Of the forms Avernus speaks of, transmutation sounded the most reliable, while still giving a notable result. You imagine the possibilities. If you were gargantuan, you could mine caverns and veins in a matter of days, where others would take months. If you could change the shade of your scales, it would be impossible for predators to see you. And if it worked on your foes, you could steal their limbs and seal their jaws. It would be unprecedented safety and strength for both yourself and your tribe. There is no other choice. "Transmutation."
The human claps his hands, standing up from kneeling. "A fine choice! Did you know it was originally one of the other forms of banned magicks until modern times?" There's a short pause, but he's not looking at you, so it's hard to tell if he expects an answer. He continues. "A mere 70 years ago, civilization learned of a new application for Divination of the past: it could be used to gain memory of what was! We simply reshape the body from before a transmutative spell afflicted the subject, and they're usually as good as new! Obviously, this can't halt some more extreme cases and it can cause some aging issues, but it was a massive leap forward in the application of transmutation."
He continues talking, but you stop listening as it's all a bunch of jumbled histories of which you can't make sense. You continue walking down the hallway, keep close to him even though this path has had no side-tunnels. You may be stressed about your charge, but this tunnel is immediately stressful just from what you know about mining. It's extremely unsafe to have a tunnel like this, for a singular cave-in would spell both this mage's and your death. Without multiple adjoining holes, it would take far too long for the tribe to clear it out, meaning you'd certainly die from hunger or thirst before you were reached, assuming you survived the falling rocks.
You look ahead, and see something very strange. There is more torchlight ahead, but it is blindingly potent. You can't see what's ahead though its white-intensity flame. Avernus speeds up. "Excellent! It was getting cramped in there." You grab his leg to slow his insane pace toward this gaping wound in the cave, and he flinches with a yelp before stopping. "Drask! Please do not do that, as you've got some rather sharp claws!" He begins to turn back as you relinquish your grip, but halts himself. "Wait, you're afraid of the outside, aren't you?"
Still focusing on the blinding torchlight, you respond. "We're already outside. That's not natural!"
The human sighs. "I think we're using the wrong term. This is to leave your tribe's mountain to get to the university." He points toward the light. "Those that live on the surface call that 'outside.' Don't worry about the light, your eyes should adjust to it given a little time. Again, I'll deal with anything that is unsafe for you, and I won't lead you into anything that is immediately threatening as long as you remain nearby."
You still fear that intense beam, but he has to be right. There was no other path, so Avernus must live past that. You nod, waiting for him to go first before following.
Avernus passes through without a noise, and you half at its edge. You can barely make out the tunnel's nearest walls. You place a claw through, feeling a slight sense of warmth, but no pain. You close your eyes and push through the barrier. The light is so strong it pierces your outer eyelids, and it gives you a strange feeling that creeps its way to the back of your skull. You bump into what you hope is Avernus. While you've never heard it before, you are certain the mage is laughing. "For the first kobold of your tribe to leave your mountain, you certainly have a way of making it humorous. Open your eyes, Drask! It'll help with acclimation far more and keep you from stumbling about."
You comply, peeking. The light is still far too intense, but after several minutes you can clearly see a large number of things that make no sense. What lies ahead of you is a massive cavern filled with all sorts of absurdly colorful things. The torch is still too intense to see, but it hangs at the ceiling. It's hard to tell if anything is living or dead, between the colors and their strange movements. The human has their back toward them, so they must not be too much of a threat. Just in case, you decide to ask. "What are those things?"
He looks in the direction you point for a few seconds. "I don't see anything but the trees and bushes." He turns back to you to gauge your response. His face twists as if horrified. "You've not even seen plant life?!"
Indignant of his statement, you decide to correct him. "I have too! They just don't grow that big or have any of those colors."
"Then what plants have you seen?"
You have no idea what they're named, as the tribe always just called them plants. However, you knew their description well. "They grow in clusters and we farm them. They're always pale to brown and we eat them with every meal."
Avernus uses a hand to cover part of his face. "This is worse than-" He snaps his hand back. "Those aren't plants, they're fungus. Many common-folk make that mistake, but it's egregious that your tribe is so misinformed. Now I'm worrying about possible unlearning that may be needed. I still think you're safe, Drask, but suffice it to say that I'm disappointed in traditional kobold education so far." He looks back out, releasing a huffing sigh. "The travel will take a few days, but it'll be safe once we reach the village of Andurkhast. We should reach there by nightfall, and the roads afterward are patrolled."
He walks toward the trees and bushes, and so you follow.