With Alriand scouting about ten feet in front of the party, the group moves along a corridor that curves to the right about 45 degrees. Alriand stops the party as she rounds the bend enough to where a squareish room comes into view, pressing her back to the dirt wall of the corridor, Alriand slowly approaches the room. Reaching about five feet from the entrance to the room, she sticks her neck out enough to try to see as much of the room as she can without letting her back leave the wall. With her elven eyes she can see that the room is devoid of any kobolds, or any other beasts for that matter, and she can see an exit to the North and one to the East. She motions for the rest of the party to move up. Bimbar, Tharhack, then Rebrey holding a torch and bring up the rear. Alriand enters the room and notices another exit, this one to the West. With three exits to chose from, Alriand communicates with Bimbar via hand signals. Asking Bimbar which passage they should try first, Alriand explains that from her vantage point she can surmise that the North corridor appears to dead-end in rubble, the East passage ends in a door, and she cannot see into the West passage. Bimbar advises her to move up to the West passage and take a peek down there while he and Tharhack move into the room, and Rebrey waits just beyond the threshold. Alriand checks out the West passage using one eye to peer around the corner and into the darkness. She sees what appear to be two dog shaped creatures at the far end of the passage, about 25 feet down. She relays this info to Bimbar who has Tharhack make his way to the East exit, and has Rebrey come up to the West exit.
Upon seeing the light of Rebrey's torch and hearing the light jingling sound of his chain shirt, the two dogs race down the corridor towards the party barking the whole way. Rebrey pivots, and drops the torch, to meet the charge of the first dog who while passing Alriand's hidden position takes a dagger jab to it's side opening up a nice sized wound on it's right flank. The dog yelps out in surprise and pain, and turns it's head back to see what caused the pain, just as Rebrey's heavy flail hits home breaking the dog's neck. The dog's lifeless body lands at Bimbar's feet, who steps over it's body and in front of Rebrey as the next dog appears out of the passage way. This one however stops at Alriand instead of going on to Bimbar. Tharhack moves to the North side of the East passageway standing half in the room and half in the corridor, keeping one eye on the battle and one on the door at the end of the East corridor. Alriand jabs at the new dog and misses wildly. Rebrey then moves up behind the dog so that it is flanked by Alriand and himself, the dog snaps at Rebrey as he moves past it, but it's mouth only takes in a bite of air. Rebrey tries his luck again, but swings over the dogs head. Bimbar then moves up and takes a swing at the dog, he also misses the dog, however he overswings his warhammer and ends up slamming it into his own left knee, crushing the joint causing Bimbar to fall to the floor screaming in agony. The dog liking a prone body to hit, clamps down on Bimbar's right ankle drawing blood from under his boots. Alriand slashes out with her dagger again, this time slicing the animal across the back causing it to let go of Bimbar. Rebrey tries again and with the animal flanked, he slams the head of the flail into the left side of the dog breaking some ribs, momentarily stunning it as the wind is knocked out of the dog. Alas it still does not fall, Bimbar unable to stand, sits up and takes a swipe at the dog from a sitting position but his feeble swing missed it's mark. The dog takes another snap at the downed gnome, this time latching on to Bimbar's left foot, and shaking the leg from side to side, wrenching the shattered knee in the process. Tharhack motions for the party to keep it down as he can hear noises coming down the corridor from beyond the door. Alriand stabs again at the dog, and cuts a deep gash along it's neck, the dog lets go of Bimbar and turns to Alriand. Collapsing at her feet bleeding and breathing hard, Alriand gives it a couple kicks to the head. She then assists Rebrey in getting Bimbar moved against the South wall of the room, so he can be propped up in a sitting position. Tharhack asks for Rebrey to relieve him from guarding the East passage, so that he can check out Bimbar. After swapping positions with Rebrey, Tharhack tells Bimbar his knee is shattered and both of his ankles are pretty messed up as well. He tells Bimbar that he won't be able to heal him up all the way, and the best he could probably do now would leave Bimbar with a bad limp, until tomorrow. Bimbar tells him not to do that, as that would use up all their healing, and someone's life may be in danger later on and there won't be any healing left. Bimbar asks Alriand to check the way they came to make sure no kobolds have entered the burrow behind them, and they'll have to exit the burrow, make camp, heal up, and try again tomorrow morning.
Alriand races off back down the corridor they entered this room from. Meanwhile Rebrey voices his displeasure with this new plan, as his main concern is making sure the halfling infant is not in the clutches of these kobolds. Tharhack sides with Rebrey, explaining that all they've done is kill a couple of guards and two pets, and that the current show of force by the party will leave the kobolds optimistic about their chances with the party. He advises they press on, or at least get as far into the mound as is needed to show the kobolds that messing with them or the Hamlet will result in the death of the whole clan. Bimbar mulls this over as Alriand comes back with a sullen look on her face.
"the entrance....... it's on fire"
"what! You've sealed our fate, you stupid elf!" shouts Rebrey
"what? You think I did this? You hairless ape, if I wanted you dead, I'd have gutted you while you slept."
"I saw you with your flint stones, plus you wanted to burn the thing down earlier." Rebrey says as he starts walking toward Alriand.
"Enough!" Shouts Bimbar. "Our path has been decided, Tharhack make me limp, and lets pray there's another way out of here."