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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Hairy Minotaur" data-source="post: 1270419" data-attributes="member: 11574">Tharhack runs as fast as safely possible. Gothmog strains to keep up with him, but soon falls back to several feet behind Tharhack. The ground becomes covered in branches and small bushes. Fallen trees turn Tharhack's sprint into more of a steeple chase. Tharhack does a good job of avoiding most of the obstacles he's sure Xanoniel placed for him. Until, jumping over a particularly large log, Tharhack lands in stride but the ground gives way. Tharhack drops only a couple of feet, but it's enough for him to lose his balance, and fall onto a pile of brambles. Screaming more out of frustration than pain, Tharhack returns to his feet and quickly begins to remove the brambles from his skin, as Gothmog leaps over the same log almost crashing into Tharhack. Xanoniel hears the scream, smiles at first, but then realizes Tharhack is much closer than she planned for him to be. Riding on the back of the black bear along with an unconscious Alriand, Rebrey hears the shout as well. Looking over at Xanoniel, Rebrey sees the look of apprehension on her face. Realizing that with both Alriand and Rebrey on it's back, the bear will never outdistance Tharhack, nor will it make it to the Ash Tower before Tharhack. Xanoniel decides now would be a good time for a little misdirection, summoning another black bear, Xanoniel tells it to follow the black bear carrying Rebrey and Alriand for a couple of feet. Then she sends it off towards the Ash Tower in a more direct route than the one Xanoniel is currently taking. Xanoniel hopes that with only two sets of bear tracks to follow, Tharhack will chose the wrong one, and that will be her some more time. Gothmog helps Tharhack to his feet, and brushes off the brambles off his back. Gothmog points to the horizon, where in-between two mountain peaks, a dark spire rises between them. Above the tower rolling black clouds are gathered, looking closely it appears rain or snow is falling from the clouds as the tower and sky behind the tower look hazy. The tower itself appears to be impaling the clouds above it, a chill runs down Tharhack's spine, as he thought he saw a skull form out of the clouds above the spire. Dismissing it as a trick of the eye, Tharhack looks over at Gothmog, who's been laboring pretty hard to keep up. Tharhack reaches over and grabs Gothmog's arm and says a blessing to Kord, infusing Gothmog with diving strength."The spell won't last very long, but maybe it'll help with the weight of your armor long enough." Tharhack tells Gothmog"Gothmog feel more powerful already!" Gothmog says with joy, straightening his slumped back and lifting his shoulders.Tharhack motions him to follow, and they head off again after Xanoniel.Xanoniel calls over a squirrel from a nearby tree, after conversing with it for a moment, she returns to the bear's side."I think my plan will work out fine. Looks like the zombie patrol is currently in the valley pass below the spire, we're going to go in the back door." Xanoniel says"Zombie patrol? What? What the hell's going on?" Rebrey asksXanoniel angered at letting too much information slip, tries to calm down Rebrey. "Here drink this, it will make us invisible to the zombies should we meet any.""No! not until you tell me what the hell's going on." Rebrey demands"Oh fine. The wizards is a necromancer, and while he does have the cure for Alriand, he's not going to just give it to us. We're going to have to take it." Xanoniel explainsRebrey sits fuming. "What else haven't you told me?" "Nothing, there will be no more surprises, I promise." Xanoniel says with a smile.Rebrey downs the potion, and wishes themselves good luck. Right before he falls off the back of the bear, sound asleep. Xanoniel urges the bear on faster with the reduced weight, hoping that if or when Tharhack comes across Rebrey, Rebrey will slow him down one way or another. Tharhack's pursuit has lead him to a fork in the road. There are two sets of bear tracks, one seems to make for the tower in a direct line, the other heads off parallel to the tower. Tharhack stops and tries to out think Xanoniel. Did Xanoniel create a false one leading to the tower, or is the false one leading away? "Gothmog, do you know what lies in that direction?" Tharhack asks pointing at the tracks leading parallel to the tower"Mountains, high mountains." Gothmog statesTharhack mulls it over and decides that Xanoniel would rather get to the tower as fast as possible and not delay, He motions Gothmog to follow him down the tower trail. However the trail ends in nothing about one hundred feet down the trail. Kicking the snow in frustration, Tharhack turns to retrace his steps back to the other trail. "Where bear go?" Gothmog asks"Back to where it came from, this is the wrong path." Tharhack states"This right path, tower just down next hill." Gothmog statesThat statement made Tharhack stop in his tracks, Gothmog had a great idea. Xanoniel wants to get to the tower first, so she's trying to make them follow her."Good idea Gothmog, Let's go" Tharhack says trudging through the deepening snow toward the tower. Gothmog smiles from the accolade, and falls in line behind Tharhack.Tharhack and Gothmog walk up a steep hill, cresting the top, Tharhack feels a cold wind blow straight to his bones. Shivering Tharhack looks up at the ash gray tower in the distance. Snow blows around the tower between it's flanking mountains. Tharhack's eyes notice that there's no vegetation on the opposing side of the hill he's on, nor is there any kind of tree, bush, bird, grass. Nothing grows after the tree he's peering out from behind of. "Death, it pervades everything is that valley. This just got much worse." Tharhack says"No, that much worse." Gothmog says pointing his right, Tharhack looks over to find about a dozen walking corpses limping trough the snow towards them. "Run!" Tharhack says leaping out from behind the tree and out into the open on the down slope of the hill."Gothmog not run from nothing, Gothmog burn no-dead men againTharhack looks back to Gothmog who raises his arms to the sky, and in one motion brings them down in a hard clap, clasping his hands together while shouting a strange word. Gothmog them turns his palms up, and a large ball of fire appears. Gothmog blows on it, pushing it out of his hands, and onto the ground in front of him. The ball rolls along the ground, melting snow in it's path, it reaches the first zombie and sets it ablaze."Unbelievable." says a stunned Tharhack</blockquote>

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