"Begin your quest around the maw,
And you'll find what you're looking for.
Once what you seek has been found
Look for what should be underground."
I don't even know where to start with that... I'm trying to think of other definitions for the word "maw", but I keep coming back to mouth, or hole... I had to look for a hole? On a two dimensional map... How big was the hole? Was it even a hole? I put the maps down and gave the wolf a chunk of meat, which it happily took and ran off. Chiron seemed delighted by the company, and was about to chase after the other wolf when I called him back. He knows something is going off now! Going back to the map, I scanned every detail of the map with a great deal of scrutiny, but I couldn't make out anything that fit the description within the clues. Maybe it was a play on words, or a synonym which also meant maw... In any case, I've ringed a few possible locations, but I have a feeling it's going to like looking for a needle in the world's largest haystack! I could be camping outside for some time...
Comparing the two maps together, I was able to determine that the first location to check was at least a day away! It wasn't quite mid morning yet, but I still wouldn't get there by tonight. I would need to camp somewhere on the way. As I planned out the procedure for searching the locations, it occurred to me that it didn't matter if I had the boat or not; there were multiple locations on the second map which would have made it impossible to take a boat anyway. Going on foot would take longer, but I would have one less thing to worry. about. I packed the maps into the bag and put it next to the door. I quickly dressed myself in the my leather armour, and put the sword, bow and quiver against the bag. I was going to have to let Bessie go. She would die if I left her there as it was unlikely I would be coming back here... To be honest, I didn't quite know what was going to happen from now on. I suppose I would first have to find the location where the L7 are holed up, and then join them... From then it would be a mystery... I might not even be able to keep this diary going. I suppose it would be a very easy way of obtaining data about the internal workings of the group, especially if one of the L7 is a spy... I wish I hadn't thought of that! Now I imagining all kinds of scenarios where this whole thing could be a trap... Could THEROS actually be working for HoN Co.? Could this be just a ruse to get me to come to them? I doubted it; if this was the case, why did they let me easily destroy a number of portals that they supposedly needed? I decided that the large amount of secrecy that played into this entire scenario ruled out that chance of it being a trap for me... Surely...
Bessie has been set free, the house has been secured - torches extinguished etc. - and I'm now on my way to the location of the L7 hideout... Presumably! The bag is a little heavier than usual, but it's mostly full of food. I have no idea how long it will take to find this location. Maybe this is the final test; "if you can find us, you can join us" type of thing... Well now I was even more determined! I will find them! I began the journey as I almost always have done, by traveling West towards the stone beach. From there, it was a case of following the coast again to the North, then Head East over the island crossing, check out the first location and continue East to the next two. Then backtrack to the others, searching each one thoroughly, trying to apply the "Once what you seek has been found, look for what should be underground." bit of the riddle to the area... What did that bit mean? Was I looking for something on the surface that is usually underground? There were hundreds of possibilities: diamond, coal, gold, stone, dirt, lava... Maybe it was lava. Looking back at the map, I noticed a small red dot to the far East... Was that a pool of lava? Maybe that was it! I didn't really want to make my way to the far East to find something that had no relation to what I was looking for... Maybe what I was looking for would become more clear once I got closer to the area... Like a subliminal beacon, or a note hidden somewhere I would find it... I hoped so, otherwise I had a very bad feeling I was going to get badly lost...
It started raining again... About half an hour ago. I just made it to the end of the cliff and was making my way past the waterfall when it began... Unfortunately it's not a cooling rain... It's warm, and the air is still muggy... A fine mist has also descended, so visibility is partially reduced. As I passed the huge waterfall, I had to take another picture of it; it looked like a brilliant focal point to the area, and I was unlikely to be anywhere near it again! The sky had begun to get dark as well, but I couldn't tell if that was due to the rain or whether it was late. I couldn't see the sun, and it had been a few hours since I had left the house. Maybe it was a combination of both factors...
I continued following the coastline all the way around. I might be able to make the island crossing by the end of the day, but that was pushing it... I was soaked through, and the driving rain was hard to walk in, especially with the bag, and trying to keep an eye on Chiron. I had to keep stopping under trees, and the whole trip was taking longer than initially anticipated. Maybe I had overloaded the bag... Eventually I got about half way between the island crossing and the huge waterfall when I noticed the sky visibly darken! Was it really that late? The rain let up for a bit, and I was able to see the sun, beginning to slip beneath the horizon, casting an orange hue across the land. Suppose I would need to set up a small campsite for now... I wasn't in the mood to travel any further... I just hoped I got there by tomorrow...
I've set up the tent and I'm settling down for the night. Instead of the usual East-facing orientation, I've pointed it towards the West. The sky at the moment is a brilliant orange, and despite it still raining slightly, I want to watch the sun go down... Chiron was soaked and smelled of wet dog... Obviously... He must be tired as he couldn't wait to get into the tent after I finished putting it up! He curled straight into a ball and went to sleep! I was planning on having a campfire, but the rain seems to have put paid to that idea... Oh well, maybe tomorrow. For now, I'm content with some bread and milk. I hope the L7 have a wider variety of food. My body must be suffering from the almost total meat diet! On the upside, I always seem to have the energy to do things. I'm hoping whatever sleep I get tonight is enough to push my onwards to the right location. I used to be a big fan of camping, but the due to the increased frequency of experiencing it, it;s lost its appeal somewhat...
Syeonyx signing off
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