Chapter 26: Rina's Last Stand

While Luna held the line against the dragon's magic, Rina was having her own battle. The roar of the dragon and the tremor of its curse had not gone unnoticed. A squad of Ignis's elite guards—hulking, heavily armored dragonborn warriors—had bypassed the Snail King (presumably by climbing over him) and were now charging down the tunnel towards the main chamber.

"They can't be allowed to interfere," Rina growled, her knuckles white on the handle of her mace. She looked back at us, a fierce grin on her face. "You guys handle the big lizard. I'll take care of the welcoming committee."

Before we could protest, she charged into the narrow tunnel to meet the dragonborn head-on.

It was a brutal, desperate fight. Rina was one against a dozen, and the dragonborn were bigger, stronger, and better armored. But Rina wasn't a knight who fought with honor. She was a bandit who fought to win.

She used the tunnel to her advantage, its narrow confines preventing the dragonborn from surrounding her. She was a whirlwind of motion, her spiked mace a blur. She didn't block their massive swords; she ducked under them, slamming the butt of her mace into a kneecap, then spinning to drive an armored elbow into another's throat.

It wasn't a graceful battle. It was a messy, ugly, desperate brawl. She took hits, her leather armor groaning under the impact of heavy blades, but for every blow she took, she gave two back. She fought with a ferocity that bordered on joyful, a wild laugh escaping her lips as she disarmed one warrior and used his own shield to bash his comrade.

She was creating a wall of her own body, a one-woman last stand to buy us the time we needed. Her stamina was fading, cuts and bruises covering her arms. One of the dragonborn landed a solid blow, its axe shearing through her shoulder guard and sending a jolt of pain through her. She stumbled back, gritting her teeth.

She was outnumbered. She was hurt. She was cornered.

But as the lead dragonborn raised its sword for a final, killing blow, a massive, rainbow-colored explosion erupted from behind it. Chloe's Instant Tanglefoot Tar, which had been slowly spreading down the tunnel from the goblin cavern, had finally reached them. The dragonborn's feet were instantly stuck fast.

Rina didn't waste the opportunity. With a final, defiant roar, she lunged forward, her mace swinging in a devastating arc. It was no longer a battle; it was a cleanup.

She stood panting amidst the groaning, tar-stuck bodies of her enemies, bruised and bleeding but victorious. She had held the line. She looked back towards the main chamber, hoping we were having as much luck as she was.