by V. A. Lewis
***
Karna dashed away from the flurry of gunfire, dodging the bolts of energy flying by him, and sidestepping the onslaught of projectiles.
They were fighting in a small space. It was not some narrow corridor where two people could barely stand side by side. But it was not the open area needed to employ these long ranged weapons. Yet the soldiers fired on.
Because Karna was quick.
He was followed by two other Goblins. Only two. More stayed behind with him at first, but they were dead now.
The large man— the Lieutenant— with the axe was powerful. His weapon worked as some sort of mana tool. It created a barrier. Like a bubble. That could protect at least half a dozen of his allies. And…
Karna whirled around, and fired an arrow. The arrow shone as it sped through the air. Straight at the Lieutenant. The axeman slammed the hilt of his weapon on the ground, and a dome covered him. The arrow impacted the shield, exploding—
The smoke cleared up quickly. The barrier only had a small crack where it was struck. Karna grunted in annoyance.
And it was strong.
It withstood everything Karna had thrown at it. It even slowly healed the damage it had already taken. Not quickly, but enough that it frustrated the Goblin even more.
He continued running down the hallway, following his two teammates. He stayed at the back, because he was the leader. He was the strongest of their group. So he had to ensure that they stayed alive.
But the hallway was winding, going in a straight line. There was a large door at the end of it. Was it the exit? Probably not. The soldiers had already cut off their exit long ago.
And because of that, they had no choice. They made a break for the door. They swung it open, slamming it shut behind them. Bullets passed through the opening as it got smaller and smaller.
Karna looked around the room. It was big. More spacious than where they were before. With beds lined up on either side. It was… the sleeping quarters.
"Barricade the door," he barked out the order.
The Goblins immediately got to moving anything heavy they could to the door, blocking the entrance with different kinds of wooden furniture. It would not have made much of a difference. Karna knew that. Yet, they had to delay their attackers for as long as possible. Until the attackers became the attacked.
The others had escaped. He took solace in knowing that more than half of his men made it out alive, even after things went bad. Although in the first place, this was supposed to be a hit-and-run attack. They were never supposed to slow down. But they got trapped. And it was… his fault?
No. There was always the possibility that things went bad. It was a dangerous job. Which was why they got their fastest and most agile men for it. To disrupt the enemy from the inside, and impede them as best he could. Catch them while they were still unprepared.
But the Lieutenant rallied the soldiers. Despite being ill equipped, they quickly managed to counterattack. Before Karna could react.
The Goblin grit his teeth.
There was nothing to do about what happened. All that was left to do was deal with the current predicament. At least a dozen soldiers were trying to break in, along with the axeman. And they did not have enough arrows in their quiver to deal with all of them.
"Ready your spells," he said. "Find cover, and be prepared to shoot the moment they tear down that door."
The two Goblin did as they were told. They hid behind whatever cover they could find, and waited.
The door slammed again and again. The beds and wardrobes stacked in front of it were slowly being knocked off with each hit. Then finally, the barricade was smashed open.
Karna loosed three arrows at once. In an instant, two soldiers fell dead, and one barely managed to block it. Arrows flew beside his, striking other soldiers as they tried to react.
A yellow bubble covered the doorway. The arrows harmlessly bounced off of the energy shield. But that was the mistake.
Karna was out of arrows, and so were his two companions. The onslaught of projectiles stopped. The soldiers waited for a moment, before the barrier dissipated. And that gave the Goblins the opening they needed.
They threw down their bows, drawing their shortswords as they did, and ran for the exit. Past the immobile soldiers. Back out the hallway.
There was a shout from behind, as Karna felt his legs burning— pushing him beyond his limits. But ahead, there were three soldiers. Only three who were barring their path.
One for each of the Goblins. For them to dispatch quickly, so they could break free. That was not a problem. Or it should not have been.
Karna parried the stab from a spear. He drew his sword down the wooden shaft, into the guard of the spearman. Then he swung up, and in an instant, the man was dead. Beside him, one of the Goblins took care of the second soldier just as easily. But the other Goblin—
Was struck across the chest. Smashed in the face by shield. Then finished off with a sword to the back of the head. Then he turned and faced the other two Goblins, blocking their escape.
Karna roared, and charged the man. He braced himself, but the attack never came.
Bolts of energy flew in between the two, forcing the Goblin to step back. Half a dozen more soldiers flanked the two Goblins from behind. In total, there were two gunmen, five regular soldiers, and the Lieutenant.
This is it, Karna thought to himself. They were surrounded. Back to back, the Goblins stood. There was a moment where nothing happened, before the action resumed.
Karna rushed the two gunmen, dodging the blue bolts fired at him. A large axe bore down to block his way, but he slid under the swing. The gunmen tried to back up, but he was too quick. With a flourish of his blade, the first one fell.
He was about to strike down the second, when two soldiers attacked him from behind. He sidestepped their attacks. Blocking. Deflecting and dodging their swings. The two reeled back, timing their attacks—
But Karna pointed. A Magic Bolt shot out of his fingers, impacting one of them on the head. His head snapped back, but the helmet absorbed half the damage. He was still alive. But not for long.
With a quick step around the second soldier— the one that was still attacking him— Karna easily countered him, and finished him off.
The injured soldier backed up, as the remaining gunman tried to give him covering fire. He raised his gun, aiming it at the Goblin. But Karna threw his sword. The man fell, the blade sticking out of his chest.
Karna dashed forward. Grabbing the soldier with both hands, spreading them apart and holding them to the side, before he headbutted the injured soldier. The soldier recoiled in pain as Karna yanked the blade off the soldier’s hand and impaled him with it.
The Goblin glanced back at his remaining companion—
And saw an axe tear through the other Goblin. He fell dead on the floor, lying next to two dead soldiers.
Karna clenched the hilt of the sword tightly between his hands. He watched as the last two soldiers— the Lieutenant and a regular swordsman— focused their attention on him. A savage grin came across the axeman’s face.
"Well, well, well. Seems like you’re the only one left. Why don’t you just do us a favor and kill yourself. Although I’m not sure if the Goddess will accept your wretched soul."
"Why don’t you ask the Goddess about that yourself after I kill you," Karna spat back.
"Witty. I didn’t think Goblins could think for themselves. Always thought a Demon would have to tell you what to say. But I don’t see one around here." The man paused, before laughing. "Ah right, I forgot. That’s because they’re mostly dead. Just like you will be."
Karna snarled, and the axeman charged followed by the other soldier. The Goblin dove under the massive axe, and repelled the stab from a sword. He crouched down, slicing at the legs of the large man. But the Lieutenant jumped back.
He was fast. Faster than someone his size should have been moving.
The Lieutenant lurched forward with an overhead swing, a
nd Karna rolled out of the way. The swordsman slashed at him too, but the Goblin was too quick. He evaded the flurry of blows, dodging, blocking, and riposting—
When hard leather boots struck him from the side.
The small Goblin went flying backwards. He tried to pick himself up, but was immediately met with more strikes from the swordsman. The blade narrowly went by his head— he barely craned his neck by just enough to dodge the hit. Then he grabbed for the man’s legs, and pulled.
The swordsman went falling face-first to the floor. But Karna did not pay attention to that. He saw the war axe coming at him. He raised his sword to block it, bracing for the impact.
But when it came, he moved.
Not his feet or his body. He moved his sword. A subtle movement, almost like chambering. Except to redirect the swing.
The axe came striking the ground. The floor cracked open as the large man was knocked off balance. Karna saw an opening. He stabbed for the man’s throat—
But was pulled back. Yanked off his feet by the swordsman, still on the ground.
The swordsman grappled with the Goblin, as he tried to escape. And although Goblins were not weak, this man was strong and knew what he was doing. He held Karna down as the Lieutenant lifted his axe again. This time, to finish the job.
Karna felt his heart racing. But he could not do anything. He was powerless. Too… weak. Just like he feared he would be. He closed his eyes as the axe came swinging down, waiting for his death to come. But it never came.
The Goblin heard a yelp. A shout of surprise. And when he opened his eyes, he saw the large man on the ground. Covered in magical bindings.
"Don’t come any closer or—"
Karna heard the swordsman behind him speaking, but he was cut off. An arrow struck the man in the shoulder, forcing him to let go of the Goblin. Karna saw a flash of light, and stumbled away from the man.
The snare caught the swordsman too, wrapping around his waist, forcing his arms to his side, and keeping him on the floor, completely immobilized.
"Karna, you’re alive!" a young voice exclaimed.
The Goblin stared as the little girl ran towards him, followed by Ihsan and two others. He recognized the Goblins as some of the ones he sent to open the gates for the Commander. He blinked as Melas hugged him.
"How did you…?"
"We came in from the other side where there’s less fighting so we could sneak around and find you," Melas explained. She smiled, her silver eyes reflecting his shocked expression. "I’m so glad we found you."
Karna shifted his feet uncomfortably. "But… why?" he asked.
"Because I was worried about you. I heard what happened— you shouldn’t have stayed."
"I had to. If I did not, they would have surrounded us all. Ruined the Dark Acolyte’s plan…"he trailed off. "I had to stay. To protect my men. My people. But—"
The Goblin’s eyes wandered off. Towards the two small bodies lying amongst the dead. He spoke somberly.
"...they died anyways."
"No," Melas said in a slightly annoyed tone. Then her voice changed into something more solemn. More kind. "You saved them."
And even Karna had to smile a little at that. But the smile quickly faded. Because he saw movement in the background. A loud grunt.
The Lieutenant was pushing with all his might. His arms stretched outwards, as the snare tried to hold him down. But it was not the strongest spell. And the large man was strong.
He tore off the magical bindings. Raising his war axe as he did. "You little shit. I’ll crush you!" he screamed as he swung the massive weapon down.
Karna shoved Melas to the side, as the weapon came crashing down at the both of them. The Goblin reached for a sword as the girl raised an arm. But they were too slow. The man was already winding up for another swing—
Then he exploded.
He didn’t blow up into a thousand pieces. But something detonated on his back. A small explosion, enough to have blown off a body part if it struck a joint. The man collapsed, dead.
Ihsan lowered his bow and grinned. "Idiot forgot about us."
Karna got up to his feet, still slightly disoriented. But he had to say it. He pointed accusingly at the other Goblin. "When did you learn that spell?!"
Ihsan shrugged.
"Melas taught me it."
Melas paused. "...I did?"
***
Victor leisurely strolled through the battlefield. Past all the fighting, and all the death around him. Into the halls of Fort Conon.
He was not a Necromancer. He did not specialize in death magic. So he could only reanimate a handful of the corpses at most.
So he ignored it.
And he ignored the fighting too. They were winning. Of course they were winning. Victor himself had concocted this plan. Their victory was expected from the moment he arrived in the Free Lands. By now, most of the soldiers were surrendering or dead. Most of them.
"Ah, yes. And I believe this is where the Captain’s been. Not in the frontlines, of course. Not in a defensive battle. But that is standard tactics. Surprising of course, since the Captain is…"
He swung the door open, and was met by an explosion.
Fire bloomed all around him, but he walked through it unscathed. The magic circle dissipated along with the barrier he cast to protect himself as he shook his head.
"Unfortunate. If I were not a Pyromancer, maybe you would’ve caught me off guard. That’s an interesting tool. But it appears it has a recharge time, no?" the young man spoke smugly into the room.
The Captain— a young woman— lowered her gauntlet. The mana crystal on it discolored. She tossed it aside, and picked up her sword.
"You. Bastard, what do you want?" she snarled at him.
"It’s quite obvious at this point, is it not? Why do you even feel the need to ask." Victor sighed as he raised his staff. "This fort. Everything in it. It all belongs to the Dark Crusaders now. To me."
The Captain charged him as magic circles formed around him. Ice spikes shot out of the air, at the woman. She sidestepped around the hail of projectiles, blocking some as she did. She closed the distance to the Dark Acolyte, swinging for his neck.
But she saw a flash. The ground glowed just at her feet. She felt heat emanating from the floor. She backed up, as a wall of flames erupted when she stood.
"You’re quick. Even in all that armor, you have quite the impressive reaction time." Victor pointed, and the fire swept forward. "But try dodging this."
The inferno came at the Captain like a wave. She raised her blade, and it shone red. She swung upwards, cutting the flames in two.
"Oh, you’ve got more tricks up your sleeve," Victor said mockingly.
"Shut up and die!" she yelled as she leapt forward. She stabbed at him, aiming for his heart. There was no way he could cast another spell in time—
And he blocked the strike with his staff. The glowing weapon lodged itself on the wooden pole. But it did not cut through it. It simply stopped, right where it touched it.
"What—"
Victor slapped her across the face. She reeled back, and was struck on the chest by a blast of embers.
"Wisened Wood. Made from the trunks of the ancient Elysian Trees. Difficult to cut down, and even more difficult to make something with. But it works well as a medium for spellcraft, so the effort does not go unrewarded. That also allows me to reinforce it with some enchantments, making it incredibly durable. Not something your weak sword can cut through," he remarked with a smirk.
He sauntered over to the Captain. She was lying on the ground, injured and burned by the fire blast. She looked up as he loomed over her.
"Ah, don’t worry. I told you: we’ll just be borrowing this location for a fair bit. I promise you, we’ll return it later." He chuckled to himself, then he raised his foot and stomped on her head.
By the time Gerritt found Victor, he was seated on the desk of the office, looking through the paperwork. The Captain was unconscious, s
lumped over on the floor.
"Victor, the fighting is over," the Dark Commander stated.
"Yes, I noticed. Very good. How many prisoners have we taken in?" the young man asked, not even looking up.
"A hundred have thrown down their weapons and surrendered. But there might be more who are still alive. We’re looking through the bodies right now for any who are injured and not yet dead."
"I see. And no one escaped?" Victor raised an eyebrow.
"Yes. We ensured that no one made their way out of either gates."
"Good, good," he said, putting down a document. "I’m sure we want to celebrate, but do remember that we have to be prepared for the next few days. We’ll be very busy."
He picked up the young woman off the ground, as Gerritt reassured him. "Yes, I’ve told everyone to remain vigilant. Tally up the inventory, and contact the Infernalis."
"How prompt." Victor nodded slightly. "The prisoners are in the dungeons, yes? Split up just as I instructed?"
"Yes," Gerritt said. Then he added in quickly. "By the way, we suffered nearly three dozen casualties from this battle. A third of them from Karna’s group."
"Ah, unfortunate. And he lived?"
"He performed admirably, and survived the battle."
"Commendable," Victor remarked without any inflection in his voice. "Let the Infernalis know that I shall contact them tomorrow. Tell them there’s several hundred gold coins stored in this fort. Quite a large sum. But not as much as I expected— apparently they sent some back just recently. Anyway, I’ve been working hard, and I deserve a much needed… break."
The Dark Commander eyed the young man as he walked past him. He knew what he was saying. But still, Gerritt frowned.
"Hrmph."
***
I lay on a bed, just gazing at the ceiling.
It was a hard bed— not the comfiest— but it was a bed. Not a sleeping bag. Not the hard wooden ground. But a proper bed. This is nice, I thought to myself, then I sat up abruptly. But I’m hungry.
I looked to my left for a second, before my eyes darted away from what I saw. Still not done cleaning up, huh? I felt my stomach rumble, but I wasn’t so hungry anymore.
