His team moved to form a circle. Frank, Kevin, Hank, and Bill were positioned to take on the coming monsters. Amy, Demi, and Helen formed the back half of their formation, doing their best to keep the ranged goblins at bay. Margaret stood in the middle, her hands already alight with a healing spell.

Frank stepped forward, his left hand shooting out to toss a handful of dust in the approaching goblin's face. He jumped back to avoid a counter from the blinded goblin, his weapon lashing out in response and finding purchase. He lunged to his left and slashed at a goblin's leg, causing it to fall on its side. He barely had enough time to recover from the lunge when another goblin pounced on him.

Frank tried to hold on, but it was a losing battle. Not only did the goblins outnumber them, but they also had large HP pools, even if they scored a good hit, without the ability to follow up and finish them off, the goblins would just recover and rejoin the fight. Even worse, the goblin healers used some sort of leaping heal spell that would restore HP to a bunch of injured goblins. Meanwhile, their own healers began the fight with less than 50% mana and were quickly running out.

The saber in Frank's hand flurried, as he tried to land a hit on his opponent – a goblin dual-wielding long knives. It was annoyingly good at defending, causing Frank's frustration to mount. The few strikes he landed were not enough to remove the monster from the fight. A glance to his left showed Kevin struggling to contain the onslaught of monsters. Spears worked great in a spear wall formation, but it wasn't hard to defend against a single user, without the ability to retreat, Kevin was at a clear disadvantage.

Frank's left hand shot forward as if to toss some dust, causing the goblin to jump back and turn its head away while swiping blindly with its weapon. Using this diversion, Frank cast Lightning Bolt. He followed after the spell, finally landing a good hit on the goblin. Unfortunately, not only did he not have the time to finish it, but a nearby goblin that was pressuring Kevin changed its target and rushed at him.

Frank swiped at the goblin, but it didn't care and continued its rush, slamming it shoulder into him a second later. He stumbled backward, and barely managed to avoid a stab from the goblin, its sword still grazing his side. Frank swung his weapon, but the goblin moved to grab his arm, Frank did the same when the monster tried to attack him. For a moment, they were locked, each holding the other's weapon-wielding arm. Frank thought of headbutting his foe, but he had to use all his strength to contend with the goblin, who was quite powerful despite its size. Suddenly, the goblin crouched, pulling Frank's arms down. His eyes widened as the knife-wielding goblin jumped over the crouching one, and flew at Frank's chest.

Frank jerked backward and began to fall on his back. At the last moment, he pushed with his legs, propelling himself further away. He crashed into Margaret, who in turn crashed into Bill. Meanwhile, the goblin landed over Frank's feet, but didn't attack him, instead striking at Helen, sinking both blades into the woman's back.

Frank shot Lightning Bolt at it and scrambled to get up. He lunged at the goblin a moment later, his saber sunk hilt-deep into the goblin. He pushed the monster back and ripped out his saber, then used a wide swing to decapitate the dazed monster. The triumph was short-lived. The other goblin he was fighting took advantage of Frank's focus on its comrade to move to his side, its sword entering his stomach.

He lashed out with his saber as he stumbled into a nearby tree. The monster dodged and parried a few strikes while it closed the distance. The goblin got within arm's length, forcing Frank to pivot his wrist, pointing the saber down, to deflect its attack. He succeeded, but the position rendered him nearly defenseless. A fist hit him in the face, as the monster prepared to attack again. Its weapon shot forward when a sword pushed out of its chest. Looking over, he saw Amy pull back her weapon and deliver another attack. A short sword appeared in Frank's left hand, which he rammed into the goblin's face.

“Thanks. I'll leave it to you,” he told the woman and moved to help Kevin, but it was too late.

With Frank forced to retreat, Kevin got nearly surrounded by four goblins. Forced to drop his weapon, he retrieved a plain-looking spear and tried to use it to block and push back the goblins who attacked him with abandon. It didn't work, these weren't the goblins he had faced on the first day, after all.

Frank turned toward Kevin, just in time to see the man take three hits simultaneously and fall to the ground, the goblins pouncing on him. Frank's vision turned red. He swung his saber and activated Dash, arriving before the goblins in a blink of an eye. His attack finished, cleaving through the skull of one of the monsters. He felt some feedback from the attack, but it wasn't even close to what he had experienced previously since the distance Dash covered this time was just a few yards.

Another goblin fell at his hands before the remaining two noticed him. He slashed at one of them, but the goblin dodged away, leaving Frank unbalanced. Before he could recover, the last goblin readied its axe and launched itself at Frank. Yet to recover, he could only use his left arm to absorb the blow. Pain shot into his brain, as the axe cut through his forearm and snapped the bone in half. Frank reeled in pain, while the goblin stumbled as it landed on Kevin, its feet slipped and it fell to the ground.

Suddenly, a boar crashed through their formation. Hank was knocked to one side, Bill to the other, as it trampled over Margaret. The boar came to a stop and stabbed its tusks through the spot where Frank stood a moment ago. The goblin rider mounted on the boar twisted its body and swung its long, broad sword at Frank. He blocked the attack but was forced further back by the blow. The rider directed the boar toward him, as it readied its sword.

A rage-filled roar shook the air. A moment later an axe slammed into the rider, nearly causing it to fall. A red-faced Bill Dashed forward and sunk his sword into the rider's stomach. The axe returned to his hand, and he used it to deliver a devastating blow to the rider, knocking it off the boar. Bill gave the boar a stab with his sword before he pounced on the downed rider.

Frank slashed at the boar, but his attack did little damage, his weapon not well-suited for the tough-skinned monster. The window Bill's attack created allowed Frank to move around the boar and stab it in the neck. The beast dealt with, Frank swept his gaze over the battlefield.

It was bad, really bad. At the start of the fight, they had over ten people per side, making up the defensive square formation. The ranged goblins managed to obliterate half the people that were facing them. The appearance of the riders indicated that another side had collapsed as well, at least enough so that the riders were free to attack others. On their side, in addition to Frank’s group, were the remnants of one of the diplomacy teams -- three fighters and a healer. They held on for a while, but a rider crashing into their formation put an end to their struggle, the goblins they were fighting now turning their sights on Frank’s team. As far as his team went, Kevin was dead, Helen lost a large chunk of HP but was alive, Amy was nearly out of Mana. Margaret was slowly getting up after the boar ran her over, however, her mana was almost spent, as she spammed Group Heal trying to keep others alive. The damned boar also pushed Hank a dozen yards away, he wasn’t able to return to the group before goblins swarmed him, choosing instead to fight with his back against a tree. Bill was on a rampage, but he faced the three goblins that took out Kevin, plus the four that were coming. Worse yet, there were another five melee and six ranged goblins advancing on Amy and the other women. With both Bill and Hank out of position, they would have to rely on their melee abilities.

This is hopeless, Frank thought, as he ran to assist Bill. Two goblins switched to him, while the remaining five attacked Bill. Frank’s foes mostly stayed on the defensive, well aware that victory was just a matter of time. He rained strikes on the two, but couldn’t land anything serious. Desperate, he used his right hand to cast Lightning Bolt, the saber reappearing in his hand a moment later, as he slashed at the stunned goblin while moving so it would be in the way of the other goblin. His blade left a deep cut on the monster’s chest.

“We can’t hold them off!” Amy shouted, her voice full of anguish.

“Break through and flee!” Bill bellowed.

Since he was already on the outside, Frank could turn around and flee immediately, but he couldn’t just leave the others. He swore and turned to face the second goblin. It was the worst kind too, one equipped with an axe and shield. Even facing it alone, there was no way Frank could finish it off quickly without using Skills. I’ve only got enough mana for one more Lightning Bolt, Frank thought dejectedly. No other choice then. He activated Phantom Strike and swung, a projection of his slash flew forward, passing through the goblin’s shield before entering its body. Taking advantage of the goblin’s disoriented state due to the attack, Frank circled it and slashed at the biceps of its left arm. He couldn’t sever the arm, but the injury left the hand unusable, the shield strapped to it now hung beside the goblin. Good enough, Frank thought as his weapon twirled, baiting the goblin to commit to a parry before changing the direction of the strike.

From the side of his vision, he saw Amy, Helen, and Demi run toward him. Suddenly blood sprayed from Demi’s mouth and she fell face-first into the ground. Blood covered the back of her head, as her body began to twitch. Helen turned and moved to stand in front of her daughter. Amy slowed down too, turning around and readying her sword. A ball of fire flew from one of the goblins, exploding when it struck Amy. She was thrown back by the explosion, almost crashing into the goblin Frank was fighting. Arrows whistled, two of them hitting Helen, as a group of goblins swarmed her.

Amy’s near-collision with the goblin gave Frank a chance to land two devastating attacks on it.

“Run, just run!” He shouted as he pulled Amy up by her arm, casting Healing Touch as he did so. “Go, damn it!” He screamed after seeing her hesitate.

His gaze swept over the battle: Helen was dead, one of the goblins moved to finish Demi off, while the rest swarmed toward Margaret and Bill, who were already facing five monsters. Further to the side, Hank had managed to defeat one of the goblins and was now facing the remaining four. Straight ahead, the six ranged goblins were readying their spells and bows.

Hesitating, Frank took a step towards Bill, who was covered in wounds and was swiping his weapons wildly, to keep the monsters away. Arrows and spells flew at Margaret. An arrow hit her in the leg, while another one struck Bill in the back. A stone, twice as big as a baseball ball, hit Margaret in the stomach, causing her to double over. Finally, a fireball struck her, the explosion sent her tumbling past her husband, and toward the goblins he was fighting.

Teeth gnashing, Frank turned around and ran after Amy. There was nothing he could do to save the others at that moment. He heard goblins squeaking from behind. When he turned, he saw three melee and two archer goblins run after him. A nova of green light spread from behind one of the trees, clinging strangely to the goblins, whose speed increased as a result. Frank swore and resumed fleeing.

They fled for a while, but it was hopeless, he only had 8 Stamina left, not to mention the goblin’s speed buff, which was the reason they got caught in the first place. At least she’ll escape, Frank thought, as he looked at Amy’s figure some twenty yards ahead of him. An old man dies, a young woman lives. Fair trade. A quote flashed in his mind. He smiled ruefully, I guess that’s how it ends.

He ducked to the side and hid behind a tree. Heart pounding, he focused on his hearing, trying to determine the moment when the goblins would pass by the tree. If all three goblin fighters passed on one side, he could leap out behind them and hit the archers. If the fighters split, and he was lucky, he could perhaps take one of them out.

All of his senses at their limit, the moment of truth arrived. Frank rotated his body and delivered a devastating horizontal slash. The unprepared goblin that just moved past the tree, was nearly cut in two. It was the only one on this side of the tree. Feeling a slight relief, Frank jumped over the fallen goblin, and rushed at the two archers, while the other two goblins ran after him after noticing their companion’s fate.

The archers began to draw, but realizing that there wasn’t enough time, one of them threw the bow away and drew a sword, the other choosing to persist. Frank didn’t even bother slowing down, as he turned to slam shoulder-first into the goblin with a bow. The two fell, and Frank used his momentum to roll further away. He got up and pointed his saber at the goblins. A goblin ran around each side of the fallen one, while the third one jumped over it. Bad idea, Frank thought with a smile, as he pointed his saber at the jumping monster’s chest. The forward momentum impaled it on the weapon. It swung its club at Frank, but he had already jumped away.

Frank lifted his left hand, which was fully restored by now, and used the last of his D mana on a Lightning Bolt, two slashes followed, beheading the stunned monster. He paid a heavy price for it though, the other goblin had arrived and promptly drove its sword into his side, as it moved to his back. The goblin latched onto Frank, its left arm wrapping around him, as it repeatedly stabbed him.

Unable to shake the goblin off, the damage caused Frank to fall to his knees. Motivated by the base desire to escape pain, Frank’s mind raced as it searched for a solution. A transparent bubble suddenly emerged out of him, as he cast Mana Shield. The bubble couldn’t push the goblin off, but it caused the monster’s grip to slip, allowing frank to turn around and stab the goblin with a sword that appeared in his left hand. The goblin retaliated with an attack of its own, most of which was absorbed by the Shield. Frank’s sword pierced into the goblin again, even as the monster sunk its sword into his shoulder. Ignoring his wounds, Frank jerked his right hand up, driving the point of his saber through the goblin’s chin and into its brain.

He propped himself up on his arms, his gaze sweeping over the goblins. He had managed to disable three of the five, the remaining two had recovered and were now deciding on their approach. Apparently, they judged Frank to be a threat, even in his battered state. They stood about five yards away, while the archer goblin he knocked down earlier drew an arrow, and shot Frank in the chest. The goblin calmly shot another arrow, then another.

Frank wanted to feel at peace and let go. He has lived a long and eventful life, and while the second chance he got thanks to the System didn’t go as he planned, he could still feel proud of being able to assure Amy’s escape. However, the feeling of satisfaction he thought he’d feel didn’t come. Instead, he was filled with stubborn resentment. A second chance at life, a brand new world to explore, and I am going to die like this? Killed by some fucking goblins?! Frank thought with surprising anger. He just couldn’t accept it. He wouldn’t accept it! But, how do I get to them? He wondered after making his resolve.

Another arrow struck him, his HP sliding dangerously close to zero. My legs are too weak, no D mana, and I am no good at throwing. Then, what’s left? His mind raced, completely ignoring the pain coursing through his body. The goblin drew another arrow when Frank began to fall forward from his kneeling position. As he fell, he pushed against the ground with his feet, propelling himself forward a little. His left hand shot forward and threw the sword at the archer, even as Frank rotated in the air so he would fall on his left side.

The archer easily deflected the attack with its bow. It said something to the other goblin, disdain clear in its squeaking voice. It readied an arrow and stepped closer to get a better angle for its shot. Suddenly, Frank swung his saber at the monster’s feet, as he used his left hand to push himself forward, if just by a bit. The saber pierced through the goblin’s foot, causing it to double down in pain. Frank pulled back his weapon, then stabbed the goblin in its chest, which was now in range. The goblin reeled in pain and fell on its back, causing it to leave Frank’s effective range.

The last goblin leaped forward and brought down its sword, severing Frank’s right arm before it cut into his side. Frank cried out in pain and rolled onto his back, his left hand moving to cradle his bleeding stump of an arm. Still cautious, the goblin stabbed him in the stomach.

His HP slid to zero, and Frank’s movements stopped. He could still feel pain, but it was dull, not something worth screaming about. His eyelids felt incredibly heavy, and he suddenly felt sleepy. Fighting to keep his eyes open, he saw the upside-down goblin that stood beside his head. The sword in its hand flipped, pointing downward, the monster brought both hands up and over its head, as it prepared to deliver a killing blow.

So, this is how it ends? What a waste.