'How does this make any sense?' Eliron thought as he stared at the statue, memorising every aspect of it.
Of course he had heard that name before, the indomitable queen who kept the proud High Elves in check.
Not only was she the oldest elf in the world, she was also widely recognized as one of the strongest beings.
Strong enough to rank amongst the seven titans like the giant eater and disaster fey.
The question though was…
What was a statue of her doing in a wood elf strong hold?
Everyone stared at it, befuddled by their discovery.
"So much of history is lost to us because we have lost all our real elders…" Artie said in a lowered tone.
"Maybe this is one of the many mysteries we are yet to discover—"
Artie's words hung in her throat as suddenly, the crowd was covered in black as dozens of arrows descended from the sky like rain.
"Goblins!" Ash shouted, as the green creatures left their hiding spot from the top of the ravine, the sounds of their laughter echoing through the space.
"Damn it!" Eliron cursed as he lifted his blade, in a few seconds the arrows would descend on them, ripping them apart.
'I haven't even gotten to their base, do I really have to use that skill?'
He resided his hand, about to summon his spell when Yennefer suddenly walked in front of him
She hurriedly grabbed the paddle from Ash then lifted it into the air.
"Heavenly Father that dwells above, bountiful earth that dwells below, leave us not desolate in the face of danger—shield!"
White angelic wings suddenly fluttered by her sides, appearing for a moment before vanishing, and then suddenly, a transparent shield burst out of the paddle, completely shrouding their raft.
Just as the arrows landed…
Crack!
Dozens of arrows crashed into the shield, helplessly bouncing against them and falling by the sides.
"Divine magic…?" Artie muttered to herself as she watched Yennefer.
While Eliron smiled and ruffled her hair. "Great job yen! You actually pulled it off!"
He instantly realised that this was the spell she had been working on for the past week.
Yennefer pouted and looked away. "What do you mean actually pulled it off? What else were you expecting, Hmmph?"
Eliron smiled and pulled out the crossbow from his back.
"Ash, use whatever you can, make sure this raft keeps moving. Artie…"
She had already unslung her bow, her arrow strung on the bow string.
"I hear you loud and clear."
He nodded. "Let's show them hell."
The shield Yennefer had created was a two way defensive spell, meaning while the goblins could not get to them…
Swoosh!
An arrow soared through the air, sinking right in the skull of one of the goblins.
Its lifeless body fell down the top of the ravine, bouncing on the stone before crashing into the water.
…they could attack them as they wished.
Eliron raised his crossbow, aiming for a few goblins standing by the edge.
The goblins were hurling heavy rocks down, and each one that landed caused a pulse to run through the shield.
Yennefer was still okay for now, but Eliron could tell that if it continued, they would be at risk of losing her shield.
He aimed at the little monsters then unleashed an explosive shot.
Bang!
The crossbow roared, Eliron controlling the recoil as the bolts struck through, blasting a gaping wound into the goblins' side.
The goblin beside him shrieked in rage and turned to run, when Eliron sent more bolts into the back of its head.
Clack!
He pulled back the leaver, cocking the crossbow like one would do a pump action shot gun
"Make sure no one escapes!"
If even a single goblin were to escape, then their plans for sneaking into their base would be destroyed.
There was no way to tell how the goblins would react to their intrusion.
Artie was releasing Artie's so fast that her hands became a blur of motion. Wherever was aimed, a goblin or two were sent tumbling down— each shot striking right between the eyes.
Not once did she miss.
Ash was using his hands and feet to usher the raft forwards, sweat beading out of his face as he worked.
"Yen, how long do you think you can hold that shield?" He asked just as he sent another goblin to hell.
He had noticed that her hands had begun to tremble and her focus was flickering.
"Normally, I would be able to hold it for a very long time, mana is not a problem for me…"
Then she smiled wryly.
"But I haven't perfected this spell yet so…"
Eliron nodded, understanding what she meant. "Don't worry, it will soon be ove—"
He suddenly froze, not completing his sentence… his eyes wide.
"What the fuck?"
Everyone turned to him once they heard him exclaim, wondering what would have caused such a reaction.
But when they saw the direction he was looking at, their eyes were just as wide as his.
At the exit point of the ravine, just a few minutes away from dockable land, the goblins were busy at work…
At the top of the ravine, about a dozen goblins were working together to shove down a gigantic boulder, and drop it right on them.
The rock was so large that the impact zone could completely cover the entirety of their raft and still have space for more.
And from height, the shockwave from the strike would be like the after effects of a small bomb.
Eliron couldn't cut the boulder, not from this distance at least, and Artie had no spell strong enough to obliterate the rock without a trace.
'What do we do?' He thought, racking his brain for an answer.
"Stop the raft!" Eliron screamed
"I can't stop it fast enough, my lord! I don't have a paddle!"
The river's currents were stronger at this point and to stop it he would need the paddle, but Yennefer was using it as a base for her spell.
If he was to take it then they would be exposed to the onslaught of the goblins.
'Shit… to think these little shits would press me with such a textbook move.'
Eliron but the insides of his cheek.
"The shield isn't going to survive that, what are we doing?!" Artie asked, unleashing five shots at several goblins.
Eliron frowned.
"Ash, place us right underneath that boulder!"
"What??"