The Golem Mage

The battle between the humans and the goblins erupted as expected, with the city guards leading the charge and clashing head-on with their Low rank goblin counterparts.

At first, the goblins were at a significant disadvantage due to the sturdy shield formation of the city guards, but as more goblins pressed forward, they began to break formation and veer off to the sides.

From those flanks, they rushed toward the other Mage clans positioned behind the city guards, the sudden shift forced the mages from the various clans to hastily cast their spells, sending waves of bombardments forward in an attempt to thin out the advancing goblins.

Initially, the tactic worked, but as the battlefield filled with corpses, the goblins simply used the fallen as stepping stones, charging over their own dead without hesitation, in some instances, groups of two or three goblins even carried corpses in front of them like makeshift shields, determined to close the distance.

This level of coordination and tactical intelligence was shocking for a race often dismissed as mindless savages with long ears and green skin, but before anyone could dwell on the surprise, their attention was pulled toward the approaching mid-rank goblins who were about to enter the fray.

These mid-rank units consisted of Goblin Shield Bearers, Goblin Warriors, Goblin Shamans, and Goblin Archers, as they moved with discipline, unlike the reckless low ranks.

They advanced in clear formation, with the Shield Bearers in front, maintaining a steady pace that conserved their stamina; and the Warriors right behind them; the Archers forming the third line; and the Shamans following at the rear.

It was a far cry from the chaos of the low ranks, these goblins were better equipped, better trained, and better organized.

That was when the high-rank human mages floating above and the Gordons, who had yet to join the battle, shifted their gaze toward the low-rank battlefield, as their expressions growing grim.

All of this unfolded because the Low rank goblins had finally closed the distance with the clan mages, it took time, but they made it, and once they were close enough, they discarded the makeshift shields made from corpses.

Though many bore burns and injuries from the earlier magical bombardments, however they paid it no mind, the humans were now within reach, and the goblins were eager to unleash their fury.

Drawing short swords, daggers, and hidden weapons, they let out a collective screech and lunged forward.

The clan enforcers quickly stepped to the front, shielding their mages who were still focused on casting the next wave of AOE spells, they held the line, but they weren’t invincible, as it was not every mage from the clans that was equipped with a shield or know how to use one well enough, they certainly wasn’t prepared to face a race like the Goblins.

So when one mage slipped up and fell, the goblins surged through the breach, and the massacre began.

They struck with wild ferocity, overwhelming the defenders, and they turned the battle from once a long-range confrontation, into a brutal melee, with their superior numbers and sharpened skills, the goblins swarmed individual mages, never fighting one-on-one but in packs, overpowering their targets with sheer force.

Meanwhile, the city guards couldn’t provide support, as they too were now completely surrounded by goblins on all sides.

Initially, they had marched with a mobile shield formation, but when the goblins bypassed their flanks, they were forced to adopt a rectangular shield formation to protect their edges.

Though effective in holding the goblins at bay, this formation came at a cost, that was because the stamina of the guards was depleting rapidly, and they now had fewer reinforcements available to rotate in with those that were tired as they were holding up the defence on all four sides, they were locked into a desperate effort.

Still, they had no other choice, this was their only chance at survival.

–

While all this unfolded, Alec watched from the right side with a smirk on his face.

“Don’t you think it’s time to move your army? If this continues, all the city’s low-rank forces will be wiped out, don’t tell me you believe you alone are enough to handle them,” said Sir Marcus, the city commander deployed from the city hall, as he flew toward the right flank where the Gordons were stationed.

He would’ve preferred to speak with the Gordons’ elders so they should talk to Alec themselves, but since they still hadn’t joined the Tier 7 mage gathering, he had no choice but to come confront Alec himself, something he wasn’t eager to do, given the fragile relationship between the city hall and the Gordons.

But the moment Alec heard an official from the city hall attempting to issue him a command, his expression shifted. He looked up at Marcus with a cold glare.

“You have no right to tell me when to move the mages of my clan, they act only on my command, and I’m not sending them to their deaths. We’ll move when I say it’s time, and one more thing—don’t you ever speak to me from above like that, with that air of superiority. I hate it,” Alec said, his eyes flashing—red flame in the right and black flame in the left.

“How dare you, brat—” Marcus started, but froze as he felt two distinct auras envelop him from Alec’s flanks.

That’s when he remembered: Alec wasn’t alone, two high-rank mages stood by his side, and the memory of Alec’s overwhelming power in the last battle returned to him.

As he quickly realized that the Gordons who had shown up today weren’t ones to provoke.

It was becoming more and more obvious that the strongest force in Estonia City during the Blood moon battles wasn’t the city hall’s mages, despite having standard-issue gear and larger numbers, and also experience of fighting in every blood moon war they still couldn’t compare to the Gordons Clan mages.

They had learned that lesson well during the last battle, because while the city hall mages were outfitted with basic equipment, the Gordons mages fought with spirit equipment sets that granted powerful set bonuses, tailored perfectly to their primary elemental affinity, which was earth.

And even though the city hall had the advantage in numbers, the Gordons made up for it with flawless coordination, moving in sync as if reading each other’s thoughts, their spellcasting was precise, their coverage of one another seamless far surpassing the teamwork the city hall mages could muster.

Moreover, when it came to experience, the Gordons weren’t lacking in the slightest.

In fact, if there was one thing observers had come to recognize, it was how efficiently the Gordons ended battles—with minimal effort and minimal casualties.

Marcus didn’t need a soothsayer to warn him of the risks if he pushed any further, because if there was one thing he had learned about Alec Gordons, it was that Alec was unpredictable, and acted entirely on his own terms.

So, with a forced snicker, Marcus slowly backed away, returning to where the Tier 7 mages were gathered.

To others, it might’ve looked like he was simply avoiding unnecessary infighting during the blood moon battle, but the truth was obvious.

He didn’t dare provoke the Gordons, they were the only clan the city lord had personally visited to secure their participation—proof enough of their status, and Marcus wasn’t about to risk their wrath while they were still acting nice.