"This is never going to bloody work!" Hissed Belmin, propping up a huge oaken door-bar against the corridor wall.
"It's too late now, so just shut up and trust me!" Replied Codin, peeking through the open double doors and into the castle's great hall. The great hall was dug deep into the mountain side, but with the high climbing ceiling, one would never have guessed it was subterranean. Inside, a dozen long wooden tables were laid out in columns along the length of the hall, with at least a hundred or two Stoneravens sitting all along them, gorging themselves on a splendid luncheon. Dozens of torches and braziers lit the room in a warm glow, contrasting with the cold stone walls. It was abundantly clear that the Stoneraven Syndicate was no amateur cartel. At the head of the hall, on an elevated platform, stood an ornate throne with a mammoth ruby set into the head piece. On the throne itself, sat a bald, grey bearded man with a vicious scar running across his eye, covered by a leather eyepatch. He wore an expensive purple tunic with gold lace facings, and had an inordinate quantity of rings on his battle hardened fingers. The sight of him gave a twinge to Codin's spine.

Meanwhile, Hwinion had dragged the body of the dead Stoneraven who fell at the hands of his comrade up to their position, and was now busy fixing an arrow into the back of the bandit's leather chest piece. Codin's plan was being set into motion. Whilst Hwinion was busy and Belmin was catching his breath in bouts of puffs and wheezes, the warrior called over his gnome friend to his side.
"Fizzbiscuit?" He hollered.
"Yes?" Replied the Mage, adjusting the pointed hat on his head.
"Could it be possible for you to channel your inner 'simple arcanist' and freeze our late friend, here, where he stands?" Asked Codin.
"Is it possible?" Giggled the Gnome. "Dear Codin, it would be my utmost pleasure!"
"That's what I like to hear." Smiled the man, setting his eyes back onto the great hall. Hwinion had secured the steel arrow into the leather cuirass and then spoke up himself.
"The body's ready. Let's just hope this works." Stated the elf, with a tone of stress on his voice.
"It'll be fine, now get into position!" Replied Codin, pulling back from the door and getting himself ready. The motley crew followed suite, setting the risky plan into motion. The Warrior and Mage began to slowly and carefully open the doubles doors of the empty room opposite the great hall, as to not raise the suspicions of the dining Stoneravens. Belmin collapsed back into the shadows and readied the door-bar and Hwinion heaved the deceased footpad onto his feet. The door was pushed wide open, revealing an empty store room with countless boxes and crates stacked high, and the elf dragged the body into the centre of the doorway.
"Go on, quickly!" Whispered Hwinion, struggling under the weight of the limp bandit. Fizzbiscuit stood back from the door and back into the hallway, and then began his incantation. Hwinion stood back and retreated into the shadows. The Mage released his energy and let loose a wave of frost, freezing the Stoneraven where he stood, leaving him standing rigid in the door way. Codin, himself, then collapsed back into the shadows, ready to execute the final part of the plan. The crew was all in position. It was now time to see if the gamble would pay off.

The man nodded at the dwarf. Belmin took a deep breath and peered his head round the door and into the main hall.
"Oi! Over here!!!" Bellowed the dwarf. His coarse, booming voice echoed throughout the vast main hall, rendering the occupants silent. The scores of Stoneravens (Along with the man sitting on the throne) all turned to face the door, finding the silhouette of one of their own men standing in the opposite doorway.
"Was that you, Elfred?" Hollered out one of the Stoneravens.
"Aye, what you standing there for, pal?" Echoed his friend.
They were met with silence. Codin nodded at Hwinion, who then gave the frozen bandit a prod with his bow. The body rocked back and forth for a moment or two, but then fell forwards onto the hard and cold ground, revealing the arrow stuck in its back. A collective gasp rang out throughout the hall.
"What in the hell...?" Grunted a guard. The hall fell into silence once more, until the man on the throne spoke up.
"Well don't just stand there!" He growled. "Go take a look, damn you!"
The cohort of Stoneravens sprung into action. Stools and benches were flung back as the bandits and mercenaries stood up and charged out of the main hall, all drawing weapons as they ran. Codin's heart began to pound as he clutched the wall, hiding in the darkness. The Stoneravens all came to a halt in the corridor between the two rooms and examined the body.
"What happened?"
"Looks like he's been shot in the back."
"Where from?"
"How? I didn't hear him cry out!"
"Listen!" Bellowed an officer. The group ceased talking immediately.
"He got shot in the back, so it must have come from the Storeroom. Look, the door's open, too!" He explained. A collective 'Ohhh' rang out, before the corridor fell silent again.
"Well don't just stand there! Get in there and find them!" Barked a whiskered, baton-wielding sergeant. Roars and cries of 'Let's go!' echoed throughout the passageway as the behemoth of men charged into the storeroom, with every last one cramming inside. Finding that it was the opportune moment, the group sprung the trap.
"Move it, go!" Whispered Codin as the four adventurers closed in on the door. In coordination, Hwinion, Codin and Fizzbiscuit slammed the two hefty double doors shut, as Belmin heaved the door bar into position, effectively trapping the giant mass of men inside the room, with no way of escape. Muffled shouts of 'What the?' and 'What the hell happened?!' could be heard from behind the doors, and soon panic and uproar descended upon the occupants of the storeroom. They banged and smashed violently on the door, trying to escape, but it was to no avail. The door bar held tight, and they were indeed, well and truly trapped. The group stood back and admired their handy work, with Belmin guffawing, Fizzbiscuit giggling with content, Codin grinning inanely and Hwinion sighing and wiping the nervous sweat off his brow.
"Hahaha, not gonna lie, Laddie, that was pretty damn good!" Roared Belmin.
"Yes, not too bad, Master Brackbyrne. Not too bad at all." Admitted the Elf. Codin chuckled and panted with exhaustion.
"Not too bad? Bloody brilliant if I do say so my-"
"Codin, Look Out!!!"

The Warrior suddenly felt a dull pain in the back of his head, and found himself on his back, staring up at the ceiling. He heard a muffled ruckus going on all around him, but couldn't make out the individual sounds or voices. He felt dizzy and confused, yet somehow managed to find the strength to prop himself up into a somewhat sitting position and to find out what was happening around him. His vision was blurred at first, yet it didn't take long for his eyesight to return. Standing in front of him, he saw something that made his heart sink. The head Stoneraven had snuck up behind them, along with half a dozen of his lieutenants, and had got the drop on the group completely. Hwinion was backed into a corner, fending off two thugs baying at him like dogs; Belmin had been knocked to the floor, the same a Codin, and was now pinned down onto the stone floor by the armoured foot of a ungodly large, club-toting mercenary and poor Fizzbiscuit was pinned up against the wall by one of the Lieutenants, who suspended him in the air with one hand and held a blade to his neck with the other. Then, right over Codin, stood the main man himself, with a deadly looking short sword in one hand and a vicious dagger in the other. He went down on one knee, grabbed Codin by the collar and held his blade to his chest, speaking up in a raspy, gruff voice that sounded like that of a weathered and aged seaman.
"Who the hell are you, huh?!" He growled. The scent of strong alcohol was present in his breath. Codin stayed silent.
"Why are you here?! Who sent you!" Pressed the Stoneraven, shaking Codin by the scruff of his neck and pressing the tip of the sword closer to his throat. Codin coughed and decided not to reply.
"Stay strong, my friend! Ana'duna Thera!" Hollered the elf, bearing his teeth at his foes and raising his knife.
"Aye, keep your mouth shut, Laddie!" Agreed the mountaineer, short of breath from the crushing weight of the behemoth's foot on his chest.
"Don't worry, my comrade! We'll be fine!" Panted Fizzbiscuit, struggling to breathe from the crushing pressure of the Stoneraven's strangling hand around his neck.
"Quiet, the lot of you!" Roared the eyepatch-clad bandit.
"Finish them off, Brody." He ordered, addressing his head lieutenant.
"Yes, boss." Replied his gold-toothed second-in-command.
"What?! You'll do no such thing!" Exclaimed Belmin.
Eyepatch then turned back to the Warrior.
"Now, I'll ask you again!" He said. "Who sent you?!"
No reply, only a smug grin from the bearded Warrior. This enraged Eyepatch even more.
"Why are you here?!" He yelled. Codin began to reach around in his pocket.
"WHAT DO YOU WANT?!"
Codin cleared his throat and with his left hand, held up his pocket watch and clicked it open.
"What?" Murmured the Stoneraven, easing his grip due to his confusion.
"I just dropped by to pick this up." Smirked Codin.
"What?! Do you think you're amusing?! Because you're honestly not proving to be very funny." Snarled the commander, tightening his grip.
"Now think very carefully about what you say next, Codin!" Suggested the Gnome, with his captor's grip growing ever tighter around his neck. The Warrior paused for a moment, then spoke up once more.
"Well, you see, at birth I was given a choice between being funny or stunningly handsome..." Stated Codin. Eyepatch gave a confused look once more.
"It's a burden, sometimes, but I've learned to live with it." Grinned the Warrior.
"Oh, for the love of Elune..." Hwinion cringed. Eyepatch sighed.
"I hope you enjoyed that, because it'll be the last bad joke you'll ever bloody ma-"
He suddenly stopped mid sentence and choked on his words, as Codin's trusty longsword pierced his lovely purple tunic and impaled him like a Darkmoon Dog.
"See, that's where you're wrong, friend. It appears I'll have many more days of making shite jokes ahead of me." Laughed Codin, throwing Eyepatch's limp body off him and jumping up to his feet. The Stoneraven goons spun round and gasped in horror, as their commanding officer lay dying on the floor with the bearded warrior standing over him, sword and shield in hand and collapsed into a balanced fighting position.
The behemoth growled, left Belmin on the floor, raised his gargantuan axe and lumbered towards Codin. His mistake.

Belmin Hammerbrand, Mountaineer of Loch Modan and wielder of the Hammerbrand Warhammer leapt to his feet and charged forward, yelling his fiercest war cry and bringing his mighty hammer down onto the Behemoth. The crunch of bone under hammer echoed throughout the corridor, and like a boneless fish, the Behemoth fell to the floor, as dead as his former commander. Hwinion, seizing the moment, let out a war cry himself and charged his opponents, pouncing like a Nightsaber. He ripped into the larger of the two with his razor sharp dagger, tearing him to pieces like a timberwolf with its prey, whilst Codin charged into the fray and finished off his friend, flattening him with his shield and sending his trusty blade shooting into his heart. Fizzbiscuit was the final member of the motley crew to act, head butting his captor square in the face. The Stoneraven was sent reeling backwards, and was forced to drop the gnome, who in turn began to charge up a tremendous fireball in his minute hands. With the rage of an angry god, the Gnome Mage screamed "Sha'al Amros!!!" at the very top of his lungs and released his ball of mage-fire, sending if barrelling towards the unsuspecting brute, who was still clutching his face in pain. The fireball shot forward, burning the air as it flew, and collided in a crescendo of heat and flame with the Stoneraven, incinerating him where he stood. Suddenly the battleground corridor fell very quiet, and apart from the muffled hum of angry voices through the barred door, all was silent. The four comrades looked at each other in amazement, elation and thankfulness. No words were needed to express how they felt. But as always, Belmin broke out into his obnoxiously loud laughter. Codin and Fizzbiscuit followed suite, revelling in the apparent hilarity of the situation. Even Hwinion managed a chuckle.
"Right, now lets go get that bloody gold!" Roared Belmin, charging off down the hall into the torchlight.
"Does he even know where he's going?" Giggled the Gnome.
"I highly doubt it." Stated the Elf.
"Care to lead the way?" Asked Codin, sheathing his sword and placing his watch safely back into his pocket.
"It would be my pleasure." Replied Hwinion, heading off into the depths of the castle, followed closely by his friends.