My planet is infested with Goblins

The road to Brackenford remained quiet for most of the afternoon, and that silence gradually became more unsettling.

Captain Roland Mercer rode near the front of Second Company with Tomas and Gareth beside him while the infantry marched in disciplined columns behind.

The twenty mounted scouts had been divided according to the plan made in Eastwatch.

Several riders remained ahead of the company, while the rest checked side roads and nearby settlements before returning at regular intervals.

For hours, they found nothing. No green-skinned scouts watched from the trees, no abandoned camps appeared near the road, and no frightened farmers reported strange creatures moving through the countryside. Some of the soldiers began to relax, and Mercer could hear occasional jokes passing between the ranks, but he refused to interpret the lack of contact as proof that the danger had been exaggerated.

Tomas noticed that Mercer kept looking toward the tree line.

"You think they’re still watching us?"

"I think someone who sends scouts usually wants to know what comes after them."

Tomas nodded but said nothing more. The road narrowed farther ahead, where the forest crept closer from both sides. Gareth pointed out that Brackenford was only a few hours away, and Mercer immediately ordered the company to tighten its formation. The supply wagons were pulled closer together, crossbowmen moved nearer the center, and the leading squads increased the distance between themselves and the forward riders. It slowed the march, but Mercer preferred losing time to losing men.

They had just entered the narrowest stretch of road when a horse appeared between the trees.

Mercer raised one hand, and the front of the column slowed.

A mounted scout leaned over the horse’s neck, one hand gripping the reins and the other pressed against his side. Blood covered his sleeve. The horse itself had a dark streak along one flank where something had cut deeply through the hide.

Lieutenant Doss moved forward.

"Where are the others?"

The rider tried to answer but had to gasp for breath first.

"Movement in the woods. East side. We saw—"

A sharp crack came from somewhere behind him.

The rider jerked backward.

A short bolt protruded from the upper part of his back.

He fell from the saddle before anyone could reach him.

Mercer reacted immediately.

"Shields! Close formation!"

The relaxed movement of the company disappeared. Infantry dragged shields forward, officers shouted orders, and crossbowmen turned toward the forest. Tomas barely managed to pull his horse away from the road before the first volley came out of the trees.

Arrows and bolts struck almost simultaneously.

Several hammered into shields. One soldier screamed as a projectile entered his thigh. Another dropped when an arrow found the gap beneath his helmet. Horses reared in panic while the supply crews struggled to keep the wagons under control.

Then the forest erupted.

Goblin figures moved between the trees on both sides of the road, far more than Tomas had seen near Brackenford. Some remained behind cover with bows and compact crossbows while others rushed forward carrying short spears, curved blades, and small round shields. Their dull green skin and pointed ears made them easy to distinguish from the woodland around them once they began moving, but they were quick enough that aiming at them was another matter entirely.

"Return fire!" Mercer shouted.

Caldris crossbowmen fired into the trees.

A goblin spun backward after being struck in the chest. Another collapsed behind a fallen log. The attackers did not break. They shifted positions and continued firing.

A sudden cracking noise came from behind the company.

Mercer turned in time to see a partially cut tree collapse across the road. Branches crashed down behind the final wagon, blocking most of the route back toward Eastwatch.

"They prepared this," Gareth said.

Mercer had already realized the same thing.

Another rope snapped tight beneath the lead supply wagon. One wheel struck a shallow pit concealed beneath loose branches, and the entire wagon tipped sideways. Crates spilled across the road while the horses screamed and kicked against their harnesses.

"They cam prepared" Mercer said.

"Hold the center!"

The goblins attacked the disrupted front first.

A group of perhaps a dozen rushed from the western tree line, using the overturned wagon as cover from the Caldris crossbows. Mercer’s front ranks lowered their spears.

"Brace!"

The first goblin came within reach and died immediately when two spearpoints struck its chest. Another ducked beneath the first thrust but slammed into a shield and was thrown backward. The physical difference was obvious at close range. Caldris soldiers were larger, stronger, and armed with weapons designed to keep shorter opponents at distance.

The goblins adapted quickly.

They stopped trying to break the spear line directly.

Instead, two threw javelins while others rushed toward the edges of the formation. One goblin deliberately struck a shield with enough force to turn it aside before another attacked the soldier’s exposed leg. A third leapt onto the fallen man before the surrounding spears drove it back.

Mercer drew his sword.

"They’re looking for gaps. Keep your lines together!"

Second Company responded better than Edric’s village patrol ever could have.

Professional soldiers locked shields and maintained formation despite the pressure. Crossbowmen fired through controlled gaps while spearmen prevented the smaller enemies from reaching the center easily.

Goblin bodies began accumulating near the roadside.

So did Caldris casualties.

A smoke pot struck the ground near a group of horses and shattered. Thick gray smoke spread almost immediately, causing several animals to panic. Lieutenant Doss cursed and pulled his mount around.

"Mounted scouts with me! We’ll hit their flank!"

Mercer grabbed his arm before he could move.

"Not into the forest."

"They’re concentrating their forces on the road."

"And they want to lure you away from us."

Doss hesitated only a moment before nodding. He divided his remaining riders and sent them toward a wider patch of ground instead of charging blindly between the trees.

The goblins increased the pressure.

Tomas had expected them to fight like the seven scouts, quick and cautious, but these attackers were more aggressive. Several rushed the shield line despite the obvious danger, screaming words he could not understand.

One jumped onto a Caldris shield and drove a blade over the rim before a spear struck through its side. Another crawled beneath two lowered weapons and stabbed repeatedly into a soldier’s calf before being crushed beneath a shield.

"They’re mad," Gareth said.

Mercer disagreed.

"No, I don’t think so. Watch them carefully."

Tomas forced himself to look beyond the violence.

The reckless attacks were not random. Every goblin that threw itself against the line forced a shield out of position or made a soldier turn. The attackers behind them used those moments to fire or rush another section.

"They’re trying to create openings."

Mercer nodded.

"And let’s make sure they pay for every opening."

A loud shout came from the rear.

The final wagon was burning.

Goblin projectiles had struck the canvas covering, and fire spread rapidly through several crates. Soldiers rushed to pull the horses free before the flames reached the rest of the column.

Mercer looked around and calculated the situation. Second Company still held together. Their heavier formation was killing goblins faster in direct fighting, but the road itself worked against them. The overturned wagon blocked part of the front, the fallen tree prevented an easy retreat, and attackers remained hidden on both sides.

If they stayed long enough, they could probably break the ambush.

The question was what that would cost.

Lieutenant Doss returned through the smoke with only part of his mounted group.

"Captain!"

"Where are the others?"

"Cut off north of the road. I saw five horses go down. I don’t know how many men made it back."

Mercer swore under his breath.

A Caldris lieutenant pushed through the formation.

"We should form around the wagons and clear them out properly."

Another bolt struck a shield beside him.

"We hold here, we can kill them."

Tomas suddenly turned toward the western horizon.

At first Mercer thought he had seen another attack.

Then Tomas pointed beyond the trees.

"Captain."

A thin column of smoke was rising in the distance.

Not from the burning wagon.

Farther east.

Toward Brackenford.

Gareth stared at it.

"That could be a field fire."

Then a faint ringing reached them through the woods.

Tomas went pale.

Mercer heard it too. A bell, ringing on the distant but repeated rapidly.

"That’s the village alarm," Tomas said.

The men around them exchanged looks.

Mercer turned toward him.

"How far?"

"Less than an hour if the road stays clear."

The lieutenant who had argued for holding position looked toward the fighting.

"The road is not clear!"

As if answering him, more goblins emerged ahead.

This time they were not scattered individuals darting between trees. Several groups began gathering across the road leading west toward Brackenford.

Some carried shields, others spears, and ranged fighters spread behind them. There were enough to form a loose blocking force while the goblins in the woods continued attacking the company’s sides.

Tomas looked toward the smoke again.

"If that bell is ringing, something is happening inside the village."

Mercer knew what that meant.

His orders from General Halvern had been to protect Brackenford and investigate the unknown enemy.

Remaining here might allow him to defeat the force ambushing Second Company, but every minute spent fighting on the road was another minute the village remained without the reinforcements Eastwatch had promised.

One lieutenant moved closer.

"We stay together, Captain. Form a defensive square, clear the woods, then continue."

The other shook his head.

"If the village is already under attack, we could arrive after it is over."

"And if we break formation now, these things tear the column apart."

Mercer looked toward his soldiers.

Several men were already dead. More were wounded. One wagon burned while another remained overturned. The company still possessed enough strength to fight, but moving forward meant pushing directly through the largest concentration of goblins.

Tomas stepped beside him.

"There’s a farm road just beyond them. If we break through, it leads straight toward the western gate."

Mercer looked down the road.

Goblin war cries rose ahead as more green figures gathered between Second Company and Brackenford. Behind them, the village alarm continued ringing through the distance while smoke climbed higher above the trees.

The soldiers nearest Mercer waited for an order.

He had two choices, and neither was safe. He could anchor Second Company on the road, preserve its formation, and fight until the ambush was completely broken, even if Brackenford had to survive without them. Or he could order the company forward, abandon the security of a fixed defense, and force a path through the goblins before the village beyond the forest was overwhelmed.

Mercer tightened his grip around his sword and stared toward the road ahead as both lieutenants waited for his decision.

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!