Leonard Greystone drew his Valdium sword and slipped behind a copse of trees to the left, leaning his back against them and keeping as quiet as he could. Zinvalur had joined him a few trees over, his bola out and ready to be twirled. Both Kukri's were within quick and easy reach. Meanwhile, it seemed Regeland was looking back and forth, before roughly diving into some thick bushes on the right, muttering how he was not getting paid enough in his mother tongue. 

The inhuman noises ceased suddenly, and a few of the mercs more accustomed to the woods could tell that the wind had shifted. It seemed the Gnolls had caught their scent. They were smart enough to use stealth tactics when necessary, it appeared. However, the Gnolls also seemed to underestimate how loud they had been previously, for they flew out of the bushes fully expecting to pounce on unsuspecting prey. And indeed they leaped far, as their legs were powerful with corded muscles. Five Gnolls had pounced out, with another red haired Gnoll charging, holding twin axes as it looked about hungrily. 

They were all wearing crude trousers, with a few leather pauldrons and perhaps a bracer or two, but they were largely unarmored. They did not need to be, for their skin was thick and their impressive height and musculature were enough to win most fights out in the wilds. Their scimitars and short swords were notched and worn, but effective looking. There was the fifth Gnoll with a wicked tipped halberd, and the sixth with the twin axes. 

From within the leaves, the Mercs could see the drool slathering off their snarling maws. A few sniffed the air again, and let out small eager whimpers. "Perhaps they had fled minutes ago." one of them said slowly. "No." the Halberd wielder said. "They're here..." With hair like fire and an unkempt mane, the one holding the Axes had an insane look in it's inhuman eyes. "Find them." it growled. 
[hr] 
"C'mon" Kayden whispered to them, and he lead them through the trench, and past the perilously open crags of rock that led down to the canyon below the fortress. To the untrained eye, it looked as if he was simply leading them away. But by one of the pillars of stone that held Fort Hillcrest up, there was a small stairway carved into the rock. It looked surprisingly well carved, and even had runes etched into the stone. Morek and Halbark would notice them as Dwarven numbers, and the name of the stonemasons who built it. 

Up and up they went, though it was slow going, for the stairs were thin and tall, before they made it to a small, but greatly barred door reinforced with iron. It could only be opened from the inside by a key. "Ok..." Kayden said, and he looked back to his team who were now standing on a thin platform. Outside of it was a good 60 foot fall. "Halbark, if you have a concoction to break through this, or perhaps Cassilda?" Haukford glanced at the rogue, Laila. "Do you have any tools to get us through?" 

Kayden gazed at them, and then at Morek. "If no one here can help, I'll need to ask Morek to break the door down. Might be a bit loud though. I'd rather not draw attention."    
[hr] 
As Hobnob waited, he and his team could now see a small field mouse sniffing the air, before slowly approaching the cheese. It would set off the entire bridge!