With Rocky's gift of a round of ales we let the cares of the fighting pass and we started to have a little fun. Quack and Bilgdwarf led a conversation at a table of their own, and the rest of us sat around a table to sing drinking songs.
We soon had the attention of a group of young adventurers who sat nearby. They came to us like excited puppies to meet their master, asking questions of where we'd found treasure, what we had to fight to get it, and how dangerous it was.
By the end of the night we'd befriended the troupe of newlings and said that if they dared, they could come with us.
And so Childon, Villidillus, Tedrick and Romshell joined us.
We left in the morning for the barrow mounds and with luck we didn't find any roaming beasts or monsters when we arrived. We climbed down the chain and descended into the darkness.
We lit up torches and the experienced campaigners that we are, immediately set out, while the mewlings stalled and one of them gave out money to the rest. Do your shakedown later!! I hope they realize what they've gotten themselves into, but I can tell by their dress and gear that they aren't prepared. Tedrick is wearing a kettle on his head with eye holes gouged out and has no armor but wields a very fine sword. Villidillus holds no weapons and keeps pounding his fists together and baring his teeth. Romshell has only a dagger. And lastly Childon has a dagger and whips it around. I swear he only did that because I was watching, perhaps trying to impress me, only I can tell he has no idea. He's holding the dagger like he's going to strike down into someones back and not at all like a slashing knife. Plus, he keeps rubbing that floor grime on his blade. He's bound to nick himself and his hand is sure to get infected from this graveyard mold and lichen. Actually, I don't Childon is right in the head, he's called a few of us by the name Bliggit at least three times, even though his friends have told him our names just as many times.
I'm just glad we're an experienced crew, and don't need to rely on these green boys to watch our backs.
We walked down the hall a little further, and peaked inside the rooms as we went. Nothing in the first door, but at the second door Mort listened and heard a quick and tiny chittering and squealing. It didn't sound dangerous, and so we opened the door.
We expected to see a few rats, rather we saw more than a few giant rats. Their eyes glistening in the shadows of our torches they immediately turned on us and started biting and clawing. We squished a few and pushed our way into the room, but found ourselves over extended and surrounded. While Bilgdwarf splashed one rats body across the floor, half of the pack turned on his and started ripping him to pieces. Blood was shooting everywhere. Bilgdwarf quickly fell to their attacks and we knew we had precious few moments to save him, but in the midst of this pack of rats we couldn't take our time.
Then the newlings made their appearence. Villidillus knelt and began praying aloud, Tedrick whipped out his sword and eviscerated a rat, Childon screamed and challenged Bliggit to combat. He rushed in with his grimy dagger and was chewed up by the rats. Romshell struck out, killing one rat, but falling to another. Their two deaths in the briefest of moments.
Sigorn struck out at a rat and missed, then backed up and came forward and layed his hands on Bilgdwarf and invoked his god for healing. The bites and wounds around Bilgdwarfs throat and eyes closed up and some color returned to his face, the briefest flutter coming to his eyes as he lay prone.
Mort lay into the pack of rats with a ferocity. Striking at no single rat, and all at the same time, his hammer wizzed through the air and struck the wall with a shattering sound, the weapon falling to the ground in pieces. With no weapon in hand, his axe was put back to use.
The chaos surged around us as our group forced their way into the room to cut down the rats. Quack immediately took up a position over Bilgdwarf and struck out at any rat coming close. Alas, her hammers didn't make the rats disappear and their tiny size inflicted only moderate wounds to the rodents.
With his prayers concluded, Villidillus surged to his feat and lunged at a rat, howling, striking it's wiry flesh with his hammy fists, pounding and pulping the rat into mash.
We continued to fight, dealing out death as much as taking wounds.
In the end, many had been savaged, but all rats lay dead. Bilgdwarf had been healed by Sigorn's god, and Childon and Romshell lay torn to shreds.
In the end we prospered. We found a sack full of silver. We shared it among our living. I'm sure we'll drink a toast to our fallen, later. In the mean time we need to get out of the mounds and back to Kalas before the darkness of night settles upon us.
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