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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Wicht" data-source="post: 1274430" data-attributes="member: 221">2.3The skeletons pressed through the doorway, plowing into the unfortunate man who had opened it.  He tried to fight back but was torn apart in seconds by three of the undead monstrosities.  “Give us the Keys!” shouted Bare clutching to the Bars of the cell.“We’ll help you!” screamed Hullifan, “Let us out!”But the sheriff and his remaining man did not heed the elves.  With eyes full of fear they fled across the room to other door, away from the skeletons and towards their weapons.“Let us out!” yelled Bare as the skeletons chased the two men into the other room.  In the next cell Tranlen shrieked with joy and yelled incoherently.  The sound of heavy fighting filled the air, accompanied by the shrieks of the two men.  There was a crash and another yell.  One of the men screamed.  More crashes followed, it sounded as if someone had thrown a chair.  The elves winced as another scream of horror and pain pierced the air.  And then there was silence.  Slowly the skeletons filed out of the other room, blood now on their bony claws.  There were three less than had gone into the room, but that was small comfort to either Bare or Hullifan as they considered their own fate.“Let me out,” cackled Tranlen, “Get the key!” One of the skeletons, complying, walked over to the dead man by the front door and reaching down it yanked the keys off of the dead man’s  belt.  The elves backed a little further into their cell, but the skeletons paid them no mind.  The skeleton, guided by the will of the lunatic had no desire for elvish blood.  The key turned and the other cell door opened.  Tranlen limped out of his cell, once more muttering to himself.“I knew they would hear me, but I can still hear the others.  They are whispering to me.  I can hear them.  We must find them…”Followed by the dozen or so skeletons the lunatic left the jailhouse.  They closed the door behind them, leaving the elves alone in the building.  Alone with three corpses.Bare stared out between the bars at the keys that the skeletons had dropped on the floor after freeing Tranlen.  It was just out of his reach.  But Hullifan, it seemed, had things well in hand.  “Shaba can get the key,” he said to Bare as he bent down and let his snake onto the floor, “Get the key Shaba.”  The small reptile obediently glided across the stone floor and wrapping the end of its tail around the key ring it began to slowly crawl back to the elves.  Bare watched Hullifan’s snake with a smile on his face.  And then he noticed something.  The dead man’s arm was moving, beginning to twitch.  At first Bare thought perhaps the skeletons had left the man barely alive, and then he realized with horror that the dark energies that had animated the skeletons somehow were going to animate the man’s corpse as well.“Uh, Hullifan, you might want to hurry.”Hullifan grabbed the key from his snake and then began to work the lock.  He looked over at where Bare was motioning and saw the corpse began to stand, blood still issuing from the mortal wounds that had killed him.  “It’s a zombie now!” Hullifan gasped in horror as he unlocked the cell.  The cell door swung open.  From the next room both elves suddenly heard the sound of more movement.  They realized to their chagrin that there were two more corpses in that room and that those corpses were obviously beginning to move now as well.  Hullifan wasted no time, sprinting out of the cell he ran to the open door leading to the next room and slammed it shut.  Before the door closed though he saw that his fears were correct.  The sheriff’s animated corpses was busy shambling around the room.Bare, realizing he was weaponless stopped in the door of the cell and took stock of the situation.  He looked at the desk, the waste barrel, the coat rack and then at the zombie shambling meaningfully towards Hullifan.  Hullifan saw the zombie coming at him as well and before the zombie could fully reach him the young elf dived over the nearby desk.  He sailed cleanly away from the zombie and over the desk.  But as he approached the floor on the other side he misjudged and came down hard on one shoulder.  Wincing, he rolled over onto his back and then struggled to his feet.Bare meanwhile, as the zombie swung confusedly where Hullifan had just been standing rushed over to the side of the desk and picked up the waste barrel, a solidly bound wooden barrel made to hold about thirty gallons.  Swinging it up and over, Bare slammed it down on the zombie’s head, open end first.  He felt the impact of the barrel striking the zombie’s head and then he released the barrel and stepped back.  The zombie floundered wildly, its vision obscured and it’s movements a bit hampered by having its arms squeezed together by the barrel.  Bare easily sidestepped the zombies feeble efforts to blindly strike at him.      As the zombie struggled to free itself from the confines of the barrel both elves took steps to arm themselves, no matter how crudely.  Hullifan rushed for the coat-rack.  Bare moved to grab the stout chair by the desk.  Bare being closer was able to attack first.  He swung the chair excitedly at the zombie but in his rush he struck at the barrel.  There was the hollow sound of wood striking wood and then the chair bounced away and the zombie staggered a bit.  The attack seemed to have done little however.    The zombie finally managed to wiggle the barrel off its head, throwing it to the floor.  Even as the barrel bounced once across the room, Hullifan struck.  Swinging the oak coat rack like some elongated club he struck the zombie square across the side of its left arm.  The coat-rack broke, one particularly large piece of wood flew across the room, striking the wall.  The zombie howled mindlessly in aggravation.  The piece of wood left in Hullifan’s hand was about three feet long, perfect for a stout oak cudgel.    Bare took the opportunity to swing at the zombie but his aim was completely off and the chair sailed harmlessly by the zombies back as the zombie moved with mindless aggression at Hullifan.  Hullifan, seeing sudden peril, stumbled backwards but was not quick enough.  The zombie’s fist connected with the side of Hullifan’s head and the elf momentarily saw stars.      In desperation, Hullifan swung his makeshift club up alongside the zombie’s head.  The head lolled sickeningly sideways.  Bare slammed the oak chair down on the zombie’s back.  The result being that the zombie turned in fury on Bare.  The sudden onslaught took Bare by surprise, but he managed to avoid the brunt of the attack, the zombie’s fist glancing off the elf’s shoulder.  Hullifan struck again at the zombie’s head.  The sound of the neck snapping was audible.  Bare swung the chair again.  It shattered this time as it struck the zombie in the face.      The zombie, blood trickling down its head in several places turned in mindless confusion towards Hullifan.  Hullifan promptly struck it again between the eyes.  Slowly the zombie crumpled to the ground, a ragged sigh of air escaping from its dead lungs.      The elves breathed heavily from their exertion.      As they stood still, gathering their wits, a dull thud echoed through the room, followed by another.  One of the zombies in the next room was attacking the door.  All their equipment, including their spell books was on the other side of that door.</blockquote>

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