Shineys!

Cracktooth was the first to see it. A ring of scorched stone in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by blackened grass and scorched trees. The air smelled of ozone and something worse. Magic. He crouched low, yellow eyes scanning the smoking ruin. Around the ring, six bodies were sprawled in various undignified positions.

Cracktooth grinned. “Dead adventurers,” he hissed. “Or mostly dead.” He shrugged, “Close enough.”

A second kobold stepped up beside him, “You sure they dead?” Snapgut asked. “Last time you said that, all my teeth punched out.” He spoke with an odd hissing sound that whistled through his broken teeth.

“Then keep your distance,” Cracktooth replied, unconcerned, “More for me.”

Around the pair, other kobolds crept forward from the brush. A dozen in total, all pale-scaled and filthy, blades strapped to their backs. They spread out around the ring, a pair claiming a body.

Snapgut poked a broad-shouldered old man with a spear. “This one’s armored. Very glittery, looks important.”

Cracktooth peered over. “Important’s good. Important worth coins.”

Nearby, Bonebit was trying to chip a foot off a strange crystalline figure who looked more statue than man. “Why this one sparkly?” he asked.

“He rich,” Snapgut said. “Leave the feet. Take the fingers.” With a shrug, Bonebit moved to the crystalline creature’s hands.

Across the circle, a small kobold called Skinrat, had climbed halfway onto the chest of a young man in simple traveling gear with a chain wrapped about him. “This one stink,” he muttered, reaching for a holy symbol hanging from the boy’s neck.

“Careful,” Cracktooth said. “Those symbols always come with consequences.”

“Consequences?” Skinrat frowned.

“Yeah. Burning, smiting, divine vengeance. That sort of thing.”

Skinrat froze, hand hovering.

“Anyway,” Cracktooth added, “put it in your sack. We check for curses later.”

Snaggleclaw darted from corpse to corpse, grabbing anything shiny. “Look at this!” he chirped, holding up a white glove. “Look at this! Look at – ”

His voice cut off suddenly as one of the figures groaned and sat up…