34 Battle of Stony Hill (1/2)
Seeing the group ready for battle the goblin raised its chipped saber high, ”Chiit chiit chee!” it chittered, the cry echoing through the forest as six more riders emerged from the trees. Approaching fast, the goblins began to come into view, allowing Eric to make out more of the goblins' features. They certainly were ugly little brutes he thought in disgust. From what he could see they appeared to be between three and four feet tall, with oversized ears, bulbous noses, and spindly arms. Their long fingers were topped with sharp claws which wrapped around their sabers, oversized for their frames at roughly two feet long.
Their armour - if you could call it that - was comprised of patchy leather covering a wool shirt, similar to Eric's own. With nothing covering their shins. In their other hand, each goblin held a whip which they used to encourage their wolf mounts to go faster, the wolves tearing up the ground as they pelted ahead at full speed towards the rocky hill.
”Steady,” Owin warned them, readying his sword as the first worg rider approached. Nocking his penultimate arrow, Eric took aim and fired at the largest goblin, hitting him in the chest and knocking him from his mount. Unfortunately, the goblin got back to his feet and resumed its charge on foot, whipping the wolf as it turned to nip at its rider. The goblin's healthbar had been diminished by a large amount, but it was still alive. ”Damn video game balancing,” Eric muttered as he nocked his last arrow. Beside him, Katzy fired a Wind Strike towards another goblin, striking its mount instead which rewarded her with a loud yelp.
Uttering fearsome warcries, the remaining goblins reached the hill, their worg mounts scrabbling for purchase on the rough rocks. Aiming at the lead wolf, Eric activated Charged Shot, his final arrow piercing through the air and embedding itself in the wolf's eye. Collapsing, the wolf skidded across the rocks dead. It's rider attempted to hang on but was thrown off, landing at the feet of Tamira who stabbed her spear into its throat. Gurgling, the goblin attempted to hack at her shins, but Alexnir slammed his sword into it's chest, putting an end to its death throes.
As the two party members finished off the lead goblin, the remaining five mounted goblins reached the fighters, the unmounted goblin trailing along behind. One peeled off the group, heading towards Eric and Katzy's position while the other four assaulted Owin, Tamira, and Alexnir's position, forcing them to rely on the terrain to survive.
Holding his sword in his left hand, Eric carefully constructed the runes for Wind Blade, preparing to fire the spell for the first time. Feeling the mana coalesce into the form of the spell, he grinned, launching it at the oncoming Goblin's mount as it reached the four meter mark from his position.
With the howl of wind a two-foot long scar of wind appeared in the air, screaming towards the goblin's worg mount. The blood draining from it's face, the goblin attempted to force it's mount to dodge, but the distance and the treacherous terrain prevented the wolf from leaping aside, forcing it to take the spell head on.
With a small sonicboom the blade of wind slammed into the wolf, causing blood to spurt out in a huge arc as the wolf let out a pained howl. As it's mount collapsed, the goblin jumped off the wolf, using his mounts momentum to launch himself towards Eric, saber raised high to slash him from head to toe.
Transferring his sword back to his right hand, Eric met the goblin with a kick, sending it flying backwards. As it climbed to its feet a bolt of arcane energy filled it's vision, Eric's arcane strike slamming into the goblin's face. Clutching its eyes for a moment, the goblin's blade lowered, allowing Eric to leap forward, his blade slashing across its neck. With a small gurgling sound, the goblin's healthbar emptied, its saber clattering to the ground as it died.
Burying his blade into the slowly stirring wolf, Eric returned to the top of the hill to survey the situation from above. Owin had forced the unmounted goblin to temporarily retreat but was now fighting against two goblin riders on his own while Tamira and Alexnir fought one each. The wolf that had originally been the injured goblin's mount lay dead at Owin's feet.
Unlike Eric who'd been free to pursue the opening he'd created and finish off his opponent, the goblins below worked together. Attacking as a group and covering each other's flanks. This prevented the group from finishing off any goblins they wounded.
Even worse, the wolf mounts were making life difficult for the group, nipping at limbs and using their claws to attack while their riders distracted their human opponents. Katzy had a spell prepared but was hesitating.
”What are you waiting for? Shoot at the goblins!” Eric shouted at her, preparing his own spell.
”But what if I hit them instead of the monsters?”
”Wait for them to repel a monster, then fire. Like this,” Eric demonstrated, firing a Wind Strike at the mounted goblin that Owin had just injured with a light slash to the leg. As it's wolf pranced backwards the wind blade slammed into the goblin, toppling it from the wolf which howled and leapt at Owin. Alone, the wolf couldn't stand up to the experienced scout who merely stepped aside and brought his blade down upon the luckless animal. With a yelp the wolf stumbled backwards, an enormous wound now visible on it's back. Before the wolf could run away, it's rider directed his whip at it, the whip cracking inches above the wounded monster's head. Cowed into submission, the goblin mounted his injured mount, ignoring the yelps of pain as his body applied pressure to the wolf's wound.
Raising her hands Katzy fired a Wind Strike, aiming for the goblin fighting with Tamira. Seeing the wind strike coming, the goblin commanded its wolf to attack, intercepting the spell with his saber. Taking advantage of the distracted worg rider, Tamira stabbed her spear at the wolf, inflicting a heavy wound on the animal. With a yelp the wolf reared, forcing it's rider to hang on for dear life as the wolf attempted to claw at Tamira.
Bashing his opponent with his shield, Alexnir lent her a hand, slashing the wolf with his sword and forcing it to retreat. As it did so, Alexnir's oponent lunged forward, slashing him across the back with it's saber. Stumbling forward, Alexnir tripped on the rough rocks, falling to one knee. Tamira attempted to cover for her comrade but was forced to turn back to deal with her own opponent, as the goblin spurred his injured mount forward, forcing it to ignore it's wounds and press the attack, joined by the unmounted goblin that Owin had repelled earlier.
As Katzy watched on with a horrified expression, the wolf and rider leapt at Alexnir, just beginning to rise. Latching on to his back with it's claws, the wolf began to tear and bite at the fighter's unprotected back while the goblin used it's saber to attack his head and shoulders. Alexnir did his best to use his shield to protect his head, but the wolf's fangs and claws were taking its toll, his healthbar dropping rapidly.
Closing her eyes, Katzy was about to turn away when she heard the sound of wind howling next to her. Opening her eyes again, she watched as an enormous Wind Blade nearly a meter long coalesced in front of Eric who pointed his arm towards Alexnir's assailant.