KoFi: Greed of a Kobold
By: darkwolfswordsman65 / Kane Fenris
Description: A fighter who wanted to prove he could get in and out of a Kobold lair finds his greed for treasure overwhelming him. 

“I will show them...dumb barbarian thinks I can’t handle fighting on my own...cleric always thinks I will get hurt...and that rogue always thinks they are better at sneaking around….” The human fighter grumbled to himself as he leaned against a cavern wall. “Bard at least doesn’t make fun of me...but they drunk most of the time. I will get that treasure myself and keep it all to myself too!” he added as his eyes darted back and forth. He could see several small figures moving down the tunnel. The beings covered in various different colored scales while wearing random bits of armor on their reptilian bodies. 

“Come on Reed...their treasure horde has to be somewhere in the deeper bowels of the cave system..” He mumbled to himself taking a deep breath before he started to dash down the nearby tunnel quickly passing the kobold patrols. He smirked thinking how easy this should be since his party was tasked with securing a treasure that was rumored in the depths of the nearby mountain to a small village.  He wanted to prove himself worthy to get his hands on treasure for himself but also secure some fame as being the one to get the treasure alone without his allies. 

He found himself stopping and hiding behind a stack of broken crates as some kobolds rounded a corner just outside a large central chamber. Reed could feel sweat drip down his forehead as he took the chance to catch his breath. He peered over the crates watching the blue and red scaled kobolds say something to each other before scampering off down a nearby tunnel. This gave him a chance to get into the other room. He quickly stepped forward and dashed across the hallway before he slid into the room.

“Whoa...” Reed stammered as his eyes widened at the sight before him. The room was a large circular room with a large dragon-like creature carved out of stone in the middle. Surrounding it and all over the floor was various coins and gems that glittered in the torchlight. However, he could not marvel at the treasure as a bolt of fire whizzed by his head and hit the cave wall. 

“TRESPASSER!” A rather large and rotund Kobold hissed at him before starting to conjure another spell. Judging from the creature's armor which included a skull for a helmet and the large staff made of various bones Reed guessed this kobold was a warlock. 

“Well guess I need to get my treasure and out of here quickly!” He remarked to himself before he started to rush into the room to try and find his target. He noticed while dodging another bolt of black energy a large sack of what he expected to be coins. He performed a rolling maneuver to avoid a crackling blast of black lightning that seemed to go to high over his head before he snatched the bag up. Taking his treasure he turned and ran for the door he came from. He slipped through the door not even noticing the kobold warlock’s smirk. 

“Gotta get outta here! Only a matter of time before they raise the alarm!” he panted out rushing around a corner keeping his eyes open. He quickly followed his way that he came in only to find he must have made a wrong turn somewhere. He tried to go back another way but stopped seeing a group of kobolds rounding the bend in the tunnel. Feeling utterly lost he made a mad dash for a what looked like a trench foothold they have dug into the ground. Finding it empty he jumped into it to try and get his breath back. 

“Great...now I’m lost...but at least I got some treasure.” The man panted a bit while holding onto the large sack of what he thought was coins. Once he felt he was calmed down a bit he found himself opening the bag only to find a bunch of a silver and gold coins inside with a strange dragon-like head carved into them. He was slightly disappointed that they were not real coins but he found himself marveling at how shiny they were. 

“Well I can’t use these to buy anything in town because they seem to be kobold minted...but...maybe someone would buy em...or I could just keep em...they are really shiny...” He smiled to himself taking a few coins out to admire in the dim light of the caves. He couldn’t even see the purple wisp of magical energy coming from the bag of coins or how they were starting to wrap around his head and body. 

The human found himself completely entranced by the gold and silver coins that he did not even notice his hair was starting to fall out. He took to taking the coins out of the bag and started to count them by stacking them in piles. 

“Mhmm...lets see 20 silver coins so far...” He mumbled with a smile while he would idly itch his arms or chest. He did not even notice that his human skin was starting to crack and peel away revealing brown scales underneath. He was too enthralled with his counting to even notice how his fingers had started to grow leathery and covered in scales or the fact his nails had fallen out while sharper claws had grown in. 

“Hehe yes! 50 gold pieces so far! And it’s all mine! Not sharing with those idiots back at camp!” Reed called out from his hiding spot. He could not see the large dark shadow moving towards him with his mind so consumed with counting the coins and putting them into nice stacks. 

The man didn’t even really register the ache in his face as he started to let out a hiss of discomfort. His jaws cracking and pushing outwards pulling his nose outwards into a short reptilian muzzle. The human skin falling away revealing the same brown scales underneath. He opened his mouth to lick his lips while counting more coins not even registering, or perhaps not caring, about the sharp teeth that had grown into his new muzzle. His hair now completely fallen out turning to dust while his scalp scaled over. 

“Yes yes yes! 200 gold now! This is such an easy job! I will have to go back for more!” Reed exclaimed excitedly with his eyes starting to slit while he leaned forward on his knees to finish counting his treasure. He started to feel a pressure building at the base of his spine which made him itch the area with is clawed fingers making the fabric rip to allow his thick growing tail to push outwards. It stretched against the paints while growing longer and thicker to give a proper balance to the now shrinking man. He growled and kicked his feet feeling his feet growing in his boots before claws ripped out of them. More purplish wisps of magic started to surround the fighter as he continued to count his treasure making his armor starting to warp and bend over his shrinking form. Strange draconian symbols and heads formed on his armor which started to take on a more crude appearance like he had scavenged it from random people. 

“Mmm...yes yes...this is a nice little horde I got!” Reed snickered to himself before he felt a powerful hand grab the back of his armor and lift him up and out of the trench. His arms flailing to grab his treasure while knocking the stacks of coins down. 

“Well well well..look who has a greedy kobold heart!” The voice of the warlock filled Reed’s ear holes.

“PUT ME DOWN! YOU MADE ME SPILL MY TREASURE ITS MINE!” Reed hissed angrily while he started to kick to be put down from the larger kobold. 

“Oh you mean the treasure you greedily stole from me!” The warlock kobold hissed back holding up his hand as purple energy started to pool and collect in his hand. “You know I could have just cursed you to be a simple rat! That would have been a delicious snack!” The warlock yelled into Reed’s face with its eyes glowing purple. 

“No no no! Please! I just want more treasure!” Reed begged feeling his tail tucked between his legs. His mind now completely warped and corrupted by the warlock’s magic. 

“You see...greed..it is that greed that led you to me and the reason you could not find your way out from my lair! Your greed hid the exit from you..you passed it quite a few times actually.” The warlock chuckled evilly before dropping the brown kobold onto the ground. “So you wish for more treasure for your horde?” 

“Yes, please! Anything!” Reed begged looking up at the warlock with a sparkle in his eyes like a begging dog. 

“Very well...I shall give you more treasure….and you will be able to earn it but you must do something.” The warlock smirked conjuring a handful of jingling coins and gems. 

“Yes, sir! Anything!” Reed begged.

“Your former allies and friends are coming to find you. You will betray them and raise your weapon against them. Do that and you can have more treasure.” The warlock grinned watching Reed start to stand up on his scaly feet. 

“Friends? I have no friends. The only thing I care about is my horde of treasure!” Reed grinned evilly pulling out his blades.

“Excellent little kobold fighter. Go ready yourself with your brethren. Your former allies have already tripped one of my sensing magics just as you did earlier.” The warlock smiled watching Reed quickly pick up his coins to stuff into his bag before he saluted the warlock. 

“Yes, sir...I will and will earn my treasure!” he hissed before rushing off down the hall. 

The warlock smirked and mused at how easy it was to attract the so-called ‘heroes’ to come and claim his treasure. The weak ones would succumb to his magics and become his new minions while the strong ones would kill the weak and take a portion of his treasure or he would broker an arrangement for them to leave. Or he would delve into more potent magics and fiddle with their memories. He found himself heading back to his treasure room to await the heroes return and see if they would slay their friend or try to fix him. No matter what the warlock would live through this trial.