Chapter 140:
Anton gripped Verona’s waist tight, the Jaguar Mount riding fast through the thick undergrowth of The Shadow Isles. Though the light was fading there was no way that he could just leave the Dark Elves without at least attempting to test creating another White Goblin. The White Ghlotsm continued to run rampant through the desolate lands of the Kar Kingdom, growing in number at a staggering rate. Even if it wasn’t enough to destroy the Goblin threat, the lands fifty miles to the south of Surdon was off limits to them and would continue to provide fertile ground for the Goblins and other monsters, it would certainly diminish their strength.
He had little time left in The Shadow Isles, in Qaiviel things were not well. Rumours abounded of hordes of silent soldiers, destroying villages and kidnapping every man, woman and child, and of the Ghostly Knights following them. Even if these were nothing more than the superstition of fearful and overly paranoid farmers and peasants he wasn’t about to take that chance, especially with Cetina and Duchess Belinda continuing to march quickly through the dimming light.
“Still too many here.” Anton patted Verona’s side. “Keep going until there’s just a few of them. I know that’s a little hard here.”
Verona merely returned a nod and spurred the beast onwards. The goblins in this area were particularly thick. Dark Elf tactics, surging back and forth, drawing the Goblins out and peppering them with arrows, continued to work wonders but there were too many for the White Goblin to take root. The budding infestation would be torn apart by the other Goblins and the Dark Elves, who would only think that something terrible was coming for them.
As they travelled further towards the coast the fighting ebbed and waned until, with the distant crashing of the sea upon stones, the fighting all but ceased. These Dark Elves were relaxed and inattentive. Almost. Only a few were on guard and fighting the few Goblins roaming near the camp. These large camps behind the front lines, containing hundreds if not thousands of tents, were centralised hubs where the tired and wounded could find respite. These obviously had been in existence for some time now but were now standardised and heavily protected. While this looked standard the defence was anything but.
“Salvira?” Anton turned to the large Jaguar mount, its light red coat shining in the afternoon light. “Aren’t these your people?”
Salvira glumly nodded. She elected to join them, to not only guide and smooth over ruffled feathers but also to get away from the worst of the frontline. She knew that with them she would be safe. Relatively, of course.
“Yes…At least the guards are.”
“We’ll whip them into shape.” Anton shook his head. “If that Red Goblin decided to attack here they could easily reach your island before your forces could counter it. It’s not far from the last camp, but this is away from the main fighting…It’s still worrying.”
Salvira gripped her reins tight. At the best of times, she spoke with a soft voice, except when their lives depended upon it, and Dark Elves camps could become rather rowdy. The few guards alerted the others to their presence but the camp remained mostly quiet and disinterested.
"Hey!" Salvira's voice was still too soft. She cleared her throat and straightened her back. "Hey! Why are you not on guard? Who is your commander?"
The closest guard, wearing a tassel of the Wind Runners, squinted before realising who she was.
"He's in the command tent." The guard pointed to the largest tent near the rear of the camp. "Do you want me to tell him you're here?"
Salvira shot a glance at Anton. He wasn't here to stiffen Dark Elf resolve, merely to warn them of their testing, but he would help if necessary.
"No." Salvira relaxed her posture but didn't fold in on herself. "I will see him now. Who is the commander anyway?"
"Macura, of The Astrals."
Salvira's face dropped slightly. "Mainlander Clan…Very well."
The guard bowed and allowed them access. It looked exactly like every other military camp on The Shadow Isles, except these tents were larger and more ornate, several held large tears and scratches, hastily repaired. The Islander camps had no such issues, even after a Goblin attack.
Designed more to demonstrate wealth and prestige rather than function. I wonder how they are faring?
Anton's eyes quickly fell on a small gathering of Dark Elves around a fire. Their tassels were unknown to him, presumably The Astrals Mainland Clan. Each held a distant yet withdrawn look, they had seen conflict in all of its visceral horror and there was no glory to be found fighting Goblins. Some tried to eat food, spurred on by those with some life in their eyes, but they moved very slowly. Food no longer tasted appealing to those that had stared down death, especially when those you knew didn’t.
"First bit of shell shock." Anton mused, only to receive spattering of confused faces. "They're simply overwhelmed by what they've seen."
"And by what the Island Clans have fought, almost nonstop, every day." Kal looked to the other side. "They've had it easy inside their cities, away from this."
"Until now." Anton continued. "But living by the skin of your teeth for twenty winters makes you tough. Right?"
Kal smiled. "You don't have much of a choice if you want to survive. And I certainly did. But I would certainly have preferred to be born a human in Atros."
"No tail?" Verona gasped. "Or fluffy ears? What are you thinking?"
Kal gently scratched the tips of her ears. "That would be a problem, wouldn't it?"
The tents grew larger until they reached the command tent. It sat on the only point that could be considered a hill on these forested plains, beyond that the tents extended at least twice as far as the front. The Astrals clearly had many warriors to spare, especially given their lack of combat until recent. A small group of guards languished outside the command tent, wearing the colours of The Astrals.
“A mainland clan is in charge?” Anton asked.
The Dark Elf guards only then reacted and readied themselves for a potential fight when they had essentially walked on top of them.
“They…” Salvira took another deep breath. “Even with Gerin’s orders, they have tremendous wealth and power. It’s kind of hard for our forces, thin as they are, to resist their authority.”
Salvira overlooked the camp. “Most here are Astrals.”
“And the ones not on guard.” Anton patted her shoulder, Salvira didn’t recoil but looked slightly confused. “Let’s see what this commander has to say. I don’t think humans will have much influence over a Mainland Clan. In fact, it might make things worse.”
“They don’t like us either,” Salvira said dryly.
“True. But at least they know you.”
Salvira took another deep breath as they entered the tent. Lavish goods and furniture, inappropriate for the frontline, adorned the interior. Three Dark Elves sat around a large table, filled with wine and food. They looked as concerned with their presence as they were maintaining the front.
“Who are you?” One asked, the youngest of the Dark Elves asked.
“Salvira of the Wind Runners.” Salvira gripped her hands tight. “We were about to alert you to an experiment our allies are about to conduct, so your warriors won’t interfere, but it seems that you are already incredibly relaxed. Especially given the Goblins constant attacks.”
Another Astral leader grumbled. “Hmph. Some Islander telling us how to conduct the war. As per usual.”
Salvira held her ground. “The Mist Walkers have given Gerin of the DuskReavers total control of the Dark Elf forces. And that includes your forces. And you will follow his orders.”
“But you aren’t Gerin.” The third smirked, leaning further back into his chair. “So why should we listen to you?”
He pointed to the tassel just beneath her neck. “Wind Runners aren’t DuskReavers.”
“True…” Salvira pursed her lips. “But you will still listen to us. I don’t know which one of you is Macura but you will listen to me. Our island is just beyond the trees. And our warriors have been fighting while yours have not. Should they break through our home will be practically undefended. And…”
“They won’t break through.” The first, Anton presumed he was Macura, waved dismissively. “Their attacks have been repelled with ease.”
“You haven’t seen them attack in a true horde,” Anton said, taking a step forward. “Where the very ground is transformed in a writhing mass of flesh and claws. I suggest that you stop acting so complacent and ready your soldiers for a possible attack. Besides, isn’t the order to attack and destroy the Goblins wherever possible?”
The three grumbled.
“So long as you maintain the line everything is fine.” Salvira sighed. “Actually maintain the line. But you should still increase your vigilance. Otherwise, I’ll inform Gerin that you aren’t pulling your weight and you can deal with the Mist Walkers. I remember Vonkal mentioning something about the Astrals not paying their taxes, something about a hidden gold mine.”
All three tensed. Anton forced himself to not crack a smile, all of Salvira’s words and authority meant nothing compared to one mention of the Mist Walkers. And the dreaded word tax.
Whatever works.
“And what do you want from us?” The second Astral asked.
“Anton is about to test a potential Anti-Goblin weapon, one that may overturn the entire war.” Salvira smiled. “They need everyone to be aware and not attack any Goblins that start behaving oddly.”
Macura sighed. “What sort of Goblins are we looking out for? We’ve been told there are more than just Yellows and Greens.”
“Apparently there are Goblins that have skin as dark as night.” The second added.
“There are.” Anton nodded. “Think of them as…Local commanders. But we will be creating White Goblins. And they’ll attack every other Goblin they can find.”
“They’ll fight for us?” The third looked to the others rather intrigued. “So we don’t have to fight?”
“That’s the plan,” Anton said. “If we can get enough of them they won’t be able to be stopped, they’ll grow faster than they can be killed. What better way to defeat the enemy than using their own against them? I think both Islander and Mainlanders can agree on that.”
The three leant close to whisper amongst themselves. Anton tapped Salvira’s back.
“Reinforce what you’ve just said about needing to work together and keep a vigilant watch. They’ll probably listen now.”
Salvira silently nodded. “Shame that they need outside help to see reason. They didn’t even question that you’re a human.”
“It did for the Mist Walker elders. There’s no way they don’t know about us. I’m sure stories about us travelled like wildfire, though perhaps not exactly what we’ve done. Maybe the stories got overblown as the stories travelled?"
Salvira loudly tapped her boot. “Lords of The Astrals. I ask that you get your warriors in line and ready for anything. Actually get them into guard rotations and on alert. We need everyone ready to fight at a moment’s notice. Especially given the Goblins ability to strike without warning and massive numbers.”
The three gave each other a small nod. Macura rose up and trundled outside. He returned a few moments later with a brighter expression.
“Very well. All the warriors have been told to be on the lookout for a White Goblin and not to attack it. Unless it attacks us first.”
“And everyone will follow this order?” Anton asked.
“They will.” The third sneered. “The Mainland Clans know how to obey orders.”
Something about hypocrisy…
“I certainly hope so.” Anton turned to the entrance. “We’ll be taking the Wind Runner warriors with us, for the time being at least, for the experiment. I’m sure that with everyone on alert you won’t miss them, though they are the majority of those on guard and patrol…”
The Astrals tensed. “Of course. That won’t be a problem.”
“Excellent.” Salvira bowed. “I’ll make sure Gerin and the Mist Walkers know how helpful you were during this experiment.”
Again the three grew elated by the prospect of buttering up the upper echelons of Dark Elf society. Anton wanted to speak again but held his tongue, smiled and left with the others.
Outside, and well clear of the guards Salvira grunted and kicked at the dirt. “I was hoping that this would go easier. Do you want us to come with you or be in support?”
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“Right behind. Just in case something happens and we need some extra support, a few hundred arrows to whittle down their numbers.”
“And you think this will actually work?” Salvira asked. “That it could be over very soon?”
“Absolutely,” Verona smirked. “You didn’t see the White Ghlotsm’s in Balefire.”
Salvira looked on confused. Soon she would understand.
---[]---
Kal took the lead of their small force, only after The Astrals replaced the Wind Runner guards, much to their annoyance. They brought several hundred warriors, warriors whose training and skill were worth several humans. Verona and Salvira rode their Jaguar Mounts, Salvira at the centre of the Wind Runners to the rear, while Anton and Kal moved on foot. The Goblins continued to attack in small waves, nothing they couldn’t handle, but not small enough that the transformed White Goblin could safely transform and reach critical numbers in relative safety. Anton had no idea what that number might be.
“There.” Kal tapped his arm. “One near that bush.”
Anton followed her line to a small Green Goblin lurking near a bush. Unlike the other Goblins, continuing to occasionally burst out of the darkness only to be slaughtered, this was too nervous to attack. Greens were the weakest and most cowardly of their race, always relegated to being fodder and bullied by the other colours. If they weren’t pushed or had the overwhelming numerical advantage it was unlikely they would attack. It bodes well for the lack of a Black Goblin in the area to continuously push them forward.
“I wonder if this is the right one.” Anton mused. “If it’s going to remain weak…Well, it shouldn’t be able to resist them.”
“Is that White Ghlotsm doing something?” Verona asked.
“No. But I wonder if there’s a limit.” Anton shrugged. “Like if I try to make too many they just die or something bad happens to me…Well...”
Anton silently cursed the lack of knowledge about this school of magic. Ferula still had found nothing, not that he should rely on her for everything, and he didn’t want any more transformations. It would become exceedingly difficult to move if he became anything like the dragon doll.
The constant dying Goblins had given Anton a decent charge up his tail, more than enough to create the Marble Spear. The Dark Elves murmured surprise as they watched the white spear emerge from the black lightning. Salvira said something but Anton focused on creating the spear properly, he didn’t want to get this wrong. With the Marble Spear in his hand he readied to throw it but hesitated. The Goblin was rather far away. He could probably hit it but there was a chance he could miss. However, it was in range of something else.
“Verona? Can you bring that Goblin a little closer? Don’t kill or maim it. I don’t want to miss.”
A blood shard shot through the air before wrapping itself around the Goblins foot. It shrieked, hammering at the hardened blood with its fists and a sharpened stick as it dragged along the ground. Verona stopped it within easy range.
Anton threw the Marble Spear, puncturing the chest of the prone Goblin and sending it flat. The spear fell to one side as the handle began to disintegrate, the blade of the spear was almost as large as the creature's chest, while Kal shot the few Goblins that wandered to investigate. The Green Goblin slowly rose up with only the broken blade of the spear embedded vertically in its chest. The shaft completely broke away and disintegrated into a million tiny white cubes to blow away in the wind. From the wound its green skin grew white, black lightning marks radiating out. Its joints and bones clicked and grew, its body grew to the same size and near regal nature of the previous White Goblins. There appeared to be no distinction between it, regardless of its origins.
Another mental connection grew out of the ether. It was slightly different from the Ghlotsm. This creature had more…aggression. Not rebellion but an actual desire to fulfil an order, more than it had the capacity to want something.
“I wonder if you’ll grow in strength the more you collect.” Anton mused, the White Goblin standing perfectly still as Kal felled a Yellow Goblin lunging to attack it. “Zero multiplied by a thousand is still zero.”
“What are you saying?” Verona asked.
“Just a slight concern. But nothing that we can’t handle.” Anton clapped his hands. “Corrupt every Goblin you can find and kill those that can’t.”
With the verbal order given the White Goblin slashed its claws at a nearby Green Goblin. It screeched loudly as its chest was cut and the white corruption rapidly consumed its body. However, he remained small albeit more upright and less…rotten.
Kal quietly asked the Dark Elves to move forward and help the White Goblin by thinning the Goblins. As the Goblins were not able to overwhelm the growing Whites, his Goblins did take losses but were replaced faster than they could fall, the horde quickly grew. Kal ordered the Dark Elves back as the horde grew to several hundred and began drawing attacks away from the frontline.
“Anton.” Salvira rode forward, bringing some Dark Elves with her. “May I have a moment?”
“Of course.” Anton glanced to the White Goblins. Though the darkness of night had all but overtaken The Shadows Isles he could see their white hides darting through the undergrowth already a hundred odd meters away and continuing to swarm throughout the forest.
“I don’t mean to question you but is this the best way to use the White Goblins?”
“Do you think we should be using them as meat shields?” Anton asked flatly. “Or as some sort of shock troop?”
“Either.” Salvira frowned lightly. “I’m curious why you’re not using our forces to support them, deal with any large group they can’t immediately overcome. The Astrals have many warriors they could actually send forward. I’m sure they have many more just behind their main camp they could actually use to attack. Even the nearby camps. I spoke with a few of the warriors…”
“This is just a test,” Anton replied. “I can see why Vonkal had you at his side, you can very easily tell the best ways to use them. However, I only have a little longer before I need to return to Qaiviel. If we can just take down a few hundred than this is a tremendous success.”
“All these dead Goblins for just a few arrows?” Verona shook her head. “If only we had this at the beginning.”
“True…Wait. Something’s wrong.” Anton said softly. “They’re…They’re losing?”
“What?” Verona rose up on her Jaguar Mount. “How? There’s hundreds of them.”
Anton searched through the thought tether to the White Goblin. The creature wasn’t concerned with the losses, only sending a returning message that something was wrong. Even with their high corruption rate their numbers were still diminishing. Unfortunately, all the information he received was very vague, other than they were losing more than they were gaining.
Anton grumbled and returned to Verona’s mount, jumping up and holding her sides. “Take us closer.”
“Better have some more blood.” Verona reached for her small blade.
Salvira whistled to the patiently waiting, albeit still slightly confused, Dark Elf warriors. She waved them forward, issuing orders only to attack the regular Goblins while remaining behind Anton. Kal mounted her mount and readied her bow. Anton felt the White Goblin send more and more messages as they approached the fighting. Immediately the reason became clear.
The normal Goblins were behaving oddly. They weren’t acting as a mindless horde. Instead of their normal mad charge, screaming and waving whatever improvised weapons they could acquire, they hanged back, using slings, throwing spears and javelins to whittle down their numbers while maintaining a safe distance.
“Our own tactics used against us…Where are the Blacks?” Anton turned to Salvira, leading the Dark Elves from deep in their midst. “They’re the only ones that could do something like this.”
“And the Red,” Verona added softly.
“I can’t see anything,” Kal grumbled. “It’s too dark.”
Anton summoned two Small Lightning Crows and threw them into the air. The small creatures flew through the canopy, darting and weaving through the branches, never once touching a leaf or making a sound. Anton ordered the creatures to attack every Black Goblin they could find, even though he could barely see a thing. Almost instantly two lightning bolts shot out and cut the darkness. Two Goblins, hiding in some bushes far behind the front, shrieked and fell over dead.
“Pity I can’t see what you can,” Anton mumbled.
Despite the dying Black Goblins, the coordinated attacks continued, whittling down the White Goblins until their numbers were fewer than two hundred. Anton began to resign to himself that the experiment was a failure, of sorts. While it hadn't snowballed into a massive horde the number of Dark Elves risked for thousands dead was essentially zero.
Not bad overall. If nothing else it'll take the edge off. Once things settle in Qaiviel, like we’re settling up in that Castle Etoile for a few days, we’ll try this again. Is it the Red that's coordinating them like or is it just their sheer presence that’s making them act coordinated? What does Grekka mean anyway?
Anton pulled back lightly on Verona's waist, the small force accompanying also stopped. Something caught his eye through the dim light. A flash of a dull red in the far distance.
"That bastard's here." Anton summoned a Large Lightning crow. "If we can kill him we can take out their whole leadership."
"I see him.” Kal drew the Fire arrow as far as the Dark Elven bow would allow, spoke a soft prayer as her arms began to tremble, and loosed.
Anton enchanted his vision while gripping tighter to Verona’s waist. The arrow careened through the canopy, missing every branch and leaf, but it was not to be. A disk of a blue energy erupted before the diminutive Red, catching the arrow and rendering it harmless. The Red turned to his side towards a pair of blue Goblins, holding their gnarled fetish staves towards the energy shield. With a visible sigh they both lowered their staves and the shield faded away, the red fire arrow landing helplessly on the grassy ground. Only then, with the bright light of the shield, did Anton realise the gigantic Black was standing by his side.
"Kill the Red Goblin!" Anton yelled towards his creatures. He heard the Dark Elves begin to move but he raised his hand. They were several hundred meters away at best, and they had no idea how many Goblins or traps could be lying in wait.
The White Goblins surged towards the Red, forming a tight wedge through the undergrowth. Their tight formation left them exposed to coordinated ranged attacks as they were no longer applying pressure along the entire front. The normal goblins threw everything their grubby little hands could find, even clods of dirt they had mistaken for stones. Anton's White Goblin alerted him to the losses they were taking but Anton didn't care. They were ultimately disposable.
The Lightning Crows darted towards the Red. Its humanoid face flashed annoyance at the possible lethal attack. After a quick screech towards the Blues his two Small Lightning Crows vanished, thrown back into the ether. The Large Lightning Crow folded its wings in and dived towards the Red. One of the Blues threw up its shimmering shield and the other began to chant to destroy his summon. Anton mentally ordered the Lightning Crow to ram the Red Goblin, if nothing else it would drain the strength of the Blues. The giant Black Goblin, unusually still, twisted back and threw his Adamantium mace at the Large Lightning Crow. The white metal weapon struck the creature on the head, destroying it completely and sending it back to the ether.
“Shit.”’
The Adamantium mace bounced up before landed hard on the ground, embedding itself several inches into the ground. The large Black Goblin raced forward and retrieved the mace, returning to the Red’s side with a happy, expectant look. For a moment Anton thought that it wanted to be praised, like some sort of loyal dopey dog. A slight smile crept up the Red’s face, but it could have been a contemptuous sneer.
The White Goblins were all but decimated as they reached the Red. The remaining four corrupted White Goblins fell to dozens of spears tearing through their skin, leaving just the original. The Red snarled and backed away, shifting behind the gigantic Black Goblin. The Black lunged forward and cracked the White Goblin in the side of the head with its mace, splattering its blood and brains over the grass and trees. The thought tether snapped, unlike the more pleasant fading of his normal summons, as the Black looked to the Red again for praise. This time the Red gave him something, a screech that could have been mistaken for thanks. The Red turned to the Blues but they were struggling to stand. Its face curled up into a sneer, both eyes narrowing towards Anton.
As Anton created another batch of Lightning Crows, to overwhelm the weakened Blues, the Red slinked back into the darkness along with its bodyguard.
“Why is he here?” Anton deactivated his eye enchantment. “Is it for me? No. They don’t have mounts and we didn’t stop in the camp for long. So…”
“Do you know what he’s doing?” Verona asked softly.
Anton looked back, back to the torch lights flickering in the distance. Already they had advanced some way into the forest. This left them without support and the defensive lines, already somewhat weak and fragile, without hundreds of seasoned warriors.
“Retreat to the defensive lines.” Anton summoned another three Small Lightning Crows. "I think we just spoiled an attack. What luck?"
Anton ordered the Lightning Crows to attack the Blues. Two were destroyed, banished before they could attack, while the remaining killed the two Blues. Anton directed the crow to hunt down the Red but he was already beyond their range. Anton cursed missing the chance to cut the enemies head.
Did he get carried by that Black Goblin? I’m sure it could move very fast, just because it’s big doesn’t mean it’s slow.
"Anton!" Kal's voice trembled. "Hundreds! Hundreds are coming!"
The bushes, where the Blue's corpses lay, blew apart with a tide of Goblins. Greens and Yellows scrambled over one another to reach them first. Anton threw two Lightning Lances at the leading edge, blunting the charge. He and Kal fired off small attacks to stem the tide while Verona directed her shards to kill anything that made it through. Upon reaching the defensive lines, Salvira yelled and the Dark Elves readied themselves for the inevitable attack. The Astral warriors were stunned until the Wind Runners stiffened their resolve. With the momentary shock of the wave of Goblins gone professionalism took hold and they fired volley after volley into the Goblin hordes. Their numbers were simply too great for the arrows alone, Anton created several Lightning Rings and released them over the Goblins.
After several minutes, and a veritable mountain of corpses later, the Goblin attacked ebbed and faded away. The Dark Elves were exhausted, their hands shaking as they tried to draw on their bows. The Astrals hadn’t prepared the massive stashes of arrows like the Islander Clans, they were lucky the battle ended when it did. Most quivers were empty, those Dark Elves looked especially relieved. Anton created another Lightning Crow and sent it into the forest to attack Goblins within range. The echoes of lightning trailed the few retreating Goblins. With the battle essentially over and the Dark Elves taking stock of their expenditure of ammunition, Salvira manoeuvred her way to Anton.
“How did you know they would attack?” Salvira asked, bringing her mount closer to Anton. “A huge army like that? If we hadn’t of been here they could have broken through.”
“I…”
Should I pretend I knew it was coming? Maybe being overly humble isn’t always the right choice.
“I had a suspicion.” Anton began. He pointed towards the sounds of the sea crashing upon rocks. “Your island is right there, isn’t it?”
“It is…”
“But most of your people are here, on the mainland. So who’s left there to protect the women and children?”
“Women and children that could be used to create more Goblins,” Kal added softly.
Salvira’s body tensed. “My…My family is there. My husband and children…” After a calming breath Salvira slowly nodded. “Thank you.”
The lightning echoes faded away before the Lightning Crows returned to Anton, their mission complete. Even though he had enough charge to create more Marble Spears the Goblins had completely disappeared. They were safe, for now at least.
Anton smiled. “I’m just glad that we were here to catch them. At least, I hope that’s what the Red was planning. It’s what makes the most sense, expand the front and get around the land bridges to run rampant. That would set everything back by months…Do you think that it’s luck that he turned up here?”
Verona leant onto the head of the Jaguar. “If it weren’t for both of you this could have gone terribly.” She waved to the Dark Elf camp. “I doubt they’d have put up much of a fight on their own.”
“Indeed.” Salvira ran a hand through her hair. “Gerin and Vonkal need to hear about this. Hear how badly some of the Mainland Clans are actually taking this. If it weren’t for you we could have lost everything…Maybe send some Islander warriors to keep these in check. Most of the fighting is near the centre with our clans…”
Salvira quickly grew lost in her thoughts and quietly trailed off.
Kal dismounted from her mount and gently scratched its cheeks. “Unless that Red’s drawn to you, Anton. They didn’t react like those in the Green Moon Fortress. No screaming but they did try and attack them first.”
“I wonder if the Red followed me…No. They can’t move that first. Maybe with that giant Black it could. I think it’s just lucky that we managed to meet them.”
“I wonder if you’re drawing them to you after that whole thing…” Verona rested her head upon the Jaguar’s. “Any Goblin attacks in Qaiviel? They have them there, right?”
“None. But they’re kept more under control there.” Anton looked to the Dark Elf camp. “But I need to return to Qaiviel. We’ll try this again next time I’m free…I don’t know when that will be but I’m sure the Dark Elves can now win on their own…Mostly. Now that they’re actually working together. Shame we couldn’t get the Red.”
“Healing the Dark Elves is certainly going to be the best use of my powers,” Kal said calmly. “Though healing them just to send them back into the fight…” Kal smiled. “It’s better than being left without an arm for the rest of your life. Quite a long life too. Keeps them going too.”
“I’ll stay as well.” Verona tapped Anton’s hand. “Make sure Kal’s safe and deal with anything more like this. If it gets dangerous in Qaiviel have me swap with Cetina, we’ll bring some Dwarves here if it gets really bad. Just to look after the portal.”
Verona gestured to the pile of corpses. “This is a little much for them to deal with alone. How…How many Goblins are there on this island?”
“Far too many.” Anton smiled. “But a whole lot less now.”