The dwarven countess Amara Ironhand was sipping tea while rocking back and forth in her chair. It was an uneventful day on the middle front with nothing to note other than a few enemy stragglers and a scout from the south.

‘How eerie.’ She stood up from her chair and exited her tent. The camp was quiet and orderly. The soldiers smiled and joked around, and there wasn’t a single wounded soldier in sight.

‘Disgusting.’ The countess walked towards the hospital building. There were fewer injured than normal, but the familiar sight of blood and open flesh helped ease her worries.

“Milord!” Amara heard a panicked voice behind her back. With a repressed smile, she turned and greeted the soldier.

“Report.”

“Milord.” The dwarf heaved to gather his breath. “We’re under attack. It’s an all out invasion!”

Amara’s grin reached her ears. “Finally. How many brainless oafs are there this time?”

“Thousands,” said the dwarf. “But they’re not coming here, Milord.”

“What?”

“The monsters are charging the northern front.”

[On the northern front]

The dust cloud caused by the approaching monster army had reached halfway towards the bubble’s ceiling. The army’s camp had been evacuated and the dwarfs stationed on the wall stayed put. For now, all they could do was watch the survivors run for their lives.

“Sir, shouldn’t we at least send a squad?” a dwarven archer asked his superior. “There’s a goblin too. Maybe it’s the one controlling the army.”

“Hmph, impossible.” The lieutenant crossed his arms. “No goblin can control more than 100 monsters. Trust me, Darren. The true enemy isn’t so stupid as to leave behind his army and fight us head on.”

Unfortunately, even if they had sent a squadron, it was already late. In the middle of the beach, the goblin they were observing was recovering quickly from his self inflicted injuries while making incomprehensible sounds.

Its black crystal glowed like a beacon drawing the approaching army and beckoning the monsters to increase their march.

Suddenly, the goblin shouted “I’m going enjoy your screams!” before canceling its shield and shooting countless fireballs towards Annie. The girl blocked as many as she could and dodged the rest by a hair’s breadth.

Seeing Tommy approaching from the right, the goblin struck the earth with his crystal, turning the ground into a muddy pit which grew in diameter towards both opponents. However, because the pit grew slower than the humans retreated, the goblin was forced to return to its fireball assault. A bit further away, Luca and Finn were approaching the scene.

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“We should throw rocks,” said Luca.

“No,” Finn wobbled around the mud pit keeping enough distance in case it suddenly grew. “The sharks will reach us if we stall, and this bastard is shooting from afar. The two of us are nothing but liabilities, so our best bet is to leave it to those two and run.”

Tommy seemed to be of the same mindset as he moved around the pit, away from injured teens, while waving his sword.

“Is this all you’ve got?” he shouted, enraging the goblin into shooting 10 fireballs his way.

“Are you scared?” Annie grinned. “Some monster you are. I bet you punch like a baby.”

Why that pissed off the goblin, not even Annie could comprehend. However, while it resorted to fireballs after Tommy’s insult, it now straight up charged towards her.

Gliding on the mud like a professional surfer, it raised the black crystal above its head as if readying a massive attack.

“Now!” shouted Annie and her eyes started to glow. On cue, Tommy’s legs bulged with veins, and he leaped towards the goblin like a mantis after its prey.

The goblin shouted obscenities and his crystal glowed bright. However, right before whatever magic he was planning could activate, lasers shot out of Annie’s eyes and threatened to split its body in half.

Lasers from the front, the swordsman from the side. The goblin’s fate looked all but sealed. However, the crystal acted as if it had a mind of its own. It slipped out of the goblin’s hand and intercepted the lasers. Then, as soon as Tommy was in range, it encased the goblin in a black bubble, blocking his sword strikes.

Blow after blow smashed into the dark ball releasing metal-like sounds. Unfortunately, neither Tommy nor Annie could continue this for long.

Tommy retreated, fearing a fireball counterattack, and Annie ceased her magic fearing she’d run out of mana.

“Retreat!” shouted Finn. “It’s over!”

Hearing him, the goblin canceled its defense, but a second later, another laser beam forced it back up. The creature could not tell where the enemy was or when the next beam would strike. While its face contorted, it released a flurry of fireballs in every direction, hoping something would hit.

“Are you scared!?” it screeched like a banshee. “Who’s the child now, huh? Who’s the underdeveloped little freak now, huh!?”

There was no response, and the magic crystal flickered. So much mana was being exhausted by the wave of fireballs that the crystal turned from black to purple.

With his eyes wide, the goblin stopped the assault. It canceled the barrier around its feet and jumped backwards, away from the wall. It was sure the humans would not chase after it, not with the incoming army and their injured members.

Slowly but surely, it released the barrier, and as expected, the humans had fled. They were more than 200 feet away, and it would not be long before they would reach the wall.

“You think you can escape!?” the goblin let out a guttural laugh. “Do you think there’s anywhere left to run!?”

A few thousand sharks were approaching from behind.

“Huhuhuhahahaa! You said it yourselves, humans!! It’s over!”

The sharks blotted the sky like a wall of teeth threatening to take down everything in its path. As expected, one of the fugitives turned his head looking pale and distraught. It was the elf, and it seemed to be shouting something.

‘Look to your right, moron.’

After reading Luca’s lips, the goblin turned its head. Just like its army blotted the sea, another army blotted the southern horizon.

Veteran dwarf soldiers armed to the teeth with magical armor and weaponry, charged in such numbers one could not see the end. Above their heads, more than a thousand mages riding large griffins flew alongside the troops, keeping their speed slow and steady in order to maintain formation.

The goblin’s army, on the other hand, was in complete disarray. The sharks were way in front with the stingrays slightly behind. The ground troops were lagging even further away on the sand and the giant octopus was dead last.

“Fuck!” The goblin clenched the crystal and ordered the sharks to turn around. It hopped on top of one and scrambled to reassemble its forces.

The now purple crystal started spasming and burning the goblin’s hands. Black tendrils entered its body, squeezing its organs just short of making them pop.

“I’ll make it right, master,” the goblin blurted while spitting out blood. “You will have your victory, and Trident will fall!”