My body was different, my mana overflowed like never before, it was also bigger now; my scales and claws were stronger and my antlers larger and more pronounced. I managed to awaken the blood of my ancestors. No, it was the great Orgarrl who recognized me as worthy of his lineage. I was so happy, although I also had great sadness: this was the last gift from my great ancestor, and he gave it to me. I would honor him and continue proving that I am worthy, but now I must go help my brother. I ran at great speed like never before; the humans would pay for everything they have done to us, if they aren't already paying. The miasma field must be weakening them.

  I was arriving at the great spider's nest when I sensed the blood and mana of the battle. I'm already here, brother! Upon arriving, I saw it: it was chaos; there were several dead cave creatures, but also humans, and many others were still fighting. I perceive and see a magic barrier where I know several humans are hiding, and a large amount of mana was also accumulating, and then I perceive it. It was the mana of the great spider and my brother, although his was barely perceptible. I was going to go to his aid and see what was wrong, but the mana that was accumulating in the human magic barrier, to my horror, shot out and I knew it was heading towards my brother and the great spider.

  I didn't have time to hesitate, so I jumped with all my strength, also propelling myself with my mana, and while heading towards the humans' attack, I gathered all the mana I could in my mouth and attacked. However, I knew that my attack would not be enough, so I hardened my mana throughout my body and awaited the attack. The blow was tremendous and sent me flying. My hardening barely protected me from the attack, but not from the blows while falling. But I had succeeded, I saved my brother and the great spider, but it doesn't mean the battle is over. That weapon is very powerful, that's why there are so many bodies. We must destroy that weapon and that magic barrier; but first, I need to see my brother, I need to know he is okay.

  - NO! another kobold? And did he manage to deflect the crossbow attack? ... Reload and attack again!

  - Sir, the crossbow is at its limit; there have been too many consecutive shots, and there's almost no mana left to reload.

  - Damn! Keep repairing the magic barrier and shoot the kobold with the spider as soon as you can; I'll take care of the other one that appeared.

  Those two kobolds, it can't be possible that they are those same little ones!

  I was just recovering to go see my brother when I felt a mana coming at high speed. I managed to dodge it in time; it was a spear that, had it hit me, would have killed me since I didn't have my hardening. I see that the human who threw it is heading towards me, and I manage to recognize him: he is the same human who killed Kirkarrg, but I didn't even have time to get angry, as he launched a second attack with another spear that I also managed to dodge.

  At that moment, other humans come to me and attack. I dodge their attacks while striking him with the techniques my brother taught me: kicks and blows to their joints and the exposed parts of the armor. I must conserve and accumulate mana. A strong blow or kick to the head and the humans fall unconscious. I should kill them, but the miasma will do that job. In that, that human! arrived. I seriously want to kill him and avenge Kirkarrg, but first, my brother comes first.

  I try to get away from him, but he follows me. His attacks are very dangerous and he hardly gives me any openings to counterattack; he is very skilled, unlike the other humans I defeated with bitterness. I must admit that he is strong; the few attacks I manage to land show that they collide with a mana magic barrier from his armor. It's a problem, I have to attack him with mana. At that, he shouted at him.

  - Just leave me alone! You've already taken almost everything from me, you've hurt me, and you want to hurt me more! Damn all of you humans, but especially you!

  I shouted at this human with anger, not with the hope that he would understand me, but for relief. I had to go to my brother, but I couldn't because of this damn human; I had to defeat him, and I had no shortage of will to do so. Please, wait for me, Breigon. I harden my claws with mana and launch myself with fury at this human.

  ……………………………………………………………………….

  Inside Breigon's subconscious

  - Are you sure about this? There will be almost nothing left of you.

  - Yes, I want to prove myself worthy of my lineage, I want to help the spider lady, and Garrl is waiting for me. I understand my duty of sacrifice and it was partly my fault for ending up in this situation; it's just that I was so furious about the death of the great serpent and everything the humans took from us, and I also feel the pain of the ancestors and my people. Everything piled up, I'm sorry; it's confusing to understand that I was once human, my previous memories, my feelings, and what I've lived through until now.

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  - You don't have to apologize; it was me who decided that you should feel part of your heritage. You were hesitating to leave everything behind, that's not what a kobold does, I just wanted you to understand your great heritage before you made your decision, I didn't want to force you.

  - He won't like it; they are one and complement each other, you know that, right?

  - I know myself, I would surely tell him that he is the one who must sacrifice himself, but Garrl's dream needs him, not me. I have already shown him how our body is; more changes will be hard, I know, just as they have been since we hatched, but he never gave up. Please, great ancestor Drazird, guide him and tell him that I am sorry and that he should trust our brother Garrl; that he should feel proud to be a kobold and of our lineage, just as I feel proud to have been human.

  - I will tell him. Goodbye, Breigon, I recognize you as worthy of my lineage and as one of my descendants.

  - Thank you, great ancestor Drazird, but Breigon is also him.

  - I know, little one, don't worry, show your lineage.

  Since he lost consciousness, both essences remained separated; his body, for its part, was severely injured by the explosion. How did he come up with the idea of combining such different manas?

  But the fact that he can use human weapons is what really surprised me. I realized that there might be a possibility of it happening again ………………….., but for that, he must survive. His kobold essence tried to awaken his other half, but it couldn't. He begged me with tears in his eyes if I could help them with anything; he felt guilty and weak. This little kobold, despite being born a wanderer, has shown me that he is more than worthy of his lineage; both of them have proven it. Despite their doubts and fears, they always chose to protect their heritage.

  Now more than ever I know that Kirkarrg was not wrong; his bet was the right one, but to help him it required a sacrifice, as Kirkarrg did. His kobold essence did not hesitate, he just wants to prove himself worthy and protect his loved ones, so, to honor his sacrifice, I did not hesitate. Orgarrl and all my brothers, our sacrifice will not be in vain with those two; Garrl and Breigon must survive and create the change they seek. Their dream is our hope, or at least that's what I believe; only time will tell if my bet now is the right one, right, Kirkarrg?

  ………………………………………………………………….

  This kobold is unlike any I have faced, seen, or heard; it is strong, its attacks cannot breach the magic barrier of my armor, but they are weakening it with each blow. He is dangerous, I don't want to imagine him with all his mana.

  Its movements are strange, just like its attacks; its mana control is calculated and refined, only seen in experienced mana beasts I have faced before, or even in sorcerers and warriors. He is fast and, due to his size, it is difficult for me to land a precise blow; his form is like that of the one I thought was the leader of his village, but he is different! Although their leader was weakened, a group of my soldiers managed to defeat him; this kobold I am facing is also weakened and took the crossbow attack, but I can barely confront him, why is he so different?

  The other kobold was too, not only because its way of attacking is similar to this one's, but also because it managed to use one of my swords on two occasions, which is impossible, but I saw it. I don't know how we got to this point, but I do know that my duty is to finish off both of them and report this anomaly; although I don't think I can achieve the latter: the mana in my armor will run out before I can leave, and even if we reinforce the barrier again, I don't think it will be enough before this fight ends. But if at least one of us manages to survive and recount what happened, taking the mana core with them, another mission can be carried out with better preparation; I suspect that where that core was leading us was more than just a simple mana deposit and these kobolds are protecting it.

  I must focus and defeat this one; the other, if he isn't already dead, will be with the next crossbow attack along with the giant spider. But then I see it, a glimmer coming from beneath the spider. The kobold I was fighting also saw it, and it came rushing towards me at great speed. It was the first kobold I faced, but different: was it flying towards me! It had wings! It didn't give me time; it hit me with its horn, throwing me back with great force. How did we get to this? It's the only thing I kept asking myself, knowing that my armor had lost its barrier, just as I felt a terrible pain in my ribs.

  - Garrl! Together, let's finish this.

  - Brother! You're okay! You did it! We are both worthy!

  - Then we celebrate, let's destroy that magic barrier and that weapon; combine your mana with mine, one single attack.

  I had to retreat to the magic barrier; I felt the effect of the miasma and I think I have some fractured or broken ribs, but before I managed to do so, I saw in horror how both kobolds were gathering their mana in front of their snouts into a single point. It was so much that it was visible, and it was aimed at the magic barrier. It can't be! I ordered, shouting towards the magic barrier, to attack them with the crossbow; it was all or nothing.

  We must gather everything, it's all I can think of, we both know it. Even if we overcharge our crystals, this is our only chance, this is for our village, for Tammat, Kirkarrg, and the great serpent, for all the harm they have done to us and to all the creatures of the great caverns, and for our great ancestors; and we unleash everything in a single attack. From the humans' magic barrier, their attack also came, and both collided, but ours continued until it collided with the humans' barrier and finally destroyed it along with their weapon. We won!