The night became the longest in modern Vaal'kor history because almost no one slept. The screams from the previous afternoon still seemed to linger within the tunnels, trapped between the stone walls and refusing to disappear.
More than twenty kobolds had been killed in a single afternoon, including warriors, hunters and members of families who had lived together for generations. Worse still, Tud'or, their greatest warrior and one of the pillars upon which their clan had depended, was gone.
For many, his death was the moment everything truly became real. The goblins were no longer a distant threat. They had come into their home, slaughtered their people and taken away someone most had believed would still be standing when everyone else was gone.
