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.

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"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.........."

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"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

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_________________________________

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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.

_______________

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.

___________________________

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.

_____________________

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...