Dax Daggar

DAX DAGGER

Scuttling on the ground, searching for the biggest rat he could find, the young Kobold pounced on a rat the size of his foot. He tussled with the rat until he eventually found his teeth sinking into the delicious hide of street rats. Lifting his head, he could hear his family doing the same thing in the back alleyway. At the entrance of the alleyway, their scouts stood on guard. They weren’t supposed to be in the city, but their hunting grounds were taken over by human troops. They had set up camp over their favorite rabbit holes, so they had to delve deeper into the city to find enough food to feed their clan. Of course, they grabbed snacks along the way.

Coming into the town had been his idea; Dax Dagger. He stood just before the scouts, a book in his hand and his dagger in the other. He checked off the running list in his book with his blood tipped claw before closing it and shoving it into his pack. He turned to see the rest of the Kobolds had gathered up more street rats and put them in their own sacks. There had to be enough to feed his family now. Speaking their tongue, he called out for them to hurry and get back to the edge of town. They had to leave soon--the sun was about to come up. They couldn’t afford to get caught by the citizens of this town.

Turning to Dax, one of the guards shook his head, “Why are we doing this again? Tell Jaxit.” The guard pounded his chest. Their native language was guttural, which made Dax worried someone could hear.

“Speak common. Keep your voice low. You make too much noise.” He pointed to the walls. When Jaxit didn’t seem to understand, Dax scratched the side of the brick wall and waved his hand into the air. The scratching sound echoed throughout the alleyway.

Jaxit seemed to have understood then. He nodded and spoke in common. The language was hard for the tiny Kobold, but he was able to ask his question again.

“We need food. That’s why we are doing this.” Dax answered back in flawless common. Out of the entire tribe, he was the most fluent in common. He was also the most intelligent. Being the only Kobold who could read, he was in charge of keeping track of supplies. The other Kobolds all moved in a hive mind, but Dax had realized a long time ago that he wasn’t like that. He had his own thoughts and ideas; dangerous things to own in a Kobold family.

He used his intelligence to keep his family alive though, making him a valuable asset to the tribe. He hated it. He didn’t want to be seen as just an asset. He had much more to give than that, and he knew it.

“Shhh! Someone coming!” Another guard yelled.

The Kobolds all scurried to the back of the alleyway where Dax had set up black tarps. He hoped they could disguise themselves with the shadows of the alleyway. Luckily, it worked. An elf patrol walked right by the alley.

When the coast was clear, the Kobolds lept out from under the tarp and made their way down the dark street. They had to move fast. The sky was turning a light blue--dawn was almost here.

A few more feet and they would be at the edge of town. They were to rendezvous with the other Kobolds and some Goblins they had made friends with. The Goblins had hopefully brought carts so they could haul their hunt out to their caves.

A few more feet! Dax urged his kin on silently. They just had to get to the edge--NO!

A fire erupted in front of them halting the small group of Kobolds in their tracks. All around them, a wall of fire rippled and kept them in place. The others started to panic, their growls and cries echoing into the air.

“We got ‘em! I knew I heard vermin squealing in the night.” An elf guard laughed, making his way to the circle of fire.

Dax stared up at the elf. He had golden rimmed eyes and neatly trimmed eyes that etched his face. He wore silver armor with a noble insignia on it. A look of confusion flashed across his face. This was a smithing town! Not a noble beared city. What were the nobles doing here? The elf seemed to have sensed Dax’s confusion, for he let out a laugh.

“This one seems to recognize our insignia!” The other started to laugh around them.

The other Kobolds cried out in fear. They all heard the rumors; if Kobolds were caught in a town--any town, they were executed on sight. No one lived. Dax’s heart started to beat in his chest. He had to think of something. Fast.

Out of the corner of his eyes, he could see the silver glint of a sword being unsheathed. They were dead!

“No!” He exclaimed, holding his hands up.

That seemed to stop the guards. They looked to each other, obviously taken aback at the common that came from this Kobold.

“What did you just say?”

“Please don’t kill my family. Please. They were only following me. I’m the reason we are here!” Dax pleaded. The other Kobolds shifted nervously. Some could speak common, some could not. They could tell, either way, that Dax was pleading for their lives.

The guards lowered their weapons. Scratching the back of his head, the elf seemed to be at a loss of what to do. He could hear the pleading in this Kobold’s voice, but he knew his orders were to kill anything that wasn’t able to be tried for theft. This Kobold apparently could be tried for theft. With a hefty sigh, the elf waved his hand.

The fire fell, and the Kobolds let out a cry of relief. This cry was cut short when shackles were placed on their hands. Dax shook his head, “We didn’t steal anything!”

“Yeah, then what’s in these bags?” A human guard asked, kicking the Kobold holding his bag of rats.

The dead rats rolled out of the bag. The human wrinkled his nose up, spat at the rat. “Filthy creatures you are!”

The other guards pushed their food to the ground too, rummaging through the bags. Dax was certain they weren’t going to find anything other than dead rats. It was all they had come here for! “Aha!” A guard said, dropping the bag. He pulled out coins at the bottom of Jaxit’s bag.

Dax shook his head, his eyes wide at his Kobold friend. They weren’t supposed to steal! They were to only hunt! The shackles around the Kobolds were pulled tight, forcing them to move. The small creatures hung their heads. They knew where this was going. This was the end for them. Dax had to think of something fast. If they all died here, it was to spell doom for the rest of their tribe in the caves. They were already so little numbered. Think! Think!

His thinking got him nowhere, and they were soon moved to the guards tower where they found their new home in small cells. The Kobolds cuddled against the cold wall as the guards removed their shackles and laughed in their faces. Dax shouldn’t have talked. He shouldn’t have said anything! Now they thought they all could talk common. He was such an idiot!

He paced back and forth, thinking about his family in the caves. He had to get his group out so they could rejoin the rest. They didn’t deserve to be here. This wasn’t their idea.

It was mine. He thought, his shoulders sagging in defeat.

He knew what he had to do then. He called his kin to him, and they began to talk in hushed voices. A plan was formulated. One he hoped would save his family.

As the morning dawned and the day started to become busy, the guards tapped the metal bars of the Kobold’s cage. Scrambling to their feet, the creatures looked on in terror as the guards held swords up.

“Alright, you filth. The judge is going to get a kick out of you speaking!” He laughed again and two other guards opened the cage, clamping chains on them before anyone could think twice.

It was exactly what Dax wanted.

The Kobolds were led down the long corridor to the judges quarters. The judge, an older human with a long white beard and speckled glasses, looked over their frames at the small hoard of Kobolds and guards that entered his office. He shook his head. “You are really to have me believe that you captured Kobolds and heard them speak. In fluent common?”

The guards shifted nervously, looking to each other.

Yes, that’s right. Look like idiots. Dax had to push down a smirk off his face. He had to pretend to be scared.

The elf from the other night kicked Jaxit, which let out a squeal and fell to his knees. “Talk, you filthy creature!” Jaxit looked to Dax, and he gave him a curt nod. Jaxit jumped up and started to talk quickly in their native tongue. The others followed suit, pulling at the chains and running around the room. The guards swore and took out their blades. The judge slammed his fist on the table and stood. The Kobolds and the guards all stopped, looking at him.

“These are just filthy Kobolds. Of course they do not speak our language! Get them out of here! Kill them in the woods.” The judge looked rather annoyed.

“What about this one?” Another man pointed his tip of the blade to Dax. This was what Dax had feared. Dax tried to speak quickly in Kobold language, but to his horror, a guard grabbed a young female Kobold and held her up by the neck.

“You will speak! Like you did last night! Or this one dies!” He closed his fist around her neck tighter. The female, Kili, scratched at the man’s hands and looked wide-eyed to Dax. He knew he had to do something.

“Yes! I can talk! I put these Kobolds up to come with me!” He dropped to his knees and begged for them to let his family go.

The judge fell back into his chair and stared at Dax. “Who are you, exactly?”

“M-my name is Dax. I’m just a Kobold, sir.” Dax put his hands on his chest, looking into the judge’s eyes.

“Not just a Kobold, no. The jarl will want to see you.” He studied the rest of the Kobolds and then tapped his chin. He cleared his throat before he spoke again. “You agree to come with me to the jarl, and we will let your family go.” He waved to the others.

Kili was put down and hugged tightly to another Kobold, Igi. Dax looked at the scared faces of his kin and realized that this was their only way of surviving. Steeling his expression, he turned to the judge. “You let them go alive, and I will come with you.”

His tribe needed to survive. They needed to prevail. More numbers that returned today the better. He turned to his group, and they all shared glances. He spoke in their tongue, telling them that they must prevail. To not fight this. Fear and sorrow flashed through their eyes, but they understood.

So this is where the true story of Dax Dagger begins. Dax was taken prisoner of the guards, and his family let go outside of the town. He was led from small village to village until they eventually ran into the city. He was taken to the jarl and had to speak, and show his intelligence. Jarl to jarl, he was taken and shown off. He was forced to help general after general. Dax Dagger had begun to be revered as their intelligence core for many armies. He began to learn how other races worked and how to communicate with them. He started to grow in tricks and spells. He had to bide his time before he could return to his family.

That was until he learned of their death.

Word had gotten to Dax two years later that his family had been killed on sight the day they were to be released. The guards had disregarded their word to the judge. A hunting party had been sent further down the trial until they eventually found the rest of the tribe. Dax felt his heart break. Guilt, fear, and sorrow overcame him. He was the reason they were dead! It was his idea to hunt in the town! Stricken with grief, he wept in his cage. He had to get out of here. He had to leave.

What could he do though?

Looking at his many books, weapons, and potions, he knew he had to leave. He became the people’s pet just so he could save his family. He had to avenge them. Staring at his clawed hands, he vowed he would avenge his family. He would set fire to that town. He would lay siege to the guards. And he would make them talk.