Delver Magic III: Balance of Fate by Jeff Inlo (best free e reader TXT) 📖

opportunity to take the city for themselves, or perhaps even joined with the creatures?”

Sy took a quick look and then shook his head. “Doesn’t appear that way. They’re attacking the goblins, and they’re attacking in great force.”

The dwarves began swarming into Connel from dozens of points all across the city. In some cases they used existing access tunnels. Some of these were clear, never sealed by the humans because they were not found or because they were located beneath the rubble of a collapsed building. Dwarves, however, could move rubble like the wind moves dried leaves. Others that had been sealed proved even less a deterrent as the dwarves plowed through the dirt that filled the holes as if it wasn’t there. They also quickly dug new passages to the surface, passages that would bring them closer to the outskirts of the city and directly upon the goblins they sought.

Once in the open streets, the dwarves dropped into battle formations. They drew close, their armor locked together, forming wedges that pressed forward with undeterred power. Though they lacked natural speed, they marched in union at double time. Soon nearly every road leading to the outer edges of Connel was filled with dwarf battle groups looking to smash their intended foes.

The goblins at first had no idea what was coming for them. Their backs were to these streets, their attention on the humans that were engaged outside the city. The hook hawks, however, patrolled the skies, and as they screeched warnings, eventually the goblins took heed. As they turned to witness this spectacle of doom that now charged toward them, their eyes widened in terror. In their haste, they fired their crossbows wildly. Most bolts missed their targets completely. Those that managed to hit a dwarf simply bounced harmlessly off thick battle armor.

In this moment, the outcome of the ensuing battle was already clear. No matter what the size of a goblin horde, it was no match for a fully armored battalion of angry and determined dwarves. Dwarves worked and fought together in unison. They understood war and battle tactics and they did not know fear. This was a combination of assets that stripped the goblins clean of any potential advantage.

The goblin horde had no such harmony. Though their strength lie in numbers, they could never boast of being a truly cohesive unit. They moved in waves of bedlam and used chaos and turmoil to confuse and demoralize their victims. On this day, they faced dwarves and dwarves laugh at such attempts. The goblins could not intimidate this foe through fear and though their ranged weapons might have given them an edge against the slow moving dwarves, they lacked the proper discipline to use that advantage effectively. Eventually, the dwarves would fight through any barrage of crossbow fire and turn this into a battle of close quarters, a battle the goblins could not possibly win.

Those shags that guarded the few clear passages in and out of Connel and others that protected the goblin flanks would fall first. Shags possessed the strength and size and could match a dwarf in a test of sheer power, but one shag against thirty dwarves with mace and axe was not a fair contest. Those shags that charged the dwarf formations head-on were dispatched with frightening speed. While their thick fur was ample protection against most hazards, it could not save them against bone crushing mace blows or the powerful swings of a dwarf axe.

The dwarf battle groups marched unimpeded toward the final positions of the goblins when they met their first true challenge. Attacks from the air began to impede the dwarves’ progress. Hook hawks began to swoop low from the sky and grab and scratch with sharp clawed talons. Though razor crows joined the fray by flying in maddened circles, they did little more that distract the dwarves. Still, they proved an annoyance and allowed the hook hawks greater time to make more passes that slowly began to cause casualties.

From their position outside the city, Sy and Colonel Haravin witnessed the battle with growing enthusiasm. It was clear the dwarves were attacking the dark creatures, and it was now their attention to assist in any way they could.

The colonel called for his closest lieutenants. He had new orders and they could not be delivered with flag signals.

“Disperse this order throughout the ranks. We will move to the very edge of the city and keep circling it at attack speed. Keep the goblins sandwiched between us and the dwarves. If a hook hawk swoops down into range, open fire with bows. The same goes for any goblins trying to escape out of the city. Make note of any clear entrances you see. Do not enter the city at this time, but we will need to make use of them later.”

The soldiers urged their mounts forward and came to the very outskirts of Connel, almost within arms reach of the webs that encased the outer edges of the city. They no longer feared crossbow fire for the dwarves were now engaging the goblins in close combat. The horses began to move at a furious pace always circling the city. Whenever a hook hawk attempted to swoop in for an attack, it received a barrage of arrows that swiftly dropped it to the ground. Even the razor crows were quickly dispersed by the flood of arrows that now swam through the dark night air over the heads of dwarf and goblin.

Trapped between the human cavalry circling the city and the dwarves storming through their entrenchments, the goblins panicked. They broke ranks and ran with disregard to their ultimate fate. In the end, this simply hastened their demise.

With the goblins routed, the dwarves turned their attention to the bloat spiders. Their axes made quick work of any web threads that blocked a city street, and their maces ended the threat of those few creatures that remained alive. Once all the webs were cleared, the dwarves turned about with a mind toward destroying every last goblin retreating back through the streets.

As most streets were now cleared and entrance into Connel could occur unimpeded, Colonel Haravin could not pass up the opportunity. “Signal an entry into the city, secure the main roads and follow inward to engage any fleeing goblins.”

The soldiers followed these orders gladly, especially those belonging to the cavalry of Connel. They moved through the streets quickly passing the dwarves and closed upon the heels of the few remaining goblins. As they secured the roads, Sy and Haravin pulled to a halt to size up the situation.

“Do you think your team even bothered to evacuate anyone?” Haravin asked.

“I doubt it,” Sy replied. “They would have had to use the same tunnels as the dwarves. I’m sure Ryson would have seen what was going on and put a halt to it even if they started. My guess is most of the people are probably taking shelter inside their homes.”

“Once we secure these main roads, we can begin searching the inner sections of the city. The dwarves didn’t leave much of the goblins to be any threat.”

Sy nodded and then looked about curiously. He realized the number of dwarf battle groups in the streets was dwindling fast. Those he could see began to drop into holes in the ground and fell completely out of sight.

“They’re leaving,” Sy pointed out. “I guess they did what they came to do and are going home. Maybe Connel has turned an enemy into a friend.”