Nadya struggles against the man's grip for a moment, but then he points with his free hand at one of her sons and gives her a terrible smile. She freezes for a moment, then bows her head as he begins to lead her out.
Kazmir shakes his head. That was obvious enough. She wanted to fightback but they promised to hurt her son. Still, without her, he was alone in a strange world. The druid would just have to protect them all.
The druid comes out fighting, magic coursing through his veins.
Bizzk also breaks cover, flapping his wings and cawing loudly.
The soldier shouts in pain as the hot tar strikes him right in the chest. He lets go of Nadya and stumbles backward.
The startled soldiers are slow to react.
Kazmir casts Magic Fang on Bizzk, who is roaring past. The heron attacks the scalded solider.
Bizzk stabs through the man's eye, and he falls to the ground without another sound.
Nadya backs up a bit, drawing her pick and axe. She waits until one of the soldiers moves in, then swings.
The soldier blocks with his shield, then slashes at her with his longsword.
His strike hits home. The other two soldiers hang back and fire their crossbows at Bizzk.
Their shots both hit the doorframe instead of the heron.
Kazmir eyes them, wondering if he should heal Nadya or attack. The dwarf decides offense is the best defense and flings a mudball at one of the crossbowmen., hoping to blind them.
The soldier blocks Bizzk's beak, then ducks slightly as Kazmir's ball of mud sails over him and into the face of one of his comrades. Nadya tries to slip in while he's distracted and attack.
She scores a decent hit with her axe, but her pick goes wide.
The swordsman slashes back at her.
But he's clearly distracted by defending himself, and his attack is weak and ill-aimed. The blinded crossbowman spends some time wiping mud off of his face, while his companion fires at Kazmir.
Kazmir's bone breastplate deflects the bolt with no trouble.
Bizzk lashes out again, beak snapping.
For his part Kazmir summons another spell, Stone Call to rain down pain on the two crossbowman. He stretches out his hands and barks the spell in rough Drawven.
The ground under their feet is rocky and filled with slippery gravel.
Bizzk's beak strikes home, and the swordsman falls to the ground. Kazmir's stones fall hard on the crossbowman, striking both in the head hard enough to smash their skulls.
In an instant, the battle is over.
Nadya takes a moment to relax, waiting for the soldiers to move. When none do, she turns to Kazmir.
"I give thanks," she states, giving Kazmir an almost-bow, "But where there is one squad, there will be more. When these do not come back, they try to find us."
Kazmir nods, looking at the dead men. "Do we have a better place to hide to plan when to assault the Tower, or do we lack time for that now?"
Nadya frowns. "Is too easy follow tracks in snow, and if sergeant calls back to the Pale Tower, is trouble."
Warily, she pokes her head out the door, looking down the main street. After a moment she slowly comes back inside. "Is only one other squad, three more guards and sergeant." She manages to make the statement of fact more of a question with her tone.
Kazmir nods, 'Let's do it." The thought of these thugs attacking the very people they should be protecting, fills the druid with fire. The land is harsh, yes, but the people do not need to be so.
The druid steps out, and cats Flaming Sphere at the sergeant. The roiling ball of flame shoots right at the soldier.
Bizzk also breaks cover, seeking out the cloest solider and jabbing at him with a long beak.
He miss though, beak snapping on empty air.
The sphere of fire strikes the sergeant right in the chest, burning him badly. He awkwardly draws his sword while jumping aside too late. The other three soldiers move to surround Bizzk.
Nadya comes out with bow in hand and fires off an arrow at one of the guards.
Unfortunately her shot just glances off her target's chainmail.
Bizzk caws loudly, attacking again.
Kazmir keeps the ball of flame on the leader.
The sergeant screams as the flames burn him again. He backs away from Kazmir as he drops his sword and fishes a mirror out of a pocket.
"Radosek!" he shouts at it.
Bizzk impales his target through the throat, and the man falls to the ground choking on his own blood.
"Is not good! He call apprentice!" Nadya says, changing her aim to the sergeant.
Her arrow hits him in the shoulder. He stumbles, but does not fall.
Warily the two other guards circle Bizzk, attacking from either side.
In spite of their tactical advantage, the big heron easily avoids the blows.
Bizzk, as usual eschews tactical skill and snaps at the closest guard.
He misses, the two guards closing in.
Kazmir ponders Nadya's warning. 'How bad is that? Should we flee?" he wasn't ready to fight a full on spellcaster, not right now.
The sergeant awkwardly tries to dodge the flaming sphere, but ends up slipping and falling instead. It rolls over him, leaving him badly burned but barely conscious. He stumbles back to his feet just as Nadya fires another arrow at him.
She curses as her arrow glances off his armor. "It seem that apprentice is not answering," she states as she nocks another arrow.
The two soldiers continue their battle with Bizzk.
One of them manages to slice off a couple of feathers from the heron's back.
Bizzk caws in harsh pain, flapping vast wings.
Kazmir sights toward the barely upright sergeant. He grabs his sling and a stone, whips it over his head and flings it at the badly burned man.
The stone goes wild and the druid remarks to himself that he needs to practice more.
Nadya aims carefully at the sergeant and fires again.
The arrow thuds into the sergeant's chest, and he at last falls dead. Nadya lets out a quiet sigh of relief.
The soldiers shout in dismay, but continue to attack Bizzk.
They both strike home, badly injuring the heron.
Kazmir grunts approval at Nadya's. With luck, no 'apprentice' would appear and kill them all. Still, they had soldiers to defeat.
Kazmir's sling bullet struck his target solidly, and then Bizzk's beak finished him rather messily. Panicking, the last soldier drops his sword and starts to run.
"He will warn the Tower!" Nadya shouts as she fires on him.
Unfortunately her shot goes wide.
Kazmir curses as the arrow misses the running man. 'Bizzk, go!" he shouts, and as he does so he casts his last spell. Let's hope we don't have to do too much more fighting..."
Bizzk flies after the man squawking. It isn't hard to get the heron to chase a man that attacked it. The big bird flies over the writhing vines and grass.
The soldier cannot outrun a flying heron, especially when the ground itself turns against him. He scarcely has time to start extricating himself from the entangling roots grasping at him before Bizzk's beak finds his throat, and he also falls to the ground, gasping out his life.
The man goes down and Kazmir has a pang of regret. Here he was in a foreign land, and already dealing out death and judgement. Who was he?
Then he recalls the look of fear and hatred of Naday's face. The druid nods, It had to be done.
"Now we hide?" Kazmir says. "I don't think we can kill every soldier they send right now.
Nadya looks up and down the street. If any other villagers had been out before, they were all hiding in their homes now. "Radosek will know he called, but not why. It will be day or two before reinforcements come."
She turns back to Kazmir. "But when they find dead soldiers here, they hunt us. If Radosek call the Witch Nazheena, is very bad. But he is proud. Will not want to say he cannot defend Pale Tower against two, that he sent all soldiers to look and did not keep enough to save himself. I say is better rest tonight, then attack Tower."
She pauses a moment. "But it seem you are more used to fighting than me. What do you say?"
Kazmir looks at the falleng uards and asks, 'Could we make for Whitethrone? They will expect us to remain here, maybe even attack the Pale Tower. Perhaps moving quickly would give us time and space to perpare?"
Then the druid adds, 'Unless there are folk in the Tower who need freed?" it was really the only reason that would sway the dwarf to assault it.
Nadya frowns in thought. "Is long journey, and hard to hide tracks. And with my sons, it would be slow. We do have a little time before soldiers missed at Tower, probably, though Radosek may send to see why call came and then no answer."
She thinks a little longer. "Is no one in Pale Tower to rescue, since my Thora..."
Her face hardens. "Radosek and Nazheena should die for what they do to her, but... is good Nazheena is not here."
Kazmir says, "Who is to say they will not die? It is likely they will follow us, and then we can fight on ground of our choosing, not theirs."
But then, "I feel I have upended your life, Nadya. Taking your children with us into the wild, soldiers and monsters snapping at our heels..." Guilt fills his voice, as the dwarf ponders how much he has destroyed, and not saved already.
"But we must choose swiftly."
"You saved the life of friend, and told me of true happening to my Thora," Nadya states, noting Kazmir's distress. "If alone when I found out my Thora died... maybe I die alone trying for revenge. But now? Perhaps we all live."
She pauses a moment, collecting herself, then states, "I would be happy knowing Radosek no longer orders soldiers from Pale Tower, but you are one with more knowledge of fighting. If you think is better chance to fight when they follow than to attack Tower, I go. I only worry my sons be in more danger this way. If we attack Tower and die, then there is no reason kill them because I am dead. If they catch us on the trail with them..."
She trails off, then shakes herself. "But we will see that not happen, yes?"
Kazmir gives a bit of a smile, 'I don't make plans that assume we lose."
But it does give him pause. Real lives were on the line.
"Do you think we can travel safely with your sons in tow? Or is it a large risk you are only offering to humor me? You know this land better then I. I can promise I will win any fight, or die trying, but I can't promise safe passage through snow and ice with two young boys. What do you say?"
Nadya thinks for a moment. "While chance is less that they will follow without orders, even if we kill Radosek, is not guarantee," she admits. "I think it safer for my sons if Radosek dead before we leave, but... only if we can kill Radosek, yes?"
She thinks for a moment more, then suddenly her eyes widen in realization. "We should... come! Back into house!"
She turns and runs back into her home.
Without hesitation Kazmir and Bizzk follow, leaving the corpses behind. When Nadya orders something, the druid does it. This is her land and he is only a half-blind visitor. At least the biting cold doesn't bother him, although it seems...thicker somehow then the high mountains. More settled freeze.
Kazmir, with speed, ducks into her house right behind her.
"What is wrong, Nadya?"
Nadya turns and puts a finger to her lips. "There is someone we should speak," she whispers. "He is... Domovoi, I do not know Taldane word for it. If we give him gift and talk nicely... milk, I have milk..."
She starts going through her cupboards. "Small, tasty food is what he like. If he agree to help... he know Pale Tower. Can answer questions."
"Domonvoi?" Kazmir echoes having no idea. "Is he...is he a friend? Does he like money?" he fingers a gold coin, watching it flicker.
Nadya shakes her head slightly. "Domovoi are... they are small, and try to stay unseen, but watch after houses..."
She pauses a moment, lifting a jar of milk and a small cup from a shelf. "They have no need for money, but respect gifts of food. If you have any, is better to share."
Kazmir ponders, 'Fey, perhaps? I don't have any food aside from some trail rations." . He offers the dry little cakes of meal and meat, coated in persevering honey. 'They aren't the best but it is all I have."
Then he adds, 'I don't suppose we have time or chance to buy something better?"
Nadya shakes her head slightly. "Is better do now," she says, putting a cup full of milk on the floor then backing away. She nods at Kazmir, gesturing at his rations and then at the floor near the cup.
Kazmir shrugs, and places the food rations next to the cup, trying to angle it so the rather mundane rations catch the light and look tasty.
Once everything is in order, Nadya softly calls, "Hatch! Hatch! Tulkaa ulos ja puhua meille!"
Her children and their caretaker watch from a corner.
After a moment, a tiny man with a long beard suddenly appears next to the cup. He warbles something to Nadya and takes a sip, then eats a bit of Kazmir's rations.
Once he's sampled the gifts, he looks up at both of you and asks something. Nadya replies, and he shudders slightly. Then he looks over to Kazmir.
"You speak the southern tongue? It is good I speak it too!" he declares, his voice somewhere between 'old man' and 'small child'. "What is it you ask about the Tower?"
Kazmir pauses. He was supposed to guide this conversation?'