Magistaire Chronicles: Shadows of the Past

Chapter 24.5

Elies ignored Hazelmere. He had to—the goblins had blocked off every way forward and back. Instead, he clenched his jaw and lunged forward, his vision fading to black.

He felt his staff quiver in his hands and heard the hollow sound of his weapon bouncing off numerous goblins' skulls. A wet crunch here, the sputtering of blood there; both were harmonious with his roars and Hazelmere's chanting.

The half-elf's wind shot up his back and tore past him and into a pair of trees, severing their trunks. Blood sprayed into the air, and bones crunched when they crashed to the ground.

Elies paid no mind to the blood splashing his face and robes, instead uttering spells of his own. His throat was raw, but thanks to Yarrow, it was a pain he'd grown familiar with.

Embriere! Repellum! He shouted into the congealed air, surpassing the goblins' snarls.

Again and again, a burned husk fell only for another to burst from the brush, renewing the cycle of fire and death all over again. It was enough to make veins bulge from Elies' arms.

"Just leave us alone, already!" Elies shouted, only to cough. Smoke rose from the scattered mass of charred corpses, so much so that he choked on the fumes.

"Elies!" Hazelmere gusted branches into the air, impaling a pair of goblins that skittered toward her. She coughed and lifted her collar to her nose. "We have to escape, somehow."

Elies said nothing, but she was right. The smoke was thickening fast. It wouldn't be much longer before they'd risk dying of its fumes rather than the goblins. Still, there was no escape. Beyond the bushes were the silhouettes of scores, perhaps even hundreds, of goblins, hissing and waiting.

A growl escaped Elies' locked jaws, and he twirled his staff, sparks jumping in all directions. "I have all night!" He roared. "Run or die like the rest!"

The beasts didn't budge, instead hacking away at him with their spears. With an annoyed grunt, Elies deflected their blows and seared the faces of a few more. He twirled his staff again only to catch a glimpse of the Hob Goblin's club from the corner of his eye. He raised his staff only to crash to the ground when their weapons clashed.

Elies jumped out of the club's reach when the HobGoblin hammered it down upon him and raised his staff to shield his face again. He sucked in several pained breaths and shook his throbbing head. His hands quaked and pulsed as well, his blisters turning them purple.

Horsepiss! Elies torched a pair of goblins tugging at Hazelmere's robes. How much longer do I have to keep this up?

Goblins swarmed around him, only to fall to their knees. Their skin bubbled when flames jumped from Elies' staff. He panted and eyed the behemoth of a goblin standing mere feet away. It rested its club atop its shoulder and smirked when the smaller ones raced past him.

Elies grunted and hacked away at the rabble jumping at his legs. "You're the one sending them to their deaths!" He said, glaring. He eyed Hazelmere from the corner of his eye, the goblins shifting their focus away from her. "Sorry, Hazelmere, but I'm taking that one."

Hazelmere looked at the Hob looming over them and back to Elies. "Don't be stupid, Elies!"

"It's the only way to keep them from coming for us!" Elies argued. "I'm sure of it."

The young man didn't wait for his friend to answer and instead ran forward. Goblins' claws dug into his skin and tugged at his hair, but he burned and swatted them aside like the rest. The HobGoblin narrowed its orange eyes as Elies crept closer and grinned, showing its rows of jagged teeth.

Elies heard Hazelmere gasp, but he didn't have time to look at her. "Elies, get—! She'd shouted, but the Hob's cries surpassed her own.

Terrariere!

The earth shook, and Elies could only glance down before a chunk of the ground shot from beneath him. It smashed into his chin and knocked him onto his back. Stars zipped in and out of Elies' view, but he forced himself to stand, palming then burning the face of a goblin that got too close.

"Fuck me, the bastard's a mage?" Elies gasped.

Hazelmere ran to his side and pulled him away. "A stronger one than us. That's why we have to run!"

There was nowhere to run. Herds of goblins crawled from the brush, their three fingers hooking into talons and their jaws snapping.

Elies and Hazelmere whirled around in unison when the HobGoblin bellowed. It raised a hand, and the ground shook again.

Terris!

The earth roared, and a slew of stones, foliage, and roots ripped themselves from the ground. The Hob clenched a talon, and they mashed together, turning to cannon fire when they crashed to the ground.

Goblins cried out as the stone bullets pierced through their skulls, eyes, and throats while Elies and Hazelmere cast their spells in unison.

Repellum! Zephyriere! The pair shouted, one after the other.

The stones petered Elies' wall of flames and tore through the wind. Elies then shoved Hazelmere aside and screamed when a rock ripped into his shoulder.

Blood sprayed onto the ground, and Elies fell to one knee. He dropped his staff, placing a hand over his wound. It was all he could do to relieve the pain if just a bit.

The HobGoblin didn't give him time to rest, however, and took his club in both of his hands. He reared it and swung, lopping off the heads of the goblins who fell upon Elies. It crashed into Elies next, but not before he raised his staff again.

The bones in Elies' arm turned to jelly, a loud crunch following suit. He screamed and fell onto his side, his now limp arm following suit.

Elies squeezed an eye shut and crawled in Hazelmere's direction, only for a herd of goblins to fall upon him. They chomped down on his skin and dug their claws into his face and scalp while bellowing crow-like laughs.

"Elies!" Hazelmere gasped. Streaks of wind shot from her outstretched palm, grazing a pair of goblins' claws and severing them.

Terraria'n'o!

The ground churned beneath Hazelmere's feet, congealing around her legs and torso.

Terrisindiere!

The Hob clenched its fist, and the earth hardened to stone. It trembled and further squeezed around the half-elf's body, to which she screeched.

Elies' hair stiffened, and he set the nearby goblins ablaze with a single spell. "Bastard!" Elies crawled forward, dragging his shattered arm behind him. The pain was enough to make his eyes well, but he ignored it.

The HobGoblin grunted and looked down at him from the corner of its eye. Terrariere, it breathed.

Another chunk of stone shot from the ground and smashed into Elies' chin a second time. His head grew heavy, and he collapsed face-first. With a final attempt to stand, he fell again and drifted to sleep.