“I don’t suppose that magic rope of yours can punch through the trapdoor?” Darnak asked.

Ryslind frowned. “Do not disturb my focus. I need to channel more power.” His voice was deeper than usual. His brow wrinkled, and the end of the rope curled into a tight ball. Ryslind’s eyes flashed red, and the rope slammed against the trapdoor.

A shower of dust fell from the ceiling, making Jig’s eyes water. Ryslind said the word again, this time with a wave of his hand for emphasis.

On the third try, a large square of rock swung down. Jig leaped back, afraid the stone would crash onto their heads. But it scraped to a halt, spraying them all with another layer of dirt and grit.

“Quickly,” Ryslind ordered. “The longer I hold it open, the more it drains me.”

Barius was already climbing. Darnak sent Riana up next, then looked back at Jig. “Your turn, goblin.”

“My name is Jig,” he grumbled. Climbing out of the pit was difficult. Jig had never been strong, and his hands and arms weren’t used to this sort of work. But he eventually reached the top. Barius, who had reached down to help Riana out of the pit, didn’t even look at Jig as he struggled to hook his ankle over the edge. Darnak followed a minute later, and then Ryslind, pulling the rope up behind him.

Stone grated loudly as the trapdoor sealed itself. Jig sat on the floor, trying to catch his breath, when he noticed Smudge clinging to his leg.

“Decided to forgive me after all, then?” Or maybe the spider had simply decided that coming with Jig was better than being left alone in the pit. It didn’t matter. Jig felt better for Smudge’s company. At least, he felt better until he spotted the hobgoblins coming down the corridor.

This was the first time Jig had really seen the adventurers in battle. During that first attack, he had been too busy hiding to watch much of the fight. He only saw the end, when Darnak and Barius beat the last few goblins. And the fight in the pit would have been too chaotic to follow even if he hadn’t been elbow-deep in worm guts at the time.

But now, watching the others draw weapons and prepare for the hobgoblins’ attack, Jig began to understand why surface-dwellers slaughtered goblins time after time.

Ryslind slipped his bow from his shoulder and nocked an arrow in one smooth motion. Barius and Darnak each took a step forward, leaving room for Ryslind to fire while at the same time shielding him from attack. Two hobgoblins fell before they even reached the adventurers. A third stumbled over the bodies of his fellows, and Barius’s sword licked out to slice deep into the side of his neck.

Three hobgoblins down before the fight had even begun. Jig stared in disbelief.