First, in the quiet tension of the moment, introductions were exchanged.
"I'm Aron. This Dwarf is Elkan — we're partnered up. We were on our way back to the guild in Marten after a job."
The one who'd looked like a boy introduced himself as Aron. Golden short hair, ears just slightly pointed at the tips. The small build characteristic of Halflings made him look like a child even in adulthood — an impression that was easy to fall into.
The bearded man standing solidly beside him was Elkan. Black hair with a loose wave, skin deeply tanned. I'd taken him for human at first, but the thickness of his arms and the particular shape of his frame told a different story. Dwarf.
"I. Name. Sed Kara. Travelling. Training."
The Lizardman spoke in a low resonant voice. His back was covered in dark blue-green scales, and strapped across it was a broad single-edged sword over a meter long. The worn weight of the blade said something quiet about the road he'd been on.
"I'm Teok. This is Yohei. Good to meet you. We're not adventurers, just to be clear."
Teok made the introduction without fuss. Elkan grinned, teeth showing.
"A human out this way — that's rare! And traveling with a Kobold, no less. Good to have you!"
No awkwardness, no ceremony. Just that.
Aron looked over the group with a focused expression and got down to it.
"Sed, Teok, Yohei — glad to have you. Let's figure out how we're moving."
---
Aron picked up a stick from the ground and drew an oval in the dry earth. A rough sketch of the Skeleton formation — spread wide, approaching in a loose arc.
"They're coming at us like this, spread out. The problem is three of them are carrying weapons. They're positioned around here."
Three circles added to the far right of the oval.
"Rusted farm tools, but getting hit by that kind of mass from the side would hurt. I want to take those three out first. That's Elkan, and—"
He looked at his partner, then shifted his eyes toward the others. He landed on Sed.
"Sed — you're a swordsman. Lizardman durability means you won't get pushed back. Can I give you that one?"
"Understood."
No hesitation in the short answer. None at all.
"What do you need from us?"
I didn't want to be standing there while the plan moved on without me.
"Cover the ones around the flanks. Guard their backs. I'll support from behind."
Aron drew a line from just in front of the weapon-carriers, sweeping out to the left.
"Understood. One thing — can I actually do anything against Skeletons? Is my club going to work on them?"
I answered and asked at the same time, turning to Teok with the question I'd been sitting on.
"Yeah. They move slower than they did when they were alive, and a solid hit shatters them. I'm no fighter either, but a few at a time is no problem. Honestly — compared to the Razboard, this is nothing."
No dread in Teok's voice. No edge of performance either. Just matter-of-fact. That casual tone did more to unknot my shoulders than any pep talk would have.
"I don't have anything useful to fight with, though. Anyone got a spare?"
Elkan reacted to Teok's words before they'd finished landing.
"I've got a backup. Catch."
He pulled an iron mace from his pack and tossed it to Teok, who caught it and swung it a few times to get the feel.
"That'll do nicely."
Leaning against Elkan's side was a battle-axe as tall as he was. His main weapon, presumably. The blade had the dull gleam of something built for serious use — the kind of thing you'd think twice about, but that Elkan clearly thought nothing of.
Aron's eyes dropped to my waist.
"That knife is going to be rough against bone. You sure you're alright? We're out of spares."
"I'm fine."
He wasn't wrong — a blade against hard bone was inefficient at best. But I had the club. If shattering was what worked, I had that covered.
Aron looked uncertain for a moment, but didn't press it. He swept his gaze over the group.
"Right. Here's how it goes. I'll punch an opening on the right. Elkan and Sed, go through it and take out the weapon-carriers. You two follow behind and handle whatever spills out. And—" he turned toward the innkeepers, "—if anything gets past us, can you hold the line?"
The innkeeper gave a firm nod. Somewhere behind him, three others had appeared — an Orc and two Kobolds, drawn by the noise. Waystation residents. They nodded back, quietly resolved.
Out in the grassland, white shapes were taking form in the dark.
A dry clicking sound drifted toward us — the sound of bone on bone — as the Skeleton formation closed the distance.
"Right then — let's go! Time to make some noise!"
Elkan's voice boomed across the dark. He picked up his axe.