With the arrival of a second skeleton, we were in danger - they closed in and the fight resumed. Our combat approach was sound, but we seemed to have developed an uncanny knack for missing our targets. This prolonged the assault, and made our task harder still.
Eventually, despite the best efforts of all involved to leave the skeletons completely unharmed, we dealt with them. We took a short break, giving us a chance to apply first aid and to look over the bodies of our enemies for valuable equipment and clues.
With all this done we eventually pressed on. A little further on we ran into another skeleton, but this time it was completely different. The experience we had acquired fighting the two of them earlier now paid off - and we killed it easy. This victory didn't come easily, though - I broke my long sword in the fighting, and I was relegated to using the spare short sword. As nice and balanced a weapon as it is, it's not something I'm all that familiar with. Its fair to say that I'm even worse with a short sword than I am with my trusty long sword.
The trek into the mines continues, and we ran into a third skeleton. This time we were less fortunate, Redamber took a huge hit and was badly hurt. He was unlucky to fall so quickly, though, as we defeated it quickly.
The fighting had taken its toll upon our group. We didn't have enough left in us as this point to carry on - one more of those skeletons and it could be the end for several of our group. We make a bold decision, and retreat from the mines. Redamber especially needs some proper rest - this may take days of recovery time.
With the weeks we'll be down waiting for this recovery, and with the imminent arrival of winter, it's unlikely we'll be able to get back to this mission.