We sat down and took a short break. We saw the Governor giving out instruction to the militia, he noticed us but left us alone, as we all sat taking in what had and was still happening, the hardest part is listening to the screams, but even those start to become fewer. Still the dragon flew, circling the village as if conducting an orchestra, was all this the dragon’s plan?
I don’t remember who said something but we all got up as one and went to see the Governor. He gave us a mission to clear out an escape route, a tunnel from the keep that runs down to the stream.
We cleared the boxes that blocked the door.
“Right then who’s got the key” asked Issy
“Er?”
“What Key?”
“This door clearly has a lock, and surely the must be a key?”
“Have you looked under the mat?”
“No, hang on” small pause “Nope”
“Stand back this is job for me” I say. I break open my old locksmith kit, I haven’t used it since my departure from the citadel. The comfortable feel my old trusted tools in my hands brought back memories, some of them happy. The lock yielded quickly and I swung the door open theatrically.
EEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRR!!! The hinges whined and everybody turned and looked at me. For making such a school boy error, I took point.
Flint followed behind me it was dark and gloomy, but we had decided to go without torches so as not to illuminate the end of the tunnel giving away its whereabouts to any possible looters.
Rats by their very nature are survivalists, they adapt to poisons and disease quickly making them tough critters to kill. In the Citadel rats know not to be seen by a dwarf or it is ratkebab. So it was a pleasant surprise when a veritable feast of rats ran at us I however did not expect them to swarm, surge, swell and bite as they did. This was a new experience and not a pleasant one, they bit me and Flint , we slashed out at them killing a few but the swarm remained largely untouched.
“Don’t hurt the poor creatures, they are only protecting their home” Says Maria
”Whoot, OW! OW OW! They’re bloody hurtin’” Exclaims Flint.
“They don’t understand, they don’t mean it. C’mon little rats, stop that, stop it I say” cries Maria
I slash out at them again, killing a few more, and move off further down the tunnel.
“Stitch that says Jebediah !!” as he fires a fiery missile at them, they really don’t like at the same time Flint strikes out at them and the now decimated swarm decide in the name of survival to run off.
We move cautiously down the tunnel and it comes to a grating, the lock on it is rusty from lack of use and exposure to moisture. I open my tools again and carefully pick the lock, oiling it and the hinges where necessary, a gentle “Click” and the lock is mine.
We pick up the sounds of a group of people moving in and around the stream, searching for something, probably this secret passage. They seem incredibly well informed. We carefully push open the grating and Issy, Jebediah, Maria and myself slip into the cool night air, leaving Flint behind because he makes more noise than a band of Morris Men dancing. The smell of burning rides loosely in the air, the night is filled with light from the stars and the fires of the town. We quietly move into position. Jebediah, quietly says the words of power and two of the six Kobold raiders fall instantly asleep, meanwhile I take careful aim with my bow, release, and hit a human cultist straight in the throat a quick silent kill. Maria readies her javelin……
Visualise what you want to achieve, Maria thinks to herself. She closes her eyes for the briefest of moments, but in that time she has visualised drawing her arm back, bringing her arm forward releasing at the precise moment. The visualisation continues the javelin soars through space and time always on course, true, and always deadly. The look on the Kobold’s face as it sees it too late to move, and knows this life is over accepting the inevitable, the javelin strikes through the throat and is an instant kill.
…………… she draws back her arm and releases, this is not on target and will not hit the throat it’s too low. The Kobold blissfully unaware of an imminent danger treads on something. It feels cold and metallic, in his eagerness he turns round and bends over to pick up the coin. The javelin arcs through the air, if it had eyes and hands, it would use them to cover its eyes. The Javelin enters a passage killing the kobold.
“Oh no you didn’t” Says Issy
“Oh yes she did” says jebediah
“OOH!”, everyone friend and foe alike exclaim.
“Nasty”
The remaining cultist and three Kobolds, try to exact their revenge and a Kobold runs up to me and stabs me in the stomach with its knife. That really hurts, Flint comes running out the tunnel enraged killing the Kobold in one swift movement. The battle is quickly over and all that is left are two Kobolds who try to run away, unsuccessfully.
Maria turns he attention to the sleeping Kobolds, killing them where they slept, mercilessly.
“Rats you have a problem with, but sleeping Kobolds?” Says Issy
“Too right” Maria replies.
“Wish I had a bow” says Maria
“Why didn’t you get one?” I ask
“Where from?”
“Er, were we not just in a keep?”
“Yes”
“C’mon put it together”
“Nope sorry, I’m not following you”
“Get a bloody bow from the armoury, it’s a keep!!”
We hide the bodies so no one will ever know anything has happened. Satisfied we have done a good job we turn and enter the grate, locking it behind us.
A crow in a nearby tree, settling down for the night watched the battle intently, whilst eating a worm thing it found in the town. Dinner and entertainment, this is one hell of a place it thought. Then the humanoid shape creatures start burying the bodies of the other humanoid shape creatures. It hears the words “No one will ever know”, it surveys the carnage, the flattened grass, the blood left to soak in the ground. The only thing missing from the scene of carnage are the bodies, a relatively inexperienced tracker would be able to figure this out. But hey what would I know I’m only a crow. As it watches the one group enter a passage and shut the door behind them.
A short while later, they re-appear, and they have a new humanoid shape with them, the tree is comfortable but this is too good to miss so the crow takes off to follow them.
We got back to the keep grabbed a quick drink and the Governor gave us another mission, to stop the raiders burning down all their grain in the mill. We went back through the tunnel and are now using the stream as cover so we can get a close as we can without being seen.
We spy a group of humans at the front of the mill, and notice that the fires have been set a short way off from the mill so as not to burn it down, we realise it is a trap but cannot figure it out.
“Elias, go check it out” Whispers Flint, I go and move as quietly as I can and get behind the mill, my intention was to scale the wall and get on the roof, but it is too wet and slimy. So I circle round the back of the building, I look through a window and into a dark barn, it is hard to see in. So I chance a peek round the corner, and get spotted. Within seconds OZ is by my side and I can hear Flint kicking off. I move and shoot a human but he remains standing Oz, moves up and kills the one with a wicked blow, and nearly kills the other one. He strikes back at Oz and draws blood. Before I can move Oz kills him. Flint. Jebediah Maria and Issy’s fight must have gone well as Flint opened the door of the mill and entered, all I heard was the sound of t Flint’s grunt and metal resting on the floor.
“NOOOOOO” I cry, but am too slow to move, Oz enters the building, and is stabbed with two spears he strikes one killing him and exits, obviously wounded by this attack, he could not reach Flint. Issy is casting her own brand of magic and a vile unseen by anyone is picked up and poured into Flint’s mouth. The magic potion instantly raises him. Maria uses nature, making roots appear in the mill entangling all in its path. I step up and can see Flint, who has broken free from the roots but is surrounded by enemies, I strike on of them blocking the door but he does not fall.
