An Important Announcement

Greetings, dear readers! I am here today, to tell you that Book I of this story is now complete. I will be writing the second book and cleaning up this one privately, and will not be posting any new chapters of this story until I have completed it.

I hope that you enjoyed Book I, and I hope you will enjoy Book II in the future!

Until next time, dear readers!

The Devil's Maw

The group went up to the artist's door, and knocked, with no reply.

They knocked again. No reply.

Jue, getting impatient with the painter, kicked the door, causing it to collapse. The group, cold from the rain went inside.

________________________________

The house was covered in dust. Dust on the paintings, dust on the furniture, dust on Vlat Hogmen's skull.

It appeared that the man had been dead for some time, apparently killed. His body was ravaged, shredded to bits, bones were scattered around the house, many with teeth marks, and the rod was gone.

Gem was sifting through the rubbish in Hogmen's bedroom, when a deep growling noise began.

________________

The creature was hungry. It hadn't eaten in weeks.

It lusted. It lusted.

It smelled blood. Fine, pumping blood.

It lusted. It lusted.

________________

Gem looked up, and stared down the throat of a devil.

Tension in the Party

Why don't we just break in and take the rod?" asked Jue.

"No, that is no way to act." answered Plain-Walker.

"Oh? How so?"

"Please don't get nasty, our task does not leave room for petty bickering."

After this, Gem left the camp, uninterested in listening to them bicker, she decided to practice her blade skills.

_______________________

When she got back to the camp, Jue and Plain-Walker were settling their dispute in the form of a duel.

Jue appeared to be a very balanced fighter, striking, blocking, counter striking, stabbing, striking, whereas Plain-Walker was geared towards the defensive, parrying, blocking, dodging, striking, missing, dodging, blocking, parrying.

Eventually, Jue was able to get Plain-Walker on his knees. She had a wild look in her eyes, and Gem worried that she might hurt Plain-Walker.

Then, in a sudden burst of skill, Gem knocked the blades out of both of the fighter's hands.

"How about we simply ask for the rod?"

Notice!

Greetings, dear readers! I am here today to tell you, my faithful readers, that I will now be posting one chapter per month.

Farewell, dear readers!

Artists and Undead

Jue and Plain-Walker were pooling over a map, and discovered that they were on the same shore as the man they were seeking out, an artist by the name of Vlat Hogmen, well known for his fish, pixy sprites, and nymph artwork. According to Plain-Walker, he is also the guardian of blood peak, an area haunted by demons and ghosts, as well as an artifact capable of banishing the vile beings that commonly enter the land of the living in these days.

This artifact was to be collected, so that they might banish the undead Brain-Eater horde.

_______________________________

Pain. Unending. Horrible pain. The wretch twitched, slowly returning from the void which it had been pulled from. It could feel it's soul slowly, painfully being devoured. Destroyed.

In a sudden lurch, Void-Wind's blood-drained body became the undead host of a dream-flayer.

Notice!

Greetings, dear readers! Today Pondering Maundering Inc. is happy to announce that our problems are over, and we will now be posting on a regular basis again!

Life, Death, and Yellow Fish.

Void-Wind was in a strange place.

He was floating in nothingness… A barrier between two realms. At his right, a beautiful city, built out of living gemstones. At his left, a burning pit of darkness, boiling blood filling it's caverns, agonized wailing coming out of it like prying hands.

He was then pulled towards the city, and a feeling of peace came upon him. As he was about to enter into the city, a horrible shriek was let out.

He was being pulled away from the city, back to his original position, between the two places.

He began to fall……

_______________________________________________

Gem awoke to the sound of water, hurling itself at the shore. Confused, she looked around for a few minutes, and then remembered where she was.

They had built a raft, and used it to ride the river coming down from Uger Zikgefet, in order to bypass the Brain-Eater hordes -who apparently could not go into the river- as well as to speed up the journey down.

After this, the trio sailed their raft along the river for three weeks, when they hit a rock, which shattered the previously strong raft, and sent Gem and her companions towards the shore.

________________________________________________

That evening, the group had built camp, and had a dinner of Yoliyggr*, after which, they set up guard, and went to sleep.

*(Yaw-lee-grr) a fish with yellow scales, it's flesh is considered to be very tasty by the people of Kove.

Notice!

Greetings, dear readers! We at Pondering Maundering Inc. are sad to announce that we are in a slow-mo mode, as we are having.... Maintenance problems*...... We are working on fixing these problems, and will be back on schedule as soon as we have worked them out.

Until then, dear reads!

*See: Sick With a Cold.

A Monster's Thoughts.

It was angry. Very angry. In fact, it was so very angry, that it did not participate in the eating of a clan of nomads that had made their way into the jaws of the Brain-Eaters.

It was very angry, for the 'Vekkog, the Huntress, and the Girl had escaped on the river.

That made it angry. Very angry indeed.

So little time for games.

So little time for letting Tri servants wander around freely, hunting for relics. Hunting for useless toys in a vain attempt to save the mortal plain from the onslaught of it's army.

The Uan Ill had found the means of their destruction anyway. The Wizard had given it the perfect tool.

"Srinc te trionaian ere. E eill berve ab te arsincer of doou!"

Part IV: The Painter and the Sword of Petlex

End Part III: The Desert of Blight.

Begin Part IV: The Painter and the Sword of Petlex.

He woke up, and found himself face to face with Plain-Walker.

“Ulain?!” Said Birch. “What are you doing here?”

“I am here to remind you of your task.”

“Ah”

“Take Lux to the place of the sun. Today.”

“Lux?”

“Yes. Lux is the correct elf for the task.”

“But-”

“This is the word of the Tri, Birch. Do not think to oppose the will of Uger.”

Plain-Walker Vanished.

“Bother!” Said Birch.

(End of part III)

A Continuation

That night, the new leaders of Jonak and Inja met to discuss the future of both of their tribes. They created a treaty, and made new laws.

Later, the people of both Inja and Jonak came together to pay their respects to the dead Chieftains of both tribes, who had killed each other in the battle.

A Blighted-One funeral is not like the funerals of humans, with whom a funeral is a very sad thing. A Blighted-One funeral is more of a celebration of the dead's life, his achievements, and his glorious death.

The funeral was separated into events. One was an act depicting the lives of Void-Wind and of the Warlock, One where the Blight-Elves sang songs of their deeds, Several where warriors battled for honor, a great hunt, some feasting, more singing, children dancing, and heartfelt words.

The new Chiefs, Lotus-Blight of Inja, and Sorrow-Field of Jonak, gave speeches, and the Celebrations ceased. A new era in the desert had begun.

The Desert Duel.(Continued)

Ching, clang. Miss, bang. Metal to metal, metal of fate. This is the sound of sinful war. This is the sound of sinful war-lords.

Deadly hate, bloody bait. Art of war, great for lore. Love must wait, for death to abate.

Void-Wind quickly began to assail the warlock, using intricate attacks to get past the Devil-Sworn's defenses, and he succeeded in cutting the warlock's leg. But the falx is not built for defense, and he had to use all of his agility to survive a flurry of strikes from the warlock. Ching! Void-Wind's attack hits the armor of his opponent, and metal meets metal. The warlock strikes Void-Wind's side, and pain blooms. Void-Wind falls, and strikes through a gap in the Warlock's armor. The warlock screams a victory call, before realizing his opponent has wounded him. They are both on the ground, Void-Wind stabs his falx into the heart of the warlock, and everything goes black.

Duel of art, duel of death. Duel of hate, vengeance and wrath. Two warring tribes have peace, when one's champion dies, and brings unity.

The Desert Duel.

The enemy force was truly a sight to see.

Some held basilards, blades glinting in the sun. Their fighters held claymores at the ready, and their hunters swung clubs, as if their very lives depended on crushing Jonak' skulls with them. All wore katanas, the weapon of a true warrior in their mind.

Fifty four Inja warriors Charged forth on giant coyotes, war-hammers gleaming. They struck down five of Jonak's warriors, and then seven more before Jonak drove them back, killing twelve and wounding sixteen.

Void-Wind watched in satisfaction as the cavalry of Inja was driven back into enemy ranks. He shouts, calling his warriors into battle as he charges the katana wielding army of Inja, he kills three of the closely packed warriors in a single sweep. Battle lust was upon him. Slash, slice, cut, dice. Such a wonderful thing. Death littered the ground around him, it's scent feeding his lust. Wood for the fire.from the corner of his eye, he sees his army fighting behind him. To his left, magic burns the ground. He cuts on.

Ahead he sees warriors massing, as if to protect something. The battle flame bursts up, growing steadily. He has reached the heart of the enemy. He has reached the warlock.

Void-Wind is light. With the power of the sandstorms of the outer desert, he slays the foe. He is immortal. He is death itself. his blade is as the scythe of doom, finding all chinks in the heavy armor of the opponent. He is the wind which replaces life, with void. With horrible determination, he cuts his way through the lines of the enemies strongest warriors. And meets the one he seeks.

The warlock was covered from head to toe in plate armor decorated with the red of Injan priests. He nods, as if he had expected Void-Wind. “Ello Void Eind.” he said.

He drew his katana, and Void- Wind drew his falx.

(To be continued...)

Filler

Greetings, dear readers! Here at Pondering Maundering inc., we have yet another small company interested in spreading the word on their wonderful items! Today we have the great captain of the vessel "The Kraken", Timmy J. Crit!

Greetings! My name is Timmy J. Crit, of the swamp-ship "Kraken"! Want to go to faraway Islands? Discover strange, new species'? "The Kraken" is the place for you! Located at 13 friday st. call 1701-65, and join the crew today!

Backlash

Death litters the ground, the corpses of Inja and Jonak alike. Death mounds.

The hunters of Inja's right wing were swift, and death rained down upon the defenders of Jonak.

Birch carves through the right wing. Destroying a hundred hunters. But holy fire is not powerful against mortals, and many were left unscathed.

Birch watched as Void-Wind cut through the enemy, falx gleaming. He shattered their formations with terrible speed, and in the time Birch had killed a hundred, Void-wind destroyed three hundred. Then, in even less time, he and his greatest warriors destroyed the right wing.

__________________________

Both wings annihilated, The warriors of Jonak who focused upon the wings turned upon the center force and, in one strike, sent the enemy fleeing.

__________________________________________________

The warriors had just begun began to howl victory shouts, when the main force attacked their backside.

A Grim Reality

Death. Amongst the people of the valleys, and the people of the marsh, death is disgusting, as vile as the Demons of Blood Peak.

To The Blighted-Ones, death is an art, a precious portion of life's path, a dance. One step, you cheat death, second step, you are death, third step, you are dead. This is why those few who know of the Blight-Elves also know that if you need someone dead, go to the desert, Blighted-Ones make very good assassins. Their beliefs make them perfect for it, morally. They are also the perfect choice do to their bodies, Black as night, and naturally nocturnal.

This is why, the day of the battle, a child who had helped Birch move the broken body of the poor girl, asked him, quite casually, "Why do you look so sad, sir?*" Not to say that they do not mourn, but the mourning is kept hidden by all but those very close to the dead, and even they wait until a proper time, and only very briefly.

*By this time Birch had learned the basic language of the Blighted ones.

Header in place!

Hello, dear readers! Today, I have put up a header befitting the current story. The landscape here is an area of the desert near the "Black Crown", Home of the orcs.

The Battle(Continued)

In a matter of seconds the entire army was upon Camp Jonak.

ten of jonaks warriors were quickly killed by the ballistas. A little girl, having snuck out of the huts to watch the battle, was crushed by a catapult's boulder.

Inja's left wing attacked from one side, while their hunters struck from the other. The main army charged forward to meet Jonak's front lines.

While the battle raged around him, Birch focused on raining holy fire upon the ballistas and catapults, and soon the war machines were

nothing more then specks of ash on the wind.

_____________________________________

Void-Wind is light. With the power of the sandstorms of the outer desert, he slays the foe. He is immortal. He is death itself. His blade is as the scythe of doom, finding all chinks in the heavy armor of the opponent. He is the wind which replaces life, with void. With horrible determination, he cuts his way through the lines of the enemies strongest warriors. His followers rally at his horrible strength, and the left wing is decimated.

The Battle

At dawn, Camp Inja's Warriors Attacked.

A horde of Red-Garbed Hunters wielding Tomahawks charged ahead of the rest of the army, shrieking with the insanity of the possessed. Behind them, Ballistas were being placed for fire, and catapults were being pushed forward, ready for battle. Club wielding Warriors marched to the left of the main army, while lithe hunters Wielding Sickles took the right. The main force wielded twin katanas.

The Quarterstaff wielding hunters were easily killed, and in their blind rage they began killing each other, and, when the insane Blight-Elves finished each other, the warriors of Jonak were quick to create a wall of corpses from the carnage.

(To be continued…)

Preparations

That evening the camp had changed from a peaceful quiet, with only a few children playing outside, into a flurry of activity.

Children were shaping axe heads, Boys were sparring with cestuses, Girls testing their flails. A group of young hunters were sharpening their daggers, while some others tested their maces on boulders. Some Mothers were showing their children how to use the sickle-sword, and the camps warriors were sharpening, and training, with their swords.

Void-Wind was sharpening a falx, made of Elephant Gwertz, a pink, sacred mineral of the Blighted-Ones.

Birch had rebuilt his staff as a spear, and was training with Lux, who used a trident.

At nightfall the Camp set guards and tried to sleep, though many instead waited impatiently for morning, and war.

The trouble with Injas

The next day, Birch saw the Blighted-One in red garb again. He had returned to the town, which Birch had identified as "Camp Jonak", to speak with the camps leader, in a public meeting.

The Leader, a skilled fighter and hunter, as well as the camps protector, was the Blighted-One which Birch had seen briefly the day before, in front of the hut Birch had slept in. One of his warriors, Lux, had dealt with humans quite a few times, and acted as a translator for Birch. The object of the meeting, happened to be Birch.

"I will not take your foolish answer any longer, Void-Wind, The Tri-Tainted will be given to me now, in friendship, or i will take him from you at dawn, in the heat of battle." Said the Red Garbed priest. In response, "Void-Wind" Snarled back "The Human is my guest, his blood will not be used in your rituals! Go! We are not afraid of Inja!" At this, Void-Winds warriors cheered.

Later, Lux, Whom Birch had become friends with, Explained that Inja was a rival tribe that had been stealing from camp Jonak in the the name of the demons which they worshipped. The people of Camp Jonak had been waiting for the day when Camp Inja would finally take a step to far, and today was the day.

The desert war had begun.

Filler

*BEEP* you have reached Pondering Maundering inc. We can not speak with you now. please leave a message after the tone *Beep*

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Hello. This is the Maunderer. This post has been hidden through a secret coding of my unique design. Rest assured that this post contains the most incredible spoiler ever brought to man. In fact, the sheer epicness of this spoiler is the reason it has been coded so. In fact, only those who have a mind of such incredible intellect, that they might crack this code, and myself, have the power to stay sane after reading such spoilers. I also assure you that my code is impossible to crack.

Instead. i'm going to play a game with you. This game is called crack the code. beginning with simple letters, I will test you code breaking abilities.

First:

|

Camp Jonak

Birch decided to explore the area.

There were sixteen other huts, of the same structure, in the shade of a strange, purple tree, a group of children played, under the watchful gaze of their mothers. One waved at birch.

________________

Beyond the huts, a group of red tents could be seen a ways away. Birch could see a man clothed in some sort of blood red garb, which covered his entire body, walking towards it, along with a sword-wielding escort.

Camp Jonak

The next night….

"Ung…."

Birch was in a brick hut of some kind. It was apparently one roomed, with no furniture save the leather mat birch lay upon. Outside, a pair of red eyes watched him for a time, and then disappeared.

_____________________________

The next day Birch awoke to the sound of two men speaking in some dialect of elven.

"No, bauan, you eill not tae iu! E ib uy cuebt! I eill not allow you to sacrifice iu!" Growled one.

The other snarled back "E ib tainted sy te sreat of te triancle! Ib sacrifice eill nrotect ub for centurieb! Te ancient one tirbtb for ib slood!"

The first, having just noticed Birch listening, waved off the second. He was tall, with pure black skin, and pure black hair, his eyes were blood red but did not emanate evil as legend described. His hands and feet were claw like. He smiled, showing the fangs of a predator. he wore no clothing.

He winked at Birch, and then walked off.

Notice!

Greetings, dear readers! do to... erm... pokémon... I have found that i have finished my newest blog post at the time of..... erm... An hour ago... Thusly, I am afraid that, do to difficulties of working my mind into literature mode, and out of build-the-most-powerful-group-of-pokémon-to-ever-exist mode, you will have to wait ONE more day, till the next post!

Sandstorms

Four days into the desert…

Perhaps i should have asked for food… Well, too late for that… Birch thought as wandered his way deeper in the desert.

_______________________________

In what seemed like hours, but in truth was merely minutes, Birch found himself in a nasty dust storm.

"Exklotl!" He muttered to himself. He was taking in to much dust. His eyes burned. He began to suffocate, lungs clogged with dust. He stumbled, and fell.

Unconscious, he did not see the creature when it found, and saved him.

Filler

He sits, face in hands, utterly lost. Moan, Moan, Scholar for your enemy has gained the upper hand. In your weakness he has struck you down. Fight, Scholar, for, though you have lost this battle, the struggle is not over.

Writers block. It is a truly distasteful thing, No? Let us hope I win the next battle.

Filler

I'm sorry. I admit it. My mind is blank. Utterly blank. I don't have a chapter for you. I don't even have a Exciting product from a small company. My mind is utterly blank. Sorry. I'm serious, no post. Go away. Shoo. Ta-Ta. Adios. Your still here? I told you to leave. Get out. Have some fresh air. curl up and cry. Just stop staring at me like i'm going to post. I already told you. Its blank. Completely and unexplainably blank. So get up go out, and stop looking at me like that. Thats it. I'm closing my eyes. Now your gone. You've disappeared. Gone. Like my thoughts. All. Gone.

Stay gone. Till next week at least. then you can come back. I'm going to leave now. Bye. See ya. Have a blast. I'm gone. Till next week. Gone.

A sickly piece of history

The desert. The largest expanse in the world, with more ore underneath it yellow flesh then any other part of the world, and people wave it off as a barren wasteland, the home of the diseased. The most name it has is simply a misguided classification.

Ah, But i suppose that the stories are what keep most away, the stories of the blighted ones, the Once-Elves…

It's said that the desert was once the home of the elves, back then it was the forest Orgona. One day a plague swiped across the land, causing those who could to flee to Highaven. Almost all who stayed died with the forest.

When the plague dispersed, Orgona had become the desert, and the few elves who survived were ravaged by the plague as well, Flesh, once vibrant blues, Greens, and whites, turned black as night, hair, once as vibrant as the greatest jungle, as beautiful as the best jewels, was dulled to black as well, their eyes, once a rival to angels, turned a demonic, blood red.

They are said to live deep within the desert, and are generally thought of as evil creatures.

_______________________________________________

These thing Birch recalled as he prepared to sleep for the night. The Blighted Ones, his reason to be in this desert…. He hoped they weren't as bloodthirsty as they are in the stories.

End part II: Ugers Throne

Begin part III: The Desert of Blight

Plans and dramatic hints

Gem and Jue, along with Plain-Walker, returned to the cottage, and that night, they discussed their next course of action.

"The brain eaters have been following us, they have already surrounded the mountain, we'll have a rough time leaving, to say the least." Said Plain-Walker. "They cannot enter the river running down from the mountain, so our best bet is swimming."

"Which is good, since the man we need to meet lives on the shore of the river, somewhere near Highaven." Said Jue. "i say we stay here in the cottage tonight, and leave in the morning."

"Gem? You up for it?" Asked Plain-Walker.

"…….. Okay……."

__________________________________

In a room covered in paintings of fish, Sprites, and Nymphs, Slept a man somewhere in his late thirties, and, at the side of his bed, lay a blue staff….

End Part II: Ugers Throne

Filler

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Transformer Malfunctions are Redrick's fault, and Pondering Maundering is not responsible for any statues, frogs, or ghouls that you are transformed into, Thank you very much!

Announcement

Greeting dear readers.... It is with deep "Sniffle" regret that I inform you that today will be the last day Pondering Maundering will be online... Blogger apparently can't hold the supreme awsomeness of fantasy that i bring well.... Thusly, I, your greatly hurt writer, must say goodbye...

"Sobs uncontrollably"

The mirror tale

Jue began to change, Her hair, at first blond, slowly changed to red, Her eyes, once red, became the beautiful green of melons, she became taller, and many, more subtle changes came upon her.

After all these changes, Gem found herself looking at an older version of herself.

"Greetings Gem, fear me not, for I, I am you, and you are me." Jue smiled.

Gem's eyes grew huge i disbelief.

"Gem come here, let me show you how we became two."

Uneasily, Gem walked to jue.

"Look in the mirror."

Gem did.

_____________________________________________

"Shush, Iris, It will all be okay, i promise." Spoke a strange, silver skinned man.

"I… I think I'm going to die, Ulain." Said the woman called Iris "I want you to take Gem, I know that you would protect her, you-

The mirror blanks, and then another scene appears.

"Oh, great Uger, I have come before you with a request." Said Ulain, he then held up a baby girl. "Bless Gem, Great Uger, with your protection!"

Lhokoz, the great dove took the baby, and split it into two forms, giving one back to Ulain

The scene changed again.

Ulain is in an Alchemists shop holding the baby yet again. The figure of birch, ten years younger, is also there.

"Wizard, i have heard you are in need of an apprentice. The child's mother is dead, she has no where to go, please care for her."

Birch, Smiling, said yes.

________________________________________________________

In a pocket dimension, Gem's other half grew quickly, and, under the guidance of the great dove Lhokoz, Learned the way of the huntress.

_____________________________________________

The mirror returned to its swirling colors.

"Come Gem, it is time to go." said Jue.

The mirror of truth

"Gem, we shouldn't stay here. It's sickening." Said Plain-Walker. "What do you say about a mountain trek to help us settle down?"

"...........Okay.........."

____________________________________

"This is Ugers Throne, the biggest mountain inn the world. Some say if you go up far enough, you can ask the celestial that is said to live there anything, and it will give you an answer!" Said Plain-Walker. "Now, feel ready to hike?"

____________________________________________________

Their journey was much longer then Birch's, but just as uneventful. after four days of hiking, they came across a hut, inside were three beds, a room full of food, and a stairway.

"We'll stay here for a time, and then we'll go up." Said Plain-Walker.

____________________________________________________

The next day they went up. First Jue, then Gem, and then Plain-Walker.

_____________________________________________________

When Gem reached the top, she found herself in a forest of diamonds, amethyst, and emeralds. A path led to a great temple of jade. As Gem made her way to the entrance, Jue appeared, and beckoned her to follow.

As they made their way through the many halls, they came before a giant room, in the center a mirror stood, within a seemingly endless cycle of color twisted within itself.

Jue motioned for gem to stay where she was, and then she went before the mirror.

What Gem then saw was unearthly, to say the least.

A dream of cheated warlocks

Now that we are up to date on Birch, we shall return to Gem and company.

There was much tears as they explored the ruined town, but they found nothing important.

____________________________________________

That night Gem had a troubled sleep, and had many nightmares. One of which was clear like the one in the chamber and the one of Krik and Logar.

__________________________________________________

"This is where the Leviathan was spotted?" Asked a man.

"Yes! I saw 'im with me own eyes!" Answered another man. "'e was 'uge, bigger then the Black Crown itself if i say so meself!"

The first man was young, somewhere in the prime of his life, with dark brown hair and blue eyes. He held in his left hand a brown bag.

The second man was middle aged, and looked to be a local fisherman.

"Thank you for showing me." said the first.

"O! Not a problem, not a problem at all!" Said the second.

They went to shore, and that night the first went out on a rowboat alone to that spot and pulled from the bag a smooth, red ball, and began to chant, "Sy te Devil i call tee, tee to sattle!" he chanted this three times and then waited.

The water below him began to bubble, and then the water erupted before him, and a gargantuan beast appeared. Its entire body was covered in blue-green scales, its head was like a snakes, and its neck was like a snakes body, its torso was like a whales, and it had four fin the size of warships.

"Leviathan" He muttered, in total awe.

Quickly, he recovered and, holding the ball in from of him, chanted six times "Berve ab uy uabter devil incb sody!"

Almost immediately it began to change, it grew six more necks and heads the first three heads had two horns, and the rest had one, a crown circled each horn, and evil runes burned into ever head, its torso became a leopards, its fins became bear paws and legs, and its heads, now much smaller, became like lion, though keeping the horns and runes, its had six hundred and sixty six razor sharp teeth.

When the transformation was complete, the man kneeled and worshiped it after which the man said "Master, i have done as you wished, now, give me the power you promised me!"

The beast laughed, or, more accurately, roared with the impression of laughter, and spoke "Ah, yes, of course! I shall give you immortality, Wallace!"

The beast stole Wallace's soul, and left him as a half spirit creature living in his slowly rotting body. He was known then after as Uan Ill, Man Kill.

Holiday filler

Hello, and welcome, once again, dear readers, for today we have something that will put love in the air!

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A command

The next day Birch found himself sitting on the bed, waiting for something. You would have thought he was simply bored if you were there, and you would have been partly correct, for he had been waiting since he woke up, waiting to be called upon.

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Three hours later he was called upon.

Up with you. Up the stairway. Up you must go. Up! said the voice. Obediently, birch got to his feet began the climb up.

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Birch was in a gargantuan temple built of some kind of white metal, which gave the feeling of being in nothingness.

Come. said the voice. And Birch went forward. After a time, he came before a great doorway and the voice ordered him in.

in front of him was a huge throne, and on it sat a giant greater, then any other being in the world, nay, in all the worlds, all the realms. He was indescribable.

At his left was a Dove bigger then a troll, but the size of a newborn chick before the giant

On his left side was a man in white robes and gold armor.

Birch fell on his face before them.

Chosen. Up. You are here to be given a new duty. Worry not for the girl, for she is with the huntress.

You must go into the desert, the blighted one who finds you first will be your companion. He will be of great aid in this war, for he is the heir of the sun lord.

We will send you to the border of the desert.

Go.

The mountain hut

Uger Zikgefet is not a place that anyone would normally dare hike, it is very treacherous, luckily for Birch, the climb was simply long, and he had no trouble climbing it.

Shouldn't be long now... he thought

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An hour or two later he came upon a small hut and, grinning, went in. It had the appearance of a plain room with one bed inside. Chuckling to himself, he tapped the right wall twice and on the left, once. On the left, a room full of food appeared, and on the right a stairway appeared.

He then lay in the bed and promptly fell asleep.

Filler

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A history lesson.

What a waste. Years cultivating these valleys into a beautiful place of peace crushed in a day by the Brain-Eaters.

Birch stood at the shore of the throne steps, a river running down from somewhere on "Uger Zikgefet", God Throne. From their, You could see a large portion of the valleys, already dying from the touch of the dead.

I suppose there's no use worrying about it, I have been called to something new, i might as well continue on.

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Birch, as some may have guessed, is not just a highly skilled alchemist. He is a Wizard, one chosen to nourish and protect the land.

In the distant past of the world, Wizards were chosen at birth to join the holy order, as soon as they learn to walk and talk, they are taught the lore of herbs and of the many potions of the world, at the age of ten, most Wizards have become learned enough in the art of alchemy to be the healer of a village.

When the reach the twelfth year of their lives, they begin training to wield holy magic, and with the magic, they gain incredible life spans, the highest known is five thousand and forty, with the appearance of sixty, the strength of forty, and more mental capacity then any other Human alive(This Wizard happens to be Birch).

At Twenty they climb the tallest mountain of the land, Uger Zikgefet, and go through seven tests, which decide whether or not they are prepared to serve as full Wizards.

Most die there, but the few who survive are given the duty to serve as care takers for a certain region.

Birch was given the duty of caretaker for the valleys which Gem was born in, The "Valleys of little care" they are sometimes called, for the carefree way the animals their acted, boldly walking up to even the biggest human.

If a Wizard fails his duty, he is summoned to the mountain again.

It is unknown what happens atop the mountain, but their master is said to be merciful in one form, full of fury in another, and in a third, a mix of the two.

Wizard in the Ruins

Three days after the attack on Gems hometown....

"Ung...."

Birch lay face down upon the blood-caked street, his wounds healed while unconscious.

still half asleep, Birch slowly got to his feet.

The gore and blood brought him fully awake. Eyes widening in horror. "No, oh scales, NO!!" He yelled.

"Time to move on. Time to go. Time is of the essence, so lets not be slow." Spoke a voice in his head. "Ah.. I suppose so...."

To be continued...