Tauriell catches the coin. "Deal." she replies and asks "Where do we get the leaves?"
"We shall worry about that later, but a deal is a deal." Jimmy chuckles, "Where to next?"
"According to Gwen there is only one thing left. The door in the largest room." Tauriell replies.
"That's correct" Gwenhwyfar says. She stands close to Jimmy clinging to his arm. She is a bit uneasy about the topic of nude elves, whores and stuffed blouses.
There is a bag with 35 gp and three small garnets worth 50 gp each in the room.
"Sorry dear. I needed to distract myself. Jimmy whispers to her
Abomentolor happily swings the bag around and comes out of the room again. "Then let us go there." he says leading the way.
Gwenhwyfar pulls Jimmy down at his collar and kisses him passionately. "You just have to ask if you need a distraction." she replies with an elfish smile.
"I will need plenty of distractions later tonight." Jimmy says with a suggestive grin
"What do you think is in the next room? I bet it's another devil." Niamh asks Abomentolor as she follows him to the next and last room.
"I guess I have to get some manacles then to ensure you behave while I distract you." Gwenhwyfar replies giving him a peck on the cheek.
"That's fine by me. Let me just cast another shockin grasp to be prepared."
He then casts the spell and carries a blue shimmering charge on his hand.
Niamh rolls her eyes. "I didn't ask you if a devil is okay for you. You know, that's some kind of a game. The more often you're guessing right the better you are in this game. The one with the most correct suggestions is winning."
"Ok. But if I take the same as you then no one will win. But if I take something else I want a better quote. And what is the bet anyway?" Abomentolor asks.
"We let Tauriell decide which idea sounds more like the truth and the one with the better idea is allowed to walk into the room first." Niamh replies.
"Oh, and you're not allowed to guess the same."
"That's b@~#@*!$. You tell me what the bet is and the one who wins gets the price and the one who loses has to pay for it. An objective criteria is the least I want. Even if I think Tauriell will decide in my favour." Abomentolor explains and opens the door.
"He is right. I'll decide in his favor all the time." Tauriell throws in to avoid being pulled into one of these games.
Behind the door is another hallway that has a crossing after some 10 ft. So the decision is right, left or straight onward.
To the right and left it is quite some way into the darkness. In front it's rather short and leads to two more doors.
"That's not fair!" Niamh protests. "I'm always, no almost everytime nice to you! Am I not the endearing halfling bard you ever met?" Niamh asks Tauriell stunned.
Tauriell looks Niamh deep into the eyes. "You are in fact and without exception the most endearing halfling I've ever met. But you're still a halfling. And therefore I prefer Abomentolor any day." Tauriell gives back with a mischievous smile.
"Ey, he isn't much bigger than I am. Tauriell you should really tell me the truth." Niamh says. "You prefer the colour of his hair, correct?"
"I could tell you, but you would die of embarrassment." Tauriell says with an outright evil grin.
"Have you ever seen someone dying of embarassment? Even Gwenhwyfar is alive!"
"Ok. If you have to know." Tauriell says still with her mischievous grin on. "He doesn't run away when I'm naked."
"Ugh! That's so ugly!" Niamh warps her face and walks into the room to be away from her disgusting group members.
As Niamh flees into the east corridor she comes onto another door. From behind that door an echoing howl can be heard.
Niamh opens the door and looks into the room, ready, to close it again.
Looking in through the carefully opened door Niamh sees a hallway passing the door in a curved way. The walls are covered with rune inscribed iron plates. The howls are louder now that they are not muffled through the door anymore.
As Niamh can't see anyone who makes such a noise she walks a few steps into the room and looks around.
Niamh is greeted by a dog like creature that stands 4–5 feet tall at the shoulder and is completely on fire.
Niamh turns around and runs out of the room. She closes the door and runs to her company. "You won the game." Niamh tells Abomentolor with a constrained smile.
"And what is my prize now?" Abomentolor asks.
"You may open the door. But be careful."
"What is behind it? I heard howls." Abomentolor asks.
"You are free to find out." Niamh replies.
"If you say so." Abomentolor walks over to the door readies himself and pulls the door open.
The fiery hound comes out of the door and attacks the gnome on sight. It let's out a howl filled with pain as it is hit by the electric charge. But it bites Abomentolor anyway.
"Oh joy." Jimmy says as he charges the hound
"Thank you for helping me with that. It has awfully big teeth." Abomentolor says. "What is that anyway?"
According to Abomentolor's roll it is just a riding dog set on fire.
But after Jimmy's intervention it is a dead dog. Even before it's fortitude save against death because of massive damage.
"Will it stop burning itself or do we have to extinguish it?" Tauriell asks rhetorically.
Abomentolor takes out the shard and tries again to find in his memory what that is.
"It is a hell hound!" he exclaims. "I think they would make a fantastic pet for me if they were not all evil."
Tauriell eyes the shard with interest. "Why did you take the shard out? It's the second time today."
"Because it is like removing the veil from my forgotten knowledge. Everything becomes easier with that thing. It's a shame it can't do fire. Then it would be really useful." Abomentolor answers.
"What? Giving you that thing is like throwing pearls to pigs." Tauriell is stunned about that ignorance.
"I'm a lucky pig, aren't I" Abomentolor gives back sticking his tongue out at Tauriell.
Tauriell gives Abomentolor a glare. She then moves on to the room the dog came out.