"Kid, get back! I'll hold them off." Lin Yun saw that the young warrior's hand was nearly cut off and hurriedly shouted. Then he braced his shield against the ground and stepped in front, swinging the Lantern Staff at the ax-wielding goblin again.
D20+2+2=7,MISS.
The ax-wielding goblin swayed unsteadily, apparently unused to handling the battleaxe in his hands. He looked like he was practicing drunken boxing. Then, as luck would have it, he took a small step back and just barely dodged Lin Yun's Lantern Staff. Lamp oil splashed onto the ground, but did no damage. And there was another bit of bad news: after so many rounds of attacks, the oil in the Lantern Staff seemed nearly spent, and its light had begun to grow dim.
If they didn't refill the oil or attack again soon, Lin Yun and the others would be left in the dark. That would be bad.
"Mr. Silent, I can manage." Though his right hand hurt terribly, the young warrior gritted his teeth and persevered. He thrust his short sword forward again, but it was clear that his hand was too weak, and the blood coating the blade meant his attack had no effect at all.
At last, the Female Fighter behind them caught up. The MVP of the whole group finally reached Lin Yun's side and attacked the goblin Lin Yun had tried to hit earlier, only to miss. She threw a punch, but the goblin swayed so bizarrely that her first strike failed to connect.
The Female Fighter looked at the goblin she'd missed and took a deep breath, calming her seemingly overheated mind. She waited for the right moment, then finally struck the swaying goblin with her palm. This time, she hit the goblin's leather armor, making him yelp.
Encouraged by the goblin's cry of pain, the Female Fighter beamed with delight and kicked out. But after she struck him with her palm, the goblin had stumbled backward, and the battleaxe in his hands made it even harder for him to keep his balance. He staggered backward in an unsteady, peculiar gait, just managing to retreat until the force of the Female Fighter's kick had nearly dissipated. Though her foot struck the goblin's oversized leather armor, she couldn't hurt him at all.
The battleaxe goblin leered at the Female Fighter's attack, especially at the leg she'd thrust out. Drooling, he instinctively reached to grab her thigh, but he'd forgotten that Lin Yun was right beside him.
Facing the drooling goblin, Lin Yun simply swung his shield at him.
D20+2+2=14,HIT.
The goblin was so focused on the Female Fighter's thigh that he didn't notice Lin Yun's righteous shield at all. Lin Yun put all his strength into his left arm and slammed the battleaxe goblin into the wall with his shield.
D4+2=5
But the goblin Lin Yun had bashed with his shield seemed unnaturally tough. Even after the Female Fighter had struck him with her palm and Lin Yun had slammed him with his shield, he was still forcing himself to stay upright. He really was a more elite goblin, tough enough to take a beating.
He staggered to his feet and roared, but with nearly all his teeth knocked out by Lin Yun's shield and blood still seeping from his mouth, he seemed more like he was putting on a brave front.
Meanwhile, the longsword-wielding goblin seemed to have lost his nerve after seeing his battleaxe-wielding companion beaten half to death. But the warrior in front of him looked weak and pale, with blood still pouring from his hand. He was just too easy to bully. Cowardice and picking on the weak were traditional goblin virtues, after all. Besides, their Shaman was about to arrive, so the goblin swung his sword at the young warrior once more.
Perhaps because he'd lost too much blood, the young warrior was already swaying. He couldn't even see the goblin's attack clearly; all he saw was a flash of white, and then his chest felt cold.
The goblin had slashed a huge gash across his chest. The only part of the young warrior's body that had any protection was the iron plate on his chest. Well, it was an iron plate, but it could only take so much. After that slash, the young warrior felt as if he might die at any moment. He didn't want to die.
Just then, the Goddess Priestess finally arrived in time. She'd been delayed earlier because she was worried about the Female Fighter. Reaching the young warrior just as he was about to collapse, she began to chant, "O Merciful Earth Mother..."
As she prayed, a gentle glow began to shine from her hands, healing the young warrior. She couldn't completely heal his injured hand, but at least the wound was temporarily mended.
"Thank you," the young warrior said to the Goddess Priestess. He was still a little weak from the blood loss, but he was in much better shape than before.
Meanwhile, Lin Yun couldn't afford to waste the oil in the Lantern Staff, so he had to use his shield. Everyone there was human, after all. If they lost their light, they'd all be as good as blind. Against these goblins, they'd be in real trouble.
Lin Yun raised his shield and charged the battleaxe goblin, who he reckoned was down to his last sliver of HP.
D20+2+2=24,CRITICAL HIT. D20+2+2=14,CRITICAL CONFIRMATION.
Lin Yun put his weight behind the shield bash, slamming the battleaxe goblin into the wall. This hit seemed even more powerful than his previous blows. Pinned against the wall by the shield, the goblin looked as if his eyes were about to pop out. It was horrifying.
2D4+2=5
Seeing that Lin Yun seemed to have finally taken down one of the goblins, the young warrior felt his courage return. His wounds had stabilized for the moment, and he probably—maybe—wouldn't die just yet. At last, the brave warrior realized that his short sword was no longer fit to be called a sword. It was useless. He threw it away, drew the longsword he was best with, and struck.
Sure enough, the longsword was still his forte. His swift slash went straight for the goblin's neck, cutting through most of it. The goblin instinctively clutched at his throat, then collapsed.
After cleaving halfway through the goblin's neck, the young warrior seemed to use up every last bit of his strength and spirit in that one instant. He dropped to one knee, panting heavily. It was incredible he'd managed to hold on this long.
Just as everyone thought the fight had temporarily ended, a harsh, hoarse voice began murmuring an incantation. The Lantern Staff's light had grown dimmer, reducing their visibility from fifteen feet to less than ten—about three meters in the real world.
While Lin Yun and the others had focused their attention on the last goblin, someone who'd been lurking in the shadows raised a wooden staff and quietly began chanting. He must have been hiding there all along, waiting for his chance. Now he'd finally found it.
When the goblin finished his incantation, lightning began to flicker from the staff in his hands. That was the only reason they could see him. Lightning burst from the staff, surging outward in a wave with him at its center, and engulfed Lin Yun, the Female Fighter, the Goddess Priestess, and the young warrior.
D20+4=13,SAVING THROW SUCCESSFUL.
The flash of electricity brought a shock wave with it. Lin Yun made a Constitution Saving Throw and immediately realized it was Thunderclap Wave. The incoming blast rocked his body, but thanks to his solid stance, he wasn't pushed back. Still...
The others had been sent flying about three meters by the wave of lightning. Well, not quite all of them: the young warrior hadn't been knocked all the way back, but he'd fainted from exhaustion.
All right. Lin Yun checked his HP. He'd had eight, but now he only had two. As an experienced DM, he knew Thunderclap Wave dealt 2D6 damage under normal circumstances. If you failed your save, you were pushed back ten feet; if you succeeded, you avoided being pushed back but still took half damage. He'd lost six HP, so that goblin Shaman's Thunderclap Wave must have dealt the full twelve damage.
Thanks to the flash of lightning, Lin Yun could see a goblin slowly emerging from the shadows. He carried a wooden staff, wore ornaments made of fur, and had two pieces of cloth covering his eyes.
Oh man, this guy was a terrifying kill-stealer. Where was the healer? They were about to die! Hurry up and save them! Wait...
Lin Yun finally remembered that he was the healer.
Before you continue