Seeking a way to better assess the situation, the team realizes that they may be able to position themselves upon the shoulder of rock that gives the path its dogleg nature. Davros, a skilled climber and all-around stealthy individual, climbs the stone face and over the top. That gives him a view of the path where it turns and climbs a broad staircase toward a pair of heavy double doors. He sees no sign of hobgoblins, so he returns to the other side, secures a rope, and assists his colleagues up to the top. Wicklow is an awkward and uncertain climber. He loses his grip and falls on Mishok waiting below. He tries and falls yet again before finally gaining the top. Once the entire group has established positions on the far side of the rock outcropping, they find stable spots to wait and watch. It is not long before a trio of hobgoblins opens the door and begins heading down the path. The adventurers are exposed on the rock face, but far above eye level. They remain still and quiet, and hope to remain undetected. This is not to be. A couple of pebbles shift and tumble down the wall – perhaps Wicklow’s nerves were to blame. The hobgoblins are on high alert, so the slightest sound catches their attention. The grab their bows and start firing at the men clinging to the wall. They return fire, and leap down into the fray. They manage to fight their way through the hobgoblins but also attract fire from arrow slits in the walls. Mishok moves close to one of the slits, and he can see the hobgoblin lurking back there. He calls on Divoc to neutralize the threat, and the hobgoblin archer erupts in flame.

They move their way up the stairs and through the open double-doors, into a cavernous space bisected by a wide chasm spanned by a rope bridge. Two braziers flank the doors, and their fire illuminates the room. Across the chasm, two hobgoblins step out from behind stone pillars and hurl javelins at the explorers. They respond with arrow fire, but they are soon engaged by additional foes who burst out of hidden doors. It is close quarters, so Cycek decides to cross the bridge and take out the javelin-throwers. The crossing is perilous enough on the spindly bridge, but one of the hobgoblins takes an axe to the supports on the opposite side, neatly severing the rope and nearly pitching Cycek into the abyss. He can hear the sound of water rushing below.

Sartan shoves one of his foes into the crevasse, then slays another one and pushes his way into the passageway from whence it came. He explores an abandoned passageway and finds the stations where the hidden archers had fired at them from arrow slits. He soon comes to the end of the corridor where it appears that a concealed door has been left slightly ajar. He is unaware of the dire situation developing back where his teammates continue to fight.