Her frozen state broke only when a high-pitched scream cut through the din nearby. A small girl, no older than six, tripped and fell sprawling in the mud as a leering Goblin raised its crude, cleaver-like weapon – rough wood hafted with jagged metal – for a killing blow.
"No!" The word tore from Hinaria's throat, raw and instinctive. The paralysis shattered. Without conscious thought, she scrambled forward, throwing herself between the Goblin and the crying child. She thrust her hands out towards the descending weapon, not knowing what she was doing, only knowing she had to protect.
Instead of flesh meeting metal, the Goblin's cleaver slammed into something unseen, stopping dead with a resonant thrum. A shimmering barrier of soft, emerald light pulsed into existence before Hinaria's outstretched hands, radiating the same warm energy she used for healing. "A shield? Can I do that?" The thought barely registered.
The Goblin snarled, surprised, then swung again, harder. The shield held, jarring Hinaria's arms, sending a jolt of pain through her. The green light flickered. The Goblin, enraged now, rained blows down upon the barrier, each impact sending waves of agony up Hinaria's arms, draining the warmth from within her at an alarming rate. How long could she hold? The shield flickered more violently, cracks appearing in the light.
Suddenly, thwack! An arrow sprouted from the Goblin's eye socket. It staggered back, then collapsed. Thwack! Thwack! More arrows hissed through the rain-streaked air, finding marks in other nearby Goblins, dropping them mid-stride.
Someone screamed loudly: "Kingdom soldiers!!!"
Hinaria looked up, shielding the terrified child with her body. Bursting through the smoke and chaos from the main road came five armored figures on horseback, led by a grim-faced man with ligthing over one eye, his drawn sword humming with faint lightning. They charged into the fray without hesitation, the leader cutting down a hulking Grak auxiliary with brutal efficiency.
A powerful voice roared above the chaos, cutting through the screams and war cries like a thunderclap: "Protect these people!"
"Protect with your last blood!" the Captain screamed, his voice raw with command and fury, rallying the terrified villagers and his own small squad. "Protect this Kingdom until your last breath!!" His soldiers echoed the cry, forming a disciplined line amidst the chaos, shields locking, arrows flying, bringing a sudden, desperate spark of hope to the burning village.