Igor scrambled back down. Dram led the group along the tree-covered ridge of the hill towards the gnoll cave they had encountered weeks ago. Turning around he said, “Gnolls are supposed to be mercenaries. We should be able to buy them off. If we can convince them to attack the others covertly we may be able to start a civil war in this place.” Darius liked the plan. “Maybe we could pay them off to let us farther inside?” He said. “It would give us a safe escape route back to the surface.” They found the gnoll cave again. It was dark within and no guards were posted. Quietly the group moved into position for a possible attack. Darius peered into the darkness.
After five feet a round cavern opened up. It was about 35 feet in diameter and a worked stone exit lay on the far right side. Nothing else could be seen. The group lit torches and silently entered the cave. A brown furry form walked in from the far exit. It barked loudly as it ran from the group. Darius, Dalin, Dram, and Igor chased after it. The other four members followed to get in from outside. The second room was square and all worked stone. Another exit was in the middle of the far side. The barking gnoll ran through it, but not before Ormand the Redd shot an arrow in its back.
Four more gnolls ran in from where their brother had just exited. These wore heavy armor and carried axes. Dram, Darius, Igor and Dalin engaged them and managed to kill one, but the others circled around trying to reach Ormand the Redd and the slingers in back. Kayla wisely ran to the cave entrance, as she wore no armor. Ormand paced backwards trying to fire again, but an axe slashed off the side of his cuirass. Mirel and Ben pulled back abandoning their slings for the moment. Dram squared off with a gnoll, but kept missing it. Dalin and Igor shifted to flank another gnoll, but the third rounded on Dalin’s rear side. Torchless, Darius decided to chase after the fleeing gnoll into the darkness. The passage it had entered turned to the right after 10 feet and continued for 30 more before the dwarf saw steep stairs heading downward. They were full of heavily armored gnolls marching direclty at him.
Kayla looked out the cave entrance for possible reinforcements like the last gnoll attack. Ben and Mirel fired slingstones, while Ormand backpedaled and fired at the gnoll attacking Dram. Flanking, Igor pried his sword under the armor of the gnoll in front of him and pushed. The creature fell. Dalin turned on the gnoll to his rear, but not before it cut into his back. He staggered in place. A call came down the passageway. “We have company!” yelled out Darius. The dwarf had retreated into the dark corner and prepared to make a stand in close quarters.
Mirel hit the head of the gnoll, which had cut into Dalin. Dram pushed his foe back into a corner in the room and kept wailing on its armor with his sword. Igor called out, “We need some help back in here too!” as he engaged the gnoll on Dalin. Ben ran forward and deftly touched his hand out to Dalin’s outstretched one. Healing power passed from Brother Ben into the fighter’s body. Ormand the Redd scored a hit on Dram’s gnoll and the creature collapsed. Darius’s saw his enemies’ advance with his darkvision. They filled the length of the hallway in front of him. An instant later, arrows flew through the darkness and into and off his full plate armor.
Shifting its stance the gnoll facing Dalin moved towards Brother Ben and cut him with its axe. Ben thanked the Gods his chainmail had blocked most of the blow. Feeling better Dalin distracted the creature while Ben ran back towards Kayla and the front of the cavern. Igor and Dram ran to aid Darius and found the dwarf backed into a corner and surrounded. A dozen or more gnolls seemed to be pouring out of the right-hand passage. Ormand fired at the final gnoll in the square room and struck it right through its visor. The body fell next to the other three gnoll corpses. Darius turned to his right hoping to cut a path back to his friends. The gnoll he and Dram flanked tried to maneuver out of their way, but had nowhere to go. Its helm caved in under Darius’s hammer blow.
Stepping forward to fill the dead gnoll’s space, Dram stood side to side with Darius and faced the enemy. At Igor’s urging, Dalin took his space, while the chef crouched down in the shadows next to him holding his bastard sword overhead. “Kayla! Come here! We need you to sleep these things,” called out Darius. The message was passed along and reluctantly she ran back into the cave. Wondering at her sanity, Brother Ben continued running out of the cave and into the daylight. Stumbling down into the grass and dirt, he had a vision of two kobolds betting on the chances of those inside. As if in response, Ormand fired another arrow into the melee and killed his third gnoll for the day.
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