Taking his eyes of the horrible spectacle, Runt read the scrolls. Luckily for him, a magic-user had at one time cast the incantation on them that would allow him to decipher them. He quickly read them. They were both spells that he didn't have the power yet to cast from a spell book, Fireball and Phantasmal Force. If he tried to cast these spells by reading the scrolls, there was a small chance that the spell would either fizzle, or erupt in some unpredictable magical surge.
The goblin knew he had to take that chance.
A large kobold, most likely the chief, stood near the center bridge. He turned to his tribe and raised his hands. He held a short sword that gleamed in the reddish glow of the lava below. The tribe instantly quieted.
The chief turned back to the bridges, and began chanting, his arms still held up high.
"What is he saying?" Bloom asked the goblin, knowing that he spoke Kobold.
Runt's face fell. "He is offering them as a sacrifice to their god Thitanousus. The chosen six are going to walk out onto the bridges, and cast our friends into the lava."
Bloom felt helpless. What could the two of them possibly do to rescue their friends?
"One of these scrolls is a Fireball spell," the goblin said hastily. "I would have loved to inscribe it into my spell book, but I am going to cast it, and hopefully fry most of the tribe in one go."
The thief looked at him in alarm. "Make sure you don't fry our friends!"
"I won't."
The chief ended his chant, and the kobold warriors walked out onto the bridges, their spears held high, ready to stab at the captives and push them over the edge.
Bloom glanced at the goblin. "Runt, let's go with that spell!"
The magic-user began chanting, and Bloom palmed her two daggers. Runt pointed his finger at the kobolds, and a small globe of flame shot out from his hand. It streaked across the chasm and slammed into the middle of the kobold tribe. With a terrific roar, the fireball exploded, incinerating about half of the tribe, including the chief.
The kobolds screeched and yipped, falling over themselves as they ran in a complete panic southward into darkness. As they whirled around to see where the fireball had come from, Bloom launched her daggers at the kobolds on the bridges with the dwarfs and Deft. She hit one in the chest, the other in the throat. Both lizards shrieked and toppled over into the crevasse.
Bloom and Runt were visible now, since they had attacked. The last kobold launched his spear at the goblin, missing his head by inches. Bloom unsheathed her sword and moved in front of the magic-user, while Runt read another spell from his scroll. Two streaks of silver energy shot from his hand, swerving to avoid Bloom, and slamming into the kobold's chest. Without a word, he toppled off the bridge.
Realizing they were free, the dwarfs, Deft, and Twix made their way across the bridges. Bloom cut the bonds on their wrists.
The bard wrapped his arms around Bloom and then Runt. "Thank you, thank you, thank you! I knew you'd come back! Ganth and Deft didn't believe it, but I did! I just knew it!"
Deft glanced at the thief. "Well, I…"
She held up a hand. "Save it. I don't blame you for thinking we would just up and leave you to die. But we didn't. But now's not the time for idle conversation. We need to get out of here."
"Agreed," said the dwarf. "We need our gear."
That meant crossing the bridges again, but they did so carefully. They passed by the smoking corpses of the kobolds, but Bloom stopped when she noticed something. Runt halted with her, while the others went on ahead.
"What is it?"
Bloom had already bent down next to the body of the chief. All the weapons of the other kobolds were burnt and ruined, except for the short sword the chief had held. It was untouched by the flames.
Runt pulled out his Wand of Magic Detection and recited the command words. The sword began to glow. Bloom reached out and touched it gingerly.
"It's not even warm!"
She picked up the sword and examined it. The workmanship was excellent, most likely dwarfish. She took her sword out of her scabbard, tossed it on the ground, and replaced it with the magical one.
"This adventure has been quite profitable for us," she laughed. "So many magic items just lying around for the taking!"
The thief and goblin hurried to catch up with the others, who had moved down a tunnel that ran southward out of the cavern. It
turned sharply to the left and entered a smaller cave with two other passages branching from it. They heard no sounds of the kobolds.
The dwarfs went into the cave, since they could see in the dark. Ganth's voice boomed out. "Cinder."
The sword burst into flame. The cavern was furnished with several heaps of straw, most likely bedding materials. At the northern end of the cave, a large kettle hung over a fire pit. The smell that emanated from it was nauseating. Of course, Twix had to go and have a look.
"Oh, gross!" he cried to the others. "There are fish heads floating in this! Ugh! I'll give anyone who drinks an entire mug of this stuff ten gold pieces!"
"Quiet, you ninny!" Ganth barked. "Everyone be quiet!"
Bloom and Runt stood guard while the others located their armor and their gear. They suited up, and after a minute, they were all ready to go.
Deft caught movement out of the corner of his eye. He turned to see a young kobold squatting behind one of the hay mounds. He walked over to the creature, who cowered in terror.
"What have we here?" Ganth said softly as he came up beside the kobold.
"Just a child," Deft said.
Ganth said something sharply in the Kobold tongue, and the creature began yipping and pointing to the south.
The dwarf turned to regard the others. "He says there is a way out, and it's through that tunnel that leads to the south."
"Thank the gods!" Bloom said. "Freedom at last!"
"If the little bugger is telling the truth," Ganth muttered.
Deft shrugged. "Why lie? I'm sure he wants us out of here as much as we want out of here."
"Then let us proceed," said the cleric.
"What about the kobold?" Bloom asked.
The dwarf frowned. "Leave him. He is nothing more than a pathetic wretch."
They moved into the southern tunnel, which turned east after forty paces, and ran straight to a set of stone stairs that had been carved into an upward-sloping part of the passage. The stairs were narrow, but sturdy.
The tunnel continued onwards, with several corridors and caverns branching off to the left and right. Ganth continued straight on, and after about thirty yards, they entered the southern end of a large cave.
On the cavern wall to their right stood a rectangular stone door. The dwarfs managed to pull it open, and beyond lay a small, round cavern.
The light of Deft's flaming sword fell upon a grisly sight, a skeleton lying face down on the floor. He was clad in plate mail armor, which gleamed in the light of Cinder's flame. On his back rested a quiver of arrows, and at his side lay a long sword and a broken long bow.
They approached cautiously. Skeletons were known to sometimes be animated. Their favorite trick was to pretend they were just skeletal remains, then they would leap up to the attack.
This skeleton proved to be just that. Runt waved his birch wand over the man's remains. Five of the arrows, the plate armor, and the long sword began to glow.
Ganth's eyes widened and lingered on the armor. "That is armor is beautiful! What workmanship! Obviously created by a dwarf."
"Then take it," Deft said. "None of us wear plate mail."
Ganth and Gareth reverently stripped the skeleton of its gear, then lay it gently back on the floor.
Twix examined the magic arrows, and grinned up at Deft. "We can split these!"
The fighter smiled. "Take them all, Twix. I don't mind."
"Who gets the sword?" Bloom asked.
Gareth stepped forth. "If nobody else wants it, I will claim it."
The dwarf picked up the sword and admired its workmanship. He was surprised the see dwarfish runes carved along both sides of the blade.
"These runes name this sword Drakedoom."
Deft glanced at him. "Drakedoom. I've heard about that sword. Its last owner was the great warrior Ober Alus."
The fighter looked sadly down at the skeleton. "This must be him."
Ganth removed his father's splint armor, and with Gareth's help, dressed himself in the gleaming plate mail. First he put on the chain mail shirt that was the base of the armor. Gareth buckled on his breastplate, added the epaulettes on his shoulders and the elbow guards, and finished with the tassets to protect his upper thigh, and the greaves to protect his shins.
Gareth put on Ganth's splint armor, and the cleric looked at him appraisingly.
"It fits you well, nephew. I think it may be time to pass it down to you. It won't be long before we journey to Blackburrow, and enroll you in the Order."
Ganth went to the western wall of the cave, put his hand on an outcropping of rock, and turned it. A rectangular secret door opened inward before him, and the dwarf turned and bowed at the others.
"This way, my friends. There is a long tunnel that runs up to the surface, if what the kobold told me is true."
"Let's hope it is," Bloom muttered. "You know you can't trust those little bastards."
They entered a narrow, winding passage that ended at a blank wall. Again Ganth searched for the correct outcropping, and twisted it. Another secret door opened, leading into what they assumed was a large cavern. They could only see forty feet into it, and something glimmered on the floor at the edge of the Cinder's firelight.
It was a pile of coins of all types, copper, silver, electrum, gold, and platinum, mixed with gems and jewelry.
Sticking out of the edge of this pile of treasure was an iron rod with a metal ball at its end.
Bloom pointed. "The Rod of Cancellation. That's what the old ladies are after! We're going to be rich!"
The thief rushed out to the treasure pile. No one followed her, and Deft had a sudden feeling that she shouldn't do it. He tried to call to her as quietly as possible, but she paid him no heed.
Bloom knelt at the pile of treasure. It was sizeable, and this was just one small edge of it.
"Bring that light in here so I can see!" she cried.
"Quiet!" Ganth hissed. "Get back here, woman! If there's a ton of treasure in here, there's most likely a guardian!"
Deft looked at the dwarf in alarm. "The kobold didn't mention anything about treasure, did he?"
The cleric shook his head. "He did not. Which is why I am worried."
Bloom pulled off her pack, stuffing it with coins, jewels and gems, topping it off with the Rod of Cancellation. She had just turned to walk back to the others when something huge moved beyond the light of Deft's flaming sword.
"Get back here now!" the fighter cried, sensing danger.
Suddenly, they all heard a great roaring and bellowing coming from behind him. They all instinctively ran out into the cavern, and Ganth pushed the secret door shut.
"What in the Nine Hells was that?" the dwarf cried.
"Allow me to explain," sounded a deep, loud voice. Light suddenly blazed from a point near the ceiling, illuminating the entire cavern. Deft caught a quick glance of two tunnels exiting the cave on the far side. But his gaze didn't linger there long.
The light emanated from a globe of light above the head of a huge creature. Red scales gleamed in the bright light as the giant lizard turned its huge bulk around to face the intruders. Its eyes burned like fire, and it opened its maw, displaying long, sharp teeth. It seemed to smile at them. It was a dragon.