The Hezi And Row Show
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" I say we hit more of the Planes! You can usually find whatever you want up there." Rowwanda glanced, annoyed, at her table mate. Hezikiaha, his bald head glinting in the firelight, furrowed his brow and responded. "You have already been to two of the Planes, Row. If you couldn't find anything in Hate or Fear you're not going to-" "But Flowersniffing is a druid like me," Row interjected. "We could probably find out more in the Plane of Growth." She reached down to her mug of mulled elven wine and swirled it around, not really in the mood for a drink of this magnitude. Hezi cleared his throat and slapped the table with his gauntleted hand. "Ha! You'll never get me into that damn, giant, weed infested, Plane of a-" he stopped looking up at the disapproval in Rowwanda's eyes. "Oh c'mon! You can't tell me you don't think Tunare has a huge branch lodged up her ass?" No change. "Oh, even you complain when it rains all the time!" Row shook her head and sighed. "That's Karana." Hezi thought for a moment...then another one. "Oh yeah well, that's my point! Putting women in charge. Never a good idea. I mean I know what a normal woman's like once a month! I don't even want to think of what a Goddess would be-" Rowwanda stood up so fast she spilled her wine. "That's it! I'm turning your shiny, metal plated ass into a wolf and porting you to Halas!!" She closed her eyes and raised a finger towards the shocked warrior. When she began to chant, a slight green aura glowed around her. Other patrons in the Lion's Mane Inn turned to see what the disturbance was. Some, recognizing magic, began to panic. Some even screamed and ran for the door. The warrior with the red goatee and off orange shelled armor reached up and grabbed Row by the arm, shaking her. "Row stop! Don't do it! Don't!" Too late, Hezi rose from his seat to get a firm grip on her. Just as he raised his other hand to her, he noticed it looked different. It looked much more like a paw. Before this could sink in, he fell. Only he was still standing. He was under the table and yet still standing...on all fours. Trying to shout for help he heard nothing but a short growl and a bark come from his...snout. Great, he thought, just great. Pondering his new predicament, he raised his right leg up to scratch behind his ear. Rowwanda snapped out of her spell's hold on her and glanced around. Then she smirked and bent to look under the table. There was a large grey wolf, scratching it's ear. She straightened up and smiled more broadly. Wish I had a spell to turn him into a pig, she thought. Just then, the bartender grabbed her by the arm and spun her towards him. "Lady, I am afraid you know the rules. No magic in here!" He started to push her towards the door and she protested. "Now Lady, I don't want to have to call the guards. You know Corporal Lancot is still rather jaded over that whole incident with you!" At this, she shook her head and willingly left.
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Several minutes later, Rowwanda sat outside on an empty box, with her "pet" sitting faithfully next to her, panting. She thought maybe the Plane of Growth wasn't that good of an idea after all. Despite her allegiances, she did have to admit sometimes she didn't like the Goddesses either. She sighed and began to think of another plan when it started. Raining. A clap of thunder sounded overhead and then it poured. Knowing somehow, that she was being punished, Row propped her head on a fist and sighed again. Then something hit her leg. She looked down to find Hezi prostrated on her leg in a rather lude manner. As she looked into his eyes, she thought he looked, happy. Then he started to move. Realizing what he was doing Row's eyes widened. Then she rolled them towards the heavens and sighed again.
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Several hours later, Rowwanda and Flowersniffing sat huddled in a cozy corner of Rivervale. Both seemed to be in good spirits, and also in deep conversation. Row leaned in close and pointed to a distant spot. "So that's the PoD she's dating?" Flower winced and sighed. "Yes that's him. Just don't say it too loud, ok?" Row grinned. "What's the big deal? He seems cute." Flower's eyes widened. "Cute!? He's human! I understand his purpose here-" Flower stopped in mid sentence and thought. "Well ok, maybe I don't actually know his purpose here, but he's still human! My sister is a halfling. The scandal alone is horrific; I can only imagine the children!" Flower sunk his head into his hands and sighed again. Row patted him on the shoulder. "I'm sorry to bring it up hun. Maybe we should concentrate on who to ask to find your daddy?" Flowersniffing just groaned. "Ok," he said through his hands. His head then snapped up. "Hey, what about your list?" Row seemed confused for a moment, then she brightened. "You mean our Pain list?" "Yeah why not? I mean, if you go find those creatures that you guys owe pain, maybe you can ask them before you kill them." She thought for a moment before responding. "You know Flower that's not a half bad idea. We could interrogate them to see if they know who your daddy is before we kill them!" She brightened immediately. "I don't know what we would do without you sometimes Flower!" She reached over and hugged the little former adult demi-human movie star. He blushed beneath his furry mustache and grinned. Row grinned back. Then Flower looked around and frowned. "Say Row, where is Hezi? Shouldn't he be here? I mean he has the right to pay back all the beings on your list that have caused him pain as much as you do." Rowwanda laughed, then patted him again. "Don't worry Flower, he's outside tied to a tree."
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Hezikiaha crept towards the entrance to the cave carefully. It was dark out, but the glowing green gem in his hand lit the way. Rowwanda sauntered up behind him, seeing quite well with her elven night vision. He turned to her and asked a question. "Do you think he's in there?" Rowwanda squatted and looked at the ground. She sniffed the air and inspected the rocks. After a few moments, she returned to the warrior's side. "Yes I am sure he's here. A good distance in, but here none the less." Hezi turned an excited eye back towards the cave opening. "Good! I owe that bastard some serious hurt!" He stowed the gem back in his pack and unsheathed his other sword. The diamond shape headed, sleek sword glinted in what little moonlight there was. Row pulled out her bone handled scimitar as well and nudged Hezi from behind. "You lead I'll follow. You've got every magical protection and enhancement that I have, on you. I shall remain behind you to guard the rear and to provide healing if you need it." The two companions entered the cave as quietly as they could. Once a ways inside, the walls became lit by torches. Rusted sconces held them every few feet apart. The whole place smelled of rotted flesh and various kinds of excrement. The floor looked and felt like mud and dirt, but it didn't smell that way. Even the walls had a sickly green fungus of some sort hanging all over them. It's smell was like nothing either traveler had smelled before. Several more feet in, voices could be heard. Shouts, laughter, even some singing rang through the various hallways. They all had one thing in common. The voices were all goblin. Row snuck up closer behind Hezi to whisper in his ear. "Do you remember how to get to the goblin king's chamber?" Hezi whispered back. "Yeah, Lord Gorelik keeps a large room down two levels and towards the center of the mines." "Great, nothing like walking into the hornet's nest." Rowwanda looked all around her, trying to get a fix on anything that might be near them. Hezi snorted. "Bah, these little buggers are nothing to me now! I've gotten a good deal stronger since the last time we were here!" "Yes, as have I. But I do not think we should-" Hezikiaha gave a great war cry and lunged forward. Trotting down a side hall with his swords raised in the air. Row sighed and griped under her breath. "We have got to go see an enchanter about an intelligence buff for him sometime!" She quickly ran down the same hall the overly enthusiastic fighter had gone down. After a couple of turns she found Hezi crouched near a doorway. Surprised no one had heard his cry, she walked up to him quietly and tapped him on the shoulder. Hezi turned to see a quizzical look on Row's face. He leaned in and whispered to her. "I think there is one in the next room, just down this hall. Listen." Both turned an ear towards the doorless entry. Sounds of a goblin talking to himself could be heard. Hezi looked back to his partner and said, "Let me handle this." With that he stood, gripped both swords, stepped to the entry and bellowed. Before his war cry ended he was through the doorway and charging down the hall. Row couldn't even get a word out before he was gone. She rolled her eyes and brought forth, into her mind, a number of spells that could save them. Including a quick succor out of here. Hezikiaha screamed at the top of his lungs. If he remembered the goblin insult he had been taught as a lad correctly, he should be saying something about puke-skinned boot lickers, or some such. He didn't really care as long as the disgusting little ear biters heard their death approaching. Just then he noticed a goblin sitting on a stool in front of another door, several paces down this hallway. It looked up at his resonating bellow and nearly fell right off it's stool. Catching it's balance the creature pulled a small sword from a sheath and opened the door behind it. Hezi skidded to a stop and took a wide swing at it's head. Fortunately for the goblin, it was only three feet tall and the wild swing went at least two feet over it's head. The creature thrust forward weakly to try to make the big man thing take a step back and give him some room. The thrust glanced meekly off of the slimy orange armor, however, and only seemed to enrage the big man with two swords, both nearly the size of the goblin, even more. So the goblin ducked into the open door and fled for it's life. Hezi seeing this gave another cry and chased after the little green devil. Following it through the door, Hezi charged after it, with rage in his eyes and death on his face. The goblin was fast and eluded him until it came to yet another door. Stopping to open it the creature lunged inside and cried out in it's guttural voice. Hezi approached the door and once again skidded to a halt. This time, however, it was for an entirely different reason. His eyes scanned the room and then widened to an obscene size. Another bellow came from his mouth, but this one was tinged with something besides rage. Rowwanda, fully intent on letting Hezi deal with his own folly, walked slowly down the hallway. She examined everything looking for a sign that this was indeed the way to Lord Gorelik's chamber. About halfway down she froze, hearing another yell. This one also had the same tone to it. She squinted down the poorly lit hall and saw Hezi sprint through a door chasing a rather scrawny looking goblin. She sighed and continued her leisurely pace down the hall. As she approached the second door Hezi had disappeared through, she heard another cry. This one had a tinge of something else in it. It was still Hezi's voice but it was....getting closer. As she peered through the doorway Hezi came huffing and puffing through the door at a breakneck pace. Hezi over his shoulder, "Run!" Row turned to look down the hall again and saw at least a dozen goblins in hot pursuit of the warrior. She said a quick incantation and vanished. She was still right in the same spot, but now invisible. The goblins shouted their own war cries and ran past her. She clung to the wall as closely as she could to get out of their way, and tried to come up with a way to bale out her friend...again.
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Nearly two hours later, in a deep rather dark part of the mines, Hezikiaha sat wheezing in a corner. Covered in green ichors so thick you could barely make out the bright orange of his armor, he limply gripped his swords and tried to catch his breath. Around him lay the bodies of a couple dozen goblins, as well as their guts and blood in puddles beneath them. Rowwanda sat in the opposite corner, quite tired herself. She was trying, rather unsuccessfully, to wipe greenish blood from the blade of her scimitar. She appeared somewhat drained, but as she finished her cleaning, she moved her legs into a crossed position beneath her and began to meditate. Moments later she looked much better. "You know, you could have jumped in there a little sooner, and helped me," Hezi whined as he caught his breath. Rowwanda did not move. "Yes, but how would that have taught you a lesson?" She paused, "And how would that have been fun for me?" "You nearly let it go too far! I thought I was dead!" Row still didn't even open her eyes. "I had it completely under control." Coming out from her meditation, she added, "Speaking of which I believe it's time we go get Gorelik before he can summon more of his followers." Hezi slowly stood and once again brought his swords to bare. "Ok let's go get it done." They made their way to the chamber and had no trouble finding the Lord of the goblins here in The Lake Of Ill Omen. Lord Gorelik was obviously prepared for them and knew they would be coming. He stood from a small chair and pointed and Hezi. In his own form of crude human speech, "I remember you! This time you shall not escape my grasp, and you will know the folly of hunting me!" As he finished speaking to the two invaders, he spoke a word of magic and his nearly invisible pet wolf lunged towards Hezi. "Get the goblin, I've got the pet," Hezi shouted. His sword blocked the first bite the magical wolf tried to hit him with. His second sword plunged into the creature's side. Rowwanda heard Hezi's instructions and grasped her necklace in her left hand. She spoke a word of magic and it began to sparkle blue. As it's magical light faded a host of summoned roots and strands of plant appeared and wound themselves around the goblin lord. The goblin howled in pain and frustration. Without missing a beat, Row chanted and gestured towards the goblin. A massive cloud of buzzing, stinging insects emerged from a cloud of dark smoke around the entangled king. They set upon the goblin and he once again cried out. Hezi backed up a step to try and sweep the wolf's front legs out from under it. The creature easily jumped over the clumsy swing and proceeded to latch itself onto Hezi's armored elbow. Giving a yelp of surprise, Hezi grabbed the creature by the its left front leg and held it in place. Turning toward the wall he lurched forward and pushed the wolf into the wall with all of his force. The creature was crushed between the wall and his weight. It let go of his elbow and slumped to the ground. Turning towards his other target, Hezi was accosted by the sight of a magical battle. Between throws of agony form the swarming insects, Gorelik managed to throw a few spells of his own. One to heal himself and one to fry his opponent in a wave of heat. Rowwanda felt a gust of hot wind hit her and then a wave of fire swept towards her. Closing her eyes and ducking behind her shield she rode out the wave. Appearing from behind the shield once again she felt, singed. Her leather armor smoked in places and her skin was heat blotched. She stared at the struggling goblin and shouted. "Fine! You wanna play with fire!" She waved her hands in the air and began to chant again. Her eyes seemed to look through the goblin lord. They also smoldered with an inner fire that brought forth an aura of flames around her. The fungus on the walls next to her caught fire and shriveled to ash. The wood, holding up the walls in the mine, blackened. Just as her chant began to fade she heard a yell of surprise from off to the side. Hezi, watching the spectacle in front of him, suddenly felt something hit him in the rear. Glancing over his shoulder he saw the magical wolf pet with it's teeth firmly sunk into the ass end of his armor. Shouting in shock, Hezi sprang forward trying to do anything to remove the creature from his hind quarter. Then the chanting faded. Rowwanda felt the power and flame leap from her and hurtle towards the helpless goblin king. In a brilliant flash of fire and light, the goblin was no more. The insects, the ensnaring foliage, and even the goblins metal helmet melted away into a pile of blackened mucus and ash. A booming sound of explosion resonated through the shaft ways. Hezikiaha, wildly swinging behind himself trying to hit the wolf, suddenly saw it disappear with a quiet whimper. Stopping to catch his balance, Hezi turned to see Row standing amidst a blackened scorch mark covering everything within a couple feet of her. Then he turned to find what was left of Lord Gorelik. He sheathed his swords and scratched his bald head. Carefully stepping closer to Row, he spoke quietly, "Uhhh Row? You forgot to ask him about Flower's daddy." She turned her head to look into his eyes. Hers still with a hint of fire in them. "Get the Pain list out." Hezi looked at her questioningly. "Why?" She spoke quietly but powerfully, "We'll ask the next one." With that she sheathed her scimitar and spun on her heal to leave. Hezi watched her go only to notice something that had totally escaped him before. Her hair was now black and singed like everything else. "Hey, uhh, Row. Did you know your hair is-" "Yes." She did not look back, but kept on walking. Not entirely sure what was going on, Hezi took a deep breath and sensed something different. He sensed power and determination. Shivering he started after her and shouted, " Hey Row, you're not still upset about that whole leg humping thing are ya?"
" I say we hit more of the Planes! You can usually find whatever you want up there." Rowwanda glanced, annoyed, at her table mate. Hezikiaha, his bald head glinting in the firelight, furrowed his brow and responded. "You have already been to two of the Planes, Row. If you couldn't find anything in Hate or Fear you're not going to-" "But Flowersniffing is a druid like me," Row interjected. "We could probably find out more in the Plane of Growth." She reached down to her mug of mulled elven wine and swirled it around, not really in the mood for a drink of this magnitude. Hezi cleared his throat and slapped the table with his gauntleted hand. "Ha! You'll never get me into that damn, giant, weed infested, Plane of a-" he stopped looking up at the disapproval in Rowwanda's eyes. "Oh c'mon! You can't tell me you don't think Tunare has a huge branch lodged up her ass?" No change. "Oh, even you complain when it rains all the time!" Row shook her head and sighed. "That's Karana." Hezi thought for a moment...then another one. "Oh yeah well, that's my point! Putting women in charge. Never a good idea. I mean I know what a normal woman's like once a month! I don't even want to think of what a Goddess would be-" Rowwanda stood up so fast she spilled her wine. "That's it! I'm turning your shiny, metal plated ass into a wolf and porting you to Halas!!" She closed her eyes and raised a finger towards the shocked warrior. When she began to chant, a slight green aura glowed around her. Other patrons in the Lion's Mane Inn turned to see what the disturbance was. Some, recognizing magic, began to panic. Some even screamed and ran for the door. The warrior with the red goatee and off orange shelled armor reached up and grabbed Row by the arm, shaking her. "Row stop! Don't do it! Don't!" Too late, Hezi rose from his seat to get a firm grip on her. Just as he raised his other hand to her, he noticed it looked different. It looked much more like a paw. Before this could sink in, he fell. Only he was still standing. He was under the table and yet still standing...on all fours. Trying to shout for help he heard nothing but a short growl and a bark come from his...snout. Great, he thought, just great. Pondering his new predicament, he raised his right leg up to scratch behind his ear. Rowwanda snapped out of her spell's hold on her and glanced around. Then she smirked and bent to look under the table. There was a large grey wolf, scratching it's ear. She straightened up and smiled more broadly. Wish I had a spell to turn him into a pig, she thought. Just then, the bartender grabbed her by the arm and spun her towards him. "Lady, I am afraid you know the rules. No magic in here!" He started to push her towards the door and she protested. "Now Lady, I don't want to have to call the guards. You know Corporal Lancot is still rather jaded over that whole incident with you!" At this, she shook her head and willingly left.
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Several minutes later, Rowwanda sat outside on an empty box, with her "pet" sitting faithfully next to her, panting. She thought maybe the Plane of Growth wasn't that good of an idea after all. Despite her allegiances, she did have to admit sometimes she didn't like the Goddesses either. She sighed and began to think of another plan when it started. Raining. A clap of thunder sounded overhead and then it poured. Knowing somehow, that she was being punished, Row propped her head on a fist and sighed again. Then something hit her leg. She looked down to find Hezi prostrated on her leg in a rather lude manner. As she looked into his eyes, she thought he looked, happy. Then he started to move. Realizing what he was doing Row's eyes widened. Then she rolled them towards the heavens and sighed again.
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Several hours later, Rowwanda and Flowersniffing sat huddled in a cozy corner of Rivervale. Both seemed to be in good spirits, and also in deep conversation. Row leaned in close and pointed to a distant spot. "So that's the PoD she's dating?" Flower winced and sighed. "Yes that's him. Just don't say it too loud, ok?" Row grinned. "What's the big deal? He seems cute." Flower's eyes widened. "Cute!? He's human! I understand his purpose here-" Flower stopped in mid sentence and thought. "Well ok, maybe I don't actually know his purpose here, but he's still human! My sister is a halfling. The scandal alone is horrific; I can only imagine the children!" Flower sunk his head into his hands and sighed again. Row patted him on the shoulder. "I'm sorry to bring it up hun. Maybe we should concentrate on who to ask to find your daddy?" Flowersniffing just groaned. "Ok," he said through his hands. His head then snapped up. "Hey, what about your list?" Row seemed confused for a moment, then she brightened. "You mean our Pain list?" "Yeah why not? I mean, if you go find those creatures that you guys owe pain, maybe you can ask them before you kill them." She thought for a moment before responding. "You know Flower that's not a half bad idea. We could interrogate them to see if they know who your daddy is before we kill them!" She brightened immediately. "I don't know what we would do without you sometimes Flower!" She reached over and hugged the little former adult demi-human movie star. He blushed beneath his furry mustache and grinned. Row grinned back. Then Flower looked around and frowned. "Say Row, where is Hezi? Shouldn't he be here? I mean he has the right to pay back all the beings on your list that have caused him pain as much as you do." Rowwanda laughed, then patted him again. "Don't worry Flower, he's outside tied to a tree."
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Hezikiaha crept towards the entrance to the cave carefully. It was dark out, but the glowing green gem in his hand lit the way. Rowwanda sauntered up behind him, seeing quite well with her elven night vision. He turned to her and asked a question. "Do you think he's in there?" Rowwanda squatted and looked at the ground. She sniffed the air and inspected the rocks. After a few moments, she returned to the warrior's side. "Yes I am sure he's here. A good distance in, but here none the less." Hezi turned an excited eye back towards the cave opening. "Good! I owe that bastard some serious hurt!" He stowed the gem back in his pack and unsheathed his other sword. The diamond shape headed, sleek sword glinted in what little moonlight there was. Row pulled out her bone handled scimitar as well and nudged Hezi from behind. "You lead I'll follow. You've got every magical protection and enhancement that I have, on you. I shall remain behind you to guard the rear and to provide healing if you need it." The two companions entered the cave as quietly as they could. Once a ways inside, the walls became lit by torches. Rusted sconces held them every few feet apart. The whole place smelled of rotted flesh and various kinds of excrement. The floor looked and felt like mud and dirt, but it didn't smell that way. Even the walls had a sickly green fungus of some sort hanging all over them. It's smell was like nothing either traveler had smelled before. Several more feet in, voices could be heard. Shouts, laughter, even some singing rang through the various hallways. They all had one thing in common. The voices were all goblin. Row snuck up closer behind Hezi to whisper in his ear. "Do you remember how to get to the goblin king's chamber?" Hezi whispered back. "Yeah, Lord Gorelik keeps a large room down two levels and towards the center of the mines." "Great, nothing like walking into the hornet's nest." Rowwanda looked all around her, trying to get a fix on anything that might be near them. Hezi snorted. "Bah, these little buggers are nothing to me now! I've gotten a good deal stronger since the last time we were here!" "Yes, as have I. But I do not think we should-" Hezikiaha gave a great war cry and lunged forward. Trotting down a side hall with his swords raised in the air. Row sighed and griped under her breath. "We have got to go see an enchanter about an intelligence buff for him sometime!" She quickly ran down the same hall the overly enthusiastic fighter had gone down. After a couple of turns she found Hezi crouched near a doorway. Surprised no one had heard his cry, she walked up to him quietly and tapped him on the shoulder. Hezi turned to see a quizzical look on Row's face. He leaned in and whispered to her. "I think there is one in the next room, just down this hall. Listen." Both turned an ear towards the doorless entry. Sounds of a goblin talking to himself could be heard. Hezi looked back to his partner and said, "Let me handle this." With that he stood, gripped both swords, stepped to the entry and bellowed. Before his war cry ended he was through the doorway and charging down the hall. Row couldn't even get a word out before he was gone. She rolled her eyes and brought forth, into her mind, a number of spells that could save them. Including a quick succor out of here. Hezikiaha screamed at the top of his lungs. If he remembered the goblin insult he had been taught as a lad correctly, he should be saying something about puke-skinned boot lickers, or some such. He didn't really care as long as the disgusting little ear biters heard their death approaching. Just then he noticed a goblin sitting on a stool in front of another door, several paces down this hallway. It looked up at his resonating bellow and nearly fell right off it's stool. Catching it's balance the creature pulled a small sword from a sheath and opened the door behind it. Hezi skidded to a stop and took a wide swing at it's head. Fortunately for the goblin, it was only three feet tall and the wild swing went at least two feet over it's head. The creature thrust forward weakly to try to make the big man thing take a step back and give him some room. The thrust glanced meekly off of the slimy orange armor, however, and only seemed to enrage the big man with two swords, both nearly the size of the goblin, even more. So the goblin ducked into the open door and fled for it's life. Hezi seeing this gave another cry and chased after the little green devil. Following it through the door, Hezi charged after it, with rage in his eyes and death on his face. The goblin was fast and eluded him until it came to yet another door. Stopping to open it the creature lunged inside and cried out in it's guttural voice. Hezi approached the door and once again skidded to a halt. This time, however, it was for an entirely different reason. His eyes scanned the room and then widened to an obscene size. Another bellow came from his mouth, but this one was tinged with something besides rage. Rowwanda, fully intent on letting Hezi deal with his own folly, walked slowly down the hallway. She examined everything looking for a sign that this was indeed the way to Lord Gorelik's chamber. About halfway down she froze, hearing another yell. This one also had the same tone to it. She squinted down the poorly lit hall and saw Hezi sprint through a door chasing a rather scrawny looking goblin. She sighed and continued her leisurely pace down the hall. As she approached the second door Hezi had disappeared through, she heard another cry. This one had a tinge of something else in it. It was still Hezi's voice but it was....getting closer. As she peered through the doorway Hezi came huffing and puffing through the door at a breakneck pace. Hezi over his shoulder, "Run!" Row turned to look down the hall again and saw at least a dozen goblins in hot pursuit of the warrior. She said a quick incantation and vanished. She was still right in the same spot, but now invisible. The goblins shouted their own war cries and ran past her. She clung to the wall as closely as she could to get out of their way, and tried to come up with a way to bale out her friend...again.
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Nearly two hours later, in a deep rather dark part of the mines, Hezikiaha sat wheezing in a corner. Covered in green ichors so thick you could barely make out the bright orange of his armor, he limply gripped his swords and tried to catch his breath. Around him lay the bodies of a couple dozen goblins, as well as their guts and blood in puddles beneath them. Rowwanda sat in the opposite corner, quite tired herself. She was trying, rather unsuccessfully, to wipe greenish blood from the blade of her scimitar. She appeared somewhat drained, but as she finished her cleaning, she moved her legs into a crossed position beneath her and began to meditate. Moments later she looked much better. "You know, you could have jumped in there a little sooner, and helped me," Hezi whined as he caught his breath. Rowwanda did not move. "Yes, but how would that have taught you a lesson?" She paused, "And how would that have been fun for me?" "You nearly let it go too far! I thought I was dead!" Row still didn't even open her eyes. "I had it completely under control." Coming out from her meditation, she added, "Speaking of which I believe it's time we go get Gorelik before he can summon more of his followers." Hezi slowly stood and once again brought his swords to bare. "Ok let's go get it done." They made their way to the chamber and had no trouble finding the Lord of the goblins here in The Lake Of Ill Omen. Lord Gorelik was obviously prepared for them and knew they would be coming. He stood from a small chair and pointed and Hezi. In his own form of crude human speech, "I remember you! This time you shall not escape my grasp, and you will know the folly of hunting me!" As he finished speaking to the two invaders, he spoke a word of magic and his nearly invisible pet wolf lunged towards Hezi. "Get the goblin, I've got the pet," Hezi shouted. His sword blocked the first bite the magical wolf tried to hit him with. His second sword plunged into the creature's side. Rowwanda heard Hezi's instructions and grasped her necklace in her left hand. She spoke a word of magic and it began to sparkle blue. As it's magical light faded a host of summoned roots and strands of plant appeared and wound themselves around the goblin lord. The goblin howled in pain and frustration. Without missing a beat, Row chanted and gestured towards the goblin. A massive cloud of buzzing, stinging insects emerged from a cloud of dark smoke around the entangled king. They set upon the goblin and he once again cried out. Hezi backed up a step to try and sweep the wolf's front legs out from under it. The creature easily jumped over the clumsy swing and proceeded to latch itself onto Hezi's armored elbow. Giving a yelp of surprise, Hezi grabbed the creature by the its left front leg and held it in place. Turning toward the wall he lurched forward and pushed the wolf into the wall with all of his force. The creature was crushed between the wall and his weight. It let go of his elbow and slumped to the ground. Turning towards his other target, Hezi was accosted by the sight of a magical battle. Between throws of agony form the swarming insects, Gorelik managed to throw a few spells of his own. One to heal himself and one to fry his opponent in a wave of heat. Rowwanda felt a gust of hot wind hit her and then a wave of fire swept towards her. Closing her eyes and ducking behind her shield she rode out the wave. Appearing from behind the shield once again she felt, singed. Her leather armor smoked in places and her skin was heat blotched. She stared at the struggling goblin and shouted. "Fine! You wanna play with fire!" She waved her hands in the air and began to chant again. Her eyes seemed to look through the goblin lord. They also smoldered with an inner fire that brought forth an aura of flames around her. The fungus on the walls next to her caught fire and shriveled to ash. The wood, holding up the walls in the mine, blackened. Just as her chant began to fade she heard a yell of surprise from off to the side. Hezi, watching the spectacle in front of him, suddenly felt something hit him in the rear. Glancing over his shoulder he saw the magical wolf pet with it's teeth firmly sunk into the ass end of his armor. Shouting in shock, Hezi sprang forward trying to do anything to remove the creature from his hind quarter. Then the chanting faded. Rowwanda felt the power and flame leap from her and hurtle towards the helpless goblin king. In a brilliant flash of fire and light, the goblin was no more. The insects, the ensnaring foliage, and even the goblins metal helmet melted away into a pile of blackened mucus and ash. A booming sound of explosion resonated through the shaft ways. Hezikiaha, wildly swinging behind himself trying to hit the wolf, suddenly saw it disappear with a quiet whimper. Stopping to catch his balance, Hezi turned to see Row standing amidst a blackened scorch mark covering everything within a couple feet of her. Then he turned to find what was left of Lord Gorelik. He sheathed his swords and scratched his bald head. Carefully stepping closer to Row, he spoke quietly, "Uhhh Row? You forgot to ask him about Flower's daddy." She turned her head to look into his eyes. Hers still with a hint of fire in them. "Get the Pain list out." Hezi looked at her questioningly. "Why?" She spoke quietly but powerfully, "We'll ask the next one." With that she sheathed her scimitar and spun on her heal to leave. Hezi watched her go only to notice something that had totally escaped him before. Her hair was now black and singed like everything else. "Hey, uhh, Row. Did you know your hair is-" "Yes." She did not look back, but kept on walking. Not entirely sure what was going on, Hezi took a deep breath and sensed something different. He sensed power and determination. Shivering he started after her and shouted, " Hey Row, you're not still upset about that whole leg humping thing are ya?"