The kobold miner kept swinging the pickaxe at the cave wall, heedless of the corpse of the giant centipede that tried to eat them just a moment ago, nor the very dangerous escaped human still standing behind them.


    “So when you say you’re digging this tunnel so we can escape, does ‘we’ mean you and I, or all of the kobolds?” asked Artyom.


    “The latter, but if you haven’t been eaten by then, you’re more than welcome to join us,” replied the kobold miner without looking behind him.


    A silence fell over the two, broken up by the regular percussion of metal against rock. Artyom stared at the miner expectantly, but the creature was too focused on their task to be bothered by his eyes burning a hole in their back.


    “Seriously, you can’t expect to just throw around all of these lines without having the courtesy to tell me what’s going on,” said Artyom, growing impatient.


    “If it’ll get you to let me work in peace, then I guess I have no choice.”


    The kobold turned around and wiped some sweat from their brow before plopping down onto the cave floor.


    Artyom leaned back on a wall out of sight from the tunnel entrance before giving his attention.


    “We used to be our own people once. Until a few years ago when the boss suddenly showed up and took over. He’s treated us terribly and forces us to mine out this cave and guard that dumb chunk of metal for some reason.”


    “You mean this?” asked Artyom, holding up the armor piece he’d gotten.


    “How did you- what did you do to my people guarding it?” the kobold asked, his voice suddenly frantic.


    “I told them I was going to show it to the boss so he’ll see how hard they’re working.”


    “That’s wonderful! I’m sure they could use the compliment-” the kobold started before putting a hand to their face and sighing. “I see you’ve discovered our weakness.”


    “Both of them, actually. You’re also all scared of being, well, scared.”


    The miner nodded. “And that’s why we still work for that monster, we’re too scared to do anything about it. And it’s not as if he looks all that scary with how fat he is, but something about his sheer presence fills us with terror.”


    “Terror…” thought Artyom. Suddenly, his eyes lit up and he snapped his finger. “I got it!”


    “Got what?”


    “When I first saw him, I was oddly scared of him too, even though I’ve fought bigger monsters before. I didn’t realize it back then, but I get it now; it’s aura! His fear effect is from aura.”


    “What’s that?”


    “It’s a kind of magic based on human emotion and will.”


    “Magic? That explains much,” said the kobold as he shook his head. “But we don’t have any defense against such a thing.”


    Artyom looked at the creature with a hint of pity but didn’t let it show in his voice as he spoke. “Yeah, that’s no fun. But you don’t have to deal with magic if he doesn’t even know you’re there. Haven’t you tried escaping by just sneaking around him or distracting him? Or even just running as fast as you can?”


    “We tried, but it’s as if the boss has some sort of extra sense that lets him spot anyone who passes through his room. It’s the first open space after the entrance tunnel, so everyone has to pass through it to leave the dungeon, and he never leaves it either. Not to mention he can block the exit in an instant!”


    “Which is why you’re digging this tunnel,” said Artyom with another realization.


    “Right, so I can bypass the boss’ room and go right to the exit.”


    “But that isn’t without its own dangers, I take it?” asked Artyom, looking over at the corpse of the giant centipede.The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    “They tend to dig into these caves, but they don’t get too far. The closer I get to the outside, the more I’ll encounter, but that’s to be expected when you’re nearing success!”


    Artyom looked deeply into the kobold’s face.


    They shone him a bright reptilian smile but the man from Earth could see the pain behind those tired eyes, hidden by the forced grin.


    Artyom grumbled to himself before replying. “Well I might have a little bit of good news for you.”


    “And what’s that? You’ll help me dig my tunnel? I feel like the boss will get hungry and send someone to search for you before that, and if you’re digging the tunnel, then he’ll figure out what I’m up to.”


    “Thankfully no, I don’t have that long to wait. I need to get out of here today, so it looks like I’ll be picking a fight with him.”


    The kobold burst into a fit of laughter. “Ha! After a couple of us just knocked you out with a single hit? We’re much weaker than him so if we could do that, you don’t stand a chance!”


    Artyom’s face scrunched and began to turn red, but he managed to mumble a response. “I was cursed then, but it’s gone now. My head actually works properly and I think I can put up a proper fight.”


    “Really, what happened? Did they knock the curse out of you with that whack?” the kobold asked, not even bothering to stifle the giggle that came alongside it.


    “I got a weird Skill, [Emissary of Dharma].”


    “Oh, I have that one too!”


    “Really?!” Artyom asked as he shot up from his spot along the wall. “What does it do, how did you get it?”


    “I don’t really know, I just woke up with it one day after a bunch of us got a really bad beating from the boss. Apparently all of my other Skills stopped working so I was mostly thrown to the side. On the bright side, that gave me plenty of time to work on this tunnel!”


    Artyom looked back the way he came and measured out about a dozen feet before he reached the end.


    “I didn’t get it that long ago,” the kobold said with a shrug.


    The man from Earth just nodded, trying not to show his disappointment at the lack of a good answer. That was three people he knew who had the Skill, himself included, and he wasn’t any closer to figuring out why he got it or what it actually does, beyond breaking the curse he was under. But that could have just been a side effect of leveling up. The point was, he was as in the dark about the Skill as he was in the cave.


    “I just hope the others can hold on for a little while longer for me to finish this tunnel. No offense, but I don’t expect you to win.”


    “I can’t say I don’t blame you after my last showing, but the other kobolds seem to be doing just fine from what I’ve seen of them.”


    “Of course they would, they’re strong like that! Shrug off every hardship that comes their way with a big smile and innocent attitude; that’s how we’ve survived for so long! It’s just… we have our limits, and I fear we may be reaching them soon.”


    Artyom couldn’t help but feel a pang of sympathy for these strange, yet innocent creatures. Enslaved and forced to toil away, no sapient creature deserved that. History would show people like that rising up some way or another, but in this case, aura magic had the kobolds dead to rights.


    “Hold on, aura…” whispered Artyom before speaking directly to the miner. “If things are getting desperate, would you say the others are ready to fight back against the boss if that fear effect no longer worked on them?”


    “Hmm, I can’t say for sure, but that sounds like an impossible dream, ha-”


    The kobold immediately froze and soon began to shiver in place. Their eyes went wide and they began to frantically look around and down the tunnel, before the episode just as quickly ended.


    “That was me, by the way,” said Artyom. “Not your boss.”


    “How did you-”


    “Aura. I can use it too, and I can also cancel another one out.”


    “That… that’s reassuring,” the kobold said, still looking distressed. “But the boss’ fear is one and a half times stronger than that. Will you really be able to counter him?”


    “Stronger?” Now it was Artyom’s heart skipping a beat. He was considered an expert on aura, maybe even approaching the abilities of a master if he had enough Skills to back him up. But to be outdone by the boss of a “simple” dungeon?


    “Xerica you-” Artyom stopped mid sentence and shook off his frustration. “Don’t worry, I should still be able to fight the effect off.”


    “How can you do that when he’s stronger than you?”


    “Because the willingness of the target makes a big difference on how strong an aura is. If the kobolds don’t want to be so scared, my counter aura will be able to overpower his, even if it were double the strength!”


    The kobold took in his words and considered them for a long moment. They ran a hand across the wooden shaft of their pickaxe, feeling the cracks and splinters on the worn material. Eventually, they let out a sigh. “If I keep mining this tunnel, I’m more likely to run into another centipede or my tool will break. And I won’t be able to get a replacement for it or my life. There’s no other choice.”


    Artyom looked at the miner hopefully, who gave him the same look back.


    “I’ll take your offer. I’ll gather up the others, and I don’t think it’ll take too much convincing if it’s from me, but together we can get rid of the boss once and for all.”


    The man from Earth nodded with a resolute smile. Yet behind the confident facade was a singular worry. The kobold said their enemy was better than him at wielding aura, something he’d spent over a decade honing. How else would he be stronger?