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<blockquote data-quote="Lazybones" data-source="post: 7497943" data-attributes="member: 143"><p>Chapter 208 has the better cliffhanger, so I'm going to double-post today. Happy Friday!</p><p></p><p>* * * </p><p></p><p>Chapter 207</p><p></p><p>They reached the Green Tower around mid-afternoon the next day.</p><p></p><p>The forest thickened as they got further from the marsh, but the undergrowth receded and they were able to make good time. The ground rose slowly, enough to be noticeable but not enough to slow their progress.</p><p></p><p>At first, they were just relieved to be clear of the swamp, but as the day progressed they became gradually aware that something was wrong. They all remained alert for any sign of the fallen Tender and his minions, so it took them a while to notice the signs. It was subtle at first, a hint of decay in the air, a slight chill on the breeze, a thickening of the carpet of rotting leaves at their feet. Finally, one of the Rangers stopped, a look of confusion on his face.</p><p></p><p>“It feels like the seasons are changing before our eyes,” Darethan said.</p><p></p><p>Once it was pointed out they could all see it. The forest had been enjoying a late summer splendor when they had entered the Reserve, but here, approaching its core, it felt more like autumn giving way to winter.</p><p></p><p>The shift continued as they resumed their march. They passed trees that were dying from some sort of blight, a few scattered examples at first, with more appearing as they continued their climb. The ones that had succumbed to the rot were covered in shifting carpets of ugly black beetles the size of Kosk’s fist. The insects were harmless, but they gave off the putrid scent of rotting corpses when they were crushed, so the companions quickly learned to give those sites a wide berth.</p><p></p><p>Finally, the forest began to thin again ahead. The travelers readied their weapons, wary of another ambush, but this time all that they saw was their destination.</p><p></p><p>The ascending terrain culminated in a broad, flat hilltop maybe half a mile ahead of them. Rising from that crest, dominating the horizon, was a ring of ancient and massive trees. These trees made the giants where they had confronted the owlbears seem like saplings by contrast. The smallest of them had to be two hundred feet tall, but even those were thicker around at the base than a generous farmer’s cottage. Their trunks were a deep reddish-brown, but they were wreathed by lower branches that surrounded them with sprays of green that thickened until they meshed into a single vast canopy.</p><p></p><p>“The Green Tower, indeed,” Majerion commented.</p><p></p><p>“It’s wondrous,” Embrae said, her eyes gleaming.</p><p></p><p>“I’d be happier if we didn’t know that our friend the cloaked bastard wasn’t in there waiting for us,” Kosk said.</p><p></p><p>“Brightbriar, the Druid’s residence in the center of the grove, right?” Glori asked. “Brightbriar?”</p><p></p><p>The Tender had been staring intently at the hilltop, but jumped when Loriellan poked him in the shoulder. “The center, yes,” he said.</p><p></p><p>“We stay together from here on out,” Glori reminded them. She looked over at Shreskra to see if the Ranger leader would challenge her, but the woman looked almost as distracted as the Tender.</p><p></p><p>The ascent up the hill was not difficult, but they were careful in their approach. Each of them could feel the pressure of unseen eyes monitoring their progress. They lingered for a few moments as they reached the crest, right at the dividing line where the last rays of bright afternoon sunlight gave way to the shadowed gloom of the trees. Standing there at the base the ancient trunks seemed even more massive then they had at a distance. There was scattered growth between them, but nothing that would stop them from moving forward into the grove. None of them said anything, they just enjoyed that radiant warmth while they shared a common anticipation. They all knew that their destination, the goal that had sought from the moment they had set out from Tal Nadesh, lay directly ahead.</p><p></p><p>Then they moved forward, into the gap between two of the giant trees.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Lazybones, post: 7497943, member: 143"] Chapter 208 has the better cliffhanger, so I'm going to double-post today. Happy Friday! * * * Chapter 207 They reached the Green Tower around mid-afternoon the next day. The forest thickened as they got further from the marsh, but the undergrowth receded and they were able to make good time. The ground rose slowly, enough to be noticeable but not enough to slow their progress. At first, they were just relieved to be clear of the swamp, but as the day progressed they became gradually aware that something was wrong. They all remained alert for any sign of the fallen Tender and his minions, so it took them a while to notice the signs. It was subtle at first, a hint of decay in the air, a slight chill on the breeze, a thickening of the carpet of rotting leaves at their feet. Finally, one of the Rangers stopped, a look of confusion on his face. “It feels like the seasons are changing before our eyes,” Darethan said. Once it was pointed out they could all see it. The forest had been enjoying a late summer splendor when they had entered the Reserve, but here, approaching its core, it felt more like autumn giving way to winter. The shift continued as they resumed their march. They passed trees that were dying from some sort of blight, a few scattered examples at first, with more appearing as they continued their climb. The ones that had succumbed to the rot were covered in shifting carpets of ugly black beetles the size of Kosk’s fist. The insects were harmless, but they gave off the putrid scent of rotting corpses when they were crushed, so the companions quickly learned to give those sites a wide berth. Finally, the forest began to thin again ahead. The travelers readied their weapons, wary of another ambush, but this time all that they saw was their destination. The ascending terrain culminated in a broad, flat hilltop maybe half a mile ahead of them. Rising from that crest, dominating the horizon, was a ring of ancient and massive trees. These trees made the giants where they had confronted the owlbears seem like saplings by contrast. The smallest of them had to be two hundred feet tall, but even those were thicker around at the base than a generous farmer’s cottage. Their trunks were a deep reddish-brown, but they were wreathed by lower branches that surrounded them with sprays of green that thickened until they meshed into a single vast canopy. “The Green Tower, indeed,” Majerion commented. “It’s wondrous,” Embrae said, her eyes gleaming. “I’d be happier if we didn’t know that our friend the cloaked bastard wasn’t in there waiting for us,” Kosk said. “Brightbriar, the Druid’s residence in the center of the grove, right?” Glori asked. “Brightbriar?” The Tender had been staring intently at the hilltop, but jumped when Loriellan poked him in the shoulder. “The center, yes,” he said. “We stay together from here on out,” Glori reminded them. She looked over at Shreskra to see if the Ranger leader would challenge her, but the woman looked almost as distracted as the Tender. The ascent up the hill was not difficult, but they were careful in their approach. Each of them could feel the pressure of unseen eyes monitoring their progress. They lingered for a few moments as they reached the crest, right at the dividing line where the last rays of bright afternoon sunlight gave way to the shadowed gloom of the trees. Standing there at the base the ancient trunks seemed even more massive then they had at a distance. There was scattered growth between them, but nothing that would stop them from moving forward into the grove. None of them said anything, they just enjoyed that radiant warmth while they shared a common anticipation. They all knew that their destination, the goal that had sought from the moment they had set out from Tal Nadesh, lay directly ahead. Then they moved forward, into the gap between two of the giant trees. [/QUOTE]
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