"Ambush!" Revel's voice came from the front of the convoy.
The caravan came to a stop. Guards dismounted and moved into position, weapons already drawn.
Blaise jumped out of the wagon Adolin was standing next to. His face was still sleepy. He looked at him. "What's happening?"
"Ambush," Adolin said, pointing toward the tree line.
Blaise nodded, shaking off the sleepiness. His eyes sharpened. He extended his hand and summoned his staff. It was almost two meters tall, with a red crystal at the top and a sharp spike at the bottom.
The guards grouped up in the middle of the convoy. Six of them wielded shields and short swords, their shields already raised. The other four moved behind them, spears and halberds in hand.
Glancing back, he saw Lira standing near the third wagon, far enough to cover the rear of the caravan. Her staff was already in her hands. At the front, Revel was doing the same, while Clay rushed toward the center, his sword drawn.
The drivers arrived next, moving between the wagons with bows and crossbows in hand. Master Eldritch was the last to arrive, stopping at the center with his hands behind his back.
Clay turned. "Where?"
Blaise pointed toward the tree line. "Let them charge us."
The tree line came alive with noise. Branches cracked, bushes rustled. A rotten stench followed. Soon, the whole forest was alive with movement.
"Shield wall," Master Eldritch shouted.
The guards locked their shields together and moved ten steps away from the convoy. The drivers split to either side of the formation, five to the left and five to the right, forming wings beside the shield wall. They kept enough distance to fire past it, with a clear line toward the tree line.
Adolin nodded. It was a good strategy. The shield wall moved in front of the convoy to take the charge, while the archers held the flanks, ready to cut them down from the sides. The guards without shields stood behind the wall, prepared to strike past it with their longer weapons.
The sounds from the forest converged toward the center of the convoy. The battle would begin soon. Revel and Lira moved closer as well.
He could already see the enemies moving through the trees. Their skin was green, their frames small. They looked like goblins. The stench coming from their direction almost confirmed it. But this was another world. He couldn't rely on his old instincts.
If they were goblins, he wouldn't have to do much, depending on their numbers. He could let his party take the experience. It wasn't like he needed it. Still, he had to do something, so they wouldn't think he was slacking.
And he didn't want to get anyone killed by underestimating the enemy.
The first enemy broke through the tree line. It was small, the size of a child, with green skin and a bald head. It held a dagger that looked like a sword in its hands, its body wrapped in what looked like white bandages.
Goblins.
He wouldn't have to do much.
The lone goblin charged toward the shield wall, dozens more joining him from the tree line. Just the first wave that passed had over thirty goblins.
"Goblins!" several guards shouted.
"Take them down," Revel said, already starting her chant.
Adolin moved his gaze toward the goblins.
Black chains shot out from the shadows and wrapped around the first goblins they reached. Five in total. One had its legs bound, thrashing as it tried to break free. Another hung upside down, struggling to cut through the shadow, failing.
A high-pitched shriek cut through the air as the chains tightened.
"Release!" a driver shouted, raising his crossbow.
Arrows and bolts followed. A bolt struck the hanging goblin in the face. An arrow pierced another's chest. Blaise's fireball came next. Lira's wind blade followed.
Their screams were swallowed by the explosion that came next.
The blast tore through them, while the blade cut them apart. When it cleared, all five were gone. A few more lay on the ground nearby, wounded by the collateral damage.
The stench of burnt, rotten meat filled the air. It wasn't pleasant.
That was too many resources for five goblins. He didn't approve. It would've been better to spread the attacks across the wave. They would've killed more that way.
"Brace!" Eldritch shouted as the goblins closed in.
The guards locked their shields and dug their feet into the ground.
"Hold!" a guard barked.
The goblins crashed into the wall, weapons slamming against the shields. The line barely moved.
Screeches and guttural cries filled the air as they slammed against the shields.
The backline struck. A spear pierced a goblin's head, while a polearm crushed another's skull.
Clay moved to the left side of the shield wall and pushed toward the flank of the goblins. He was fast. Faster than Adolin expected. His blade was even faster. Three goblins fell in two strikes. He didn't slow down, moving straight to the next. When the flank was clear, he stepped back behind the shield wall.
It was a massacre. That was the only way Adolin could describe it. More goblins were already pouring through the tree line. More than the first wave. Arrows and spells crashed into them. He had to do something as well.
"Too many…" a guard said.
There were spells that could have wiped out the entire wave, but he had to hold back. He had already said he was an ice user. That limited him to ice spells. He also needed to cast more to grow stronger, so he discarded the idea of using pure mana control. A disabling spell would be best. Something that let the others finish them.
Ice spikes. A weaker version.
He started muttering under his breath, "Ice spike… spike… ice." It was complete nonsense. He didn't need to chant. He didn't even know how. He just hoped no one heard him. It made his body tense.
He cast the spell.
Small ice spikes erupted from the ground, piercing through the goblins' legs and pinning them in place. It wouldn't hold them for long.
His spell was followed by more arrows and spells.
He observed the fight after that, watching for anyone who might need help.
Lira kept sending wind blades toward the goblins. It was enough, but she seemed limited to the spells she could use.
Blaise used more variety. A fireball at the start, now fire arrows. They cost less mana and were better for single targets. More goblins rushed from the woods, but not in large enough groups to justify area spells. He agreed with the choice.
Revel played a supportive role, blinding and stopping goblins before they reached the shield wall. Clay cut them down as they came. They worked well together.
Adolin wasn't sure if this was a normal ambush. There were too many goblins. More than seventy were already dead, and more kept coming. In his experience, they usually came in groups of thirty. He would need to ask about it later.
A lone goblin slid low across the ground, aiming for the guards' legs beneath the shields. Adolin cast an ice spear. It formed in front of him and shot forward, piercing the goblin's skull before it could strike.
"Hobgoblins!" Clay shouted.
Adolin looked toward the tree line. Ten of them charged forward. Larger than the others. Almost the height of a man. Longer blades. Stronger. Much stronger.
He felt like he was missing something, but pushed the thought aside. He needed to focus.
Revel moved first, stepping closer to the front line, her staff already raised as she cast.
Lira followed a moment later.
"Kill the goblins," Master Eldritch commanded.
The shield wall broke formation. The guards surged forward, Clay with them. Ten seconds later, the goblins were dead. Only the hobgoblins remained, closing the distance.
"Spears!"
The formation shifted. Spears and halberds moved to the front, shields falling in behind them.
The hobgoblins split before reaching the line. Five charged the spearmen. Three broke off to the right, heading for Lira, while two went for Revel.
Blaise hesitated, glancing between Lira and Revel.
"Help Revel," Adolin said.
Blaise nodded and rushed toward her.
Revel cast her chains again, slowing the hobgoblins in the center as she fell back toward the convoy.
Adolin cast Freeze.
The ground beneath them turned to ice. The hobgoblins lost their footing, slipping as they tried to push forward. Between the chains and the frozen ground, they were pinned in place.
The hobgoblins roared.
"Advance!" Master Eldritch shouted.
The guards stepped in, stopping just short of the ice, and struck with their longer reach. Spears pierced the fallen hobgoblins before they could recover. Polearms smashed into the legs of the others, dragging them down.
The fight at the center was over, Adolin concluded. He glanced at Lira. She was retreating, casting wind blades. They missed. Her breathing was uneven. Her steps unsteady as she fell back too quickly. Another blade slipped wide, cutting through empty air. She wasn't aiming anymore. She was just trying to keep them away.
Adolin moved toward her.
It was normal. It was probably her first real fight, and she was alone against three hobgoblins. She needed to recover. Then fight.
"Lira," Adolin shouted.
She glanced at him and slowed her retreat.
Smart girl.
Killing all three would be too much for her. Two would be enough.
Now he just had to make it happen.
He muttered a few words and cast ice spikes. The ground split as spikes pierced through their feet. The hobgoblins roared.
It wouldn't hold them long.
He cast Freeze.
The ground turned slick beneath them.
Lira's breathing steadied. Some of the fear left her eyes. She stopped retreating and stepped forward.
"Hold," Adolin said.
One of the hobgoblins broke free, slipped on the ice, and crashed forward.
"Take it."
Lira raised her staff and began chanting. A wind blade cut into the hobgoblin's chest, but didn't go through. She cast again. The second blade struck close to the first. Blood poured out as the creature slowed.
"Leave him."
The second hobgoblin tore free and staggered forward.
Adolin ignored it.
He formed an ice spear and sent it forward. It pierced the skull of the last one still trapped.
Lira's blades kept hitting the remaining hobgoblin.
Adolin glanced away.
Revel and Blaise were dealing with theirs, with archers supporting them. The hobgoblin was already burning, arrows jutting from its body.
Clay was finishing the ones in the center, driving his blade into their heads while the shield guards stayed close.
The fight was almost over.
The hobgoblin Lira faced was already on its knees, bleeding from multiple wounds, its voice reduced to a broken rasp. Her final wind blade cut through it. The creature collapsed. Dead.
Screams echoed across the battlefield.
Clay moved between them, ending each one. The guards relaxed slightly and spread out to finish them off. "Clear the field," a guard said.
The fight was over. The guards moved through the field, finishing off the goblins that were still alive. Clay was moving with them. Lira was bent slightly forward, hands on her knees, breathing hard. Her shoulders rose and fell unevenly, her grip still tight around her staff. Blaise sat on the ground with his back against a wagon wheel, exhaustion clear on his face.
Revel walked toward Adolin. She stopped a few steps away.
"You're casting with a staff?"
Adolin cursed. That was what he was missing.