Chapter Eight

Igneous sneaks around the table eating the scraps left behind by anyone after their lunch, finding nothing when coming to Marigold. The group chats, lightly discussing trivial matters such things as the weather. Mitch is getting to the punch line of a joke involving a priest and a druid walking into a tavern, when an elven guard bursts through the doorway interrupting the adventurer. The elf looks around the room, locking eyes with Nevil he says, “The goblins are back.”. The idle chatter stops and tension fills the room, everyone jumping to their feet. Yasevl turns sternly to Nevil and orders, “Get your people ready. Myself and Igneous will stall them till you can get everyone ready.”, Yasevl turns to Igneous, who offers a nod in agreement.

“Yes my lord.”, Nevil says before turning to look at the tense adventurers around the table, “I know this is not your fight, but if-,”.

Nevil is cut off when Mitch jumps in with, “We will fight alongside you.”, looking to his party for confirmation, “Right?”.

The adventurers all give nods and words of agreement, before looking to Nevil. Nevil smiles deeply, “Thank you. If you would go with lord Yasevl and Igneous till we can get ready, it would help greatly.”.

The adventures nod and follow Yasevl and Igneous as they leave the temple. Nevil stops at the door way and instructs him to get all non-fighters into the temple and that hewould send another guard to help protect them and then runs to rally the all the fighters he can. As Yasevl and Igneous moves towards the tree wall on the edge of the valley, Mitch breaks off from the group saying he has to get something from his bag and that he would catch up. As the group makes their way out of their village, they see Corma casting spells over the ground, Nelly nearby looking around nervously, brandishing her fire staff. As the group draws closer the ground in front of Corma begins to rumble and break apart, trees sprouting through the soil and growing feverishly before stopping, creating a small wall of young trees. Corma offers a small smile the drops to one knee visibly exhausted, sweat heavy on her brow. Yasevl rushes to the old druid and helps her to her feet, “Corma, are you alright?”.

Corma smiles up at the spirit, “I thought I could create some defense, but I seem to have used too much mana in the process. I am sorry my lord.”.

Yasevl shakes his head, “You did what you could old friend.”, turning to an on looking Nelly adds, “Nelly take Corma and go to the temple.”.

Nelly begins to move forward then stops and straightness her back, “I am afraid I can not do that my lord. I will fight to protect my people and this village.”.

Yasevl goes to reprimand the girl, but is cut off by Corma, “She is right. She is the future chieftain. Her place is here. I will make it there on my own. My students are already on their way there. They will assist me in healing anyone that is injured.”.

Yasevl looks to Nelly then at Igneous, “Brother, what do you think?”.

Igneous looks to Nelly, who looks back with hard, but pleading eyes, then back at Yasevl and nods his head, “Her place is here.”.

Yasevl sighs and nods his approval to Nelly, the adventurers begin to voice opposition when Yasevl cuts them off, “It is decided and the time to talk is over. Look.”.

Yasevl says this last statement jabbing a large finger in the direction of the tree wall, as dozens of goblins flood through the opening in the wall that acts as a gateway. Turning to Corma, Yasevl says, “Go now and tell anyone you pass on the way to get ready.”.

Corma nods and starts to leave before turning back and wrapping her granddaughter in a tight embrace, “Be careful, I love you.”.

“I love you too, Grandma. Don’t worry, I have Igneous here to watch my back.”, Nelly says pulling herself away from the embrace. Corma nods and turns to the sprite, “Watch over her, and please be careful too.”.

Igneous smiles at the love and worry in the old druid’s eyes, her age never more apparent, “I will, you have my word.”.

Corma nods and rushes off towards the temple. As Corma leaves, Mitch comes running up to the group his chest, arms, and shins, covered by bronze plating connected to leather straps. Mitch looks to the rest of the group and then at the incoming goblins and says, “Are we going to fight or just stand here?”.

The group looks at each other and smile grimly, Yasevl leads their charge towards their foe, followed shortly behind by Mitch, leaving the others in the back, Marigold casting spells of protection on the group, Korren and Nelly preparing spells of their own as Igneous stands guard, ready to protect them. Nora leaps up the newly grown grove of trees and upon finding a perch draws her bow with an arrow, ready to fire. As Yasevl and Mitch are about to clash with the goblin forces, the goblins do something unexpected. They drop to their knees and begin to beg. Yasevl looks at the sight and gestures for the others to come closer. Mitch looks up at Yasevl, “What are they saying?”.

“They are begging for us to save them.”, Yasevl says with confusion apparent on his face.

As the others make their way up to the groveling goblins and the surprised spirit and adventurer, Mitch turns to Marigold and says, “Hey! Mary cast that spell of yours so we can all understand them.”.

Marigold nods and begins chanting as she does this, a goblin in hunter’s leathers makes her way up to the front of the group followed by the shaman from the last attack. The first kneels in front of Yasevl , shortly followed by the shaman, and pleads, “Please, spirit of the elves, protect us. I know we have no right to ask, but a great evil is making its way here.”.

Yasevl knits his brows together, a heavy silence resting upon the group save for the sound of the whimpering goblins. The group stays like this till the silence is broken by Nelly yelling, “Hey! You’re the goblin that saved me the last time you attacked.”.

The hunter looks up at the girl and smiles with her small-tusked mouth, “Yes. I am Heva. That was my brother, he was our chief and now I am. I am glad to see you are unharmed.”.

Nelly smiles at Heva, “Thank you.”, then looks up at Yasevl, “What are we going to do? She did save me.”.

Yasevl looks at Nelly then back at the goblins, but when he gets ready to speak, he is interrupted by the sound of elven hunters calling his name as they come running through the gate, “LORD YASEVL!!!”.

The hunters run around the goblins, disregarding them completely, and make their way to Yasevl and kneel before him, the lead hunter speaks up, “Lord Yasevl, what the goblin says is true. We ran into them in the forest, along with the things they are running from. We helped their warriors hold those things off while their citizens made their way here.”.

“Stand, brothers, tell me what happened.”, Yasevl commands.

Rising to his feet, the lead hunter looks to Yasevl, “They are things of nightmares. We saw one of the goblins being taken down only to be brought back as one of them, but twisted…,” , the elf searched for the right word before settling on , “wrong.”.

Yasevl looks to the goblins in front of him and thinks. As Yasevl ponders what to do, Nora steps forward, placing a pale hand contrasted by the darkness of Yasevl’s skin, “I know you have a history with the goblins, but we were sent here after the high-priest of Marigold’s temple had a vision of a great evil growing here. If this thing that he saw is the same that attacked the goblins, scaring them enough to look to their enemy for help, then it has grown powerful and we will need all the help we can get.”.

Yasevl looks around at the goblins, the hunters, and the adventures, before locking eyes with Igneous. Igneous gives him a ‘it’s your call’ look. Yasevl breathes deeply then sighs, “Fine, but if this is a trick of some kind, so help me I will make you regret ever being born.”.

Heva stands and locks eyes with the towering wooden being before her and extends her hand, Yasevl takes it and shakes, Heva smiles and says, “Thank you.”.

As the two shake hands, they hear the yelling coming from the village and turn to see Nevil, in leather armor, holding a stone spear over his head, charging followed by three dozen elves armed with spears and clubs. The group yells battle cries, but begin to lose momentum as they draw closer still they stop short of the group standing between them and goblins. Nevil looks to Yasevl with confusion, “Lord Yasevl, what is happening?”.

Releasing Heva’s hand, Yasevl steps closer to Nevil and answers with grimly, “There’s been a change of plans.”.

Kexel rushes after the fleeing goblin warriors, his abominations following close on his heels. The goblins run leaving their fallen behind making for the walls of the elven village, hoping that their chief and the elven hunters that had assist them were able to convince the elves to help. Kexel pounces on a goblin that trips over an exposed tree root, ripping chunks from the goblin’s green flesh with wet tearing noises barely covered up by screams of agony that escape the goblins mouth before it falls silent. Kexel steps back and watches with a maniacal glee as the torn form of the goblin begins to darken and twist at unnatural angles, bones snapping as they contort. The once goblin now abomination lets out a retching screech and rushes to follow is former comrades, scurrying on the ground on all fours, its head turned upside down with its red dagger teeth gnashing. Kexel following with an evil glint in his eye.

After Nevil and the rest of the elven fighting force are brought up to speed, Nevil sends four guards to accompany all goblins that would not be fighting to the temple and to let the other elves know what was happening and to stay with them, this included the very old, sick, and very young, all the others wished to fight. Nevil and Heva attentively worked together get everyone ready. In the front two rows consisted of thirty goblins, each standing at the ready with little more than wooden clubs and stone daggers. Behind them the elves stood with spears ready to support the goblins, stabbing at anything that got close. Igneous stood in the rear alongside Nelly, Korren and the goblin shaman, who they learned was called Giblex, ready to cast spells from afar. Behind the small grove of tightly woven trees that Corma had grown, Marigold sat ready to heal anyone that needed it before returning to battle, Nora positioned above her, arrows ready to pierce anything that got close, and two elven guards stood by if anything got past Nora. Yasevl stood in front of the small army, Nevil and Heva beside him, while Mitch walked through the rows of fighters instructing them on how to work together.

Nelly looks over the battlefield and her knees wobbling, squeezing the staff in her hand she looks beside her at Giblex. Feeling the girl’s eyes on him the shaman looks down and smiles at the girl then looks at the staff in her hands, with a wispy voice with far more warmth than Nelly thought the goblin should be capable of, says “So that’s where that went to.”.

Nelly jumps with shock when the goblin speaks and looks at the staff in her hands before holding it out to the old shaman. Giblex gives a small laugh and pushes the staff away, “That is alright, it is yours now. Use it well.”.

Nelly smiles up at the goblin and nods her head once, “I will.”.

As Nelly turns back to the army before her, Giblex shifts his gaze to Igneous who had been watching the exchange, and leans forward, “You wouldn’t happen to be the fire wisp I created would you?”.

Igneous looks at the goblin with surprise then thinks on it before answering, “I may be, but I’m not sure. You would have to talk to my brother about where I came from. He found me and brought me here.”.

Giblex smiles and faces forward, “You grew up fast, if you are.”.

Igneous smiles at the shaman, who may be his creator, before turning to face in the same direction. Korren turns to the shaman, “You created a wisp?”.

Giblex smiles and turns to the human mage, “Yes, it took a lot of mana and preparation, but yes. I’d love to discuss it with a fellow magic user.”, the goblin says before adding with a shrug, “ If we survive this first.”.

Korren swallows a lump in his throat and replies, “Yeah, first things first.”.

The army of wood elves and goblins stand quietly, a nervous energy pressing down on them, when the silence is broken by the screams of six goblin warriors, out of the dozen that had been left behind, that come running through the gateway. Just as they make it to the front of the army, Heva yelling for them to report the healer and then to fall in line, as darkness descends upon the valley. First creatures that were once animals come rushing through the gateway, their bodies contorted, their skin black with sharp crimson growths protruding from oozing boils. Behind them come what were once goblins, some crawling on all fours, others running on two legs, with deformed dark skin, dripping red maws, and jagged bones jutting from the end of their twisted limbs, rushing around to attack form the side. Nevil and Heva let out a battle cry that is echoed by their people and charge forward. As the two sides clash against one another, both sides losing troops instantly, splinters flying everywhere, a figure smashes its way through the gateway. Kexel stands before the scene, his chest heaving, with flesh that appears to be from a wide assortment of creatures that took on an unnatural blackness wriggling, his face contorted in a mix of rage and hunger, congealing blood dripping from his crimson fangs. He lets out a deafening roar and charges into the battlefield. Yasevl charges to meet the monstrosity, the two goliaths locking together. Kexel running his razor like claws down the back of Yasevl, causing the latter to howl in agony before bringing a knee into the abominations stomach. As this goes on the spellcasters get to work, Giblex shouts dark incantations and casts bolts of dark energy at the creatures before them, hitting them with practiced accuracy, causing their warped flesh to melt way whereever they are hit, but this only slows them down. Korren casts spells of wind, hoping to push back the opposing force. Igneous works with Nelly as she casts a great stream of swirling flame forth into the air, twisting the whirlwind of flame with his will, whipping it through the raging forces.

The fight rages on as a creature that resembles a horned rabbit that had been bashed by a boulder sneaks around the clashing armies, using larger creatures as cover. Arrows pierce the skulls of the warped animals around it as the horned rabbit makes its way towards the spellcasters. Targeting the smallest of the ones on the ground, it scrapes at the ground with its back claws and darts forward, its jagged and broken horn piercing the side of the short spellcasters side, blood splashing against the creature’s black face as the spellcaster lets out a horrid yell.

Those around her turn to Nelly as she screams and see as she drops to the ground, a deformed rabbit protruding from her back. Giblex yells and seizes the creature by the hind legs and heaves it out of the girl with a wet pop. Throwing it on the ground Korren casts a spell of flames, sending the creature off running in agony before dropping to the ground. Igneous rushes to Nelly’s side and looks over her with fear, “Oh Nelly, I am so sorry. Please be okay. PLEASE!”.

Korren yells toward the grove of trees, “MARIGOLD WE NEED YOU NOW!!!!”.

Korren continues to scream for the priestess as Igneous watches his friend begin to shake and froth at the mouth.

Igneous screams in horror, “NELLY!”.