Free Web NovelChapter 30: Deadly Battle On The Frontline
Brrrrr!
The forest burned fiercely beneath the night sky. Towering flames consumed the unfinished goblin camp, sending thick pillars of black smoke high above the treetops while sparks drifted endlessly through the air. Heat rolled across the battlefield in violent waves, mixing with the metallic scent of fresh blood.
Five battered kobold warriors stood shoulder to shoulder with crude iron weapons raised before them, forming the last line protecting those behind. Their bodies were covered in cuts and burns, their breathing ragged, yet none dared lower their guard.
Behind them knelt Tud’or.
The mighty War Chief looked nothing like the unstoppable warrior who had led the assault minutes earlier. Deep bloody gashes crisscrossed his arms, chest and back where the Wind Array had caught him in its killing zone. Several scales had been ripped away entirely, exposing torn flesh beneath. Had his Silver Core body not possessed such extraordinary durability, those razor winds would have severed entire limbs instead of merely carving through muscle.
Even now blood continued dripping steadily from his wounds onto the scorched earth.
He rested on one knee with one hand pressed against the ground, drawing slow heavy breaths while his burning eyes remained fixed upon the enemy.
Dozens of goblin warriors had spread into a broad semicircle around them.
Some carried long spears, while others held forged swords. Several gripped heavy axes while the rear ranks calmly nocked arrows onto their bows and around them lay the bodies of both sides.
Five goblins and kobolds.
The dead rested where they had fallen, their blood flowing together through the muddy battlefield without distinction. Yet despite holding the advantage in numbers, the goblins did not advance.
None of them underestimated the wounded kobold kneeling before them.
During that brief but violent exchange they had witnessed Tud’or tear through five warriors almost single handedly. The kobolds themselves had only lost two in direct combat.
The arrays had claimed the other three.
Several archers slowly raised their bows. Without even looking up, Tud’or slammed both palms against the earth.
Earth Magic: Fortress Wall.
The ground thundered.
An enormous slab of stone surged upward before the kobolds, several meters thick and nearly twice as tall as the tallest goblin.
Thud!
Arrows immediately crashed into its surface.
The goblins snarled furiously and prepared another volley. Before they could fire, another wall erupted directly behind the first and then another. Three massive layers of earth now stood between the kobolds and the incoming arrows.
Each wall was several meters thick. Even if the first collapsed, two more remained. Had it not been for Tud’or’s mastery over Earth Magic, everyone within that formation would already have died beneath the relentless hail of arrows.
Then movement emerged from the burning camp. Figures stepped through the flames. One after another, heavily built Hobgoblins appeared carrying thick iron maces across their shoulders. Towering above the ordinary goblins, they walked with complete confidence until a broad shouldered goblin stepped between them.
Rok.
Nearly five feet tall, he wore a thick animal pelt draped across one shoulder while crimson markings painted across his face gave him an almost ceremonial appearance. An iron mace rested upon his back, though he made no move to draw it.
Instead a broad grin spread across his face as he reached into the leather pouch hanging from his waist. His fingers emerged holding nothing more than a smooth grey pebble.
Upon its surface a single glowing rune had been carved.
Brrrr!
The rune suddenly ignited. Rok casually tossed the pebble toward the stone fortress.
Bang!
The impact echoed loudly and the wall trembled. Almost immediately the surrounding goblins followed his example.
Each reached into small leather pouches hanging from their belts. Some produced stones carved with different runes. Others withdrew thin wooden tablets bearing glowing inscriptions.
One after another they infused a trickle of mana into the runes before hurling them toward the fortress.
Tiny flames erupted, compressed blades of wind sliced forward and even needle sized earth spikes burst from exploding stones.
Jets of water hammered against the rock, yet none of the attacks possessed the overwhelming force of genuine elemental magic.
They were crude and incomplete. Almost childlike compared to what a true Magic Beast could unleash.
Yet there were dozens of them. Each tiny spell slammed relentlessly into the first wall until cracks gradually spread across its surface.
Rok simply folded his arms. His sharp eyes calmly observed the bombardment. Each wall stretched several meters thick. Even their rune stones would require time to carve through so much earth.
But time was exactly what favored them. It was exactly because of those thick walls that they will run out of oxygen eventually.
"There is no need to rush," Rok said calmly.
He slowly raised one hand before pointing toward the massive stone fortress.
"Surround the walls."
His grin widened.
"Watch every opening. Do not allow even one kobold to escape."
The goblins immediately obeyed.
Groups spread around the stone structure with disciplined precision, ensuring every possible exit remained under watch.
Then...
Bang!
A tremendous crash echoed from behind the fortress. Several goblins immediately rushed toward the sound.
They rounded the rear of the earth fortress before stopping in confusion.
Only the outermost wall had collapsed outward. Nothing else.
Several cautiously approached the broken section. Unknown to every one of them, beneath their feet...
The earth was moving.
Deep underground, solid rock flowed aside as though something enormous burrowed through it at frightening speed. The goblins noticed only when the ground directly beneath one of their comrades suddenly bulged upward.
Cracks spread across the soil as scorching orange light escaped through them.
Boom!
The ground exploded and Tud’or erupted from beneath the earth like an enraged volcano. Flames burst violently through the gaps between his scales. Before the nearest goblin even understood what had happened...
Swish!
His burning claws flashed and the goblin’s head spun into the air. Blood erupted from the severed neck as the body collapsed lifelessly.
The remaining goblins reacted instantly.
"Shoot!"
Swoosh!
Arrows filled the air before Tud’or’s feet even touched the ground.
His body twisted left, then right. One arrow grazed his ribs and another buried itself deep into his shoulder and blood splashed outward but he did not slow or even acknowledge the pain.
His hand struck the ground again and the earth sank beneath his feet. The ground erupted upward beneath him, launching his body high into the air like a catapult towards Rok’s group.
As long as the head is cut off, the body will crumble.
Meanwhile...
Every goblin who had rushed behind the fortress had instinctively turned toward Tud’or.
None noticed the fortress itself.
While the outer wall had collapsed one narrow section of the second wall had silently slid downward, creating an opening barely large enough for a kobold to crawl through.
Ordinarily someone would have noticed. But the burning camp cast long shifting shadows across that section. Tu’ka merely deepened those shadows.
Darkness Magic: Concealment.
The darkness thickened unnaturally until the opening vanished completely from sight.
One after another...
Five kobold warriors slipped through. Hidden entirely by the unnatural darkness, the goblins never saw them coming.
Crunch!
Their weapons drove cleanly through exposed backs and several goblins collapsed before they even managed to scream.
The surviving goblins spun around in fury before charging toward the kobolds whose weapons remained lodged inside the dying bodies.
Before they reached them...
Swoosh!
Ru’k slid between both groups. His feet dug into the earth as he thrust both palms forward.
"Wind Magic: Wind Burst!"
Compressed wind exploded outward like an invisible wall. The charging goblins were thrown violently off their feet, tumbling backward across the ground before crashing into one another.
The brief opening was enough.
The kobold warriors immediately abandoned their embedded weapons, snatched up fallen goblin spears and rushed the prone enemies. The sharpened spearheads plunged downward repeatedly and painful screams echoed across the battlefield.
Blood sprayed across the scorched earth.
Thud!
High above them Tu’ka landed silently atop the stone fortress. Darkness gathered around his outstretched hand before condensing into a long black spear.
His emotionless gaze ignored the chaos below. It remained fixed solely upon one figure.
Rok.
Every movement the goblins made unconsciously protected him. That alone told Tu’ka everything.
Darkness Magic: Pestilence.
The spear darkened further. He slowly drew his arm back. Then...
Swoosh!
An arrow streaked from the darkness.
Thud!
It buried itself deep into Tu’ka’s shoulder and the impact twisted his body sideways. The darkness spear left his hand prematurely and it missed Rok completely.
Instead, it pierced the neck of a nearby Hobgoblin. The warrior immediately dropped his mace, both hands flew toward his throat as grey discoloration rapidly spread from the wound.
He gasped desperately and his knees buckled. Foam escaped his lips and within seconds he collapsed motionless.
Rok stared at the corpse in disbelief before slowly raising his head.
His eyes met Tu’ka’s.
The young kobold knelt upon the fortress roof, blood flowing steadily from his wounded shoulder. His breathing remained calm and face remained cold.
Even after missing, his unwavering gaze never left Rok for even a single moment.
