“Sniper,” Jakni determined.

Marc dismounted beside the man, pulling out a bandage. He skillfully bound the injury, whispering words of comfort to the man.

“Master Cleric, will he be okay?” Jakni asked.

“His head will be sore for a few days, but other than that, he is good,” Marc replied. “Someone should watch him while riding though, to make sure he doesn’t fall.”

“I see no one sir!” a man called.

“If it’s a sniper, he’ll be hanging low for a while,” Frank said. “We should go before he can take another shot at us. We’re easier targets standing still.

“Get Gerard on a horse and let’s go!” Jakni called.

Minutes later they were moving again, the injured man riding a horse beside Marc.

“You stay near me, Frank. I don’t want to lose you down there,” Thomas said, as they neared the entrance to the kobold lair.

“You’re not going to lose me, Thomas,” Frank told him.

A stone blurred past Thomas’ face, and he yelped.

“Another sniper!” Frank yelled.

“No! They’re skirmishers!”

Then Thomas saw them. A horde of kobolds came rushing out of the trees, running in the general direction of the group. A few of them ran into each other, and Thomas heard Frank stifle a snicker.

“Light sensitivity. They’re dazzled in the sun,” Frank said.

“They’re also trying to kill us!” Thomas yelled, leaping off Collin’s back.

He whistled to Garyn, and the wolf trotted up to him, as he strung his bow. Frank tried to get off Collin, but he tripped, falling to the ground.

“I’m okay!” he called, getting to his feet.

A stone slammed into the ground where his head had been, and Frank gulped. He pulled out his crossbow and turned to fire at a kobold. The bolt flew into a tree, and Frank grimaced.

“Damn it!”

A few feet behind him, Thomas nocked an arrow back, and let loose. The kobold he was aiming at jumped aside, and he hit a tree instead.

He saw Margaret charge past him, and ram her sword into the kobold’s chest. Another kobold leapt at a screaming human, and its spear drove through the man’s gut. Tearing his eyes from the grisly sight, Thoms shot another arrow at a kobold that was sprinting towards him. It hit the kobold in the gut, and the creature tumbled head over heels, coming to a stop five feet from him. He saw a kobold go after Logan, and Logan fired a bolt. It hit the kobold in the arm, but the kobold kept going.

A pair of kobolds charged at Thomas, and he dropped his bow, unsheathing his scimitar instead. He knocked aside both spears and backed up. Garyn leapt at a kobold, teeth digging into its ankle. The other kobold ran past Garyn, and attacked Thomas.

Thomas swung at the spear, but missed, and the kobold lunged forward and shoved the point of its spear into Thomas’ gut. It twisted the spear, and Thomas screamed in agony, as white-hot pain flooded his gut. He swung his sword desperately, and the kobold ducked under the swipe, as it yanked the spear from Thomas’ body. Thomas fell, holding his hands over the wound, and the kobold stabbed the spear into his side, drawing out another scream from its victim.

A snarling mass of fur flew at the kobold, slamming it into the ground in a rush of snarls. Thomas coughed up some blood as he tried to stand.

“Thomas!” Frank screamed, trying to fend off a kobold.

Thomas’ blood boiled at the sight. Stumbling forward, he grabbed his bow and nocked an arrow shakily. Bringing the weapon around, he fired a shot at the kobold attacking Frank.

The arrow flew true, and struck the kobold in the throat, dropping it.

Frank kicked the kobold away from him and ran towards Marc, who was being swarmed by the creatures. Thomas nocked another arrow, firing in Marc’s direction. The arrow hit the ground in front of Marc, and the kobolds yipped at Thomas.

With a snarl, Garyn ended the life of a kobold, and looked at his master, whining slightly.

“I’m okay Garyn,” Thomas coughed before another kobold slammed into him from the side.

The last thing Thomas felt was the stab of a spear in his chest.

Frank slashed through another kobold. There were not that many left, only eight. Margaret was mowing through them with her sword, spinning it expertly and slicing off limbs. It had been a hard fight, but Frank was certain it would end in their favour.

Then he heard Garyn howl.

Frank spun around and saw Thomas fall, a spear lodged in his chest.

“THOMAS!!!” he shrieked, sprinting toward the druid.

He sliced through the kobold’s neck, and dropped beside Thomas, wrenching the spear from Thomas’ chest.

“Don’t die! Don’t you die!” he cried, cradling Thomas’ head in his arms.

He ripped a chunk of fabric from Thomas’ robe and held it over the wound in Thomas’ chest, but the blood kept flowing.

Three humans ran into the area, and attacked the remaining kobolds, quickly cutting them down.

“Who else is left?!” one of them shouted.

“I don’t know. We were separated when they attacked,” Margaret said.

“Marc!” Frank yelled.

“Oh shit! Thomas!” Marc gasped, running towards them.

He knelt beside the druid, and chanted, “I call down Darith’s healing light upon this group.”

Thomas coughed, and blood sprayed both Marc and Frank.

“Fuck…” he groaned. “I feel like I got hit by a truck…”

“Oh my gods I was so scared!” Frank sobbed, holding Thomas in his arms.

“What happened?”

“You almost died,” Marc said, his face pale.

“Shame,” Logan said, walking past them.

“I heal you in the name of Darith,” Marc said, placing a hand upon Thomas.

A faint light shone around the druid, and the blood flowed a little less, but there was no major improvement.

Marc frowned and repeated the words.

Again, the blood flowed a little less, but it was still flowing.

“I feel a little better,” Thomas said, before hacking up a glob of blood.

“Try asking Belvira to heal you,” Marc said.

“I heal myself in the name of Belvira,” Thomas tried.

His wounds scabbed over, stopping the blood, and he shivered at the sensation.

“It’s not much, but at least you aren’t bleeding.”

“How many survived?” Jakni asked, approaching the group of eight.

“Just us,” Margaret said.