Chapter Two: In An Elven Way

Pausing in step for a moment, Sigurd considered the fox's words "I have no intention of leaving her side..." he said softly catching back up. "What is it that's troubling her?" if there was something bothering her, he figured she would have told him by now. He turned his head to catch Ashwyn in the corner of his eye. Whatever it was, he was going to help her.

"Loss. And fear." He answered. "She is not even fully aware of it. But I have seen it before in my own heart." The fox glanced to Sigurd. "My mate was killed by the creature the elves call Grimstalker. Along with most of my pups. I know all too well the pain in her heart." The fox stopped its casual walk and turned its head to Sigurd fully. "She will need your strength. Do not forget."

Sigurd's ears folded back, he understood, she had lost her previous mate... and her unborn child. "sorry for your loss, if there's anything we can do to help you... that we aren't already doing" When the fox turned around he stopped and sat.

The two locked eyes for a moment. When the fox spoke, Sigurd shook his head "She has her own strength, but she knows if she needs it I will give my everything to her" He didn't understand the warning and he almost didn't appreciate the warning. "I'll trust your years of experience... but I don't appreciate the vagueness of what you're saying" he snorted.

The fox huffed in return to Sigurds snort. "
A strong mate is admirable. But there is no shame in needing support." The fox continued walking. "You will understand. In time. "

The reached the end of the hallway when thr fox bristled and stopped. He sniffed the air. " Do you smell that?"

[The air thickened and smelled musty and old all of the sudden.]

Ashwyn froze when the fox did. And held a hand out to the others to slow them. She lowered into a crouch. "What is it?" She whispered.

In time.. riddles... always riddles with this fox Sigurd thought to himself. When the air changed his lips rolled up slightly and a throaty growl rumbled from him "yes, and I don't like it.."

The foxes fur seemed to stand on end at the site of the giant beasts. He lowered his body into a crouch and growled softly in anger. "My pup is in there." He indicated the iron door with his nose. "Along with the young ones you seek."

Ashwyn approached slowly behind the two large canines and her eyes caught site of the giant spiders. She felt a ripple of fear travel the length of her spine. She was not a fan of spiders.....

She reached out with her hands and laid them on the backs of the two large creatures, crouching down between them. Feeling Sigurd's fur comforted her. But when she touched the fox she recieved a flash of danger associated with the door and the children. She gasped softly and turned to face the others behind them. She spoke in a very low voice. "The children are behind that door."

Zane bristled and Ishal glared at the creatures in the room.

The fox was growing angrier by the moment, watching the largest of the creatures trying to bash the door down. "They will not harm my pup." To the others the sound would come out as an angry growl, but even to Sigurd his voice would be lower and angrier than it had been previously.

In the back of the group, Lopiena can't really see what's going on at first, but as she rounds the corner she can see the fox bristling at something in the next room. Looking up and seeing the spiders...an audible gasp escapes her lips before she can stop it. Biting her lip in fear of alerting the spiders to their presence, she gently pulls the kids back into the previous hallway. Kneeling down in front of them with fear in her eyes, she tries to communicate with them.
"You stay here. Danger." Feeling silly and wishing she had thought to ask someone a few key words while they were resting, she gently places a hand on each of their shoulders in turn. "Just stay here, ok?" Standing, she turns and faces the entry to the next room. Making a thrusting motion with her javelin toward the room with the spiders, she looks back at the kids. "Danger." Still feeling foolish...these kids are smart enough to know danger when they see it...she pulls the package of iron shards from her dress, unwraps one, and carefully returns to the back of the group to prepare for battle.

Sigurd scanned the room, Spiders. Could be worse. he leaned into the fox to give it a gentle nudge "On my honor... no harm will come to your child..." a slight chill ran up his spine as he felt his lovers hand on his back, he lightly shrugged it off and shifted back to his hybrid form.

"I know..." he said with a growl "and the Fox's pup." Pulling the battle axe from his back he spun it in his hand.

<<SURPRISE ROUND!!!>>

Sigurd raised his arm in front of him, palm flat towards the room, sparks flicked off his body and air swirled around him. A tiny ball of light appeared just in front of his palm and started to swell, changing colour as it grew. Green, Red, White, Blue, Violet and Grey all swirled together in beautiful chaos. The hulking hybrid's eyes locked on the Giant Spider in front of the door. Taking advantage of the mess of webs all over the room Sigurd mouth twisted into an almost sickening smirk as open palm turned into him pointing his index finger in the center of the swirling chromatic orb "Fire."

<<Sigurd uses Chromatic Orb with the Fire damage type on the Giant spider>>
ATK: 20!! DMG 3d8 (4+7+7=18 fire damage)

Sigurd's spell flew straight and true towards The Giant Spider. It slammed into the creatures back causing it to rear back and a sickening squeal to escape from it. The spider twitched and danced trying to put the fire out and in the process ended up rolling over into the webbing. The webs caught fire and quickly spread throughout the room. The other spiders began to get caught in it and soon they were all in a panic as they tried to escape the blaze.

The Giant Spider near the door was fully engulfed in no time until nothing was left but ash. Each of the other spiders were squealing the same high pitched sounds of the first as they struggled to get out of their webs and escape the fires. Before long, another of the spiders had fallen dead from the amount of fire damage it had sustained while the others continued to panic.

[Giant Spider is dead.
Giant Wolf Spider 1 takes 1 damage
Giant Wolf Spider 2 takes 4 damage
Giant Wolf Spider 3 takes 6 damage
Giant Wolf Spider 4 takes 9 damage
Giant Wolf Spider 5 is dead]

[[Surprise round means everyone gets a turn before we roll initiative]]

Ashwyn's eyes widened when Sigurd said that the foxes child was also in that room. They had to take care of these creatures as quickly as possible. As Sigurd prepared his spell, she drew her bow. She watched his fire spread and smiled as two of the spiders went down. Sigurds spell casting was extremely impressive. She felt a swell of pride as she watched him lay waste to the creatures.

In the chaos that followed their panic, she took aim at the closest spider (1) and fired an arrow at it. [Attack: 14 - Damage: 6] She hit it in the side , lodging the arrow deep in its body. Another squeal from the creature as it limped, still trying to escape the flames.

Ishal stepped up as well. "Stay back, Children." She warned them in Elvish, hearing Lopiena trying to communitate. She didn't want to venture into the flames just yet, she would roast in her heavy armor. So she pulled her sling from her side and picked up a heavy rock from the ground. She swung it and let it fly towards the one nearest the stairs (2). [Attack: 13 - Damage: 2] Her rock hit with precision and the spider fell over, dead.

[Giant Wolf Spider 2 is dead]

Likewise, Zane stepped up. The flames were doing an ample job at dispatching the spiders. "Perhaps I can feed this flame." He smirked and held his hand up once more. "Fire." He said and shot another blast of fire towards the spider in the middle (3).[Attack 11 - Damage: 9] The spider screamed before dropping in place, just a pile of burning limbs.

[Giant Wolf Spider 3 is dead]

The fox watched the room blaze, but that would not stop him from protecting his pup. He charged into the flames, dodging around them as he headed for the spider nearest him (4). He launched himself at the creature and began tearing into it, ignoring the fire licking at its fur. [Attack 19 - Damage: 26] Limbs flew this way and that as the fox reduced it to little more than pieces. [ Fox takes 10 fire damage]

Watching the others make quick work of the spiders, Lopiena looks over to the fox. It had already taken so much, and here are more fires to add to its burns...not sure if it will work or not, she decides it's time to try using spells without her physical focus. Concentrating hard on the fox, she can almost feel its burns...reaching out beyond her, she envisions the soothing balm of her healing herbs and directs that feeling at the fox.
"Heal."
That done, she looks around the room at the remaining spiders...both closer to the wall away from the fires, and therefore too close to her friends. Holding the iron shard aloft, she concentrates on the nearest one (1) and quickly mutters the spell in Druidic.
"Hold!"
(Healing Word, lvl 1spell, d4 = 4, +4 bonus = 8 heal)
(Hold Person, lvl 2 spell, target gets WIS save from paralyze)

Eyes widening with the incredible speed of the other spider, Lopiena holds the first with every bit of concentration she has...though worried about Sigurd, she doesn't dare make the same mistake twice.

(Just holding...)

<<rolled a 17 for the save>>

Sigurd felt the fangs of the spider sink into his shoulder. Wincing at the pain his head snapped to stare daggers into it's two center eyes. slowly he placed his hand under the Wolf Spider and growled "Fire Bolt..." Quickly his hand irrupted in flames

<<Cantrip Fire Bolt. ATK: 14 DMG:1d10 = 10 fire damage>>

The spider squealed and roasted in Sigurds fire. It fell dead to the floor.

[Spider 4 is dead. Sigurd takes 9 fire damage]

Ishal took her sling and threw another rock towards the remaining spider (1). [Attack: 15 - Damage: 4]

The spider fell dead to the ground with the rock hitting it.

[Victory!

Each party member gets 90 XP]

Sigurd reveled in watching the Wolf Spider die in a wash of flame but he had to snap himself out of it. Shaking his arm that had caught aflame his hand and forearm were burned but that wasn't his concern. He wasted no time in crossed the room, passing the sizzling corpses of the fallen spiders, through the burning webs to the Iron door the Giant Spider seemed interested in and pulled on it, if the pup and kids were anywhere, it was going to be in here.

With the room still aflame, smoke was filling the room. As the door opened the smore poured into the room. The sound of frightened children and a whimpering pup can be heard.

Ashwyn ran after Sigurd and the fox was close on her heels. When he opened the door Ashwyn ran into the room. The children were huddled in the far corner, frightened. The pup was curled with them. "Please don't be afraid. We're here to help. Please, we have to get out of here." The children ran to Ashwyn's side.

One loud bark and the pup rushed to his fathers side.

Ashwyn looked up at Sigurd. "I don't suppose you have a spell that can put the fire out, do you?"

As the last spider falls, Lopiena shudders slightly...the Hold spell is still new to her, and feeling the death of the spider is a strange new sensation.  Shaking it off, she quickly turns to Sigurd to check his bite...but he's already on the other side of the room, opening a door.  Well if he healed so quickly from near decapitation, maybe he's immune to spider bites as well...making a mental note to ask later, Lopiena looks around the room.  Everything is still on fire, and the smoke is getting worse...focusing on a bit of webbing that had come loose, she makes a grasping motion with her hand.  "Extinguish."  One down, an entire room to go!  Wishing for the hundredth time that day that she knew stronger spells, Lo starts attacking the webbing with the javelin, taking down curtains of flaming webs with each swing.  She can only extinguish small flames, so reducing the flammable load is the first step...as the webs break apart, she extinguishes them piece by piece.

(ahh what a great opportunity to try a new spell...too bad I don't have the materials for it. So here's the Druidcraft cantrip, again.  Hopefully there are no penalties for blatant overuse of such a low-level spell   )

While Ashwyn, Sigurd and the fox went for the children, Ishal and Zane began to help Lopiena put out the fires.

Ishal used the reach on her glaive to knock down webbing from the ceiling so Lopiena could put it out.

Zane didn't have any spells that could remove the fire but he thought perhaps he could control the fire. So he focused all his energy on gathering the fire together in one spot. [INT check 19] The fire began to draw together slowly into a single bonfire. The ladies knocking flames from the ceiling was helping in that as well.

Making one final check of the room the children were in, Sigurd turned and ran back with the others. grabbing two of the kids by their shirts hefting them up like two raggedly clothed hand bags carrying them back into the hall way they came from. As he ran with Ash he laughed lightly "nope, starting them is more my thing.." Setting them down he turned back to the room of flames hoping the others could handle the fire.

He looked at his arm and watched as his skin slowly healed and his fur started to return.

Ashwyn knelt down and let one of the kids onto her back the other two she grabbed their hands and followed Sigurd, running around the largest flames and stopping in the hallway.

The fox grabbed the pup by the scruff of its neck and followed after Ashwyn and Sigurd.

When they were safely in the hall and the children were hugging and greeting one another, Ashwyn approached Sigurd. She placed her hand on his shoulder. "Are you alright?"

Sigurd nodded and shifted back to his human form, he figured he may as well have no fur rather than some fur. His arm however was still burned badly, but the flesh seemed to be gradually un-cooking and looking more normal. He smiled to his mate "I've had worse.."

She smiled, glad that he was alright. "You keep saying that. With how this quest is going, I'm kind of afraid what constitutes as worse." she chuckled.

The fox was busy cleaning his pup with his tongue. Ashwyn watched him and smiled. She leaned in to Sigurd, resting her head against his chest." So, what were you talking about?" she asked softly.

Folding his arms across his chest he looked at her "The secrets of the universe." he said with a smirk "That fox is older than he looks" Leaning against the wall he sighed softly "we didn't talk about much, just where the kids were at...but tell me. How are you feeling?" he asked. The fox had made him paranoid now. If she was feeling insecure about things he wanted nothing more than to reassure her that everything was fine.. with the exception of the room beside them burning. But fine.