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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Lars Frehse" data-source="post: 812347" data-attributes="member: 1674">A short respite- part 3Eventually, Kelemis told them that there were complications regarding interpreting the ritual. According to the scholars, it would most likely take all autumm and spring at the very least. „If you want to return to Mithril and the Gravelfist tribe that would be no problem. I will send messengers as soon as we have found out more. I am sure you are as curious about it as I am, so I will of course keep you informed. Furthermore, as I had told you before, in case new complications arise, I would love to come back to you.“.    It took them merely a day to prepare for travelling on. For many of them, their newfound home was in the north, and so they were eager to journey there. During their trip, they saw farmers bringing in the harvest of the year and they turned into inns at night, enjoying the luxury of a soft bed after their rough trip to Lageni.Mullis Town was as busy as ever, and the friends took the same inn they had stayed at the times they had been there before, feeling comfortably familiar with that place. On the next morning, they went to the market, buying provisions and replacing gear that had been broken.When they were almost done, Ben went to a stand that sold medicinal herbs, and his friends stood close by, taking in the many colors and smells of the market. There had been a short rain at night and now the sun was reflected in small puddles of water which rippled every time a boot or the hoof of a beast of burden stepped into them.As Ben talked idly with the shopkeeper, a fat, bald and cheerful human, he was suddenly pushed to the side by a grotesquely clad man with greasy black hair. He was dressed in what seemed to be a tight fitting suit of armor made of rotting flesh and bones- and parts of human flesh on top of that.„Alright now“, he told the shopowner: „I got a list of things I want and I want them quickly. I don’t want to waste my precious time with the likes of you, and I am sure you don’t want to upset me, either.“The fat man was indignant:“ I am sorry, sir, but I am dealing with this gentleman here right now. He was here first.“.„I don’t care“, came the retort: „I am an impatient man and I demand service now!“.Now Torn stepped ahead, bringing Trepat, Niklas and Jan with him to back up Ben: „We are quite sure that our friend has come here first, and that you’ll have to wait.“The grotesque man wanted to answer but then paused. Apparently, he realized that these were no commoners he could easily push around, so he swallowed what he intended to say and simply hissed: „Allright then, I’ll wait.“.Now Ben and the shopkeeper continued their haggling and chatting about herbs while the others kept a watchful eye at the obnoxious man. He was barely able to contain the rage he seemed to be feeling and he stared at them evilly.Then, a little girl of five years, at the hand of her mother came along, and as she saw and smelled the man, she cried out:“ Mama! This man is ickie!“.Immediately, the man turned around and kicked her like a ball. The girl cried out and was torn from the hand of her mother to fly for several yards where she hit the cobbled, wet ground of the market square. People shouted out in idignation, but no one dared coming close to the cruel looking stranger.The only ones who came to action were the adventurers themselves. Trepat readied his bow and then he saw how the man cast a spell and was flying upwards. Now, that they saw that the man wasn’t able to stick to his responsibility to the little girl, Torn whipped out his crossbow and shot a bolt, which dug itself into the flesharmor of the mage.As his friends opened fire on the mage, Ben ran over to the little girl. Her mother was cradling the girl’s head in her lap as she cried for help. Ben checked and saw that the girl was unconcious and had a concussion but at least she wasn’t mortally wounded.The wizard, who was still raising and flying southeastwards at the same time cast another spell while Trepat and Torn kep firing and Niklas was running under the man, trying to find out where he was heading. Meanwhile Ben healed the girl who came back to conciousness, only to experience all hell breaking lose around her in the final seconds of her young life.The market was already emptying as people ran away in the general panic created by the actions of the wizard and the friends’ use of their weapons. Carts were being tipped over and marchendise spilled over the cobblestones and into the puddles and then the wizard cast another spell and a fireball exploded right in the centre where Trepat and Torn were shooting at their enemy.The commoners who were still around, including the little girl and her mother, who’s names Ben would never learn now, were all killed instantly. Ben, Trepat and Torn, who were all in the blast radius were burnt as well, but being used to attacks like that, they rolled and turned so that they could survive the fireball.Now all five of them picked up the chase. Jan’s horse came running, having sensed the trouble it’s master was in, and the paladin grabbed Ben as he swung himself onto the back of his mount. Niklas, Ben and Torn followed on foot, shooting a few more times at the wizard until he had gotten out of range.Once out of the city, they saw that the wizard was heading to the towerlike ruin that was called „The Ruined Pillar“. The weathered structure was one of the remnants of the mysterious civilization called „the ancients“ and the friends saw that their enemy landing in it’s shadow.Together, they followed him, and when they finally reached the pillar, Trepat and Ben cast some preparatory spells. The pillar was basically a ruined tower. At one point, the wall had completely crumbled, creating a fifteen foot wide gap, but apart from that, the remaining walls were at least twenty feet tall.They crouched against the outside of the wall close to the gap, and then, at a prepared sign, they all charged in, Torn taking the lead. To their surprise, the evil wizard wasn’t alone- there were four heavily armored humanoids. The only thing that could be seen in the darkness under their helmets were pairs of eyes which were glowing crimson red.Worst of all, though, was that the evil wizard seemed to have been expecting them. He stood in the back of the ruin and as Torn jumped in through the gap, he cast a spell at the halforc.</blockquote>

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