July 601
7-03-601 (Tuesday)
Okay everything is still pretty much normal around here. Wait...that's not
normal. Hmmmm...not sure whether to just enjoy it or worry. Ahh screw it! I'm
going to finally just enjoy it for a change. I mean, c'mon. How many times do I
get a chance to just sit and relax without someone wanting to bash in my head or
feed me to a horde of undead or skin me alive? Not very often... I think
I'll go see how Dusty is doing on the tree house today. Maybe we can go play
some games after I'm done with my work today.
7-11-601 (Wednesday)
And just when I thought things were getting better... There are rumors
of war and I don't know how to stop it. Not that anything I do would really make
a difference, but I hate feeling helpless. Well...we'll see, I haven't given up
yet, maybe there is something I can do.
7-13-601 (Friday)
Diakaryu is beginning to be more then just a buzzing fly in my ear. No...he
has been more then that for a while now. It appears, however, that it is time I
swat the fly.
7-16-01 (Monday)
And it all begins again...
I was sitting in the tavern...actually enjoying the potatoes Olven had made for
me when the all to familiar sounds of piping music eerily drifted in. I nearly
dropped a hot tater in my lap when the sound reached my ears. Curious scared
me...and there was no doubt who played that music. I wanted to run away, but my
fear gave in to curiosity and so I slowly crept outside to find the source. If I
was lucky, I might be able to put a stop to Curious again...maybe.
As soon as I stepped outside, the music stopped and I heard the grating voice of
that witch Almore calling me. For once I had my weapon with me, but if she had
Curious with her it wouldn't do me much good, so I just stood by the
door...waiting... Again that harlot called out to me, at least I assumed
it was me she was referring to. 'Flea bag' really doesn't fit me in my
opinion. I mean...I bathe...in fact, I enjoy it and do it as often as I can, so
I don't have fleas. Anyway, that made me mad, so I answered...calling her
by something appropriate as well. I'm assuming she didn't like the nickname I
gave her anymore then I liked the one she gave me because her little black rain cloud
suddenly appeared and as it faded left her standing before me, hands glowing,
and carrying a slim white wand with a skull on it. I might have thought that
neat looking had it not been in her hands, but seeing as how she could probably
toast me on the spot in my current state...sword or no sword...I decided to play
nice and start a pleasant conversation. Someone remind me to teach her what the
word pleasant means, because she, by no means, is...not that I ever though she
deserved to be called a Lady, but the things spewing from her mouth only proved
it. I was clearly not in a good situation and to further that line of thought, I
began to make the change that would allow me to rip her heart out and tear her
to shreds if I so chose... Well, seeing as how she was twirling that little rod
at me, and knowing it probably wasn't doing anything good for me, I really
wanted her in pieces right then...but first, I had to get that wand from her. It
began to fizzle and spark, and I leapt at her in a desperate attempt to rip it
from her hands before it had time to do...whatever it did... A green light
suddenly surrounded me though, and it became harder and harder to run...until
finally, I stopped...paralyzed...unable to move. Normally I would have been
worried, but knowing that she couldn't stop me once I was free, was comforting.
The only real danger I seemed to be in at the moment was being bored to death
while she huffed and puffed and talked all sorts of nonsense to me. I could deal
with it though. Soon enough I would be free, and she had best wish she was gone
before then...or so I thought... At first I was just ignoring her since I had
presumed she couldn't hurt me, but as I picked up a few words..."that nasty
little slice of power" "Can't let you have that where you're
going"...and the wand gave off a red glow. Okay...now I was getting
worried. I called out for help to my friend, but he didn't answer. I could feel
myself changing back...unwillingly. Now...I was scared. That was my only defense
against her, and so I called out to all of them now. No answer. She laughed at
me in my attempt, commenting on how she had made sure they would not stop her
attempt at destroying me. So it was betrayal then...why does everyone
betray me? The glow of red became brighter and soon I was back to normal. With
that, she smiled and with another comment about having a date or something...the
black cloud surrounded us and everything went black.
When I woke (assuming I was asleep), the hazy image of bars all around me
brought me back to reality. I could feel the panic rise as I sat up to find
myself in a large iron cage. Someone spoke nearby...Almore. I hadn't even known
she was here until then, but it did not matter. She said nothing important...as
usual. I slowly moved toward the center trying to get as far away from the bars
as possible...each step making me more nauseous then the last until finally I
reached my goal and took a seat. Reaching down to feel the sword at my hip gave
me a little comfort, a little more feeling of control...until Almore cackled.
She had heard of my dislike for rituals and strangely enough there was about a
years worth of them that she needed to cast...in the circle surrounding my new
prison. Someone would die for this... I wanted to cry, but any weakness
now and I would surely lose, so I sat in silence and listened to her taunt me as
she stacked components and ran down the list of rituals she needed cast. Finally
I couldn't bear it any longer and thinking my only peace in death, I pulled out
my sword and ended my life. I didn't wake up in a circle though as I had
hoped...instead I woke up in the same cage... I reached again for my sword, but
not finding it, I turned to more barbaric ways of ending my life once again.
Once more I expected to see a circle, only to wake with disappointment...I was
still in the circle. I was about to try again, hoping that sooner or later she
would run out of spells, when I noticed small glowing glyphs around the cage.
They began to fade as I sat up to look at them and it was now that Almore
decided to inform me the glyphs would continue to life me should I decide to
keep killing myself. Of course, she also prompted me to continue doing so because
it must hurt. And with that she bid me farewell....she would return in a few
weeks when I was more hungry and 'willing' I guess. What a sadistic wench.
And left me she did... There was no window or timepiece and so I could only
judge the passage of time by guessing, but after what seemed several days I
looked up from my stupor to find Curious standing there. I might have been
scared had I not been in too much pain from the hunger cramps. I prepared for
whatever torture she had sent him to deal to me, but instead he walked slowly
around the cage and rubbed the glyphs. As his hand left each spot, so the
symbols left too. That was all he did, but it was enough...and once again, I
took my own life in a desperate attempt to escape that vile woman. This time,
however...when I woke...there was no cage, I was finally free! So now...how to
deal with the newest betrayal? And how to deal with Almore, Mize and the rest of
his goonies without my power? And how did she take it from me?
7-17-601 (Tuesday)
Well today I began my trip to Baddira. there's a lot I have to do there, and
unfortunately I will have to do it all alone. I'm glad Dusty is staying though.
As much as I want him to come, I would just worry that anything I did would
bring harm to him a hundred fold, and I really couldn't live with that. So I'm
glad he had other things to do while I was gone, though I'll count the days
until I get back. He's such a great friend. He even said he'd be waiting for me
there when got back. I can't wait...
7-18-601 (Wednesday)
Guess who decided to stop by today? Eric...yay. It's been over a month since I
saw him last and I was hoping it would be much longer, but I guess you can't
always have what you want. I know I never seem to. Grrrrrr... Anyway, he tried
to convince me that he was my friend and that he never worked with Almore.
Right, as if I would fall for that again. I can no longer afford to give him the
benefit of the doubt. Not only is my life at risk, but so are many others. I,
unlike Eric, refuse to let them down.