Chapter 225: This one is strong


    Mason followed in the wake of his lightning, bow infused with fiery arrows as he stepped into the open and started shooting. The goblins were shoutingmands up and down the line, many loosing their own arrows once they saw him. He didn’t mind. He wanted the attention.


    Darts and arrows zipped around him. Others struck. He watched weak poison messages re. Most of the missiles that hit him fell, piercing maybe only half an inch into his flesh. It hurt, but pain was nothing.


    His own arrows worked rather better.


    Goblins fell with every shot, his arrows sinking into guts and chests as he stalked forward loosing with Endless Quiver, maybe a release a second. Maybe faster. He stopped to deflect a javelin, seeing more of the raiders were gathering now anding for him. He activated Aspect of the Cheetah, summoned a w, then ran straight towards his true targets.


    The trolls had all but destroyed the gate, but it seemed the defenders had stacked up a giant pile of wood behind it. <em>Good work, Carl</em>, Mason thought, only a few seconds from the giant beasts.


    Apparently one of them was on fire. Though it didn''t seem to stop it. Both creatures wore metal breasttes and guards on their limbs, with thick gorgets around their necks. Mason activated Ranger''s Mark as he approached, but found pretty much what he expected: magically-protected, regenerating, giant murder machines with organs surrounded by bone.


    Ten feet from his target the air around him seemed to thicken.


    Mason''s movement slowed like he''d struck water, every step a struggle as he felt he dragged his body through mud.


    [Apex Predator: Arcane Affinity activated]


    The air sizzled, then shed with light. Mason growled as pain arched through his body, and he realized he''d hit some kind of magical trap.


    He turned and scanned the clearing, soon seeing a robed goblin with hands outstretched, attention now entirely on Mason. He''d been too focused, he realized, too rushed, and hadn''t seen the damn thing.


    He banished his w and lifted his bow, loosing a Power Shot that seemed to struggle with the same spell he was trapped in. The missile moved about a foot a second, and the wizard crackled with growing power as Mason watched helplessly. So he closed his eyes and focused on his own spell, preparing Inner Fire, not sure if it would help.


    The wizard''s spell finished. A pir of fire erupted from his hands, spinning across the clearing like a bullet train,ncing straight into Mason''s chest.


    [Apex Predator: Elemental Affinity activated]


    The force of it pushed him back, and Mason at least felt the trap that had held him break. His whole front red with pain, then numbed, and Mason just covered his face and twisted, trying to escape and advance.


    When the mes finally subsided, he saw his goblin bow was burnt to a crisp. He dropped it and walked forward as he summoned his ws, but struggled to hold them. He looked down to see his whole torso was severely burned, his hands half charred, the smell of his own roasting flesh in his nostrils.


    "Still alive," he growled hoarsely, watching Transformation re and get to work. The wizard''s eyes widened as he charged.


    "Kill him!" it shrieked as it fell back, and Mason saw an armored goblining to intercept with a handful of guards.


    Aspect of the Cheetah was down. Mason was still fast but not fast enough to catch what was surely another teleporting wizard. He considered turning back and working at the trolls, but he couldn''t let that bastard channel. He had to get past the guards, and keep pressure on him.


    The armored goblin came in like a boxer with a de, weaving to both sides before slicing a vicious arc at Mason''s face. He stepped back and let the de just miss, then countered with a thrust from his shorter w.


    One of the goblin''s nking guards parried it down, and Mason faked another attack on their leader before turning and slicing the guard from shoulder to hip. It blinked, then dropped.


    The leader sneered and attacked again. He was fast and hard to predict, and Mason had to fall back or parry to keep from getting stabbed. He saw the wizard had stopped running and turned again, hands raising to no doubt channel some fresh horror.


    "I don''t have time for you," Mason said, then lunged at his foe, letting the creature stab him full on in the gut. The creature red with something like victory, then disbelief.


    As its de pierced Mason''s flesh, he banished his de, grabbed its throat, and crushed it with his hands. He tossed the creature away and stumbled past, pulling out the de as he staggered towards the wizard, preparing for a throw.


    Danger red in Mason''s mind, and he twisted and leapt to the side as another creature wrapped in shadow appeared from nowhere. A dark de shed and just touched Mason''s burnt chest, terrible pain ring from the wound. Mason rolled away and focused on this new foe, knowing the wizard would finish his spell soon but not sure what the hell he could do about it.


    There was growling and screams in the trees, and he knew Becky and his wolves were wreaking havoc. There would be yers just inside that gate if he could just get their attention...or, he thought, <em>maybe I should run, heal,e back.</em>


    The wizard finished his spell, and with some relief Mason saw a blue shield re around the robed goblin. Of course then he started another...


    The crashing of the troll''s rams sounded like drums as the dark-d figure attacked. Mason''s hands were healing already and he parried the shorter de once before forcing his enemy back.


    Mason smelled blood and realized one of his enemy’s hands was ruined, held uselessly at his side. They exchanged twice more before it became clear that Mason''s speed and longer des made the oue inevitable. If he only had time...


    Anther re of arcane energy burst from the wizard.


    [Apex Predator: Psionic Affinity.]


    [Title activated: First Blood.]


    A gong went off in Mason''s mind. He cried out in shock as much as anything at the overwhelming sound, then tried to focus on the attacking rogue.


    His vision blurred but his body seemed unaffected, and he fought for a moment on pure, mindless instinct. The ck de touched him shallowly again, but his foe leapt back rather than risk Mason''s counter.


    [Title activated: Poison schmoison.]


    "This one is strong," called the wizard. "Be wary. And he heals. We need to bring him down quickly. Guards, attack now!"


    A dozen more goblins emerged from the forest with spears,s, and axes. Mason blinked and kept the far more dangerous rogue in his vision, knowing he had to do something to change the dynamic or he was in serious trouble.


    New thumping sounds joined the trolls'' constant pounding, and he nced briefly behind to see what fresh problem he was dealing with next. Then he blinked, for a moment unable to process the sight of what looked like five...<em>walking statues</em>, one of them carrying a young, blonde man that looked extremely simr to...


    ke hopped down from the creature''s arms and straightened his ruffled pants. For a moment all the goblins just stared, as if they too were dumbfounded, unsure what the hell they were looking at. ke grinned, and his eyes zed as arcane power swirled around him.


    "You heard him," he said, voice modted as with some electronic device. "Guards. Attack. Now."


    * * *


    As was often the case with the arrival of ke, bem followed.


    Mason watched half a dozen goblins turn on the wizard, throwing theirs and bouncing javelins off his arcane shield.


    "Weak minded fools!" the creature shrieked, then vanished in a puff of smoke.


    Another armored goblin was shouting in the trees, and dozens of the creatures were charging out to join the fray. The ck-scarfed rogue took the opportunity to reach into his pocket, and throw a cloud of dust in Mason''s direction.


    No doubt he should have dodged. But Mason was pissed off. He charged right through it with his eyes closed, watching his titles re and opening his eyes just in time to see the de thrusting for his throat.


    But he''d activated his Shield gem as he charged, and the de stopped short. Mason bowled his opponent over with weight and speed. Then he dropped the shield and just tried to grab the slippery bastard.


    He ripped dark clothing but the rogue managed to roll away. He should have kept going. Instead the goblin stopped and shed, and Mason simply took the blow on a Sleeve before tackling his foe to the ground. He curled a hand on the creature''s wrist, and squeezed.


    Bone snapped as Mason held the dagger at bay, then summoned his smaller w and pushed it wordlessly into the creature''s chest. It gurgled and spat blood, but otherwise died in silence.


    [Greenblood Nightde killed. Group experience gained.]


    Then Mason was up and ready to be swarmed by goblins, but when he turned he saw ke''s...statues...were surrounding them in a semi-circle, ughtering anything that got too close with spears and maybe picks wielded from multiple arms. Streak howled in the trees, and his pack took up the hunting call as the sounds of tearing flesh and goblin screams grew louder.


    "You see where that wizard went?" Mason said to his brother, banishing anything but practicality for now as he re-summoned his ws.


    "Behind that pack of trolls, I expect."


    "What pack of...oh." Mason watched as a wall of armored green flesh emerged from deeper in the woods. They were surrounded by armored goblins with prodders and whips, led by yet another armored goblin, this one with a plumed helmet like a damned Roman centurion.


    "I''m here, y''all," Becky shouted as she came panting out of the trees. "Did I miss it? I''m too damn...aw hell."


    Mason sighed, but felt better by the second, his Transformation power doing its work.


    The armored goblin cracked his whip, and along with dozens of ''handlers'', at least six more trolls roared and charged.


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