The tavern of the Red Hand was sparsely populated in the early afternoon. The shutters were open, letting in a cool autumn breeze into the main room. A thirty foot long bar stood on the eastern wall. Round and rectangular tables populated the rest of the eatery with a large, twenty foot hearth sitting in the direct center. A large banner an arm span wide hung from ceiling to floor depicting an open hand colored red, with the fingers pointing upwards, the thumb held parallel to the fingers, and the palm facing outwards. 

Three humans sat at a corner table holding cards. In the center of the table were silver and gold coins stacked between them. Elsewhere were patrons having a late lunch or an early drink. At one table sat a man and his wife. At another, a father and his daughter. A small company of three dwarves sat, eating, drinking and being quite raucous. An elf sat alone, enjoying his solidarity and a meal of cheese, bread, and wine. A creature, half man and half dragon, sat alone on a stool at the bar. His body was covered in dark blue-purple scales and he had the head and tail of a dragon. He waved an empty wooden mug at the portly barkeep and he brought a refill. 

"You here about the raids?" The barkeep asked. 

"I know nothing of raids," the dragonborn said. "Just a traveler passing through. Heard about this tavern and was curious about it's connection to the red hand."

"Ah," the man said. "An historian then. Not much to say about it, other than that the banner on the wall is from the actual war party from twenty years ago. Previous owner was one of them that helped push back the Red Hand."

"Indeed," the dragonborn said. "I was hoping for more. Food and drink is good though.”

"Appreciate it. If you'll excuse me," he said. The dwarves had called for refills and the man obliged.

Some minutes went by and a dwarf approached and sat next to the dragonborn. “Heard you’re just passing through,” the dwarf said.

“No,” the dragonborn replied.

“Ah, yer stayin’ in town a while then, eh?”

“You were going to ask me to accompany you. I am just a simple traveler. I'm in no need of protection, nor am I interested in paying for it."

"Ya don't seem to be needing protection," the dwarf said, eyeing the dragonborn's armor and weapon. "Just thought ya might want in on some of the action. We're plannin' on taking the raids to the raiders."

The dragonborn gave a sideways look at the dwarf. He blew a puff of smoke through his nostrils and went back to his drink.

"Well," the dwarf said. "If ya change yer mind, we're staying at the inn, cross the street." He stood from the stool and joined his fellow dwarves.

The dragonborn stood, placing several silver coins on the bar top. In the distance, a bell rang. Not an hourly bell, but an alarm of warning. Three quick chimes, a rest, then another set. After the third set of chimes, the dwarves quieted. The barkeep looked around. “Alright,” he said loudly. The father had already stood, picked up his daughter and was heading for the back door. “Everybody out!” he shouted. “Come back tomorrow and you’ll have a full refund.” All of the patrons were standing, while the three men in the rear began arguing over whose gold belonged to who. 

The front entrance burst open, splinters spraying from where the latch fastened to frame. The men in the corner turned their attention to the door as a small creature rushed in carrying a torch with an odd contraption just under the flaming tip in it's hand. The creature was a reptilian humanoid, standing just over two feet tall. It was scrawny, with scaled reddish brown skin and burnt orange eyes. Its legs were sinewy and it stood on its toes, like a dog.

It opened it's scaled snout in a shrill battle cry. "Dracsin bor sot!" it yelled as it flung the torch towards the bar. Three more of the small creatures ran through the doorway, looking around before fixating on the banner that hung on the east wall.

Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

"Kobolds!" one of the dwarves shouted. The sound of wooden chair legs scraping over stone sounded as the three dwarves stood from their table.

"It wants the banner!" The dragonborn yelled, standing. He pulled his sword from his belt. As the kobolds rushed towards the center of the room, the dragonborn intercepted them before reaching the wife and husband. "Back door," he said to the couple, parrying a claw with the side of his blade. "Now!" The two rushed towards the back door. 

The three humans in the back corner settled their dispute and moved towards the front of the tavern, steak knives and bottles in hand, ready to fight.The barkeeper attempted to smother the spreading flames on his bar.

The elf pushed his chair back calmly and stood. He raised a hand, gesturing and muttering an incantation. In his hand formed a bright white pinpoint of light that shot towards the three kobolds that entered after the first. The light split into dozens of smaller lights as it sped towards the kobolds. Two of the three kobolds ducked beneath them. The third was riddled with tiny holes, bleeding a black ooze as it fell to the ground.

One of the kobolds responded with attacks of its own, slicing at the elf’s leg after moving to engage. The elf dropped to a knee. The dragonborn was now engaging two of the kobolds, taking a strike to his shield and a slice to his waist with a grunt. 

The dwarf moved to the elf. “Yer gonna let those things bring ye to their level, elf?” The dwarf threw a punch into the nearest kobold, knocking him to the ground, unconscious. His dwarf friends rushed towards the doorway.

Two more kobolds piled into the tavern. The dragonborn responded with an overhead swing down into the kobold’s shoulder. Black blood sprayed and poured from the kobold as it dropped to the ground. He stepped over to the elf. “You alright?” he asked. The elf nodded.

The humans from the back of the tavern split around the hearth in the middle of the room. Two threw their bottles at the two kobolds that just appeared. One struck its mark with a satisfying thunk and dropped the kobold to the ground, unconscious. The third human threw a knife at the last kobold engaging the elf. In the air, the weapon caught fire with magic as it sunk into the neck of the kobold. The creature grabbed at the weapon and yanked it from its neck. Blood poured down the kobold’s chest and soaked its armor. A moment passed, and the kobold dropped to the ground, bleeding out and dying. 

The dwarf laughed. “Nice throw! One to go!”

The elf looked at the dwarf. “Take him,” he said. 

“With pleasure,” the dwarf said as two more kobolds came into the tavern. “Oi, do they ever stop?” His dwarven friends had made it halfway to the door, weaving through tables and chairs. One of the kobolds held another torch and threw it at them. It struck, square in one of the dwarf’s chest, exploding in a ball of fire. The two dwarves dropped to the ground, burned and unmoving. “Tordek! Travak!” the dwarf yelled. “You’ll pay for that ya beastie!” he cried.  

The kobold let out a shrill battle cry and drew his own sword. The other kobolds ran to the humans that threw their bottles and cut them down easily. 

The elf muttered something under his breath and let loose another flurry of lights towards the group of kobolds at the doorway, all of them aimed at the kobold who threw the torch. A battleaxe almost sliced through the elf’s arm as the dwarf attacked the kobold adjacent to the elf. He stepped back, avoiding the dwarf and the fury of a man losing his comrades.

The axe dug into the kobold and the dwarf flung him away, advancing towards the creature that threw the exploding torch. He reached the kobold and brought his axe into the creature, slicing through its armor and leaving a black gash in the creature’s chest. It let loose a shrill cry of pain, looking down to see its chest oozing life. 

The last human alive inside ran to the wall and grabbed his bow and an arrow from a quiver. He knocked, drew, and loosed in a single fluid motion at one of the remaining kobolds. As the arrow was released, on the head formed a small coating of ice that instantly began sublimating, leaving a trail of mist behind. It flew and struck one of the kobolds that killed the other two humans.  

The elf conjured a small ball of green fluid and loosed it at the final kobold near the dead humans. It struck and sprayed acid over the kobold, sizzling his flesh and causing him to run out of the tavern screaming in pain. 

The last remaining kobold stabbed his sword at the dwarf. The dwarf sidestepped but not soon enough. It sliced the dwarf’s waist, leaving a deep cut. He responded with a blow from his axe into its neck to end the kobold’s life.

The four individuals were all that remained in the tavern. The barkeep had fled after dousing the fire on the bar. The dwarf ran to his companions. The dragonborn looked to the elf and gave a short nod. All were panting after the fight. 

The dwarf laid a hand on the chests of the other dwarves, realizing that they could not be saved. He stood, and turned to the others. “Good fightin’. Adrik Karak,” he said, grief heavy in his voice. “Who are you lot?"

“Mikal,” the human said, slinging a quiver of arrows across his back. “There will be more."

“Indeed,” the elf said. “I am Peren Rolmira. The guards will be here soon as well, I imagine.” The elf looked over to the dragonborn. 

“We should get out of here,” the dragonborn said. “No need for the tavern to incur more damages. My name is Balanor. I am sorry about your friends.” He looked to both Adrik and Mikal. “Both of you.”

Mikal chuckled. “Those guys were assholes,” he said regarding the two men he played cards with. “Not my friends. I was just taking their money.”

Adrik grunted. “I’m sorry too. They were good men.”

“Get your belongings,” Balanor said. He stopped to one of the kobolds and wiped blood from his sword on the dead creature’s garments. “The guards will be here any minute.” He stood and stepped over the splintered door into the afternoon sun.