a cold wind brushes along the shores of the iceclad ocean, swirling around an exausted dwarf. He sits on a snow drift, saddly stareing at the pile of armor, weapons and packs on the frozen sea water ice sheet in front of him, all his energy spent.
"ello, Norri" comes a sad, familiar voice on the grave cold breeze.
Though surprised, and happy to once again hear his friends voice, he does not stir.
"I can not make it back" he whispers to the wind. a touch of anger in his voice.
"you did wut you had to, what needed ta be done. no one who knows you can hold anythin against you. those who try whill stop when their anger passes. are you ready?"
"no..... yes...... almost...." one tear rolls down the dwarves nose, crystalising in the air and landing softly in the snow at his feet.
cracten picks up the tear and places it on the breastplate at his feet. "whenever yer ready."
a long silence passes, then the dwarf takes a deep breath and lets it out in a heavy sigh. "am i dead?" he asks, looking up at the troll.
"almost, lets go."
norri stands and kicks the icesheet free. watching it drift away he sighs again and turns and walks off with his friend.
"at least im done."turning to look up at his friend he then asks,"arnt i? i am dead now right?"
saddly the troll responds "aye, yer dead, but yer not done. if you were you wouldnt be here. yous got a lot more ta go through yet. but remember," the snowscape slowly fades into a marble room with a fountain surrounded by dead marauders. "as we are here fer them, we are here fer each other also. remember dat when tings get bad. untill den tho comere an lookit dis"
the two marauders take their place around the fountain while back in the snow one last tear rolls down the nose of a frozen dwarf, his last breath mingling with the frozen wind.
"ello, Norri" comes a sad, familiar voice on the grave cold breeze.
Though surprised, and happy to once again hear his friends voice, he does not stir.
"I can not make it back" he whispers to the wind. a touch of anger in his voice.
"you did wut you had to, what needed ta be done. no one who knows you can hold anythin against you. those who try whill stop when their anger passes. are you ready?"
"no..... yes...... almost...." one tear rolls down the dwarves nose, crystalising in the air and landing softly in the snow at his feet.
cracten picks up the tear and places it on the breastplate at his feet. "whenever yer ready."
a long silence passes, then the dwarf takes a deep breath and lets it out in a heavy sigh. "am i dead?" he asks, looking up at the troll.
"almost, lets go."
norri stands and kicks the icesheet free. watching it drift away he sighs again and turns and walks off with his friend.
"at least im done."turning to look up at his friend he then asks,"arnt i? i am dead now right?"
saddly the troll responds "aye, yer dead, but yer not done. if you were you wouldnt be here. yous got a lot more ta go through yet. but remember," the snowscape slowly fades into a marble room with a fountain surrounded by dead marauders. "as we are here fer them, we are here fer each other also. remember dat when tings get bad. untill den tho comere an lookit dis"
the two marauders take their place around the fountain while back in the snow one last tear rolls down the nose of a frozen dwarf, his last breath mingling with the frozen wind.