely, slowly hunting down the villagers in their homes. Peter didn't know what to do. But he knew one thing… he wasn't going to just sit back and wait for them to come for him and his mother.
Peter tried to get up, but Mariah held him tight.
"Don't go. Please don't go. They'll kill you too," she said, clutching him against her chest. Her face was a crying mess. Peter sighed softly, gently easing himself out of her embrace.
"I'll be fine, Mother. Trust me," he said, his voice calm. "If I don't deal with them first, they'll come here… and then I won't be able to guarantee your safety." He reached up, brushing her tear-streaked cheeks with his thumb, a gentle smile on his face.
"There's no news of Father... and both of you mean the world to me. I can't afford to risk your safety, not under any circumstances." He hugged her close.
She sat on the floor, and he remained standing, holding her as she trembled in his arms. He stayed like that for a while, patiently waiting for her to calm down, stroking her head softly.
"He's likely dead too... just... just like everyone else," she whispered, her voice breaking. Peter didn't interrupt. He just listened.
"Otherwise... he would have been here. He... he wouldn't abandon us like this," she continued, sobbing, her fingers tightening around his sleeve. Peter's eyes softened.
"Then that's all the more reason for me to make sure no harm comes to you," he said quietly. "I may have already lost my father. I cannot, and will not, lose my mother too."
Even as he spoke, his Mana Sense flared. Two kobolds…, slowly making their way up the stairs toward the first floor.
He gently pulled away from her. "Stay here," he told her, his voice steady, his resolve unshakable. "I promise - no harm will come to you. …And nothing will harm me."
With a final, reassuring smile, Peter turned his back to her and walked toward the door, sword in hand. His expression was almost peaceful.
….
Peter quietly closed the door behind him, leaving his mother in relative safety, still within the watchful reach of his Mana Sense. The only path to her now lay through him.
He turned toward the kobolds, his once-peaceful expression slowly warping, twisting into something utterly ferocious. Every combat skill he possessed stirred in response, syncing perfectly with his emotions, sharpening his intent like a blade.
The two kobolds approached with glee, seeing no reason to fear a mere child, even if he carried a sword. The distance between them shrank as both sides walked steadily, calmly.
Soon, they were only half a meter apart.
The kobolds lunged with claws outstretched, jaws snapping toward Peter's face. Unfortunately for them... Peter was faster. Like a blur, he slipped past them, his sword following a clean, deadly trajectory across their necks with stone-cold precision.
Without even sparing them a glance, Peter continued walking, heading straight for the stairs. Behind him, two heads tumbled to the floor. Their bodies collapsing soon after, blood gushing from their necks like fountains.
A soft ping echoed in Peter's mind as a system notification flashed before his eyes.
[ You have killed a level 18 Kobold. 360 experience gained in the class. ]
[ You have killed a level 16 Kobold. 340 experience gained in the class. ]
[ You have levelled up.] x2
Your level is now 3. You need 300/400 experience points to gain the next level.]