Not even stepping ten paces, two soldiers ran up to Levi informing of a trail leading north. Eager to catch up to the monsters, especially after seeing the shocking defilement of human life, the group hurried to pursue the enemy. In the time the men gathered, both their wits and into groups, and did other human things the undead would rather not see, Magus investigated on his own.
In the frosted earth pools of blood were frozen solid into shards of red. The thickets were bent and snagged. Something was dragged through them. A branch loosely hung about two meters in the air, snapped by a large being. Sharp teeth of the wooden stump sneered in proof of its furious strength.
Goblins and orcs, likely many. The undead guessed that they took prisoners. Rations, in other words.
Formed in groups, the humans marched into the sleeping forest. Crossbows loaded, weapons ready and wrapped in armor, the men walked confidently, but still glanced at their surroundings from time to time, scanning for green or red. Continuing into the wintery forest, the undead’s hunch was confirmed. Leftovers of bone and ripped limbs littered the trampled snow pathway. It varied so much it appeared as if a human was shredded along the way. From ears, noses and eyeballs, to a whole head the list grew until they came upon what probably was the deserted goblin camp.
Unlike humans who slept inside tents, it was nothing but hovels in the snow that contained leftovers of bone, more blood, excrement and other vile residue. At this point more than half of the humans threw up, others barely holding onto their bowels.
“Let’s not squander,” said Levi, his face stern and eyes locked forward. Through the open visor the undead could tell that behind the stern face lied a frightened human child. “We’re right behind them.”
The goblins probably weren’t that far away, as the leftovers of a fire were still warm. Magus was surprised that such creatures were capable of making fire, especially when they seemed to eat raw meat and live in dark holes among their own shit.
Humans maintained a steady walking speed until reaching a deep gorge. A shabby bridge swayed over the great plunge into a frozen river. To cross it, they would likely need to go one-by-one, as it was obviously made for goblins only. Naturally, they hesitated to do so.
Magus felt a presence on the other side. A goblin?
“What do we do, sir?”
Levi seemed to be stuck, probably thinking about turning back or going around. Doing the latter might take a day or two, while returning would bring shame to the future Duke.
“Just send him,” pointed the undead at one of the knights. Chipping at their numbers wouldn’t hurt. “If you secure the other side we can all cross safely. I’m confident it will hold.”
Suddenly given a solution the stupid man nodded in agreement as if saying, ‘I’ve thought of it as well.’ Too simple the humans were when it came to the life of others. Unfortunately, the person in question was not as eager.
“Why should I go?!” Screamed the knight. “Send him instead!” And pointed at the undead knight.
“You’re asking me to send my own guard. For you? Surely you jest,” chuckled the voice dryer than ice itself.
After bickering and quarreling, Levi decided to let one of the other soldiers go instead. The man he picked was clearly scared shitless, but the condemning eyes of his comrades toughened him up and he rushed to cross the bridge. Each hurried step he took, the rotting wood creaked and tensed, readying to get loose at any moment. The bridge swayed from left to right as a chilling winter’s breeze sang its song along the frosty rock of the pit. When he reached the mid-section of this crazy dive the presence beyond moved.
Magus stared in amusement as the greenish figure jumped out from under the snow, throwing off what seemed like an animal hide that shielded its weak self against the cold. As it darted to the ropes, the human quickened his pace to the point of running, swaying the bridge even more so, letting some of the boards loose in his step. The undead barely held his laugh back when the green creature cut the rope with an obsidian dagger and the human plummeted with a desperate wail, few steps from the end.
He couldn’t get a good look at the monster because it turned to run as soon as the rope snapped, but the four crossbowmen were a step ahead of it and unloaded their deadly projectiles over the gorge. Three bolts hit its green back and it flopped dead to the snow. Other soldiers hurried to peak over the ledge, but all they saw was a wide hole in the cracked ice and the water rushing underneath.
The knight which barely eluded the fate started shouting and kicking around, seeing that it could’ve been him under that ice. He blamed the mage for the loss, saying that going around would’ve been the right choice, and finally lashed out at Levi who was at a loss of words.
Shutting the man up with a smack on the helmet, Levi looked over the gorge, assessing the situation. With the bridge gone, he was stuck again on what to do. A man less this time. Going back was not an option, thus once more the undead decided to dangle a solution in front of their eyes.
He walked up to a tree closest to the gorge and focused on the mana around him. In a split second it surged through his body and out of the covered palm. The fire blazed, indifferent to the cold surrounding, melting snow and more importantly burning through the thick wood.
Humans stared in wonder, seeing fire suddenly appear from the man. Crunching under its own weight, the tree soon fell and landed over the gorge. Branches flew everywhere and the ground tremored for a second.
“I’ve wasted a lot of mana for this,” he lied. “Stop bickering and hurry up.”
As if forgotten about the recent loss, though the knight still grumbled under his helmet, the soldiers crawled onto the wide trunk and passed the gorge with surprising speed. The undead hoped for more goblins to come and try something again, but it seems very few other living presences remained in the barren forest and the undead could not tell if they were animals or goblins. If it’s the latter, they probably were too scared to attack and watched from afar.
“Should’ve done so in the beginning,” said Levi as Magus jumped off on the other side. His face was resolute for some reason, with a burning desire for revenge. “Damned critters,” he spat on the greenish corpse.
“Yes, yes. I take it you won’t need any magic support when inevitable fighting breaks out?”
“I didn’t mean that,” he suddenly turned towards the mage. Having seen the magic, he was quite desperate to not lose this immense power.
“Then I’ll do what I must and let you deal with the trifles along the way. What will you do about the cart?”
The supplies could not be brought over the gorge, even if the tree was so large it was wide enough for it. Marching without any would lead even the strongest of armies to their dooms.
“I’ll leave two men to guard it. Can’t be having some wildlife chewing on it when we get back, or goblins,” said Levi. “They should be close enough for us to make do. The abomination was stationed to watch the pass, so naturally their base should be close. Or so I think.”
“Mhm. Sounds reasonable. You may press forth. I’d like to investigate the green one.”
The man only nodded and pulled his visor down. It was surprising how cooperative he became as soon as one of his kind has perished.
Left to his own devices the undead looked at the body.
The beast lied unmoving, three bolts firmly lodged inside its green back. It died way too easily, even a human would’ve lasted longer with those injuries. Kicking it over revealed a swollen gut, someone must’ve beaten it prior to this. A similarly colored tongue dropped out of the mouth. It had a nose crooked like an old tree, ears long and vertical as if that of furless dog, and yellow goat-like eyes.
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Goblins were famous for their savagery, their race bound by nothing but strength and violence. But what use was that in terms of undeath? Magus was not sure they could produce any significant difference and small fries he needed the least. It was bothersome that he could not dissect it given the circumstances, but there was still one experiment he hadn’t the chance to do.
Feeling the negative energy within his body the undead placed its hand on the corpse. It’s been a while since he had raised one. The feeling of a connection forming was soothing and calm, the energy flew out as if a dam had been opened for a split second.
The undead goblin tensed and tried to get up, but Magus held it firmly down to the ground. Even in undeath it was weaker than a human. How disappointing. Ordering it to stay still, Magus stood up. Looking around and seeing that none of the eyes were on him, he kicked the corpse off the cliff. A crack and a splash later, the connection furthered and furthered as the current swept it up like a hungry beast.
“Hmm, I figured. We’ve no need of breath after all.”
***
At the beginning it was simple. Natural obstacles like frozen rivers, deep snow and steep climbs, few old traps here and there, were their only hassle. Crossing ice was dangerous and slogging through the knee-deep snow exhausting. The least of their bothers was the cold as the thick gambeson under their armor warmed them enough to not freeze. But then came the constant ambushes of the never ending green horde. Every hour more than a hundred lied dead, a dozen for each wave, paving their way in green corpses and burgundy blood. They screamed, screeched and howled every time, be it before or during contact. The humans felt as if fighting against the wails and cries, not an actual enemy. Like farm men they reaped their lives, precisely and meticulously, as if harvesting crop, to the point their ears numbed from the sound. Only two hours after humans found respite. No more goblins came, allowing them to relax physically, though not mentally. At this point every shadow or unknown movement kept them on their toes.
“What is going on, my Liege?” Asked a knight, panting, all the while rubbing his sword, blunted from all the slicing, against the snow.
Levi stood calm, very few specks of blood met his armor.
“They’re desperate, that’s all. We’re getting close. Rest up before we move again.”
The undead stayed in the rear, with the crossbowmen. After collecting all the usable bolts, they were still running dry. The weapon’s power was exceptional. It pierced, sometimes shattered, wooden shields the critters had used.
Sun was falling as the sky turned darker and darker. Couple hours of daylight left, the undead figured. Magus wanted for this to end quicker, but it seems the goblins were far too weak to do any serious damage to the humans.
The way they attacked in waves made little sense. Perhaps they aimed to tire the humans out? If it was him, he’d send all of them to attack. Then some, if not all, of the humans would get injured or killed. Though maybe because they were living they chose a different tactic. They reproduced quite easily, especially goblins apparently, which made their numbers replenishable. For all he knew, the beasts were securing space by throwing all of the spare goblins out. Their corpses did show advanced malnutrition, although that may be just the way they were built.
At the moment humans rested on a small hill with no trees. The previously far smoke was now much closer, just beyond the large patch of slumbering trees. It was thick and wide, not something a single fire could throw up. It had to be a goblin settlement of some kind.
The undead didn’t want to waste any more time by letting the humans recover. They were supposed to die today, but with every moment it seemed as if the goblins would never scratch them. He walked up to Levi who was busy motivating his two knights. They were covered in blood from the slaughter they had done along the way.
“How long do you plan to rest?”
Levi turned to him, clutching the hilt of his weapon.
“Oh, it’s just you,” he sighed. The contents of the waterskin splashed as he took a sip from it. “As much as we can.”
“The goblins are just beyond, near that smoke. We’ve no time to rest for the daylight will forsake us.”
“I’ve been waiting for my scouts, but maybe you’re right,” he slapped the shoulder of a knight and whispered him to form the men up. “Where did you see this smoke?”
Magus pointed at the lazy fumes but the human didn’t seem to see it. Was their vision that bad?
“Maybe you should rest, mage. You’re beginning to see things.”
As he said those words a commotion arose at the main camp where the rest of the men were resting. A human desperately ran up the hill, heaving and crying at the same time. His left arm flailed around, mangled, blood seeping through the gambeson and condemning the mail to rust. When he reached Levi, he fell to his knees, desperate to spit the words out of his mouth.
“S-Sir! . . . Camp. . . found it. . . just, a bit further. . . north!”
The undead could tell the arm of the man was ruined to completion. No bone was left unshattered, crushed under enormous weight.
“Good job. Where’s the other one?”
“Joffrey. . . sir. . . covered for. . . my escape. . .”
“I understand,” Levi nodded slowly. “You may stay here, treat yourself in the meanwhile.”
As the man lumbered down to the men, which were more than anxious, the Duke’s son once more took a sip from the leather flask.
“. . . let us go, mage. Battle awaits.”
***
Trees rocked in face of the harsh winter’s wind. Remains of a scout hung on a branch, indifferent to everything including life itself. His body crushed, twisted and mangled beyond recognition, lingered, left out to dry by the culprit. No animals roamed the forest, no sounds of birds travelled the air. Everything was peaceful and slumbering.
The humans followed the footprints up to this scene. If one ignored the putrid smell and slow dripping of internal liquids, they could see an opening just further ahead. Only giving a second of silence the group continued towards the settlement of goblins. And a settlement it was, confusing human and undead alike.
It was a wide area without trees or snow. Wooden stakes and makeshift walls marked the perimeter of the beasts’ lair, though the actual sight looked more like a primitive civilization than a work of monsters. Huts of mud and sticks, small campfires and even kilns littered the land within. There were even a few failed attempts at building towers and battlements.
In a 50-meter radius of the settlement, large fissures had formed in the rough ground, surging blue gas of unknown kind. It seemed to be invisible to the human eye, but not undead. Magus could clearly see it, the azure, just like the sky itself, rising, twisting and bursting upwards. It was so fresh, crisp and invigorating, almost as if he could smell it… Mana, strong and pure. Whiffing the air, it slipped past clothing and absorbed into the soil, numbing the senses of the dead.
It felt good.
“Damned critters. Who would’ve thought they made a home so close to ours,” cursed a soldier and others agreed. It seems the humans were quite eager to slay more goblins, blind to the abnormality of the land.
It didn’t take long for them to plan their attack. Given the situation and taking into consideration the lack of goblins, they believed that many of them had died in the ambushes. Of course that was false as the undead felt the many living presences inside. There were three times more of them than humans. Not enough as far as Magus was concerned. Up until now, he has witnessed himself how humans dominated the goblins. A single spear thrust was enough to end them. On the other hand, to beat a human two or three goblins would have to attack at once from all sides. And even then the outcome would be questionable, not to mention that such conditions were unachievable when the humans fought in a group.
As questions and theories popped and gathered inside the undead’s mind, mainly pondering why mana was so rich in this place, the group formed into a column and advanced. He was stationed right in the middle, but didn’t plan to help them. It was time to end their journey and life, and give them the second chance many wish for. They had walked enough.
The makeshift gate of sticks toppled under a firm kick from the front. Humans boldly walked inside as they secretly glanced at the surroundings, expecting for a goblin to sprint out, loincloth to the wind.
No one came at them, and having no nerve to search hut-by-hut they walked to the deepest part of the village, in the direction Magus felt the goblins gathering and waves of mana spilling out from.
It was mindboggling how much the beasts reminded of humanity. Sure, they had no four-story buildings of stone or large fortifications, not even a market or a castle for their leader, but everything else felt the same, just slightly less-advanced. Instead of high-quality pottery, clay was molded into crooked pots and containers. The kilns also were crooked, but seemed to be working perfectly, only few having cracks and most still blazing at the material inside. Meat dried in the open, a few goats cried here and there. In place of animal trophies, human skulls, bones and ears decorated the fragile homes, dreadful draperies of human skin and chairs of bone lingering and swaying in a dance of denial.
There was likely many more other things to be witnessed, but the group already reached the middle. Men rushed to form tightly, pointing their spears as crossbowmen aimed at the group ahead. A mass of green growled and screeched at them, raising stone spears, the rare few made of metal. There were more than sixty goblins, weak as ever, and three enormous, about three meters high, walking pieces of muscle. Yellow tusks grew from their mouths and large goat-like eyes stared in anger. The scarred, well-built bodies were covered in animal furs with metal pieces, some arrow heads others just scrap, sewn on the surface.
Behind them large stone spikes protruded and twisted like snakes, a stairway paved on their backs leading down into the depths where mana gushed from with the thickest cloud of blue Magus had seen. Next to the entrance of the depths sat human females, ten of them, tied to the spikes and beaten into submission. Judging by their lack of reaction, movement and will, they had been here for a long time.
Naturally the men didn’t feel fond of the sight of women with crammed stomachs of devil’s offspring, but Levi still managed to calm their ranks with a reminder of the number and risk. The group, with shields tightly packed together, slowly advanced as the crossbowmen began their barrage.
Magus saw the orcs, he surmised that they were the large greenskins humans spoke about, and felt nothing as the thought processes accelerated inside its skull. He could see their build, height and strength without even fighting. A crazy idea popped into its head.
Weren’t they the best subjects?