Chapter 037:

Verona led them along the southern section of the second wall. It was painfully clear as to how much destruction the villagers, and Verona, had been able to unleash upon the Kobolds. While the villagers had suffered competitively little, by staying on the defensive and using their new wall to great effect, the Kobold attackers had suffered far worse. Everywhere he looked there were Kobold corpses. Some were intact while others were just a pile of unidentifiable mess of flesh and bone. The further they got to the southern gate the more the bodies began to pile up. He hoped there was a good reason as to why they had not be disposed of properly.

Large blue crows pecked and tore at the decaying bodies. Most seemed quite fat from their feast and had trouble flying away as they approached. They squawked angrily that there feast had been disturbed, but returned the moment they had passed. At least they would start to dispose of the flesh.

The smell, permeating every part of his nose, was an incredibly vile mix of rot and putrefaction that he had never even dreamed of inhaling. A gentle breeze came from the north and blew the smell towards the bone-yard. Now he was grateful that it had been blowing that way since they arrived. It would be a lot harder to speak, and to listen, when everyone was trying their best to not wretch from the smell.

Kal spluttered violently as they moved through a particularly dense section. She had a much better sense of smell then them, it must have been torture for her.

When he turned to Kal she already had covered her mouth and nose with her face cloth.

Verona seemed at peace travelling in front, her feet making delicate movements so as to not to get anything on them. There was nothing to indicate that was disgusted by the corpses. She was even humming something, the same thing she had been humming at the lake when it was just the two of them.

"Verona?" Anton asked, suppressing a cough.

"Oh. Sorry." she slowed down and turned around. "I know there is quite a bit of a mess here."

"A bit?" Anton Kal asked incredulously.

Verona chuckled.

"This is where I have been for most of the time that you've been away."

She turned forward to see what was infront. A few meters away there was a severed Kobold head; its eyes glazed, fur matted and stained with blood, and its bloated tongue hung loosely out its mouth. There was no indication of which body it belonged to.

"These things now piss me off..." she ran ahead and kicked the head as hard as she could, "As much as the goblins now!"

The head veered off sharply to the right, its uneven shape made it difficult to travel in a straight line. The thudding roll stopped as it gently collided with another pile of Kobold corpses. Most of the bodies did not appear to be in one piece and were in varying levels of decay.

Verona turned around and looked incredibly embarrassed.

"Sorry. It's hard to stay serious when there's so much of it around. You've got to do what you need to do to stay sane. Well..."

Anton looked ahead. In the distance he could see the large wooden beams that formed the hinges of the gate. There were quite a few villagers either side of the gate, all armoured with their attention clearly focused outside. Not even the few guards at the section they stood by paid them much mind beyond a quick glance and an appreciative nod. Their attention was focused outside. They knew that they could not drop their duties and celebrate, if they did it could lead to another Kobold attack.

"Why haven't you tried moving some of these bodies away?" Anton asked, trying his best not to be offensive in his tone.

Verona laughed.

"We did, when it got really bad. Somehow it's better now, or maybe we're just used to it. But we can't take them to the bone-yard, for obvious reasons, and the wind kept changing so much that it really didn't matter. It still reeked like mad no matter where it went. So in the end we decided to not waste the energy and just leave it in these piles."

She stopped near a relatively intact Kobold corpse laying on its side, pointing her spear at the poison spines that kept it on its side and from rolling onto its back.

"But those spines."

She looked back at Kal.

"It's a good thing that you warned us about them, Kal. I got a bit on my hands and it burned for days. It's fine when they are in one piece like this, one person grabs the arms and the other the legs, but when they are a giant blob..."

She pointed to the rotting mound that the Kobold head now rested on.

"Then those spines are mixed within it. And those..."

Verona opened and contracted her hand, as if she was simulating a beating heart.

"Those sack things, that carry the poison or venom...crap, break and it just leaks throughout the mess. It becomes too difficult to handle."

Her face turned a little sheepish as she scratched her cheek.

"Aaand I told them once you get back you can just burn it all and heal anyone that's really sick."

"Well, I don't know about being a mobile incinerator and cooking stove."

Verona missed the first one and giggled at the second.

"As soon as we've dealt with the Kobolds I'll help with that. The smoke would let them know something is happening. And then..."

She understood and nodded accordingly.

As she turned around she smiled.

"Ah, Avery's on this side of the gate. Come on."

She came back to his side and tired to reach out for his hand. There was still some hesitation on her face. He took the initiative and held her hand. She seemed quite embarrassed but still smiled. It was his way of saying that he would still be with her no matter what happened.

She pulled him through the clear sections, Kal following closely behind. As Verona turned around her eyes caught Kal's. Something drew on her face. Something that made Kal look very uncomfortable.

"Kal?" Verona's voice was steady, almost unnaturally so.

It made Kal hesitant to answer.

"Yes?" she asked with some trepidation. There was a little flicker in her voice.

"You were living out in the wilderness for some time, right?"

Kal nodded. She looked very nervous.

"Do you know if different types of Kobolds can work together?"

Kal exhaled deeply in relief. She, and Anton, thought it might have been something antagonistic.

"Not that I've seen. They usually keep to groups of their own kind and only come together to fight."

Verona frowned a little.

"Each-other. They come to fight each-other."

"I heard Jeff say there were at least four groups of Kobolds." Anton said. "How many were there?"

"Six." Verona seemed quite unhappy with her answer. "Six different groups attacked us, each with more than four thousand fighting Kobolds. Each brought another totem for their camp. The first was the most with about six thousand and the others had somewhere between three and four thousand. I couldn't count exactly so I just did the best I could."

Kal whimpered loudly.

“That's...twenty four, twenty five thousand Kobolds at least...”

“And under a hundred deaths on our side!” Verona puffed out her chest proudly. “Most of the Kobolds were killed by me, and not all in one day. Although that might be why...”

She scratched at her neck and tiny edges of the red marks that licked up at her chin. He guessed what she was implying.

"Fucking hell,” Anton exhaled loudly, as he rubbed her head. “You've had it rough."

Verona smiled warmly.

"Wait, so you're saying they weren't all the same type?" Anton asked, "They weren't all brown with white patches?"

Verona shook her head and broke her grip. She walked over to a pile of bodies and picked up a severed ear and what was probably once a Kobold's arm. There was nothing on her face to show that she found any of this disturbing. It was a little odd to see her do it so calmly.

Then again, when I got here I carved apart a goblin to see what it was made of. I didn't feel much at the time and everyone probably thought me as crazy. This is no different. Besides, she's been through more in two weeks than I have my entire life. Of course she could become desensitised to it.

Verona stopped a meter away and held up her two grizzly artefacts.

"Four of the six groups were those brown and white ones, but there were two that were different."

She raised the ear higher.

"This is from a grey Kobold."

She raised the severed arm next.

"And this is from a sort of dark reddish one."

Her attention turned to Kal.

"Any ideas?"

Kal stared at both pieces for some time before looking towards a body of a brown Kobold.

"I haven't actually seen that many Kobolds but I did know there were different types. I didn't know of any groups that would come together to fight something else. There would need to be a really good reason."

She turned and looked him deeply in the eyes. Her own green cat slit eyes were full of worry.

"You must have really....pissed them off."

It was a strange thought but Anton had not actually heard Kal swear. Everyone else in the village did at some point, but not her, yet. Not even when her foot was being torn apart by a wolf or when he ripped out the impaled tooth. She was very tough. A life in the wilderness taught her how to be tough, if not she would be dead.

"We did destroy one of their camps." Anton put his hand on his bearded chin. He really had to do something about that, it was getting annoying in more ways than one.

"They do that to each other all the time." Kal answered. "This is much greater than that."

"Nithroel."

Verona looked sadly at him.

"That elven goddess, the one with the leaf and antlers for her symbol. She's the one who's mark they worship in their camp."

She walked and took his hand gently, the previous sense of apprehension faded. Her fingers traced over the three glyphs on his hand. The ones of his gods. Her fingers stopped at the white pair of hands, Tethra, the goddess of prayer.

"You live here now." she stared, tapping it lightly. "And have made this village stronger than it ever was, even before the Yellow Goblins. During the fighting some people started to cry out to your gods so that you might return."

She let go of his hand and looked him in the eyes.

"Imagine what this place will be like in a few more winters. A city, a thriving city with humans and beast-kin living and working together."

Kal ears perked up at hearing this.

"Massive numbers of your weapons of war, giant farms, mines, forges and stone buildings. Huge cities covering the land. And temples built..."

She took his hand again.

"To the gods that she hates and hate her."

"Yeah. I would want to get rid of it too," Anton replied with a grimace, "Before they became a threat."

He sighed loudly.

"I fear you may be right."

Verona looked quite solemn.

"But I do like your idea for the future of Atros. It would be nice to see it that way."

He moved forward, placed his arm around her shoulder and got her to start moving again.

"I know. A place were people like Kal can walk around freely and be just like us."

"Thank you. Both of you." Kal said in a near whisper.

He stopped and turned around, her head was hanging down as she tried to hide the faint blush that was forming on her face.

"For?" Anton asked.

"For not calling me a half breed. For calling me a...person." she smiled, the flush was just noticeable.

"Well, if we're going to make it a reality we need to deal with these Kobolds first." Anton said as he waved his free arm towards the gate.

"Yes!..." It looked as if she wanted to say something more but held it back. It was not an apology so Anton was not sure what she might have just said. He decided to let it go.

Verona, still in his arm, chuckled and pulled him along.

---[]---

Avery looked as cold and emotionless as when Anton had first met him. This time, when he saw him, there was almost a smile on his face as they walked up the wooden stairs to his side of the gate.

"I must say that I'm glad to see you back, Anton." his demeanour or words had not changed during the battle.

"Me too." Anton replied.

Verona freed herself from his arm and rushed for the wall. Some meters away from Avery there was a small wooden crate. Verona stood on top of it, with it she could see over clearly as she rested her body upon the wall.

Anton moved to the wall as well, Kal taking a spot between the two of them.

"How many are left?" Anton asked.

Avery was quiet for a moment before he answered.

"At last count there were three thousand or so."

"About a thousand that can actually fight properly." Verona supplemented.

"And most of those are wounded in some way," Avery continued. "Most of those are thanks to your woman there."

Verona chuckled nervously and scratched at her neck. Seeing her in so much discomfort about the marks was making him feel quite ill. He'd never really thought as to what affect the power was having on her mind, probably before it was nothing. But now, with the marks covering most of her body, it must be taking a toll on her. He wanted to console her even more but there were things that had to be done first.

"How many villagers can we spare?" Anton asked.

"About two hundred that can fight." Avery replied. "But that is more Jeff's thing."

Anton looked back towards the center and could see a large man with a bald head moving towards them.

You work quick, don't you?

"You'll be happy to know, Avery, that we have about a hundred more crossbows and bows, as well as the bolts and arrows."

He looked genuinely surprised and happy.

"I don't know how much you had to spend-"

Compared to a human life, probably very little.

"But they will be a great help. Pity you couldn't get them the first time."

Anton thought he said "didn't" instead of “couldn't” and was about to correct him when he realised what he had actually said. Avery seemed to notice this as well, he looked a little embarrassed.

"I doubt that if you could have gotten these the first time you would not have bothered. You really do seem to care about this village."

"I live here now. And I have many people that I like here. Of course I'm going to help as much as I can, however I can.."

Kal looked at him oddly, her eyes squinting just ever so slightly. Before he had time to ask it was gone, replaced by the sound of heavy boots walking upon wood.

He turned around and saw Jeff walking up the stairs.

"Sorry about that, took a little bit longer than I thought to get them where they needed to go."

He smiled at Anton.

"Seems your little magic show did the trick, they're quite docile."

"I think they've been bred like that." Anton replied. "They've spent quite some time under an oppressive leader so it's easier for them to just do as they're told and keep their heads down."

"Easier. But still a terrible life." Kal added. She looked very sad as she said it, her shoulders drooped and she stared at her feet. He still had no real idea of what sort of horrors she has had to endure. His quip had done her no good.

"Perhaps with some more freedom the bondsmen will change." Anton suggested.

Kal had no visible change, even Verona looked worried for her.

"Anyway, I take it you've seen the all the new armour and weapons we bought?"

Jeff nodded.

"Just getting some of the guys to unload them properly and put them into the armoury barns... You thinking of attacking them now?"

"Absolutely. Attack now while they are still weak and wipe them out for good. How many soldiers can you spare?"

"About one fifty, two hundred or so."

"Get them armoured up and with the best weapons. They'll be my support while we advance on them."

"I'll get them ready." Jeff said as he started to move back down.

"I want to have a look at these new weapons. I'll make sure some of my archers join in." Avery said as he followed Jeff.

"Should not be too long."

That just left the three of them on top of the wall.

Anton moved so he was in-between them both.

"Will you be coming with us?" He asked Verona.

She took a deep and slow breath, her back bending backwards and forwards.

"Yes. Yes I will. But... I don't want to have to use my power unless I really need to. I'm not as comfortable as I used to be. Besides, Nithroel has quite a bit to answer for. I want to see her servants suffer with my own eyes. "

"Just make sure you stay in the centre. I take it you're coming with us, Kal?"

She nodded furiously.

"Well, let's get ready then."

---[]---

It was surprising to see the armed villagers assembled so quickly. They looked like a small army with their new weapons and steel armour, their steel weapons clanking against each-other with every movement. The archers wore thick brown leather armour, separating them from the dull grey of the other soldiers.

They all looked ready to fight. Spending days waiting on the defensive, unable to attack as they lacked the numbers and fear of a possible counter attack, had left them pent up with anger and thirsting for revenge.

Jeff and Avery had decided to come along as well as the leaders. They were both at the front with some of the best armour and weapons they had.

Anton stood near the front as well with Kal and Verona standing either side. Kal stared at the closed gate with a strange confidence while Verona looked extremely worried and concerned. He knew that she would not stay in Atros, despite her discomfort, and could not be forced to stay either. She wanted to see this to the end with her own eyes.

Compared to everyone else Anton felt a little under-dressed. They all had armour of some description on while he, and Kal, were wearing simple clothing. He was very glad that he had such destructive magic at his disposal to rely on.

There was a loud call from the rear and the gate began to open. Two large villagers grabbed the beams near the join of one side of the gate and pulled hard.

It creaked and groaned, along with the two villagers, until it opened completely.

There was another shout and the villagers marched forward. The villagers had to feed their way through the small opening. There was some jostling but it seemed like that the knowledge of what they were about to do kept them in a strange quiet and orderly state.

Outside it was an even more grizzly sight. The blood, over a week old in some parts, was a strange mixture of black and reds. It had pooled and stared to congeal around the few grass blades brave enough to stand tall.

Parts of Kobolds were everywhere. Piles had formed where they had been struck down with arrows while they tired to climb over their dead comrades. There was something resembling a pathway through the piles, by virtue of there being less bodies and dried blood. The villagers started to follow through the pathway, always keeping a watchful eye out. Just in case something was going to leap out at them.

The first steps of the villagers cracked the layer of blood. Their heavy boots crushed down through the hardened surface. Each person that walked over it caused it to shatter even more until it was a sticky crystal mass that stained their boots red.

The smell was utterly horrific. The wind had been blowing quite steadily and strongly to the south, sparing them from the worst of it. Now they were in the center of it all, with no way for Anton to burn it away without alerting the Kobolds that something terrible was coming for them. The smell inside the walls was nothing compared to this.

The vast scale of death and destruction of was undoubtedly mostly Verona's handiwork. It was terrifying on the wall, doubly so now they were in the thick of it.

"You really went all out with this, didn't you?" Anton lent down to Verona and asked quietly.

She chuckled nervously. Another blue crow squawked as the villagers got too close and it flew away.

"Yeah. Something like that. I did what I had to do to get us all through this."

He gave her head a vigorous rub, getting a squeak of delight out from her and a beaming smile. At least she was still able to make that face.

They moved slowly to avoid the larger lumps of bodies and blood. Even though, in many places it was days old, he could still see a green tinge to the blood. The Kobold poison was still present.

He looked at everyone's feet, they were all wearing some kind of footwear. Hopefully enough to stop the poison from getting in. But there was one that really was not wearing anything like a boot.

Anton turned to Kal. She had her bow out and an arrow knocked in readiness.

"There still seems to be Kobold poison all over the place. Are your...wrappings...thick enough?"

Kal looked down at her feet.

"They're fine at the moment. If it starts to get through I’ll let you know."

With her face cloth gone it was much easier to read her emotions. She did not seem to be lying, she was old and mature enough to let him know if it was. He nodded and left it at that.

When they reached the halfway point to the bone-yard the Kobolds awoke in a frenzy of movement. However it was quite clear that they were not as strong as they had once been. Even from their current distance he could see some collapse into a motionless heap as they tried to move.

They look rather sad and pathetic now. Doesn't make me not want to kill them though.

He was almost within range of his most powerful magic, the tethered rings of mana. Fire, again, was out as he wanted to keep the sprawling camp in as good condition as he could, in case there was anything valuable there. He did feel a little bad for Esperit. There were quite a few situations where using fire would be a detriment. Like now when they needed to investigate the ruins, without them being scorched to ruins.

That left the lightning magic.

They were very close now. The Kobolds were starting to panic as they tried to get anyone that could stand to fight. His stomach turned a little when there were very small ones, children, amongst the horde ready to attack.

He glanced around and saw that his feeling was not reflected in any of their faces. Everyone here had no sympathy for these creatures. Not even Kal, who had demonstrated her resolve when she had shot a young Kobold in the eye without so much as a moments pause.

Feeling the odd one out, he took a deep breath and readied the magic in his mind.

The camp was constructed with the six totems in the middle, the large tents behind them and radiating outward were the smaller tents. There were no tents infront or directly to the side of the totems. It gave them a clear line to Atros, and now the reverse was true. In the center, with the stone totems, over a thousand Kobolds had gathered to fight them. A few, that wore extra pieces of hide clothing and decorative pieces, tried their best to rally the horde but it was not enough. They could clearly see what was coming for them.

While they were screeching to whip their own soldiers into a murderous frenzy, the villagers were silent. Only the sound of metal and the stomping of boots came from them.

Jeff and Avery slinked through the cautiously marching villagers to Anton.

"You have an ideas for the battle?" Jeff asked.

He felt Verona pout next to him.

"Just because Anton is back doesn't make him in charge of the battle."

Jeff looked a little taken aback by her words. So was Anton.

"I understand that." Jeff said, recovering from Verona's unexpected words, "It's just that with a mage, that can do what you do, I wanted to know if there was a plan that involved your abilities."

Verona looked a little embarrassed and pulled on Anton's sleeve.

"When the Kobolds attacked I kind of had to use your name, telling Jeff that you had faith in his abilities to lead. I guess I kind of flipped back to it there."

"It's alright."

He gave her a quick kiss on the head. Considering what they had all been through he was not going to chastise her, or anyone, about having frayed nerves. It's likely that Verona, and most of the soldiers, had to sleep right next to the wall in very stressful conditions so they could respond to the Kobolds. Of course they were stressed.

"Sorry Jeff." Verona apologised. "I was very rude...It's been a very stressful time, hasn't it?"

Jeff nodded, continuing to advance with the rest of the villagers.

"It has."

"I want to save as much of the camp as I can so we can look for clues." Anton began. "So I won't be using my fire magic or the large lightning rings."

Sorry Esperit, it seems that I won't be able to use you. Again.

He hoped that his mental apology would get through to her. If he just wanted to destroy the camp it would be the perfect magic, but not right now.

"So I'll be using the lightning bolts and bombs this time. Just don't let us charge forward like we did at the quarry. That was the only time we've really been on the offensive and that whole thing could have gone bad."

Kal looked at him confused but remained quiet. He made a note to tell her one day.

Jeff grimaced at the thought of that fight. It was the first time that they, as a whole, were on the offensive and it had nearly lead to a disaster. One which could have seen the death of his partner, Sam. Anton could see the mental images flash before his eyes.

"Good... Good thing to bring up."

"Do they have any archers? The goblins even had archers."

Jeff, Avery and Verona shook their heads.

"They didn't have any archers." Avery replied. "Or javelin throwers, or anything at all that could attack from a distance. They just tried to climb up the walls."

"Even the goblins had archers." Anton mumbled. “That's good then, gives us an advantage in range.”

"Avery," Jeff began, "Get the archers near the front and have them start attacking as soon as they can. If they see Anton's magic they might just run, and then we'll have an even bigger problem on our hands."

Either they disperse and keep us on edge for the next couple weeks, or they find more Kobolds and tell them what they will have to fight. I don't like either of them. Better let not them know exactly what we are capable of and make them think they could fight us off.

Avery nodded and whistled sharply. The archers looked towards him as he led them to the front of the villagers.

They were almost in range of the arrows now. Quite a few more Kobolds were emerging and holding wooden spears and spines in shaking and terrified hands. Some of the tents had not moved at all, he hoped there would not be another incident like at the quarry. The idea of hundreds of Kobolds spilling out of the tents onto the surrounded villagers was not a pretty one.

Almost a hundred meters away they stopped. The villagers at the front held their shields against the ground, so they would not have to carry the weight, while the archers moved in between. Kal looked to Anton. He gave her a little nod and she moved to the front. Some of the soldiers and archers looked a little surprised but said nothing when they saw her bow. She, a half breed beast-kin, was going to fight alongside them. Stories of how she had handled herself against the wolf pack might have already been spread amongst the villagers.

"Draw." Avery said, strangely quietly.

Anton did not know if the Kobolds could understand human language. But even a dog can understand what a specific sound meant, and it would be not different with the Kobolds. They could have heard it every time they attacked the village.

Some seemed to realise that something bad was coming for them. A few on the edges of the rough line formation began to turn and run. Their tails tucked between their legs as they ran. Grey Kobolds snapped and barked at the fleeing brown and red Kobolds but it had not affect.

"Loose!"

Twangs of arrows being fired filled the silent air. He could see them soar through the air. So to did the Kobolds.

There was a screech before the first arrow landed. Then thuds of iron tips striking through flesh and bone.

Then they screamed.

Avery did not have that many archers in Atros but he had brought nearly forty with him. Anton reasoned that they must have trained with the bows and crossbows even though they did not have enough of them. Now they did, and they seemed extremely happy to have the weapons to use. Oddly, they did not bring any crossbows.

Perhaps all the people trained in using them are still at Atros for defence. Maybe it's because they're slower to use than a bow... But anyone, with enough strength, can use one. It might be that.

Another volley flew into the Kobolds before they stopped screaming, or realised what was happening. Anton could see that each archer had well over forty arrows in their quivers. They would cause immense damage before the villagers even needed to engage in melee.

Four more volleys were fired, each with deadly results, until the Kobolds line began to break and crumble.

A few Kobolds at the front, no longer able to withstand the mental attack of their comrades death screams and the knowledge that they were just going to be destroyed from afar, broke ranks and charged. Again the Grey Kobolds tried to hold them back but a fever broke out amongst the ragged horde. Within a few seconds they were nearly all running at them, spears lowered and their dog snouts snapping in rage. It would have been terrifying, if the villagers were not armoured. Or had two mages.

Anton was surprised at how fast they could move, injured as they were. A few more seconds after they started running and they had already reached a quarter of the distance.

"Jeff!" Anton yelled over the quiet villagers. "You want me to attack now?"

Jeff glanced between him and the front. The archers were no longer shooting into the air, rather straight at them. Shields were picked up and the men and women behind braced themselves, spear-men crouched and readied their weapons to strike through the gaps.

"Yeah. Do your thing."

There were several hundred Kobolds still alive. Verona remained steady and resolute even as they charged. There was nothing to indicate that she was readying herself for combat. She was not going to use her power unless she really had to. Not even her eyes glowed.

He focused the mana into small orbs of lightning and tethered them together. The concept of tethering the magic together to make it far more powerful and destructive than on its own was a concept that he did not understand at all. He really did not have much chance to experiment, in the forest or at his brief stop at Maxill, so he had to go on what little he understood.

The Kobolds reached the halfway point and some of the villagers started to sound afraid. Jeff glanced back but kept his attention forward.

Twelve lightning bombs, tethered with a bolt of arcing and twisting lightning, formed over his head. Lightning flickered out of the balls of barely contained lightning. Some of the villagers glanced up to the new sound and light coming from above their heads. Smiles and smirks covered their faces as they looked back to the charging Kobolds. They knew what was on their side, and what was about to happen.

Still enraged, the Kobolds only began to slow when a quarter of the distance remained. Those at the front could see what was happening but the rest could only see the backs of the Kobold infront. Those that slowed down were pushed on from behind.

Another volley of arrows cut down those at the front and allowed those behind to resume the charge at full speed.

They were within easy range of his magic now. The tethering seemed to make all of the magic travel together in close proximity, he could not keep them tethered and try and move them apart. So he moved it into a half moon shape, one that would force the Kobolds into the center and become surrounded by the explosions. With a push of his mana they flew at the unsuspecting Kobolds.

"Cover your eyes and ears!" Anton yelled. He was not sure if they all heard or understood why.

The Kobolds finally realised what was about to happen. It was clear on their muzzled faces. Yet they did not stop or even attempt to run away. As the first lightning bomb on the edges of the hordes struck and exploded, a look of resignation came over some of their faces. Somehow they knew it was over.

The outer two exploded, killing many. The shock-wave fed through the tethering and into the second bomb on closer to the center. The surge of energy, that still inexplicably felt like it came from nowhere, proved too difficult to control as he lost control of that bomb. That exploded larger again.

Each lightning bomb blew up larger than the previous, sending chunks of dead Kobold and dirt flying into the air, when he could see and think through the blasts of light and sound.

Just before the last two bombs exploded he saw the look of the closest Kobold. It could not understand what was happening to it, but it knew that Anton was responsible somehow. It barred its teeth and tired to move just a single step closer to the man that was killing its friends.

But it never made that step.

The last two bombs exploded.

The air itself shuddered as his eyes went white and his hearing rang deafeningly loud. Through the incessant ringing of his ears he could hear clanging of metal. Fearing that some Kobolds got through he chanted a prayer to restore his sight and hearing. As his senses returned he saw that it was two villagers at the front who had stumbled into each other whilst disoriented by the blast.

Groans emanated from the villagers as they recovered. They had done their best to protect themselves in the short time Anton had given them but it was perhaps unavoidable that they were somewhat disorientated.

Anton looked out at the Kobolds while the others recovered.

Most were dead but quite a few were not. The blasts had taken out most in the front and to the sides of the approaching horde but there were still quite a few at the back. They, like Kal, had much better hearing than humans, even if their eyesight left much to be desired. This left them stumbling from side to side as they hammered at their ears to stop the ringing. Right now they did not look very threatening.

The Kobolds were left in a state of paralysis. The villagers were not.

"Prepare another volley!" Avery shouted.

The archers let loose another barrage right into the heart of the Kobolds. They were only thirty odd meters away so it was hard for them to miss.

As the arrows struck, and the Kobolds at the front died, a howl came from the rear. It was like wolf howling at the moon, a long and constant noise. There was a tug on his sleeve.

"That means they're going to run away." Verona said loudly, the disorienting effect of the lightning bombs were still affecting her.

He chanted a prayer for her to recover her hearing and eyesight properly. Her face lit up in surprise the moment he finished.

"But," she continued, "It sounds a little different. It could be a trap."

Anton nodded. He did not know how the Kobolds communicated but he was willing to trust someone who had been fighting them for nearly two weeks.

As Verona predicted the Kobolds began to turn and run. It was not orderly as they tripped over one another. Avery kept his archers peppering them with arrows and hounding their chaotic retreat. As they reached their mustering area, infront of the stone totems, they did not stop and continued to run.

Something at the back of his mind tingled. If there was to be a trap the only way they could make it work, with the villagers having superiority in range, is to get in close by luring them in. They had already seen how dangerous that could be with the Rock Rats at the quarry.

“Advance slowly and stay together.” Jeff ordered.

Anton glanced at some of their faces, they did seem quite eager to run and chase.

Is that part of their plan? Use our frustration against us? I…I don’t think so. But these ‘Dumb’ creatures, all of them, have proven more intelligent than was first thought. Better to be cautious.

“We’ll get them soon enough,” he continued, “Keep this formation and archers, pick them off if you can while we move. It’ll be a good chance to improve your skills while you are moving.”

There was almost a snort from Avery but he did not object.

Slowly the villagers advanced, never breaking their formation. Some on the edges kept a keen watch to the sides. They did not want something to hit them in the flank after all their effort.

When they reached twenty meters away from the start of the camp Jeff brought them all to a stop. There were no Kobolds alive in the central area, they had all been killed by Avery’s archers. He said nothing but pointed to the outlying tents. Anton could see the oddity as well. They moved, unnaturally, against the breeze from the north. There were things still inside.

Is that your plan? Basically the same thing the Rock-Rats did to us?

“Anton,” Jeff turned to him, “I can see movement in the closest tents. Do those tents interest you at all?”

Anton shook his head.

“I doubt it. They just look like they’re for the Kobolds to live in. Those larger ones look like they might have some information. I’ll take care of them.”

Anton moved to the front, waving for the villagers to start moving again.

Another flicker of movement came from one of the tents. This time he saw an eye peering through. He had no idea if it was a young or old Kobold, not that it mattered. They would kill them if they got the chance.

Anton moved to the front, an archer reluctantly gave up his position, and he readied the lightning bombs. A thought, of what the Kobolds were thinking as they saw him move to the front, flickered through but it immediately was snuffed out.

He raised his hand, to better direct the magic, and struck.

The first bolt erupted from his hand and pierced the tent. A hole tore open through the tent, its edges burning, as the bolt forced its way through the skin hide.

A sizzling sound emerged. Then a scream, more like a howl.

Four Kobolds, dazed and confused, dragged themselves from the tent and onto the dirt outside. All were wounded from the lightning in some way; burned and charred bodies and fur, crippled limbs and an unmistakable look of terror and disbelief.

Before they could move another step Avery shouted. Archers peppered them with arrows and they crumpled to a heap. It was a little bit of overkill.

I guess that's the way it has to be, clearing this place out one at a time. At least until we get anything of value from the large tents.

Anton nodded to Jeff, who took it as the instruction to advance again.

They barely made a step before a howl cried out from another small tent. Then another. And another.

“It sounds like they’re talking to each-other.” Jeff said, who had moved through the villagers to right behind Anton.

“It does.”

The howls stopped, but Anton became even more nervous. Nothing was happening.

Anton raised his hand and began to fire lightning bolts one after another into the tents. Most seemed empty but a few had some inside, their screams ringing throughout the camp as they died.

The tents burst open and they ran towards them, some on all fours while others did their best with their wounded limbs. They seemed maddened by their hopeless situation.

Is this some sort of Banzai charge?

He readied as many small lightning bombs as he could. As soon as they got in range he pushed them into the charging horde. Every contact killed many but they did not seem to care. The blasts and death surrounding them only seemed to enrage them more.

What is wrong with these things? Do they think they can honestly win? Why not just run away? Is this from belief in their goddess? Madness.

A few got close enough for the villagers to engage in melee but they were so wounded and mentally drained they could do nothing against the armoured villagers.

In under a minute the camp was quiet, utterly devoid of all other life. Only the sizzling sound of the dead Kobolds left to break the sound of the wind.

“How many was that?” Jeff asked.

“Maybe five hundred.” Anton answered, “Maybe more. I really wasn’t counting, only worrying that more were coming.”

“I suppose so. But now they’re dead.” Jeff almost laughed.

A clank came from a few tents away from the totems. They turned and saw an adult red Kobold emerge from the tent. It saw them, glanced either side, and ran away to the south.

“Still a few survivors.” Avery mumbled.

“Jeff, Avery. Well done.” Anton began. “Now it’s just a matter of cleaning up. Just-”

“We weren’t really necessary.” Avery mumbled again.

“Absolutely you were.” Anton replied. “As it stands right now you probably could have taken them out with just a few casualties, not that you wanted any of that. I suppose I’m just making it a bit quicker.”

Avery smiled and nodded.

“We’ll start organizing the soldiers to hunt them down.” Jeff said, he patted Anton on the shoulder. “Good to have our other mage back.”

---[]---

The battle, such as it was, was over. The last gasp of the Kobolds had been for naught, especially after they had been dealt with by Anton's magic and the archers.

Jeff split some of the villagers into small groups and had them hunt throughout the immediate vicinity of the camp, not more than a few tents deep, with the explicit instruction that they were not to go too far or get lured into an ambush while chasing down a survivor. He did not want any villager deaths by them acting too eager to enact their revenge.

Anton stood in the middle of the crescent moon formed from the totems. It must have been some considerable work for the kobolds to build and then move these things.

All in the name of a goddess that led you to your deaths. What a waste of lives and effort.

Anton did not lament on their deaths too much. They were creatures that tried to kill them, so there was nothing like compassion in his mind. For all he cared they could all die.

A pull on his sleeve broke him out of his thought. He turned to see Kal, looking rather worried.

"Are you okay?" she asked, her voice incredibly soft and gentle.

"I am. I just got a little lost in my thoughts there.

Kal seemed a little happier with his response.

He turned his attention back to the totems infront. Just like the last time he could feel something trying to reach out from the tablet on top. With six, instead of one, the touch was stronger and still incorporeal but somehow felt more angry and oppressive than before. The feeling still felt like its effort was wasted on trying to strike him.

Another tug on his sleeve, this one from the other side.

Verona did not let go and held his arm tight.

"You said at the lake, that you felt something." she began, her voice full of worry and concern, "Like there was something coming from within the stone that was trying to reach out and attack you. But, somehow you knew that it can do nothing."

"Yeah." Anton said dryly.

Verona nodded.

"Well. I feel it now too."

She pointed, with her free hand, at the tablets on top of the stone pillars.

"Each one of them, something is trying to reach out from it and strangle me."

She brought her hand to her throat, keeping herself attached to Anton.

"And yet it can't. Is this Nithroel's power?"

Anton could only shrug lightly.

"Honestly Ver, I have no idea.. I think these totems are just a conduit for her influence, a channel perhaps. A weak one at that. The gods said they could not directly interfere with our world. It looks like our glyphs and magic are their limit and this is all they can do without a body or worshipper. An incorporeal and ineffectual touch."

Verona nodded but did not look happy with the answer. It did nothing to explain of whether Nithroel was actually behind the attack, despite its great plausibility.

"That reminds me, we should definitely get some of our new stonemason bondsmen to make some idols to our gods."

He looked at his glyphed hand but a murmur of dissatisfaction came from Verona. When he looked she shook her head.

"Maybe...Maybe not mine. At least not yet. Not until we figure it all out."

He smiled bitterly and gave her head another rub. She seemed to appreciate it, bringing her free hand and holding his for a moment.

"Are you going to knock it down now?" Kal asked, tilting her body forward so she could see both of them clearly. "If it's causing you pain..."

"We might as well. Then we can rummage around in private."

Anton turned around to find Jeff. He was a few meters behind them, talking with Avery while they both were standing on some rough wooden crates and discussing something.

"Jeff, Avery. You want to smash something of theirs?"

They both turned to him.

"Already on it!"

Jeff moved them both back a pace and brought his foot straight down on the wooden box, shattering it completely.

"There. I thought-"

"No....not like that." Anton said weakly, disheartened that they slightly misunderstood his order.

"Oh." Jeff and Avery looked a little sheepish as they made their way over to him. "What do you want us to smash then?"

Anton pointed to the stone totems.

"I want you to bring them down without crashing them onto the big tents behind them."

The tents had been placed within falling range of the totems. Did they think that there was no way they could fall? They did have quite a few support ropes, but it did seem like a dangerous possibility.

"Sure. You guys had better move so you don't get squashed."

They moved back away to the entrance of the camp as Jeff and Avery rallied some soldiers that were lounging around.

The soldiers cut the ropes acting as supports, always keeping an eye on totems so they would not fall down and crush them. Tying together the ropes together they lashed them around the totem between the tablet and the main pillar.

When all six were looped and ten villagers on each, waiting to pull them down, Jeff gave one final glanced to Anton.

He nodded, giving them approval.

Jeff smiled and gave the order.

"Alright. Bring down these beasts' idols!" He yelled out.

The soldiers dug their boots into the well trodden dirt and heaved. Each pull was done in unison with each soldier crying out "heave".

Deep groans, followed by cracks, came from the stone totems. On the fourth pull they started to lean quite dramatically. The fifth was all it took, it was no wonder that they had used the supporting ropes. The stone pillars broke, some in the middle and the others at the top. With a mighty thud they crashed into the ground. Dust and dirt flew in every direction, as so did the soldier villagers.

As each tablet broke, so to did the strange sensation, ending completely with the last one breaking. The villagers cheered at their success.

Verona sighed in relief. For now it was over.

Jeff started clapping at Anton's side, the metal striking metal making a peculiar sound for clapping.

"That was fun." There was a wide smile on his face. "So what now?"

Anton pointed to the closest large tent.

"All the other big tents have been connected with this one, so it might be important. We'll head in there, see if there's anything valuable and then burn the whole place down."

"We haven't searched that place yet. They could still be some hiding in there." Jeff answered.

"Are you finding many more?" Verona asked.

Jeff shook his head, the metal armour clanking as he did so.

"Not many, a few wounded and sick ones trying to run away. I don't think many have gotten away but you never know."

Anton hummed. In the stories of war from Earth there were always some survivors, no matter how bleak the situation. Hiding in a hole, a wall, or their body simply overlooked. Some Kobolds did try and run away as they approached. They would be long gone by now. Whether or not they could survive on their own in the wilderness was something he had no idea of. Now they just had to continue onwards.

"I don't really want to have to use my magic in there, just in case I damage something important. I want your soldiers to go in there and secure it. I'll heal any wounds they get. Just make sure they stay together."

"Right. Everyone, gather around. We're not done here yet." Jeff said, waving his arm above his head to get their attention.

"Avery, make sure that the hunting squads don't go too far. We want to be gone as soon as possible."

Avery nodded and started keeping a close lookout.

The villagers armed with swords and shields went first in first, those with spears behind and the archers behind them. Jeff stayed back with Anton as they advanced into the tent. The soldiers pulled back the flaps and disappeared inside.

There was nothing for a few seconds before a villager shouted out in surprise. An archer moved forward and loosed an arrow inside. There was another scream, and then nothing.

They waited for a bit longer before there were more sounds, metal hitting flesh and arrows being loosed.

"There's still quite a few of them in there." Verona mumbled.

Anton placed his hand on her head, waiting until he got a smile before rubbing it. She smiled warmly and looked back towards the tent.

A villager emerged, fresh blood staining his iron plate armour.

"There were about fifty or sixty of those things still in there. Didn't put up that much of a fight though."

"Might have been the leaders or the shamans or whatever they have." Anton said, starting to move forward.

The others followed as well. Right before they got to the entrance flap Verona stopped. He turned as she shook her head.

"There's too much blood in there. I don't want to smell that much, right now."

"Are you okay?" Anton asked, his voice full of worry.

Verona needed, her face looked like she was trying to hide some shame.

"Yeah. I don't feel anything yet but I don't want to push it until we have it figured out. I'll wait out here."

She looked around at the scorched bodies.

"These don't worry me."

"Okay then. Kal, could you stay out here and keep Verona company for a bit?"

Kal nodded and quickly moved to Verona's side. The two started talking rapidly amongst themselves, too quiet for Anton to hear. He did not want want to use his enhanced hearing magic to listen in, it would probably be rude.

That left him with Jeff. He opened the flap for Anton and they both walked inside.

It was very spacious inside, with a small fire in the center and what looked to be primitive pillows in a circle around the fire. This seemed to be the meeting place of the leaders. His guess about the Kobolds, that they found were the elderly, was probably correct. They lay all over the ground, dead and bloody. One last desperate attempt to strike back at the villagers. Around their snouts and at the extremities of their limbs was grey fur. While there were a few Kobolds that were a dark grey, these patches were very light in colour.

Just like people...they grey with age.

At the base of the fire, near a very large and seemingly ornate pillow, was a drawing in the dirt.

Anton led Jeff around the fire and looked more closely at it.

It was a rough map of Atros. The map was far more crude than the one that Duchess Belinda had managed to acquire but far more troubling.

"It seems these simple beasts are not so simple after all." Anton said aloud, Jeff could only nod. "I don't want to meet one that's meant to be smart."

"Did anyone find anything else interesting?" Jeff asked, looking at all the armed villagers.

Most shrugged dismissively or shook their heads but one small group did not.

"This one," the villager poked a dead Kobold with her spear, it looked almost the same as the others, "Was making a break for it with this in its hand...claw...thing."

She walked over and handed him a small piece of paper. It was an incredibly fine and well manufactured piece of paper, better than anything that he had seen in this world. He unravelled it, Jeff peered over his shoulder to look.

Just like at Maxill, his heart sank. This time his heart felt like ice. There was lettering on the top half, which he could not read. It looked flamboyant and wonderfully extravagant, large detailing to the lettering. There only appeared to be fifty or so letters. It seemed very familiar though.

Beneath that was a map of Atros, more detailed than the one that the Duchess had. Individual houses were marked along with the larger barns and specialised buildings. More alarmingly there was a small star on the western side of Atros over a house. It was where he and Verona lived.

They even know where we live and sleep. This is...not good.

Anton sighed. Jeff lent over his shoulder and sighed too, at seeing where the mark was.

"Shit that's...They've done a really good job of scouting us, haven't they."

Anton grimaced.

"Not the Kobolds, I don't think there's any doubt about that." He nodded to the dirt map. "But whoever made this wants us dead. Or at the very least, me dead."

Jeff did not look happy, neither did Anton.

Anton looked around but there really was not much else to this place. Villagers had come out of the adjoining tents looking thoroughly disappointed. After all this effort finding something was the least that should have happened to them.

Something still worried him. While this attack had been dealt with, with some losses on their side, it did show that they could be beaten. They just needed a lot more.

If Nithroel is meant to be the goddess of the forest, she might have more than just Kobolds at her disposal. Alfred mentioned that there are centaurs in this world... Who knows what else she might throw at us. Orges? Trolls? Or who else knows what? I wouldn't slowly escalate things with an enemy, if I had the chance I would wipe them out. The next time she will send everything at once.

A grim thought surfaced in his mind.

We may not survive the next one. If there's something that I can do then I should do it.

I was able to meet Verona's goddess, Jira, that delightful creature, even though I'm not contracted with her. Maybe there's a way to meet Nithroel before this gets even more out of hand. Before it becomes so bad that we have to flee for our lives.

Anton tired focusing the mana into his glyphs in the hope that it would allow him to talk with his gods.

Teth- No, Nithroel seems to hate you for some reason. Esperit and Stratos, we need to talk with Nithroel. I know there is bad blood between you all but we need to have a sit down and talk things through before they become insane. Let them know there is no bad blood between us and we wish to live in peace.

The mana seemed to flow through the glyphs and out of his body, into nowhere. He had no idea if it worked but he could only hope that it would. Verona did not look like she was ready to try and talk to her own god yet.

"We've seen enough." Anton said loudly. "Let's get everybody out of here safely and head home."

-------------

Hello.

This is the end of the Kobold threat, for now. The battle, which may have dragged on for a little bit, shows how the threat has gone from able to perform these massive humans...furry waves of attack, to just a few wounded soldiers that were annhilated very quickly.

So, they won't be turning up again for quite some time. It's also the last 'battle' chapter for quite a few. From how things are going it won't be until 42 until there's any sort of fighting on any scale.

Also, this chapter reinforces that Someone is co-ordinating the Kobold attacks, not that it's hard to guess who or how.

Thankfully, I have basically written up to 41 and those are in editting. Some time ago I wanted to have this arc done before christmass....but that's clear that it's not happening.

Thanks for reading!