The Creeps

   "You have captured the only one that matters. The rest will scatter and attempt to enter the town from other passages. We will never find them. The gnomes of the Hold are too busy with other matters to come after us. This passage is the only matter of any importance to us," Chief Neem said, eyeing Zigny with interest. Zigny chanced another glance up at the huge leader. Seeing the look Neem was giving him and understanding the language of the hobgoblins, Zigny was suddenly filled with dread. He was certain he wouldn't survive to see the gnomish attack and few of his men would survive the assault. When Chief Neem turned his attention back to the passage briefly, Zigny surveyed the chamber. Only a couple goblins and kobolds were in the cavern, the rest he figured took up posts in the defenses. This would be his only chance.
   Zigny reached into the deepest folds of his cloak of office and grasped the crossbow handle. He would get only one shot. In one swift motion, he pulled the crossbow and fired at Neem. Equally as quick, Chief Neem drew his sword and cut the bolt from the air, hacking into Ilk's neck before she could step out of the way as the well kept blade finished it's arc. The head of the bolt hit the wall near the closest goblins, exploding droplets of acid all over the goblin's skin. They screamed and scattered, two went toward the passage in their blind pain, dying as the trap cut them in two. The other three went racing down the tunnel toward the defenses alerting the waiting goblins with their eerie screams.
   Yshtra whipped her blades around to cut down two more goblins as they dashed forward to defend their leader. The single moment Neem wasted pulling his sword from Ilk's armored neck allowed Zigny to load another bolt and again fire at Neem. He sidestepped the bolt easily. Zigny had expected as much, he closed his eyes as the head of the bolt hit the wall and gave off a sudden blaze of light, blinding Neem, Yshtra, and the remaining kobolds and goblins. Yshtra ran toward the tunnel shouting for the goblins to come defend their Chief. Several fell for the ruse and met Zigny's shortsword as they entered the cavern. By the time Zigny reached the first defensive alcoves, both Neem and Yshtra had recovered from the blinding light.
   Zigny tossed a light-gem into one alcove and dove into the other, his sword a blur of goblin death. Yshtra followed him into the tunnel and slid through the narrow opening after Zigny. Both heard Neem begin chanting a spell. Yshtra recognized the words she had heard before and said only two words.
   "Stink Cloud." Zigny looked at her in amazement. He had expected her to switch sides back to her tribe as soon as the trick failed. He reloaded his crossbow, handed her a pouch of glass caltrops, pulled three more light-gems from his pouches, and told her to stay close. He jumped from the alcove, tossed another gem into the ledge above their heads as they jumped over the barricade and rushed down the tunnel. He chanced to look back in time to see a green cloud floating quickly after them.
   Zigny's bolt shot through the narrow slit in the next alcove, exploding acid on those hiding within. Then both were around the corner. Yshtra scattered the contents of the pouch behind them as they raced for the next turn. Zigny tossed gems into the last ledge and final alcove, dodging the few arrows the occupants were able to fire before the white light cut off their vision. As soon as they passed the last defenses, he shouted a warning to his men.

   "HERE COMES THE SMELL," he screamed. The sickly green cloud was still close on their heels. Behind him Zigny could hear Neem rallying his troops, apparently unaffected by the stench, though the goblins of the forward positions found a nasty surprise as they stepped on the sleep-gas filled caltrops while falling back to the alcoves nearest the guardhouse. Zigny knew the light-gems would only be a minor inconvenience, but they had served their purpose allowing him and the last hobgoblin female to pass the hidden goblins unharmed. Now they would expect such tricks and be prepared for the counter-assault.
   Zigny reached his waiting gnomes seconds before the stench reached the intersecting tunnels. Most had pulled cloaks over their faces waiting for the coming reek. Others had torn and moistened pieces of cloth in hurried preparation to cover their large noses. Neem had to have prepared that spell specifically for a gnomish attack. As the green gas hit the waiting svirf, all choked and gagged in limited forms. If he had not warned them, they would have been temporarily incapacitated.
   Only Yshtra stood unaffected. She stood at the head of the force looking into the tunnel for the follow-up attack. He hadn't noticed before, but a voice from the back of his group had been chanting in hushed tones as Zigny had run up. Now a slight breeze pulled at the stinking gas, drawing it up through the warren and away from the gathered host. He was doubly thankful, since he had the least time to prepare for the coming gas and the greatest affected. The smell burned his nostrils and forced him to choke back waves of bile.
   In seconds the green cloud had passed and only the faintly purple smoke of sleeping gas wafted through the passage. All svirfneblin were conditioned from youth to be immune to the slumber gas they manufactured, so none of it could be turned against them. From up the tunnel toward the warren came the only noise, a soft echo of retching. A moment later, Mand'r Enchrysoberyl came jogging down the corridor, very pale and soaked, still wiping puke from his lips.
   "You could have warned somebody," said the Mand'r of Drippool with a slight grin on his face. He saluted Master Zigny and joined Quois and the young runner near the head of the gathered force. The sound of the hobgoblin's voice startled all of them, but none more than Mand'r Enchrysoberyl.
   "No counter attack is coming," she said, her voice lacking any emotion, "Neem will wait for you in the large cavern." She turned to Zigny waiting for his next order. Reke was obviously surprised to see the Master and his captive return unscathed, even more surprising was her perfect grasp of svirfneblin language. He shook off the shock and returned to business.
   "How many?" asked Reke. Zigny opened his mouth to answer, but was cut off by Yshtra.
   "We killed twenty. That leaves thirty-five or so," she said quietly. Zigny did a mental count and agreed with the number dead, but had only counted about twenty-five in the tunnel defenses. His count couldn't be that far off. Yshtra saw his look of confusion.
   "When we attacked, the doors to the bunkhouse spit out about ten or twelve more," she told him. Zigny only nodded in response, he hadn't been looking in that direction.
   "How will they respond?" Reke asked Yshtra directly. She paused thinking over Neem's most common tactics and unending arrogance.