The goblin [Chieftains] wrestled and screamed at their troops, urging them to turn around and fight, but it wouldn't happen right away. Goblins were not professional soldiers; they couldn't be ordered around with words. When they fought, they fought like demons, but they had to be worked up into a frenzy first, and that took time.
Brin would take advantage of all the time he could get. First, he summoned a microphone stand of glass and used [Celebrated Creativity] to make it look like a real artifact to anyone who [Inspected] it. They didn't really have microphones here, but he wanted to make a token effort to pretend he was a [Glassbound Invocationist], even though frankly that ship had probably sailed.
Copying sounds and projecting them back out somewhere else was a fairly simple spell, and he could project the sounds that hit the microphone out from his Invisible Eyes. He wasn't sure if he had the acoustics right, though. If he was going to do this, he might as well do this right.
"You mind giving it a test run? Speak into this, and it'll project your voice across the entire city," he said to Cid.
"Now?" asked Cid.
"Yes now!"
Cid stood up straight and held his hands behind his back, looking suddenly nervous. Sure, he could face down death and never blink, but public speaking made him nervous.
"Attention, citizens of Canibri. My name is Sir Gurthcid Trevorrow, of the Order of the Long Sleep. Goblins have entered the city. I'm calling on every true man of Prinnash to take up your weapons and join me in the eastern quarter to repel the threat."
He could hear the projected sound clashing with itself, making echoes and warbling the effect. He could understand the words, but it would be terrible for music. Brin winced.
"No, you were great. But the acoustics are terrible. I need to make some adjustments," said Brin.
The goblin [Chieftains] were pointing at Brin and Cid, focusing on them as a threat, and a few of the goblins were persuaded to start throwing stones, though few made it the entire distance and those that did were stopped easily by Rhun.
Brin pretended to tinker with the microphone stand while mentally rearranging his orders to his directed threads. Instead of making sound bombs that pushed the sound out every direction, what if he changed it to only project in one direction, starting here with the microphone and spreading outward? That would fix the echo problem and also make it seem like the fake artifact really was doing the work.
"Ok, try again," said Brin.
Cid nodded. "Once again, people of Canibri, I ask you to rise to your city's defense. Your soldiers are in disarray and your watch is inadequate, but if we band together we will surely win. I swear on my father's name that I will fight with you until victory or the bitter end. I have requested the services of one of your very own. Seren the [Bard] will sing us into battle. Come quickly, to victory."
At the mention of her name, Seren went pale and looked like she was trying to will herself to disappear.
Brin nodded. "Good. That sounds a lot better."
Cid sighed in relief.
The goblins’ shouting grew louder. They were nearly ready to charge again.
In the city center, their other problem was getting worse. The strange ritual that the [Chieftain] and the [Blood Gatherers] were performing was coming to a head. There were no diagrams or arcane symbols, just streams of blood that flowed unnaturally towards the [Chieftain] in the center. The blood climbed up his fur, turning his white paint pink, and entered his veins through open cuts on his wrists. A reverse suicide.
Brin used [Inspect] and saw the [Chieftain's] level climb from 32 to 33. They couldn’t ignore this.
And now he had a choice to make. For once, the choice wasn't fight or flee. Flee was off the table, though maybe it shouldn't be. Did he really owe these people anything? Even Cid's message hadn't seemed to affect them. They huddled in their homes, or rushed around trying to find a way to escape the city, or stood in the streets and talked about this most recent message.
"It's working. They're coming!" Brin lied. "We just need to hold on."
Brin knew that Cid would never order a retreat, and he wasn't going to try to change his mind.
No, the real decision was between fight here, or fight there. Did he want to stay here and fight a doomed last stand with his men, or run over to the city center and face the big boss? In all honestly, the second thing sounded like a lot more fun. But as was so often the case with the biggest decisions in life, it was really no decision at all.
He turned to Cid, "There's something going on in the city center. Something bad." He projected an image of the [Chieftain], taking care that only Cid could see it.
"Of course there is." Cid grit his teeth. "Can you handle it on your own and still support us here?"
"It has to be you," Brin said, shaking his head. "You're the only one who can get there in time."
Cid drew out the Potion of Stamina, and stared at it hard.
"What is that?" Seren asked, curiosity finally drawing her out.
Cid didn't answer. He looked up and said, "Play your song."
"You should really get going," Brin said.
"Not until I know if the people will come," said Cid. "Do you have a song in mind?"
"I... I do. I have something I’ve been working on since I got my Class. I was going to use this for my debut," said Seren.
"Then play," demanded Cid.
She plucked a few notes, and Brin was pleased to find that he actually knew this one. He'd overheard this song playing in Hammon's Bog town square a few times, from one of the movies. This was a villain monologue song, though Seren had heavily altered it.
Flee, Canibri cowards, run!
For you the wolves of war have come.
With unity comes victory,
but all have fled, so all must flee.
Bold the hunters, you the prey,
Canibri cowards fly away!
"Ah, I see. Instead of rallying the people you've decided to do the opposite," said Cid.
Brin laughed and then snapped his mouth shut to keep himself from going hysterical. "It's perfect!" he hissed through a closed-mouth smile.
"What?" Cid asked. Sёarᴄh the NôvelFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
Cid couldn't feel the Wyrd like he could, but even he must've been able to feel the raw power pouring out of Seren's song. It was going to be enough. It was going to work.
"Go," said Brin. "If you don't kill that monster now, none of us will be able to."
He wasn't sure if it was the power in Seren's song or the look on Brin's face, but something convinced Cid. He nodded and then drank the potion.
He'd barely been keeping himself on his feet after two uses of [Knight's Charge], but that faded the moment the liquid hit his tongue.
Cid looked back one last time. "Hold them here. Don't let them through. Protect them."
"I will," said Brin.
Cid used [Knight's Charge], and in an instant he was all the way down the street. He used it again, and then he was out of sight. There was no longer any penalty for those; from now until the potion ran out, Cid had all the power of an [Untiring Knight].
"You'll need to start again," said Brin. "I wasn't projecting your voice that time. It's on now."
"Ok," said Seren.
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The word "Ok" echoed across the city.
She winced, then steeled herself. She took a calming breath.
The goblins continued to shout, and the microphone picked it up, just a bit in the background. The sounds of their shouting flew through the city, just in case there was anyone still in doubt of the trouble they were all in.
Seren took one more big breath. Then she began to sing. "Run, Canibri cowards, flee!"
Brin didn't need to do anything to alter the emotional power of the song, it already had everything it needed. All the fear from earlier was still there; with her emotions bare there was no hiding the fact that Seren was certain she was going to die. But she'd also had the time to grow angry. She'd also noticed that all the "true men" with their silly combat classes hid or waited and watched.
Only the Lance stood and fought, and for all the song derided the cowardice of the people, for the Lance there was nothing but heartfelt admiration. Brin felt a thrum of electric energy as the music plucked away his soreness and hurt.
More than anything, it was a call to action. Canibri cowards--it was out there now. The term was in the lexicon now and it would last longer than the city itself, whether it fell today or in a thousand years. The only thing yet to decide was what it would mean.
The goblins heard it too. Brin didn't know exactly what they felt from the song, but he saw their chanting had reached a fever pitch. As Seren got to the second verse, the goblins charged.
Think of your young, Canibri fair,
How will they live if you're not there?
They need a father, mother too,
They need not feel respect for you.
Better a living coward than
A brave and good and dead true man.
The lyrics were almost conciliatory, but no one who heard it would ever think Seren had anything but contempt for those who didn't fight. Her anger was so fiery and scathing that Brin felt like he was going to get a radiation burn standing near her. How dare they? How dare they brag about being true men with their silly fake combat Classes, and not be here now? Canibri cowards.
With no citizens to bolster their ranks, Brin decided to create a few of his own. He summoned twenty Mirror Men. It was as many as he could make and still have enough Mana left to actually use them as weapons. Pound for pound, this was the most efficient use of his Mana, though he would still use his floating morphic chandelier weapon. Sadly, the laser just wasn't as cost effective and would be for only emergencies.
He kept the Mirror Men as clear glass, not bothering to disguise them with color. They moved to spread out and block the road, and he used Silent Voice to send commands to his remaining Lancemates to spread out and join them, all except Rhun whose job would be to stay near Seren and protect her. He left a large gap right in the middle of the street and had Hedrek stand front and center, a dozen yards in front of the rest.
He got a couple confused looks until he said, "Drink your potion, Hedrek!"
"Alright!" Hedrek cheered, but before he got it to his lips, the wave of goblins washed over him. The last thing Brin saw was Hedrek swinging his greatsword with one hand while bringing the potion to his mouth, and then he disappeared behind a wall of fur.
The goblins hit the Lance's line a moment after. They almost buckled immediately, the goblins were relentless; the ones in front were pushed forward by those behind, unable to stop even if they were already dead.
Brin sent his orders, piggybacking them off Seren's song. Fight while backing up. Give them room but don't fall, don't let them around you, and don't let them through.
The Lance fought, every second won through tremendous effort. The goblins smashed his Mirror Men, but he didn't let them fall. The clubs broke through and the glass reformed behind it, leaving the men standing. The twenty directed threads guiding his Mirror Men drank deeply from his Mana, taking it to reform the glass, to make it sharp, to thrust it into enemy flesh, and to use their own glass bodies to slow the goblin advance.
One second, two seconds, three. Then a pillar of flame erupted from the goblins up ahead. He heard Hedrek's war cry and saw his blade flash in the air, now covered with flame.
The flames grew higher, and even through the press of goblin bodies, he could feel the heat. An Invisible Eye caught sight of Hedrek again. The man was completely wrapped in flame from head to toe, and he swung his sword in every direction at top speed, cutting through goblin limbs and burning through their fur. They were packed in so tight that there was nowhere for them to flee, and they fell like grass as Hedrek had cut a wide space around himself.
The goblins screamed and tried to run, but with buildings hemming them in on each side, there were only two directions to go: forwards and back.
Again, the Lance nearly buckled as a new wave of goblins pressed into them. These weren't motivated by bloodlust, but by primal terror, fleeing the flames. They tried to go through or over the Lance. Brin moved them closer together in two tight groups, fighting shoulder to shoulder. Brin found himself with Aeron, Govannon, and Rhun as they protected Seren. The four of them with their Mirror Men were an impenetrable wall. Aeron fought perfectly with [Blade Mastery], and the other two matched him by virtue of sheer practice and training.
Brin was more worried about the other side, with wounded Brych, Meredydd and Anwir. Anwir had swapped out for the assassin's bow and was firing at point-blank range. Brin had expected him to be the weak link, but every arrow landed like a missile, and soon the monsters decided to find someplace else to flee.
Awful is the life of war,
And killers, rotten to the core,
With dirty hands and guilty head,
the blood of innocents they shed.
But now, Canibri, run and fear,
Because your bloody men aren't here.
Despite the almost derogatory words, Seren's song held nothing but praise for the heroism she saw around them. She showed them all, all of Canibri, exactly how it felt to stand with such men. Everyone saw Govannon's sword slither like a snake through a line of goblin throats. They saw Anwir's arrows blowing them to pieces, felt the heat of Hedrek's flame, and saw the way that nothing could pass Rhun's shield to harm a single hair on her head.
They slew dozens of the creatures, but even more of them passed by while they were all clumped together. Brin felt his heart start to sink. He'd promised Cid he'd hold the goblins back, but he hadn't even made it a full minute.
Then he noticed. The men behind him, Prima's disgraced soldiers, had formed into a line. They met the goblin charge.
No, now wasn't the time to give up. He lent his own small leverage with the Wyrd to aid Seren's song, telling the city that it was working, that people were coming.
Behold the noble peaceful life,
and gentle hearts are free from strife.
Who build and grow with strength of arm,
and never do another harm.
But safety now has fled this place,
and the peaceful one falls on his face.
Again, there was a visceral hatred in the words. It was an openly hypocritical kind of hatred, because Seren wanted to be one of those peaceful ones, but instead she was here, inches away from death. As much as he could, Brin pulled the music away towards hope. If everyone thought that people were starting to rally, more would come.
There's nothing here now to defend,
So now Canibri, don't pretend.
A city is naught but mud and stone,
and you will find another home
With greater stone and higher walls
and stronger men in nobler halls.
Again, her words were the opposite of the emotion. A city was more than stone and mortar. It was more than a convenient place to meet other people and trade. A city had a soul, and the soul of Canibri was starting to get sick of being called a coward.
Brin glanced through his Invisible Eye. The hundred-odd soldiers at their rear had somehow become two hundred. More people were coming. If they could keep this up...
He saw Hedrek's fire start to sputter. The goblins had been so afraid of his flame that Hedrek had begun to have a difficult time finding opponents to face. He'd resorted to running towards groups of them, only for them all to scatter. But now, the flame was going out, and Brin wasn't the only one to notice.
[Chieftains], five of them, had given up on their minions and were marching towards Hedrek themselves.
Brin sent a command to his directed threads. As one, his Mirror Men charge forward in a suicidal bid to reach Hedrek in time. He didn't let them repair themselves as they took wounds. they ran until their bodies were shattered until only their glass weapons were moving, cutting their way through the throng.
Brin gasped as the Mana was sucked out of his body. He'd cut a path, but his Mana was nearly gone. He had to pull in another breath to yell, "Go! Get Hedrek!"
Brin and his men ran forward, leaving only Rhun behind to protect Seren. They followed the path that the Mirror Men had carved, battering the goblins away, focusing on making it through rather than finishing their enemies.
“Push!” Brin yelled, all while sending orders through his illusions. Brych weaved left and right to give Anwir clear shots to the enemies who’d decided to pick out the smallest of them. Meredydd shattered his sword against a stone club, but didn’t even need to look to know that Govannon was handing him the warhammer that he’d been neglecting in favor of his own sidearm. Brin fought like a leaf flowing down a river, often feeling his hand move to take advantage of a blow that one of his threads had noticed.
Hedrek met them halfway, carving his way through like a lifeboat on a bloody whirlwind. The big [Knight] was panting and shivering with exhaustion, but his movements were quick as always. He took the lead on the way back, forming the head of the spear. The goblins were still in chaos and most looked more eager to find a way deeper into the city rather than face an armed threat, so Brin put a primitive disguise on his Lance, changing and muting their colors to help them blend in. He was on the dregs of his Mana, but illusions didn't cost that much. They half snuck, half fought their way through the crowd of disorganized goblins until they reached the front.
Brin saw Seren had been thrown over Rhun's shoulder. She had her lute in one hand and was trying to sing into the glass microphone in the other, though the music paused every time Rhun took a step and his shoulder drove into her stomach. He ran through the line of defenders and plopped her down behind them, and she resumed playing without missing a beat.
Flee, Canibri cowards, run!
For you the wolves of war have come.
With unity comes victory,
but all have fled, so all must flee.
Bold the hunters, you the prey,
Canibri cowards fly away!
Now when she played, the emotions of hundreds of people were mixed into the song, and it had become theirs, all of them together. He didn’t know if anyone but him could feel it, but [Know What’s Wyrd] was telling him something obvious, but something he’d never thought of before: Music belonged just as much to the listener as it did to the performer.
The people didn’t sing aloud, but he could hear their hearts. They were afraid, but they feared what they’d become if they really did fail their city. Now that they knew what was required, they were ready to do it. They’d only needed to be asked. They agreed with the song; they were cowards, but with one difference. They feared shame more than death. Canibri cowards. Two hundred defenders became three hundred. More were still arriving.
They still looked like they might buckle any moment, but they wouldn't, Brin would make sure of that. They were still outnumbered, but not for long. The people were coming. They could do this.
The battle was still precarious, but Brin was already looking at the next one. Cid had arrived at the city center and he was locked in combat. The [Blood Gatherers] were all dead, and the [Chieftain] was nearly double the size he'd been before. Only, he wasn't a [Chieftain] any more; he'd evolved. The dead [Blood Gatherers] had completed their work and the [Chieftain] was transformed. One use of [Inspect], and Brin knew he needed to get over there. Now.
Name: O'oglu
Race: Goblin
Class: Paragon
Level: 50