The scream of the dying villager snaps Ventus awake as his wounds stop stitching themselves back together. His sword fell out of his hand went he originally succumbed to blood loss it was just within reach but the goblin was already attacking another villager. So Ventus did something stupid. He got up and spat blood onto the back of the goblin's head, hefting his shield as he did so.
Eli, seeing the Goblins slip past Ventus, leaps up and gets in front of Marysin, brandishing his dagger. He sets a defensive pose, trying to keep the Goblin away from the villagers.
Growing ever more frustrated with the Goblin's continued self-destructive assault, Ysme' swipes wildly at the small terror before her.
The two adjacent goblins hear Ventus climbing to his feet and turn on him.
Ensu's holy symbol shines like a beacon washing all nearby (including a couple goblins) in healing light.
One of Ysme's claws finally finds it mark opening a ragged wound that sends her opponent tumbling to the ground.
***
The two goblins squaring off with Pirknok step forward and jab at him with their blades.
Another slashes at Ventus.
Doran pulls another bolt from his quiver, frowning heavily as the goblins seem to have reached the barricade, before reloading his weapon again. Shouldering it, he takes careful aim and fires at one of the beasts attacking Pirknok. "Ya won't take a single step further!"
Pirknok steps back again, his back to the table, and swing his axe.
Eli swings his dagger in a threatening manner against the Goblin between he and Ventus, trying to distract it so Ventus can get In a good swing.
Seeing an opening to possibly help, Ensu moves up behind the alchemist and tries to take advantage of the flanking situation to take down the goblin in the middle of the hero sandwich while hopefully limiting the otions of the other goblins to move around.
The goblin cackles and hacks at Ventus again.
Ensu lowers his holy symbol, dashes forward, and impales the offending goblin on the end of his spear.
After the healing light washed over Ventus again, he felt downright invigorated. Even with the goblins taking chunks out of him again he was still doing a little better. The pain was dulled nicely. Even as he was about to respond in kind, the spear wielding gnome came up behind a goblin and drove the point home.
Ventus had to take a moment and nod appreciatively at the gnome's sudden strike, then he turned the remaining goblin and swats at it's oversized head with his shield.
Edit:
Ventus shakes the goblin brain matter from his shield and stoops to reclaim his sword.
As 'Ventus drops the last of the initial Goblin attackers, Ysme' scans the square & see the two Goblins remaining threatening the Shoanti-raised Dwarf. Breathing deeply she runs past several cowering townsfolk, Ensu, Eli and still more townsfolk to circle around behind one of the last Goblins.
The two goblins, realizing that they're all that remain in the area, throw their hands up and flee.
The immediate area grows eerily quiet as it appears you're all safe for now. Screams and the sounds of combat can still be heard in the distance.
Doran frowns as the goblins flee, reloading his weapon once again. He lets out a long breath, sighing heavily as their retreating forms disappear behind a building. "'at was somethin' else... ya think we should move on an' see if anybody else needs our help?" he addresses the others, crossbow still in hand. "Or do ya think we should stay an' protect 'ese folks?"
The survivors huddle together, some sobbing in fear others completely silent.
Marysin clutches Eli's arm.
"Are we safe now?"
Ventus leans heavily against a barricade and spits blood onto the ground. "Get them into the cathedral and have them bar the doors with the pews. We need to see if we can help elsewhere." The drover was looking pretty worse for wear. His armor and shield had protected him pretty well but the problem had been that standing against such numbers meant something was bound to get through.
Pirknok lets out his breath, and answers Doran. "Tell 'em to hole up en thuh White Deer... err, yeah, thuh cuthedrul werks too. We gotta go fin' Rodrick's paw. Ar you all a'right?"
The last is directed at the commoners as well as the defenders.
"Yes. Come with me!" As Ysme' leads the surviving citizens into the Cathedral she calls out to her battle compatriots, "Garbed thusly, I am nearly as much a hindrance as an aid to you. My gear is within, I will return once I have girded myself appropriately." With that, she shows the townsfolk the pews most easily shifted to form effective bars for the doors & makes her way to her cell. Once there, Ysme' quickly dons her armor & grabs her Flail as she heads back out.
"Heh, no, I left the borders of alright a while ago. Ain't got time to rest though," he pushed himself off of the barricade and stood up straight, military training taking over. He did not have time to be tired or in pain now.
"Ya look purty bad..." The dwarf gives the ranger an appraising look, shaking his head.
Eli, looking a little haggard, clutches Marysin to him. He kisses her and looks worriedly at the others. "For now, darling." he says. "Let's get everyone into the Cathedral and safe. It sounds like the fighting still isn't over."
Getting into cathedral proves simple enough and it doesn't take long for Ysme to find her armor and don it. Some of the survivors are in the middle of dragging one of the cathedral's pristinely new pews to barricade the door when the sound of armored boots and distinctly military orders can be heard coming from outside.
"Sherrif, the blood leads into the cathedral."
"I can see that boy. Who goes there, survivors or goblins?"
He looks up as the soldiers speak, and answers. "Et's thuh servivers... there 'uz a cupple more goblins, but they run off, fer now."
Those outside see a twenty-strong unit of Sandpoint militia in mail and armed with halberds and light crossbows enter the square. They're lead by the sheriff himself, a frightenly tall and lean shoanti man. At his side is another shoanti (a deputy it appears) that is a head shorter but half again as broad and built like a bull auroch.
"I take it you're responsible for this?" the sheriff asks with a gesture at the scattered goblin bodies.
Pirknok shakes his head sadly. "Only a cupple uv 'um. Ran ta get muh gear frum thuh inn 'fore thuh others showed up, an' most uv um wus dead 'fore ah got back."
Doran exits the cathedral when he hears the sounds of armor. Letting his weapon rest at his hip, the Inquisitor greets the Sheriff. "We 'ad some civilians t' protect, so yeah, 'is is our work. It's good t' see ya, I was afraid 'at the goblins were gonna succeed e'en if we drove 'em off." The Abadaran gives the Sheriff, his deputy and then the militia a curious look, sizing them up. "Name's Doran Quickstep. I was sent by th' Church o' Abadar t' help keep order 'ere... didn't really think somethin' like 'is would happen, though."
Ensu does one final healing burst of energy before looking over the bodies to see if they have any weapons he might be able to take advantage of. Once he is done with that, he will do what he can to prepare the slain commoner for his journey to the afterlife.
The healing energy makes Pirknok shudder briefly, but as it washes over him, he feels both relaxed and invigorated. Shaking his head in an effort to clear away the residual tingling, he addresses the sheriff and 'Ventus. "C'mon... we gotta help thuh rest."
He waits only a moment for their response before running off toward the loudest screams.
"Hold on just a second there", the sheriff warns.
"You've done a good thing protecting these people. If you want to do more, you'll follow my lead and do as you're told."
Eli, near the doors, hears the conversation going on out on the front steps. He ensures Marysin is seated somewhere comfortably before he slips out to listen in. "Who's going to protect these people in here?" he asks.
"Alright, what're your orders?" Ventus said with a mirthless smile. He was glad the soldiers were here but they were too slow to get on scene. People were dying out there and he wanted to draft them.
The dwarf narrows his eyes at the sheriff, and speaks a bit more quietly and slowly, a hint of anger in his eyes and voice.
Pirknok's frown deepens, and he glances back toward the screams with a look of anguish on his face. His voice rises in intensity, the anger mixing with pain and desperation.
"Now get it together and follow me."
At the last part the deputy meets your gaze and nods.
The sheriff takes a moment to answer some of the other questions.
"Alright, what're your orders?"
"Scouts outside the city reported in shortly after the attacks started. A host of goblin-kind are minutes from the north gate. Sandpoint's walls are strong but if that army gets inside... my men are spread out across the city - it would be a bloodbath."
"I need every able-bodied man with me securing the gate."
"Who's going to protect these people in here?" he asks.
"I'll leave a few men to guard the survivors inside the cathedral and any others that make it here."
Doran hefts his crossbow, nodding deeply to the Sheriff. "You 'ave me arm, mate. Le's make sure 'ose goblins don' take 'is place."
Pirknok looks straight into the deputy's eyes for a moment, then takes a deep breath. As he exhales, he closes his eyes and rotates his head upward, exposing his neck in the Shoanti gesture of submission.
He avoids meeting the sheriff's gaze, but moves forward to accompany the others.