They fight

Teysa sized up the guards. Already faces were turning towards the disturbance and other triads of armored drow were making their way across the plaza. If they were going to fight their way out, it had to be now.

"My papers. Of course." She smiled and took a step towards the guard. Got to get in her reach. Can't let her keep me at a distance. The guard shifted warily.
"Now, surface-dweller!"

Oh well. Now or never. Teysa swept her mace out of its hook and swung in a wide upward arc. To her credit, the guard captain reacted at once, and had she tried to dodge she might have made it. Instead she thrust her spear at Teysa's head. The paladin twisted herself and barely managed to avoid being skewered-- the edge of the speartip gouged a deep groove across the bridge of her nose. Her mace slammed into the drow's chin, snapping her head back with a dull crunch. The guard collapsed in a boneless heap.

The other two guards were already in motion. One of them put two fingers in his mouth and let out a sharp, keen whistle so high it hurt Teysa's ears. Next to her, Aliara flinched and readied her daggers. "Plan, Tey?" she snapped.

"Sorry, Li. Had to improvise. We'll have to fight our way out."

The civilians nearby scattered in panic. Six more guards, in two triads, were already trotting across the plaza. The two remaining drow circled to trap Teysa and Aliara. They seemed content to jab from a safe distance, keeping the women penned in.

Teysa lunged towards the guard on her right, who ducked backward out of the way. He jabbed his spear at her shoulder but she batted it away with her mace. She spat at him. "Come on, elf! Are you afraid of a surface dweller?"

The drow didn't respond, but his eyes narrowed. Teysa bulled towards him with her mace held high. He slid out of the way like oil across water, his speartip weaving in the air in front of her. She had to arrest her forward motion to avoid impaling herself. Next to her, Aliara was trying to flank him, but the other guard was boxing her out with his spear.

Teysa backed toward the edge of the plaza. "Li, let's get out of here. Now!"

Aliara nodded and withdrew. The drow guards continued to circle them, trying to hem them in. He can't go any further if he wants to keep us in the plaza. Now's my chance. Teysa batted another feint out of her way and charged the guard standing between her and freedom. He spun but didn't retreat, instead scything at her legs with his spear. She leapt over the shaft and put all her strength into a hammering overarm blow. The drow barely managed to get his spear up in time to block it, and the impact sent him to one knee. Teysa raised her mace to strike again but had to duck backward as he slashed at neck height. She barely managed to keep her feet, but it was enough time for the drow to regain his. He grinned viciously as he hefted his spear, then let out a choked gasp.

Aliara had gotten behind him and opened his throat with one sweep of her dagger. The drow sagged in her arms, pulling the blade from her grip. Teysa felt like cheering. "Go, Li! Now!" She took a step forward and paused. An expression of horror crossed Aliara's face.

Pain exploded in her left thigh and she fell, twisting. Behind her the other guards had arrived and formed a half-circle around their captain, who wrenched her spear out of Teysa's leg. As the paladin crumpled to the ground her mace clattered away across the stone of the plaza. Blood poured from a gaping hole in her leg. She tried to call out to Aliara, urging her to run, but the drow captain kicked her wound and she let out a choked cry of pain. Above her, the drow were speaking to each other in their language, but it seemed to be coming from far away. Dimly, in her peripheral vision, she saw Aliara fleeing with tears in her eyes. Good. That's good.

The darkness swallowed her up and she knew no more.

GAME OVER