The road here are made of block paving so we are travelling quite fast. Probably about 40MPH. We are passing many fields with hundreds of different crop types. Apparently, this entire region is a major food producer for the kingdom.

We also went through multiple villages and a few towns. The journey between Harpdon and Raven will take about ten hours in total so what three hundred miles to Raven. And then about a two-hour ride to Emodin.

On a normal Horse Carriage, it would probably take about what, like three days. On foot the entire journey would take about two months. Yeah, this kingdom is about the size of western Europe.

Apparently, all the territories north of the Tamar where only taken in the war with the Mira Kingdom. Compared to territorial exchanges back on earth it’s probably the equivalent of France that was gained in the war.

…

Raven was similar to Wendell, but with thicker walls and a moat. The city was divided into the inner and outer. Apparently, the inner was the original with the outer being with in the last ten years as the city has ballooned in size since the war.

We ended up staying with the Earl of Raven, Countess Maria Mundia ko Wendi Raven. Her residence in the city was beautiful but again paled to our manor.

The ranking of nobility was weird. First you had the Monarch who directly controlled the royal domain.

Then the Grand-Dukes. Which were titles for the royal family but held no territory.

And then Marquesses who controlled border territories but were much smaller than dukedoms. But functioned much the same way except they received funding for a border army. Some marquesses were more influential than dukes.

After that were the earls and viscounts who presided over smaller territories under the dukes and marquesses.

And finally, were the barons who were commoners who made meritorious contributions to the kingdom. These titles were not hereditary. So, all in all we out ranked Lady Maria, but we still showed respect when we stayed in her city.

We ate that night with her husband and four children who were all in their teenage years. Lady Maria and her husband both seemed to be in their late fifties and weren’t magic users.

The next day we departed early for Belmont. About an hour in we came to a forest. After about fifteen minutes in the forest and carriage at once sped up. I could hear Barnabas shout orders to the Dire-Horse riders on each side of the carriage to take the rear.

Dire-Horses were used as a type of cavalry. They were horses that had managed to mutate into monsters by accident or just age. Some had would still remain tamed while others would fail their mutation and become demons.

They were faster than even the ostrich things we had but were much more temperamental than even donkeys so they couldn’t pull a carriage. These two wore a black leather armour around there vital with their riders were light metal Armor which covered their vitals. Basically, they were light cavalry. They moved to the back, and I watched from the rear window of the carriage as a huge horde of green figures chased us. They ran at speed which would make Usain Bolt look like an overweight neckbeard who came out of there cave for the first time in twenty years.

For about five minutes we rode at full speed. They were getting further and further away. It had sounded like we had lost them. Then bunch of trees all simultaneously fell on the road in front of us. The carriage skidded to a stop almost crushing the birds which had instinctively slowed down.

I heard a thud as Barnabas had donned his heavy Armor and jumped down from the front seat of the carriage. He opened the door and spoke.

“My lady, Stay inside the carriage. We appear to have somehow drawn the ire of a Goblin Hoard. We have already called for help from Belmont, but it will take time to arrive. Bolt the doors. Do not open the carriage under any circumstances. Unless you hear the specific pattern of knocks.”

She just nodded as he closed the door. She then bolted both of the doors. We then watched as the huge horde of green came over the horizon. The two cavalries had already dealt with the few dozen goblins who had felled the trees. They were iron wood and there was at least a dozen. They would take hours to move.

Barnabas had most likely decided to keep us in the carriage since it was armoured as well as the fact that mother had no combat power at all, I even with my training in the sword was still only as strong as someone my age and Anna while a mage was still in training and if she used any of her magic all the goblins who saw it would immediately charge at her since they desire specifically female mages who could become brood mothers if there was a shaman present.

Which with a hoard this size there definitely was a few. The two Cavalry stood side by side with Barnabas, with the driver behind them. He was apparently a fire mage and had a lance sticking out of the ground which had the tip on fire.

Apparently, most mages couldn’t conjure the element they used and instead manipulated a bit of the surrounding materials. As the wave approached, I heard Barnabas begin to yell out commands. He raised he Wedge shield with a two engrailed top that bared the Delius family crest and shouted.

“Riders, stick to the flanks and make sure none flank me. Steven, aim for the hobs and trolls and try to slow them down. I’ll hold the centre.”

He then drew his broadsword which glimmered in the midday sun. The blade was a dull steel put the pommel was a light gold with black leather for the grip the guard was made with some kind of dull copper coloured metal. And engraving of an ivy vine went up the entire length of the blade which was also copper coloured.

The tow riders lowered their spears as they prepared to fend of the waves of riders. The painful cries and guttural roars of the hoard approaching made my spine tingle. Once the goblins were within a hundred metres a volley of fireballs was cast up and arched towards the tall and more muscular goblins at the back.

I had read about goblins. While they were sentient and even had their own culture and language seemed to hate all other races and instead choose to pillage and loot. They multiplied through the traditional means often depicted in fiction. By looting all the females of any race.

The half a dozen fireballs impacted the crowd and went off like artillery. The smaller goblins caught in the blast were almost instantly incinerated with some of the bigger one being burned badly. But still with this remaining amount there was a few hundred.

Barnabas then turned the driver steven and spoke.

“Thank you, reserve the last of your strength for defending yourself and the carriage.”

Once they reached about a hundred metres. A volley of spears shot towards us. We all ducked as Barnabas raised his shield. The two riders charged forward to avoid the volley. Steven just hid behind Barnabas.

The two riders within seconds had crossed the distance and impacted the lines of goblins. They charged through as they stabbed and slashed with their spears holding them halfway down the shaft to act as short spears.

They then retreat when another volley of the huge spears came straight at them.

The volley of first spears had impacted the carriage and Barnabas. However, they were all deflected, and Barnabas pulled the one that had dug itself into his shield but failed to pierce the back. As the charging hoard made it to the twenty-metre mark Barnabas in a flash charged cover the distance in an instant. Several goblins were cut in half from his sword swing. A hob crashed against his huge shield but failed to make him take a step back. He then slashed the other way causing a huge amount of blood to splatter. He repeated this for a few seconds and in that time hundreds of goblins had fell at his blade.

The odd firebolt was cast by steven but he had minimal impact now that he had spent most of his mana of the trolls and ogres. But this couldn’t last forever. One of the riders was knocked of their horse by a charging ogre. There horse’s back was instantly broken and fell over. As the other rider charged to help the first one was squashed by a small tree trunk that was being used by it as a makeshift club.

The second rider failed to notice a spear thrown by a hob that was thrown at point blank range and pierced straight through there back. They soon slumped of their horse and fell to the ground. The horse stomped on a few more goblins before being swarmed by a huge number of goblins.

As a new volley of spears was tossed at Barnabas who had taken a third of their numbers at this point. He raised his shield in a blind rush knowing that they would pierce his Armor if he didn’t use his shield. But with his guard down a goblins spear managed to go between the gaps in his thorax and pierced straight into his liver.

He knew at this point they were going lose this battle before help could come. He was injured and would bleed out quickly. From inside the carriage, I heard his next words which should have been impossible.

"Grant me the strength to face these vile creatures with courage and conviction. May my sword arm be true, and my heart be steadfast in the face of death. Give me the power to turn the tide of battle in our favour and see that those I have sworn to protect be unharmed, even if it means my life."

Suddenly the air stilled as all the hairs on my neck rose for a split second and it felt like the world stopped. His muscles bulged as his eyes gained a new lustre that could be seen under his helmet. With a blur he sliced a dozen goblins at different angles.

By this point there was some only a few feet from the carriage. I heard the pitiful cries of the goblins as they and their stronger cousins were reaped like wheat and cast away like chaff. As their blood painted the air with an even thicker metallic smell. Barnabas fought like a man possessed.

Within thirty seconds, almost all of the hoards had been killed. We had heard a few spells being cast but he had just shrugged them off. Eventually the carriage was so covered in the blood that we couldn’t see outside.

After about five minutes we then heard then roar of horse hooves on the paved road. Mother opened the door fearing the worst and the site as we exited would scar us for life. Hundreds of corpses laid strewn around the carriage. Barnabas could be seen leaning against it while breathing heavily. His weapons cast down aimlessly from exhaustion.

In the distance I could see the dire-horse cavalry probably from Belmont. They were mopping up the stragglers who had run as soon as the shamans were killed. Looking back at Barnabas his Armor was dented and probably scratched to shit. But you couldn’t tell since his previously clean steel armour was now coated in drying dark red blood.

The guttural roars of his exertion still stuck in my mind I realised this was only one possible thing. He had willingly ignited his lifeforce in hopes that it would give him more strength. By chanting while doing so he had attracted the attention of some deity most likely Amos from the stories. He was the god of rage. Barnabas had probably taken about five decades off his two-century expected life span but would still be fine for another century.