Your blade thirsts for justice

Perhaps the only chance you'll get to strike a blow or two against the heroes is now, where you have the opportunity to pick and choose your targets amidst the chaos of the battle. You'll take your gear from the foes you slay. Hopefully it'll be enough to cobble together a decent kit.

You take a brief listen at the ongoing battle around you. A massive explosion resounds from the direction of the mercantile quarter. It's probably not a good idea to head that way right now. That sounds like the elven sorceress blasting another hole in the heroes' lines, and you don't want any part of that. As the echoes of the blast die away, you pick up the sounds of another skirmish, this one much smaller, maybe a block or two away, that seems much more manageable for you.

You turn towards it, sticking to the shadows along the edges of the street, then cutting into an alleyway that heads towards the ongoing fight. About halfway down it, it becomes apparent this alley will let you out into the fight, and you slow down accordingly. You carefully pad the rest of the way down the alleyway, your bare feet whisper-quiet against the dry, gritty dirt of the alley.

At the end, you peek out, finding yourself behind a well-armored knight squaring off against a half-dozen goblins, led by a hobgoblin. None of them notice you watching, and you watch as he dispatches first one, then two goblins with expert swings of his massive greatsword. Unfortunately for him, he's taking a pounding from the remaining goblins encircling him, and his health bar is steadily dropping. The goblins aren't fairing too much better, the massive sword tearing through them with every strike, and it seems this battle could swing either way.

As the knight slashes the hobgoblin again, you find yourself debating whether you should pile in now, or wait and see who wins. As much as you want that sweet XP, you know the goblins aren't likely to let you go like the elf did earlier. They're much less intelligent, though clever, and they'll be driven by their base desires. On the other hand, waiting for the fight to finish risks losing the knight's XP and loot, or worse, having to face him for it...