[hider=OOC]This wasn't meant to be the room where the dark magic is being performed, so I'll just say we knocked through the door and ran in. I'll specify when it's time to get there.[/hider] 
Cassilda and Nuva ran in, the men in the guardroom set to man the gate were caught completely unawares. Three of the cutthroats had been eating a late lunch, talking among themselves and chewing freshly cooked chicken. They wore arming swords at their sides and leather over roughly forged chainmail hauberks. Two crossbowmen were across the room, standing idly, and two men with axes and sword breakers stood next to the wheel that would open the gate. One of the crossbowmen leveled their weapon, firing at Cassilda but missing by a hair's breadth, the bolt glancing off Morek's plate armor as he charged in after the two. Kayden swore, drawing his own arming sword and wading into the room. 

Nuva's blow sheared one of the wheelman's sides clean off with his great maul, blood and gore spattering the stone wall. The other wheel man had an opportunity and made a glancing blow with the back end of his axe on Nuva's shoulder, making him stagger but doing no real damage other than a bruise. He raised his axe for another strike however, and a crossbowman leveled his weapon Nuva's way, trying to aim past his fellow bandit. 

One of the swordsmen looked at Cassilda, taken aback not only by being attacked, but by one of the attackers being a woman. He quickly gained his senses when he saw one of his friends ripped apart, and met her blade to blade. Another burly swordsman with a cauliflower ear jumped into the fray, smiling at Cassilda wickedly as if he already had plans for her. The third one that was about to walk in swung at Cassilda, but found his blade was blocked by Kayden, the Company leader pushing the man away and slashing him across the side, before turning around and thrusting at the larger, leering man that had engaged Cassilda. 

Morek pushed the bigger man out of the way, knocking him to the side a bit before making his way toward the crossbowmen. "I'll take care of the quarrelers." he said. 
[@Austronaut][@BCTheEntity]
[hr] 
Jex chopped downwards with his Axe, carving through his opponent's collarbone, even cleaving to the heart. He let out a satisfied hiss as the Gnoll toppled forward, dead before it hit the ground. The last Gnoll decided it had enough, knowing that it having trouble with Regeland was enough of a reason to flee, much less the enemies now at his back, with nothing but dead comrades at his flank. It slashed at the Vrettonian, then leaped past him into the brushing, whining like a whipped dog as it fled into the forest. The duelist sputtered, Gnoll hair flying everywhere and some had gone into his mouth. "Ptooey, ptooey!"

The Drabarian knelt down and opened up his dead opponent's ribcage, reaching in and tearing the heart out, before devouring it before his allies' eyes. Blood seeped down his terrible jaws. "Let us continue forward. We are almost there." he said in a low growl, wiping the blood off his axe across the Gnoll's unbloodied leggings before heading eastward. Arassel and Zin, along with Regeland in tow. "Strange I called to the Queen." the Vrettonian said to the Elves. "It's that bitch that wants my head!" 

They had not gone 20 feet before they found Leonard the Darkslayer. Dead. He had a spear through his gullet, his dead eyes staring up into the tree canopy as blood even still slowly seeped into the ground. The Gnoll that had fled had gotten the jump on him, it seemed. They continued onwards, before almost literally tripping on Hobnob and his crew who were hidden in the bushes.
[@Jbcool][@Fuzzybootz][@rush99999]