The Kobold Apprentice pt.1

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>Normally Kobolds run away at the first sign of real danger, instead electing to contemplate, to devise traps for those that would do them harm.
>This one before you, clad with meager scraps of cloth and nothing more, has taken up a large shard of bone from a long dead ogre as a makeshift shield and a crude obsidian dagger, pointing its jagged edge at your face.
>Its voice, somewhat higher pitched than the other 'bolds you have encountered thus far, yells at you with as much intensity it possibly can, "DIE HUMAN!"
>It prepares to attack you!
>Oh wait, it's fucking telegraphing its attacks. You easily bat the dagger away with your sword.
>It stumbles over itself after you parry the lunge, dropping the shield like bone and leaving it wide open to attack.
>But despite this fact, you find yourself staying your hand.
>It steadies itself, looking back at you with an unyielding gleam present in its eyes.
>It takes a hold of the improvised weapon with both hands and rushes towards you!
>Despite the noticeable conviction, this kobold is doing really bad in fighting you. Sloppy slashes, terrible stance, bad equipment and letting itself get angry this fast. Why, if you had half of these problems back in the day, you'd be dead by the hands of one of the numerous enemies you made when you were still adventuring.
>A block here, a quickstep there, and nothing this Kobold was throwing at you was working.
>After one of its numerous attacks against you, you let loose a kick.
>Huh, you were barely putting anything behind that kick, but the kobold is sprawled out over the ground like it got utterly annihilated, the dagger just out of reach.
>It struggles back to its feet, heaved over and out of breath.
>It looks back at you with the same determined gaze, but its eyes are starting to tear up.
>It goes over to the dagger and takes ahold of it once more.
>It comes back over to you, much slower, sluggish even.q
>At this point, you would have to force yourself to stay still to actually get hit. The attacks keep coming, yet the force behind each of its attempts are weakening at a quick rate.
>Disappointingly, you take ahold of the dull dagger mid swing and give its owner a swift punch to the midsection.
>It is hunched over in pain, dropped to its knees.
>It looks back to you, tears now streaming down its scaled snout, that once defiant look drained of its luster.
>Aww shit, now it's begging for its life. You weren't here to kill anything, you were just trying to find some rare herbs for some recipes you wanted to try.
>That cloth it was wearing must have been made by someone who knew nothing of the trade, because it is practically in tatters just from the kobold's movements and your couple of strikes. You let your eyes drift while inspecting the shitty clothing, and you are rewarded with bright red cheeks, as well as the knowledge that this kobold is a female.
>Her whimpering and pleading is getting annoying as it continues, making it harder to think about the situation. Heaving a sigh, you walk up to her and knock her out with a sleeper hold.
>Despite how paltry her fighting skills were, and how pathetic she looks on the ground like she is, you can't help but admire the bravery she displayed. Far better than any 'bold you've ever seen.
>But even with such an admirable trait, you can't convince yourself that there would be any chance for her to beat anyone with even the slightest bit of experience in fighting. And if someone else had come across her first, you seriously doubt they would be as merciful as you are.
>An idea crosses your mind, but is it really a good idea? You look over to the passed out Kobold, then give your herb pouch a feel.
>Ah fuck it. If you need to get more of the herbs, you can always come back. You sheath your sword and go over to the kobold. You take some rope out of your adventuring pack and tie up the kobold's limbs.
>You pick up the Kobold, tossing her gently over your shoulder. You exit the sprawling tunnel system, tip-toeing over the remains of the traps you dismantled back on the way to the entrance and place the kobold on the back of your horse, starting the journey home.

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>The ride home isn't all that bad. No arduous desserts, no forsaken graveyards, no perilous cliff side edging. Giving up the mantle of an adventurer is always something you have regretted somewhat, but this is the kind of benefit that made you consider it in the first place.
>Rather, a calm forest next to a large mountain range was what was to be expected.
>You take a break about halfway to your home, sipping from your waterskin and sitting on a fallen log you had found nearby. You notice a small murmur of movement out of the corner of your eye when you were getting some of your tastier rations out.
>It came from the kobold, you are sure of it. The moment you looked over at her, she went still as a stone. You go 'round the horse and look her in the face. Her eyes are shut tightly, and when you observe her closer, you notice some slight tremblings.
>How long she was actually awake, you don't know. But since she was awake, it would only be fair to let her in on what you were thinking.
>You pull another log next to the one you were sitting on. You then go back to the kobold and lift her up and off of the horse, setting her down on the secondary log sitting up.
>Despite being in such a position, despite trembling very noticeably, despite getting caught peeking with one eye at yourself for a quick moment, the kobold was still trying to act like she was asleep.
>You huff somewhat at the act. "I know you're awake." you say, cutting to the chase. The kobold stops trembling, but refuses to open her eyes. "I don't want to harm you," you say, "I just want for you to hear me out."
>Slowly, the kobold opens her eyes to look at you. You didn't really get a good look at her in the tunnels, but she has dark blue scales, and those eyes that had once declared themselves indomitable were a deep green.
>"What is it you want from me?" she meekly questions. You twiddle with your thumbs a bit, trying to think of the best way to tell her what you had in mind. You weren't really a people person, even when the bard of your old party, Feldin 'If I can't get in her pants, she must be under an evil trance' Dolmore, tried his very best to be your wingman.
>"I know you may not trust me right now," you say after you mull over your thoughts, "but I really admired that courage you showed me." She doesn't say anything in response. "That being said, you fell very easily to me, and I barely fought back at all!"
>At those words, she slinks over a bit, presumably feeling rather disappointed in herself.
>"I'm not trying to mock you, or make you feel worse," you explain, "but just imagine what could have happened if you came across someone who wouldn't have spared you, someone who wouldn't hold back?"
>She doesn't respond, instead keeping her head down. "The saddest thing in this world is wasted potential, things not said, things that could have been. And from what I saw today," you say, getting ready to bring your little speech all together, "if you were to die before you had a chance to be all you could be, this world would be missing out big time."
>She lifts her head at your words, eyes getting glossy. "So,' you begin, "I have a proposition for you." You go over to your horse and pocket a survival knife from the saddle bag. "I will train you," you say as you walk back to your makeshift seat, "teach you everything I picked up in my days of adventuring. I'll provide everything you'd need, from a warm bed to consistent meals. All I ask in return is that you help with chores."
>You walk over to her and pull out the knife. You cut off the ropes from the kobold's limbs and let them fall to the soft earth below. This gets you a surprised 'Eeep!' from her when the metal of the blade touched her scaled hide. You walk back over to the log, sitting directly across from your now curious audience member.
>"W-w-why did you j-just..." the kobold sputters out, unsure of your actions. You shrug. "I wouldn't be giving you much of a choice if I had you tied up, now would I?"
>You put the knife back in your pocket, folding your hands together and looking to the kobold. "Whatever your choose, I'll accept it." You finish, preparing the question that really mattered. "So," you transition, "will I need to get a room together?"
>The kobold is dead silent. She looks at you, at your horse, then finally at her newly freed hands. "I'm sorry," she finally responds, "but I don't think I can say yes."
>Well shit. Whenever Feldin tried this sort of thing, it usually worked. It hurt you a little, but you are a man of your word. You nod at what could have been your apprentice, and start repacking your supplies.
>You wave at the kobold as you mount your horse and get back on the dirt path towards home. The kobold watches you for as long as you are in eyesight.
>The trip, though being of less than a day's distance, felt like it dragged on longer than that. Suffice to say, you really expected to be taken up on your offer. What was it that made her say no? Amenities like reliable food sources, a non hostile environment, these things you were 99% sure wouldn't be found in a place like that tunnel system.
>Well, you did sort of kidnap her. Yeah, that would make someone think twice about something like what you were proposing. Hindsight might be 20/20 now, but you can't change it.
>Your thoughts seem to weigh down your perception, because before you know it, you are on the final stretch to your house. Strange, you hadn't given this much thought to anything ever since you stepped down from adventuring, ever since you stopped your studies of arcane.
>You reach the top of a grass covered knoll, and behold your rustic looking homestead, still as cozy as you left it. The land was quite expensive, but a couple of favors helped get the seller to ease up on the price.
>You stop the horse by the barn. You pull off your bags, tie up the horse, and go into your house.
>As sad as it is to even consider, you were actually getting really excited to have some company again. The house lay silent, and the sun began to lower across the horizon. You go to your bed and look out of the window at the warm orange glow cast across the landscape. That time of the year was coming around again, and no matter how much you tried to harden your heart, you couldn't help but shed a tear at the once familiar sight of the sunset.
>You suppose you should start thinking about what needs to be done around the house tomorrow. You need to repair a hole you saw in the barn earlier, you need to get some more firewood for the upcoming winter, you need to make some more poti-
>Your thoughts are scattered as you hear a large knocking at your door. You don't have any idea who would come here nowadays, but you still get up and off of your bed to answer. "One second!" You call out as you go over to the door. You open it up, and much to your surprise, the kobold is the one upon your doorstep, holding a bindle of sorts over her shoulder.
>She looks up at you meekly and asks you with a tinge of fear present in her voice, "Is your offer still on the table?"
>You smile a genuine smile. "It sure is." you say, getting you a shy grin from your new apprentice. You extend a hand to her. "My name is William. What's yours?" You ask her. She shakes your hand tenderly. "Parzah" she says in response.
>You then stop shaking hands and open the door fully. "Now," you ask her, "would you like to see your room?"

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