*Date: 33,480 Second Quarter - Iron Confederacy and Goblin Chiefdoms Border*
The chief was barely containing the beast and yet he lunged after Roderic. The silver wolf thrashed beneath him, chains rattling against polished armor, foam dripping from its muzzle. Roderic deflected the spear with his shield, the impact sending vibrations up his arm. He gave the order.
"Take out the remaining! I can manage this. I was reserving my stamina for this moment."
He dropped the shield and drew another sword. Twin blades flashed in the firelight as he started to dance with dual swords, deflecting the chief's spear and getting inside his reach. Steel sang against steel, sparks flying with each parry.
Demir pointed others to follow Roderic's command but he entered the duel. Now Demir came eye to eye with the beast.
The wolf's golden eyes burned with fury and intelligence. Up close, the creature was massive, muscles rippling beneath silver fur that shimmered like moonlight on water. Its armor gleamed, seamless plates probably dwarf made. The magical collar around its neck pulsed with sickly green light, and leather saddle straps bit deep into its sides, chafing the proud animal's hide.
Demir circled wide, watching Roderic press the attack. The commander moved with lethal grace, blades weaving a pattern of steel that forced the chief to retreat. But the wolf was the real threat. Every lunge, every snap of its jaws could crush bone. Every swipe of its clawed paws could disembowel.
A useless plan formed in Demir's mind. Free the beast. Turn this monster against its captors.
Every chance he got, he tried to cut saddle parts. His dull sword hacked at leather straps, scraping against buckles. The wolf snarled and snapped at him, but its attention was split between defending its rider and fighting its own chains. Demir dodged a bite that would have taken his arm off, rolled under a claw swipe, and came up slashing at the girth strap.
Leather parted with a snap.
The saddle shifted. The chief roared in alarm, gripping tighter with his knees. Roderic seized the opening and drove both blades toward the goblin's exposed side, forcing him to block desperately with the spear shaft.
Demir hacked again. Another strap gave way. The saddle slipped further.
When it was worn enough, Demir smashed his sword against the magical chains. Sparks flew, arcane energy crackling along the blade. The wolf went frantic. It thrashed and twisted, fangs bared, eyes wild. With a roar that shook the ground, it freed itself from the rest of the containments and threw the chief to the floor.
The goblin hit hard, rolling across mud and ash. The silver wolf didn't hesitate. It bolted toward the woods, a streak of silver vanishing into darkness.
Roderic pointed his sword at the downed chief.
The chief scrambled to his feet, blood dripping from a gash on his arm. His eyes burned with hatred. "YOU'LL PAY. We will eat your corpses!"
He drew a strange intricate pulsing metal device from his purse and threw it toward Roderic.
Roderic tried to stop it but it detonated mid-air. Magical rays and explosions spurted toward Roderic, searing light and crackling energy erupting in a wave of destruction. Ardrem, in a split second, tried to materialize a shield to protect Roderic but the blast was too powerful.
The explosion hurled Roderic backward. He crashed into the dirt, armor smoking, skin blistered where the magical fire touched. The smell of burnt flesh filled the air.
Ardrem started blasting the chief with ice arrows. Others joined with arrows and thrown knives. When the chief could no longer see the coming attacks through the hail of projectiles, Sin jumped and took his hand with the cleaver. Timmy lunged with the spear. The rest pummeled down onto him and killed the chief as a group.
Ardrem rushed to Roderic. Bomb residue was burning the surface it touched, leaving charred marks across his chest and arms.
"It's a magical bomb. Healing potions can't help it. We have to take him to the settlement. Only Priestess Neya can heal him," Ardrem said, his voice urgent.
"Take the horses from the cart. We will pull the cart after looting," Marco called out.
Roderic waved his hand, talked hardly. "Splitting is too risky." The pain was visible in every strained word, every labored breath.
"Ardrem, don't listen to him. Take the horses. We can return by walking," Marven said firmly.
After they sent Roderic and Ardrem away with the horses, they started looting everything. But Demir's mind was in a constant state of thoughts. "I can't keep trying to make the same stupid sword. I need to learn."
For the whole night they gathered and piled everything at the camp center. Marco wore his glasses without giving away his advantage, keeping good gear for a mage to himself.
"Demir, you see this robe? D grade. It has twenty percent bonus to fire damage. Hehehe. When we return to the basin I will treat you to a deer steak," Marco said, grinning.
"I am not coming."
"What do you mean you're not coming?"
"I need to get better. I couldn't cut elites without charged attacks. I need better gear."
"Look, that sword is better than what you made. Take it," Marco said, pointing to a weapon in the pile.
"Nah. I need way stronger. I am going back to Brovick. I will stay there as long as I can make something better than this, then I can come back to the basin."
Sin approached, his old cheer seeming to come back. He came close to Demir and put his arm around his shoulder. "What's going on? You keeping the best ones to yourselves?" He looked at Demir with genuine warmth. "This guy saved my life again."
"Well, you saved mine. I guess we are even," Demir said.
"When did I save yours?" Sin started laughing.
Timmy brought some new loot to the pile. "I found these leather scraps and metal ingots inside the chief's tent. Seem rare."
Demir looked at them. They were nothing like what he'd worked with at Brovick's. These looked next tier. Something he needed to evolve his crafts along with his forging skills.
"I need to take these with me."
"To where?" Timmy asked.
"Hear this. He wants to go to the secluded valley again, to Brovick's," Marco explained.
"Why?" Sin asked.
"I want to learn more about crafting. Sorry guys, this is the journey I must take alone. You return with the group. I will be at the basin a couple weeks later."
Demir picked up what Timmy found from the chief's tent and went to Marven.
"I guess you are the highest ranked now. I am taking these raw materials. There are no crafters at the settlement. Is it okay?"
Marven looked around. "I guess I am the highest but we'll talk about splitting loot at the settlement."
"I am not coming."
"Why?"
"I am returning back to my master for learning better crafting."
"Demir, you saw dwarves are in on it with goblins. You can't go back there."
"Secluded valley residents aren't okay with goblins and in fact most dwarves aren't either. It's their prince doing it to stay on top."
"Your choice. I guess then you can take whatever you want and leave. I hope you come back to the settlement in one piece." She smiled and gave Demir a hug. When releasing the hug, she kissed his cheek.
"Goodbye."
Demir blushed. "Well, I am not leaving now in the middle of the night. I will rest tonight and leave in the morning."
Marven threw a punch at his shoulder. "You mother... why are you so dramatic then?"