Chapter 178

— "Fire Wind" or "Fire Column"?

— Better. But I'd rather cast "Fireballs."

— It's better to show something stronger from the fire element. Otherwise, the mercenary mages will start asking about our protective spells. It's better they think of us as fighters than as defensive mages.

Leonid didn't respond, only hiccuped satisfyingly once more and exhaled loudly. He would have loosened his pants, but unfortunately, that wouldn't help. If he had been told at the start of the expedition that overeating would become the main problem... He would have laughed at such a joker!

And now a few dozen overstuffed vampires were proving to the world that too much food could be a problem even worse than goblins. Upon their return, there would be many eager to repeat the experience. Blood saturation not only provided an intoxicating effect but also a sense of almost sexual satisfaction. The warlord himself would gladly repeat such an expedition later. Maybe next month, for example!

They didn't make it to the hiding place. In fact, they were only about two hundred meters away. The goblins attacked before darkness fell. The squad hadn't even set up camp yet and was still on the move when they had to draw their weapons and start fighting.

After deflecting another arrow aimed at his face, Alexander hurled a "Fireball" into the trees from where it had come. Behind them, workers were trying to connect the wagons and set up camp right in the middle of the forest. No less than a hundred workers lay on the ground, showing no signs of life.

The gust of wind brought the smells of no fewer than a thousand goblins approaching them. And this was in addition to the couple of thousand already surrounding the squad. For the first time, the goblins had numerical superiority.

— Leonid! When they get within two or three hundred meters, hit them with "Rain."

— Or maybe we should let them cut down the people?

The triumvir looked at his warlord. The idea was certainly brutal, but it would allow them to end this absurd expedition and return home. The daytime conversation with the captain had yielded nothing. Despite all the arguments, he stubbornly refused to turn back while the losses were still manageable.

— We won't be able to retrieve the artifacts. And we need to retrieve them. The whole point of our involvement in this venture is my title as baron. So, let's cut down the goblins.

In response, a blaze erupted in the forest. Several hundred goblins burned under the falling rain of fire from the sky. The enemy did not receive decisive reinforcements, so it was possible to continue. Leonid exhaled and patted his chest.

— It feels better now...

— Assign the next one to cast the spell and... — He was interrupted by another crossbow bolt aimed at him, — Damn creatures, they're targeting the mages!

This time, the goblin with the crossbow was burned by another vampire. Then cries of despair and calls for help came from the end of the convoy. A group of five paladins, upon receiving orders, rushed there. Apparently, things were very dire. The vampires who arrived on the scene assessed the situation as plainly horrific. The mercenary line had been breached, and the goblins were simply killing them and the workers.

The group of five didn't restrain themselves in any way, and the count of slain goblins quickly began to rise. But before they could close the breach, too many people had already died. The vampires, unabashedly, drank the blood of the fallen. When the goblins retreated, there was no one left on the battlefield except for the dead and the vampires. They couldn't even send help. The situation at the head of the column was similarly grim.

The forest was illuminated. "Fire Rain." And almost immediately, another one. And another. From the north, the entire forest was engulfed in a continuous inferno. Then the same thing happened from the south. The squad found itself almost trapped between two walls of fire.

The mages managed to control the fire created by one of them; otherwise, not only the goblins but also the humans could have burned in it. Finally, a few dozen more troops arrived at the end of the convoy.

I've got more interesting stuff on patreon

patreon.com/Chill76