I lifted my arm and flattened my palm, releasing the magic I had gathered. The air exploded, smashing into the ogres lifting them away. They plummeted into the crowd a hundred feet away.
I turned my head, glaring at each of the creatures near us. They stepped back, giving us a wide berth. All of Masep was silenced. The creatures stopped their conversations, their bargaining, their fighting, and turned their complete attention on me. They recognized me for what I was—a wizard.
We continued as the heavy tension closed in on us. We didn’t talk, much less breathe. My friends walked back to back, making sure the creatures didn’t try anything, and my eyes scanned the crowd for any sign of attack.
A trembling goblin, nearly frozen with fright, asked, “Youuuu gonna ruule nowww?”
I turned a fierce gaze on him. He leaned back so far I thought he was going to fall. I didn’t answer him, but he had a valid question. I couldn’t have these creatures under Premier’s thumb again, or worse yet, running wild and threatening Alexandria.
I wrapped myself in the cold air. “Hear me!” I called, the wind carrying my words to all those in Masep. “Premier is gone. I am the wizard, Hellsfire.
I
am the one who defeated Premier in Alexandria.”
I tensed as I held onto the spell, wondering what the creatures were going to do. They had left us alone thus far, but would they want revenge for their defeat, and were some loyal to Premier like Baal was? I might be a wizard, but not even I could take on all of them. I had thought I was going to retrieve the book. If I had it, I could have learned its secrets before I destroyed it—something that would have helped us. But the creatures did something completely unexpected.
They kneeled.
The ogres bowed, then the goblins, followed by the trolls, producing a ripple effect throughout the city. I stood there, basking in all the power I had over these creatures. I didn’t need the book. Whatever Renak had done to them long ago was ingrained in them. But to think that one person could influence so many. It was no wonder Renak, Premier, and other wizards became corrupted. I could stay here and rule. I could show all those in Sedah that an ignorant farm boy like me could be something great, and have my own kingdom. I needed no one and I would never be bullied again.
Then I remembered my friends. Their eyes gleamed with questions, doubts, and even fear. They didn’t say a word, but they reminded me of what I had to do. I didn’t want to be like Renak or Premier. Besides, what would be the point of ruling without someone to share it with? I never wanted this power. Even though I was born with it, I had a responsibility to it and others.
“Arise,” I said to the creatures. “I have not come to rule.”
They slowly rose. I said nothing. They glanced at each other, unsure of what to do. They dared to talk amongst themselves. Their whispers grew to shouts and their shouts into a raucous roar.
“Enough!” I yelled, my voice piercing the city. “I came here to deal with Premier and I did. He won’t trouble you anymore.”
My words had the intended effect. Relieved, twisted, disfigured smiles passed throughout the crowd. They probably didn't like Premier any more than I did. I thought long and hard about what I was going to say next. What I hoped Krystal would have wanted.
“I’m going to give you your freedom,” I said to the gathered crowd. “You will rule over yourselves from now on. No one will ever tell you what to do.”
The creatures roared again. A few of the goblins jumped up and down. After some time had passed, I put a hand up. They all stopped.
“You will
not
go past the mountains into Northern Shala,” I said. “If you do, I will be back. And I am far worse than Premier.” I let the fire flow out of my eyes and scowled at them. “We’re leaving. Do not get in our way.”
I let go of the air spell and almost fainted. I was using far too much sloppy magic to show how powerful I was. I should have used a simpler spell to demonstrate my power to them. I continued to look strong for fear of their attack, and let the fire seep out of my hands.
The creatures parted before us as we marched through the city like a strong breeze through a dense forest. They stood still, gawking at me, waiting until I passed before they talked amongst themselves. After all these years, they could finally have their freedom, but would they know what to do with it? Do any of us? They made no move against us, but my friends and I never dropped our guard.
When we reached Masep’s gates, there was one brave soul who dared to question me.
Kemek blocked our path. There were no other goblins around him. “What you say true, Great One?”
“Yes,” I said. “As long as you stay on your side. Perhaps one day we’ll get along, but now‘s not the time, Kemek.”
His eyes nearly came out of their sockets. “You know my name?”
“I’m a wizard. I
know
everything. I even know of your secret city.”
Kemek gasped and tripped over his own feet.
“I won’t harm you or your people as long as you spread word of what I said here today.”
He trembled. “You-you strange, Great One.”
“Call me Hellsfire.”
“Hells…fire? Hellsfire.” Kemek sounded out my name as if saying it would strike him down. “You strange, but me like you. Me make sure goblins don’t go to human place. Don’t know about nasty trolls or dirty ogres.”
“Maybe one day we’ll meet again. Goodbye, Kemek.”
Kemek kneeled. “Bye, Great Wizard.”
We departed Masep. I thought the creatures would accept their freedom and leave us alone.
But they didn’t.
Now that the Great Barrier was down, I was better able to access the Wasteland’s earth magic. The land was still sickly, but I felt patches of the creatures all around us. There were thousands of them in their separate groups. None of us felt safe. Without our disguises, we were more exposed than ever. Despite what I had done in Masep, the creatures could attack us at a moment’s notice.
We hurried as fast as we could towards Alexandria. We made better time, since we didn’t have to hide or take detours. While the majority of the creatures avoided us, I sensed two large groups at the fringe of my senses and powers. I thought it might be coincidental, until I realized they were headed our way.
Because of how damaged the land was and how far away they were, I couldn’t tell exactly what followed us. The smaller group had to be either trolls or ogres because of the way their footsteps stomped on the land. They traveled the terrain well, bypassing any crevices.
The smaller, numerous group could only be goblins. They circled around us, not caring how many they lost in their hunt. Their group shrank over the next few days, but it was more than enough.
The others and I tried to lose either group, but they tracked us. We pushed ourselves faster, barely getting any sleep. Soon, the creatures were only a day away. They were so close that my powers let me know it was ogres in that small group. They were the ones we were going to have to fight first.
Jastillian and Behast thought we should hole up in a cave, so that the ogres’ size and numbers would work against them. We decided against it, as none of us wanted to be trapped in a cave and have it be our final tomb. Out in the open, there was still a chance for one of Alexandria’s patrols to see us.
We stopped and prepared for our final stand. We still had a few hours of daylight left before the creatures came at us. We decided to use the terrain to our advantage instead of them using it to theirs.
There was a rock outcropping up a small hill, providing cover for the elves to shoot from. It faced north, where the ogres would be coming from. The ground in front of it was loose enough for us to dig ditches. In front of those, I could cast my own trap.
By the time night fell, we had prepared our defenses. I had constructed a magical trap, powerful enough, I hoped, for Alexandria to see.
I sprinted back to the others. Prastian and Demay hid behind the rocks, their arrows pointing into the darkness from whence I came. Behast and Jastillian stood behind ditches the two had dug.
Our defenses were adequate at best. We would have liked to prepare more. There was nothing we could have done about the fast approaching goblins coming in from our western flank. If we had time, we would finish off the ogres, then fall back to higher and rockier ground.
“How many are there?” Behast asked.
I bent down and placed my fingertips on the ground. The ogres’ vibrations traveled through the earth to me.
“Far too many,” I said, glancing up at the night sky. The large clouds blocked out a lot of light. The ogres had better eyesight at night than any of us except Jastillian.
A low rumbling came from half a mile away, accompanied by the ogres’ screams and growls.
“They come,” Behast said.
Behast and Jastillian moved to the spots they had picked out earlier, and I went back to the elves. Hiding behind the rocks, I sat cross-legged on the ground. I closed my eyes in a trance, letting the earth mana guide me until I reached where my trap was. Earlier in the day,
I had gathered in mana and channeled it through a large area, storing it until I was ready to unleash it. I was exhausted from the spell, but if it worked, the ogres’ numbers would be greatly diminished.
The ogres stomped across the ground. They were so many and so heavy that the vibration of their footsteps traveled up my arm. If only I could have accessed more of the land’s magic, then I could have done a devastating spell. As it was, I had to work with my best magic—fire.
Dozens of creatures ran through the wide circle I had laced with my magic. There seemed to be an endless number of them. Before they reached the border of my giant circle, I ignited my spell.
A wall of fire erupted from the circle, halting the ogres and entrapping them. The circle of fire bloomed, lighting the night sky until it could be seen for miles around.
I brought the fire crashing down into the ogres. The fire consumed them, burning away their flesh. They shrieked a chorus of agony as I broiled them. I had killed the ogres before, but never this many at once. I held the fire for as long as could before I let it go, exhaustion almost overwhelming me.
I opened my eyes and glanced up at Prastian and Demay. Their green eyes were mesmerized, tiny flames dancing inside of them. I stared in horror at the carnage I had caused. The landscape was now illuminated by my dying fire. Small fires fed on the ogres’ dead bodies, some of them twitching involuntarily. Three ogres, their backs on fire, tried to get away, but they collapsed and smashed into the ground.
My chest heaved and sweat drenched my clothes. I needed to rest, to gather in more magic for the upcoming goblins.
“It’s over,” Demay said, helping me up. “Let’s go before the goblins arrive. Maybe the fire and the ogres’ corpses will buy us some time. If we’re lucky, they might feast on them.”
“No,” Jastillian said, peering to the dying fires. “It’s not over yet.”
We stared into the distance. Looming shapes burst through the ring of fires. I tapped into the earth mana. More ogres were coming.
“By the gods,” I said. “How many are there?”
“Positions!” Jastillian said just as the first wave of ogres approached.
Prastian and Demay loosed their bows as soon as the ogres were a hundred yards away. Because there were so many, their arrows always struck true. Ogres stumbled to the ground. As many ogres as were killed, more took their places.
As tired as I was, I summoned my inner fire and clapped my hands together. A huge fireball burst from my hands, colliding with a group of ogres. I did it again and three caught on fire and veered away, screaming. Others leapt over fallen bodies. The corpses piled up, but the ogres kept coming. We needed to slow them down.
My mind strained to conjure all the earth mana in the area. The broken mana was reluctant to heed my call, but I risked permanently damaging the area. When the ogres were fifty yards away from our trenches, I emitted shockwaves through the area. A dozen ogres tripped and fell. Broken rocks flew into the air, one ripping through the mouth of an ogre before landing in another’s eye.
As the ogres struggled to climb the trenches, Jastillian and Behast struck the ogres down. They moved down the line, guarding each other’s backs as they cut and sliced the monsters.
The ogres breached the trenches and Jastillian and Behast fell back. The ogres roared when they saw me and sprinted my way. Prastian and Behast continued to shoot their arrows, but their quivers were dangerously low.
“Kill the wizard!” an ogre shouted.
A dozen veered away from Jastillian and Behast and stomped towards me. The warriors slashed at them, but they pushed the pain aside. Behast clipped one in the knee. The ogre glared at the elf, but his hatred deepened when he met my eye. He clawed his way toward me before Behast finished him off. Whatever else Premier had taught them, he taught them one important thing—kill the wizard first.
The ogres were twenty feet away, but my minor spells weren’t slowing them down. I used the air to slice and rip into their heavy flesh. Their dark gray skin peeled away until black blood oozed out. I scrambled backwards, needing time to gather in more mana. I thought I could get some distance from them, but then an ogre leapt out from behind a dead companion, almost on top of me.
The ogre raised his rusted sword to strike me before I could conjure enough magic for a defense. His dark eyes shone with triumph, knowing that he would be the first of his kind to kill a wizard in a thousand years. Death replaced that look when Jastillian’s axe cleaved through the monster’s chest from behind.
Soon, the ogres had surrounded us. We five were pressed against each other, fighting back to back in a small circle. Prastian and Demay had long run out of arrows and now wielded their short swords. Together, the brothers struck down an ogre three times their size. All my current spells were weak and easy. The earlier spells had taken their toll on me and I needed more time to gather in energy. Time I wouldn’t have.
No matter how many died, the ogres kept coming. I flung smaller spells to give us some breathing room, but it wasn’t enough. None of it was enough. I felt that black fire boiling up inside, aching to be released. I knew if I let it take over, the ogres would die, but my friends might as well. I didn’t know if I could control it, as exhausted as I was. And the goblins were still on their way.
I stood in the middle of a protective circle. The noose around our necks tightened as my friends were pushed back into an ever-smaller circle. I could barely move to change the direction of my spells. I needed more power, more time, more space—anything!
Jastillian had taken a slash to his right side, and was trying to fight a huge ogre with a club while protecting the wound. Prastian’s left arm bled yet he still tried to take down his ogre with one useless arm. Neither of them could last much longer, and I had nothing more to give. My vision was already blurring—another couple of spells and I would black out.
High screeches pierced the night air, and the sounds of death surrounded me. The goblins had come. There would be no escape now. The goblins worked their way into a frenzy and rushed into the surrounding melee.
I had no choice. It was time to unleash that dark and uncontrollable magic.
I waited until they were in range, until I could see the dark mass of them running at us. Jastillian was on his knees, and Prastian could barely lift his sword arm. But I had to make sure I could hit as many goblins as possible. The front of the horde was almost upon us, backing up the ogres. I readied myself, feeling the black fire build. The goblins shrieked their battle cries...
And fell upon the ogres.
The lead goblin leapt unto an ogre’s back, driving his sword into the beast’s neck. The ogre toppled over. The goblin jumped from that ogre and slashed one to his left, distracting him as another goblin ran him through.
Everywhere I looked, bands of goblins brought down ogres. Those without weapons fought with their sharp teeth and nails, mobbing the ogres and rending them apart.
The ogres turned from us to fight the goblins. Jastillian leaned against me while Behast held Prastian up. Demay took point, dodging and shoving through the melee, leading us to the rocks, where there was some cover. I leaned against a boulder, fighting the black power that still roared for release. Demay and Behast were busy with field dressings, patching up Prastian and Jastillian, while their own blood ran down from smaller wounds.
It was all over in a few minutes. When the last ogre fell, one of the goblins raised his sword and snarled in victory, the other goblins echoing his roar. He turned to face us.
It was Kemek.
Drenched in black blood, he walked toward us, along with a dozen of his kind. Behast stood at my side while Demay guarded the others. I was wary of what the goblins wanted, even though most of them were finishing off the wounded ogres. They may have killed the ogres, and I may have understood the goblins better because of my earlier disguise, but they were still Wasteland creatures. What did they want and why were they here? Did Kemek and his band want the glory of killing a wizard?
Kemek’s head came to my chin. He pushed his helm up and stared at me with defiant eyes. I waited for him to make his move while I summoned what little magic I could. However, he bowed, and all the goblins in the area did the same.
“Great One,” Kemek said. “We came to warn you of stupid ogres, but we too late.”
“I see,” I said. “Why did they attack us?”
“They stupid!” Kemek threw up his hands. “Trolls stupid too, but not attack. Ogres mad they no longer favorites.” He puffed his chest out and said, “We goblins are!” The goblins around him roared in joy.