Part VI: A deadly end

"So tha wassa squig..." Trogdar slurred softly.

"It would appear so," replied Jandyr, packing away his herbal remedy kit.

"S'funny," continued Trogdar, "I fought they'd be smaller, heeheehee...."

"Maybe I used a little too much Dragon Claw..." pondered Jandyr, looking at the delirious Barbarian.

"Like, teeny tiny bite-size likkle fings. Not great hulking bite-yer-arm-off kinda fings," Trogdar frowned. "I can see now why they need a squig 'ound like Growler to gerrem."

'Has he forgotten the ones we fought earlier?' thought Jandyr to himself. Far too much Dragon Claw in this herbal batch...

He turned away from the stricken Trogdar to take another look at the dead-end room they were now stuck in. Furs piled on the floor served as primitive bedding and the stench of Orc was only enhanced by the corpses of 8 Warriors they had recently despatched.

The Wizard sat comatose in a corner, his wounds frosted over as his whitened eyes stared vacantly into space. Short-arse was sullenly picking at a weapons rack, remarkably unhurt.

"Look, I'm sorry if you can't keep up with our pace," said Jandyr.

Short-arse shot the Elf a look before turning her attention back to the rack.

"'n then s'more of them spinny chain-ball guys, a-heehee," Trogdar chuckled to himself. "Totally unprepurr'd for that, wasn't ya Wizzy?"

The Wizard continued to stare at nothing, his Wounds slowly melding back together as the ice contracted.

"'ee's a funny fella, inny Jandy?" asked Trogdar. "Ollas runnin' round sayin, 'Oh me magic wind has gone,' a-heeheehee."

"He is indeed," agreed Jandyr, examining the ceiling for any possible hidden mechanisms that might let them ingress further.

"Knows 'ow to kill fings though, dunn'ee?" Trogdar continued. "'ee killed 5 of them Orcsises before yoo even got in the room, dinn'ee Arsey?"

Short-Arse glared at the stricken Barbarian. "Do you mean to insult me, manling?"

Trogdar's face dropped. "I didn't mean anyfing nasty..." he began.

"Because it seems to me," Short-arse continued, irate, "that the three of you think you can continue this adventure without me."

"No, I didn't..." continues Trogdar.

"Remember your anger management techniques," said Jandyr calmly. "Just breathe.."

"Don't tell me to breathe you stuck-up poncy Elf," Short-arse bellowed, grabbing the nearest weapon from the rack. "I've a good mind to chop off your kn..."

The Dwarf was cut off mid-sentence as a heavy stone block fell from a concealed entrance directly above her. Only her heavy armour plate saved her from a gruesome death as she lay face-down in the bed furs, bleeding heavily from her head.

Simultaneously, a concealed entrance in the wall next to the rack was hoisted rapidly, connected by thick gut-wire to the block. Yet another giggling goblin hurtled out swinging a ball and chain, cracking against Trogdar's face as it went.

Jandyr sighed softly and began to unpack his herbal remedy kit.