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<blockquote data-quote="Lazybones" data-source="post: 7121363" data-attributes="member: 143"><p>Chapter 37</p><p></p><p>Glori was not a fan of tight spaces.</p><p></p><p>The kobold tunnel was not that difficult to navigate, though she had to keep her head low and walk in a sort of shuffle. She regretted not taking off her backpack but decided not to stop now. She could hear faint sounds from up ahead but couldn’t quite identify them.</p><p></p><p>As she left the light of the hillside behind her eyes adjusted to the darkness. The gift of her father’s heritage let her see more or less clearly, though there wasn’t anything to see except for the irregular line of the tunnel heading deeper into the substance of the hill. There were wooden beams supporting the passage at regular intervals, but she still wondered just how good kobolds were at building.</p><p></p><p>After about forty feet the tunnel turned sharply to the left. As soon as she reached the bend she saw a kobold waiting for her. She jumped in surprise, although the creature was lying motionless on the floor of the passage, its head lolling at an awkward angle. She approached warily and prodded it with her dagger. It was dead, its neck broken.</p><p></p><p>The tunnel ahead had grown eerily silent. “Dwarves,” she muttered to herself before resuming her exploration of the kobold complex.</p><p></p><p>The tunnel seemed to go on forever, but she knew that was just an illusion created by her own hyperactive mind. It twisted slightly back and forth, keeping her from seeing very far ahead, but finally she saw an open space ahead. She hesitated for a moment but still didn’t hear anything.</p><p></p><p>When she shuffled into the room her eyes widened in surprise.</p><p></p><p>Four more kobolds had met their end here. The room wasn’t very big, and was set up as a small guardroom. The furnishings were crude and sized to the kobolds, and had been scattered in disarray. One of the chairs had been shattered into fragments, a dead kobold lying in the wreckage. The iron scent of freshly spilled blood filled the room.</p><p></p><p>There were three other exits. To her right there was a small opening blocked by a wooden grate. To her left was another passage similar to the one she’d just navigated, which she guessed probably led to the other sniper position she and Bredan had scouted. On the far side of the little room was a rough-hewn staircase that led up. She headed in that direction, careful of the corpses in case any of them were not quite finished.</p><p></p><p>None of the kobolds moved, but she saw a wet glistening on the blade of the dagger that one of them carried. She saw more blood in spatters as she made her way to the steps.</p><p></p><p>Kosk hadn’t gotten past these guards unscathed.</p><p></p><p>That thought was confirmed as she found an empty potion vial on one of the steps. She didn’t need to check to know it was one of their potions of healing. There were more smears of blood on the steps, and a few marks on the wall where the monk had probably leaned for support on his climb.</p><p></p><p>She started up, slowly, but then heard a sharp shriek of pain from up ahead. It didn’t sound like it had come from the dwarf, but she found herself running anyway, grimacing as her elbows scraped against the walls of the narrow ascent.</p><p></p><p>At the top of the stairs another tunnel continued in what she guessed was roughly the direction of the hilltop, though it was easy to get turned around in these meandering corridors. She hoped that Bredan and Quellan had found another way into the kobold complex, and that she was heading toward them rather than toward another ambush. She was acutely aware that the passages she’d bypassed meant that more of the creatures could be behind her.</p><p></p><p>The passage briefly widened into a slightly larger space. It resumed directly ahead, but to her right there was a scattering of gear next to a ledge that dropped off into darkness. Glori could hear sounds coming from below, shuffling noises accompanied by low squeaks. She edged over to take a look.</p><p></p><p>The ledge overlooked a small round space maybe ten feet across. The drop was only about six feet. She saw that the sounds she heard were coming from a huge, fat pig.</p><p></p><p>She picked up a loose pebble and tossed it down. “Hey, pig!” she hissed.</p><p></p><p>The stone bounced off the pig’s head. It looked up and grunted at her.</p><p></p><p>A sudden loud clang of metal on stone caused her to jump again. It came from the far passage and sounded close. Thinking of the dwarf’s staff and its iron tips, she hurried forward.</p><p></p><p>The tunnel began to ascend slightly, just enough for her to notice the grade. It continued to twist, just enough so that she couldn’t see more than fifteen or twenty feet ahead at a time. That kept her from seeing Kosk until she almost ran into him.</p><p></p><p>The dwarf had been facing away from her, but he spun quickly and swept his staff up toward her face. Glori flinched back, but at the last moment the iron-tipped end came to a stop with maybe a hand’s span to spare.</p><p></p><p>“You shouldn’t be down here,” Kosk growled. He stepped back, but Glori could see that he had to lean against the wall for support. There was another kobold lying on the ground just past him. There was another bloody knife lying next to its hand, indicating that it had gotten another piece of the monk before it had died.</p><p></p><p>It looked like Kosk had lost many such pieces already. His robe was gashed in a number of places, and covered in bloodstains.</p><p></p><p>“You’re crazy,” she said. “Rushing in here alone.”</p><p></p><p>“It will take more than a bunch of kobolds to put an end to me,” Kosk said. When Glori sheathed her dagger and unlimbered her lyre he said, “I’m fine.”</p><p></p><p>“You’re about to collapse from blood loss, you stubborn fool,” she said. She played a soft melody that invoked the healing magic of the lyre, channeling the power of a <em>cure wounds</em> spell into the injured dwarf. He took a deep breath as the magic took hold and eased the worst of the damage he’d sustained.</p><p></p><p>“Where are the others?” he asked.</p><p></p><p>“They went around. We think there’s another entrance further up the hill.”</p><p></p><p>“You came down here alone?”</p><p></p><p>She shot him a look. “You’re going to second-guess me? Really?”</p><p></p><p>“Never mind. Come on, there was one more that got away.”</p><p></p><p>Without waiting for a response Kosk started forward again, forcing Glori to hurry to keep up. As she stepped over the dead kobold she said, “You must really hate these creatures.”</p><p></p><p>“They’re vermin,” the dwarf said without looking back.</p><p></p><p>The tunnel continued its gradual ascent. Glori was beginning to think that they would pass through the entire hill when they came around another slight bend to see the reassuring glow of daylight ahead. Kosk was still going at full tilt up the passage and was quickly drawing ahead of her.</p><p></p><p>“Wait, damn it, just wait!” Glori said.</p><p></p><p>The dwarf didn’t stop, but he slowed just enough for Glori to catch up to him. She reached the bright exit only a few steps behind him, and emerged into daylight.</p><p></p><p>They were in a round canyon roughly thirty feet across. The cliff walls that ringed them were almost twenty feet high. There was another tunnel opening on the far side of the canyon roughly opposite where they’d come in, and another opening to its left, which accessed a narrow ledge about ten feet off the ground. The late-afternoon sunlight didn’t reach the canyon floor, but after the absolute dark of the tunnel it took their eyes a moment to adjust to the sudden brightness.</p><p></p><p>Because of that moment of adjustment Glori didn’t immediately see the kobold that appeared on the ledge, but she caught the hint of motion when it lifted a bow and aimed another of the stubby arrows directly at her heart.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Lazybones, post: 7121363, member: 143"] Chapter 37 Glori was not a fan of tight spaces. The kobold tunnel was not that difficult to navigate, though she had to keep her head low and walk in a sort of shuffle. She regretted not taking off her backpack but decided not to stop now. She could hear faint sounds from up ahead but couldn’t quite identify them. As she left the light of the hillside behind her eyes adjusted to the darkness. The gift of her father’s heritage let her see more or less clearly, though there wasn’t anything to see except for the irregular line of the tunnel heading deeper into the substance of the hill. There were wooden beams supporting the passage at regular intervals, but she still wondered just how good kobolds were at building. After about forty feet the tunnel turned sharply to the left. As soon as she reached the bend she saw a kobold waiting for her. She jumped in surprise, although the creature was lying motionless on the floor of the passage, its head lolling at an awkward angle. She approached warily and prodded it with her dagger. It was dead, its neck broken. The tunnel ahead had grown eerily silent. “Dwarves,” she muttered to herself before resuming her exploration of the kobold complex. The tunnel seemed to go on forever, but she knew that was just an illusion created by her own hyperactive mind. It twisted slightly back and forth, keeping her from seeing very far ahead, but finally she saw an open space ahead. She hesitated for a moment but still didn’t hear anything. When she shuffled into the room her eyes widened in surprise. Four more kobolds had met their end here. The room wasn’t very big, and was set up as a small guardroom. The furnishings were crude and sized to the kobolds, and had been scattered in disarray. One of the chairs had been shattered into fragments, a dead kobold lying in the wreckage. The iron scent of freshly spilled blood filled the room. There were three other exits. To her right there was a small opening blocked by a wooden grate. To her left was another passage similar to the one she’d just navigated, which she guessed probably led to the other sniper position she and Bredan had scouted. On the far side of the little room was a rough-hewn staircase that led up. She headed in that direction, careful of the corpses in case any of them were not quite finished. None of the kobolds moved, but she saw a wet glistening on the blade of the dagger that one of them carried. She saw more blood in spatters as she made her way to the steps. Kosk hadn’t gotten past these guards unscathed. That thought was confirmed as she found an empty potion vial on one of the steps. She didn’t need to check to know it was one of their potions of healing. There were more smears of blood on the steps, and a few marks on the wall where the monk had probably leaned for support on his climb. She started up, slowly, but then heard a sharp shriek of pain from up ahead. It didn’t sound like it had come from the dwarf, but she found herself running anyway, grimacing as her elbows scraped against the walls of the narrow ascent. At the top of the stairs another tunnel continued in what she guessed was roughly the direction of the hilltop, though it was easy to get turned around in these meandering corridors. She hoped that Bredan and Quellan had found another way into the kobold complex, and that she was heading toward them rather than toward another ambush. She was acutely aware that the passages she’d bypassed meant that more of the creatures could be behind her. The passage briefly widened into a slightly larger space. It resumed directly ahead, but to her right there was a scattering of gear next to a ledge that dropped off into darkness. Glori could hear sounds coming from below, shuffling noises accompanied by low squeaks. She edged over to take a look. The ledge overlooked a small round space maybe ten feet across. The drop was only about six feet. She saw that the sounds she heard were coming from a huge, fat pig. She picked up a loose pebble and tossed it down. “Hey, pig!” she hissed. The stone bounced off the pig’s head. It looked up and grunted at her. A sudden loud clang of metal on stone caused her to jump again. It came from the far passage and sounded close. Thinking of the dwarf’s staff and its iron tips, she hurried forward. The tunnel began to ascend slightly, just enough for her to notice the grade. It continued to twist, just enough so that she couldn’t see more than fifteen or twenty feet ahead at a time. That kept her from seeing Kosk until she almost ran into him. The dwarf had been facing away from her, but he spun quickly and swept his staff up toward her face. Glori flinched back, but at the last moment the iron-tipped end came to a stop with maybe a hand’s span to spare. “You shouldn’t be down here,” Kosk growled. He stepped back, but Glori could see that he had to lean against the wall for support. There was another kobold lying on the ground just past him. There was another bloody knife lying next to its hand, indicating that it had gotten another piece of the monk before it had died. It looked like Kosk had lost many such pieces already. His robe was gashed in a number of places, and covered in bloodstains. “You’re crazy,” she said. “Rushing in here alone.” “It will take more than a bunch of kobolds to put an end to me,” Kosk said. When Glori sheathed her dagger and unlimbered her lyre he said, “I’m fine.” “You’re about to collapse from blood loss, you stubborn fool,” she said. She played a soft melody that invoked the healing magic of the lyre, channeling the power of a [i]cure wounds[/i] spell into the injured dwarf. He took a deep breath as the magic took hold and eased the worst of the damage he’d sustained. “Where are the others?” he asked. “They went around. We think there’s another entrance further up the hill.” “You came down here alone?” She shot him a look. “You’re going to second-guess me? Really?” “Never mind. Come on, there was one more that got away.” Without waiting for a response Kosk started forward again, forcing Glori to hurry to keep up. As she stepped over the dead kobold she said, “You must really hate these creatures.” “They’re vermin,” the dwarf said without looking back. The tunnel continued its gradual ascent. Glori was beginning to think that they would pass through the entire hill when they came around another slight bend to see the reassuring glow of daylight ahead. Kosk was still going at full tilt up the passage and was quickly drawing ahead of her. “Wait, damn it, just wait!” Glori said. The dwarf didn’t stop, but he slowed just enough for Glori to catch up to him. She reached the bright exit only a few steps behind him, and emerged into daylight. They were in a round canyon roughly thirty feet across. The cliff walls that ringed them were almost twenty feet high. There was another tunnel opening on the far side of the canyon roughly opposite where they’d come in, and another opening to its left, which accessed a narrow ledge about ten feet off the ground. The late-afternoon sunlight didn’t reach the canyon floor, but after the absolute dark of the tunnel it took their eyes a moment to adjust to the sudden brightness. Because of that moment of adjustment Glori didn’t immediately see the kobold that appeared on the ledge, but she caught the hint of motion when it lifted a bow and aimed another of the stubby arrows directly at her heart. [/QUOTE]
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