"Wouldn't it be best if we all stayed together?" Asked Storm.
"No, that's exactly what you DON'T want to do with an infestation this big! You would be fine for a time, sure. But as you press forward, you would soon get cut off and surrounded from all sides as the other nests keeps deploying reinforcements. " Explained Captain Hoarfrost.
He leaned over the map and drew several large circles.
"Based on the goblin numbers, we suspect that the nests are somewhere in this area. We'll break up into 4 teams. I'll lead one of the center ones, and my sergeants will lead the other 3.
We press forward all at once and clear out the nests.
The commanders of each group will operate the Drake's Breath weapons, the rest of you will have to protect him while he burns the nests." Explained Hoarfrost.
"What do these nests look like?" Asked Razor.
"Trust me, you'll know it when you see it!" Stated Hoarfrost.
The captain began to break everyone up into several teams. Storm, Dust'an, Grombrim and several other warriors would be on the left flank.
Pyros, Augustus and Wolf would be on the right flank.
Aurora, Razor and the Rakasha would be on one of the center teams.
Storm wasn't happy that he and Aurora was seperated, but it made sense from a tactical standpoint. Each team had at least one dragon as a backup if something happened to the weapon operator.
Or to help him conserve fuel.
Storm's team had 2 because he wasn't as Strong with fire yet as a regular dragon.
So Dust'an would be coming in as backup.
He met with the sergeant in charge of his team with the rest of his entourage.
Already clad from head to toe in one of Brenda's suits and with Drake's Breath weapon in hand.
Storm had shifted into his humanoid dragon form so that he can fight better in the cramped tunnels.
Dust'an hadn't learned how to take human form yet, but as he was smaller than Storm, they hoped the tunnels wouldn't restrict him too much.
The Sargent inspected Storm's form before nodding his head.
"You look like you can do some damage! You can call me 'Grimm'" stated the dwarf.
"Storm. " he Introduced.
With everyone present, he raised his voice so that everyone can hear, which was muffled by the thick plate visor covering his face.
"All right !!! Listen up!!! Mission is simple!!
We slowly move forward looking for signs of goblins until we find a nest!!
Your job is to keep them off me while we look!!
Mine is to burn out the nest once we find it!!
We find it, Burn it, then repeat until all is cleared out!! Any questions!!?" Asked Grimm.
When no one responded, he nodded.
"Then let's move out!!!"
They all took up defensive positions around him and left through the opened Gatehouse doors.
On the other side was a vast open field with several large craters spread around from the defense towers behind them.
No traces of goblins were found in range of the fortifications. They had learned long ago that approaching the walls was courting death for their kind.
He heards strange skittering sounds in the darkness, and he occasionally saw a pair of glowing red eyes staring back at him.
"Stay close!! And watch your back!! Goblins love ambushing people !!" Stated Grimm.
They managed to cross most of the field until they saw a clear line where the craters stopped.
"We've reached the edge of the defensive towers range! We're all alone from here!" Warned Grimm.
They made their way towards a tunnel that veered off to the left.
As they entered the tunnel, Storm heard a noise to his left and saw a goblin launching himself at Storm from that direction.
It had two crude short swords in his hands pulled back ready to stab him.
Without a word, Storm sent a lightning bolt though it's head.
It dropped to the ground lifeless in front of him.
"Well done, Dragon!! But conserve your elemental energy if you can!!
There's a lot more than just that one goblin and you'll need every drop of power in your body by day's end!" Warned Grimm.
As if to prove his point several glowing red eyes opened up in the darkness ahead at once.
With a shrill shriek, all the goblins charged the group at once.
Before Storm could consider what to do, he heard a rumble from Dust'an's chest.
A moment later Dust'an opened his mouth and bathed the approaching horde in a cone of fire.
The fire consumed their bodies so quickly that they didn't even have time to scream before being reduced to ash.
After a full minute, Dust'an cut off the stream of fire from his mouth and the tunnels became dark again.
"I'd say we're on the right trail! Keep moving forward!" Stated Grimm.
"What exactly are we looking for?" Asked Storm.
"Trust me, you'll know it when you see it!" Stated Grimm.
His words proved accurate.
As they walked down the tunnels, they came across a passageway that was so narrow they would have had to march through in single file.
The tunnel would just barely fit Dust'an, but he would have no room to maneuver if he was attacked. He wouldn't even be able to open his wings fully.
Strange fleshy tendrils that resembles the veins of some strange beast grew along the walls, floors and ceiling.
Storm touched one of the tendrils cautiously.
"What the hell!?" Stated Storm.
"Told you that you would know it when you see it! Those tendrils means were close to a nest." Stated Grimm.
Grimm led the way, following the thickening tendrils until they entered a large cavern.
But it was what was inside the cavern that drew his attention.
Looming in front of the was a massive, pulsing tumor like object. At first Storm thought they had stumbled across some kind of strange underworld mushroom. But the more he looked at it, the more unnatural it seemed.
The whole thing began to quiver before it forcefully expelled several groups of fresh, naked goblins into the caverns.
Grimm didn't seem fazed by the sight in front of him at all. As if he had seen it a thousand times.
With determination he stepped forward and aimed his fire weapon at the growth.
A shriek echoed down the caverns as a numberless horde of goblins rushed at them from all sides.