The battleaxe spun through the air and came back down on the centaur. That was only the beginning. Hoisting the enormous stone axe in his hands, the Giant Goblin meant to cleave the centaur in two.
But the Female Mage had spotted him. She swung her Magic Wand, sending a frosty blue orb hurtling toward the Giant Goblin. It exploded in front of him, icing over part of his left hand. Still, it didn't seem to slow him down much.
Meanwhile, the Halfling Ranger acted at once. Green light gathered around an arrow in his hand. He fired, striking the Giant Goblin's hand, and a mass of vines burst from the arrow, as if to bind the monster.
But the Giant Goblin was simply too big. The vines sprang out quickly, but they had too much ground to cover to ensnare him in time. He reached out and tore them apart, while the axe in his other hand was about to come down on the centaur.
At that perilous moment, the Goddess Priestess cried, "Merciful Earth Mother!" and used her newly learned miracle, Holy Wall. A wall made entirely of light appeared in front of the centaur and blocked the Giant Goblin's blow. Its powerful defense sent the axe glancing down into the ground.
But the Holy Wall shattered almost at once. It was still a newly learned spell, after all—not yet as ridiculously powerful as it would become later.
Still, this poor Holy Wall's first appearance hadn't been to block people in, but to protect someone. By that measure, it had been pretty lucky.
The Elf Mage gave the quick-reacting Goddess Priestess an approving look. She'd seen the priestess shut her eyes every time she fired her Light Crossbow and assumed the little newbie was hopelessly inexperienced. She hadn't