Rocks were falling on the people behind me. Did they intend to bring the entire place down? There were only two directions to run outwards and inwards. I ran deeper into the cave. I couldn’t die like this! I had promised Devin that we would escape this life after the dwarven defeat. This was a promise that I intended on keeping

I managed to see a path through the falling debris that looked like it led deeper into their stronghold. A few of the surrounding orcs had taken the same path alongside me. We charged forward only to find yet another line of defense. This one was the genuine force of the dwarves. From the lack of dwarves manning the walls, it should have been obvious. I bet Devin would have noticed it if she had been with me. But she hadn’t been there. Not to mention that he wasn’t even talking to me! I mean, I knew I was in the wrong. But I hadn’t expected her to be hurt so badly. Now wasn’t the time for that kind of thought. I needed to kill some dwarves! I could apologize for Devin’s hurt feelings later.

A large rock hurled through our line of defenses. The progenitor of the attack looked to be a dwarven duo. They were dawned in large furs with the fierce shine of plate metal armor hidden underneath. Their equipment looked like it should be a hindrance to their movements, but they moved with the fluidity of the tranquil stream. These two dwarves were worth all their comrades together. One of the dwarves was forming large boulders and then tossing them to the other who continued to launch them as if they were little as a pebble.

“All you stupid dwarves should die in hell fire!” I shouted. I meant for it to come off as a war cry. But, with the situation the way it was it came weaker than I intended it to. I still managed to begin covering their frontal forces in flames. Once my flame was in place it could continue to work through their forces. They might have a way to put out the flames, but at least it could slow them down for the time being.

The dwarves did not stop their assault even with my flames. With our front line collapsed due to the dwarven catapult team they then began to start aiming their projectiles into the back of our scattered formation. With the switch in their tactics, the other dwarves stormed us from our flanks. Their war hammers and shields clashed with the smattering of weapons our monster army had.

The dwarves were a disciplined force even and were not to be underestimated. Even now we contained the superior force, but with no command structure, our forces were falling to the dwarves one after another. They had managed to split our force down the center and the situation began to look like it would be all of our last.

Now was the time to act, so I set the ground between us and the dwarves on fire. Doing my best to trap them from proceeding with us. Since it wasn’t a part of my expertise, it would not last long. But I needed the precious moments to get out of here. Then I noticed a few of the orcs peeling off into a tunnel. It’s better than nothing, I convinced myself.

I followed them into the tunnels. My flames wavered, and the dwarves charged through. It seemed like they did not want what they left of our forces to survive. This confined space leaned itself to me. As the dwarves charged through, I marked them with my power. I was now backpedaling down the tunnel as I continued to pepper the dwarves with hellfire. After five of them had died and three more were marked, the dwarves stopped coming. They must have seen the fight as meaningless. Or the army behind me pushed through the rubble and was occupying them. At least that’s what I was hoping for, but the dwarf duo from earlier stepped out into the tunnel. I was now facing them and they looked more monstrous than any demonic affinity user I had ever seen.

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

“Surrender,” the deep voice of a dwarf called out.

“If you give in now we won’t have to kill you all,” the softer voice of his counterpart chimed in.

“I have my orders, and those orders are to kill dwarves!” I shouted at them as I threw my hellfire at them.

As the fire was about to hit them a wall of stone flew up from the ground and blocked my flames. The wall then shattered and small projectiles flew down the tunnel. The attack seemed to be mostly directed at the wall since the projectiles only left minor cuts where they impacted. However, I did have to cover my eyes so that no shrapnel would end up in them. They were only closed for moments, but that was enough. One of the dwarves closed the difference and landed a solid fist into my stomach.

The dwarf then launched into combat with the orcs around me. It gave me enough chance to recuperate and stand back up. It looked like the dwarves had underestimated the strength of the orcs. But, the dwarves still had the upper hand as they managed to fight two on eight with nothing more than their bare hands and a few affinity powers they could sprinkle in. It looked like the orcs would soon fall, but they had managed to buy me enough time.

“Return to ash!” I shouted.

I reached out with both of my hands to the dwarves and began to pour out flames onto them. I had learned from the orc champion that one hit was enough, but a strong opponent could kill me in those moments I waited for their soul to burn. Today I was not going to wait. I needed them to burn before they killed all of us. Their screams filled the tunnels as their bodies turned into ash and their souls became trapped within my flames.

Now with more urgency, the orcs and I started to flee through the tunnels. None of us were in any type of condition to continue fighting even though now we took out their elite duo. We had to flee before the rest of their forces regrouped and began hunting us down.

Eventually, one orc led us out of the tunnels. I don’t know if he had kept the exit to his left or if he just got lucky. I didn’t care, though, I was out of that hell. We marched back toward the predetermined fallback point. The day had been lost. We arrived and saw just how battered the army was. Most of the gnomes and goblins survived. But from our frontal forces, only a few handfuls survived. With only one battered troll making it out.

Then someone ran into me. It was Devin who had gripped me into an almost death hold of a hug. “Guess you're not mad at me?” I asked.

“No, you are still in trouble. But that can wait for tomorrow. Today I am just glad you are alive. I was so worried about you.”

I held her close and then moved my lips to her ear to whisper to her, “We need to get out of this war before we die. If you still want to escape with me we should do it tomorrow.”

Devin pulled away from me and she said, “Yeah, let's do it you and me versus the world!”