“Let’s get going. We’ll need to hold off the mob for as long as possible,” Marc said.

“This is a good place to do it, as long as they don’t have any archers,” Logan said, straightening.

“Good point. We’ll try to lead them back here,” Marc agreed.

The group headed out of the alley, and began wandering the town. Soon enough, they came upon a patrol of about thirty kobolds in another dark alley.

The kobolds began yipping excitedly as they chased the group back towards the first alley. Their excitement soon turned to terror as the group turned around with their backs to the wall, and began laying into the kobolds.

Margaret once again allowed them to approach, before she brought her weapon skills into the fight. She stabbed at a kobold, skewering it, but missed her second target. Marc tried to help her, and managed to catch the kobold in the head. The two were standing behind a pile of corpses by now.

Two missiles flew into the swarm of kobolds, closely followed by a third. The kobolds advanced under the hail of fire, and two of them managed to reach Margaret and Marc. Their spears shot forward, and Margaret swiped hers out of the way. Marc was pierced in the side, and he cried out in pain.

Thomas was on him instantly, words springing into his mind.

“I heal you in the name of Belvira.”

“No, wait!” Marc cried, but the spell had already been cast. “I could have healed it myself!”

Frank fired again, as Margaret swept her blades around. The swords sliced through the two kobolds, and two more took their place. Marc raised his mace, and swung at one, as Logan fired a missile over their heads.

Marc’s mace smashed through a skull, and Thomas fired an arrow past the cleric, catching a kobold trying to sneak past him in the throat.

There was a sound of fighting coming from behind the kobolds, and Thomas could tell they were being attacked.

“We have some help,” he said, nocking another arrow back.

“Good,” Margaret replied, striking another two kobolds.

Marc grunted as another spear struck his arm. He swung his mace, and completely missed his target. Thomas picked the kobold off with a shot to the eye, and Frank fired another bolt, followed by Logan. The two bolts both slew a kobold and left only four kobolds remaining alive.

Margaret stepped forward, into the path of three spears. She knocked one aside, and the other two were turned away by her armour. She swept her blades through another two kobolds, and an arrow caught a third in the gut. The last one tried to scurry away, but Margaret hooked her leg around the kobold’s and tripped it.

“I surrender!” the kobold squealed.

“We have one back at the inn,” Frank said, stepping forward.

“He surrendered. I will not kill a helpless creature,” Marc said, sliding his mace back in its holder. “Do we have some rope?”

He began casting a healing spell on himself and on Garyn.

“Hey! There’s survivors behind this wall!” someone called.

The wall of kobold corpses fell over, and three young boys stood in front of the group.

“Elves!” one gasped, curious as well as cautious.

An old man approached them, well in his fifties.

“You killed all these kobolds?” he asked.

“Most of them,” Marc shrugged. “A couple might not be ours.”

“Quit being modest,” Logan said. “We just took out close to fifty kobolds!”

“The mayor will want to see you,” the man said. “Follow me.”

As the rest of the group turned to follow the man, Logan drew his sword and plunged it into the kobold’s throat. The blood hissed as it touched the steel of his blade and the elf frowned, wiping the liquid off on the reptile’s corpse. He sheathed his sword, hurrying after his companions.