still weak. The woman fighter looks at the dwarf, and says, "It would be best if Harrim and I stay behind. These guys are going to need all the help they need, and if you are going into the West Wing, the four of you will work better in a smaller group."

Linzi blinks at that, "Four?" She then thinks for a moment, "Yeah. I think I'll go," she looks at Zrak, then Malkala, "assuming you are going, that is."

Looking at Malkala, Zrak can see that she is clearly thinking. It is easy to see that she is ready to charge forward into the West Wing, but she is hesitating. Her eyes look toward the group and the guards. Her eyes then lock onto Zrak's, and both can read each other's thoughts fairly clearly.

She smirks, "I think you know where my mind is going, Zrak." Her head turns to the barricaded door, "I need to go there and help. And I'd appreciate any assistance possible."

Her next question is toward Ivenzi, "Do you know their numbers?"

The man shakes his head, "No. I only know that approximately ten mercenaries and three giants attacked us here. There could be more that snuck in from other areas of the manor."

Looking between Malkala, the barricaded door, and the other adventurers, Zrak realized the course they'll take. He isn't, or overly disappointed, at Malkala's decision. Even when it's the right decision, a barbarian never likes to wait. They also now have numbers on their side, which is a far better situation than before.

There is a lingering thought: he and Malkala have never seen the manor's west wing. There is no need for anyone to travel as if they are blind.

He leans toward the large Ivenzi and asks, "So what do you know about that wing? Anything that'll keep us from walking in blind?" Any information helps, he thinks to himself. "And any other way into the wing? Or is that," he points his bone-thin finger at the barricaded door, "the only way in and out?"

He looks ready to go, flickering his ratty ears while eyeing the door. But he can't help but wonder what they were keeping out.

Ivenzi searches his possessions for a moment, trying to find something. Eventually, he sighs and pulls out a spare napkin and pencil, obviously not what he was looking for but something good enough. He then spends some time drawing a crude map of the west wing, marking notes and symbols of importance as he goes. Malkala walks up and seems to be paying great attention to what he is saying, nodding along and committing what she can to memory.

Once done, he hands it to Zrak, "That should help you out. As far as getting in and out," he points to the south-western corner of the room, "that door leads to a privy that opens into the hall. While we are watching it, we assume that the mercenaries won't take the time to look for anything other than the direct approach if they want to get back here, so it should be safe to use. The main thing that you'll have to deal with besides the mercenaries is-"

He is interrupted as a blast of fire somehow breaks through the barricade in one spot, knocking back the guards standing right in front of it. They recover quickly and reset their defenses, both with the tables and tapestry.

"-is the fire." He sighs, "When they broke in, the mercenaries set fire to many of the guest rooms, locking the guests inside. The fire has spread into the hall, and is trying to spread further. You could just rush by it, but it would be beneficial both to you and us if you could stamp it out."

Malkala nods, "We will do what we can." She then looks to Amiri and Linzi, "Are you both ready to go?"

Both women nod, Amiri with a massive grin on her face. Malkala then turns to Valerie and Harrim, "Stay here and support the guards. We will need a place to fall back to if needed."

One look at the West Wing map says all which Zrak needs to know. This wing has a startingly narrow corridor, perfect for something like a fire to block everything off. Even from where he stands, the fire's heat licks his ratty fur. Whatever guests that were still trapped are likely no more; neither will Zrak risk trying to rush in through the flames, if assassins are waiting for him.

"So we go in, stop the flames, then go find Aldori and wipe out whatever assassins are left." He looks at the map-drawn napkin resting in his bone-thin hand.

The task looks straightforward, but the twisting colors of red and orange is more than just another enemy. he can't simply swing his clawed hands at until it dies out. Before setting off, he asks Ivenzi one more question. "So is there any sort of water or dirt in that wing?" Zrak's eyes the fire one more time before looking at the south-western corner of the room. No one here could make water or dirt, so they'll have to use what they can find.

Ivenzi shakes his head, "Unless some of the guests had water brought to their rooms, you most likely won't find any. However, if you wish," he waves his hand back toward the east wing, "you can see what you can grab from the cook's quarters or the scullery. Those would be the best places to find water."

Malkala adds, "The problem is, we probably will not find enough to douse all of that fire fast enough. If you want to go back, what we can do is find water to soak some rags. That way it may be easier to breathe." She looks to Ivenzi, "You said that the fires started in the guest rooms, right?" At his nod, she says, "We will need to focus on those rooms, then. I doubt there will be assassins in the hall while there is such a blaze, but we will need to be careful anyway."

With a complicated fire situation, and little in the way of handling it, Zrak gives a nod to the guardsman and begins walking back towards the scullery. "Well it sure is clear now," he shouts to the others, "as long as you don't mind a hill of a corpse."

A thought comes over to him as he remembers the path they took. "Oh yeah, the water's still flowing through the kitchen and garden if you need it!" His ratty eyes look at the barricaded door. Yeah, they'll need it.

He looks up and over at Malkala while walking. "Water on rags is a good idea. Think we should also grab some big pots and fill 'em up?" His question is sincere, though the cynical look in his green eyes didn't speak with confidence. There's no way they'll get enough water to clear out the fires. But any little bit will help as he steps back to the scullery to grab containers and wet rags.

Malkala shrugs, "Having whatever water we can get is not a bad idea, though we will have to physically carry them. Which can get awkward if we have to fight. But I think it is a worthwhile risk."

It is not difficult at all to find water, pots, rags, and whatever else is needed in the scullery. Most of the rags and pots have not been cleaned yet, as if the servants had not been able to complete their work before the assault, but they will still work. Both adventurers work the pump at the corner of the scullery to fill up pots and rags, and after approximately ten minutes, they have soaked rags and filled pots ready to go.

As they walk back, carrying the heavy metal pots, Malkala says, "I know mostly how to wear the rags to keep the fire and smoke out, but we will still need to hold our breath."

When they return to the Great Hall, Amiri and Linzi approach and help carry the pots. When the group enters the southern room, they find that it is, indeed, a privy, with an outhouse style toilet, small basin for washing hands which is completely empty, and a door in which smoke is slowly leaking from the bottom crack.

Malkala stands at the door and turns to Zrak for one final confirmation before she opens it.

Zrak holds a simple steel pot by the handles; water swishing and splashing within its grey container as he stands next to Malkala. The leaking smoke reminds him of what fire is like: boiling, suffocating, painful to breathe in. His body and armor are wrapped in wet and used rags as Malkala suggested, placing it over his head like with his cloak. The cloth hides his constant grimace and twitchy nose through the soaking fur and smelly odur.

There is nothing he can do but head into the fire.

Holding the water pot with a surprising amount of strength, Zrak looks once more over at Linzi and Amiri, making sure everyone is ready. "Alright, open it," Zrak insists. "And we oughta move quickly. I'd rather not be full of burns by the end of the night."

Malkala smirks and nods. She pushes the door open, and immediately is pushed back by the massive wave of heat and smoke that slams into everyone in the privy. It is nearly unbearable, but the group starts holding their breath, keeping the smoke out of their bodies.

Through the door, it is hard to see what is going on through the billowing black smoke. The only thing that helps is the fire that blazes down the hall, revealing open doorways further down which the map notes as the guest rooms.

Linzi moves first, carrying a pot of water into the hall. She starts running to the left and enters the first room she finds. With as little air leaving her as possible, she tosses the water onto the blazing fire. Yet, the fire does not die down.

But she is not detered. She sends the rest of the water of the pot onto the fire, hoping to hit a spot to greatly reduce the fire. This time, the fire starts dying down, the water smothering a portion of the flames.

Right behind her heels is Malkala holding a second pot of water. She runs for the second room down the hall on the left. Taking a moment to find an optimal spot for her water, she splashes water down, hoping that her calculations were correct.

At first, the fire does not die down, which worries Malkala. But, the wet surface eventually kills a portion of the fire, reducing the heat of the room slightly.

Amiri, with an excited smile on her face, runs out of the room, effortlessly carrying her pot of water. It takes a bit of time for her to reach the first room on the right of the hall, but she eventually does reach the doorway, ready to toss her water.

The fire is oppressing to Zrak's eyes, which squint through the flickering heat and smoke. The rags over his body otherwise keep his discomfort to a minimum, so long as he doesn't leap straight into the flames like some foolish fire elemental.

He and everyone else did not have enough water for all of this. He can't even fathom how a wizard could create enough liquid to douse all this. Should he instead diverge from the plan? A little acrobatics could get his ratty feet over to the other end without issue.

Everyone else, however, made it clear that he should get to the guest rooms.

Stepping on the hot floor, he scurries across and around the hallway fires as his water swishes in the pot. One doesn't expect him to carry the hefty pot, due to his smaller size, but his muscles and frame make it a trivial task. He reaches the door opposite to Amiri, finding it already open with fire lashing out in all directions.

Linzi looks down and sees that the pot in her hand is empty. She is about to toss it to the ground, but then is inspired with an idea. Flipping it upside down and holding it in both hands, she slams it down on one of the smaller blazes, trying to smother it fast. Moving from blaze to blaze, she is unable to really make a lot of progress. With each blaze that seems to die down, another takes its place. She does completely smother one, though, lowering the heat of the room a bit more.

Meanwhile, Malkala takes her own pot, and splashes the last bit of water in it one top of a blaze in her room. She manages to throw the water in such a way to douse most of the fire in the room, greatly reducing the heat and light. Instead of trying to use the pot like Linzi, the dragonborne simply throws the pot to try and make something fall onto the rest of the fire. Her first attempt fails, almost causing the fire to spread. However, she takes one of the blankets off of the beds and tosses it onto the last blaze. It takes a moment, and the blanket almost catches fire itself. But it eventually dies, completely clearing the room of fire. Yet, the smoke remains, so Malkala keeps holding her breath as she prepares to leave the room.

Amiri finally is able to enter her room. The others cannot hear the growl she lets out instinctively as she tosses the water pot in the room, letting go completely. She manages to throw the pot in such a way that, either by accident or intention, three-quarters of the fires in the room are immediately snuffed out. She barely seems to notice as she runs toward the last fire and jumps onto it. Grunting more, she jumps and stomps and kicks the fire in a frenzy until it dies down completely, leaving the room smoky, but clear of fires.

Zrak hears nothing but the inferno standing before him as it consumes the guest room. Its suffocating atmosphere is too much for the ysoki to stand in awe at. He grimaces beneath the rapidly-drying wet rags, feeling like he's an inch away from being burned alive.

With a silent force of strength, he leans his arms back and tosses the pot's contents. Most of the clear, fire-tinted water sails like a wave, splashing across the room through Zrak's sheer strength. With his striking agility, he enters and moves around the flames, throwing the remaining water where he's otherwise unable to reach.

The remaining smoke and heat tingles his fur, and as if overtaken by fury, he pulls off the damp rags on him. The small ratty barbarian slams the material down on the fires, smothering it between the thick material and his stomps.

Mimicking Amiri, Zrak takes the