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.

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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.

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

It lusted. It lusted.

It smelled blood. Fine, pumping blood.

It lusted. It lusted.

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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.

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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.

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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……

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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.

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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.