Sometimes plans coming together can be a real bother. I can easily plunder the tasty loot and escape. Or I can rescue the spiders and forgo easy looting. Plagued by my fortune, I curse the bad timing of it all. The spiders only had to hide. Why aren’t they hiding?
Extending my senses, I scan for the spiders under duress. Backed to the base of the mountain near us, seven spiders are cornered by forty goblins. The only barrier keeping the spiders safe from spears and arrows is thin webbing protection and trees. If the spiders attempt to scale the mountain they will be exposed. Alternatively, once the goblins cut through the webbing, the spiders will be easy targets. It is the classic run-and-die or wait-and-die scenario.
Sensing the urgency, I work my way out of the binding ropes by absorbing the material. There appeared to be runes on the rope suppressing powers. The runes just weren’t ready for all my power. Perhaps it is a boon of the golden-ranked death core.
No longer bound, I step into shadow and sprint to the spiders’ aid. I cover the distance in short time clearing the uneven forest floor with ease. Inside my shadow, I can sneak past the goblins and get near the arachnids.
The last of the webs have been cut. Four spiders are trying to scale the steep mountainside while the other four spiders are standing as a defense. Goblins step through the web wall and unleash their volley. Arrows pass spears as they race toward us.
With not a moment to spare, I step out of shadow, conjure a bone wall, and then pull the seven spiders into my realm. The strain is heavy on my shadow core. Still, I maintain my hold over the nine of us as I lead them back into the goblin camp.
Confused goblins check the bone wall over. One cluster searches the forest as they make their way back to camp. The other half stays behind searching for the spider trail. Even though the spiders haven’t been able to communicate, they follow my fast pace back into camp. Quickly we outpace the following search party putting a small buffer between us.
Once we get back to camp it is a scramble to loot and leave without causing too much disruption. I know it is a greedy choice. Sometimes you just have to risk it all. Besides, Gene has been circling the air for days now waiting for excitement. If she doesn’t get in on the fun, it will be a real travesty.
As if summoned by my thoughts, fireballs from a screeching hawk start reigning down on the opposite side of the camp and crew.
“Dragon!”
“We’re under attack!”
“Take cover!”
Shouts from the goblins fill the air as fire bombs tents, trees, and unlucky goblins. The fireballs are nowhere near the power of Fury. Fear is the only element keeping the goblins from seeing the attack rationally.
I take the opportunity to grab all the packaged goods. My primary focus is food. I don’t care what it is, I start grabbing it all. The spiders seeing my objective, join in the fun. They wrap containers in their webs as quickly as I can, and pocket the food into my cloak. When all the items have been plundered, we make a hasty retreat toward the abandoned goblin camp inside my shadow.
I can’t believe that worked! The food alone was worth the risk, but now I have found spiders. We travel quickly, still in the safety of my shadow. Gene has made a few more attacks with her fireballs keeping the goblins out of order. It won’t be long before they either discover the ‘dragon’ isn’t as fearsome as they thought, or Gene no longer feels safe. Knowing that our window is closing I push us past the goblin camp deeper into the woods.
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Only when we are miles away do I drop the shadow cloak around us. My third core has been pushed to its limits and I will not be able to hide us if the goblins discover our hiding spot. For that reason alone, I continue to push our group deeper into the woods towards the mountains. Along the way, I help myself to a loaf of bread that I fish out of Gloom’s deep pocket.
“Hello, spiders.” I greet my new friends now that we have breathing room.
“Hiss,” is the response I get from one of the spiders. It is hard to tell them apart, so I am not exactly sure which one is doing the hissing. My spider talk is no good, but I take the hiss as a hello.
“Glad, I have found you. I have been looking for you all.” I get right into business. “The spider queen — Annette — wanted me to find you.”
“Hiss,” from another spider, in a higher pitch is my response.
“Good so we are on the same page.”
“Hiss.”
This is worse than talking to Bones. They are either agreeing in the worst manner possible or they don’t like my company. Either way, I am not a fan of hissing. No longer wanting to pursue this avenue of conversation, I turn back to the mind mana to see if we can elevate our speaking.
I focus my intent on the pure mana doing my best to wrap the word hello in the energy. I can get the words to come out if only I can focus hard enough. We are blazing our way up the mountainside. The spiders make easy work of the steady incline. I keep up, thanking previous me for the sacrifices made to be in great running condition. Focusing on my words I send out the wrapped greeting.
An arrow pierces the abdomen of the spider beside me. It hisses in agony and tumbles to the ground. Fire, Ice, and arrows fly toward the downed beast.
“Go,” I yell to the remaining six spiders. I summon the largest bone shield I can manage and cover the injured beast. Ichor is leaking into the rocks. Arrows are pounding on my shield. Fire burns on impact. Ice adds another layer of weight.
Footsteps stomping on the rocking mountain terrain are closing in on us. Five goblins race past me and the spider, chasing the remaining fleeing spiders up the mountain and firing arrows. I cannot drop my shield and intervene, or we will be exposed to the fifteen goblins still targeting us.
Intersecting the fleeing spiders, a massive black wolf appears. With a mighty wolf howl, it rallies the spiders to turn back and attack. Feeling encouraged by the new ally, the spiders chase down the goblins. Before they overtake them, the wolf and spiders vanish. That now leaves the injured spider and me facing goblins on both sides of my shield.
I try to summon a dome to cover the wounded spider in, but my power is cut off. Knowing that I can’t hold the shield forever, I slam it into the ground creating a temporary barrier between the spider and the larger goblin threat. The spider understands my thinking and tucks in tight next to the shield.
As the goblins enclose our position, I summon Bo in the form of a staff. Gene has fled with the spiders to safety. Through our bond, she understands simple commands. That leaves me against twenty goblins. My biggest concern is that I am trying to protect Annette’s loyal sister. Since she stood up for Bones during the ritual, I feel like I really owe her. Plus, the oath we swore to each other also plays into consideration.
Luckily the goblins are low-ranked. Even though I’m outnumbered significantly, I have a fighting chance. If Sil were here, it would be a different story.
“Orc, I must say, it will be a pleasure killing one of your kind,” Stupid Sil cuts the tension. She is the worst friend ever.
“That’s a really weird thing to say,” I holler back. “Also, the name is Liam. I thought we were friends.”
Goblin cackling sound like a bunch of dry hacking hounds with a slightly higher pitch and much less growl. So maybe not hounds but it’s just as unpleasant.
“Bring him down,” Sil’s order rises above the mocking goblins. As a coordinated unit, twenty goblins swarm my defensive position. I hone my energy sense by putting all my focus on survival.
Between training with Gene, and my own practices the staff feels much more comfortable in my hand. I’m the shepherd amidst wolves and I will protect my sheep. Um… no I don’t like that. I’m the lioness protecting her cub from a pack of hyenas. A little bit better. I am the jester, and these are my court of fools. No. no. that is all wrong. The battle quip is on the tip of my tongue I know it.
Five goblins get within reach. Screw it. I’m the lion's jaw, the spider is my cub. I will protect my own. I let out my battle cry and swing Bo intercepting the closest goblin.