They were surrounded, but not outmatched, this time. Florifel had created her mini golems and had sent them off against the goblins, swarming them. The eight were furious.

Lilia had gone and dosed the fire off and had gotten the woman, who had burns all over her body, off the stick. Leander was using his A rank spell, not trusting that a quick heal would serve the purpose of healing the burns. With how panicked the woman was, it might force her mind to shut down.

Jean and Armaros were using a Behemoth barrage and a tornado, respectively, to keep the goblins that were within the basilica from joining the fray.

Morris was in his element, surrounded, but the one thing to be feared.  Every time a goblin would rise its spear at him, he would either bash the small green thing with his axe, or straight up sent them flying with a kick that had mana behind it and would break their bones.

Dorian was keeping the goblins off Leander and Lilia, the water mage being preoccupied to dose off the flames that were trying to spread from the goblins that were still in the forest. The flaming arrows of which blacked out the sky.

Alberta didn't dare use a too powerful a wind spell because she felt that if she did, they would all burn alive. Her spells were not like Armaros's tornado, which could change directions upon the raven-haired boy's command.

"There is more than one tribe here," Alberta yelled over the sound of fighting.

"Good, then we will get more loot," Jean yelled back. Then he yelled out another Behemoth barrage, aimed at the basilica, which didn't have a roof anymore.

"Hold the line," Dorian yelled, as he bashed another goblin, who had taken off running towards Leander.

"Armaros, aim a fireball barrage at the basilica," Alberta yelled, and the raven-haired mage turned his bow to the ruins. Alberta ran to the basilica, a barrier stone in hand. It was a dome barrier stone. Perfect for closing in mobs.

"Alberta, back to your spot!" She heard Dorian yell, but she didn't listen to him. She knew the truth of their situation. It didn't matter how weak someone was. If there were enough of its kind, even ants could topple giants.

And platoon 23 were no giants. She could see how Jean's Behemoth barrages were doing less and less damage. How Leander was taking too much time with the burned woman. How Florifel was breathing heavily and almost falling on the ground, so bent over she was.

They needed to take a risk. One that wasn't calculated. Because, if they didn't, they were going to die, or worse. She used a wind spell to blow away a group of goblins who tried to cut her off.  Jumped over another one who reached for her leg, and used her mace to bash the head of another who had jumped at her from the column.

Then, she saw it. The door of the basilica. Or, the archway, more like.

"Here goes nothing," she knew that there was no retreating, if the barrier did not recognize the lines of the basilica. If it just closed off the door, the goblins were going to surround her and drag her into the ruins.

She threw the barrier stone at the door and activated it just as Armaros let loose another fireball barrage. She could see that there were flames on the wooden shacks inside the ruins. She gripped her mace tighter when the goblins began to run at her. And then, they slammed at the barrier.

The orange glow of it was the most beautiful thing Alberta had ever seen. A perfect done, it was. No matter how much the goblins tried to clubber at it, it did not crack. As expected of the only S ranked barrier, the Budding Lilies were allowed to take from the guild's warehouse per year.

Alberta ran to the others, and just in time too because Florifel was surrounded. Her golems having ran out of mana. The wind mage brought her mace down on a goblin's head, which had been gripping at a barely conscious Florifel.

"Backup! I need backup!" Alberta yelled, as her mace went down again and again. Crushing bones each time. Morris was by her side in an instant. With a sweep of his axe, he cut five goblins in half. Which made the rest of the vile, filthy, creatures to back off.

"Girly, that was the stupidest, most inspiring, thing I have ever seen anyone do," Morris commented as he spun and took off goblins left and right.

"Don't call me girly, I have a name!" Alberta's mace kissed a goblin on the nose, and it fell down like a puppet with its strings cut.

"Sorry, Alberta. I didn't mean any disrespect. You saved us back there," Morris's voice could barely be heard over the sound of the goblins that were screaming in the burning ruins.

"Don't thank me yet. We still have to deal with the vermin in the forest and these here," the wind mage knew that they were still surrounded, even if the goblins were now cut off from reinforcements. And the arrows that fell all around them were not helping, either.

Alberta looked up too late to see a barrage coming her way. She rushed and shielded Florifel with her body. If her lover survived, Alberta would be happy.

No pain came, however. There was a sturdy orange barrier between her and the arrows. One that did crack on impact, but not by much.

"Thanks for the save, Leander!" Alberta called. She suddenly felt exhausted. "Quick heal!"

At Alberta's yell, Leander focused in on her. He sent a quick heal her way. Then, he sent another at Dorian, who was struggling to keep a particularly big goblin off of Leander himself and the two women.

And they fought on, bolstered by quick heals. Leander didn't dare to give them more than five each.

And he didn't need to, either. Because, when night fell, the goblins were all dead. And that left them feeling dread. For they had no idea if there had been any more women in the charred ruins.