Day:  156
Location:  Swamps of Soun
Title:  The Path to Going Home
 
Esimed was in the lead.  Once again, Ashdon asked Esimed if he was sure 
that he knew where he was going.  Esimed spun around and for the 100th 
time, looked Ashdon in the eyes, and said, "Yes, I do know where we 
are going.  When I first got out of the rift, or whatever it was, I 
came back to the swamps and searched them, because I knew that they 
would be a great hiding place.  The only place I stayed away from was 
the old village I lived in, because I couldn't face my mistake.
I also stayed away from the raiders base I told you about.  
And although I am sure that the raiders are long gone and noone lives 
in their old base, I figured I'd be safer than sorry."  
Ashdon looked at Esimed and decided that he spoke the truth, so he let 
him lead.  They were about a day into the swamps and Esimed had told 
them that it could take 2 weeks to get through safely because of the 
dangers.  But they could reach the center in only a couple of days 
because most of the dangers were on the other side of the swamp.
Esimed looked up and saw a thick stream of smoke rising above the 
trees.  Esimed was about to tell Ashdon but saw that he saw it too. 
Ashdon wondered where the smoke was coming from, but Esimed knew.
 
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Meanwhile, Eldear (the leader of the Shadow-Tal of the swamp base) 
was running around the fort and making sure that 
his men were ready.  Eldear and his men had been sent out to
make a back-up base for the Shadow-Tal.  Just his luck that they ran 
across a group of Spyre Versatile Corp members in the Swamps.  Eldear 
led his men deep into the swamps to escape the Spyre agents, but it 
looked like the Spyre Versatile corps had someone that knew the swamps 
just as good as Eldear.  

Earlier on Day 153, they had been fighting for days and both 
sides had sent for more men. Eldear sent 5 men out in the hopes that 
at least one of them would make it to the Shadow-Tal main base.  After 
the first couple of days of fighting the Shadow-Tal had fallen back to
a path Eldear only knew.  They had reached the fort the day before 
and the attack was bad.  The Spyre had lost more men then the 
Shadow-Tal, but there was fire everywhere.  Now Eldear looked out to 
where the Spyre was and watched them charge at the base...
 
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Ashdon told Esimed to hurry up and move faster, because he knew that 
the smoke had to be from a battle.  Esimed swallowed hard and ran
fast.  He knew the battle was at the old raider's fort and to 
reach it he would have to go back to his old village.