Thirty One
Umbra and Marin, The Kingsbridge
Marin's trusty mare, Silvermane trotted towards the massive stone archways of the mighty bridge to Rumble Mountains.
Umbra could see the snowy peaks emerging on the horizon, dreading the frigid hike up ahead.
Sensing Umbra's hesitancy, Marin reassured him: "Don't worry we have packed more than enough furs," She tapped on the most overstuffed saddlebag. "As long as we stick to the south pass and the underpasses we will be protected from those winds."
Umbra felt better, but clung tightly to Marin, he hadn't ridden a horse in years and only ever draft horses in Southern Township ranches.
Marin however was an expert horseman, trained to fight atop horses, personally training Silvermane to charge into battle fearlessly.
Umbra wished he was trained by the Golden Sun Knights and Astralode, he had so much to learn and Lady Crow had withheld all but the most basic dark spells.
Truth be told he learned more from his short stay in Myst City than he had in years of living in The Heartless Swamp.
It was too late to think of that now, he had to do the best with the short time he had left. He was yet to test his new powers, unsure if he could even safely control them.
As they passed through the mighty stone arches onto the bridge, they couldn't help marvel at the pristine structure of a bridge build more than 100 years ago.
Aged interlocking granite structures, a marble road toughened with iron struts, it truly was a pristine monument. In the center of the bridge stood a fountain and statue built to represent one of the Myst City kings of the past.
Umbra didn't recognize the figure, nor did he care for royalty.
"King Septus, the mason king," Marin explained.
"So, he built this?" Umbra inquired sarcastically.
Marin chuckled, "I doubt he lifted a finger judging by his figure."
Silvermane was restless as she trotted over the bridge as the clouds were gathering overhead.
The first raindrop startled Umbra as it landed on the nape of his exposed neck. But within minutes the downpour was torrential, and the two riders were soaked to the bone.
"Let's pick up the pace, horse!" Umbra smacked Silvermane to stir her into a gallop. Instead, she stopped in her tracks and snorted stubbornly.
Marin stroked Silvermane's nose. "Come on girl, we need to get some cover," she whispered in the mare's ear.
Complying immediately the horse picked up a galloping pace towards the cover of the archways on the bridges other side.
"You just need to be gentle, but firm," Marin assured Umbra, who gripped even tighter worrying Silvermane would buck him.
Strangely, there were numerous crates littering the walkway, most of them too large for Silvermane to leap over.
Someone had left these crates on purpose.
As they approached the far archway to seek cover from the rain, a dozen arrows sailed through the air. Silvermane adeptly dodged the volley, picking up her pace.
A dozen goblin bandits stood in their way, bows primed for another volley.
But Silvermane was faster, Umbra clinging to Marin for dear life now.
Silvermane came to a halt behind a large stack of crates to hide from the arrows.
Marin and Umbra leapt into the fray, weapons at the ready to charge the highwaymen. Umbra with his iron halberd extended and Marin with her crystalline staff charging.
A simple flick of the wrist immolated the next round of arrows, Umbra was surprised by the ease of his spell. He followed up by hurling a blue fireball at the goblins.
Dampened somewhat by the rain it was still able to enflame one unfortunate archer. The goblin screamed in agony as the blue flames consumed it.
Dropping their bows now, the chattering goblins charged forward, their rusted weapons aloft.
Marin launched a piercing bolt of ice, crystalizing a few goblins in an icy tomb. The blast wave took out two of them, sending them careening off the bridge into the valley below.
"Kill magi! Take their gold" a larger goblin cried out. This one was the only one outfitted with a breastplate.
It didn't matter to the goblins that Umbra & Marin had gold on them, this was typically how a goblin justified unprovoked violence.
They would strip them down for jewelry, teeth or anything else they considered valuable.
Umbra slid under the feet of one goblin, knocking it back. He spun around to skewer the bandit through his throat, then kicked him off the spearhead to engage the next enemy.
Thunder boomed overhead and Marin swung her staff like a club, bludgeoning one goblin, and launched a ray of frost to immobilize another.
"Umbra the lightning, your spear!" Marin cried out, fearing he would be struck by lightning.
Umbra kicked away one goblin, then held his spear horizontal and whispered a few words. The iron crackled and shook, reforming into aluminum. The alchemy lessons crammed into his brain by the heart tree had finally paid off.
With a nonconductive aluminum spearhead Umbra was ready for the next wave of attackers.
Seeing the tide of the battle turning in favor of their foe, the lead goblin blew into a curved battle horn. The noise echoed for miles, a turbulence was stirring up ahead.
Easily bigger than the goblins, an ogre riding a large ram careened towards the combatants. He towered over his comrades, the matted fur of the wooly beast was thick with frost. It was certainly a beast of The Rumble Mountains captured and trained by the bandits.
"You are crossing my bridge!" the ogre bellowed, the shining salvage around his neck clinked together. His grey skin taut with chubby muscles and a double ram horn shaped helmet rested on his bald head.
Judging by the jewelry and rings he wore, shaking down travelers on the Kingsbridge had been quite lucrative.
Umbra used telekinesis to launch a goblin over the edge of the bridge as they stopped to stare at their approaching leader, panting as he watched the goblin fall to its death below.
Silvermane sensing the danger trotted up to Marin, snorting next to her ear.
Marin knew what she had to do as she mounted up and used her own magic to reshape her staff into a lance of ice; Just like the jousting tournaments.
Responding to the challenge the Ogre grabbed a discarded spear from a skeleton's back and raised it into position. The ogre snarled, his browned teeth clenched, he closed the visor on his barbarian helmet.
Many of the goblins had fled for cover as Umbra picked them off one by one with blue fireballs as they fled.
"Shatter Fist! Shatter Fist!" the goblins chanted from safe cover as their master's beast stomped into position.
The riders lined up. Marin was frankly surprised this ogre knew how to joust, she assumed them all brainless brutes. Indeed, most were, but unfortunately this ogre was a cut above the rest.
Marin clipped Silvermane's reins and the charge commenced.
Lightning bolts were crashing down around them. The riders were picking up speed, whipping past the stray crates, their speed rising.
As the two mounts made their first pass Marin noticed the ogre lowering his spear to strike Silvermane's legs instead. "Not so fast!" with a twist of her wrist her telekinetic power tugged the ogre's saddle. The beast leveled his weapon as he tried not to fall from the saddle.
While he was distracted, Marin was ready.
At full speed her icy lance came crashing into the ogre's helmet, knocking it flying over the ravine and slicing just below its eye.
Determined not to fight fairly, after the pass before the horses could turn around for another charge, the ogre hurled his spear at Marin's exposed back.
Umbra used his magic to swing the soaring spear back at its owner. It swung like affixed to a lasso, speeding towards the ogre.
A loud wet crunch echoed across the bridge as the ogre was impaled through the heart with magical precision.
Marin panted heavily, she had almost been taken by surprise the very instant her back was exposed.
Luckily Umbra was there to assist. "I promised I'd watch your back," he called over.
Marin sighed in relief. "You did great, girl," Marin patted the horse's mane.
The goblins scattered in panic as the Rumble Mountain ram, now free of its captor chased the bandits away. One unfortunate goblin was trampled as they fled for their lives into the mountains.
Umbra was surprised how quickly things had escalated. "Does this kind of thing happen often to you?" Umbra approached Silvermane.
Marin flashed a wry smile. "More than you would think."
"We need to find shelter!" Umbra cried as a lightning bolt struck the ground nearby.
The two sorcerers mounted up and rode off into The Rumble Mountains turning left at the fork and towards the South pass.