Hello again. Today was surprisingly pleasant.

I still haven't managed to get the blue glowing magic ink off of my face. It doesn't really bother me anymore anyway. I found out how to use it to my advantage. At one point when we were climbing up a sheer rough cliff over one of the lakes in the big cave I shut my eyes and made a funny face at Lena. She laughed so hard she fell off the cliff. She was fine.

After Onica got tired of hitting me we decided to revisit out methods of transportation. By which I mean Onica asked why we were walking everywhere when he had access to something as awesome as tinglewood. Those were not her exact words. When I said it was because I like walking she let out a spine-tingling growl.

I like Onica, She is fun to mess with! ...I hope she doesn't read this.

So that is how we ended up riding a wriggling mass of hooks and claws up the cliffs to the gaps in the roof of the great cavern where the waterfalls entered. Once we emerged from the underground in a steaming burst of flailing hooks and fire we took a moment to appreciate the sunshine and open sky above us.

You don't miss the freedom of having sky overhead until it is gone. When we were underground I almost always had my head ducked and shoulders hunched. I knew I had more then enough room to stand tall, but the thought of the tons of rock over my head was a constant weight on my mind. One that manifested itself on my body with a shrunken stance. 

Now that I am back under the cheery blue of the firmament I can breathe easier and stretch out my sore back.

A short dwarf, short even for a dwarf, in a patched cloak and worn boots with shiny brass buckles had been fishing just upstream from where we emerged. When I maneuvered the hooked and barbed mass of tendrils and fire that was the latest iteration of the Ivers Dream towards him to ask for some directions or just to say hello, I hadn't decided, he dropped his fishing pole, left his tackle box, and ran away. Fast little fellow.

So we snatched up his gear, and horror crawled our way over a small mountain to find a different stream to fish in.

A few hours passed as we just relaxed. It was a beautiful day out today. Birds were chirping, cool mountain breezes cut the bright heat of the sun down to comfortable levels, the fish were biting, and the kids were playing.

Lena and Fen worked together making massive bubbles float and drift about the place, and then they and Julius would take turns trying to cross the river by hopping from bubble to bubble before they burst. Lena was the best at it, I think she was cheating though, followed by Fen and Julius in far last.

He would just pounce on the bubbles as hard as he could. He never made it past the first bubble. In a hour he was fuming mad and melting rocks while sulking. So cute!

Onica was watching the place we emerged from. She said she wanted to see what the locals response times were. When five grumpy dwarves in heavy plate armor stumbled and grumbled their way to the river side three hour after we came out of it she seemed almost disappointed.

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They were escorting a sixth dwarf with a great luxurious beard that looked like gold. He had a shiny white staff studded with rubies and sapphires and emeralds. None smaller than a chicken egg. Soft white silky looking robes swathed him from head to toe, and a belt of woven gold wrapped around his waist. All the finery was rather dimished by all the dirt and sweat. He was filthy and dripping. His face was red and curse words that should have blistered his tongue filled the air around him.

They did not seem like much of a threat.

The largest guard with the longest beard turned to the shiny dwarf and spoke. "Your holiness, this is where the demon was sighted. Please, find and destroy the beast so we can all get back to comfort and civilization." He seemed to have an almost mocking lilt to his voice when he called the shiny dwarf holiness. Which didn't seem to escape the shiny dwarfs ears.

He glared balefully and ineffectually at the much larger dwarf before he puffed himself up and gestured grandly at the river. "Demon!" He bellowed "Come forth and be destroyed by me, Bob Flintspine! Prophet of the great god Goldoi. Head of his church, and guardian of his followers!" He finished with a flourish and gazed expectantly at the river. By this time we were all crouched on top of the mountain looking down at them, and I had a funny idea.

After a minute of nothing happening Bob turned back to his companions. "Seems like I scared it off. Probably just a river ooze demon. The fool fisherman must have been doing more drinking than fishing." He shrugged, in the process causing a wave to flow through his shiny beard. "Now lets get back to-

Which is when the demonic half goat half octopus with crab pincers came over the mountain. It was the Ivers Dream of course. I had molded a hollow tube from where we were hidden to its mouth. On my cue Onica let out the loudest roar she could into the tube. It bounced and reverbrated and grew larger and distorted before exploding out of the horrifying amalgam of creature in a warbling shifting yowl that could, and did, split stones. 

YEEAOrioarOOOW!!!

A small rockslide was sent crashing towards the river and the dwarves on the opposite bank just about flew away as they fled back where they had come from. All except for the shiny one, Bob. He tripped and cracked his head on a stone before falling into the river. Lena fished him out. Then Julius made some hands of fire, neat trick that, before he plucked a knife from Onicas armory and divested the poor, now poorer, dwarf of his robes, staff, belt, and beard.

We left Bob there, mostly naked and entirely shaven as we headed back to our campsite and ate some fish we had spitted over a fire. Then we hopped aboard the Ivers Dream shaped like a rock lizard Lena showed me earlier and scuttled away.

I am sure Bob will be fine. He is a prophet you know. Those don't just grow on trees. I am sure he has many followers who will come to save him shortly. We scuttled off to avoid any confrontation with them. Julius seems happier now that he has a new addition to his loot cache. No harm done.

Now we are settling in for the night inside a small castle made of warm red wood. Onica is right, this is much nicer. But don't tell her I told you that.

I wonder what shapes I will make, and what sights I will see tomorrow. Julius has made a little nest of his plunder for his bed. Bobs golden beard was woven into a braid by Lena and now has pride of place in his hoard. It really is a wonderfully shiny beard.

Goodnight.

Greetings, holder of words. The fool thinks he has protected his treasure today. When he wakes may this teach him a lesson.

Nothing is safe when you sleep. Which is why we takes turns watching as others sleep.

Learn it well, fool.