Hello again. Today went better than yesterday.

I didn't eat any strange glowing fungi for starters. Poor Lena was beside herself. She nursed me all night. Fought off some giant spiked rats while I was out too. I really need to find some way to thank her. Besides saying thanks. I already did that.

We lost Julius' trail though. The tunnel to the left he must have gone down had collapsed. Well, maybe melted is more appropriate. Someone, no prizes for guessing who, had melted the ceiling, walls, and floor into one globby mass. This was causing the crap and other stuff in the sewers to back up. Making our approach very much no fun at all. Lena shifted the, mostly, water out of the way, and I bored our own hole through with a spinning fire wing dash. Super fun, but it leaves me dizzy and disoriented so maybe not smart to use when going into unknown areas of unknown danger.

Still, nothing was attacking us on the far side. The backed up crap came rushing through the relatively narrow channel I had carved. Then it split up and headed down five seperate tunnel. Smaller pipes, still big enough for Julius, protruded from the sides and ceiling. Drains for the city streets I suppose. Judging from how long we had been down here we must have long left the area under heaven island. 

I am lost again. Oh I love this feeling! The edge of uncertainty that digs into your mind. The wonder behind every corner. The mystery that lurks in every shadow. Knowing a place is so boring! No surprises, no fun.

Lena says my eyes are purple now. I wonder if that has anything to do with the fungi? It seem likely doesn't it? What else could it be? Hopefully I am not going to grow fungus out of my eyeballs. Being blind would be a hassle. I suppose I could manage though. 

Anyway, we walked and walked for a long time. Finally we exited the sewers via a grated exit half buried in very rich soil. Lots of ferns around there. The trees were coated in them, like fluffy green coats on gnarled old giants. Pretty interesting to look at. Big trees too, I suppose roughly eight of me could encircle the smallest one with our arms outstretched. We were in a hilly area. The massive trunks prevent use from seeing far and the lush carpet of bushy ferns provide shelter to hundreds of small critters, and some not so small ones. Rain was falling. Slicking the leaves, and darkening the exposed bark between swathes of mosses and lichens.

This whole place smelled of ancient times, of old monsters that had been long dead, but had once walked under these great branches. They hid the sky and filled the earth. These were true elders. I wonder why I was so filled with awe and joy as I walked amongst their titanic trunks. Hm, no matter.

I gave Lena her tinglewood at her request, and she hopped inside of a giant blue squirrel. She then took off. Scampering up the trunks of the giant forest lords around us. Leaping from branch to branch nimbly. Stretching her, metaphorical, legs and enjoying the novelty of having a giant playground to run around in. She kept this up, trailing after me as I wandered through the woods. She scampered to and fro, exploring this wonderland.

So she was the first to notice the camp. A true monster of a tree had been felled some time in the distant past. Leaving a hole in the canopy, and ripping out a deep hole in the earth with its roots. Those same roots enshrouded the camp on three sides. Providing shelter from both prying eyes and the elements.

In this natural nook were a large array of tents. They ranged from tattered gray sheets draped over a frayed bit of rope to a glittering monstorsity of silk and sequin. They formed rough circles around a dozen cooking fires. Figures of people could be made out shifting around the fires and the rough pathways between the clusters of canvas.

Lena squirreled over to me with a hint of miscief in her eyes. "Hey, how close do you think we can get without being spotted!" she shout-whispered at me. Then she proceeded to squirrel into the roots before I could respond. Honestly that did sound pretty amusing. I snuck into the rain-slicked roots after her.

A big blue squirrel may not sound very stealthy, and it really isn't. Lena still managed to pull it off though. I could barely find her and I was actively looking for a ten foot tall blue wooden squirrel. The ragged and damp guards that had been posted around the camp seemed more interested in cursing the weather and the lazy idiot they had sent to get some supper than in keeping watch. 

Rusty blades, cracked spear shafts, patchy chainmail, and molding leather. The only things these fools had in good condition were their bad attitudes and the whips coiled up on their belts. Whips are stupid weapons. They are only good for scaring weaklings and hurting those who can't defend themselves. Weapons for bullies.

Skirting around the guards easily, we snuck into the heart of the camp. Which is when we kind of figured out something was off about this camp. All the people here are thin and sick looking. There are all kinds, humans, elves, dwarves, no winged people but I see one lady with the way more chains one then the others.

She is off in her own spot. Seperated from the rest of the people by two fat guards with thorny whips, and a cage. Her chains wrap around her leaving her in a cocoon of iron suspended inside the rusty metal cage. Looks uncomfortable. The only reason I know she is a lady is because Lena freed her. Yeah, she dropped from the roots and stomped the fat guards before they knew what hit them. Brutal, wonder why Lena did that. Then she made a blade from the rain and cut the locks and chains that held the lady. Turns out not only was she chained up but she had been locked into a curled up position.

So what I thought was a normal sized person in a ball of chains turned out to be a super tall lady. Half again my height. She has a wild mane of golden hair that cascades over her shoulders and warm amber eyes. She is slim, but strong. Long lean muscles fill out her gangly frame so what should look like a scarecrow instead looks like a sleek predator. She patted Lena on the head and then looked me directly in the eye. Which was surprising since I thought I was still hidden.

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"Mekrow, young one. For my freedom I thank you. Now go to hide with odd little man in plant legs. Onica have work to do." She picked Lena up, squirrel and all, and gently lobbed her over to me. I would like to say I caught the surprise squirrel ball, but it was more like I got landed on by it.

Onica gave a toothy smile at my discomfort, wow she has a lot of sharp white teeth, and then she shot off into the rain.

I lost track of her immediately, but then guards started to fall. Silently they were picked off one by one. No one screamed, no one struggled. Until finally I saw her tall figure pause briefly outside of the large silk tent. Her rough burlap clothes were spotless. She entered the tent. 

When she came out her clothes were soaked in blood. Not a sound had come from inside. She walked over to a shivering elf woman and handed her a ring of keys before vanishing again. This is when I noticed the collor and chains on all the poor people. Slaves I guess. I'm glad Lena stomped those two fat guards.

"Neezrii, totakal Amanani." She reappeared behind me and kneeled before Lena before saying that series of cryptic words I have tried to write. "I am owing a life to you cub. Do you need a slave?" She looked super serious. Lena looked super confused. I nudged her.

"I think she wants you to ask for something from her." I whispered. Onicas ear twitched, no secrets around this one it would seem. Lena still looked confused but then a light filled her eyes and she looked at Onica with sparkling eyes.

"W-Will you be my friend!" I swear existence itself froze to doublecheck what Lena had just said. The fragile moment of total silence was shattered by peals of throaty laughter from Onica.

"AHAHAHAH! Yes, cub, I will be your friend." She smiled warmly at Lena and I stopped preparing to turn her to ashes should she make a move on Lena. The instant I relaxed Onica vanished. I felt a sharp pain on my neck and her throaty voice rumbled over my shoulder. "Why so calm little man? I am not your friend." She had moved behind me faster than I had believed possible.

I sent tingles roaring through my body. Spurts of fire came from te pinpricks Onica had made in my neck until the wounds closed. I sent an elbow back into what should have been her guts. I hit air and a blast of fire ripped from my elbow into the roots. A flicker from my left and suddenly my left arm was on the ground. 

Fire gushed from the wounds and linked the severed arm with my new stump before it snapped taut and my arm was reconnected to my body in a rush of pain and fire.

Onica was nowhere in sight, I could hear her laughter though. She was nearby, just hidden from sight. So I burned everything. A ring of fire formed around Lena as she was gaping in surprise at the sudden turn of events. Only a second or two had passed since the start.

Onica came streaking through my flames. I flew at her, rocketing fire from my feet and elbows to launch a incendiary punch at her. She dodged again and another gash opened on my side. She couldn't avoid getting burned though. The rain was really suppressing my firepower. Otherwise everything around me would have become ash by now. Except Lena of course. Screams started to erupt from the camp now as the fire spread through the roots. The stupid rain dowsed my blazing spirit, and what should have been a good fun brawl became an annoying slog as I ate slashes, punches, and kicks from the crazy fast Onica.

Lena ended it all in the end. She turned all the rain and water around us into ice and trapped both me and Onica in ice blocks up to our heads. Lena was fuming. "You two are my only friends in the whole world! You will get along or I won't forgive either of you!" She had tears forming in her blue eyes as she glared at us with a trembling chin. Poor little one was about to cry. We can't have that.

I was about to apologize, but Onica beat me to the punch. "Ziike, I am the sorry. I have not had chance to move in very long time. You, little man, look like experienced Daji so I was wanting to fight you." Onica gave me an appraising look. "I am thinking it is good fortune it rains, no? Otherwise this one may not have survived little mans Mojo. Please release this one from ice, friend cub." I echoed my own apologies for escalating things and admitted my admiration for Onicas sheer speed and strength.

She grinned at me and flicked some water from her ears at me. "Is natural, Onica is former tribe champion. Only lose place because tribe leader poison and sell this one to the dead man in the shiny tent." Her smile shrunk until it became a grim smirk. "I will kill him later. For now, what is little cub friends name? And what are we doing?"

Lena beamed at us getting along and chirped up at the towering Onica "My name is Lena, this is mister. We uh, hey mister. What are we doing, and what is your name?" she looked at me as a new question rose to her mind. Surprised it took her this long to ask that. She has been mostly dealing with her own stuff though so I guess its fine.

I shrugged "I dunno" The girls looked at me, clearly expecting more. "To both?" I tried again. They glanced at each other, then looked back at me with more intensity. Their eyes demanded answers. Ugh. "Um, I don't know who I am. Or what I am doing. I just kinda... wander? So, yeah. Um, any questions?" Both of their arms shot up. "Lena."

"Why don't you know who you are?" she asked with a cute head tilt.

"No idea. Woke up in a cave." I answered shortly, Lena looked confused about how that made any sense. "Onica."

"How do you know where to go?" She asked. Looks like she doesn't really get the concept of wandering.

"I don't, I go with what feels right at the moment. It always leads somewhere interesting." I nodded, satisfied by the brilliance of such a great way of wandering.

The girls looked at each other, they do that a lot huh? ""You're an idiot."" They said in perfect harmony and deadpan.

I sulked for the next hour or two.

Eventually I mustered the will to ask if Onica had heard anything about a small red fluffy rabbit that spread ash and calamity in his wake. She hadn't heard anything of the sort.

Where are you Julius!

We camped in the former slaver camp that night. Onica and I competed to see who could bring back the most food for the starving former slave who had been to weak and tired to flee from the fire show earlier. Those who had run were trickling back slowly.

I caught a large thing similar to a grunter. Only fatter, slower, and stupider. Onica caught a slither. We argued over who had won because while mine weighed more hers was far longer. Lena decided it was a tie. Neither of us were happy about that. After the feast we bunked down in the roots.

Onica has weird ears, they are higher than normal and round, and fuzzy. She can swivel them around and they are super sensitive. She also has sharp claws on her fingers she can retract, and a fluffy tail she normally keeps wrapped around her waist.

Oddest lady I have ever seen.

Goodnight.