PLANS TO STRIKE
The dwarf's face hardened while looking into Aramil's eyes.
" We need you to focus on the task at hand. If those rats get through," he thumbed a finger at the door
" ...we need to make a stand here. If our scouts are successful, then we can move out quickly."
Oktavianus placed his gnarled right hand on the wizard's shoulder " Are you with us?"
Gailwind assessed " I don't mean to be facetious, but isn't this a common theme with our hand-picked fellowship? Our minds haunted with earlier stresses?" The lorist paced the floor. " First, Nerendil regresses to when his sister was killed in a housefire, and then we have many of us..." glancing nonchalantly at the ranger " with our own old agendas of revenge, and now our dear mage is frozen with fear because of a mishap from childhood." The elf looked around " Were we set up to fail? Did someone know each of our flaws?!"
Oktavianus growled " On yer feet, wizard!" The cleric hefted Aramil up by the arms " If yer gonna die, then you'll die on yer feet.... just like a dwarf!"
The mage clamored up and slowly adjusted himself. It appeared he was on the verge of a mental breakdown.
Gailwind, remembering himself, finished with a placative statement upon seeing the magician's stature.
" Whatever the intent in the matter though, I am sure we will come out ahead in the end."
Roslyn, displeased at the mage's tales of corruptive wizardry, asked the group about their current stance. " How should try to defend ourselves? How much longer do you think we have?"
Teflar patted the hobbit on the head " Just aim for whatever comes through that door....a bolt striking hitting anything will do."
The pounding kept coming, but to their benefit, the door did not seem to worsen its barricade.
6:15 PM: Many minutes the pair was gone and Roslyn kept suggesting she try and go investigate. Perhaps Vrai and Nanith had gotten into trouble? As if cued to appear, the hobbit rolled over the wall fallling squarely upon his feet " I'm back!" He was smiling and moved to the center of the room. He cocked on eye at the banging door. " Boy, who forgot to feed them." He turned to the others while Vrai launched himself over the divide. " We have goblins numbering seven in the adjacent area west beyond the guard room where we were just in. My suggestion would be to creep over the wall, organize ourselves into afighting unit, and then storm them while they are practicing their spear throwing. They seem pretty distracted, so I think this is the time to act before noises from the ratbanging becomes obvious."
Everybody was in agreement and they all filed over to the wall for the quick scale over.
" Vrai," the priest asked as he was being helped with the climb, " What happened to the two guards you both were supposed to take out?"
The bowman twisted a painful smile " I was saving them for you."
The fellowship made it into the tiny guard room and listened to the racket from the adjacent quarters.
" Okay, listen." whispered Teflar " The archer and I will fire off bowshots at the closest beasts while Oktavianus and Erelis charge them when they struggle with their injuries."
He paused momentarily because the clatter of a wooden object echoed fairly close to them. " We don't have any time for objections. Aramil, cast the best spell you have. Wee ones, stick close to eachother with weapons ready to strike. Gailwind, you are in charge of the kobold. Kill him if he tries to escape." The ranger turned to the door and unslung his bow " Let's go!"
The wizard stared placidly off ahead past the dwarf as if he hadn't heard a word.
BANG! A crack appeared in the middle of the door. The oakwood released a running rip along the grain that seemed to buckle outward from an unseen force.