Chapter 605: What the hell is going on here?
The sky was clear as Strax spread its wings, beating against the wind and taking flight. The sea below them reflected the golden light, and for a moment, everything seemed too peaceful. Beatrice and Bellatrix followed in parallel, while Cristine and Yennifer followed close behind, forming a small squadron in the air.
The island ahead looked promising: a green mass of forest surrounded by black cliffs, like natural walls. The sound of the waves crashing against the rocks reached them from afar, lulling their flight with an almost hypnotic rhythm.
“It seems safe…” Yennifer commented with a half-smile, smoothing her hair, which the wind insisted on messing up.
“Too safe,” Bellatrix retorted, her eyes ever watchful. “It’s never a good sign when a place seems peaceful.”
Cristine, however, seemed relaxed. She still carried on her shoulder the memory of the beast she had killed the day before, as if any challenge were just another mark in her collection.
Strax didn’t answer. His gaze was fixed on the island, a strange pang in his stomach. Something felt wrong, but he couldn’t quite pinpoint what.
And then, the sky burst into flames.
A metallic roar echoed in the distance, followed by the deadly shriek of projectiles slicing through the air. Within seconds, fireballs appeared on the horizon, piercing the clouds like meteors.
“Damn it!” Strax growled, instinctively drawing his sword.
The first few fireballs passed close, their intense heat searing the air around them. Others, however, struck directly. One exploded near Cristine, sending sparks flying against her wings; another passed close to Yennifer, who narrowly dodged it.
Beatrice wasn’t so lucky.
A direct hit struck her shoulder, the explosion sending her spiraling through the sky. Her scream echoed loudly, piercing the deafening roar of artillery.
“BEATRICE!” Strax roared.
“STRAX!” Bellatrix shouted back, already changing course.
But he was faster. He folded his wings, diving like lightning toward his companion. The wind roared in his ears, the heat of the fireballs streaked across his face, but he didn’t hesitate.
Beatrice plummeted, her body spinning wildly, her wings burned and torn from the impact.
Strax reached her at the last second, pulling her against his chest and wrapping one of his wings around her to protect her from the next impact.
And then, the fall.
They hit the ground with brutal force. The earth shook, dust and flames rose, and for an instant, everything was silent, only Strax’s heart pounding like a drum in his ears.
When he raised his head, the sight before him made his blood run cold.
Rows of makeshift catapults lined the edge of the island. Rugged but efficient structures, spewing fire with a precise cadence. Behind them, dozens—no, hundreds—of small figures moved hurriedly.
Goblins.
But not the miserable, scattered goblins he was accustomed to crushing without thought. These wore leather armor, wielding spears, axes, and even bows. They moved in formation, shouting guttural orders to one another, like a small, trained army.
“What the hell…?” Strax muttered in disbelief.
Before he could recover, the air beside him tore with a deadly hiss. He twisted instinctively, pulling Beatrice with him, and an axe slammed into the ground where he had been a second before.
A goblin, with greenish skin and red eyes glowing with hatred, charged forward, roaring and drawing another axe.
“You weren’t here before…” Strax growled, already lifting Zani in his hand.
The goblin screamed something unintelligible and lunged at him.
Strax moved faster. Zani’s horizontal slash split the creature in half, spraying black blood across the grass.
But instead of relief, a chill ran down his spine.
The sound that followed wasn’t silence. It was hundreds of running feet, weapons clashing, makeshift drums booming from the forest.
They were surrounded.
Strax took a deep breath, carefully placing Beatrice on the ground, protected by the shadow of his wing. She was still conscious, but moaned in pain, her wings singed and her face contorted.
“Stay here,” he ordered, his voice deep and unwavering.
Beatrice tried to protest, but couldn’t form words.
In the sky above, Cristine, Yennifer, and Bellatrix dove toward them, drawn by the fall and the unfolding chaos. The catapults’ fireballs tried to hit them, but they dodged them, screaming at each other.
Strax tightened his grip around Zani. The heat from his sword seemed to respond to his growing hatred.
“Damned goblins…” he whispered. “You want to play war? Then let’s play.”
From the smoke, more than fifty of them emerged at once, screaming in unison, spears pointed and teeth bared.
Strax stepped forward, spreading his wings partially, his scales glistening in the firelight. His eyes sparkled like embers.
The first goblin lunged. Strax impaled him from head to toe.
The second tried to flank him. He swung his sword in a wide arc, cleaving three at once.
Screams of rage and pain mingled with the metallic clang of weapons. The ground was drenched in blood in seconds, but still they came, as if the entire island had spewed forth an army just to stop Strax and his men.
Cristine finally landed, crushing two goblins with her bare hands, her body covered in electrical energy that crackled in the air.
“What the hell is this, Strax?!” she screamed, kicking another in the side of the head.
“If I’d known, I would have warned you!” he roared back, ripping the head off another.
Yennifer descended soon after, slicing through the air with sharp blades of energy, knocking goblins down like straw dolls. Bellatrix landed beside Beatrice, creating a magical barrier of red energy to protect her from the arrows raining down from the forest.
But even together, the sensation was suffocating.
It wasn’t just the sheer number of enemies, but their organization. With every goblin that fell, two more appeared. The catapults continued unabated, spewing endless fire, transforming the sky into a blazing inferno.
And in the back of Strax’s mind, a question throbbed, growing louder.
“What the hell is going on here?”
He barely had time to think straight before he saw a Goblin ten times larger than the catapult goblins emerging from the forest.
“…Is this a joke?” Strax asked.