“Kobolds.” Haagut scoffed. In the light of the morning Cleatus had picked out the trail of what Shaynen had seen during the night. “Was anything stolen?”

“No, nothing came into camp.” Shaynen insisted. Haagut hmm’d but he and Cleatus both checked their bags anyway.

“Let’s hurry and get out of this area.” Haagut said.

Camp was broken down and the party continued quickly. Cleatus and Haagut led the group with Odelia keeping a careful eye for followers.

The quiet trailing through the hills was broken by a loud blast and sounds of unhinged screaming. The party charged toward the sound. Around the canyon corner there was a mess of Kobolds and a single dwarven looking man surrounded by them. Shaynen charged forward as Cleatus pulled out his bow. Shooting an arrow and killing a kobold at the same time as Shaynen reached the dwarven man. With a swing of his quarterstaff, Shaynen threw one of the kobolds, killing him instantly. The last one surrounding the dwarf turned to Shaynen. Shaynen planted his staff into the ground, using it as a counter balance as he swung around it and kicked the last kobold back.

“Hi!” Shaynen chirped as he pulled his staff back out of the ground. “We’re here to help!”

“More!” The Dwarf pointed. Atop the canyon’s cliffsides more enemies loomed over. Kobolds with wings took flight. Haagut shot a blast and disappeared into the scant trees. Odelia ran into the fight. She fumbled with her weapons, pulling the short sword out. She leapt up beside Shaynen.

“Come on!” She held out her free hand to the dwarf. He stared at her puzzled. “I’m going to take you to safety!”

“Enemies.” The dwarf pointed.

“Safety!” Odelia pointed to a small grouping of trees. She corralled him into the trees. Still upon the cliff was a kobold decked out in machinery and jangling bottles. He pulled one free and chucked it toward Shaynen. It shattered a short distance away and a swarm of rot grubs sprang out of the glass shards. Shaynen wrinkled his nose and quickly sprinted away from the slow moving swarm. Above the winged kobolds came with large rocks. Cleatus shot one down as Haagut picked up a stick from the ground and made it glow with strange magic.

Shaynen looked up, one arm raised to knock the kobolds from the sky. A giant rock fell. Landing on his arm and easily dislocating his shoulder. He scooped up another rock in his offhand and threw it as hard as he could at his attacker. Knocking the kobold out of the skies and to the ground. Odelia dodged a rock falling at her. But no sooner had she recovered then Cleatus and Haagut dropped the rest of the flying kobolds from the skies.

The last kobold, the one with the strange bottles, looked straight at Haagut and threw a bottle at him. It shattered at his feet and out of the shards sprang a cluster of centipedes that swarmed up onto Haagut. He shrieked then seized up and fell to the ground, twitching.

Cleatus shot the kobold with his bottles and ran to Haagut. He picked up a stick and began smacking all the centipedes he could see crawling on the unconscious goblin. The dwarven man who’d been rescued ventured out to see what was going to happen next. Seeing Cleatus smacking Haagut repeatedly he picked up his own stick and joined in.

Odelia was busy crushing the rot grubs. Finding and smashing the last one as Shaynen walked up.

“What’s… happening?” He asked unsurely.

“Haagut’s got bugs.” Odelia said. She crossed her arms and watched. Shaynen nodded slowly.

When the centipedes were crushed and nothing on Haagut moved any longer, Cleatus stood up and began rummaging around the bodies for valuables. The ashen skinned dwarven man looked around with a crazy glint in his eyes.

“You. Help. Me?” He pointed at Odelia.

“Uh, yeah. We helped you.” She nodded. He shook his head.

“No. Help. Me. Now.” He said. Odelia sighed and then began rambling off in a tongue that was difficult to distinguish as language. The dwarven man looked just as confused as Shaynen did. Odelia sighed and rolled her eyes.

“Help you with what?” She asked.

“Family. Taken. Help. Get. Back.” He said. “Give. Staff.” The dwarven man pulled a staff with a white crystal off his back and held it out.

“What’s going on?” Cleatus suddenly appeared behind Shaynen. Making him jump.

“His family was taken by kobolds.” Odelia said. She walked to Haagut and very carefully and unsurely picked him up.

“Yeah, he’s offering the staff in exchange for us helping him find them.” Shaynen stepped off to the side.

“We’re gonna have to wait for Haagut to… uh. Come back to us.” Odelia carried him to the rest of the party.

“Then we set out at first light.” Cleatus said looking at the sky. He began moving toward a little cove in the canyon. Gathering firewood as he went. Odelia carried Haagut to the cove and sat him upright.

“Thank you.” Haagut spoke suddenly. Making her jump.

“Oh. Uh. Don’t mention it.” She cleared her throat. “Uh, How much have you been conscious for?”

“Something about a stick and waiting for me.” He said. “I can’t move. The centipedes must have been venomous.”

“Oh.. Can you… feel?”

“I feel bruised.”

“That’s cause Cleatus and the dwarf were smacking the centipedes.” Shaynen said as he walked up and used the rockwall of the canyon to reset his shoulder.

“I beg your pardon?” Haagut asked.

“Don’t worry about it.” Cleatus dropped a pile of strange berries into Haagut’s unmoving hand.

“Yeah it’s nothing.” Odelia shot Shaynen a dirty look. “You, uh. Need help with that?”

“... Yes.” Haagut said begrudgingly. Odelia picked up the berries from Haagut’s hand. He dropped open his mouth for her to drop a couple in. Neither making eye contact with each other.