The Iron Teeth: A Goblin's Tale - From RoyalRoadl.com by ClearMadness

Out of Darkness 8

Smoke billowed out from the shallow trench the enemy mage's blast had dug across the hillside. The haze made seeing difficult, but Blacknail peered past it as he observed the enemy. Around him, the goblins were in disarray but most of the hobgoblins were picking themselves off the ground or shooting at the humans that were now pushing their way through the bushes at the edge of the forest. Gob was leading the resistance down below. However, Blacknail was focused on the large formation of raiders that was staying out in the fields. That was where the enemy mage was, and where Imp's magical projectiles were about to land. Even the most complicated trap could work if you lured the enemy to exactly where you wanted him and then trapped him there.

The enemy mage had already turned away from the goblins' position and was issuing orders to the men around her. Another raider raised the alarm, and the mage spun around and looked up. Two blazing orbs were headed her way, and they left a tail of fire behind them as they fell.

The mage hurriedly raised her hand up in a defensive gesture. She seemed to recognize that the small fireballs were dangerous. Another blast of invisible power burst forth from her amulet, and there was a loud boom as the resulting explosion met the falling balls of fire and knocked them aside. One of the flaming crystals was thrown safely off to the side. It hit the ground and exploded without hurting anyone. However, the other fireball was only nudged off-kilter a bit. It spiraled down and fell at the edge of the raiders' formation, where it detonated. A blazing sphere the size of a small home engulfed over a dozen men, and the force of its birth threw a dozen more raiders aside. Screams of shock and pain filled the air.

"Finally, a successful test!" Imp exclaimed happily as he smiled broadly and threw his hands up in excitement. "Boom! I've already learned so much. Look at them burn."

"Very nice," Blacknail replied as the flames reflected in his eyes. "But you need to do it again. Most of them are still alive."

Blacknail was really coming to like magic. It made everything so much easier, especially blowing people up.

"Yeah, do it again, and hit the mage this time. That bitch has it coming," Khita added as she climbed to her feet. She had apparently been unhurt by the mage's attack but was feeling resentful.

Imp and his two assistants immediately launched another set of fireballs. Just like the last ones, the new projectiles soared towards the enemy formation. However, before they could hit, they were blocked by another blast from the mage's hand. Both the fireballs careened harmlessly off to the side. As Blacknail watched, the mage then turned and pointed the tip of her staff right in Blacknail's direction. The hobgoblin's eyes went wide and he tensed up.

"Dodge!" Blacknail yelled as threw himself off to one side.

He was just in time. Flames shot forth from the end of the weapon and blasted the hillside again. A wave of excruciating heat washed over Blacknail and he was sent rolling across the ground by the explosion. The air was knocked out of Blacknail's lungs as he came to a sudden stop and his back slammed into the base of a tree. Pain flared through his ribs and spine, and his head hit the ground hard. Dizzily, he blinked and looked around. Burning leaves were falling all around him. The ground was torn and broken. The blast had dug a burning trench where he had been standing a few moments ago. Luckily, other than Imp and his assistants there hadn't been many goblins or hobgoblins nearby.

Everything looked blurry as Blacknail tried to gather his thoughts. He sat up but didn't try to stand. His entire body hurt far too much for him to try and get up right now, maybe in a minute. He touched the side of his head and his fingers came away wet. He appeared to be bleeding. That wasn't good.

From what Blacknail could see, he was alone now. Imp and his aides were missing or incinerated. No more fireballs were being thrown at the raiders, and they were charging into the forest unimpeded. Blacknail could hear the raiders cheering. The hobgoblins were being pushed back or had been spooked by the mage's attack and were already running away. There was chaos as the humans pressed their advantage. In their enthusiasm, their orderly lines broke apart as they reached the trees and separated.