The events of the 3rd of Felsite, 1069
"STOP!" Jools shouted. His breaths were coming in ragged, his armor weighing him down. Where was the rest of the squad? Where was the backup?
The first of the questions was the most easily answered. His squad, along with Wilber's was drunk to the point of obliteration at Dodik's, laughing raucously at old stories. The second was a bit more challenging. Likot had pulled back Sgt. Pepper, her eyes glittering behind her mask as she assured him in her hollow voice that they were both much too full of beer to be of any use.
None of this would have happened, of course, had Jools not stepped outside to take a piss and caught sight of yellow eyes glowing in the darkness of the water tower. The skulking creature had thought it was unseen as Jool's intentionally averted his eyes and went about his business. Urine streamed off the bridge as horror-scenarios ran through the sword-dwarf's head, and his hands did the shaking he needed on their own before he tucked himself away and buttoned his fly. He had been rebuffed almost immediately, and his concern for the fortress overtook senses.
Pounding boots took him past his giant wooden donkey, the dark shape in front of him drawing nearer. His breath coming in harsh and hot, Jools planted his feet and leaped, arms outstretched.
He landed hard on the shrieking, thrashing creature, pinning it to the ground with his fists. He saw golden eyes, a dogs snout and ears, scaly hands slapping at his chest.
"No! let go!" it barked. "Let go!"
"You're just a petty thief," Jools said. He sighed with relief, and began to rummage through the beasts tattered clothing. It whimpered while he searched, continuing to squirm.
Instead of gold, or trinkets, Jools pulled out a handful of papers. He stared at the crumpled parchment in confusion and the Kobold used that time to his advantage. He leaned in and bit the swords-dwarf on the thigh, squirming out from under him quickly. Within seconds, he had vanished into the sands.
By the torch light flickering from within the fortress, Jools looked over the papers he had retrieved from the Kobold. He saw thin lines drawn over most of them, and slowly he began to pick out things he recognized: the training room, the mess hall, Bertrand's workshop, the library. He saw things he hadn't seen before either, a hallway underneath of Dodik's, some sort of empty pocket erased from the maps near the closed Temple of Zefon.
"Oh, not good," he breathed. He raised his eyes up, staring at the stars winking above. Perhaps... Kuli should know about this. That Kobold was sent here. Someone wants to come in.