Time of Change (Emerilia Book 7)

by Michael Chatfield

  Steve braced himself and his arm changed to his bolt thrower. He let loose, but the goblin ducked down lower on the wolf.

  The wolf’s hide was broken and scratched in places, with only a few of the bolts making it through and sticking into the timber wolf.

  “Freaking running tree!” Steve yelled out.

  “Brace yourselves, dammit!” Gurren yelled. They wouldn’t make it out in front of the officers before the wolf reached them.

  The officers braced themselves as the timber wolf rushed in.

  It hit like a battering ram, throwing two of the officers as the goblin’s spear darted outward.

  Induca created an explosion, throwing an officer back so that they were hit in the shoulder instead of having the spearhead open their neck.

  The goblin and timber wolf were pushed to the side, crying out at the heat and force of the explosion.

  Lox and Gurren charged forward. Gurren’s shield stopped the goblin’s spear cold before it tried to impale another officer.

  Then the goblin was past them; it used its feet to get the wolf to turn and face them again.

  The wolf had a faint green hue around it as it channeled its Earth Affinity. Its muscles bulged and its hide became harder as it turned and leaped forward at the party. With a squeal from the goblin, the timber wolf surged forward.

  Lox and Gurren turned, bracing themselves next to each other. Their shields clanged together and then slammed into the ground. They had lived with their swords and shields for the majority of their lives, standing next to each other for nearly a decade. Their minds operated as one.

  “It’s going to buck up over us. Steve, be ready!” Lox called out.

  The wolf seemed to hear them and added on more speed.

  The goblin chittered angrily, riding its wolf with one hand, the other holding its spear ready.

  The wolf slammed into their shields. Lox and Gurren easily kept it at bay. Their blades flashed forward as one, cutting the timber wolf’s rear legs as it went up their slightly angled shields and over the top.

  Steve let out a roar; his axe flashed as it came across on the timber wolf.

  The goblin had the presence of mind to hold off trying to penetrate the Dwarves’ shields and instead his spear darted out to hit Steve in the head.

  The wolf’s hit points hit zero as it crashed down to the ground.

  The goblin’s leg was trapped under the timber wolf. It made to escape as a bolt of flame cut through its head, leaving a cauterized hole through its forehead. It slumped over, dead.

  “Check for injuries. Steve, watch that hallway. Induca, support!” Lox moved to the officers, who were getting off the ground.

  ***

  Krenua quickly moved to check on his people.

  He had been tossed aside by the strength and speed of the timber wolf. Unlike the Dwarven shields, theirs did not stick into the ground to aid them. They were much simpler, made to move fast and be agile more than a defensive wall.

  He felt a little dizzy, but he could go on. He stumbled, gathering up his gear before he checked on Edlai, who had also been thrown.

  Josen stopped him and looked in Krenua’s eyes. “Concussion,” Josen diagnosed.

  “Give him a good swig of the medium Health potion; be right as rain.” Lox moved to Edlai. “Okay, I’m going to have to set this, then I can get you a potion and you’ll be right as rain.”

  “Su-ure, wait!” Edlai yelled as there was a sickening noise of bone being put back into place. Edlai cried out as Lox held the arm steady and poured Health potion on it.

  The arm started to heal rapidly, and Edlai’s yells lessened as the pain fell away.

  “Be good to go in a few minutes,” Lox said in a reassuring voice.

  Josen gave Krenua a Health potion. Krenua took back a good swig of it. He felt fine, but he was a bit fuzzy, though he wasn’t about to go against Lox’s instructions. He handed the potion back to Josen, who capped it and put it back in his pouch of holding. Krenua felt as if a pressure on his brain was lifted as things became clearer.

  Just then, there was a growling noise from down the tunnels. Howls followed it. It seemed that their fight had drawn some attention.

  “Induca, officers, support! Come on, you two, let’s greet our guests!” Lox said, a fire in his eyes and an excited smile on his face.

  Krenua understood that smile. Lox was excited to test out his skills against an opponent that might actually be able to challenge him.

  The tunnel heated up. Josen finished inspecting the other officers as they pulled themselves together.

  The tunnels were filled with the sound of scratching and howls that were getting closer. Finally, the goblins and their timber wolf mounts were visible in the tunnels. There were seven timber wolves and their goblin riders.

  “Ranged!” Lox called out. The officers used their ranged attacks, causing some of the wolves to tumble. Those behind them were nimble enough to get past them, slowing them by just the smallest of margins.

  Steve’s arm changed into a bolt thrower. It fired rapidly; the sound of the drawstring and the mechanical components rang through the tunnel.

  Lox and Gurren fired their crossbows. Their bolts hammered home, breaking through the timber wolves’ hard hides and taking the goblins in the face and chest, throwing them from their mounts if they were hit.

  “Advance!” Lox called out.

  Induca let loose with her magic. A spark of fire ran to meet the incoming goblins and timber wolves. It touched the leading timber wolf, exploding outward and down the tunnel.

  Krenua reeled from the sound of the explosion.

  “Double time!” Lox called out. The sound of Steve’s bolt thrower decreased.

  Krenua looked up to see that the seven goblins and their mounts were critically injured or dying. The aftereffects of Induca’s spell quickly tore away any remaining hit points they had.

  Krenua knew his ears were messed up from the high-pitched whistle he heard. He followed the rest of the party as they rushed forward.

  A party of four goblin riders was taken out in mere minutes, bolts taking them down in quick succession.

  Lox and Gurren’s Strength allowed them to easily pull back their powerful drawstring. Krenua doubted Alkao was at the same level as them in terms of pure Strength.

  As the whistling in Krenua’s ears started to normalize, he heard howls not only in front of them but also behind them.

  “We can’t slow down or else they’ll be able to bring more of their riders to attack us,” Gurren yelled over the noise.

  They came to an open area with two tunnels. They took the one to the left and kept going.

  The tunnel started to grow in size, with Lox, Gurren, and Steve being able to run beside one another. They came out into a room filled with whips, riding gear, and different prods.

  The goblins looked at the party as they entered.

  To Krenua’s eye, it was clear that these were goblin beast tamers.

  Where the goblins paused, looking at the party in shock, Party Zero didn’t hesitate. Lox and Gurren let out their war cries and their auras burst forth.

  This is the power of a Level 200 aura?

  Krenua and the officers staggered under the power of the two Dwarves’ aura.

  The goblins, being between 100 and 200, were dropped to the ground in a cold sweat. Only the highest were able to move, their movements slow and uncoordinated.

  Induca watched, providing support here and there. She wasn’t needed much as Lox, Gurren, and Steve tore through the goblins.

  Lox hit so hard with his shield that the goblins’ internal organs ruptured, making them cough blood as they fell to the ground. Lox’s sword darted out, taking a head. He ducked and pivoted, his shield’s grounding spikes eviscerating another.

  His sword flashed out like a mechanical press, piercing through armor and bone to penetrate another goblin’s heart. He kicked out; his monstrous strength broke the goblin’s knee as he turned. His sword fla
shed out to slap an arrow out of the air that was aimed at Gurren’s back.

  Steve might be a giant of metal, but he had earned his spot among the Stone Raiders and Party Zero. Even with just his massive axe, he was able to defend, attack, and move forward. He didn’t feel pain from the hits on his body. The goblins could only leave scratches as his hits turned them into a pulped green mass or tore them apart. He moved forward, his axe taking someone from their armpit up to their opposite trap. He used the flat of his blade, stopping an attack and hurling the goblin across the room. It was as if he were a child smacking a flower with a stick.

  Gurren flowed in, stopping an attack on Steve’s leg; his blade came down, plunging through the goblin’s neck and into its chest. His blade came free in a spray of green blood; his shield slammed against a crude dagger, breaking the attacker’s arm and stopping their attack dead. Gurren’s sword flashed forward, punching into and out of the goblin so fast it didn’t know it was dead before Gurren was taking down his next victim.

  “You need an invite?” Lox barked out.

  Krenua gripped his sword and shield, letting out a yell. The officers ran forward, joining into the fray.

  It was brutal and dirty fighting. The goblins used anything and everything to fight the party. Krenua and the Demon officers were used to the brutality. A part of their baser instincts took over. Krenua allowed himself to move toward his berserker stage, his body becoming light and powerful as he used his shield, feet, claws, sword, and even forehead to break the goblins’ defense and kill them.

  Time seemed to have no effect on them as they fought, looking out for the others and slaughtering the goblins.

  Krenua lowered his sword some time later, wiping the green blood that fell from his forehead.

  “Looks like there’s some fire in your bellies!” Lox said. The pressure of Party Zero’s powerful auras fell away.

  The howls through the tunnels seemed closer and there were a lot of them.

  Gurren made to greet them.

  Induca put a hand on his shoulder, stopping him. “Why fight them when we can get their untrained beasts to do it?” She pointed to a crude door made from strong timber with a heavy piece locking it.

  “I like the way you think,” Gurren said, his smile that of a hunter’s.

  They moved to the door and opened it. Inside there, a number of beasts were all locked up. They ranged in levels and in breeds.

  “They have two ogres and a damn troll?” Lox said in an annoyed tone.

  “Good thing we got in here to deal with this mess,” Gurren said.

  Lox grunted, looking unhappy with it all.

  “It’s like the world’s weirdest and creepiest zoo,” Steve said.

  “I’ll put simple spells on the locks that will break them open in a few minutes. We’ve got to be gone by that time.” Induca touched the metal or wood locking mechanisms in the large holding area.

  “Well, there’s a door over there.” Edlai pointed at a large gate off to the side.

  “Good eyes!” Lox jogged over and checked the door. He waved for the others to follow. Induca finished touching the different locks; there was now a brand that seemed to have been burnt into the materials.

  “Huh, well, looks like these goblins like their sports,” Lox said.

  The howls and noises of the goblins could be heard in the room where the beast tamers had been.

  “Time to go!” Steve barged open the big door, revealing a grate made of bones.

  “Edlai, do what you can to seal that door,” Lox said as they rushed through the gate.

  Steve moved like the juggernaut he was, picking up speed before he hit the bone gate.

  Magical runes flared and then gave way as Steve broke through. The gate that had kept countless creatures at bay was nothing to Steve’s strength.

  Edlai’s magic went to work, making the wood door fuse together into a single wooden plank. It wouldn’t be enough to hold the goblins at bay for long but it would slow them down.

  A timber wolf and rider moved into the creature pens. The goblin let out a screech; other timber wolves and their riders appeared.

  The locked-up creatures let out their battle cries and slammed their bodies against their cages, eager to join in on the fight.

  Induca held out her hand and the locking mechanisms on the different cells and cages in the room broke.

  The first creature escaped its cage, looking stunned for a second before its instincts took over. It raced to meet the goblins and timber wolves.

  More creatures were released as the riders were halfway through the beast stable.

  The animals fought anything they came into contact with, even fighting the other creatures they had been imprisoned across from.

  “Let’s go!” There was no more time to watch the scene as the holes in the crude gate grew over.

  The party ran out of the gate, finding themselves in an arena fifty meters long and wide. It had a muddy floor, with bodies in various states of decomposing, being left where they had fallen.

  Lox and Gurren leaped from the arena floor, jumping for the stands. Krenua and the Demons used their wings.

  “Ready?” Steve grabbed the two Beast Kin and jumped, soaring through the air and coming down in a crash on the rough stone seating that had been carved out around the arena.

  Induca used fire to fly to the stands.

  Gurren and Lox slammed into a door in the stands. They came out into what looked like the goblins’ living area.

  The goblins let out screeches as they went to meet the intruders. There had to be nearly a hundred of them.

  Induca stepped out. Lox and Gurren’s auras had been heavy on the soul. Now, Krenua had a hard time staying up as Induca seemed to be covered in flames as she floated a few feet off of the ground.

  “I’ll keep them distracted a bit!” Induca yelled out. A half-dozen flames spread out in front of her, growing, turning and burning brighter, until they became flame atronachs.

  They flew through the air, leaving red streaks of fire as they unleashed Fire spells from above, drawing on the energy that animated them.

  Induca fired out fireballs, killing goblins here and there, but their main function was to break up the goblins into small packets.

  “On me!” Lox called out, surging forward. The officers and Gurren followed while Steve stayed to protect Induca.

  There was nothing to do but fight. The atronachs supported and Steve sent out bolts, his axe breaking anything that dared to close with Induca.

  Induca controlled the goblins’ actions, keeping them off-balance and opening them up for attack by the rest of the party.

  They didn’t even need to communicate more than a few words. Their coordination was so impressive after the countless battles they had fought together.

  Krenua and the officers were drained as they finished off the last group of goblins. Their Stamina had hit zero long ago, but not wanting to let down the others in their party, they pushed themselves beyond their limits.

  Induca focused her fire on their last group of opponents.

  There were several riders on high-level timber wolves that seemed to be made from living trees due to their high level but they didn’t draw the eye.

  Hobgoblin

  Level 287

  Hobgoblins were an oddity of the goblin race; they were stronger and smarter. They were usually the leaders of goblins and shouldn’t be underestimated.

  Induca called down a firestorm on the creatures. The heat in the room jumped upward as Krenua covered his face, trying to get away from it all.

  The flames died down as Steve appeared among the final group of goblins.

  He yelled as his axe came upward. It was deflected by the hobgoblin’s tree trunk.

  “Focus on the small creatures! I’ve got this one!” Steve said.

  Krenua swore that he saw the damned idiot smiling!

  They downed their Mana potions and a few Stamina potions that Gurren and Lox had handed up, tossing
them aside and charging into the fight.

  They were bone-tired. All of them had taken wounds and they were covered in goblin gore. Krenua and the officers grouped together. They couldn’t fight the remaining goblin riders and their mounts one-on-one.

  A being of flames appeared in a red streak. Around her, her flame atronachs defended their master, their arms turning to blades of blue flames while they breathed fire from their inner white flames.

  Induca looked like a goddess looking down upon a battlefield. Her flames struck out from her hands, overwhelming the creatures’ defenses until they tore through them.

  Krenua and the officers took on a formation that bowed out toward the enemy. The goblins moved around on their timber wolves as if they were connected by the mind.

  They slashed at the officers as they passed, getting tangled up with the Party Zero fighters who could deal with them one-on-one.

  They reacted and fought; the directions that Lox, Gurren, Steve, and Induca had passed on unconsciously sunk into their minds.

  They had changed in their fight through the tunnels. It wasn’t a complete reversal or overwhelming change, but just by a few degrees. A few degrees that allowed them to truly use their abilities, to put forth their best attacks and if not kill a timber wolf and its goblin rider, they could seriously wound them.

  Horria took a nasty cut up her arm to her shoulder. She cried out, her shield coming to the side to dislodge the goblin’s spear.

  Krenua moved up, taking her position as Josen poured healing potion into the wound that went all the way to Horria’s bone.

  Their armor didn’t extend down their arms, as it would make them slower at fighting. It was why they didn’t have much armor around their hips and knees. They were made to be mobile, not to stay in one position and defend. Though, facing stronger opponents and in an enclosed area, it was not possible for them to move around and strike their opponents.

  They had to endure.

  Steve let out a roar. His left arm’s shield extended out as Steve backhanded the hobgoblin in the face with the edge of the shield.