Dragon God’s System

I took a moment to look at the kobold who was having bad thoughts about me. I was fairly certain that this green-scaled kobold was the reason I had a negative rank in the Groenneitr Tribe. Of course, it wasn’t personal. The dragon he served probably wanted to make a move on the kobold tribe I had been born into. 

Since red dragons were usually more powerful than green dragons, the green dragon was probably the same age or younger than Einvaldskonungr. Otherwise, he would probably just have attacked and fought it out. However, that wasn’t the case. 

The green dragon probably wanted to do something sneaky. They were known for being almost as untrustworthy as gnomes. I regretted thinking that the moment it popped into my mind. That was really rude to green dragons. Nothing could ever be as bad as a gnome.

Since I was one of the paragons of this tribe, I was probably considered an enemy by the green kobold. I briefly wondered if I would lose my negative ranking if something unfortunate happened and the green-scaled kobold died. Speaking of which, I probably needed to make sure that nothing happened to me. Who knew if the green scaled kobold would target me to prevent future problems.

The red scaled kobold had seen me at the same time as the others, and while there was a surprised look on his face, it was hard to tell if he was happy or disappointed. My first impression was that he probably would have smiled if I had red scales. I was pretty sure that he had a prejudice against my color. Despite this, he quickly hid his disappointment with a smile. I guess he was glad for my existence, despite whatever reservation he was having about the color of my scales. I did wonder how he might have reacted had I shown up with green scales.

I hoped there was no negative stereotype I would have to deal with in the tribe for being black. After all, we were one big family, and being black didn’t stop the green kobold from hating me at first sight. He had looked extremely displeased at first, which didn’t surprise me. Then a calculating look crossed his face. 

I was a little worried that he would try to sow some type of discord between me and the others. He definitely had ulterior motives. I guessed he was more likely to be a spy posing as an ambassador or a merchant. I doubted my tribe was already at war. If that was the case, I doubt the visiting kobold would have been allowed into the city. Despite this, I guessed our tribes would be fighting each other soon. 

The reddish kobold walked forward and stopped in front of me, obviously waiting for me to approach him. I was a little offended since the other kobold hatchlings had been picked up. However, not only did he not pick me up, but he also expected me to come to him. What a gnomish move. 

The other kobolds all watched in silence, curious to see what was going to happen next. Apparently, wings were much more important than I had thought at first for some reason. Considering that I was the only one to have wings in this batch of hatchlings, it was definitely quite rare. It was probably because kobolds with wings were considered closer to dragons, but there had to be more to it than that. 

Then again, maybe that was all there was to it. Obviously, the only two other kobolds with wings were in leadership positions. Maybe that meant that any kobold with wings was groomed for leadership in addition to being dragon-blessed. Something wasn’t adding up, however. 

“Einvaldskonungr has blessed us with yet another winged-one,” he said as he looked down at me. Then he turned to address all the newly hatched kobolds who were being held by the older kobolds. “Welcome to our family. I am Dróttinn, chieftain of our tribe. We are pleased that you can join us. When Einvaldskonungr wakes from his slumber, he will be happy to know just how many clutches of workers we have nurtured. Work hard so that we can gain favor with our god.”

Numerous yips and yaps chorused in agreement, such as “We will,” and “We work.” A few of the hatchlings even managed, “Long live Einvalds…,” before messing up on the dragon’s name. Despite this, I was impressed.

More than likely, Einvaldskonungr probably didn’t care about the kobolds at all. They were nameless cogs in the machine works who brought the dragon gold and wealth. In fact, Dróttinn even acknowledged this fact when he called the newborn wyrmlings “workers.” As for the dragon blessing them with another winged kobold, it had nothing to do with him, especially since he was asleep.

The red dragon being asleep might also be why the tribe of green kobolds was skulking around. They probably knew the red dragon was asleep and were taking advantage of that fact. Was the green dragon planning to attack while Einvaldskonungr was sleeping? What exactly was the Groenneitr tribe planning? 

As for the red dragon, he was the big stick kobolds could use as a deterrent to intimidate others who might want to attack them. He was also the only way the kobolds could refine their blood. I was pretty sure that was the main reason the kobolds were willing to work so hard to provide wealth for the red dragon.

Dróttinn looked back at me as if waiting to see what I would say. Not sure how to respond, I paused for a moment while I resisted the impulse to say something like, “Me want food,” or to grab at the jeweled belt and say, “Ohh, shinies.” After another moment of hesitation, I finally said, “Long live Einvaldskonungr. May he reign eternally.” 

I immediately realized that was a mistake the moment after I said it. Every eye had already been on me, but now it was as if every single kobold was holding their breath. “Maybe I should have gone with one of the first two choices after all,” I thought to myself. Figuring out it was probably too late already, I added out loud, “I am eager to learn. Please teach me so that I can bring glory to his name.” 

The green kobold made a choking sound as his eyes widened and his jaw dropped, almost as if he had seen a dwarf walking out of a bar instead of walking into a bar. He actually held his hand to his mouth as if to stop himself from saying something. Silence followed, which was good for me since several notifications had popped up on a screen.

ACHIEVEMENT - TITLE UNLOCKED: MENDACIOUS. Your first words to another creature were duplicitous, but also formal and literary. Because of this, Dolos, the God of Trickery, granted you his favor. 

ACHIEVEMENT - ALIGNMENT UNLOCKED: EVIL. By gaining recognition from one of the Gods of Darkness, you have unlocked the Evil alignment. You have gained 1 Evil Favor.

ACHIEVEMENT - TITLE UNLOCKED: CHILD OF FOLLY. Até, the Goddess of Mischief, Delusion, and Ruin, who leads gods and mortals to suffering through their rash and inconsiderate actions, believes you to be one of her descendants due to your impulsivity and ability to make foolish decisions. Because of this, Até has granted you her favor.

ACHIEVEMENT - ALIGNMENT UNLOCKED: CHAOTIC. By gaining recognition from one of the Gods of Chaos, you have unlocked the Chaotic alignment. You have gained 1 Chaotic Favor.

I stood there in silence reading the notifications as the kobolds stared at me in silence. I was stunned by what I had read while they were rendered speechless by what I had said. Slowly, my mind started to sort out the implications of the notifications. While I knew the reputation of kobolds among the other races was that kobolds were evil, apparently the gods were specifically recognizing me as being chaotic evil. What the frick?

My mind was running faster than a gnome who had been asked to pay for his debts. How in the world had I become chaotic evil? Was I now an enemy of all the gods of light and goodness? And what in the world did Evil Favor and Chaotic Favor even mean? Could I trade them for something? Did a title give any specific benefit? Did I just get cursed? And why was a goddess considering me a fool?

At that moment, the kobold in charge named Dróttinn broke the silence and said, “Please take the newest members of our family to the Welcoming Cavern. Our newest winged brother will stay with me.” He then indicated that the green kobold should join the others as they left for their destination. While the green kobold seemed reluctant, he didn’t object. However, that might be because he was still more befuddled than a gnome who was trying to understand a joke. Soon, I was left alone with the chieftain in the cavern.