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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Lazybones" data-source="post: 1567272" data-attributes="member: 143">Chapter 145Arun thought he could feel his skin crisping from the heat of the fire elemental as he was knocked back roughly off his feet, stumbling back a pace before staggering to his knees.  For a moment, all he could sense was the roar of flames, and his vision swam as his grasp on consciousness wavered.  He knew, however, that if he faltered, then his friends were lost. Not bloody likely! he thought, forcing himself to his feet and calling upon the divine energies of his patron at the same time.  Healing power flowed through him, although his movements still brought pain where the eager flames had scorched his flesh.  “Come on then!” he roared in challenge at the elemental.  But rather than rushing forward to match strength with the creature—a strategy that had already proven faulty—he slowly paced to the side, drawing it after him, and away from Hodge.  Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Zenna was moving to help the fallen dwarf, and nodded to himself in satisfaction.  But as the elemental’s assault slammed into him again, hitting with the force of a battering ram against his shield, he knew that the situation was still grim; one more solid hit that got through his defenses would be enough to end it. Mole did not hesitate, drawing her sword and rushing to Arun’s aid.  Her normal tactic in this situation would be to flank the foe, using its distraction to find a vulnerable spot to strike.  But against a blazing, roughly humanoid-shaped sheet of fire, she had no idea where to begin.  Blindly she lashed out at the thickest part of the flames that comprised its “body”, but as her sword passed through its form she felt hot pain sear her fingers and rush up her arm.  Drawing back, she lost her grip on her sword, which fell through the creature to land in the scorched earth of the courtyard.  Well, duh, it burns, it’s made of fire you fool! she berated herself.  The creature had not even bothered to turn, focusing its attention on the more dangerous dwarf that confronted it.  As she tried to think of something that she could do to it, she spotted a tall figure moving into the courtyard.  At first she thought it was one of the mercenaries, having finally found some courage to return, but then she saw that while this half-orc was armed and armored, its raiment was distinctly different than that of the mercenary guardsmen.  He wore a surcoat over his breastplate that bore the sigil of a flaming sword, and while the hilt of a monstrous two-handed sword jutted up from above one shoulder, he wielded instead a slender wand, which he pointed not at the elemental, but at the softly surging waters of the lake at the far edge of the street.  Mole quickly realized what the wand was—she should know, they’d sacrificed a lot to find several of them—and her guess was confirmed a moment later as a wave of solid water rose up above the edge of the lake, spilling out in a broad wedge that swept across the street and into the courtyard.  Zenna, holding the injured Hodge in her lap, lowered her body to protect the dwarf as the wave crested over her, leaving her sodden but doing no serious damage.  The wave continued into Arun, who held his ground, and then hit the elemental in an explosion of steam that rose with an angry hiss into the air.  Mole, lacking Arun’s solidity, was driven backward by the force of the onrushing water in a jumble until she hit the wall of the inn with enough force to knock the air from her lungs.  The wave lacked enough force or height to actually penetrate far into the inn, but the smoldering flames around the perimeter of the courtyard were instantly drenched by the surge of water.  As the wave retreated, Mole was able to regain her footing with some difficulty.  There was still at least two feet of water gathered in the courtyard, held there by the magical power wielded by the half-orc cleric through the wand of control water.  The wave had broken around the looming structure of the inn, and steam rose from within the structure as water found its way into the building and met the flames burning within.  The whole made for a powerful tableau, with water, steam, and flames forming a single union of elemental chaos. The elemental, its body wreathed in steam, made a final swipe at Arun, but it was clear that the wave had devastated the creature and sundered its fragile connection to this plane.  The dwarf struck low with his hammer, creating a surge of water that splashed over the upper body of the elemental, and with one last eruption of steam that hissed into the night air it collapsed and dissolved.  Arun turned to help Zenna, who was lifting Hodge’s head above the level of the water with some difficulty.  Mole had to fight through the swirling water to reach them, but determination drove her quickly even as she stumbled awkwardly on debris hidden under the surface of the water.  “Arun!  You have to help me... there’s someone trapped inside, a boy...”The dwarf glanced over his shoulder and nodded, giving Hodge a final boost to his feet before turning back toward the inn.  Hodge was conscious now, bolstered by Zenna’s healing, but it was clear that the dwarf was in no condition to contribute more to this crisis.  The waters were beginning to retreat now, and Mole found herself unable to progress toward the front opening wreathed in a mix of black smoke and white steam.  Arun finally reached her and pulled her up, and the two pushed against the water tugging at their legs with insistency as they rushed to the aid of the trapped boy inside the inn. But before they could reach the door, there was a loud crash, and as Mole watched in wide-eyed horror, the second story of the inn sagged and came crashing down onto the weakened common room and kitchen below.  Flames roared into the sky, and smoke and burning embers billowed out into the courtyard, threatening to blind the heroes still struggling there.  Instinctively Mole started forward again, although there was clearly no chance of hope.  Arun held her back, his own face grim as they watched what was left of Minuta’s Board consume itself in flames.  Behind them, the cleric of Tempus and others started tending to the injured, and worked to keep the fire contained to the stricken inn.  Once it was clear that Mole wasn’t going to go rushing into the building, Arun released her, and turned to offer assistance.  Through it all, the gnome just stood there, watching the burning inn through tears that filled her eyes. “I’m sorry, Bally,” she whispered.</blockquote>

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