Chapter 22
Frank felt a spike of excitement when he saw Gabriel's commands. However, he needed a cool head, not being overly excited from an adrenaline rush. Taking long, controlled breaths, he tried to push the thoughts of the imminent battle out of his mind. His fingers loosely gripped the saber, its blade coated by an oil-like substance -- Metal Shards. Sadly, the skill barely did any damage, but it was essentially free, his D mana already back to full.
His eyes were drawn to the HP bars of the Battlegroup, the panel moving to the center of his vision. The bars began to shrink and expand, indicating the start of the fight. The overall tendency, however, was for the HP bars to diminish, the damage taken clearly outpacing the healing received. Frank's eyes went wide when he saw someone's HP drop by over 80% in an instant. Realizing his breathing had become erratic again, he minimized the panel, no longer paying it any attention.
Rose, the scout, updated them on the position of the goblin's backline, as the battle fully commenced. Finally, the order to attack was given, causing Frank's hand to tremble from nervous excitement. Sweeping his gaze to the rest of the people hiding behind trees, he waved his hand while whispering "go." A moment later, everyone rushed out.
They had spread their forces in an upside-down L formation, but the mine entrance would split them into two groups. Amy, Helen, Demi, and Frank would be fighting near the top of the formation, by the mine. Meanwhile, the rest would rush onto the hill the mine was set into, hitting the healers and ranged goblins before advancing to pincer the melee ones.
Rushing out of the forest, they moved into the clearing, moving quickly but silently. Looking ahead, Frank saw a goblin cast what looked like a healing spell, a few yards further and to the side was a magic caster. Glancing to the left, there were three goblins, the level 45 goblin among them. Further to the left were two healers and another mage. He focused on the healer in front of him, moving as quickly as he could.
At their approach, one of the three goblins turned around, it squawked something, causing the other two to turn around as well. There goes our ambush, Frank sighed mentally. Luckily, the healer goblin was in the middle of casting a spell and remained with its back toward Frank. There is no time to waste, Frank thought as he finally got within twenty yards of his target.
He swung his weapon in an overhead slash, activating Dash in the middle of the attack. His feet moved on their own, moving him to his destination at a blinding speed. He came to a stop behind the goblin just as his saber hit the goblin. With the power generated by Dash behind his attack, the blade didn't just cut the goblin but literally ripped it in half. A jagged line going diagonally from its shoulder to its waist.
But, Frank couldn't enjoy the results of his marvelous attack. As the saber struck, he could feel it vibrate wildly in his hand, the vibration spread through the weapon, into his arm, and then his shoulder. Immediately, Frank doubled over, gripping his right hand with his left, he shut his eyes tightly, and let out a pained cry. It felt like every inch of his arm was being torn apart. His arm instantly swelling to twice the size, his head moving up and down as the pain swept through him.
Finally, he opened his eyes and began to assess the situation. His HP had dropped by an astounding two hundred points, and he could barely move the fingers on his right hand. He looked up, just in time to see an arrow coming his way, striking him in the shoulder a moment later. Swearing like a sailor, Frank straightened up and focused on the enemies ahead. A mage was in the middle of casting a spell, a ball of fire quickly agglomerating in front of its staff-gripping hand, which was pointing straight at Frank. There was an archer on the mage's left, while the one on its right lay on the ground, several arrows and an icicle sticking out of its body.
Frank lifted his left hand, intending to cast Lightning Bolt at the mage, when an arrow flew by the mage, missing him. Another arrow hit the goblin in the chest, then a foot-long icicle hit it in the stomach, causing it to stumble backward and interrupting the spell. Frank pivoted, sending Lightning Bolt at the archer instead. He advanced toward the mage, as a short sword appeared in his left hand. He closed in on the mage, his weapon shooting forward, only for the goblin to swing its staff, smashing it into Frank's chin.
Stumbling away, he felt some of his teeth get knocked out, the taste of blood flooding his mouth. I really need to start practicing swordplay with my left hand, a thought flashed through his mind. Light suddenly covered his body, forming a thin layer around it -- a spell cast by Margaret, which would absorb half of the damage up to a certain value. Frank was greatful for the assistance, even if it came a bit late. He placed his left hand on his chest and cast Healing Touch, restoring some of his lost HP.
An arrow buzzed through the air and hit Frank in the stomach, the layer of light around his body disappearing from that single attack. "Mana Shield," Frank growled in response, a bubble of blue magic encircling him. The goblin mage near him tried to cast again, only to get hit by two more arrows and another icicle. It leaned heavily on its staff, gurgling noises coming from its throat pierced by an arrow. Still, it wasn't dead. The monsters had a lot of HP, and while injuries could take them out of a fight, if left alone they would soon recover and rejoin the battle.
"Focus on the archer," Frank shouted. He moved to his right, using the mage to hide from the archer as he advanced. This time, the goblin wasn't able to muster any defenses, Frank's sword successfully stabbing into the goblin. A follow-up attack hit the goblin in the neck, causing it to fall. Frank ignored the spray of blood, which shot at him when he pulled out his sword. He bent over the fallen creature and stabbed it several more times.
That should be enough, he thought as he straightened out, multiple healing spells flowed into him, restoring some of his missing HP. A cruel smile spread on Frank's lips, as he saw the archer that was behind the mage howl in pain, an arrow sticking out of its eye socket. Then his eyes narrowed as he focused on the line of melee goblins. There were a total of six. The ones on the left and right were fighting, of the four in the middle, one was running at Amy and the girls, while the other two were attacking a downed man, the last goblin shuffling toward them as well. Frank's eyes widened as he recognized the downed man as Gabriel.
He rushed forward, extending his left hand, he sent Lightning Bolt at the goblin that was straddling Gabriel, its sword lifted overhead, ready to finish the job. The spell hit, stopping the attack and drawing the attention of the other two goblins toward him. The sword in Frank's hand vanished, replaced by a fist full of dust, which he promptly threw into the face of an approaching goblin. The stun effect of Lightning Bolt wore off, the goblin lifted its sword and plunged it into Gabriel's chest a moment before Frank's foot crashed into it, sending the goblin tumbling away.
The remaining goblin swung its club, Frank's Shield shattered, barely reducing the weapon's momentum. Unable to dodge the attack, Frank could only activate Stone Skin. He gasped as the club slammed into his chest, the level 1 skill failing to provide the sort of effect that others had displayed. The club came at him again, but Frank parried it with his sword, the force of the blow nearly causing him to lose his grip. The goblin reached out with its left hand and grabbed Frank's hand, before yanking it upward. It stepped to the side, and swung its club at Frank's leg, causing him to cry out as excruciating pain came from his left knee.
With wide eyes, Frank watched the goblin pull back its club, readying another attack. Grinding his teeth, Frank hopped forward on his good leg, he pulled his head back before slamming his forehead into the goblin's face. The goblin wrapped its arms around Frank, as both of them fell to the ground. While laying on top of the goblin, Frank quickly stabbed it over and over, unwilling to give it a chance to recover.
Suddenly, something smashed into Frank's shoulder, the pain causing him to roll away. It was the goblin that ate his cloud of dust earlier. The goblin leaped forward and brought down its axe in a powerful overhead smash. With one leg busted, Frank couldn't dodge. He swung the sword in his left hand attempting to parry, but the force behind the axe was too much. The axe cut through Frank's stomach, slightly burying into the ground. Frank gasped, the pain was unimaginable. His HP slid to zero and his vision began to turn black. With the last bit of his will, he moved his left hand and stabbed the goblin between its legs. He felt some satisfaction, as he saw the creature fall backward, howling in pain. Then his vision turned dark.
***
Margaret followed slightly behind her husband and the other two men, as they charged the goblins that had turned to face them. Normally, she would stay some distance away from the front line, however, she needed to get closer so those fighting the goblins at the front would be within the range of her spell. Group Heal was the most mana efficient heal she had, healing up to three allies within a thirty-yard radius of her. While the spell would only heal each target for 46 HP, at level 26, with six healers on the field spamming it, the total healing done would be quite high. Plus, the spell would automatically heal those with the lowest HP as a percentage of their total.
She judged her position close enough and started casting Group Heal. There were plenty of injured people in range, several even having their HP bars completely empty. Margaret wasn't sure if they were dead or alive, their HP bar filling up slightly from the heals, before being depleted again. Despite Kareem's tests, they weren't certain how fatal injuries worked. Would getting stabbed in the heart result in death? What if they still had HP, despite the fatal wound? Would the HP do nothing or would it get fully depleted, no matter how much one had? Such a thing would make Constitution somewhat useless. But the alternative was that as long one had HP above zero, they wouldn't die, even after sustaining a fatal injury or being cut in half. Regardless, all Margaret could do was spam her spell and hope for the best, as she watched Bill and the others fight.
Things weren't going as well as they had hoped. Hank appeared to be evenly matched, the goblin unable to get past the man's defense. Meanwhile, Bill seemed to hold an advantage, his foe moving desperately to avoid getting hit. Kevin was doing his best to stall the level 45 monster, being very conservative with his attacks and using his weapon's reach to avoid counter attacks. Still, he was already being pressed, without help, he likely couldn't hold on for much longer.
It's more important to help them gain an advantage, Margaret thought as she finished another Group Heal. She cast Light Barrier, selecting Frank, Bill, and Kevin as the targets. The spell provided a buffer that would absorb 50% of the damage taken, sadly she had only recently gotten it, a reward for Group Healing II grid, and the buffer value was quite low. It had no cast time though, so she used it while looking for a chance to launch an offensive spell. She thought of helping Kevin, but then Bill's continued assault resulted in his foe standing with its side toward her, with a clear line of sight. Margaret lifted her hand, a wand topped with a miniature Bragarth's skull, the wand helped with accuracy a little. Pointing it at the goblin she cast Arcane Bolt. Seeing the spell land, she went back to casting heals.
Taking advantage of the goblin's dizziness, courtesy of the Arcane Bolt, Bill finally managed to land a hit, his sword stabbing into the goblin's body. An overhead swing with an axe followed, but the goblin managed to regain its senses, lifting its sword to block. A clang resounded, making Bill grind his teeth -- he didn't have time for this, he needed to finish his opponent and help Kevin deal with the high-level foe. He pushed forward, his right shoulder pressing against the goblin, as the sword in his left hand stabbed at his foe. He repeated this attack, again and again, not letting the goblin recover. The goblin stabbed him in response, but Bill held a superior position, causing his attacks to be much more powerful than the goblin's retaliation. Soon the goblin fell on its back, and Bill finished it off with two powerful swings of his axe. The goblin wasn't actually dead, but Bill trusted that it would die from the Bleeding damage since all the healers on the goblin side were taken out.
Looking around, Bill located Kevin and immediately moved toward him. The man sighed in relief when he saw Bill coming over. Despite him only trying to stall for time, there were already several close calls, and a gash decorated his left shoulder. Bill joining the fight turned the tide. The goblin was forced to defend attacks from two sides and was no longer attacking at all. Kevin began to attack in earnest, his spear stabbing and slashing as it buzzed around his foe. There, Kevin thought as he spotted an opening. Bil had moved around the goblin and swung his axe at its back. The attack was blocked, but it forced the goblin to turn its back to Kevin, there was no chance it could parry his spear now. His spear shot forward, but before it could pierce through its target, the goblin crouched down and rolled toward Kevin. It didn't give him time to recover, launching an attack as soon as the roll ended.
The long sword in the goblin's hand pierced Kevin's stomach. He swayed slightly, his knees almost buckling, but held on. The goblin started to pull the sword back, but Kevin wouldn't let it. He dropped his spear and used both hands to hold onto the goblin's arm. He opened his mouth to scream for Bill to attack, but the goblin yanked its arm back, causing the blade piercing Kevin's stomach to move wildly. Instead of a call to attack, his mouth let out a pained moan. Luckily, Bill didn't need to be told what to do and was already coming over.
Sensing Bill's attack from behind, the goblin stepped forward and rammed its shoulder into Kevin, both of them falling to the ground. The fall caused Kevin to loosen his grip on the goblin's hand, the latter immediately rolling away. Once on its feet, the goblin lifted its left hand and shot a Fire Bolt, the spell hitting the surprised Bill in the face. Taking advantage of Bill's momentary distraction, then goblin lunged at him with a diagonal slash, followed by a horizontal swing, aiming to gut its foe. It was about to finish the job with a stab to the chest when a ring of electricity hit the goblin's body. The electricity coursed through it, instantly locking up its muscles.
Bill stumbled backward in a daze. Falling to his knees a moment later, when the pain reached his brain. There was a diagonal slash from his left shoulder to his right hip, as well as a deep cut across his stomach. Looking down, his innards appeared to be spilling out. His lips quivered as he struggled to focus. They needed to damage the goblin while they could, the stun effect of the wand's Lightning Nova would only last for three seconds. His gaze swept toward Kevin, the man had scrambled to his feet, but would still need to pick up the spear he dropped earlier.
Seconds stretched into eternity, as Bill forced himself to get up, his left hand gripping his stomach to keep his innards from spilling out. He took a step forward, then another one, lifting his right arm he brought it down, aiming at the goblin's head. However, he had taken too long, the stun wore off at the last moment, allowing the goblin to move and avoid the fatal blow. The axe slammed into its left shoulder, cutting through the collarbone and disabling its left hand. The attack sent the goblin reeling. Growling in pain, Bill lifted his arm and stepped forward with another swing. The goblin slashed at his arm, cutting through the tendons and muscles in Bill's forearm before the axe could reach it. Bill staggered away.
The goblin was about to follow-up with another attack, when a plain-looking spear pierced through it from behind. Turning around, the goblin's angry eyes locked onto Kevin. As if I would only carry one weapon, Kevin thought with a smirk, as he picked up the spear he dropped earlier.
"Ready?" Kevin asked Margaret.
"Let's finish him," she replied and cast Arcane Bolt.
Seeing that it was about to get hit by the spell, as well as Kevin who was advancing on it, the goblin swung its arm at the approaching man. At the last moment, the fingers that held the sword came loose and the weapon was sent flying. It speared through Kevin's throat, stopping his momentum. With a shocked face, Kevin brought his left hand up to his throat. Gurgling noises left his mouth, as blood began to bubble-up on his lips. His head became heavy and he slumped on the ground, before face planting.
"Heeelp!" Margaret shouted.
Both men had fallen, while she was out of D mana and the wand had already been used. Margaret retrieved a sword from her ring and took a tentative step forward, as she eyed the goblin shuffle toward Kevin, probably to retrieve its weapon. I should've learned how to fight with a weapon, she thought regretfully. Steeling her resolve, she rushed forward. The goblin began to lift its hand in her direction when the sound of a sword clanging against a shield stopped it. This is my chance, she thought as she recognized the sound of Taunt. The skill caused an enemy to have an overwhelming desire to attack the user for five seconds.
The goblin turned its back to her as it faced against Hank, dodging his attack and retaliating with a punch. Margaret reached the goblin's back and sunk her weapon into its body. She pulled her weapon back and attacked again, even as Hank began to land hits from the front. Shield Bash stunned the monster for two seconds, allowing the two to land more hits. Under their combined assault, the damage inflicted quickly rose and the goblin fell to the ground.
"I got this, you should focus on healing," Hank told her, as he continued to attack the downed foe.
Margaret began to cast Group Heal, her chest rising and falling rapidly as sweat poured down her face. While casting spells, she focused on the HP bars of the Battle Group. Her shoulders shuddered as she absorbed the information. Among the five teams attacking the mine, most people were missing HP, with five having empty bars. The two teams ambushing the goblin riders fared even worse, four of their members had no HP, and there were even images of a small skull and crossbones next to their HP bars.