kobolds

The kobolds edged closer, their figures fading into the darkness as Yuva readied her bow and nocked an arrow. Kanisk was still reeling from her earlier antics when—

"Kanisk! I can't see anything! It's all so dark," Yuva blurted.

"Perfect," Kanisk muttered sarcastically. "Maybe think ahead next time before choosing 'Freez,' you dumbo!"

"Shut up!" Yuva shot back.

"Just use 'Freez' again!" Kanisk urged.

"Oh, right!" Yuva raised her hand, spinning her wrist in an overly dramatic fashion before pointing forward and shouting, "FREEZ!"

Kanisk gave her a sideways glance, clearly thinking, *Was that flourish really necessary?*

The spell hit its mark, and the kobolds froze in place. Seizing the chance, Kanisk sprinted forward. His heightened senses from *Hunter's Instinct* guided his steps as he weaved between furniture and debris. He lunged at the nearest kobold, slashing at its throat with his knife. The blade bit deep, and the creature collapsed with a gurgled snarl.

**Killed a kobold — 25 points granted.**

Before Kanisk could breathe, the other kobolds broke free—apparently too strong to be fully restrained by Yuva's weak spell. One slashed at him with its broadsword, forcing Kanisk to duck and roll aside, though he felt the blade graze his shoulder. Another lunged, and Kanisk countered with a quick stab to its chest, but the knife only grazed the muscle. His blade had gone blunt from repeated use.

"Damn it!" he cursed, retreating back beside Yuva.

"Could you freeze them again?" Kanisk asked.

"Spells have a cooldown, genius! Another 15 seconds," Yuva snarked.

Realizing time was against them, Kanisk hastily devised a plan.

"Yuva, shoot where the flame appears. No hesitation!" he instructed.

"Got it!" she nodded.

Kanisk sprinted forward again, adrenaline and instinct sharpening every motion. His hand flicked open a lighter, and the faint flame briefly illuminated the kobold's face. An arrow whizzed past Kanisk's ear and embedded itself into the creature's eye with a sickening crunch.

"Nice shot!" Kanisk yelled, dodging another kobold's attack. He ignited the lighter again—another arrow struck true. The blinded kobold shrieked in agony, stumbling into its companion. Using the chaos, Kanisk drove his knife into the distracted creature's side.

The remaining kobold snarled, charging at Kanisk, but Yuva's arrow found its mark, piercing its leg and halting its advance.

"FREEZ!" Yuva shouted as the spell's cooldown ended, and the last kobold froze in its tracks. Kanisk rushed forward and plunged his blade into its heart.

**Killed a kobold — 25 points granted.**

Breathing heavily, Kanisk stood still as the adrenaline settled. "That was… surprisingly effective."

"Of course! I'm awesome," Yuva said with a proud grin.

Kanisk shot her a look. "Yeah, as long as you don't get too distracted with your dramatic hand gestures."

"Hey! They add flair!" she retorted.

Kanisk could only shake his head with a half-smile, already preparing for the next wave of monsters.

Kanisk was out of stamina, and so was Yuva. Her "Freez" spell had drained her energy as well. Thankfully, the monsters seemed to have taken a break—no interruptions for now.

"Wait, are we missing something?" Yuva mumbled, her gaze darting around the eerie silence.

Kanisk ignored her at first, but the odd stillness made him pause. *Maybe she doesn't yammer all the time,* he thought.

He walked to her fridge and pulled it open. "Ah, as expected—you drunkard." Inside were several bottles of alcohol.

"Okay, time to get to the roof. Maybe there's help waiting up there—or at least fewer monsters."

They packed a bag quickly and peeked into the hallway. The floor was littered with dead monsters and people—gruesome, but they pressed on.

"See? Maybe the monsters are on break," Yuva said, marching proudly, her newly earned coupon points fueling her false bravado.

The snake-infested floor was eerily empty. "Looks like no one survived this floor," Kanisk muttered.

Finally, they reached the rooftop door. Kanisk opened it cautiously, only for a hot gust of wind to smack him in the face.

"Nope!"

Without another word, he closed the door just as fast, turned around expressionless, and began descending the stairs.

"Hey! Why aren't we going up there? Are you scared? What's up there?" Yuva nagged.

Kanisk calmly pressed a finger against her lips. "Go look for yourself."

Yuva, always ready to prove herself, puffed up her chest and swung open the door. Another gust of hot wind hit her, nearly pushing her back. She squinted into the darkness, then froze.

A massive red-scaled drake lay curled up on the rooftop. With every breath it exhaled, waves of heat rippled through the air. Yuva's face drained of color. Just as she stumbled backward, another hot gust startled her awake.

Behind her, Kanisk bit his lip, struggling to hold back laughter at her terrified expression.

"Bwahhhh!"

Unable to contain her terror, Yuva let out a blood-curdling scream. Kanisk slapped his forehead with a groan, unable to process her disastrous timing.

The drake's eyes snapped open—two golden orbs with razor-thin, vertical pupils that gleamed with primal menace. Its dark red, thick scales gleamed like molten rock, reflecting the faint city fires below. The creature stood on two muscular legs, each tipped with talons capable of shredding steel. Its massive wings, folded against its body, twitched as if ready to unleash chaos. The beast was colossal—roughly the size of an entire living room, exuding the heat of a furnace with every breath.

Before Yuva could react, the drake lunged forward with terrifying speed. Its clawed foot slammed down with a thunderous crash that shook the rooftop as it snatched Yuva with its talons. Frozen in shock, she couldn't even scream this time.

Kanisk stood paralyzed, his heart pounding in his chest as he watched the beast clutch his friend. His breath caught in his throat—this was beyond anything he'd faced so far. The drake's wings unfurled with a powerful snap, stirring a gust of hot air that whipped Kanisk's hair and clothes. The moment hung in the air, thick with dread as the beast's fiery gaze locked onto Kanisk.