Wayne quickly turned to Raymond beside him. "Get up to the roof and help them!"
Raymond froze, initially confused as to why Wayne wasn't acting himself. Then, he had an immediate "realization"—this must be a test from his teacher! He imagined Wayne observing his magical prowess under pressure from within the net cafe, preparing to impart those legendary, high-level spells once the Gnolls were repelled.
Fueled by motivation, Raymond flipped out of a window on the side clear of Gnolls. He scrambled up a pile of stones and lumber leaning against the building to reach the roof.
Though they were still outnumbered, the sudden support threw the Gnolls into disarray. Seizing the opening, the seven-man squad launched a counter-offensive toward the blacksmith shop. Verdan led the charge, with Hicks and De Vries slashing through the ranks on his flanks. On the other side, Hudson and Lainie focused on blocking incoming arrows from behind.
Willem and Samuel seized every stationary moment to chant healing spells. Most spells required long incantations, demanding the caster stand still and focus entirely on the words, making it impossible to move or perform other actions simultaneously.
Just as the group reached the edge of the blacksmith shop, the sound of clashing steel erupted from the inn's roof. Seven or eight Gnolls had used their sharp claws to grip the outer walls, scaling the masonry to reach the top.
Mage trainer Zaldimar and Priestess Jyssetta fought to knock them down as they climbed, but a volley of arrows from below—obscured by the deepening twilight—struck Zaldimar in the chest. Warrior trainer Lyria Du Lac and another inn hand named William rushed to the roof with weapons drawn, engaging the Gnolls in melee to cover the two casters as they retreated into the inn.
Lyria wished her friend Corrine were there, but the woman had gone to Stormwind to treat an injury.
Willem felt a sinking sense of dread. Though the seven of them had reached the blacksmith shop and could now form a semi-circular defensive line with their backs to the wall—allowing Samuel to heal in peace without fear of being flanked—they were powerless to help those on the inn's roof. Worse, despite killing seven Gnolls, their numbers were still growing.
"Zaldimar ! Zaldimar ! Can you hear me?!" Willem bellowed.
Zaldimar's arrow wound was severe, missing his heart by mere centimeters, but thanks to the intervention of Lyria and William, Jyssetta managed to pull him to safety. Though treated, he was far from recovered. William looked back and shouted to Willem, "He's alive! He can hear you!"
"Teleport to Stormwind!" Willem roared. "Goldshire needs reinforcements!"
Those words sent a wave of despair through everyone listening—in the Lion's Pride Inn, the blacksmith shop, and the surrounding houses. Willem hadn't said "We need reinforcements," but "Goldshire needs reinforcements." Everyone knew that even the fastest horse from Stormwind would take nearly twenty hours to reach them. By then, their bones would be gnawed to splinters by these beasts. Many wept in silent terror and hopelessness.
But Goldshire could not fall to these animals. This was their home, the jewel of Elwynn! Even with brooms and kitchen knives, the villagers prepared for a final, desperate stand.
As Willem's shout faded, a surge of dark blue light gathered. A Voidwalker was summoned, manifesting in front of the group! The demon let out a slow, low rumble: "I... do not like... this place..."
The sudden appearance of a demon shocked everyone, but seeing it face away from the soldiers, they realized it was an ally. Two Gnolls charged, axes raised, but the Voidwalker caught both weapons with its translucent claws and shoved them back, its talons leaving deep gashes across their chests.
As the crowd wondered who had summoned such a creature, Raymond's voice cracked from the blacksmith's roof:
"For the King's Honor!"
"By my teacher's command, the Warlock Raymond is here to assist!"
William, who had just retreated into the inn's attic, was the first to be stunned. Then came the rest: Farley the owner, Emma the stable hand, Toddrick the butcher, and the regulars. Their inn's bodyguard was a hidden user of dark magic, and he had just summoned a living demon before their eyes! Yet, the demon's attack and that shout through the silence gave them a flicker of hope.
Even Wayne, despite finding Raymond a bit melodramatic, felt his blood pumping with that same hope.
"Aaoooo-wuuu!"
The Gnolls let out a synchronized howl. Over a dozen of them charged at once. Everyone knew the probing was over; there were no more allies coming. The final battle had arrived.
Willem caught a flash of blue light in a second-floor window of the inn. His heart lightened; Zaldimar had successfully teleported to Stormwind. He raised his two-handed sword, and Holy Light coalesced on the blade, shining a brilliant gold.
"Stormwind Guards!"
"Present!" the other six replied.
"Engage the enemy!"
"For the Alliance!"
With the Voidwalker acting as a meat shield and Samuel pouring out his mana for constant healing, the group managed to hold the Gnolls to a stalemate. On the roof, Raymond—convinced Wayne was testing him—focused his fire on the Gnoll poachers and those threatening to break the defensive line below. He used Immolate to set archers ablaze, and Shadow Bolts or Fear to drive back the melee attackers, giving his comrades room to breathe.
It was the first time these soldiers had seen a Warlock in action. Though the Voidwalker and the dark aura of the Shadow Bolts were eerie, Raymond's bravery proved that even dark magic could serve a righteous path.
But the challenge wasn't just numbers. Behind the Gnoll lines, Gnoll Shamans used green, glowing nature magic to mend their wounded.
On the soldiers' side, Samuel's mana was nearly spent. His casting slowed as he tried to recover whatever energy he could, forced to use low-rank Holy Lights to keep the others standing. Despite Raymond's efforts, the Voidwalker, after being swarmed for minutes, let out a final rumble—"Finally... released..."—and vanished into motes of light.
Moments later, De Vries took a heavy blow to his left leg. He was forced to stand on one leg against the blacksmith's wall. Verdan held his shield high to protect him, but the shield was now marred by two deep cracks, ready to shatter. The berserk Hicks had six or seven gashes across his chest and arms; Hudson had dragged him back, and he now sat on the ground, gasping, unable to even lift his sword.
Near Willem, Lainie had been struck so hard by two axes that his shield arm buckled, slamming into his own chest. He coughed up blood—at least three ribs were broken—and slumped against the wall. Samuel was drenched in sweat, on the verge of collapse.
They had been unprepared for this ambush. No one had health or mana potions, not even a basic bandage. A caster without mana is defenseless. Samuel raised his mace and shield, positioning himself as the final barrier before his wounded friends.
A Gnoll charged and kicked at Lainie. Samuel tried to block, but his strength was gone; the shield was kicked right out of his hand. As the Gnoll raised its axe to split his skull, a white sphere of light enveloped Samuel. The axe bounced off as if hitting a stone wall!
"It has been a pleasure fighting by your sides," Willem said softly, without looking back.
A beam of golden light gathered above him. He stepped forward, his sword sweeping through two Gnolls. He raised the blade to the sky, and the ground around him erupted in a circle of pulsing Holy Light, scorching every Gnoll in the vicinity.
Wayne recognized the three spells: Blessing of Protection, Righteous Fury, and Consecration!
Lainie screamed, "Captain! Captain!"
The six behind him understood—Willem intended to face the remaining twenty Gnolls alone, fighting until his last drop of blood was shed. He was prepared to die, but not without a fight. Standing within his Consecration, his sword became a torch in the dark night, piercing and cleaving through one beast after another. The blood on his blade sizzled and evaporated upon contact with the intense Holy Light.
On the roof, Raymond prepared to summon another Voidwalker when a stray arrow pierced his face. The arrow entered through his left cheek and exited the right, skewering his mouth horizontally. The shock and agony sent him into immediate unconsciousness, and he tumbled heavily from the roof.
Wayne, inside the shop, couldn't see this due to the angle. Fortunately, the Steelie siblings from the blacksmith shop ran out and dragged the unconscious Raymond inside for emergency aid.
Willem had already slain six more Gnolls when the beasts suddenly let out strange howls and retreated.
"Are they... retreating?" the survivors wondered, a desperate joy rising in their chests.
But the next roar plunged them back into total despair.
"Hogger... want meat!"
Farley gasped, "Hogger! It's over... we're all going to die today!"
"Stormwind abandoned us," Emma wailed. "Just like the Stonemasons' Guild... they left us here to rot!"
Outside, a massive boulder whistled through the air. Willem couldn't dodge in time and raised his sword to block. Crash! The rock smashed the blade into his chest plate, the momentum sending him flying back into the wall.
The Gnolls parted, and a massive, two-meter-tall Gnoll appeared. It was the legendary Hogger.
Verdan, his shield shattered, muttered, "Damn... the Commander wanted us to handle him... I didn't think the beast would come looking for us..."
Hicks, unable to move, growled, "If he comes over here, I'll bite a chunk out of him before I go!"
At that moment, the door to the net cafe swung open. Wayne stepped out and began dragging the unconscious Willem back into the shop. The others looked on in confusion. "What are you doing?!"