The group makes their way stealthily and slowly toward the center of town, not really hiding, as nobody is paying them any attention. After walking just a block or so, their path is crossed by a family - a man and woman, and three small children - who are closely pursued by eight kobolds. The man is badly injured and barely able to stand, and the woman is doing her best to fight off the attackers. The man and children duck into the entryway of a house on the south side of the street and hide in the shadows, while the woman wields a round shield and a broken spear to fend off the kobolds, who surround her in a semicircle. The adventurers immediately come to the aid of the family; Black Barry quickly hands the woman a dagger before jumping up to the roof of the house, and everyone attacks the kobolds, who are taken by surprise, apparently assuming that our group is there to raid the town as well. Nars and Hooflepoof each manage to take down a kobold, and Elfo kills two, before the other four kobolds realize that they are outmatched and run away. Black Barry, Elbolin, Elfo, Nars, Gourbain, Karat, and Bilbo chase the kobolds for a few paces, hoping to capture one and pry them for information, but they are too fast, and soon the adventurers return.

Hooflepoof, meanwhile, is checking out the houses for loot. He first checks the house where the woman made her stand, but finds all the doors and windows securely blocked. So he crosses the street to another house, where he sees the door is already ajar, but he finds it all completely raided, furniture strewn all about, and a smoldering fire in the back. He returns to the street, where he and Gourbain and Black Barry search the dead kobolds for any sort of treasure. Black Barry takes a dagger to replace the one he gave to the woman, and Hooflepoof finds a sling.

Elfo introduces himself to the woman, who calls herself Linan, and has rushed to the aid of her husband and children. She says they are going to "the keep", which, she says, is the only safe place in the city. She gathers up her family and seems determined to make her way there in any case, as Elbolin encourages the group to help escort them. Most of the adventurers gather around them for protection and start to make their way to the east, but Hooflepoof and Black Barry aren't ready to go yet; they have other interests. Hooflepoof bashes down the door of the blocked-up house on the south side of the street, and he, Black Barry, and Gourbain rush in. It is dark, and furniture is strewn about the room, where it had been used to block the door, and for hiding places. At least three or four people are hidden in there, on the defense against what they presume is a looting raid. Black Barry tells them that they are here to escort them to the safety of the keep, but they say they don't want to go, they want to stay here and defend their house, which was going just fine until you guys broke down their door.

Just then they hear footsteps approaching, belonging to four cultists and a guard, who arrive at the doorway, blocking their exit.