The door opens slowly. A weary looking kobold looks out.
"Yes?"
The man lowers his hood. He looks humanlike enough, but there is something off about him not even the Servants' countless wards picked up.
"I believe we have an appointment," he says coldly.
Kobold Cleaver looks him over. "You seem familiar," he says suspiciously. A scaly claw reaches for his spell component pouch.
Moving with unbelievable speed, the man draws his longsword and slashes across. The pouch's strings are sliced through, and it falls to the ground.
The creature's eyes glow red. "Fool!" he hisses. His skin begins to become red and scaly. "Did you think you could contain me? Your precious diviners didn't see this coming, I'll warrant!"
The kobold's eyes widen. "You!" he says in horror. He leaps back and casts a spell, and five bolts of white fire fly at Candle Lighter.
A ghostly creature appears, blocking the magic missiles.
"No," it hisses.
Kobold Cleaver pauses. "You're supposed to be on our side. Where's Joek?"
"You knew I was going to betray you, you idiotic self-absorbed little lizard. But your mind was too busy debating with itself to actually do anything about it, besides shrug and act apologetic. I doubt anybody will mourn your passing."
"Baseless accusations. Lynora understood--"
"ARG!" the Mask explodes. "You are so obnoxious, I don't know how you survived this long! You tried to kidnap Lynora's spawn! And don't give me any of that crap about orders. You're an enemy. Your old friends hate you, your enemies hate you, and even Joek and the others hate you! You know this, so get out of your damn denial so I can kill you with closure!"
"That would depend on you managing to kill me," Kobold Cleaver says, apparently not hearing the rest of the Mask's statement. "Believe me, your lies do not hamper my prowess."
"Fine. You know, I did try, but your mind is old and unable to comprehend the truth. You really have this coming." The Mask holds up a familiar item. The Cleaver. "Joek is dead. I'd think the Servants' wards would detect that. Or did you not have a Deathwatch spell active? Odd, you people are usually so paranoid. Doesn't matter. The kobold put up a bit of a fight, but he was hopelessly outmatched."
Kobold Cleaver looks only slightly surprised, and not very sorry.
"Well, I can't say he didn't have it coming. I suppose you think you're going to do the same to me? That's not my phylactery any more. I'm no lich, that project failed miserably."
"True. But that doesn't mean it isn't a nasty weapon." The ghostly figure tosses the Ghost Touch weapon to Candle Lighter.
Kobold Cleaver looks a bit nervous now. "Even if I die," he says, "I will be avenged. Where's the point? The Servants outnumber you two devastatingly."
Candle Lighter leaps forward, and taps the kobold on the shoulder before he can dodge.
Kobold Cleaver looks up sadly. "I don't--oh. I see I have erred."
He begins to fade. "That won't kill me," he whispers.
"Doesn't matter. You're not coming back." The Mask speaks a spell, and Kobold Cleaver's incorporeal form vanishes into the Cleaver.
"Kobold Cleaver, zombie horde detected coming fast! We--yipe!"
A scrawny goblin, dressed in tattered grey robes, ducks as the meat cleaver slices towards him. He leaps back as the sword comes down at him. "You not Kobold Cleaver!" He pulls out a rotting eyeball and throws it at the disguised dracolich. The eye explodes in a blinding flash, and Candle Lighter roars in fury. The goblin flees.
"Stop flailing about, Candle Lighter. He'll die no matter what." The Mask rolls its eyes. "Right now, we'd better get moving before that creature brings a dozen mages on our heads." He casts a spell, and the two begin rising towards the ceiling, incorporeal.
"We've accomplished our goal for today. The rest is gravy."