There were six gnolls – two smaller females and four males. The gnolls set aflame to the corpses of the orcs. The gnolls did not go into the cave even when nothing was left of the orcs except ashes, there were no embers left.

“Shall we go back for now?” I asked.

“No, we attack.” insisted Teser, the halfling.

“Will you go first?” I asked.

“Yes, but if you run away, I will hunt you, and I will kill you.” replied the halfling calmly.

Having heard his answer I just pulled my sword out and went in first myself. The closest were the female gnolls. They were also the smallest so I attacked them first. I almost got one but it evaded my blade. Teser followed with his mace but missed too. The female gnolls try to counter-attack but they mostly seemed unarmed so we easily avoided their claws and teeth.

Lyndis and Dazai miss too. The female gnolls gnarl at them, and by now the other gnolls were closing in on us. Fortunately, they mostly seemed unarmed, though we were outnumbered. I try to attack them again and so does Teser and we both fail. The gnolls try to move back to get with the rest but Teser and I stop them, though this put between the incoming group and the female gnolls.

Lyndis moves on intercepting an incoming male gnome before it attacked me and dealing some damage. The male was a bit larger but by much. The gnoll hits back at Lyndis knocking her back towards me, hitting my back but not with enough force to knock me down. We were kind of getting surrounded.

Dazai, the useless cowardly dwarf who was back hiding behind that rock, launched one of his bullets, missed, and nearly hit me instead. Another gnoll arrived and tried to attack the injured Lyndis but can’t get in range to do so because of Lyndis’ quarterstaff. A larger gnoll arrives while the injured one escaped towards the cave’s entrance. Yet another large gnoll, perhaps the largest at 8 feet followed it back into the cave. Gnolls were not known for their discipline, but this still was odd. Gnolls usually go on the offensive while they outnumbered their enemy, just like we should have done.

The large gnoll tried to attack instead rather than Lyndis who was kept busy by the other male gnoll. At this point, we were actually even-numbered against our enemies but that cowardly dwarf did not count, so we were practically outnumbered.

Teser again tried to hit one of the female gnolls with the mace he got from God knows where. He missed again but at least he was keeping the both of them busy now so I and Lyndis could try not to die by gnoll.

The large gnoll was distracted by Teser nearly getting one of the females so I got its leg with my blade. It quickly back but now it was limping so I hoped I could probably run away from it more easily when necessary. Lyndis on the hand I was not so sure, so I would only need to outrun her.

Lyndis suddenly sprung back into action and smacks the large gnoll with her quarterstaff in its injured leg so hard that her quarterstaff went all the way around and hit me too before she could totally slow herself down. It hurt a lot more than I expected even though she had slowed herself down, no wonder she could smack things to death with it. The hyena headed large gnolls let out a dog-like yelp. It growled at us baring its teeth.

The useless dwarf missed the gnolls by a few feet and my face by a few inches. Lyndis went back to keep the other gnoll busy. Teser and the female gnolls were comedically doing some sort of dance while missing each other while I was risking my life. The useless dwarf was probably reloading his sling behind that rock. Why did it take him so long? It’s not like a bow. I hoped he hadn’t finished his bullets then again that might have been better.

I finally got a clean hit on the large gnoll but its armour got in the way. Teser finally killed one of the female gnolls by beheading it with his mace. We were finally even-numbered. The death of one of the female gnolls immediately fuels the ire of the large gnoll but I blocked its way. The other female gnoll was at a disadvantage against Tesser.

Lyndis smacked the gnoll she was fighting against in its snout with her staff knocking a few of its teeth out. Miraculously, a bullet from the useless Dwarf’s sling hit the large gnoll in its head and killed it. The fight was turning in our favour.

It was then that I got a look at Lyndis’ face. She was bleeding from her nose pretty badly. It looked like her nose was broken but she dare not let her hands off her staff.

The gnolls which had left into the cave now returned armed with swords leading to a lull in the battle. I took this opportunity to gore out the remaining gnoll in its stomach. Teser finished off the other female gnoll and turned her into a bloody, pink pulp of guts with his mace much to the two gnolls chagrin. The large gnoll immediately darted angrily towards the halfling. I didn’t even bother to stop it. I could see the cowardly dwarf moving back behind a tree to attack from a distance.

The gnoll was towering over the halfling but the halfling was able to parry and avoid its attacks and not take any damage. The ratio of combatants was certainly in our favour though there was no guarantee with would all make it, especially now that they were armed too.

I motioned with my eyes and my hand for Lyndis to move behind me as she seemed a bit unstable in her gait, stumbling to the side here and there. Unexpectedly she obeyed, I guess she figured she would be more useful after a few seconds of respite.

Teser wastes no time and immediately butchers the large gnoll bludgeoning it with his mace. Dazai finally came out of hiding and launched a bullet at the remaining gnoll. He missed and hit my back instead. Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. Three times is enemy action.

I was livid, but before I could even curse at Dazai, I was caught off-guard and the gnoll was able to stab me in the thigh, only to be saved from getting stabbed again by Lyndis who blocked the gnoll’s shortsword with her shield.

I tried to get a hit at the gnoll who was moving back having realised it was alone but it was no use, the pain was making me feel dizzy. There wasn’t that much blood so the blade hadn’t gotten anything important. Running away was going to be harder now.

Seeing the degrading situation Tesser ran as fast as he could on his short legs to us and immediately killed the remaining gnoll with his mace too.

“I knew that you adventurers were useless,” said Teser the halfling. “but I did not expect you to be this useless.”

I was too tired to respond, Lyndis didn’t usually respond unless talked to directly, and the useless dwarf was leisurely making his way looking if there was anything worth looting on the carcasses, as I would be doing if I were not knackered.

Teser’s Character Sheet STAT VALUE Class Cleric Level 3 (450XP) Weapon Mace Spells 2 x Remove Fear Background A worshipper of the God of Wealth, Shek El. Official for the merchant guild known as The Incorporation of Perth, which owns the Adventurer’s guild. Damage 3d6 HP 10 AC 19 Attack Bonus +1 Mv 20′ INT 7 DEX 14+1 CHA 18+3 Equipment Plate Mail, Shield, Mace Alhwald Tillyworth’s Character Sheet STAT VALUE BONUS AB +1 STR 11 INT 14 +1 WIS 11 DEX 7 -1 CON 10 CHA 11 AC 15 HP 3(10) Race Human Class Fighter Sex Male Level 1 Age 16 XP 824XP (1,250) Hit Dice 1d8 Money 244 gp, 3gp Equipment Chainmail, Shield, Long-Sword, Backpack, Rations-6 days, Water-skin, Tinderbox, Flint and Steel, 50′ rope, Tin Plate. Spells/Abilities 10% bonus to all XP earned. SAVING THROWS Death Ray/Poison 12 Magic Wands 13 Paralysis or Petrify 14 Dragon Breath 15 Spells 17 Lyndis Hersandoral’s Character Sheet STAT VALUE BONUS AB +1 STR 10 INT 14 +1 WIS 15 +1 DEX 13 +1 CON 14 +1 CHA 14 +1 AC 13 +1 HP 3(15) Race Elf Class Cleric Sex Female Level 1 Age 17 XP 726(1500) Hit Dice 1d6 Money 10 gp, 3sp Equipment Quarterstaff, Shield, Long-Sword, Backpack, Rations-6 days, Leather Armour, Water-skin, Tinderbox, Flint and Steel, 50′ rope, Tin Plate. Spells/Abilities 60′ range Darkvision, 1-2 on 1d6 to find secret doors with just a cursory, immune to paralysing attack of ghouls, less likely to be surprised in combat by 1 in 1d6. SAVING THROWS Death Ray/Poison 11 Magic Wands 12 +2 Paralysis or Petrify 14 +1 Dragon Breath 16 Spells 15 +2 Dazai’s Character Sheet STAT VALUE BONUS AB +1 STR 11 INT 14 +1 WIS 13 +1 DEX 13 +1 CON 9 CHA 12 AC 13 HP 4(4) Race Dwarf Class Thief Sex Male Level 1 Age 74 XP 726(1500) Hit Dice 1d6 Money 21 gp, 1ep Equipment 6 days of Rations, Thieves Pick and Tools, Hemp Rope 50′, Backpack, Sling, 58 Bullets for Sling, Dagger, Leather Armour, Tin Plate. Spells/Abilities Darkvision with a 60′ range, able to detect slanting passages, traps, shifting walls and new construction on a roll of 1-2 on 1d6 (a search must be performed before this roll may be made). It takes a turn for the next abilities: Open Locks, Remove Traps, Pick Pockets, Move Silently, Climb Walls, Hide, Listen, and Sneak Attack. Restrictions Cannot use large weapons more than four feet in length like two-handed swords, polearms, and longbows. May not wear metal armour as it interferes with thief abilities. SAVING THROWS Death Ray/Poison 13 +4 Magic Wands 14 +4 Paralysis or Petrify 13 +4 Dragon Breath 16 +3 Spells 15 +4