Chapter 54: Horde

Kaius charged through the broken gate, rushing into the wide street that led into the military section of the dwarven city. Goblins let out guttural hisses from the alleys and roofs, reacting quickly to their presence. Porkchop responded in turn, letting out a roar right next to him that rang Kaius’s ear.

Still sprinting, Kaius led them in the direction of the alley that wrapped around the back of the tallest building by the gates. Three stories tall, he could see an open air staircase on its rear face. The goblin archers at its top scurried to the edge, knocking arrows as they took aim at him. More goblins flooded from the alley, clubs and wicked blades in hand as they rushed to hold back their offence.

The arrows loosed.

Kaius spun to the side, the projectiles shattering as they hit the stone where he had just been standing. Another volley. One archer delayed its attack, fumbling as it knocked its arrow. The mistake was enough that it could correct for Kaius’s evasion. He swiped with his sword, parrying the shot.

Porkchop let out a hiss of fury. Kaius snapped over to check on his friend, finding three shafts sticking out of his back. Shallow, turned aside by the thick leather of his friends barding. All they’d done is piss him off.

They hit the coalescing goblins at the mouth of the alley like a hammer, shattering their ramshackle formation. One skirmisher tried to leap towards him, knives ready to gut him. Kaius booted the short creature in the chest, knocking it out of the air to barrel into its companions. A whole section of the line collapsed. Kaius waded in, A Father’s Gift reaping lives left and right. Caving in skulls and cleaving necks.

**Ding! level 11 Goblin Skirmisher slain**

**Ding! level 13 Goblin Skirmisher slain**

**Ding! level 11 Goblin Bruiser slain**

“Grashak kur’drel, zhak boro uk drash!” Kaius heard a goblin call from behind him. His head snapped back, seeing more of the hoard spilling from the opposing narrow lanes. They had to move. Fast. Or risk getting pinned.

“Porkchop! Rush them! I’ll be right behind!” He screamed, gutting another goblin.

**Ding! level 12 Goblin Scout slain**

Porkchop let out a feral howl of fury, charging into the mass of bodies. The short and lithe goblins were tossed to the side as porkchop forced his way through the crush. Kaius fell in behind him, moving at a swift jog. Cutting tendons and leaving maiming wounds as he forced the goblins back. Stopping them from getting swarmed.

Arrows rained down from above, the goblin arches focusing much of their fire on Porkchop. Most got lodged in leather, or glanced of metal plating. More missed entirely, maiming the archers’ allies as crooked shafts buried themselves in wiry green flesh.

Not all, with every second, another arrow found its mark, cutting deep into his friend’s flesh. Kaius hissed at the sight, glaring in hatred at the archers above. He would be coming for them soon.

Slashing out with his sword, he forced back the ranks of goblins that had closed around their rear. Now well and truly into the thick of the mob. More were joining them by the second, reinforcements from across the road.

There were more than he’d initially seen. As much as double, he thought with a scowl. Yet they were falling like threshed wheat. He could feel his increased stats. Aiding him as he smashed aside amateur defences. As he cleaved through bone. He was faster, stronger. Better able to keep up with the frenetic pace of the battle.

A goblin screamed, clutching its spurting stump as Kaius punished a rushed attack by hacking through its shoulder. A follow up slash removed its head. Silencing it forever.

**Ding! level 14 Goblin Bruiser slain**

They reached the shelter of the alleys, the volley of arrows stopping. Archers unable to get an angle through the various awnings that covered the narrow slit between buildings. With a final roar Porkchop smashed a goblin bruiser into the side of a building. It impacted with a sickening crunch, studded club slipping from its cooling fingers.

Bursting free of the crush, Porkchop raced ahead. Kaius quick on his tail.

“That way!” Kaius yelled, gesturing to the next turn to their right. “Let me up first when we get to the stairs!”

“Got it!” Porkchop called. An unlucky skirmisher rounded the corner, going down as Porkchop snapped his jaws around the depths-born’s face. Without breaking stride he shook, snapping the creature’s neck with a crack.

The stairs were right ahead. Porkchop slowed. Kaius passed him, planting his feet to run up three stairs at a time. It was a precarious thing, just barely wide enough for Porkchop to run up. Without a bannister, it would be hellish for a force to take the roof. Exactly what they needed.

“Krel’tok rashk, bulg nah drov!” A goblin archer screamed, coming to the edge of the building. Its allies flocked to it, raining arrows down on them. He couldn’t dodge. Far too many to parry, especially at such a close distance. He covered his head with his armoured arms, trusting it would be enough to stop a lucky arrow from taking him in the dome.

Projectiles plinked off his armour, leaving stinging welts in their wake. A few glanced off his unarmoured forearms, leaving weeping gashes. Only a few more long-strides and he would make it.

**Ding! Adamant Body has reached level 13!**

Kaius burst onto the roof in a fury. The archers screeched in panicked fury, training their bows on him. He got to work, trusting in Porkchop to hold the stairs.

Cutting the first arrow out of the air, Kaius advanced. The closest of the rangers dropped their bows, drawing long knives from behind their backs. Hurling hateful words at him. They ran in, knives blurring in clumsy slashes. He parried the first, cutting through its throat with his riposte. A hiss perished on its lips, dark green blood gushing from the rent in its neck.

It died gasping.

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**Ding! level 11 Goblin Archer slain**

The others were driven back, cleaving strikes exposing bone and lacerating organs. It wasn’t enough to stop them, their depths-driven conditioning forcing them to fight until the point of death.

One of the remaining archers still tried to fire at him. Kaius danced to the side, snatching up a goblin that attempted to stab him despite ropes of intestines hanging from its split belly. He hauled, sending the light creature sailing through the air to crash into the ranger.

A flash of his blade slew the last archer that had resorted to engaging him in melee. He cleaved deep into its clavicle. Cutting through its heart with Warforged backed steel.

Reduced to three, the remainders fell quickly. Too slow, isolated, and weak to put up a fight.

**Ding! level 13 Goblin Archer slain**