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<blockquote data-quote="Lazybones" data-source="post: 7492397" data-attributes="member: 143"><p>Thanks!</p><p></p><p>* * * </p><p></p><p>Chapter 202</p><p></p><p>The next day found more slow going for Glori and her companions, as the landscape in the Reserve grew more rugged. The trees thinned out somewhat, but that only allowed the undergrowth to thicken until the party had to hack a route through clinging bushes and tangles of weeds that rose to chest-height in places. The fact that they were all still exhausted from a mostly-sleepless night didn’t help matters.</p><p></p><p>Ultimately, they’d decided to remain at the Tender outpost, for even after the damage wrought in the attack it was still the most fortified place they could hope to find. The fire did not spread to the other cabins but it continued to burn until almost morning, until the gray smoke that rose from the ruin met the gathering morning fog to form a dense pall around them.</p><p></p><p>They found no sign whatsoever of Razelle, despite repeated and extensive searches by Shreskra and her rangers. Nor were they able to get any answers out of Brightbriar. There hadn’t been much left of the altered creature that Embrae had burned to examine, and the suggestion that the two of them had once been members of his order had left the Tender in a distressed funk. He walked in the center of their diminished column, not speaking unless spoken to, and often then only after repeated inquiries.</p><p></p><p>They all remained much closer together that day, a lesson already learned repeatedly in the harsh school of the Reserve. Glori’s thoughts felt sluggish, though she forced herself to frequently check her surroundings, wary of whatever new tricks the forest might offer.</p><p></p><p>Kosk and Embrae engaged in scattered conversation across the morning, some of which Glori overheard.</p><p></p><p>“I did not know that you were a devotee of the Sun Soul,” the dwarf asked as they were making their way slowly up an exposed ridge, the latest in a series of increasingly difficult obstacles that had greeted them that day. On being prodded Brightbriar reported that there was no easy route around them; the ridges had to be defeated through sheer effort. Fortunately, they were not too steep to climb, and for the most part the Rangers were able to keep their ropes and climbing hooks in their packs.</p><p></p><p>“I felt drawn to it,” Embrae said, in answer to Kosk’s question.</p><p></p><p>Glori stopped, her curiosity awakened by their conversation. “Is that another kind of <em>ki</em>, those blasts of energy you shot at that thing?” she asked.</p><p></p><p>“Followers of the sun soul learn how to channel radiant energy through their bodies,” Embrae explained. “It is a form of magic, but one that is bound to the life force within a trained monk.”</p><p></p><p>“That fire you hit it with at the end… I’ve seen Xeeta use a similar magic,” Glori said.</p><p></p><p>“It seemed particularly effective against these foes,” Kosk said. “I wonder if those Tenders were undead.”</p><p></p><p>“They weren’t like the things we fought in the past, but I suppose it’s possible,” Glori said. “I didn’t sense any decay, rather the opposite.”</p><p></p><p>“Well, the one I fought didn’t react like a living creature,” Kosk said. “Embrae, what do you think?”</p><p></p><p>“I could sense something… I do not know if it was the lingering taint of undeath, but there was definitely some power driving those things,” Embrae said. “It felt like the body had become a shell for something else to use. The thought of something corrupting living beings like that… it is troubling.”</p><p></p><p>“From what I saw, there were some disturbing similarities between those two and what happened to Javerin,” Glori said.</p><p></p><p>“That’s a cheerful thought,” Kosk said.</p><p></p><p>“I hope that she is still alive,” Embrae said.</p><p></p><p>“I’ll wager that this Druid we’re looking for is involved in all this,” Kosk said. “I am not quite sure of our guide, either.”</p><p></p><p>He added the last more quietly, but Glori still glanced over at Brightbriar, just a few paces ahead in their column. But the Tender continued to trudge forward with his head lowered, seemingly oblivious.</p><p></p><p>“Either way, we have to find out,” Embrae said. “The corruption we have already seen in the Reserve… it is too dangerous to let be. We must seek out its source, and if we can, purge it.”</p><p></p><p>“I’ll just add that to the bloody to-do list, then,” Kosk muttered.</p><p></p><p>The terrain continued to grow more difficult as the day went on. Once they passed the last of the series of ridges the forest floor became more level, but the ground quickly became softer, then spongy as they found themselves entering a marshland. Pools of stagnant water appeared around them, growing in size and frequency until they had to pick their way carefully around them. The trees that had thinned through their progress through the ridges returned with a vengeance, until once again the sky was only visible through occasional gaps in the canopy above.</p><p></p><p>Glori grimaced as her boot sank almost to the cuff into a muddy bog. “How far does this go?” she asked. “Brightbriar! How long do we have to go through this?”</p><p></p><p>The Tender turned to look at her. “Not long,” he said. “The ground rises again on the far side of the mirk.”</p><p></p><p>Glori wasn’t entirely happy with the answer, but there wasn’t much she could do about it. The Tender seemed like he was barely keeping it together, and they still needed him too much for her to push him over the edge. Shreskra, on the other hand, had become almost manic. She hadn’t issued any orders to Glori or her companions since the fight at the Outpost, but she kept pushing her Rangers hard, driving them to a faster pace. She spent much of her time at the front of the column herself, probing ahead for a route that wouldn’t force them to swim through a deep pool or get tangled in dense growth. Maybe it was guilt over her missing companion, Glori thought. Or maybe she just wanted to get them to their destination before any more of them disappeared.</p><p></p><p>Despite the Ranger leader’s urging, their progress slowed further as the swamp thickened. They never found an obstacle that was unsurmountable, but within an hour they were all coated in mud and soaked through. The bugs had also returned, buzzing aggressively around them as if to make up for lost time. Glori began to worry that night would catch up to them before they reached the far side, forcing them to camp in this unwholesome place.</p><p></p><p>But even as her thought darkened the ground started to become steadier ahead, and they were able to pick up their pace once more. The pools continued to surround them, but were now easily avoided. The trees began to thin out once more, allowing Glori to catch a glimpse of what looked like a series of low cliffs rising up from the forest floor ahead of them, offering the promise of an escape from the swamp.</p><p></p><p>The exhausted company emerged from the trees to see that the cliffs extended for as far as they could see to their left and right. They did not look like too difficult an obstacle; they ranged from twenty to thirty feet high, but there were places where it looked like one might venture an ascent. The scattered pools extended up to their very base, choked with dense growth, but there were plenty of places where the ground looked solid.</p><p></p><p>But there was something else that they noticed immediately. Someone was waiting for them.</p><p></p><p>A dark figure stood atop the cliffs, almost directly ahead. It was a man, or at least it looked like a man, covered in a long cloak that ruffled slightly in the breeze. A deep cowl covered his face.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Lazybones, post: 7492397, member: 143"] Thanks! * * * Chapter 202 The next day found more slow going for Glori and her companions, as the landscape in the Reserve grew more rugged. The trees thinned out somewhat, but that only allowed the undergrowth to thicken until the party had to hack a route through clinging bushes and tangles of weeds that rose to chest-height in places. The fact that they were all still exhausted from a mostly-sleepless night didn’t help matters. Ultimately, they’d decided to remain at the Tender outpost, for even after the damage wrought in the attack it was still the most fortified place they could hope to find. The fire did not spread to the other cabins but it continued to burn until almost morning, until the gray smoke that rose from the ruin met the gathering morning fog to form a dense pall around them. They found no sign whatsoever of Razelle, despite repeated and extensive searches by Shreskra and her rangers. Nor were they able to get any answers out of Brightbriar. There hadn’t been much left of the altered creature that Embrae had burned to examine, and the suggestion that the two of them had once been members of his order had left the Tender in a distressed funk. He walked in the center of their diminished column, not speaking unless spoken to, and often then only after repeated inquiries. They all remained much closer together that day, a lesson already learned repeatedly in the harsh school of the Reserve. Glori’s thoughts felt sluggish, though she forced herself to frequently check her surroundings, wary of whatever new tricks the forest might offer. Kosk and Embrae engaged in scattered conversation across the morning, some of which Glori overheard. “I did not know that you were a devotee of the Sun Soul,” the dwarf asked as they were making their way slowly up an exposed ridge, the latest in a series of increasingly difficult obstacles that had greeted them that day. On being prodded Brightbriar reported that there was no easy route around them; the ridges had to be defeated through sheer effort. Fortunately, they were not too steep to climb, and for the most part the Rangers were able to keep their ropes and climbing hooks in their packs. “I felt drawn to it,” Embrae said, in answer to Kosk’s question. Glori stopped, her curiosity awakened by their conversation. “Is that another kind of [i]ki[/i], those blasts of energy you shot at that thing?” she asked. “Followers of the sun soul learn how to channel radiant energy through their bodies,” Embrae explained. “It is a form of magic, but one that is bound to the life force within a trained monk.” “That fire you hit it with at the end… I’ve seen Xeeta use a similar magic,” Glori said. “It seemed particularly effective against these foes,” Kosk said. “I wonder if those Tenders were undead.” “They weren’t like the things we fought in the past, but I suppose it’s possible,” Glori said. “I didn’t sense any decay, rather the opposite.” “Well, the one I fought didn’t react like a living creature,” Kosk said. “Embrae, what do you think?” “I could sense something… I do not know if it was the lingering taint of undeath, but there was definitely some power driving those things,” Embrae said. “It felt like the body had become a shell for something else to use. The thought of something corrupting living beings like that… it is troubling.” “From what I saw, there were some disturbing similarities between those two and what happened to Javerin,” Glori said. “That’s a cheerful thought,” Kosk said. “I hope that she is still alive,” Embrae said. “I’ll wager that this Druid we’re looking for is involved in all this,” Kosk said. “I am not quite sure of our guide, either.” He added the last more quietly, but Glori still glanced over at Brightbriar, just a few paces ahead in their column. But the Tender continued to trudge forward with his head lowered, seemingly oblivious. “Either way, we have to find out,” Embrae said. “The corruption we have already seen in the Reserve… it is too dangerous to let be. We must seek out its source, and if we can, purge it.” “I’ll just add that to the bloody to-do list, then,” Kosk muttered. The terrain continued to grow more difficult as the day went on. Once they passed the last of the series of ridges the forest floor became more level, but the ground quickly became softer, then spongy as they found themselves entering a marshland. Pools of stagnant water appeared around them, growing in size and frequency until they had to pick their way carefully around them. The trees that had thinned through their progress through the ridges returned with a vengeance, until once again the sky was only visible through occasional gaps in the canopy above. Glori grimaced as her boot sank almost to the cuff into a muddy bog. “How far does this go?” she asked. “Brightbriar! How long do we have to go through this?” The Tender turned to look at her. “Not long,” he said. “The ground rises again on the far side of the mirk.” Glori wasn’t entirely happy with the answer, but there wasn’t much she could do about it. The Tender seemed like he was barely keeping it together, and they still needed him too much for her to push him over the edge. Shreskra, on the other hand, had become almost manic. She hadn’t issued any orders to Glori or her companions since the fight at the Outpost, but she kept pushing her Rangers hard, driving them to a faster pace. She spent much of her time at the front of the column herself, probing ahead for a route that wouldn’t force them to swim through a deep pool or get tangled in dense growth. Maybe it was guilt over her missing companion, Glori thought. Or maybe she just wanted to get them to their destination before any more of them disappeared. Despite the Ranger leader’s urging, their progress slowed further as the swamp thickened. They never found an obstacle that was unsurmountable, but within an hour they were all coated in mud and soaked through. The bugs had also returned, buzzing aggressively around them as if to make up for lost time. Glori began to worry that night would catch up to them before they reached the far side, forcing them to camp in this unwholesome place. But even as her thought darkened the ground started to become steadier ahead, and they were able to pick up their pace once more. The pools continued to surround them, but were now easily avoided. The trees began to thin out once more, allowing Glori to catch a glimpse of what looked like a series of low cliffs rising up from the forest floor ahead of them, offering the promise of an escape from the swamp. The exhausted company emerged from the trees to see that the cliffs extended for as far as they could see to their left and right. They did not look like too difficult an obstacle; they ranged from twenty to thirty feet high, but there were places where it looked like one might venture an ascent. The scattered pools extended up to their very base, choked with dense growth, but there were plenty of places where the ground looked solid. But there was something else that they noticed immediately. Someone was waiting for them. A dark figure stood atop the cliffs, almost directly ahead. It was a man, or at least it looked like a man, covered in a long cloak that ruffled slightly in the breeze. A deep cowl covered his face. [/QUOTE]
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