Bianco looked surprised to see the halfling still talking to him. "Not particularly," he said, in a distant tone of voice. "But Valdes' men ought to be able to see off some goblins."

~

Shouldering his way through the melee, Sieghard intervened on Viggo's right, hacking down as hard as he could at the brutish standard bearer. Twisting at the waist, the orc parried his blow, Sieghard's sword striking chips from its crude blade.

As the orc wound back its arm to retaliate, Sieghard struck again, throwing his weight behind a low thrust. Catching the greenskin by surprise, the sword drove in under its breastbone, the point bursting from its back. Wrenching the blade back, Sieghard tore it down and out through the creature's belly, spilling its black entrails over the bloody ground. Eyes rolling up into their sockets, the standard bearer collapsed, its banner toppling like a felled tree...