It had been a harrowing trek through the old wizard's keep. The three novice adventurers had been hoping to find just some gold and maybe a few magic items. The group did find gold, and silver, and jewels. And they found a shiny sword that looked both magical and valuable. However, there was something else in the keep that they found. Trolls. Two of them. And they were intent on having the three companions for dinner. At first a fight broke out, but it quickly turned badly for the group and they fled, barely escaping with their lives.
On to the wagon they jumped, the snarling creatures right on their trail. The horse needed no instruction to take off, and the group zoomed down the old road, bouncing up and down while praying nothing on the wagon broke.
However, it soom became apparent that the wagon would not be fast enough. The trolls were gaining on them. Looking around, the group tried to toss anything that would lighten the load. Barrels. Food. A spare axel. The ten foot pole. It did not matter. Closer the trolls came.
Throw out the treasure, the halfling yelled. Stunned the other two adventurers looked at each other, shaking their heads. Then, they looked back at the halfling.
"Wait, what are you doing? Don't even think about!", the halfling yelled as the two companions picked up their friend and hurled him off the back of the wagon, watching as he rolled to a stop a few feet away from the pack of trolls.
"You a#$@*les! ", yelled the player running the halfling character as the other two players and the DM nearly fell out of their chairs laughing.
"Laugh all you want, I'm going to get you back!", the halfling retorted.
It was a funny moment, and one long remembered among the party, referenced for many years. The halfling would, surprisingly, survive the encounter and did, in fact get the party back for its misdeeds. But that is a story for another day.
Today we salute the real heroes, the ones who have the courage to sacrifice their friends for the greater good.