The goblin jumped in front of them and bashed the shield wall with his hammer. The women stabbed him with their spear, killing him instantly. On the goblin's neck was a collar with the glowing orb attached to it.
The round gem began to blink rapidly then the goblin's body suddenly exploded. The blast knocked down the middle part of the shield wall, and bone fragments dug themselves deep inside the women's gambeson. Elena ran to the front between her fallen warriors and the unknown assailants. "Get back up!" She shouted.
More goblins appeared before them, but none of them tried to attack. They stood there shaking in fear, and some of them held on their collar crying. The collars reminded Shuja of the Black Crow incident two years ago, and she knew how to deal with them. "Don't kill them! That will trigger the collar self-destruction."
Elena dropped her spear and took out her bronze shield, "Drop your weapons. Apprehend them using lethal force but do not kill!"
Behind the collared goblins was a red conqueror holding a rifle. "What are you pigs waiting for, go after them!" He shouted.
The collars shocked the goblins, forcing them to move forward. Some of them rushed to the women while swinging their hammers and wrenches, battering on the shields. While some hesitated, forcing the collar to use higher voltage to shock them into submission. A front line formed, blocking the goblins and another line behind them that would bound their enemies. The women wrestled them to the ground but more kept coming towards them.
"Why are you not getting killed? You know what, screw it, I'll kill you pigs myself!" The goblins ran for their lives once the red goblin started shooting at them. The Maston shields, made from Tungstree and held together by a bronze binding, protected the squad from the shooting. But that did not translate protection from the exploding goblins.
"Brace for impact!" Elena supported the front line with her mana as a series of explosions rocked the underground passageway.
"It smells so bad. I'm going to..." One of the women couldn't hold and fell on her knees. The smell from the sewage mixed with the burnt flesh and blood clouds, creating a toxic fume that forced many of the goblins to faint and vomit.
Shuja climbed on top of the shoulders of one of the women and shot an arrow. A string was attached to the arrow, allowing her to guide it through the explosions and find its mark. The red goblins were too busy enjoying the scene to notice the arrow pierce his chest and come out from the other side. The arrow also stuck its head on the stone that allowed one to control the slaves. Shuja pulled the arrow back to her. "I order all you to stop!" She shouted.
The goblins stopped and stepped aside. The women walked through the tunnel with guards still up. "Where going?" One of the slaves asked.
Elena couldn't help but answer them, "To the surface."
"Elena!" Shuja nudged her to move.
"Sorry, Chief."
"Please win." The slave said.
Elena nodded and she continued on, leading her squad forward. They found the exit near the river, where the battle was raging on. They climbed out of the manhole and sneaked through the alleyways. On the way to the river, they saw a giant mortar on top of the building, firing large iron balls towards the ship. Shuja made quick work of them. She shot an arrow that ricocheted off the walls and pierced through the goblins manning the cannon.
Then they followed the sound of battle until they reach the enemy's battlement. A wall erected centuries ago was used to defend from attacks coming from the canal. The city goblins fired their arrows, but the legions had their impenetrable Tungstree shield. Shuja and her squad took over a segment of the wall, killing the archers and destroying their water traps. The lead ship was already at the dam and a Legion squad has taken control of one of the guard towers next to the dam. They fought their way through the wall until they reached the first ship.
Stick saw them fighting along the wall. "Shuja! Elena! What are you doing here?" He shouted from the ship's front deck. Horder was right behind, holding the ship's railing for his dear life.
"Elena, stay here and guard this wall."
"Yes, Cheif!"
Shuja jumped on the ship. "We have a problem."
"Was that Elena!" Stick stared at the red goblin.
"The lower levers. Wait, you know her?"
"Yeah, we met back when we..."
"Ok, whatever, that doesn't matter right now. We have a more important problem. The lower levels are flooded, and none of us know how to swim. And even if we did, it's still too dangerous to go down any further."
"Flooded, now I'm even more confused." Stick threw his hands in the air. "Skydas!"
A redhead conqueror stepped forward, "Yes, Captain!"
"Is Cossack in position?"
"Yes, Captain, he just finished taking the southern wall!"
"Tell him to get over here. Shuja, I'll leave the northern wall to your squad." He ran to the back of the ship, "Olhos! Come here!"
Olhos was on the other ship, behind the lead. He was on the front, blocking the arrows from hitting their rowers. "I'll be on the way!"
Stick ran back to Shuja. Cossack just got on the ship, holding a rifle in his hand. "Look what I got from one of those red pawns, or whatever." He tossed it to Shuja, "You might want to upgrade your bow." He winked.
Shuja the rifle to the river and shoved her silver bow at Cossack's face, "This bow is far more lethal than whatever that was! And I would be careful if I were comparing this masterclass of craftsmanship to that garbage."
"Focus!" Stick yelled over them. "Cossack, you told me you could swim, right?"
"Of course I can!"
"I need you to go down the labyrinth and secure the Baptista. Take Spat with you. He's in the fourth ship getting Parma's squad along with the Zackons' warriors to shore. He knows where the best path to take, and I need you to move quickly, or else our ships are not going to get anywhere even if we open the dam."
"Got it!"
Olhos arrived right before Cossack was about to leave. His presence distressed Horder even more. "Can I come with him?"
"Can you swim?" Cossack asked.
"Of course I can!"
"Then go!" Stick pushed Horder off the railing. Horder happily ran after Cossack under the crossfire. He would rather be in the dark underground than near the wolf monster. "Olhos, I need you to transform to your werewolf form now!"
"What, I can't just transform willingly."
"Olhos, your Olhos!" Shuja gasped.
"It's been a while. I know, but we got a city to win!" Stick grabbed Olhos' shoulders. "Now, please, can you release the beast. We need to use everything we have before we lose everything."
Olhos closed his eyes and concentrated, but nothing came out from his being. He still remained the red goblin. "I can't do it. I just can't."
Stick leaned closer and whispered, "Think about the people you care about most of all. Think about them and how much you wanted to protect them. Remember the beast in you, how it felt, disgusting and painful it may be because that power you unleashed protected them." Olhos' body began to grow larger, "Remember you're their shield. Your Olhos and nothing else matters to her!" Fur began to grow, and his skull started to morph, "And she's waiting for you, and you must return to her even if it means being something you never wanted to be!"
The transformation finished, and Olhos howled to the sky. Horder's body shivered when he heard the monster's voice, and he was not the only one. Those not aware of Olhos' werewolf form were in awe by it, both allies and enemies. "Now what?" He asked Stick.
"You're not afraid of him, right?" Stick asked Shuja.
"Woah, that looked amazing. How did you do that?"
"I don't know."
"Darn, oh well. So what's the plan? Why did you make him transform to a bipedal wolf."
Stick pulled Olhos down on his four legs. "You're going to ride him over the dam to get to the next one."
Shuja's cheeks began to blush, "What?"