At first, I had wondered why the previously skilled marksmen were now suddenly struggling. Then, as I watched the descending beasts and the sunlight illuminated their bodies, I understood why. Bits of their scales occasionally glimmered or flashed. It was enough to break an archer’s concentration and force them to close their eyes.

  I counted five major threats—two monstrously large and five of more average size. Several smaller wyverns flew around them, but their flight appeared erratic. The larger specimens snapped at the smaller ones, keeping them from diving.

  Gurk and the second acolyte didn’t attack the diving reptiles. Instead, they focused their magics on mounting defenses around the once-again chanting shaman. Thorn-covered vines thick as my waist burst from the stony ground. They twisted and coiled, forming a barrier. I tried getting in on it, but Gurk shook his head, and I stopped. Perhaps he’d seen my actions or knew certain truths I had misrepresented. However, he was in my camp, and I didn’t want to lose my support. So, I stuck to Grog’s side.

  While Gurk erected walls, the second acolyte protected the air. His silver sparrows fluttered back and forth, forming a dense cloud over the trio’s heads. As the sun rose, its light refracted through them, highlighting the dull fog hanging over the battlefield. Meanwhile, the green halo around the shaman disappeared. Amorphous golden glimmers replaced it. Vines and silver sparrows obscured my vision before I could see more.

  The battlefield shifted. The army no longer divided themselves into the vanguard, ranged attackers, cavalry, and rear guard. Instead, the remaining soldiers shifted to a large circle around the shaman and his remaining acolytes. A handful of melee attackers accompanied every marksman, spirit caller, and long-range tinkered weapon. Only the warg riders still maintained a formation. They divided themselves into two lines and rode in opposite directions around the army.

  “Only my guard and I remain static,” Grog told me. “The mixture of warg riders moving in patterns and everyone else swapping positions randomly confuses the wyverns. It makes it hard for them to focus on a target.”

  He nocked another monstrous arrow, pointed his weapon at the sky, and poured a mixture of red and gray mana into it. The projectile hummed. It didn’t shine as bright as the previous projectiles, but my Mana Sense told me it contained more mana.

  One of the larger two wyverns dove at us before Grog could unleash his arrows. I continued playing even though a knot formed in my stomach. The giant lizard was coming straight at us. However, I felt safer in Grog’s shadow than further from him amongst the regular troops. He had the mountain’s blessing, after all—whatever that meant. I trusted him more than I did the others too. Grog had stood up for me.

  I paused for half a second and shot an Analyze at the diving wyvern just as Grog released his arrow.

  Aetherscale Wyvern

  Much like their grander and rarer cousins, wyverns absorb the nature of whatever material they’re spawned around. Then they continue to integrate mana-rich materials into their scale armor throughout their lives.

  The wyverns of Blacknail Mountains typically spend their lives around Aetherite nodes. They fuel them and birth crystals, and their scales absorb the materials’ qualities. While it doesn’t make for the best of armors, Aetherscale wyverns are adept at channeling their mana. Their breath attacks can be devastating.

  Analyze has progressed to Novice Rank 3!

  Unlike the rest of the army, Grog didn’t falter. He released the arrow, and it pierced one of the many spines lining the leathery wings. The limb buckled, and the wyvern came hurtling toward the ground.

  For a moment, I worried the beast was going to land in our midst, but one of its brethren knocked it off course. Instead of landing within the limits of Grog’s Table, the wyvern disappeared over the plateau’s edge.

  “That’s how it’s done!” Grog cheered.

  “Is that enough to kill the wyvern?”

  “The point of this battle isn’t to kill them but to reduce their numbers.” He nocked another arrow as he spoke, scanning the sky for his next target. “We’re repelling them so they hunt something else while culling their numbers. Killing a couple of hatchlings and males is fine, but females—the brood mothers are rare. If we let them die, our Aetherite and Aether crystal supply will halve. Then my fine city will cease to grow.”

  Before I could comment on Grog’s complacency, a wyvern took advantage of it. The creature dove straight at the protective barrier around the shaman. The silver sparrows forced it off course and it had no choice but to land next to us. Given the beast’s smaller size, I guessed it was a male. It landed awkwardly on its side, crushing a trio of goblin warriors and their marksmen ward.

  A furious roar escaped Grog as he charged at the creature, raising his axe high above his head. I followed, staying a couple of meters behind him, and finally poured Mind mana into the music. Grog was now my lifeline. I needed him to survive, and if he experienced my powers directly, perhaps he’d fight for me harder.

  Unlike with my previous one-on-one connections, there was no fear or anxiety for me to wash away. Instead, it felt like bringing focus to a wild, ADD-plagued mind. Once the wyvern grew wary of Grog, it righted itself and extended its neck. Grog skidded to a stop, picked me up, and dove to the side, interrupting my playing.

  Then an orange glow blossomed in the wyvern’s chest and rose up its neck. I didn’t need Mana Sense to know what was coming next. A stream of golden flames burst from the wyvern’s maw. It melted the battlefield’s blood-soaked snow and filled our surroundings with scalding steam, obscuring everyone’s vision. Grog dropped me and sprinted into the vapor. I tried to continue playing but struggled to do more than not choke on the steam.

  The air felt hotter above my head, so I lay flat on the ground and rolled away from the flames toward the snow where it was cooler. Fortunately, it wasn’t long before the wyvern’s attack ended. The hatchlings were dive-bombing the surrounding army, so I got back up and ran toward the heat instead of away from it.

  My now-damp shirt clung to my torso. I couldn’t tell anymore whether it was steam or sweat. Despite the blinding fog, finding my target wasn’t a challenge. The wyvern’s fire hadn’t just melted the snow but also turned the ground under it into slag. I followed along its border to find Grog dancing with the giant scaled beast. He danced back when the wyvern snapped at him, then feinted with an axe jab. He gracefully rotated the handle so the bladed edge pointed upward before swinging up with all of his might. Unfortunately, his attack missed and only grazed the monster’s chin.

  When the wyvern snapped at him, Grog danced to the left and flailed, awkwardly driving his axe head at an exposed orifice. The scaled giant finally showed its deviousness. Fighting up close, Grog’s peripheral didn’t pick up the beast’s movements. It was a feint. With Grog committed to his swing, he couldn’t dodge. The wyvern used the opportunity to swipe at him with a giant clawed forearm. By the time the chieftain saw the attack, it was too late for him to dodge. He threw up his axe, but the blow ripped through the haft and caught Grog in the side.

  I held my breath, expecting the wyvern’s claws to cut Grog in to two. Instead, I heard the sound of cracking and shattering stone. My fingers started picking at strings as soon as I saw him stir. For the first time, I channeled Life mana at a singular target.

  “Get up, Chief!” I yelled as the wyvern glanced between us. It first crawled toward me, but then Grog coughed, sitting up. I wondered whether the wyvern could sense mana or detect what I was up to. Either way, I needed Grog to get the beast’s attention. Someone needed to teach the goblin boss about aggro management. He had already heard of theme music. Learning about the rest was just as important.

  The wyvern shrieked before charging at him. Unfortunately, Grog appeared too dazed to react. Blood poured from his side, and it looked like the wyvern had cut through several centimeters of stone before reaching flesh. The wounds were deep nonetheless.

  “I’m going to have to do something stupid,” I sang, feeling like an idiot as I sprinted toward Grog. Seeing me speed up, the wyvern charged at us too. It opened its smoking maw, ready to chomp down on whoever it got first. Despite my shorter legs, I reached Grog first. Someone must’ve slowed the wyvern, but I didn’t have time to check who it was. Once at my destination, I reached into my cloak and crushed another marrow bone.

  The cage of ethereal bones didn’t deter the wyvern. It snapped its jaws closed around Grog and me and the cage exploded straight away, making the beast recoil. Then the shards shot into its mouth. The creature staggered backward, coughing, and then a deep gurgling sound blossomed in its throat. The smoke rising from its mouth darkened and then the initial orange glow traveled up its throat and down its torso before leaking out from between its scales. Terror filled the creature’s eyes as it trembled one last time and then collapsed.

  Despite your handicaps and inexperience, you’ve killed a beast several times older and stronger than you. Running away and letting Grog, son of Grog, perish was always an option.

  It’s not the local deities and mountains that are impressed.

  Achievement unlocked!

  Coward Only In Name!

  Charisma + 2

  Dexterity + 1

  Unassigned Attribute Points + 2

  “Fix You” was the first song that came to mind as I focused on healing Grog. My lungs struggled to take in air and eyes burned, yet I did my best to sing the lyrics. Thanks to my increasing Mana Control, I had no trouble feeding Sasha’s core while simultaneously working Life mana into the music. Grog stirred and the bleeding slowed, but the wound remained horrid and ugly.

  The goblin chieftain shook his head as he sat up. As he straightened up, it sounded like stones cracking and grating against one another. His eyes focused as he lifted his broken axe and studied the two halves. The confused gaze turned to the dead wyvern next. Grog’s eyebrows furrowed when he finally looked at me.

  “You killed the wyvern,” he whispered, climbing back onto his feet. Steam still surrounded us, but silhouettes of goblins fighting hatchlings and adult wyverns were now visible. I hoped the steam had kept my actions hidden.

  “That’s not true, Chief, you killed—”

  “You can’t fool me, halfling.” Grog kneeled in front of the dead wyvern and opened its maw using his axe head. “The beast died in the same manner as Nax.”

  “I can explain—”

  “Your secret is safe with me, Perry,” Grog said, straightening up. “Besides killing the wyvern, you also saved my life. I know how to return the favor.” Grog threw his axe head with such might, it blurred. The broken weapon flew into the wyvern’s mouth and down its throat. “Now they’ll find my half-molten weapon in its ember gland. Hopefully that’ll convince Kraine that you’re innocent. What’s your game?”

  “Get my freedom and perhaps take down your shaman while I’m at it,” I answered honestly. It was a gamble. But I suspected the shaman’s presence terrified him. His momentary tremble when standing up for me had given it away. “Your focus has been improving goblinkind’s image, hasn’t it? That’s why there are so many humans and gnomes around. The tribe has been flourishing under your rule. Then Kraine came along and started sacrificing anyone who angered him or his kin. Don’t you think that’s setting the tribe back?”

  “Kraine was right about you.” Grog chuckled, glancing around at the now-thinning mist. Screeches, screams, and grunts filled the battlefield. Above us, only one female wyvern and another male flew. I guessed the third adult member of the horde was fighting on ground-level elsewhere. “You’re a devious little man, out to cause trouble.” He grinned. “I like your methods though. You’ll have no help from me, Peregrin Kanooks, but I won’t stand in your way either. The house of Grog doesn’t forget debts.”

  “Has saving your life won me my freedom?”

  “Perhaps it has, and a lot more.”

  Then we passed through the rapidly settling water vapor and returned to the battlefield. The hatchlings appeared to have done more damage than the adults. While the big wyverns flew above the city, occasionally swooping down to grab a couple of goblins in their maw, the little ones rampaged below. Perhaps it was a trial by fire for wyvern kind. Those who survived the battle and ate their fill got to survive. The rest were too weak to continue the horde’s rule in the mountains. It explained how the wyverns got better organized and smarter with every passing year.

  Grog grabbed a dropped spear and sprinted back toward the hatchlings rampaging around the bramble wall. Parts of it was on fire, and I spotted Dirk among them, fending off multiple wyverns off alone. Grog skewered two of them with a single spear thrust and roared, celebrating his victory over them. I followed, continuing to drain the guitar’s Life mana.

  Musician has grown to Journeyman Rank 6!

  Mana Control has progressed to Apprentice Rank 9!

  Mana Sense has progressed to Apprentice Rank 2!

  Mana Wielding has progressed to Apprentice Rank 6!

  The missing wyvern appeared, trampling dozens of goblins as it charged toward the bramble wall. Dirk and Grog tried blocking it in unison, but the monster spread its wings and leapt, gliding over them into the cloud of silver sparrows. They tried repelling it, but a stream of blue flame burst from its mouth, freezing the little birds. The summoned spirits turned into solid ice figurines before falling from the air. I heard them shattering on the protected patch around the shaman.

  “No!” Dirk yelled while Grog froze. He appeared concerned, and I couldn’t tell whether it was because of Kraine’s possible demise or the likelihood of ending up without a spiritual lead for the tribe.

  Yells and roars sounded from within the bramble wall as blue flames leaked through the gaps between the vines. The conjured vegetation darkened and froze, all signs of life disappearing from them. I held my breath, worrying the beast had slain my friend along with my nemesis.

  Then the bramble wall exploded outward. Four golden giants rose from a crouch, one of them holding the wyvern by its throat. The summoned giant grabbed the monster’s wing and twisted it, audibly snapping bone. A choked screech escaped the wyvern but cut off abruptly when the giant threw the beast. The force carried the creature across the battlefield and over the plateau’s edge, where the injured female wyvern had disappeared earlier.

  Two of the giants remained by the shaman’s side, guarding him, Gurk, and the other acolyte. The sparrow summoner lay on the ground, pale and unmoving. His left arm had disappeared just below the elbow, and a pink leafed branch hung from Gurk’s staff. Its leaves showered the acolyte, slowly patching the stump.

  The other two giants charged onto the battlefield, swiping at the hatchlings. Some blows outright crushed them. The others lifted them off the ground, forcing them to take flight. I recognized the summons. Kraine had used them to defeat the felin Champion before me. I guessed it was the most powerful spell in his repertoire.

  Silently approaching the giants, I focused my Mana Sense. The bone totem hanging from Kraine’s hip shone like a blinding beacon. Silver chains extended from it, connecting him to the bands around the giants’ necks and wrists. The powerful entities were his slaves. My discovery washed away all previous doubts and steeled my resolve. Kraine cared for his own but treated all other lives as commodities. He was a tyrant waiting to happen.

  I bet that if he continued to grow at his current rate, the shaman would eventually turn on the chieftain’s seat and make a play for sole leadership. Grog likely suspected Kraine’s ambitions too. It was the reason he wanted the shaman gone. However, Grog couldn’t attack the tribe’s spiritual leader outright. It would cost him his people’s favor. As a result, he had no choice but to play along. Now Grog had agreed to overlook my crimes. He wouldn’t help me or work against me, but I could now count on his inaction.

  With two acolytes fallen and a third crippled, the shaman would need to rely more on Gurk. Perhaps my dear spirit caller friend would pick up enough knowledge and secrets to take over as the tribe’s next shaman. Everything was falling into place. Now, I just needed active allies and more tools to get the job done.

  When I sensed that Sasha’s stores of Life mana were almost out, I didn’t refill her. Instead, I stopped playing. The battle was now over. All the surviving wyverns had taken to the air. Not all of them carried goblins and wargs in their hind claws. A couple of them held krawlers and shrikes too. The beasts beat their monstrous wings and took to the sky, heading back in the direction they’d come. The still-airborne female dipped below the plateau and glided away from us, likely guiding her injured companions toward safety.

  After the last of the hatchlings had died or departed, a collective cheer rose from the surviving goblins. Their numbers were an alarming fraction compared to what we’d seen at the day’s start. Only the shaman appeared mournful though. Others laughed and cheered, clapping each other on the back.

  Out of the masses, I spotted a tiny figure running toward us. He weaved through the larger goblins, staying below their eye line. Everybody ignored his bulging pockets. It was Hruk. He skidded to a stop at the wyvern I had killed and glanced back and forth. Then he conjured a pick out of his pocket and got busy prying crystals free of the beast’s scale armor. Once done, he claimed several black scales too. Hruk froze when our eyes met. He grinned before dashing towards the fallen hatchlings. Everyone was so busy celebrating or assisting the injured, they didn’t pay any attention to him.

  Finally, the shaman cast his giant healing spell again, marking the end of battle. The mass of goblins who rose to their feet looked like a little more than a quarter of the starting numbers. Kraine dismissed three of the summoned giants. The third shrank to human proportions and lifted the one-armed acolyte gently off the ground. They left the battlefield together and Gurk followed close on their heel.