Tyranny of Dragons

The lightning bolt goes off injuring them though not killing them. 

The Merc though charmed will not just let the grains be taken. You can roll persuasion to try to convince them as even with charmed the Merc can still kill the Porters. 

Round 8

Akkron's Turn. 

Akkron pauses... the charmed merc presumably hasn't noticed the porters yet. Akkron makes a decision.

Come here, friend, he says. Your companions... I can't rouse them... they seem to be bewitched. If we rouse them, we take care of any other threats together.

He does his best to get the brute to move into the small space with the two other goons.

Deception, with advantage: 19

The Merc has a puzzled look but is willing to humor a friend and moves where Akkron tells him. 

Round 9

Akkron's Turn. 

At this point, Akkron casts Wall of Force in a dome over the three (they should be close enough, given they started 20-ft apart and were moving to converge on Akkron), releasing his concentration on Hold Person.

It is much safer for you here, friend, than anywhere else, Akkron tells them from outside the wall. Then he goes to check on the porters while leaving the three men trapped inside of the invisible bubble.

Make Haste! he tells the porters. I have bought us time, but we must move quickly. My magic will last ten minutes. Grab as much as you can, and then we must flee back into the tunnel.

The porter drenched with sweat pull their hand carts by the mill and starts loading the sacks of grains as fast as they can.

The 2 goons free of the paralysis have short but illuminating conversation with the big merc. Seeing something clearly wrong they try to break free, but their weapons just skitter off of the invisible dome of magic. 

A few porters stumble when they took 1 too many sacks at the same time. The minutes go by in flash. In the Distance the sound of clashing steel becomes less frequent until the only sound heard is the porters' grunts of effort. 

Did the militiamen perish? retreat? Akkron cannot tell. 

9 minutes have passed. 

We have as much as we can gather, Akkron says. Greed will help no one. Fall back to the tunnel!

Akkron picks up one smaller bag of grain himself and urges the porters to retreat with what they have. They have bought time for the refugees.... hopefully it will be enough.

Akkron and the porters rush back towards the secret tunnel putting the mill behind them with the 1 doing her best to hide the tracks quickly. 

Once fully inside the keep the porters breathe a sigh of relief. Standing nearby is Castellan Rorf. A heavy-set man with a shaved head and green eyes, wearing heavy armor smeared with blood. He waves Akkron over and in a hurried manner guides you to Governor Nighthill. You see him seated with the elderly cleric bandaging his wounds which includes a heavy gash over his left eye and a broken arrow shaft sticking out of his arm. 

"I hear you succeeded. Thank you for your aid. This keep may be small, but the walls are thick and with the grains we should be able to last for a while" he tries to stand when a gush of blood comes flowing out from beneath his armored grieves over his left leg. He slumps back heavily into his chair with the elderly cleric saying, "If you don't rest governor, you will not see the next dawn." He looks like he was about to say something but gives in. "I know you may be tired, but can you head up to the battlements to see what is going on. We had a bit of a skirmish up their but oddly the raiders retreated. I don't know why but I don't like it"