Back to page 2

-----With a dozen hobgoblins still impeding the way to the upper level, Sol parries two goblinoid weapons while a third soldier drops his sword.
-----These creatures could not die fast enough for the Gorian's taste. Again, he almost lost himself in the past as the sword swings in fury at the hobgoblins barring his path. "By th' Rager's might!" Sol's words almost come out as a curse.
-----Underneath the obscuring scarf, Whisper grimaced. Though seemingly inevitable, losing sight of the Dwarf amongst the taller humanoids sent a flash of irritation through the Wood Elf. Still, he must not lose focus.
-----So close.
-----Suddenly, Whisper flashed towards one of the nearer tables, reversing the grips he had on his shortsword and dagger.
-----Another hobgoblin falls before Sol, but suddenly as the Gorian lifts his sword to strike again, his weapon slips from his grasp! It clangs loudly as it strikes the floor behind him. Angered, the young warrior spins to recover it. With uncertain sneers, the goblinoids press toward him.
-----“Back, yer damned vermits!” Dilton croaks as he swings his sword when Sol ducks down. Dilton’s sword doesn’t connect, but it holds the soldiers back just for a few needed seconds.
-----At that moment, Whisper races up a bench and onto a table whereupon he leaves his feet. He somersaults twice, first landing on a second table and then, rolling over some of the departing hobgoblin heads. His motion carries him near the foot of the stairs where he lands into the back of an unaware soldier. The hobgoblin falls flat on his face and Whisper slays him with a quick swipe of his weapon. Looking up, the elf sees some of the soldiers hurrying out an open door behind the bar into the pouring rainstorm. For the moment, his prey has eluded him!
-----Sol quickly rises to stand beside the raspy throated warrior and instantly plunges his sword through another soldier. Before it can hit the ground, another hobgoblin is slain as the magnificent sword rips through its neck. As Sol propels himself forward once again, yet another humanoid falls to his violent slashes.
-----Dilton jabs in but fails to connect.
-----Now, the heroes see the hobgoblins take more defensive stances and edge away from them. Most now leap over behind the back of the bar following their fellows out into the storm.
-----As a loud boom of thunder is heard, Sol makes it undeterred to the steps just a few feet from Whisper. Jeilin, Jyan and Dilton move to the center of the common room as some of the remaining hobgoblins race out the front door.
-----"Jeilin, let's check upstairs. Th' rest o' ye make sure we're on top o' th' battle outside, an' keep that barn safe!" Sol sneers at the last of the hobgoblins rushing out of the inn, before he himself dashes upstairs. He wasn't going to be satisfied that this place was empty of more threats until seeing with his own eyes.
-----Jeilin spares a brief glance at the door, then nods and quickly follows Sol towards the stairs.
-----Whisper's eyes narrowed to mere slits, gaze intent upon the open door behind the bar, and then he fluidly sprinted forward, and after his quarry.

-----Now Raven notices a small crowd of people moving toward the barn in a hurried fashion. Most seem to be ragged humans wearing little more than loin cloths while a few women wearing peasant clothes are also seen.
-----“Our children are in that barn,” a young thin, but strong looking man says firmly to Raven. He is unarmed and half-naked exhibiting scars of abuse from a humanoid’s whip.
-----Raven looks over the twenty odd people and nods. No doubt some of his companions have released these people from their prisons. More would probably soon come . . .
-----Raven leads them into the barn, and as he stands beside Rinda, there is little doubt who these people are. Cheers go up from some of the children as some run forth to embrace parents and older siblings. Some of the adults continue to call names until young ones dash out of the darkness to welcome them.
-----The two hunters then leave the barn passing other young adults on their way to reuniting with loved ones.

-----Sol and Jeilin race up the stairs which carries them upward and then, when reaching the upper level, off to the right for a short turn. They find that this empties them out onto a dark narrow hallway spanning the length of the building. At each end of the corridor, a window emits the only light here; that being the occasional lightning flash from outside. To the right, the corridor ends in twenty feet. To the left the corridor extends thirty feet. Along the hallway are closed doors which must be for the guests’ rooms.
-----Suddenly as Sol steps out into the corridor, three clicking sounds are heard from the far end and, in the next instant, what appears to be two crossbow bolts strike the Gorian’s armor and bounce off. A third bolt fires past the young warrior’s head and thuds into the wood frame of the window to Sol’s right.

Go to Page 4