Chapter 144:
Verona, after the battle against the Stitch Soldier monstrosity, returned to The Shadow Isles and swapped with Cetina. She didn’t believe the stories but after seeing Anton her thoughts instantly changed. There was still much work to be done in these dark, mist covered lands. Too much work.
Verona, her eyes straining lightly to see in the afternoon darkness of The Shadow Isles, directed a blood shard upwards before shattering the red crystal, throwing them down into the horde of Goblins below. Though all were instantly killed by the shards, their blood only adding to the swirling swarms underneath Verona’s control, there was always another horde to replace them. Again and again Verona ran along The Shadow Isle’s front line, on top her Jaguar Mount, destroying points of resistance. The addition of the Mainland forces had been…less than what they first thought. Verona stopped for a moment to catch her breath to see the Mainland Clans in full retreat. They had over-extended themselves and had been caught in a trap.
“Overconfidence is a terrible thing,” Salvira said. “That’s what Vonkal taught me.”
“Well, they’re definitely full of it.” Verona mused.
She threw a shard over the Goblins chasing the retreating Mainland forces. Island forces forced the retreating forces back and reformed the line. It took more than a few moments, a few clobbered heads before the line was filled. A hailstorm of arrows blunted the Goblin’s assault and drove them back.
With this small section of the front-line secured Verona turned her Jaguar mount and looked to the command tents, situated high on a small hill overlooking the frontlines. With the massive injection of forces the Dark Elves had pushed the Goblins back and reduced their captured territory by almost half, already they were nearing one of the infested islands. However, things weren’t going so well across the front. The Goblins, Verona presumed under the command of the deformed Red Goblin, had bolstered their defences and were no longer engaging in simple swarm attacks, as Anton called them. Traps, ambushes and layered defences now covered nearly every inch of ground they needed to take. Whenever an opportunity for the Goblins to break through they took it, trying to force their numbers through breaks. Verona had plugged many but it was starting to grate on her mind.
“While we pushed forward the Goblins were busy making this slaughterhouse,” Verona said.
“We’re doing well.” Salvira smiled. “We started back there this morning.”
Salvira pointed to a large cluster of upright stones, where once a Dark Elf city lay. Now it was nothing more than a den of horrors. The Goblins were reinforcing their numbers from that position as well.
“Two hundred isn’t too bad, I suppose. Better than none.” Verona whipped her reins. “But it’s time to go back. I need some rest. The sun…I’ll be glad when I can see properly again.”
“We still have some time today,” Salvira said. “About another two or three hours. And the line has stabilised.”
Verona sighed. “For now at least. It won’t be long before the Mainlanders push forward again and need rescuing. I’m going to find Kal, see how she’s doing.”
Verona turned her Jaguar away from the front line. Salvira quickly followed, not wanting to be anywhere near the fighting.
“I’ve overheard a lot of the warriors say very good things about her.” Salvira smiled. “She’s saved many their lives, and of their friends.”
“She does that. No one has tried anything silly, have they?”
“Not with four armed Dwarves nearby.” Salvira chuckled. “Or you…Or Cetina, the Bebbezzarian woman.”
“No.” Verona laughed. “I don’t think they would.”
They rode towards the command tent, passing stretchers of wounded Dark Elves and fresh groups heading to the front lines, bearers carrying arrows and equipment that was rapidly being spent to push the Goblins back. The Dark Elf guards didn’t bat an eye as they moved through. There was no one that could impersonate Verona, and especially Kal.
The moment Verona’s boots touched the ground a tremendous shouting erupted from within the command tent. The guards rushed in but quickly backed out, one with ink streaking down his armour and an empty bottle rolling at his feet.
“That’s not Gerin, I hope,” Verona said.
“No, my Lady.” The guard sighed and shrugged at the ink. There was virtually nothing he could do now apart from bear through it.
They opened the flap. Gerin stood inside, with his daughter, Vonkal and several other Island Clan Leaders. Opposite them stood another group, Mainlanders. The difference was stark and immediate; the Island Clan’s wore rougher but more durable armour, the Mainland’s more flamboyant and far less durable. Verona had witnessed this deficiency first hand.
“This is ridiculous!” A Mainland Clan leader glanced at Verona and Salvira, his face furrowed deeply upon seeing a human. “We are losing so many warriors while following your orders to push forward.”
Gerin folded his arms, stepping to one side to reveal the map. Thankfully they were making large gains, at least up until very recently.
“Your warriors are not as strong as you boast. Nor do they listen to our warriors or commanders. I myself have witnessed them falling into an obvious trap and their subsequent rescue. Which put many of our warriors at risk. You’ve had it extremely easy up until now, hiding in the safety of your cities while we fought and died.” Gerin glanced at Verona. “It’s clear why the Mist Walker Elders put me in command. If you follow our orders, and listen to the advice of our warriors, you will survive this.”
“I still don’t see why the Elders put you, of all people, in charge.”
“Because they knew I had what it takes.” Gerin smiled.
The Mainland leader scoffed and dramatically waved his arm and turned to leave. Verona stepped to the side as she received a sneer.
Whatever.
Everyone waited until they were long clear. Salvira poked her head out and sighed. “They’re gone.”
“What a mess this all turned out to be.” Vonkal laughed. Verona still didn’t like how forceful it was. “But now they have no choice but to listen to you. They wouldn’t dare go against their precious Elders. How did you manage to convince them, anyway?”
Gerin patted his shoulder. “What matters most is that they do. So we don’t have to do all the work.”
Probably still not happy that Anton kidnapped them.
“Indeed…Indeed.” Vonkal clapped his hands and pointed them to Verona. “Thank you for rescuing the Green Moon Clan, by the way. I thought everyone was dead. We all did, doubly so since they allowed this whole thing to occur.”
“It was merely a guess they were there.” Verona ignored his jab at the Green Moon. “The fact that anyone survived is just…”
Gerin violently rubbed his face, his smooth brown skin turned red from the stress. Ceccitol gently lowered his hand and smiled at his father.
“If only your vision had made things simple.” Gerin sighed. “They could just come through and win things with but a wave of their hands.”
“If you’d let Anton burn the forests it wouldn’t have been a problem.” Verona shrugged. “But prophecies never work out the way you expect.”
So I’m told.
“Indeed.” Gerin turned to the map. “We’ve located another large Goblin Encampment to the north. Here. It’s the largest we’ve seen and appears to be capable of reinforcing every position within several miles with thousands of the little bastards. We can’t push forward with this encampment still in one piece.”
Along the dividing line of the map a bulge emerged, pushing through their lines. It wasn’t that the Goblins had counter-attacked, simply that they resisted far more fiercely than anywhere else.
“And I don’t want to make this bulge any larger.”
“A large strike force into the heart?” Verona asked. “I don’t think Anton’s going to be here for this. He’s…um…A little tied up in Qaiviel. They’ve just had a big fight and I don’t know if he’s ready yet.”
“I’d like to get it done by nightfall.” Gerin nodded slowly. “They haven’t been attacking in force at night, but I get the feeling they will tonight. Once we’ve destroyed the encampment we can continue to push towards the coast with impunity, you can then focus your attention on Qaiviel.”
“And how do you do that anyway?” Vonkal asked.
“That’s our secret.” Verona folded her arms. “And don’t even think about asking Kal or the Dwarves either.”
“Who? Oh, the Beast-kin. She’s saved a lot of our warriors.”
Don’t get any funny ideas about ‘rewards’.
“Can you do this?” Gerin asked. “Ceccitol will be leading the attack again, with Island and Mainland forces.”
“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Tuccac asked. “The quality of the Mainlanders are…”
“Lacking, I know. But when they are actually directed by Island Clan warriors they fight well enough. They will be the majority of the force but we will be coordinating the attack.”
“We can do that.” Verona nodded. “Just give us some more mana vials and we’ll be on our way.”
---[]---
Verona moved through the burning remains of the Goblin Encampment. Though it was the largest they had found so far, Verona counted at least five thousand Goblins, it didn’t last long once the combined might of the Island and Mainland Clans descended. A continuous stream of black arrows, the relatively inexperienced Mainlanders directed by their Island Clan to target specific Goblins, destroyed their morale in an instant. Verona’s only involvement was the destruction of stubborn clusters. These lasted but a few more moments as Verona’s blood shards ripped them to shreds.
“This was all a little too easy.” Verona mused.
“Easy for you.” Kal chuckled, bringing her mount to a halt next to her. “Imagine if I had to do something like this?”
Verona rubbed her chin. “You’d probably just throw in one of those smoke stones. That’s worked so far.”
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“It has…”
Salvira approached from the front. “Is there any possibility that you could have Anton create some more of those bound Lightning Crows? Keep this area safe?”
“It would be easier to just move the ones he’s already made here,” Kal said. “They’re only going to attack Goblins. So it should be fine.”
“Strohierite isn’t cheap.” Verona threw up a silver brow.
Salvira whimpered. “And you lot just throw them around so easily…Where did you get them? I’d pay you a fortune…Where did you find them?”
“That’s a really good question.” Verona chuckled. “When we know, you’ll know.”
“I didn’t think your husband would keep something like that away from you.” Salvira tilted her head. “He didn’t come across as that sort of person.”
Verona laughed but didn’t answer. Was Ferula stealing them from the Emperor of Graterious, or some magical university? A distant mine across the seas? Or below the waves? Ferula hadn’t given them an answer. A good move on her part, so they can’t just discard her help.
A nearby group of Dark Elves began torching the rudimentary Goblin shacks. These were little more than bundles of bent wood held together to simulate a hut. However, more than a few Dark Elf women had been found within. They would need…treatment, before they could be properly helped.
Ceccitol approached from the centre of the Goblin encampment as the huts burned behind her. She looked a little sheepish, and a little worried.
“Was Tuccac hurt?” Kal asked. “I will heal him if he has.”
Ceccitol laughed. “That would be the day. He’d definitely keep it from me though. No, it’s not that. You two know more about the Goblins than we do, correct?”
“Kal knows more than me, but yes.”
“Well…We found this.” Ceccitol pulled out a small piece of paper.
Verona’s heart stopped and her blood ran as cold as ice. Her fingers hesitated to touch the roll of scrap paper, stained with dirt and moisture. Atros had suffered something similar, the time when Verona’s marks grew from her back to cover most of her body. Verona snatched it from Ceccitol’s hand and breathed deep. It wasn’t a map of Atros, Kal exhaled loudly upon seeing it, but it was a map.
“Kobolds could do this,” Verona mumbled to Kal. “Could Goblins?”
Kal shook her head. “I…I have no idea. I’ve never heard of it, but I’ve never heard of them creating a giant pitfall trap in Fort Acidava, the Reds or the Awakened. I don’t know what to expect from them anymore.”
“And they were just one of the five.” Verona inspected the map more closely. “One of five that come to lands devoid of Earth Mana…This map is of The Shadow Isles, clearly.”
“Indeed.” Ceccitol took the map back. “This marker here is for this encampment, where a totem of Fliodher once stood. There are a few other camps that we didn’t know about but this is odd. A marker with what looks like a pick-axe on a stone.”
“What sort of mines do you have here?” Verona asked. “Some iron ore near the surface or something? I don’t think the Goblins are miners.”
Unless a Red organised them…
“I’m not sure.” Ceccitol leant down and hurriedly spoke with a Dark Elf warrior on foot. “Someone in our army is bound to be a local. They’ll know.”
A Mainland Clan warrior quickly arrived, Verona didn’t know and honestly didn’t care what his coloured tassel signified. He spoke with Ceccitol for a few moments before being politely dismissed.
After we’ve dealt with The Shadow Isles and Qaiviel it’s off to the Dwarven Islands and Seocuria. Those should be less violent than this, thankfully. Well, one of them at least.
Verona ran a hand over her stomach.
Better finish this quickly…We won’t be too much help soon. I hope Sam’s is coming along well.
“He lived far to the north from here.” Ceccitol began. “He said it was a small Iron Mine, but it ran out ages ago. What do you think?”
“Balefire was supposed to be a copper mine, not silver and Chelium.” Verona looked at the map again. “How close is it? The map doesn’t really say.”
“Just over that small ridge. We should arrive there in no time. Especially if the remaining Goblins are in retreat.”
“I think we should.” Kal tightened the grip on her reins. “They wanted it, so we need to stop it.”
“Good enough for me.” Ceccitol checked her quiver, disappointed it was already half empty. “Every one of them that dies is good for us.”
“I’ll stay here.” Salvira chuckled nervously. “Ensure that everyone stays together while the front advances.”
Ceccitol quickly rounded up a small strike force and lead them deeper into the forest. There were very few Goblins this far into the forest, at least ones that were standing their ground. Almost all were fleeing north, towards the Green Moon Island.
I wonder how many Goblins Kal killed with her smoke stone? Probably has a higher kill count than Anton now.
They ignored those that weren’t a direct threat and arrived at the mine. Ceccitol directed them to an area overlooking the site, where the enemy wouldn’t notice their presence.
The mine, such as it was, was little more than a small hole in the side of a small rocky hill. However, it crawled with Goblins, an even greater density than the razed encampment. These reminded Verona of the Rock-Rats during their second delving of Mount Aspire. One stream entered the mine while the other emerged covered in dust and soot. Those that were dirty looked extremely tired as well, a great pile of dead Goblins laid to the side. When one collapsed they were simply thrown onto the pile.
“Looks like the work of a Red,” Verona mumbled. “Not that I know what they’re actually capable of.”
“When you have an inexhaustible supply of slave labour why wouldn’t you work them to death?” Kal asked. She winced but understood the implications. Thankfully Beast-kin were not truly limitless nor had Seocuria found a way to tame the Goblins or Ghlotsm. Verona doubted they would remove the Beast-kin if they did. Their uses went beyond physical labour…
Ceccitol furiously waved for them to crouch low. The Jaguars slinked as low as possible while Verona leant over its head. A large tent lay to the side of the exiting stream of Goblins. The flaps were open and Verona could see someone inside. Though they wore dark clothing they were unmistakably human, there was no way to miss the light skin reflecting the dim light. A Goblin approached the human, they leant forward and spoke to the Goblin. It listened, nodded and re-joined the columns.
“Strega Witches?” Kal asked. “They definitely seem like they could do this.”
“I don’t know.” Verona focused her attention into the tent. “But I can see another two, hiding in the back.”
“Why aren’t they being torn apart?” Tuccac asked.
Kal held Verona’s hand and her vision burst into clarity. The human at the front was a man, the hand was clearly that of a man’s, but a small necklace hung from his neck. It was made from teeth, bones and small feathers, perhaps even pieces of skin. Verona looked to the others; at least one was a woman and both had a fetish amulet dangling from their necks.
“Do you think you can hit the amulets from here?” Verona asked.
Kal relinquished her hold, the enhanced vision dissipated. “I can.”
Kal drew a normal black tipped arrow and drew tight. “Tethra, Goddess of Prayer, guide my arrow straight and true to its target.”
Kal released the silent arrow. The man leant back just as the arrow snipped the fetish amulet, smashing it into a hundred pieces and scattering it across the tent. He lurched up, one hand holding his chest and a faint smear of blood and looked to the other Goblins. Those nearby stopped, unconcerned with the source of the arrow and stared angrily at the man. He made but a single step back before the Goblins descended upon him. They ripped and clawed at his clothes before the other two rushed to his side. With a single wave, the Goblins retreated as they recovered the lightly wounded man, keeping him close.
“Out there!” A woman yelled. “The arrow came from out there! Find them!”
“They shouldn’t be here yet.” The wounded man said.
Verona summoned her shards and destroyed the Goblins within range. Ceccitol ordered the Dark Elves to charge, the horde of Jaguars barely made a sound even as dozens of arrows sunk deep into Goblin flesh. The three robed humans ran into the mine, not before shouting an order to attack. The Goblins charged but were worth nothing more than fodder.
“Let’s get these bastards.” Verona dismounted. “Kal, you can do that truth thing that Anton did. Right?”
“Yes.” Kal drew a Lightning Arrow. “But we don’t know what’s in there...”
Torches illuminated the mine as the narrow pathway led deep into the stone hill, descending around a turn. It was unlikely there were any traps as Goblins were still exiting the cave, unable to add anything significant to the defence before the Dark Elves lazily put them down.
“Don’t even think about going first,” Ceccitol said. She waved some Dark Elf warriors forward. “If you find three humans, capture them. But don’t worry if you have to cripple them to make them behave.”
The warriors quickly descended into the mine, slashing the emerging Goblins with a single swing of the blades. Ceccitol held them back for a few moments before allowing them to enter. Verona kept half of her shards around her and Kal with the other half in front. Ceccitol and Tuccac followed close behind, all three behind Verona had their arrows knocked.
Thousands of dusty footprints covered the roughly hewn stone floor. Ahead they could still hear the sounds of fighting, though it was clearly the Dark Elves that were winning. They finally stumbled into a large cavern where hundreds of rusted pick axes lay strew around. As Verona took her first step into this place a Dark Elf raised his hand. Verona halted and followed his eyes to the floor. A series of straight pathways lined the cavern floor. In between those Verona’s eyes were drawn to a shimmering liquid leaking from beneath the rocks. It looked like silver but yet it didn’t radiant heat like molten metal. As she began to crouch low Kal tapped her shoulder. She pointed to a small cavern where something moved in the darkness. A person.
“There!” Verona shouted.
The Dark Elves snapped to where she pointed. The figures darted deeper into the shadows. Verona gave chase but the Dark Elves barred the way. The cavern only extended for a few feet before turning to the right for another ten or so feet. There was no way out and yet the people had disappeared. Verona pushed the Dark Elves aside and ran her blood shards along the wall. Nothing. It was all solid stone.
“Someone’s got better teleportation than us,” Verona grumbled. “What magic did they use? Would it be light magic? Shadow?”
Verona returned to the main cavern.
“How’d they get away?” Kal asked. She immediately understood Verona’s facial expression.
“No idea.” Verona scratched her head. “No flash of green or white. Or anything really. It could have been black…Ceccitol, Tuccac, know anything like that?”
“No.” Tuccac shook his head. “There might be something, we don’t know much about magic but there certainly could be something. You can move between lands easily. It’s possible there are others.”
“Well, they’re gone now.” Verona kicked at the stone. “Fuck’s sake…There is one group of humans that seemed alright with the Goblins, even…well, feeding one. Really creepy bunch. But we can’t get to them.”
“Who?” Ceccitol asked.
“The Ancient Listeners,” Kal said softly. “A cult we discovered on the way to Graterious. They…lived extremely close to a ravine full of Goblins. This…This might have been them. I honestly don’t know but I don’t know anyone else that could…would do something like this.”
“We didn’t fight them.” Verona continued. “To be honest we just wanted to get out of there.”
“Any idea what this is?” Ceccitol pointed at the liquid silver. “I’ve never seen this before.”
Verona crouched down by the silver metal. She touched it with her blood shards. It felt like a squishy liquid, temperature or sensations were almost impossible to transfer through the shard. She touched it with her gloved finger. Instantly her head screamed with emotions; hatred and anger of unimaginable levels. Verona managed to rip her finger away before her mind was overwhelmed.
“Are you okay?” Kal held her shoulder, murmuring a healing chant.
“I’m fine. Just…No one touch that stuff.”
“Excuse me, Ceccitol.” A Dark Elf warrior pointed to a pile of stones. “We’ve found something.”
The Dark Elves stood before several small barrels of the liquid silver. How the Goblins were able to extract this without going mad was a mystery, perhaps the piles of dead were a clue. Verona felt slightly exhausted from just a few moments of touching whatever that was.
“Take a barrel,” Verona said. “We need to find out what this is. Ferula might know.”
“I’m sure Cetina will be glad to hear that.” Kal murmured.
The Dark Elves secured the lid tight and began to carry it extremely delicately out of the cavern.
“Now what?”
Verona looked to Kal. “I think we should tell Atros to be ready for anything. If the Ancient Listeners are up to something we need to be ready for it.”
“They have access to all the people of Graterious,” Kal said. “If it’s them. And they don’t have to cross a giant crystal chasm…Which we still don’t know how it was made. It wasn’t there when I passed through, and it doesn’t seem like something Tethra would do. Or even if she could.”
“Very strange…Maybe it was to stop someone from Graterious getting into the Kar Kingdom.” Verona held her chin. “But they wouldn’t have left the one stone bridge that we destroyed. Unless it was easier to move that way than to use whatever kind of portal they’ve used here.”
Verona shrugged. “Not much we can do about it now.”
They quickly retreated from the mine, the Dark Elves outside were constantly scanning the perimeter for more Goblins. Every few heartbeats a bow loosed followed by the sound of an arrow sinking into flesh.
“Everyone out?” Verona asked. “If the Goblins sneak through they could get the rest of that silvery stuff. So…”
When she received a nod she thrust the large shards into the roof. They buckled in contact with the stone, her shards were far softer and more fragile than the stone and only elicited a few small chunks. Verona liquefied the blood and poured it upwards through the cracks. Slowly they found a way through. Verona hardened the blood and pulled down with all her might. The blood resisted her but finally, one rock gave way, collapsing the entire entrance. Verona covered her face as the cloud of dust settled over them.
Verona coughed, waving away the dust. “One less thing to worry about.” She turned to the barrel of liquid silver. “We’ll take that back to Atros, far away from here. Make sure that someone’s kept here, just to make sure they don’t get their grubby little hands on any more. Or those humans.”
Verona returned to her Jaguar Mount, scratching its neck. “Let’s hope that’s the last of the crazy stuff. For now at least. You don’t like running, do you?”
The Jaguar growled in happiness.
“I wonder which is going to be sorted first, here or Qaiviel?” Verona sighed. “I wonder which is really worse. At least these Goblins aren’t aiming for our home, for now at least.”