As Gwalchmai backs off, other Goblins are allowed access up into the room but before the first clears the trapdoor, a heavy bolt from a militia man's crossbow lifts it off its feet. With arms splayed wide the creature hurtles backwards to crash against the wall with the thick shaft of wood embedded in its ribcage. It gurgles its last through the wreckage of it's lungs.

Trying again with little success, the first Greenskin continues to rain ineffectual blows down upon Gwalchmai, but his aim is skewed and Gwalchmai manages to retain his feet. With a last summoning of effort, the barbarian-like warrior swings his long-hafted axe and nearly clips the Goblin on one bony shoulder. It is then, through his pain-filled vision that Gwalchmai observes the lithe figure of Arekhel creeping up behind his adversary.

The third Goblin leaps forward dodging another crossbow bolt and plunges at Targon who races forward to meet it. The two clash as blows are exchanged but its the militia man who finally gains the upper hand, dealing the Greenskin a vicious crosscut in its side that leaves it struggling weakly on the floor, bleeding profusely.

Smiling grimly, Gwalchmai raises his shield once more as the Goblin lunges but Arekhel's narrow blade is swifter and the full force of her leap is plunged through the creatures midriff. A horrific gurgling scream rents the air as the Goblin collapses forward, thick ichor pouring like a wave from its torn back. Arekhel smiles strangely as she stares at the oozing blood coating her arm from fingers to elbow. Gwalchmai grunts and slumps to the floor as the Elf stoops to retrieve the shaft of an arrow embedded in the dead Goblin's chest. She dismisses it and goes to the aid of Gwalchmai.

With Targon and Maleg's sudden aid, the two remaining Goblins are soon overwhelmed, one loosing an arm and the last scrabbling desperately and down through the trapdoor in a bid to escape its killers. Targon chooses not to follow the doomed and badly bleeding creature and instead gets some of the stone blocks from outside to seal the opening shut from above.

As Gwalchmai swoons from loss of blood, the wild-eyed Elf mutters otherworldy incantations over his form while forcing strange black seeds between his dry lips. With a wash of water, she clears the blood from his torn armour before making him drink. With Gwalchmai's hand pressing down to staunch his own gaping wound, she sets to stitching the man for the second time.

Meanwhile...

Sealvach scans the rooms on the second floor for signs of secret openings but finds none. Finally, he approaches the mouldy door to the outside wall. Standing before it he muses on its purpose and scratches his chin. He does not open it however, aware that somehow, Arekhel knows something of its meaning and without her presence he would be a fool to explore it further. At the sounds of combat, the Gambler draws his weapon but stays near to where the Hobbit's stand in case the group needs to flee.

Meraina hear's the shouts of the goblins attacking and immediately draws her daggers. Standing firmly in the stairwell door on the second floor she nervously looks at the other doors on this level, ready in case a Goblin was hidden there. Keeping her attention between the doors and the stairs she eyes the mouldy door with unease, ready to run down the stairs shouting if it should move even a hair.

It stands silently enigmatic. Meanwhile...
 

Coru sees Heladil's gestures and moves swiftly up the side of the outer hallway and halts next to one of the arrowslits. Froin backs up against the stairs facing the inner door and cocks his crossbow ready for the first enemy who bursts through. Glancing round, Coru sees nothing but darkness through the arrowslit but moves back swiftly as something hard flies past to ricochet off the farther wall. It's a black feathered arrow. As if on cue, Heladil begins firing blindly through the arrowslit into the room as the rest of the warriors take up defensive positions.

Counting the men on the uppermost level, Relg realises that there should be enough to cope with the Goblins in the inner room. He shouts towards Valdo:
"Valdo, you take this upper level with your men. I'd secure these doors, with two of your men at each, this should keep these devils busy. I go down." He turns to Coru and gives a sign that he should stay at this level, too.

Turning to Boldor, Relg continues:
"Boldor, I think, your friend Gwalchmai is in urgent need of help."

"I'm sure he can handle it," answers the Dwarf.

Then Relg pushes past one of the militia men and jumps down the stairs, taking two steps at once. To the militia men at the middle level, he shouts "You come with me. They should be able to handle..." 

Before he can finish the sentence, he hears Coru's voice shouting above. "Relg, they're on to us!"

Without a stop, Relg goes to leap further down the stairs but something in Coru's voice makes him halt, then turn to race back up the stairs...

Coru joins with Heladil in firing into the room but halts after the second shot as a shout from Lochan behind him makes the tracker look to the left. Round the curving edge of the wall come three Goblin's armed with short spears and ready for battle. These wear makeshift clothing and are daubed with some sort of dark paint in leaping swirls. Behind them come others but the Gargath tracker ignores them, letting fly a panic shot before the Greenskins are upon them.

Lochan dashes forward to join Coru, letting the oiled cord of his crossbow thrum as he fires at the closing Goblins. Both shots fly harmlessly over the enemy and Coru gives a desperate battle cry as he drops his bow and draws forth the Gargath sabre at his hip.

Bursting from the stairwell, Relg draws his blade in one swift motion as he turns left and dashes forward with two of the militia men to aid the scouts. He prays that Maleg has gone to aid the group downstairs. 

With his mind elsewhere, Relg jumps forward towards a Goblin with a loud battlecry on his lips not noticing the brief flicker of movement beside him. As the militia men pass by it, a Goblin behind an arrowslit in the inner room sees its chance and lets fly at pointblank range. The arrow scrapes past the man's neck and he reflexively dives out of the way, as do the others by the stairwell as more arrows hurtle from the walls thunking amongst the huddled group.

Lochan is the first to draw blood as he avoids the other's spear and cuts a deep gash in his opponent's arm. Coru finds himself off balance and only manages to clip the Goblin's ear. Relg screams into the third Goblins face but his adversary just grins and sidesteps the warleader's feinted strike.

As arrows continue to fall amongst the group, Valdo screams for them all to take cover and dives for the shelter of the inner wall himself. One of his men is not so fast and takes a black-fletched arrow through the thigh. He stumbles against the outer wall. Boldor and Froin back into the shadow of the stairwell as Heladil backtracks to check for Goblins coming the other way. The wall here has fully collapsed outwards and a cold wind blows in, fluttering the feathers of the murder of crows that fidgit and caw at the
approaching Elf. He eyes them with distrust.

Around the otherside of the hallway, the Gargath are slowly taking the upper hand. Coru pretends to stumble against the inner wall causing the Goblin to lunge for him. The tracker, ducks beneath the blow and slices open his opponent's leg. A gurgle of surprise leaves the creature's lips as the wave of pain floods through and it keels over at Coru's feet, dead. Not to be outdone, Relg steps into his foe's strike, cleanly avoiding the thrusting spear and plunges his curved blade through the creatures face.

At that moment, Froin shouts to his companion:
"Beware the door!" but too late as the inner door facing Froin's position finally flies open and the Dwarf lets fly into the darkness beyond. His shot misses however as four of the oddly tattooed Goblins dive through wielding dirty-looking scimitars, spears and rough wooden shields with a stylized hooked finger painted in red on their surface. Boldor gives a throaty roar and charges an enemy as the first Goblin through catches a militia man in the arm with his spear. The man screams as his flesh is torn open and pinned to the wall, blood spraying in a high arc from a severed artery. As Valdo leaps from the side to engage, he sees Boldor swing his great mattock far too high and the Goblin before him laughs in contempt as he brings his sword crushingly on the Dwarves outstretched arm. Boldor staggers under the horrific blow as the scimitar cleaves his flesh to the bone. His war mattock falls from lifeless fingers as the Dwarf backs off in pain-filled desperation.

Boldor is not the only one to suddenly find himself on the receiving end because Valdo's swing falls short as the nimbler Goblin breaks through his guard and delivers a hard blow to the Captain's chest. Valdo hears an audible crack from one of his ribs and stumbles to the side. Froin desperately backs away from an onrushing Goblin but realises too late that there is no one nearby who can help him and his crossbow will take too long to reload. He vaguely tries to raise it to ward against the deathblow when
suddenly, from further up the hallway Heladil finally sees a clear path and lets fly with an arrow, born on its way with a swift prayer to the distant Valar. The aim of the Elf is sure and the shaft speeds through the moving combatants to hit the Goblin squarely in its back, lifting the creature off its feet to smack loudly against the wall just above the frightened Dwarf's head. The crumpled body falls to slide slowly down the stairs coming to rest at the feet of the militia men on their way up. They roll it over to check for signs of life but the bright tip of the Elven-wrought arrow clearly protrudes from the creatures heart. The Elven warrior is not even aware of the success of his first shot for already he is firing repeatedly with skill that only the Firstborn can muster. His second shot knocks
another Goblin aside but his aim is fouled from its original target - to aid Boldor. A militia man clashes with the Greenskin as it lunges for Boldor with a killing blow but it still manages to connect with the Dwarf. Boldor fair nearly collapses, weaponless from the attack.

Meanwhile, Lochan's adversary finally succumbs, almost chopped to pieces by the Ranger's wild swings. He shouts for backup as he moves to press in on the next opponent. A militia man hears his shout and runs forward, forgetting for a moment the hidden archers. The Goblin tries a second time and succeeds, taking the man in the thigh with a penetrating shot. The militia man cries out and collapses in agony as his right leg crumples beneath him. Relg takes his next opponent in the shoulder, crushing the
brittle bones and sending it howling to a swift death. It is then that from out of the shadows ahead a rumbling challenge rends the air.

"Shenjaka nam Brogruhk-gol. Ish tabinska manlarr!"

Relg flinches at the sound and whirls to see a great bulking Orc, clad in dully gleaming chainmail advance towards him wielding an iron-banded warclub. The Uruk growls once more and advances on the smaller warrior as Relg spits on the floor infront of him. He wipes his forehead of sweat and mutters words to Kher'Res, taking a tighter grip on his sabre. He awaits the challenge as Brogruhk lumbers into a slow run swinging the spiked weapon from side to side before him.

By now, the melee by the stairs is a mess of slashing figures, friend and foe alike fighting for their lives. A wounded Goblin backs up against the open door as three militia men press home their attack, while Valdo clouts his own adversary across the side of its head, stunning the creature. Froin takes the opportunity to swiftly drag Boldor out of the hallways so he can tend to his pumping wound. Heladil tries to get to one of the other doors to catch the Goblin archers from behind as another militia man is caught by a Goblin arrow. He stumbles across his fallen comrade, crying out in pain.

Suddenly, Heladil's way is blocked by a storm of crows that rise up from their rotting perches at his approach. With evilly glinting eyes and sharply stabbing beaks, the avians turn on the Elf and batter him from all sides. Heladil shield his eyes from their snatching talons and has to break off his venture as his bare flesh is nipped and scratched by the creatures fury. He heads back to join the group by the stairs.

Lochan sinks his blade into his second adversary's beating heart as the great Uruk's personal guard leap forward over their fallen comrades to push both scouts backwards, away from Relg. The War-seeker yells a challenge as he closes with the huge Orc, sidesteps the first swing and thwacks his blade into the heavy chain over Brogruhk's side. He does little more than bruise his opponent and the Uruk grins as he brings the two-handed club down onto Relg's shield. The force is punishing and Relg staggers beneath the blow.

Meanwhile, the Goblins by the stairs are finally in retreat as the fresh militia from downstairs go to the aid of their wounded comrades. Valdo scores a hit on a Goblin's thigh and the creature fumbles its weapon as it tries to staunch the sudden wound. Two militia follow up and send the creature flying with a well placed blow. Another Goblin turns to flee back into the inner room but a nasty slash cuts through its tattered armour to sever the creatures spine. It staggers and falls forward beyond the door.

Coru is momentarily distracted by the hugely hulking creature beside him and the Uruk's guard gets a vicious blow past the Gargath's shield. Lochan also receives a nasty wound from his opponent and redoubles his defense. Relg and the Uruk exchange blows, each testing out the opponent for points of weakness but the Gargath knows more tricks and breaks through to deliver a crashing blow to the creatures chest. The Orc backs off, clearly weakened and Relg leaps after him. One of his bodyguards, aware that his leader is
no longer pressing the attack, fumbles its weapon and Coru knocks it against the inner wall. Lochan in the meantime takes a great risk to aid Relg's attack and steps forward into the path of the Goblin's swinging blade. He picks his time well however because the creature is overstretched and only clips Lochan's shoulder as its leg is severed cleanly from under it. It gasps in shock and falls to the side staring up at its killer with wide eyes. As Relg continues to avoid the worst of his opponent's blows, Lochan breaks off his pursuit to tend to the wounded militia men around him seeing another and Coru going with his leader and pressing his own
adversary back up the corridor.

Relg dives under a vicious swing and rolls to a stand behind the Uruk. He lashes out with his leg to trip the Orc who almost looses his weapon as it hits the wall. With a hate-filled roar, the Uruk leader swings round with arm held out, catching his own bodyguard on the chin and lifting the smaller creature bodily off the floor to crash against Relg, knocking the Gargath into the rubble behind him. The remaining militia man tries to catch the Orc with his own blade but misses as Brogruhk jumps through the open doorway into the darkness of the inner room once more and is lost to view.

The sprawled Goblin scrabbles over Relg and leaps to its feet, its only thought to escape from the trap. It sees the beckoning darkness of the tunnel behind the crumbled wall and leaps towards it...only to skid to a halt and then back off, clearly terrified of the place. It turns towards its enemies, face a mask of terror and hatred, finding it's way truly blocked. It backs into the corner,  weaponless.

As Valdo and his men leap through the doorway into the central room, they see the two remaining Goblin archers heading towards a set of steps that jut from a central pillar. At the foot of the steps, the Uruk-hai glances across at the humans and grimaces before taking the ascending steps two at a time, disappearing from view. The Goblin's make to follow.

.....

Satisfied that Gwalchmai will live, Arekhel looks up to where the militia men are dressing their minor cuts and shouts: "Help me to move Gwalchmai into the trees, then we get the hell out of here. It's evil. We will all die if we stay!" Her voice is strangely slurred and she has difficulty standing up straight. She doesn't wait for an answer but turns to try and lift the injured man by herself. Maleg suddenly appears from around the outer wall and with Targon, comes to her aid and between four of them, move Gwalchmai carefully outside.