A Warlock's Ascent

When people of the camp stood up and pointed their weapons at him, Dave understood that this was going to be a long night. Soon he was dragged to the center of the camp, they tied his hands and legs and started beating him up, he did not understand what he did to deserve this, he tried reasoning with them, but it was a futile effort.

With no one giving any crap about his protest, he understood that these guys wouldn't stop at anything, he understood that this night would be pretty similar to the night Carlin's soldiers tortured him, they didn't interrogate him nor asked him anything, they just started torturing him.

'Why the fuck my luck is so shitty?' he thought. His luck always betrayed him, he was born into that shitty family, he made the phone call to an unknown shady company, now he has been stuck in this place, he was tortured when he got this place and now he was tortured once again. He started thinking maybe lady luck doesn't like him.

As he could not do much for the moment, he just surrendered, he just tried to maintain his sanity, after all, what else he could have done…

After a few minutes of beating, the woman with red hair, Angela, grabbed his chin, raised it up, she smiled sensually at his bleeding face. "Now you will tell me everything that I want to know."

Her subordinate, the scrawny little man named Gibbon came forward and casted some magic on him. He didn't know what that magic did, as he couldn't feel any difference in his body. But he soon realized what that man had done to him.

When Angela started asking him a bunch of questions, if he lied, Gibbon would know, somehow, then he would receive a few more punches and kicks in return. That man had casted some sort of lie detector magic on him.

As he was already tired of all the beating, he decided to tell the truth, the partial truth, and from what it seemed, Gibbon couldn't tell the difference between the whole truth and the partial truth.

His torture was well underway when they all heard…

AAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWOOOOOOOOOOO

Hearing the howling of a lone wolf, everyone in the camp got tensed. All of them took out their weapons and started, getting ready for a battle.

"Werewolf." One of the men proclaimed.

"Everyone to their arms," Angela announced. As she was standing too close to him, he had a good look at her ample bosom, squished between her plumpy melons was a small green color crystal, which glowed as she commanded the camp.

"What should we do with him?" Gibbon asked

"Keep an eye on him. For now." She then turned around and started barking orders around the camp.

His brain kept thinking about the glowing pendant. BOOM pendant, that is what Jurgen said to him, previously he couldn't make sense of what that man was trying to say. But now, he got the gist of his message.

His eyes started following Angela, whenever she would bark any order, the pendant would glow. That bitch is controlling everyone in the camp with that pendant. That is why Jurgen wanted me to destroy the pendant. If somehow, I am able to pull it off, would that stop the bitch? he thought.

There were too many unanswered questions, but for now, there is not much he could do.

From where he stood, he could see two scenarios in front of him, he was either going to be tortured ruthlessly and ultimately killed. Or Angela would make him a puppet like the people of the camp. In any scenario, there will be no happy ending for him, so he figured, why not take a chance? After all, it was not like, destroying the pendant would somehow worsen his situation…

In the middle of the camp was a big campfire, illuminating the surrounding, around the fire were 5 groups with three members in each group. With his hands and legs tied, he, Angela, and Gibbon were standing by the campfire.

There was pin-drop silence all around the camp, because of which he could clearly hear, the growling, and it was coming from all around them. He recognized the growling straight away, he had heard similar noises when he was stuck in the patch of trees, with Kobolds.

The campfire was only able to light a particular, beyond which he could see nothing, he couldn't even tell how many of those vicious things had surrounded them. Based on the loud growling and the constant crackling of leaves and twigs, if he were to guess, he would say that at least 30 of those vicious things were waiting for them in the darkness.

He didn't know the individual strength of these people, so he couldn't help but feel threatened. If those beasts came to him, then there was a very slim chance they would be able to defend him, let alone themselves. He turned towards Angela. "Get me out of these bounds, I can help you guys"

SMACK

Gibbon slapped him. "Didn't give you permission to talk fucker. And what will you do Mr. Warrior? Bravely fight a colony of Kobolds yourself?"

"I can still help, right? You guys use some extra pair of hands." Hearing his words, Gibbon started chuckling.

"You seem to be underestimating us boy." Before he could refute Gibbon's words, Angela turned towards Gibbon. "Free him,"

Gibbon didn't like the idea. "Milady are you sure, we still dont skills that this man possesses. He could be a threat to us all."

"Dont worry about it, I am strong. Whatever this man would throw at us, I can take care of it." The confidence in her voice, made Gibbon yield.

Gibbon then obediently kneeled down and released him of his bounds. Now finally free, he stood up. His wounds have not healed up, he was in no condition to fight. Still, he took out a spear from his inventory and stood his ground, warily looking around the darkness surrounding the camp…

One of the Kobolds entered the camp, making its way to one of the groups. Before it could pounce at them, the roots of the surrounding trees became alive and grabbed the beast before it could take another step. It is then that the group moved forward and killed the captured beast.

Just like that, whenever any Kobold would step into the clearing, they were captured, and the one the group would move forward and kill it.

All those groups worked like a well-polished machine, from their coordination he felt like that they have done his multiple times. He was really impressed by the prowess that the camp showed him.

He looked at Angela, who had her eyes closed, she had a staff in her hand, that was glowing brightly. He realized that she was the one controlling the roots of the trees. It is then something clicked in his mind, when Carlin kidnapped them, she also used a technique similar to this one. But how did Angela know that magic?

Soon it was all over, their group killed around 50 kobolds in that half an hour time period, they had no casualties of any sort nor anyone injured, everyone was energetic and fine. Witnessing this, he didn't know what to think anymore.

In his previous fights, he was injured every single time whenever he came across any monster, but these guys hunted these beasts as if it was easy as a walk in the park. And from what he knew, even Grump was not that strong to pull something like this.

Soon everything was over, it is then all the people gathered around Gibbon and started telling them how many times they have leveled up, and how many stat points they have earned. Seeing this he realized that everyone in the camp was an Earthian…

"Now what should we do with you?" Angela's voice made him come out of his stupor. He turned towards her, she was sweating and looked tired. His eyes started staring at the pendant dangling from her neck, he had an idea, he didn't know whether it would work or not, but he had to try.

He put his spear back in his inventory and started limping towards her. As he came close, he acted as if he stumbled, then he fell on her. He landed his face on her ample bosom, he grabbed her body for support, to steady himself, making her stagger back.

Her ears became red as she felt his face on her breast, she was enraged, and with a wisp of magic, she blew him away a few feet, where he landed on the corpses of Kobolds. Her attack was noticed by the entire, everyone gathered around, excited to see a show.

"HOW DARE YOU TOUCHED ME YOU MONGREL!" She yelled at him. While he struggled to get up again, from the corpses of the Kobolds.

When he did get up, he brought out the curvy great sword of the tribal chief. Everyone thought that the man wanted to fight, while she on the other hand noticed the black threads coming out of his mouth, they seemed familiar to her.

Realization hit her, she looked down, her pendant was gone. He put on the pendant when he fell, and when she casted her magic, the force of the magic break the thread from which the pendant was dangling, hence he stole her pendant.

Enraged, she started weaving a magic circle, wanting to kill him instantly, but she was too late. She looked up and her pendant on the ground, and the hilt of that great sword slammed onto it, breaking it forever.

"NNNNNOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!" she screamed.

Weird symbols started appearing on her hands and neck, and she started convulsing like she was having a stroke, Gibbon rushed to check on her, but it is then Jurgen appeared beside that little man and slammed a hatchet on his head, killing him.

While a woman came running towards him, picked him up on her shoulder, and started running, Jurgen also joined them soon…