"So we have two options. Try to negotiate with the kobolds or just attack them right away like we did with the rats. The problem of trying to negotiate is that if it fails, we would have lost our surprise advantage."
Marina summarized the conundrum for everyone, and Carlos complemented.
"We lack information. We know absolutely nothing about that race. Nor its disposition, language, culture, or anything. Without that, we can't make a good decision. But, considering that they are usually monsters, I suggest we go directly to an ambush."
"They aren't simply monsters. They have weapons, and to make and use bows and arrows requires some intelligence and skill. Even chimps make spears, but only homo sapiens ever made bows on Earth."
"Then I will scout. If what we lack is information, I will get information. You four wait here."
Henrique was reluctant about attacking the monsters head-on, so Marina suggested an alternative approach. Which was immediately vetted by Heloisa, of course.
"No, no, no. You're not going in there alone. It's too dangerous."
"I don't think it's dangerous, Helo. Look at them. They are as tall as a 4-year-old kid. And I doubt that their arm strength is greater than that of a toddler."
"How about you take the potion with you, Marina? If anything happens, you can drink it. I still bet it's a healing potion."
"We have no way of knowing if it's a healing potion or a poison or just strawberry juice, Ravi. But okay, if it makes you all feel better, I'll take it with me."
:::
After some time arguing, Heloisa finally gave up and allowed Marina to go scout the kobold area.
She walks down the corridor, carrying only the knife in her hand. As she doesn't plan to enter any confrontation yet, hitting someone from far away wouldn't be a good idea, and that's why she put off her slingshot.
After some time, she reached a big cave where a commotion was happening. She could hear several voices. Though voices wasn't the best description, as those sounded more like squeaky high-pitched chirps. Definitely nothing she could understand.
When she took courage and spied into the cave, she saw a group of eight kobolds discussing at the only other entrance in this room. They were all armed, but the weapons were made out of wood, bone, and stone. Not a single piece of metal in sight.
The room was not very big, with a pillar in the middle. She decided to get closer to the kobolds by hiding behind the pillar.
The discussion seemed to be heated, so all kobolds were with their full attention focused on it. Marina reached the pillar easily, and exactly the moment she reached there, she heard a painful cry.
The taller and stronger of the kobolds, who was one of the more agitated in the discussion, took out his bone knife and killed the kobold in front of him.
Marina wasn't able to see it, but the cries of the stabbed kobold were enough for her to understand what happened. After all, everyone else was silenced, and only the killer kept talking.
The meaning was very clear. The killer is recognized as the strong one, and nobody cares for the loser. Not a single voice was raised in defiance.
It was a scene that spoke lots about the power relations in that society, as well as their possible disposition towards negotiating. Not to mention the fact that she wasn't able to understand their language. Communication was not possible.
She had the information that she came to find, but she decided to try to test something.
After some minutes, the big man barked some orders and went through the entrance with four other kobolds, leaving two to keep guard.
((That's the chance. I can take on two of those alone, but I can't let any of them escape. If they do, I'm screwed. But, with the sound damping of the corridors, even if they scream, the people on the other cave won't be able to hear.))
She assumed that the cave next to this one, the one the kobolds just went to, was their lair. Similar to the rat's nest, which was in a cave with only one entrance and a cave that served as a buffer.
She waited a couple of minutes to make sure that the other kobolds wouldn't come back.
The two that were on guard duty didn't seem to be very friendly to one another. The few times they exchanged words, they had a very aggressive tone.
((With that disposition, even if the kobold race in general is not an evil race, this group specifically is not pacific nor composed of people willing to listen. Anyway, I think that I might be able to exploit this.))
She took one of the pebbles and threw it to a corner a bit far from the entrance, but not much.
The little creatures immediately became alert, and one of them walked towards the source of the sound… which was the place where Marina threw the pebble.
She waited for him to be in a position that was easy for her to hide from and then threw another pebble, hitting the back of his head, and then hid behind the pillar.
The kobold got very irritated and started screaming, to which the other kobold answered with more chirps and cries. Their chat increased in aggressiveness, sounding almost like threats and insults.
And, just as Marina was thinking that, the sounds of fighting reached her ears. Then she dared to peek from behind the pillar.
As she expected, the two were attacking each other in a rage. One held a bone knife and the other a stone axe, and both weapons were already bloodied.
((Those little guys look like two pinschers. Loud and irritating, but ultimately harmless for us. Well, let me step up and finish my experiment.))
The two were blinded by their fury as they slashed at each other, so it was easy for Marina to sneak, even though she was almost double their size.
She held the knife in a reverse grip and quickly cut the throat of one.
[Kobold killed. 1 point.]
When the other saw what just happened and understood the situation, it was already too late. A huge human was already brandishing a blade unlike anything it had ever seen before, seeking to bury the knife in its body.
She adjusted the grip on the knife to the forward one and thrust it directly into the kobold's gut.
[Kobold killed. 1 point.]
She looked at the corpse of the first kobold she killed, but it had already disappeared, and a pouch appeared in its place. The same then happened to the second one, right in front of her eyes.
Yet, the corpse of the little one who was killed by another kobold earlier was still there.
((Okay, experiment succeeded. The kobolds turn into loot pouches if they are killed by us, even though they don't when they are killed by the bloodsuckers or by each other. Hm, I wonder if the notice about the killing and points appeared in the head of the others as well.))
After picking up the pouches, she walked back to the rest of the team.