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Message: <blockquote data-quote="pogre" data-source="post: 1118665" data-attributes="member: 6588">Episode 22Cut-Off and Cut-Into“Up the stairs!” Hilde commanded.The group rushed up the spiral staircase and through the upstairs guardian door. Gjor put his ear to the floor, “It’s not coming.”“Nice going Gerhardt,” Inga jibed.Gerhardt shrugged, “We all thought the pit trap would stop him.”“He’s right,” Quarion agreed.“Hey, if we could file those ears down you’d be alright Quarion,” Gerhardt smiled at the rogue.“Well, at least we got something,” Inga reminded the group. She pulled four flasks from a folded cape. “These were on the corpse that I took out of there.”Gerhardt frowned, “Wait, I thought you were going to grab the corpse with the greater aura?”“No, I was grabbing the corpse that looked lighter to me. As you may recall that thing nearly killed me as it was.”“What made you decide the corpse you grabbed was lighter?” Gerhardt asked.“The other corpse had some plate on and a weapon in a scabbard.”“A weapon?” Gerhardt asked excitedly. The fighter glanced down at his own masterwork scimitar. “What kind of weapon?”“It’s not important,” Inga answered hesitatingly.“What kind of weapon?” there was demand in Gerhardt’s voice.“A scimitar.”“AIEEEEE!” Gerhardt’s cry of genuine anguish echoed through the lower halls.“Gerhardt,” Hilde started very softly. “I have another suggestion I do not think you are going to like much, dear.”Gerhardt lifted his eyes from the ground. His face was sullen and pouting. “What?”“The outer tower of the hobgoblins is cut off to us from below now. The only access we know of is an assault across the drawbridge. Perhaps we should go back to the circle and consult Vostark?” Hilde physically shielded herself from an expected eruption from the fighter.“Fine,” Gerhardt said tersely. He turned his back on the others and began to walk out. The remaining adventurers looked at each other, shrugged, and began following the fighter out.…..“I don’t like it,” Gjord said in a low voice to Quarion.“I feel it too,” Quarion admitted.Gjord stopped and waited for Hilde to catch up to his lead position. “We are being followed,” he informed her.“Really?” Hilde asked. “What makes you say that?”“I just feel it.”“Vostark’s friends perhaps?” Hilde asked optimistically.“Perhaps. We are almost to the circle in any event. If it is minions of Vostark they will show themselves there. Otherwise, we need to take double watches.,” Gjord said.Hilde nodded her head solemnly and the group continued towards the circle.“What was that about?” Gerhardt asked Hilde as she fell back to his position.“Gjord feels we are being followed,” Hilde answered.Gerhardt pulled his blade, “Good.”The group reached the circle and shortly thereafter darkness fell with no sign of Vostark. Quarion went into a trance for the first four hours and volunteered to be on the watch the remainder of the night. The rest of the adventurers maintained a double watch rotation. It was shortly after midnight when Quarion spotted them.<a href="http://www.compet-edge.com/story_hour_2/0811_ghost_riders.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.compet-edge.com/story_hour_2/0811_ghost_riders_th.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" /></a>The steeds were galloping across the landscape in whisper-quiet strides, barely raising any dust. The riders were adorned in glowing armor that cast unholy sheen around their torsos.“They come!” Quarion shouted.The ghost riders slammed into the camp.<a href="http://www.compet-edge.com/story_hour_2/0812_Ghost_riders_attack.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.compet-edge.com/story_hour_2/0812_Ghost_riders_attack_th.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" /></a>Gerhardt and Quarion swung their blades through the riders. Their foes merely grinned although their armor ceased glowing. A lance hit home on Gerhardt nearly knocking him prone. Two more riders trampled over the sleeping Inga who rolled to the side of the camp out of instinct.The riders whirled around and attacked again as they moved past the adventurers. None of them were seriously wounded by the adventurers’ efforts. Yet, they galloped away.<a href="http://www.compet-edge.com/story_hour_2/0813_ghost_riders_retreat.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.compet-edge.com/story_hour_2/0813_ghost_riders_retreat_th.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" /></a>“Help,” Gerhardt gasped. His air was coming back slowly, the lance had bruised his lung and he suspected many of his ribs were broken as well.“I have no blessings until morning,” Inga answered as she attended to Quarion’s wounds.“Nor I,” Hilde reported.“They’ll be back,” Gerhardt wheezed. He began trotting down the trail away from his companions.“Where are you going?” Gjord cried.“Away from here,” Gerhardt called back.To be continued…</blockquote>

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