[center][h1][b]Reign:[/b] [color=yellow]Kingdom Come[/color][/h1][/center][center][h2]Chapter 4:D - Tower of Light[/h2][/center]
[center][url=https://imgbb.com/][img]https://i.ibb.co/HCFzxP6/1098330.jpg[/img][/url][/center][center][url=https://www.google.com/url?q=https://m.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3Dja1texxSyj8&sa=U&ved=0ahUKEwjmof3SxLLfAhUrTd8KHeNQCW0QuAIIDDAA&usg=AOvVaw3kOfxGmv8HywI1hm2Vxc35]Soundtrack[/url][/center][center][img]http://i.imgur.com/i6fLcHF.pngp[/img][/center] 
It was almost impossible to see the ground immediately in front of them on top of the problems with breathing. The one thing that broke through the thick ash was the tower of light, still shining up ahead. They travelled with all the speed the hound could muster. The dog coughed and gagged from inhaling the particles. It had to stop moving for some time as it choked on the black ash. Lorenzo encouraged the beast, but without some relief they would be stuck in place. 

Then Marque donned the mask. It fit [i]perfectly[/i] over his face and even felt like it had attached to his flesh in a warm embrace. Suddenly, wind swirled around them. Not the cold icy death they had experienced before. A warm gust which blew the black ash away from their group. It continued to swirl around and protected them from the nasty particles of the BreathStalker. Marque instinctively understood that this wind was in some way connected to the mask which he wore. Knowledge which he was ignorant of seconds prior came to him. He felt like he could alter the flow of air around himself with the help of this crow mask. 

Seconds passed as the hound began to recover. Col utilized Bastian's bandages to cover his face as he notched another arrow. Ready to fire at the presently unseen enemy. Lorenzo mushed on their four-legged companion. With the better visibility and breathability they were able to make good time. 

Suddenly, out of the cloudy black twenty feet in front of their path [i]it[/i] reappeared. [hider=BreathStalker][img]https://i.ibb.co/TKBc898/Physical-Appearance-of-Wendigo-20181125202320620.jpg[/img][/hider]The BreathStalker opened its maw and released an ear-piercing scream. The cove vibrated in protest. The ground around it warped and bent to the creature's presence. Their hound came to an ubrupt halt. Marque's mask seemed to offer some reprieve from the entity's screams. They sounded distant and hollow. Not nearly as terrifying as when they first heard them.

Then, two large warped stones rose in the air adjacent to the BreathStalker. In a flash, the stones flew toward them with deadly speed. Col's shield glowed nearby as if begging to be utilized. Marque's mask protected them from the ash, but could it stop solid projectiles on its own? [hr][h3][center][b][color=red][u]Combat[/u][/color][/b][/center][/h3][b][u]Actions[/u][/b]
Lorenzo urged the hound to the right, narrowly maintaining their footing from falling into the sea. 

Bastian reached for the glowing shield nearby, and took a defensive position on the dog's left. If it fell, so would they all.

Col fired another arrow toward the fiend. 

Marque attempted to guide and increase the speed of the arrow which Col fired. 
[hr]
[b][u]Outcomes[/u][/b]
The grainy stones made their way toward the companions. However, Lorenzo and Bastian's quick thinking proved invaluable. The stone furthest to the left missed the group entirely, while the stone about their right bashed directly into the shield Bastian held. The force rattled him, but much less then expected for a large projectile moving at that speed. The shield radiated in response as the stone fell harmlessly to the ground.

The arrow Col fired moved with incredible speed and precision aided by the winds. The BreathStalker hadn't anticipated this speed increase. It had already begun to create a wall of hardened ash to block the damage. The arrow was much too fast and pierced directly through the half-made wall. The group heard a muffled explosion. They saw vibrant reddish orange colors pop from the hit and heard the screams of the entity.[hr]

[b][u]Actions #2[/u][/b]
Lorenzo attempted to bring the hound past the BreathStalker.

Bastian prepared himself for whatever was waiting behind the wall. His shield glowed with the impact from before.

Col readied another arrow in case the BreathStalker reared its form.

Marque attempted to manipulate the air where the entity may be reforming.
[hr]
[b][u]Outcomes #2[/u][/b]
The hound followed Lorenzo's commands with hesitation, but charged forward anyway. They made it around the half-formed ash wall. There they saw the BreathStalker with a large gaping hole spanning from its left shoulder to more then half its chest and entire arm. It screeched and clawed with its other arm at their hound. The elongated arm and talon like claws reached for them. There was no telling what would happen if they made contact. 

That's when Bastian jumped into action. With deft reflexes he raised the shield above his head and blocked the majority of the hit. To his surprise, the shield glowed orange and blasted the entity into the air. At the same time, Col fired another arrow at it which exploded in the same bright colors. Marque successfully separated the many ashen particles away from one another, preventing a quick recovery.[hr]
In a few tense minutes they arrived directly in front of the shining tower. [hider=Tower][img]https://capturetheatlas.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/SKARDSVITI-LIGHTHOUSE-AURORA-COLORES-1024x783.jpg[/img][/hider] Strangely, anywhere the light of the tower illuminated, the black ash was absent. Even though the rest of the sky and landscape was covered by the thick ash, around the light were strings of vibrant colors and an open sky. No howling winds were breaking into this space. They were presently [i]safe[/i].