The moon broke free from the storm clouds briefly, illuminating the tower and turning the rain-flattened grass to silver. Willow climbed the crumbling steps carefully and gazed at the dark entrance. Would she go in? Should she? A crack of lightning and the the rumble of thunder over the grasslands made her jump. The moonlight faded, veiled by the next stormcloud. The wind picked up even more, shrieking like a thing in pain. There was no choice. The storms were getting worse. Willow stepped boldly inside, out of the rain and the wind. It was cold, but out of the wind it was warmer. She sat down on the floor near the doorway and hugged her backpack to her for warmth. At least her dress was made out of wool, and kept her warm, even when wet. She stared out at the storms as they passed. They were beautiful, even though they were loud.

Willow glanced around. Her eyes, a little more accustomed to the dark, could make out stairs, curling down and up. Where did they go? She was not the kind of girl to sit and wonder about such things. She got up, pulling on her backpack again, and started up them. She went up because she thought maybe she would be able to see better than by going down. Sometimes, there was a window, and ambiant light from outside, aided by lightning, would light the stairwell for a few steps. But most of the time it was dark. it was in one of these dark places that Willow tried to take a step where there was none. With a squeak, she tumbled forward.

Perhaps the stone steps had just crumbled away. Perhaps they had been deliberatly removed. Either way, Willow only saved herself from a painful fall by means of luck-her hands caught a step ahead that remained. But she wasn't very safe, not yet. She dangled by her hands, feet scrambling for a foothold. There was none. Inching her hands closer to the outer wall, she came upon a sudden stroke of luck...A place to wedge her foot. With a gasp and a sudden rush of adreniline, she hauled herself upon the stairs once more. She lay still for a minute or more, catching her breath. Then she sat up and looked around.

Snori was not happy... he was however wet from his beard to his shoes, he was also looking for a place to get out of the worst of the weather... wearing metal in a lighting storm was not a good thing to do. It was so dark he couldnt see a thing, then he had a last of insteration. He mutterd somthing under his breath pointed blasphemusly towards the heavens and a bolt of lighting fell at the comand of his hand onto a near by hill. The flash lit up the area, it also iluminated a tower not to far away.

"Perfect nice and warm in there." He often spoke to himself when he was alone.

Be held is sheild ubove his head and began to run towards the tower. Squelching through the mud like a dwarf possesed he charged up the hill, then due to the surface water sliped and fell face first in the mud. He climed up and continued on his way even wetter than befor and with a beard and face full of mud. he reached the doorway and steped inside cursing in dwarfish as he did so.

He quickly did a little check of the room then took off his helm and armour, still cursing at his fall. He peered down at his beard to asses the damadge... it was compleatly matted with mud it would take ages to clean it out. Cursing once more for good mesure he looked around the room once more, then stopped their was sound coming from up above him.

He lit is lamp quietly then with the help of the flickering flame searched above him... then he saw her.

"Willow is that you?" It coulnd be her he thaught the chances of seeing her agian had to be small but it did look like her from down here.

"Willow?"

Willow glanced down from her perch. Having recovered from her near accident, she was sitting carelessly on the last step from the gap, feet dangling down. The sudden illumination from the lantern had re-aroused her curiosity about the place, and she was taking every opportunity to look around while she could. But when someone called her name, she looked again. Though wet and a bit muddy, he was a great deal closer to the source of the light than she, and therefore, was easier to identify.

"Hello, Snori!" she called, as though meeting him here were nothing out of the usual, as though taking shelter from a feirce storm in an abandoned tower was as common as buying a loaf of bread from a baker.

"It's a pretty rainy night, isn't it? I don't mind the wet- it's uncomfortable when it's cold, but it's harmless, and you can always warm up again later. The lightnings are very bright, and kind of pretty, but they crack and rumble so loud, I can feel it in my chest." She remarked with a smile. Her smile faded when she thought about it a little. "Lighnings take down many trees. They don't like trees that are tall, especially."

Snori was not feeling so good he was angry from his fall confused but glad to find a friend in the tower even though it was such a small one.

"What you doing up there? hmm one second i'll make it a bit brighter in here."

Snori pulled out a spell book... it was wet. Snori was now very unhappy. Grumbling he pulled apart the pages then found the spell and made a complexe shape with his hand then suddedly a ring of fire sprung up from the floor. only about 1 foot acrose and 1 foot high it filled the tower with a warming glow. Snori rested his wet books by the fire hoping there wouldnt be to much damage. Looking back up he listend to her talking about the trees... hearing her talk about it made it quite a sad prospect.

"Its natures way, the trees die because of the lightning the same way as people die from animals or desies." He stoped and hoped that she would understand. "Its just the way things happen."

He stooped low and warmed himself on the fire, looking around at the tower. There was a table and a chair, he must have missed them in the darkness, he could use them for fire wood when his ring of fire spell ran out.

"Have you eaten or can i get you somthing?"

"I'm sitting and listening to the wind and the rain and the rumbles." Willow answered truthfully. "I was wondering where these stairs go, too. But some are missing. I got over these missing ones, though." She added, happily. She blinked when he raised the level of light in the tower. Then, she looked up at the stairs spiraling away, beyond even the light of the ring of fire. Had the tower looked this big from the outside? What was it here for, anyway?

When Snori explained about trees and death and disease of people, Willow nodded. She might not like it, but she guessed he was right. It was the way things were. And perhaps, as they should be. Otherwise, there might soon be too many people, trees, and animals. Old Willow had simply lived out her natural lifespan, which had been many many years. By now, Willow knew how rare that was, even for a tree.

When he asked if she was hungry, she giggled. "No, I'm not hungry. But thank you again for the offer."

***
Out side the tower sounds of a large bounding animal cold be heard running through the mud.

***

"That'll be dinner now" Snori was quite happy now he didnt think that they would be bothered tonight even trouble makers stayed inside for a storm like that.

Looking up he saw just how high the stairs went and wondered if it was magic that made it so big in here. Now he thaught about it he was wondering where they went...

"Im coming up... I want to see whats up there now thanks to you."

He began to climb the stairs he was glad he had taken his armour off it probably woulnt have taken his combined weight. Reaching the missing stair that willow had almost fallen from, he held onto a crack in the wall and keeped one foot on the safe stair and reached out with the other foot. Not quite reah=ching the other side he did a little jump landing on the lip of the stair with a grunt. he pulled himself over and smilled at willow.

Willow grinned up at Snori and scrambled to her feet. With a hop, skip, and a jump, she took the lead, stopping to peek out of every window at the nasty storm outside, and let Snori catch up before skipping ahead again. Although there were a few more gaps, for a while, they were no more than one or two steps missing, an easy gap for both of them.

The ring of fire on the floor had nearly vanished out of sight, and still the stairs went on. Suddenly, a very large gap lay before them, at least six or seven steps missing, much to far to jump upwards, Although Willow thought that, should she be on the other side, she might make it. What's more, she knelt down, and peeked at where they should been imbedded in the wall. The wall was smooth, with no indentation that she could see.

"I think...these stairs were cut free." Willow said aloud, leaning foreward to get closer to it. "I think someone didn't want people to go farther than this. Part of the steps were left in the wall, and smoothed so that people wouldn't even find a foothold there. But that would have been done a long time ago, wouldn't it? There's no reason we can't go up there now, if we could bridge the gap, right?"

"I think you'r right some one didnt want any one getting to the top. Nut i dont think theres any harm in it. Let me think for a bit."

Snori set down his lamp on the step and wondered how to cross the gap... he could sumon his demonic beast tojump it but its apearence may frighten willow... and he promised himself he wouldnt use that sort of magic unless necesary. Then he settled on ithis ensnare spell, it used vines to ensare people why cant you just make them appear from the wall then climb over?

"I think i know how to get over, stand back i dont want you to get caught up in it."

Stepping in front of willow he mumbleds somthing on his breath and made a complexe hand movemnt. He stoped and waited soon enough from the cracks gaps in the mortor or just from wear they had forced out of the stone, a mass of vines cascaded down wards stoping about 1ft from the next set of stairs.

"You a good climer?" He smilled not a bad spell usefull for more than just traping people.

Willow watched carefully. She'd seen him make a similar gesture before, hadn't she? When the vines grew out of the wall, she grinned and clapped her hands. How clever of Snori to think of that!she thought, then said so. When he asked if she was a good climber, she giggled and caught hold of the vines without hesitation. He had no idea, of course, but for Willow, climbing trees and vines was as easy as walking up a hill. Perhaps easier. Certainly more fun!

Halfway over, Willow hesitated for a moment to look over her shoulder and down. Wow. That was a long way down! She felt that familiar, stomach dropping feeling, and then that insupressible feeling of energy that always followed it. Shaking her head to concentrate on the task at hand, she neared the end of the gap and landed herself safely on the other side, turning to look, and wait for Snori. She grinned at him.

"Forgive an old dwarf but climming ins't realy one of my strong points... give me a pick and a shaft and i'll dig you the best gods damn tunnel you ever saw... but this isnot going to look pretty." he smilled this was going to be embaresing.

He grabed on to the vines and hauled i'm self up it wasnt that he wasnt strong enough he had plenty of that it just it wasnt natual for a dwarf. Once the ground fell away from him he was left dangeling for what seemed like an eturnity. Grabing tightly as he could with one hand he moved his other as quickly as he could grabing the next... thinking he must look rediculus he pulled his hand towards its new hand hold. Continuing this painstaking proces he manged to bridge the gap but not with out mishap. Managing to get firm rock under his feet was a joy for him, this was one of the very few things in the world that scared him.

"That was not fun." He shoke his head "lets keep going shall we."

Willow paused for a moment, looking serious. "I guess people can be like animals...different kinds are better at different things. Dwarves like living under mountains. Elves like living under the trees. Humans like living in the open. And I like living anywhere." she added, with a grin. Then she turned and resumed the upward stair climb Because the light from the lantern was the only light availible now, she didn't run as far ahead as she had before. She stayed within the ring of light most of the time. Suddenly, although the stairs continued upward beyond them, a ceiling came into sudden veiw.

Or rather, it was a floor. For when they climbed beyond the so-called ceiling, a smooth, rounded inner room rested perfectly in the center, with the stairs continuing their upward spiral around it. But a large, heavy wooden door stood between them and the inside of the room. Willow tried it. Locked. She looked at Snori. "Now what? Should we go on? I kinda wanna see what's in this room..."

"Yeah so do I... should be easy enough." he pulled out his war hamer pulled it back and sweped it in a wide ark smahing it into the door it splintered slightly but did not give way or show any signs of damage other than superficial. Frustraited Snori pulled back agian and this time the door yeilded not even a splinter to his eforts.

"hmmm some one definitly dosn't want us in this room..."
Thinking about more than just physical strength he possitioned himself infront of the door.

"Stand back if this hits you I dread to think of what would happen."

Making sure that His body was possitioned infront of willow he held out his hand and concentraited, from the palm of his hand purple energy blossmed untill his fist was a crackling ball of energy. Pointing the palm of his hand at the center of the door he focused harder on the ball of energy. Slowly as if it were glue the ball slid off his hand ever so slowly, then once the last of it was free it shot at the door.
The bolt of enervation hit the center blowing 4 planks of wood from it shoting them across the room. In the door way 3 still remained. Breathing heavly he cast a feeble light spell that shone into the room beyond.

Willow had watched eagerly when he had cast the powerful spell that had ripped a hole in the door. She was glad it wasn't aimed at her! When he cast a light spell into the room, she couldn't wait any longer. Curiosity, of which she had much, overpowered the tiny amount of caution she had learned over the time she had spent 'in the world' as she would have called it. Ducking under Snori's arm, she slid through the hole in the door like water through a drain. However, she did remember to unbolt the magic lock behind her, though it seemed to prick her when she touched it.

At first, it seemed a very plain room. There were shelves of old books, alchemy books, Willow thought, because they had drawings of plants that she recognized, although she couldn't read. There was an old, but magnificent tapestry that she admired, depicting the various gods and godesses, although she didn't know who they were. There was a table with some tools of the alchemy trade, all rusted, and little piles of dust and ash. She poked at one to see if it might give off a scent that she could use to identify it...and felt something strange, instead. She put her hand around the ash and let it sift out between her fingers. She heard a sound behind her and turned to look.

Snori walked into the room after willow looking about at the old books "why would any one lock up knoledge when it is the one thing that keeps us from barbarity?" he wondered aloud. Picking up a book he flicked through the pages reading parts of the pages... it was mainly alchemy but there were many referances to magic spells and other tit bits of information that Snori loved to read. He unbuckled his pack and droped it in. Whille doing so he heared a noise from behind him.

"Willow is that you?"

He asked as he turned around but it was not Willow that he saw.

{{occ- soz its not longer i just dont know what the noise is or could be so im a bit non plussed here... so again.}}

((Don't worry, I didn't have anything specific in mind when I wrote it. Feel free to do with this thing as you like. Sometimes I forget that people can't read my mind, haha ^.^; ))

Willow was looking up, staring in facination at a dark cloud that was forming and taking shape near the ceiling. What in the world is that?! she wondered. All of a sudden, a foul reek filled the room. Even to Willow, who didn't mind the smell of a skunk, found this near-unbearable. She put her hands over her nose, but it didn't help. Within the cloud, something was taking shape. A face seemed to form in it. Eyes. a torso. Feet and hands. The figure floated down to the center of the room, tendrils of the cloud still drifting off of his slightly-transparent body. A ghost. Willow couldn't help but stare at it, even while her nose stung and her eyes smarted.

His face doesn't match. Willow thought, staring astonished. And it was true. From the side, one could see the fair, clear skin of the elven, with the long flowy white hair and the mystery-filled dark eyes so favored among the Quendi. This was the first elven she'd ever seen up close, and she was surprised. The features were gracious and elegant. Yet when the man turned his head to look at her, she saw that the other side of his face was not the same. The features were sly and shifty, the skin blackened. A glaring, red eye was fixed upon her, and she felt almost frozen by it. He stared at her, as though wondering what a human child would dare to be doing in this room, when he turned and looked suddenly at Snori.

"Mountain dweller..." this half-colored one said, with something of a sneer "What use do you have for the arcane? I thought your kind was only interested in the cold, dead, worthless treasures of the earth. Or perhaps you were planning to sell my books for more of it? Like a child trading bread for filth, I see!"

"Your words hurt me deeply so, there was a time when elf did battle beside elf and my kind are not always the rock dwellers you make out to be. Oh and the way your going you will see the my use for the arcane arts." It was a thinly veiled threat to be sure but he was releved it was only a ghost, they possed no real threat to him. Checking to see if Willow was ok seeing her shocked face he moved over and infront of her. Only now could he see the other side of his face it was different he looked wrong. Using a laitnet spell he tried to focus on its mind and soul... he tried to read its thaughts.

The smell it was giving off was probably unberable to most creatures but Snori had been hit in the face to many timeshis nose had taken a battering and now as if a reward for the pain he couldnt smell the worst of the oder.

"You do know that i can sumon more of your kind, ghosts and spirits to fight for me?" It was true he had spent quite some time studying death and the underworld. "If you like i could get you some friends..." He was playing a dangerus game but some times it took the risk to find out the truth.

The ghost laughed, a bitter, thin sound which was almost more like a cough. It's red eye blazed before it looked away, to the tapestry. "There is no union in the world. Lands divided by sea. Gods, divided by power. People, divided by appearance. Like clings to like, and mistrusts anything unlike. This is the nature of the universe. Things which span the gap between are abominations. Things that bring people together are wicked. In they eyes of the people, this is the truth. Do not tell me different."

All the while, this ghost was thinking, Rejection. Pain. Loss. Alone. They locked me in this room, never to leave. I must leave. I will leave to war, to wound, to win. It looked at Snori again, red eye gleaming with amusement this time.

"So you have some use for the arts, do you?" It asked. "This should prove amusing. I should like to see what you, a dwarf, can do against me. And don't be fooled by vain notions. If I should choose to vent my wrath upon that little one behind you, your body won't stop me. So go ahead, Naugrim, and cast your spells!"

Slowly the same mist as the ghost had apeard from befor filled the corners of the room. "I may not be able to harm a ghost with my bare hands or weapons but my ghastly companions will." Out of the mist five fully formed ghosts apeared along with ten spirits and souls which were mearly formless shapes that flittered about in the space between Snori and the ghost.

"If it is true about unlike and alike then explain you apearance, for both halfs of you are so out landishly different. Oh and i dont think you plans for murder and killing will get to far." The fully formed ghost were infact soldiers with wepons and sheilds. One took a slash at the ghost another positioned himself infront of Willow and the other three took surounded him. "Oh and if my phisical body cant stop willow being hurt then magic will." He quickly cast ghastly armour on Willow.

Mists began to sworl around her as they materaised into plates of armour. They shimmered around her the eitheral armour changed to fit her body.

The halflen ghost gestured as well, an older varient of the halt undead. Because he was the caster, it did not affect him. The other spirits and ghosts were pushed away. He met Snori's eye for a moment, then laughed again. "Am I not proof enough? What could ever be my equal? Rejected by the light, overlooked by the dark. Who would accept me? You're not the only one who can use a spell to read minds, Snori, outcast of the Naugrim. You of all dwarven kind must know how people are when you're different." He gazed at Willow again, considering.

"You'll protect the little one with dark armor against me?" It asked, with a smile. "It may help a little, but it won't save her in the end. But you know that... Oh, but it's a bitter surprise, isn't it? You've learned all the spells you imagined you could possibly have wanted...but when battle comes, fate turns the cards so that you do not have any of the spells you need!" He gestured a spell that had not changed at all since it's creation: Summon Shades. "You might have fun with this happy little creature." He told Snori.

Meanwhile, Willow was feeling that she didn't like where this conversation was going. It was indirect. It was confusing. Why was the thing fixated on her? Why was Snori so ...so worried about her? She glanced down at the shining armor she now wore. It was light and weightless, not hindering movement at all. However, When the halflen ghost looked at her, she felt that near-paralytic feeling again. When it looked away to gesture, She flexed her fingers, reminding herself of the object in her hand. She opened her hand to look at it. A dark, glossy black stone. What does it mean? she wondered, gazing at it.

((I'm calling anything half elven, half drow a halflen, since it wouldn't be a halfling. And Don't worry, this time, I'm going somewhere with this stone. Hehehe))

"I am not bitter about my people or any others of this world. Oh and your shades Are easaly dispelled as are my ghosts." He said as he cast anti magic feild, then the floor walls and ceiling was covered in white lines as the spell took afect. His ghost's faded from existancs as did his shades. Letting the spell anti magic spell fade he cast hold undead on it "that should hold you for a little while after all if the same spell works on your breatherin why not you?"

Turning to Willow he saw her scared face he was worried and also he wondered why the ghost was focusing on her... then he looked into her hands and relised what she was holding... it was a soul gem! how did she get it? But that was unimportant what was was keeping it out of site of the ghost as if it knew about it it would get very angry, as it was one of the simplest ways of traping any spirit.

"Why do you focus so greatly on such a small girl? To scared of trying to fight some one with power?" Distraction was his new plan then trying to signal to Willow what to do with the gem so they could trap the spirit.

(If the soul gem thing wasnt in you plan then i can chang my post but it seemed like a good idea....)

((Heeheheh, you catch on quick!))

The Halflen summoned it's power, casting it's own anti-magic field to dispel the hold undead. It laughed again, and the sound was joyful, as though in anticipation of a well-fought battle. "Truly, Naugrim, that is a question of which I could ask you. Why concern yourself over a little child? Certainly the human race holds no love for you. Perhaps I am simply curious as to see how attached to this one, you really are...On the other hand, human innocence is rare...and can be a very useful additive to any magic ritual...perhaps I am interested in that, as well. But if you are ready for battle, dwarf, I am."

That was what it said. But the Halflen guessed that Snori was up to something, and a quick, discreet little spell of telepathy confirmed this. A Soul stone?! Several emotions passed over it's face; Surprise, shock, fear, and then, suddenly, cold rage. It lunged forward suddenly, ghostly shell passing through the dwarf, leaving a cold, icy feeling behind. As he lunged, a spell sprang into creation almost without gesture; claws of darkness. And though he was a ghost, now his hands were not. "Give that to me!" he hissed at Willow, one hark claw slamming her against the part of the wall covered by the tapestry.

Willow felt the breath leave her, and then, more surprisingly, in the next instant, the wall behind her crackled and gave way. The tapestry covered a large glass window, apparently. The surprise on the halflen's face, now so close to hers, told her that he had forgotten about that, too. Girl, ghost and tapestry tumbled out of the window together. Somehow, either by chance or instinct, Willow righted herself in midair just before one hand caught hold of the sill of a window looking into the tower steps. At that time, the halflen passed by her, one claw just barely scratching her cheek. But part of it touched the stone that was still in her hand too, and with an unearthly shriek, it was drawn in.

Willow closed her eyes and turned her head away from the rain of falling glass. The stone sill she held on to was very slick, it felt as glossy as the stone in her other hand, though in actuality, it was not. The rain was still falling, and she was wet through again in an instant. She concentrated on holding on, just keeping that one hand in place....

The suddeness of the ghost's charge took Snori by surprise he flailed around swearing in dwarvish as he turned. He blanched as he saw willow tumble out of the window. Running towards it he stood on the lip and looked down seing her clasp the ledge with both hands he felt realife flood through him. He cast around for a rope or at least a substitue. Then he saw the Tapastry it was caught on part of the shatterd glass. He grabed it, It was fluttering in the heavly wind and rain. He yanked it up knowing it would not reach Willow because of the wind.

"Hold on willow and dont let that gem go!" After he had pulled up the long tapastry he Grabed hiw war hammer and tied it on at the end. He ran back to the edge and lowerd it down sure enough it was weighed down but the hammer and reach willow with ease. "Grab on But you must keep hold of that gem." If she droped it it could easaly smash and release him. He braced himself on the wall next to the window. She may be very light but it was slippery with the rain. All he needed to do was get Willow to safty so they could destroy that soul gem...

Willow looked up, then over to see the hammer, swaying in the heavy wind. She couldn't reach it with her free hand, because the hand holding the stone wasn't secure enough. There was only one thing to do-she put the stone in her mouth in a split second. With both hands now free, she was ready to make a grab for it, but the wind, seemingly in a contrary mood, swayed the hammer maddeningly out of reach, teasing her.

Realizing that she probably didn't have the strength to hold on until the wind died a little, Willow pushed her feet against the slick stone for a instant, using them to push off as she jumped for the weapon. For a moment, she had the feeling of flying, both fearful and wonderful. Then her hands closed around the cold metal of the hammer, and the thrill of sucess was almost as good. She wrapped her arms around it, taking this opportunity to look at how high she was, though she wished it wasn't so wet and cold.

Willow looked up at the window suddenly as she realized that it could be little awkward if the tapestry gave way. But it looked fine. She took the stone out of her mouth, now that she didn't need her hands free. She looked at it, strange new thoughts running through her head.

Seeing her struggle with the wind taking hold of the hammer he tried to swing it the other way to counteract it but to no avail. He was horrifed to see her let go of the ledge and jump up. He closed his eyes untill he felt the extra weight. He began to slip slightly on the wet slabs that consisted of the floor. He braced himself on the window ledge. He began to pull her up with ease, she was even lighter than she looked. However the wind an rain being buffeted into his eyes and face was causing him imence pain the minute rain drops felt like hail stones as the fell into eyes. Snori keeped them open to make sure she was doing ok on the end of his make sift rope.

When finaly she reached the broken window he stepped to the side of the window out of the rain and rubbed his eyes, even with the cover of the tower he felt freazing and if he felt that bad he wondered how Willow was fairing.
"You ok? You look freazing." All thaughts of the gem were forgoten and his only worry for the moment was Willow's safty.

Willow climbed through the broken window, taking care not to cut herself on any remaining peices of glass, though most had gone out with her. Once inside, out of the worse of the wind, she checked herself for any injuries. Other than a little scratch on her face, she had none. Even the scratch had stopped bleeding. She glanced again at the strange stone in her hand, then set it down on a nearby work table.

Turning to Snori with a bright smile, wringing out her messy hair and rubbing her cold fingers and arms, Willow spoke. "That was a lot of fun! I was surprised when that strange looking man pushed me out of the wall...I didn't know there was a window there! Hanging on to the ledge was a little hard, though...it was slippery, cuz of the rain. My wrists are a little sore from it. And I'm a little cold." She added, with a giggle, "When you're falling, your tummy feels funny."

Without seeming too concerned about her experiance, Willow jumped up and down a few times to wake up numbed feet and legs. It was a trick she had learned a long time ago, when she was still living with Old Willow, in the wintertime. She stopped suddenly, looking up At Snori with a strange, serious expression. "Why was that black-and-white person so unhappy? Where did he go, anyway? Did he fall? I didn't see..." Willow asked, looking out the broken window as though she might still see him there, perhaps.

He was glad to see that she was ok, but he was not so happy when she began asking questions about the ghost... if Snori was to destroy him it would be better with out Willow knowing what it was he was doing... Spoiling inocence was so sad.

"Im not sure, but do you mind if I have a look at that gem?" He needed only to hold it and he could tranfer the spirit into himself and he could probably hold it for a little while. But it wouldnt do if the ghost was as powerfull as it made out it would take controle of his body so he would have to destroy it infront of her...

He took the gem off the table and held it in his palm then while chanting somthing he clasped it all of a sudden. From the gaps in his fingers white mist escaped then reformed into the ghost. It swayed in the air then Shot through the window and down to earth. "Yes return to the earth let your soul return to you body." He wispered under his breath. Turning he walked to the door and looked behind him.

"You coming?" He looked down at the gem it had been black whilst it held the spirit but now it had turned to its default translucant purple colour.

"You want this back?" he held out his hand with the gem in the center. He tossed it to her. It was a soul gem and very powerfull in the hands of a necromancer but for her it would do no harm to anyone... unless she killed some one then learned the spesific ritual and captured its soul but that was none to likely.

"I'm not sure, but do you mind if I have a look at that gem?"

"No, I don't mind, go ahead..." Willow said, crouching down to warm her cold toes with her fingers. She thought about how winter was on it's way, and she thought about how she really needed to get a new pair of boots this year-last years pair was full of holes and didn't fit comfortably any more. She was vaugely aware of Snori doing something, but she didn't know what. And what's more, his body language, which she was beginning to understand, said that he didn't want her to know. She didn't understand why, but she understood him. And what's more, she trusted him.

Her toes having been warmed, she straightened up in time to see something misty flicker out the window. She turned her head to catch a glimpse of it, but it was gone. What was it? she wondered. Snori walked away, towards the door, before turning back to her.

"You coming?"

"Ah, yeah!" Willow said with a giggle, turning away from the window. "I think the rain's gonna stop soon! Around dawn, I think... I wonder if there'll be one of those things...you know, where there's all those lines of color?" When Snori offered her the stone, she looked at him a moment. "Oh...thanks!" she said, with a smile, catching the shining stone.

He turned on his heel and began to walk up the spiraling stairs. He shoke his head he was getting soft. The stairs he walked on now were undamged by age or by man, they must have thaught that no one would get this far. As he stoped up the stairs Snori came to a door it looked old, even the lock was rusted through. The other one must have been magical. He tried to peer through a crack in the wood but the other side was lit only by a faint green glow the souce of whitch could not be seen. Shruging his sholders he pressed his foot on the bottom corner of the door and pushed it gentaly open keeping his war hammer infront of him he stepped into the door way.

Nothing moved so suspecting nothing he cast light and the room lit up in a pale glow that simply amplified the shadows. To his horror he saw what was giving off the green glow, as well as the others. The room contained many chairs with iron backs and straps down them, seated in them were several... constructs that looked as to be made of other peoples body parts, the glow of green light was being imited from large canisters on several of their backs, the glowing liquide was being fed into their arterys and heart via large tubes. As soon as the light penitrated the gloom they began to strain againced the straps. Several of them had already been rusted through and the mosters they onced contained now began to lope towards him imiting ghastly shriecks.

Acting on instinct He slamed the door and took several steps down the stairs just as a rotting hand with large metal shards pushed into its arm and wrist burst through the wood. The mosters were flesh gollems.

(( i found a pic of a flesh golem...man im sad....its the one not made of iron.... yes))

Willow was only two steps behind Snori as they had gone up more stairs. She was thinking and thinking about making up a song about them...about how they spiraled up and up, like a whirlpool, only made out of rock, and going up, instead of down. It wasn't a very good song yet, but she thought with work, it might be better... she shook her head. She'd think about it later. And then Snor stopped at an old, rotten door. Willow stopped, still two steps behind him, peeking under his arm at the room when he eased the door open.

Therefore, when he had lit up the room, she also saw what was inside. At first, it was so unlike anything she'd ever seen that it's true horror was lost to her. It was just a room full of weird creatures strapped into chairs. In a couple of seconds, which felt like forever, it suddenly dawned on her that these...creatures...had been created...out of people. She felt her stomach churn, and forced herself to look away before she was sick.

Without even looking at it again, she swallowed a couple of times and tried to ask a single question.

"W-What are those th-?!"

Snori surprised her by slamming the door shut. Willow's head shot up, just as a hand was shoved through the door and Snori moved down the steps, pushing her ahead of him.

((Well, I'd have trouble believing something made out of metal was a flesh Golem, hehehe. Hope you don't mind about the slight mod of your character...somehow I can't imagine him leaving her there. But if you prefer, I can change it ))

((I dont care if you dont mind about me being stupid witht the flesh gollem thing))

Snori tried to cover up Willow with this body as the gollem smashed its way out of the room and onto the stair's. It's jaunty movements the product of bad craftsman ship if you could call it that. It lurched down towards them its legs struggling on the downward spiral. Snoir pulled out his sheild and held it up to the gollem as it braught down its rotting fist upon it. The force knocked the sheild aside, as it was stronger than Snori probably because it had no pain barrier.

Reacting quickly He pushed his other hand up and cast the holy spell, it hit the shoulder of the Gollem the blast of good energy ripped off the arm at the seam where it was stiched onto the torso. The luminus green blood subsitute splattered on the wall, it moaned then pulled itself up right reading for another strike.

"Get into the room lower down ok!" He shouted to her as it slammed down its other fist, this time it stuck in the wood as the creater had taken time out to force knives into its flesh. Pulling his sheild out of its grasp Snori fired another shot of holy energy. it hit the monster in the chest and sent it realing into another trying to make its way down. Taking advanteg of the confustion Snori began to make his way down as quickly as possibly, to get into the first room.

((heehee! Do I look like I mind? Sorry, this one's a little short ^.^))

Willow jumped to her feet again and tried to dash down the stairs. As soon as she realized that Snori wasn't behind her, she hesitated. Should she go back? It wasn't fear that made her hesitate. She had heard what he said, clearly. Get to the room loweer down!

...But...but...

Clenching her fists, Willow continued down the stairs. That's what he wanted. She'd do what he told her, because he couldn't do what he needed to if he had to worry about her. But it was difficult. She finallystopped at the landing to the lower room and looked at the broken door. Well, Maybe Snori had an idea for fixing it. She'd have to wait, now. She turned and looked up the stairs, waiting for something.

((Mines short too soz but im feeling ill so i'm not up to much))

He backed down the stairs as the other gollems tried to make their jaunty way past their mangled brother. Snori made it to the room and ran inside. Instantly he knew he had made a mistake, it had no exits bar the one that the gollems would attack from. Cursing himself under his breath he grabed a book case and tiped it forward as gently as possible leting all the books fall onto the floor. Even in these circomstances he still had respect for books.

He then pulled the emply book case down infront of the door. Then as quickly as he could he grabed the desk and slid it infront of the book case. "That should hold them for a short whille." He looked out the window, it was a long way down. "I'll try to summon a friend to help us." He said just as the sounds of the gollems neared.

((Im getting the summmon stone gollem spell so i dont know how long they be in filling it...))

((Sorry this one slipped my notice, the last time I was here! I knew I was forgetting something!))

Willow looked around for something she could do, to help. But there really wasn't anything. She could not look through spellbooks, as she wouldn't know what she was looking at. She couldn't add anything to the blockade at the door...there was nothing left to add to it, really, and if there had been, it would have been too heavy for her to move. She glanced out the window. The drop down frightened her not at all, though she didn't much fancy the wind and rain. They might be dying down, but they were still cold at the moment. Climbing down from the outside in the dark? Not fun.

Scratching sounds could be heard outside the door now, and shrieks. They seemed to know that the two were trapped in there, and that made them more excited... they pushed on the door and found it blocked. More noises. Then, in some sub-human idea of cooperation, they began pushing on the door together. The blockage shifted a little bit, and the door opened, just a crack. Then again. A little wider. Fingers and hands began to appear around the door. It wouldn't last much longer...

((im not complaining you've been great its one of the longest rp's ive been envolved in every one ells seems to lose interest.))

After blockading the door Snori began searching through the pile's of books and on the shelfs. After a great deal of searching he located the spell book it was battered and leather bound and had a tree symbol on the front ((Just a random book of nature spells)). He began flicking through the pages with speed the sounds of the flesh gollems out side egging him on. Final he found the spell, it was old and hard to read, it said Summoning of a Stone Gollem that can only be harmed by the weapons of magic((The actual spell says this when you buy it)). He steped back to a wall and pointed his hand out palm down with the book in his hand. The floor in the center of the room began to glow with a bright green light.

From the floor itself grass began to grow and small flowers and vines took shape with remarcable speed. The light was still increesing in brightness untill it was almost to bright to look at. Keeping his gase he continuded to chant the words as the echos and shreicks of the flesh gollems sounded in the room. Then the light peeked and as it dimmed the imence shape of a Stone gollem could be seen, then as the light died away so did the plants. They blacked then dissapeared into the stone.

The gollem stood stock still staring strait ahead with peicing red eyes. The look of the gollem gave Snori the creeps, it was so impartial and unmoving, but it was his to command. "Destroy the door and make your way through then destroy the flesh gollems beyond." Then with out hesitation it moved over to the door and knocked the table and shelf to one side with a huge blaulder like fist, it then procded in demolshing the door.

((Thank you! You're a lot of fun to roleplay with, too! This one's short 'cuz there's not much for her to do at the moment.))

Willow watched with facinated interest as the stone golem sent their blockade flying like a stack of wooden blocks, then tore the door off it's hinges. It was rather funny, and it's appearance frightened her not at all. It seemed to have a bit of trouble figuring out how to fit through the door, though, obviously it had very little intelligence of it's own. However, it eventually managed to get through, and it went right for the flesh golems.

Willow noticed that the light in the room had changed a little. She glanced at the window just in time to miss the gorey sight of the stone golem tearing the flesh golems to peices. This was the kind of luck that kept her so innocent. She went to the edge of the window to look at the faint light spreading on the horizon.

"Look, Snori..." She said, happily. "The sun's coming up."

((Thanks normaly my rp's are a disgrace but ive been geting better :-d oh and Yeah its kinda my fault willow dosent have much to do sorry i'll try to envolve her more))

Snori turned and looked out of the window and found that indeed the sun was rising beyond the hills and mountins and by the looks of the cloud the rain and wind was lifting. "Looks like it will be a good day dosent it?" The sounds of the stone gollem ripping apart the flesh gollems filtered through into the room. Taking his eyes of th dim sight of the rising sun he began to look around at the books and book cases. "Can you read Willow?" He said as he began to search through the other books, but keeping one hand on the spell book he used for the stone gollem, as it apeared to be an elemental spell book. ((i already have one but its better to get them through rp rather than them turning up)) finding two matching vollumes that apeared to be of interest to him he began stuffing them into his already full pack.

Out side the camber the sounds of the fight stoped and everything fell silent, the gollem stood having finished its task staring at the wall. Realising that it had fishised off the other gollems Snori sent it on another erand. "their are more upstairs to the left destroy the others then return to me when the task is done.

-post edited...wrong window-

((All I can say is, I swear the log in said Willow when I first came to the site. At any rate, if you haven't guessed already, I made my second character XD))

"Can you read, Willow?"

Willow turned away from the promising veiw of the morning, and came over to the fallen books, looking at them with a mixture of sorrow, regret and interest. She wasn't sure of the word read, but she had a good idea of what Snori meant. She knelt down and turned one right side up, opening it and looking at some of the pictures drawn inside.

"No," Willow began, "The books won't speak to me. I've looked at lots of them, but none of them will say anything. I know some of these plants on the pictures, though." She added, with a flicker of interest. "This one's wolfsbane, though it doesn't really keep wolves away. This one is Silverweed. It's good when you have the coughing sickness that comes from cold water." By this, of course, Willow meant pnumonia.

Willow turned a page. "And that's popple leaf, which you can chew up and put on bug bites. It tastes awful, though. But.. I don't know what this one is...." She finished, slowly, staring at a strange root-like drawing somewhat in the shape of a man... "I've never seen a root like that before!"

From above, gastly noises and shrieks were going on. Apparently, the stone golem had reached the room above and was causing a considerable stir amongst it's fleshy bretheren in that room. Willow tried not to think about it and instead showed the page with the strange root to Snori "Can you 'hear' what this page says?" she asked him.

"Can you 'hear' what this page says?"

"Well i surpose you could put it like that..." He stared for a long time at the book with the pictures, he himself had spent a good 20 years of his life with out even talking to another sentiant being. Much of that he had spent in the wilderness and the wastlands and even he did not know some of these plants, and judging by her knoledge of the plants teaching her to read would be an easy task.

He moved over to the table that had been knocked aside earlyer by the stone gollem, he pulled it upright and was surprised to find little damage to it. Then he pulled up two chairs that had not been damaged and put them down. Sitting on one he pulled out a blank peice of paper from one of his numerus spell books and then a quill and ink. "You see you don't lisnen to the words you reconise the symbols, each one has a sound and so by reconising a group of symbols you can make a word in your mind. That is how you read."

He began to write the alphabet in common with the quill. "These are the symbols you would have to reconise to beable to make words." Finishing the the letters he pushed the paper over to the other chair and pointed to the first letter. "This one make a sound like this" Then he made the sound for the letter A.

(if willow learns to read then you can use spells but its up to you if you want to now or not. I hadnt geussed but now i know... hehehe i have a shiny new one... a bit 2d but still fun to rp with )

"You see you don't listen to the words, you recognise the symbols, each one has a sound and so, by recognising a group of symbols you can make a word in your mind. That is how you read."

Willow tried very hard to surpress it, but she must have looked at though Snori had just said she could jump to the moon on a rabbit. What on Arda does that mean? Symbols have sounds? But She followed him as he set up the table, in order to see more about this strange concept he was describing.

"You see, you don't listen to the words, you recognise the symbols, each one has a sound, and so, by recognising a group of symbols, you can make a word in your mind. That is how you read."

Watching him write down the first letter of the common alphabet and pronounce the sound for A, Willow began to get the faintest flicker of an idea in her head. But she had to make sure. She studied the A seriously. "It reminds me of an arrowhead. So whenever I find this...A....in a book, it makes this sound?" She asked him, looking up.


((I was hoping you might give Willow a lesson on reading, heheh. But don't expect it to happen in three posts. She'll probably be able to spell out three letter words by the end of this topic. Buuuut...it's a start. And a reason to get some spells to have at the ready when she does know enough))