Ventus and Ysme each clobber/slash a goblin but they fail to bring their targets down.
The rear goblins advance, fire, and continue their song.
Stab the dog and cut the horse,
Goblins eat and take by force!
Pirknok
The boy stops sobbing long enough to answer the question.
"I'm Rodrick and this is Sarah."
Doran pulls yet another bolt from his quiver, reloading his crossbow. With careful aim, he shoots at another of the advancing archer goblins.
The front rank of goblins continue to attack, oblivious of the fact that they are being cut down.
The wounded ones break off and try to slink away.
Pirknok smiles at the boy. "Them's nice names." After a moment, he continues. "Whar's yer paw, Rodrick? Ez he... ez he 'round sumwhar?"
Pirknok
"Dad's with the festival guard", the boy explains as his sobs start to slow. "Do you think the goblins got him too?!"
Ventus turned at the wrong moment and an arrow slipped through a gap in his poorly repaired armor. The goblins were taking casualties and their offense was breaking up before their defense but the odds were still not in their favor. The archers were starting to pick them apart. Ventus let the wound goblin flee before turning his sword on the remaining goblin in front of him.
Eli checks his stock of bombs and frowns. "Hope this is the last of 'em." he grumbles before lighting and hurling another bomb towards the Goblin archers.
Not being able to do much else, Ensu tries to kill the wounded goblin on Ysme.
Pirknok shakes his head. "Ef yer paw's haff ez brave ez you ar, ain't nuthin' gonna stop him. C'mon... we gotta git you hid better, an' then ah'll go fin' yer paw, a'right?"
The pale changeling, still reeling from her injuries, takes a moment to cover up.
***
The two goblins that were hit directly by Eli's improvised incediaries, continue to burn.
Both fall to the ground from their injuries.
Two of the archer-goblins drop their bows and charge forward, drawing their sharp little cleavers along the way. The others march on with arrows in hand and a song on their lips.
Pirknok
The children follow your lead into the dark cellar.
Rodrick tries to put on a brave front when you leave him, but you hear the two sobbing as you shut the door on them.
You're able to recover your weapon and armor without further incident.
Pirknok hurries back toward the square, wishing there were more he could do for the children and hoping they'll be safe.
Doran grabs another bolt and gracefully loads it into his weapon, his movements continuing to be fluid and full of purpose. "Fools, turn back or we will destroy all of you!" he shouts at the goblins.
Joined by their comrades, the original front-rank goblins attack again!
Goblins race and goblins jump
Goblins slash and goblins bump
Burn the skin and mash the head,
Goblins here and you be dead!
With the immediate foe down to 1, Ensu switches from attack to aiding Ysme by trying to keep the goblin distracted.
As Ensu works to occupy the Goblin, Ysmerelda takes a similar tack. While she continues to swipe at the small foe, her swings are more guarded now.
Ventus goes down to a knee as a goblin drives its blade into his thigh. Another darts in as his guard if lowered but a clumsy, last minute parry sends the blade across the outside of his shoulder. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he realized it might be a good idea to start praying.
He shoves himself to his feet and stumbles back against the barricade, planning to go out fighting.
Crouched behind the table, Eli peeks out at the remaining Goblins. "Go home, Goblins!" he shouts. "There's nothing here for you but your own deaths!" He looks down at Marysin, his heart aching to protect her and make her safe. He grasps another bottle and holds it ready, waiting to see what the Goblins will do next.
Ventus's massive blow splits another goblin in half. Ensu and Ysme struggle to hit their quick opponents.
***
"This is our home now!" one of the goblins sneers in reply to Eli.
The goblins advance, eager to cut down the remaining survivors.
The man peering over the table takes an arrow in the shoulder, cries out, and falls to the ground curled in the fetal position.
Marysin stifles a scream and reaches out for Eli's hand.
Pirknok
Doran repeats the motion of reloading and aiming once again, drawing a bead on the one of the goblins approaching the barricade. "This ain't no home o' yours!" he shouts, letting another deadly bolt fly from his weapon.
"This is our home now!" one of the goblins sneers in reply to Eli.
"Save one for questioning!" Ysmerelda calls out, pointing toward the Goblin she has now mentally defined as the leader. Returning her full attention to the Goblin before her, Ysme' smiles beatifically, "Which means we don't you, small one. The rest of your friends are dead or running, which will you?.."
"It will be, once we kill all you dumb longshanks!"
Chase the baby, catch the pup.
Bonk the head to shut it up.
Eli grasps Marysin's hand and tries to comfort her. "We'll get through this. Look at all the strong warriors we have defending us! And I'm certainly not giving up without a fight!" he says, then with a lump in his throat, lights and throws another bomb.
One of the goblins is caught in the flames/shrapnel and falls to the ground dying. The other manages to duck in time to only get minor cuts.
Ensu winces as the onslaught continues, but knows that changing focus now would do little, so he continues to aid Ysme.
Ventus stumbles as another arrow catches a chink in his armor. Spitting blood and cussing a storm at the goblins he swings again with his sword and punches out with the edge of his shield, retreating a step even as he does so.
New Init
Goblins 2
Eli
Ventus
Ysmerelda
Ensu
Goblins 1
Pirknok
Doran
Sweaty and huffing, Pirknok arrives on the scene.
One goblin fires at the newcomer. Two others attack Ventus eager to finish off the stalwart defender.
Pirknok positions himself between the tables and the goblins, and swings at the closest goblin with his longaxe.
Doran pulls another bolt from his quiver, gritting his teeth. "You'll ne'er step foot 'ere, goblins! The Masta' o' th' 'irst Vault and his subject won' allow it!" The bounty hunter raises himself, takes careful aim and fires again.
"You see Marysin! More help is here! We'll soon see the end of these Goblins!" he exclaims. He stays by his wife's side for the time being while the others fight the Goblins.
The goblin threatened by the paladin stops singing and visibly shakes but continues to attack.
The ranger finally succumbs to his injuries and crumbles to the ground. The goblin that struck him down waves his bloody cleaver and cheers.
Bones be cracked, flesh be stewed,
We be goblins! You be food!
"'Ventus!" Ysmerelda calls out as the Armsman falls from the arrows now pin-cushioning him. Turning back to the Goblin before her, Ysme slashes at him wildly.
Seeing that the flank was being overrun, the gnome scrambles back. He holds his holy symbol forth and calls for Nethys's divine aid.
***
The two goblins threatened by the dwarf drop their bows and draw their cruel little blades.
"The fat longshank should have stayed home!"
One goblin steps over Ventus's prone form to come after those behind the barricades.
The cowering man lets out a bloody scream before growing still.
Pirknok winces as a blade slices his arm, then steps out from between the goblins and tries to stay between them and the others. "C'mon uglies, et's time ta die."
Doran turns towards the goblins that are swarming 'Ventus, reloading and firing in a single swift motion.
The goblins advance with blood on their thoughts.
"Die longshanks, die!"