“This one probably came up with their plan,” Timmy said, giving the goblin one last bash over the head with his shovel to make sure it was dead. “He’s not a genius, but he’s smarter than the normal ones.”
After clearing the debris, so they could continue down the corridor, they reached what the dwarves hoped would be the first of many holdouts filled with dwarves.
The king was alerted, and he arrived soon after. From the gore on his axe, he’d been hard at work too. He marched up to the front and banged one gauntleted fist upon the barricade. “It is your king,” he boomed. “I, Barin Ironbinder IV, have come with reinforcements to free you, my brothers and sisters! Make clear the way! Leave your hiding place and be free!”
Goblins could do many things, but imitation was not one of their strongpoints. A haggard dwarf peeked through a gap in the barricade, and it wasn’t long before the makeshift bulwark had been dismantled. Gerald felt a wave of pity sweep through him. These dwarves had endured more than a fortnight of constant terror. The goblins, knowing they could easily starve them out, would have been content to keep watch while launching the occasional attack, all while savouring the fear they inspired – at least, that was what some of the dwarves had told him. Apparently, a few of them were survivors who had endured similar situations.
“My king!” the dwarf woman who led the group tried to kneel, but her fatigue led her to all but collapse. The king caught her and gently raised her to her feet as he urged the others to be at ease. “You came for us!”
“Not alone,” the king replied. He gestured toward Gerald and the others. “Our allies in Everton have sent aid. Thanks to their efforts seventy thousand goblins lie dead before the walls of Cavernholme. We have already slain tens of thousands more here, and still more of them will fall before the day is done.” He grinned savagely. “It is by their skill and cunning that the goblins have been undone.”
The female dwarf’s eyes widened. “Then… the gas?”
“Aye. It was their doing. It must have made you feel poorly, but it was deadly to the goblins. There are great piles of them all over the city, dead to the last.”
“We… we thought it was another one of their schemes, perhaps some cruel ploy gone awry. We dared not hope it might be something more.”
“Here.” Gerald summoned food and drink. “Take these. You must be hungry and thirsty.” The king nodded his thanks as the survivors shambled forward to receive food and drink. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Timmy give a signal of sorts. They would have to speak to the dwarves before they led them outside. It was unlikely they knew how the city had been taken, but every scrap of information they could get was important.
“I hope there are many such holdouts,” King Barin murmured as some of the dwarves and Timmy’s zombies led the bedraggled survivors back outside. The survivors gaped at the zombies, but the dwarves offered words of comfort. The zombies were indeed terrible foes to face, but they were not the dwarves’ enemies. “Too few of the folk who lived here managed to flee the city, and many who did perished on the road after being overtaken by goblins.”
“I’m sure there will be more,” Gerald said. The thought of being trapped in here for days while the goblins bayed for his blood was enough to make his stomach clench. It was truly the stuff of nightmares.
There were indeed more holdouts with dwarves in them, but not nearly as many as King Barin had hoped. Yet each one was a welcome sight. A city full of corpses was dire enough without opening more chambers only to find more of the same. The survivors were all led outside. Once they were strong enough, they would begin the journey to the nearest safe settlement. It would take weeks, possibly months, before Diamondgate was ready to house civilians again. Gerald’s mood managed to remain reasonably upbeat – rescuing people always made him feel happier – until it was time to take a closer look at the city centre.
“Behold,” the king said. “The heart of Diamondgate.”
Gerald gasped. The massive cavern ahead of them was the largest he’d ever seen. Cavernholme boasted a higher population, but it had been housed in multiple caverns. This cavern was larger than anything in Cavernholme except the mines. It had to have been natural because it was difficult to believe anyone could possibly excavate such a vast space, even with magic. What worried Gerald were the goblin banners still flying from many of the buildings, and there were clearly goblins patrolling the streets and skulking around the burnt out houses that filled the area. The reason for their survival despite the huge volume of gas that had filled the city was equally obvious: a massive dome of magic that covered the entire area.
“They must have mages and shamans,” Timmy said. “Far more than you’d expect in even a horde of this size. I’m betting some of the leaders realised the danger and immediately retreated here once they saw what the gas could do.” He glanced at Avraniel thoughtfully. “You could try to crack that barrier, but there’s a good chance any attack strong enough to break it would bring the whole mountain down on us. We’ll need to try something a little more subtle.”
“What do you have in mind?” King Barin asked. His hands had tightened around his axe. To see a dwarf city filled with living goblins must have filled him with rage.
Timmy’s eyes glazed slightly, and a group of zombie pigeons changed course and slammed into the dome. A series of explosions rang out, and the barrier flared a deep red as flames sprawled across its surface. A sound like chanting filled the air, and Gerald twitched as goblin-shaped shadows shimmered in the air over the city.
“Is there another way into the city centre? I don’t think the barrier goes all the way underground. They might not be able to project a spherical barrier, and the need to repel that gas likely made them focus on strengthening the aboveground portion of the barrier as much as possible. I could try to get under it with my magic, but they’d notice. What we need is something that already goes under the barrier.” He smirked. “And since dwarves seem to be fond of tunnels and secret passages…”
“Now that you mention it.” The king smiled toothily. “There might be a way in.”
Chapter Eleven
It was often said that attacking dwarves in their home cities without the benefit of either – and preferably both – treachery or overwhelming numbers was an exercise in subterranean futility and suicide. Not only were dwarf cities built inside mountains, rendering them immune to traditional bombardment, but they also were notorious for having all manner of secret passages, hidden chambers, and other nasty surprises that allowed the defenders to make life miserable for their would-be conquerors. Unfortunately, goblins absolutely excelled in fighting underground. Their nimbleness, small stature, and sheer numbers generally gave them the upper hand once they had breached a city’s defences, and they rarely lost battles of attrition. A single dwarf soldier might be worth ten goblins, but there were usually far more than ten goblins for each dwarf soldier. Moreover, it took decades to train a skilled dwarf soldier. Goblins reached physical maturity in a fraction of that time, and what they lacked in skill they made up for in instinct. Goblins also had a nose for hidden things. Given enough time, they could be relied on to discover hidden passages and chambers. However, these goblins had not had enough time to complete their search of the city, and there were routes only dwarves of noble blood could take.
Katie and the others were currently in one such passageway moving as quietly as possible. The passageway would take them underneath the goblin barrier and into the heart of the city, but it would only hide them from prying eyes. There were other tunnels around, and any noise they made could still give them away. This was one reason why the dwarves’ elite wore armour with runes and seals on it. The runes and seals could be used to help suppress any sounds they made, which was crucial in situations where stealth was essential.
“The plan is simple,” her master murmured as one of the dwarves led the way. “We should come up in the governor’s mansion. If the goblins act like they normally do, they’ll have seiz
ed it as a home for their leaders. It’s easy to fortify, it’s nice inside, and there’s a certain level of maliciousness involved in turning the home of your enemy’s leader into your command centre.”
Old Man nodded in agreement. “But it gives us an opportunity, Little Miss.” Katie sighed but didn’t comment on the nickname. Hopefully, she’d grow tall enough to outgrow it soon. “The goblin leaders are the smartest and most cunning goblins. They are most likely bracing themselves for an attack that can break the barrier and give our zombies and other forces a chance to engage.”
“In other words,” Katie mused. “They should be there since they think it’s the safest place to be. If we can get them, then we can cut the head off the snake. The barrier is anchored there too, isn’t it? Once it goes down, we can bring in the rest of our troops.”
“Exactly.” Her master grinned. There were too many of them to fit into the tunnel. Instead, an elite force of fifty had accompanied them. The rest of their forces were posturing outside the barrier, drawing attention and preparing for when the barrier went down. Occasionally, they’d fire some magic or use some siege weaponry to ensure the goblins continued to focus on them. “From what I’ve been able to glean, the barrier isn’t based on runes and seals. It’s a ritual of sorts, so it needs to be maintained constantly. Disrupting the ritual should be enough to disable the barrier. There is likely a group of mages and shamans involved. Killing a few of them should do the trick.” One of the dwarves ahead stopped and raised his hand before clenching it into a fist and punching the air. “Get ready, Katie. We’re about to breach.”
At the front of the group would be Avraniel and Spot. They would be the first ones through the door followed by Amanda and Old Man. As her master and the rats had both explained to her, the keys to a successful breach were surprise and overwhelming force. The enemy could not be allowed to regroup and reorganise, and few things were as devastating to enemy morale and enemy survival as huge quantities of fire. There was a brief pause as the others got into position. The dragon was grinning from ear to ear, happy to finally be doing something fun instead of simply picking off goblin stragglers, something he found far too easy to enjoy, especially since they didn’t taste good either. Everyone fell silent, and the dwarves readied their weapons and magic.
“Kill them quickly,” King Barin reminded them. “And do not hesitate. We are close to retaking our city, but there is still work to be done.” He raised one arm, took a deep breath, and then lowered it. “Breach.”
The door at the end of the passageway swung open, and Avraniel and Spot burst out of it. There was a blast of searing heat that Katie could feel from inside the tunnel. The goblins caught in the attack didn’t even get a chance to scream, and she heard the crunch of teeth and the slashing of claws as Spot got to work. The rest of them surged forward, and Katie and her master were right behind Old Man and Amanda. In accordance with her master’s orders, one of the dwarves immediately shattered the closest window and began to hurl vials of poison gas outside. Using the poison gas inside would make it difficult to see, but there were still plenty of goblins outside.
Panic erupted as the poison gas sent the goblins into frenzy. They all knew what it was, and none of them wanted to face it. Many of them chose to run, unwilling to face the nightmare that had killed so many of their fellows. The remainder milled about in confusion as more vials rained down on them, the gas growing denser with each passing moment. Already, she could hear some of their cries get cut off as the deadly gas got to work.
Katie’s gaze flicked over the ruined room. There were scorch marks everywhere, and almost nothing was left of the goblins that had been in it. The sheer heat of the flames had turned most of them into ash, and those that were more intact were horribly burned. The majority of the remains came courtesy of Spot who had chosen to use his teeth and claws to finish off the last of the goblins. Based on the scorch marks on the floor, the goblins had been clustered around a table, but it was impossible to tell what they’d been doing.
The dwarves moved toward the doors with smaller vials and hurled them into the corridor as the thunder of footsteps signalled the approach of more goblins. They slammed the doors shut and waited for the gas to thin before they braced themselves and charged out. With their protective charms on, the dwarves could ignore the gas, but the goblins were confused, disoriented, and barely able to see or breathe. It wasn’t a fight. It was an execution. An axe cleaved right through a goblin’s skull while a war hammer pulped the chest of another. With ruthless efficiency, the dwarves dealt with the goblins. One of the surviving goblins made a heroic last stand, screaming and yelling, only to be impaled by a spear through the gut before an axe cut him in half. Katie winced. There was no way she’d be able to use these guys to make zombies.
“Let’s move.” Her master struck the stone floor beneath them with his shovel. “The ritual is taking place below us.”
Without the dwarves to maintain it, the magic protecting the mansion had failed. The floor gave way to stairs, and they rushed down – Katie had to stop briefly to catch Gerald with her shadows after the bureaucrat tripped over – with Old Man at the front. The goblins in the room below them were headed for the doors, ready to help their comrades upstairs, and Old Man launched himself forward. Many of them were cut down before they could even turn to meet the new threat, and Katie grabbed four goblins with her shadows and impaled them. The instant they were dead, she turned them into zombies and ordered them to attack the others. Terrified wails rang out as the zombie goblins lunged at their former allies. It didn’t take them long to rip out some throats, and Katie animated those goblins too before using her shadows to bat aside a leaping goblin with bone-crushing force. She winced as the goblin practically exploded. Hmm… she probably wouldn’t be able to use that one.
Around them, the dwarves had begun to sing again, and their deep, powerful voices shook the building and filled the goblins with fear. Goblins were a superstitious lot, and it must have seemed as though the vengeful ghosts of the all the dwarves they’d killed had returned seeking vengeance. Katie was only too happy to add to their fear by making more and more zombie goblins. They weren’t very strong, but they didn’t have to be since goblins weren’t the toughest opponents either.
“Keep moving,” her master urged. “We’re not far.”
They reached a large room. It was full of goblin mages in elaborate robes and goblin shamans wearing all sorts of trinkets and knickknacks. There were other goblins standing guard, and amongst them were several towering specimens that would have given her zombie ogres a run for their money. They reacted with impressive speed, and the largest of them charged forward with a sword and shield. It actually managed to survive Old Man’s first attack, garnering a small smile from the swordsman, before he dipped gracefully under his opponent’s counterattack and went low. His blade sliced through the goblin’s legs, and it toppled to the floor. With a swift reversal of his weapon’s trajectory, he removed the giant goblin’s head.
A goblin mage who wasn’t participating in the ritual gestured, and spires of ice ripped out of the ground toward them. Her master drove his shovel into the floor, and the floor buckled upward and tossed the ice away from them. The rest of the goblin mages and shamans staggered, but they were somehow able to keep the ritual going. However, the dwarves and the rest of the goblin guards were now locked in combat. One of the giant goblins tossed a dwarf through a wall, and another one landed a thunderous blow with a club. The dwarf went down – Katie was sure he was dead – but he was avenged by fellows. A crossbow bolt caught the giant goblin in the eye before a bolt of lightning hurled him back.
The ritual itself reminded Katie far too much of some of the more obscure eldritch rituals she’d seen. There was even an altar made of bone and other less pleasant materials, and the goblins were chanting as they rhythmically tossed strange powders and trinkets into the fire they’d built atop the altar. Katie clenched both her fists and lashed out at the altar. V
ast, shadowy claws ripped out of the floor. For a moment, the altar was safe – a glowing crimson barrier appearing to protect it – but one of the dwarves turned, gathered his magic, and threw his axe. The weapon, wreathed in light, struck the barrier and shattered it like glass. Katie’s shadows closed around the altar, and she wrenched it apart. There was a great crack of thunder as the barrier around the city shattered. The goblins shrieked with rage. With the ritual lost, the goblins turned all of their attention on them as yet more goblins flooded into the room.
“Chomp!” her master shouted. “Use your howl!”
The three-headed dog bounded forward and unleashed a deafening howl. The goblins staggered, their sensitive ears overwhelmed, and the magic woven into the cry only heightened their disorientation. An explosive flew through the air courtesy of one of the demolition rats – they never seemed to run out – and her master hastily threw up a wall of rock. As the explosion subsided, her master jerked his shovel forward, and the wall of rock became a hail of pebble-sized stones. The goblins that had survived the explosion scrambled to defend themselves, and the dwarves rushed back into the fray with an angry roar.
As the battle devolved into a series of duels, Katie found herself fighting a goblin that wielded bursts of soul damaging energy. In a way, they were lucky the goblin was fighting her. Necromancers were naturally resistant to such attacks, and her shadows had proven adept at warding off more concentrated blasts. She was about to launch her counterattack when Spot crashed through one of the ruined walls with a goblin in his mouth. He bit down, tossed the dead goblin aside, and then took a deep, deep breath. His chest swelled, and when he unleashed his fire, it wasn’t orange. It was the deep, menacing obsidian of his corrupting fire. The cloud of flame enveloped Katie’s opponent and several others. The goblins didn’t burn. They decayed. Their flesh sloughed off, their bones turned to powder, and even their armour rusted away. The remaining goblins mages and shamans took one look at what had happened and began to retreat through one of the doors with their guards covering their escape. However, this was not a battle they could win, nor was it a battle they could escape. Her master thrust his shovel forward, and the walls of the corridor the goblins were running through erupted into a maze of spikes. The few that had managed to avoid being impaled were soon dealt with by the dwarves.
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