After about forty five minutes, I had made it as far North West as I could venture without moving away from the coast, and continued due North. From there it was a another hour or two to the first area I had ringed on the map. I still didn't know if I had fully understood the message that had come with the map... I was taking the word "maw" to mean something as general as a hole rather than something specific as a mouth. This was mainly because a large absence of mouths on the map! This meant I would have to do the same thing I did when I was searching for Jonas' house; look for the most probably locations, and then move onto the next most probable, all the while keeping a look out for high vantage points. Well, the latter part of the that didn't really apply... I had a feeling that the L7 were either holed up underground, or within the walls of a cliff. Essentially within sight, but never seen. Looking around, I couldn't see anything that would look like a place they could hole up in, and besides, why give me a new map piece if they were hiding in a location that existed on the first one? My sense of direction had drastically improved over the last few weeks, mainly due to the mass amount of travelling I had done. I had learnt to orientate myself accordingly with the sun, and move in the intended direction. Obviously the coast was my main guide, but it meant that I knew where I was going, and how to get there without having to refer back to the compass and map constantly! It left my hands free if I came across a guard and had to fight my way out. That was highly unlikely as I was still trying to be stealthy; moving quickly but quietly, freezing at the first sign of abnormal movement or noise, and keeping a watchful eye around in the trees and down in small holes. However, Chiron was ruining my stealth by running off ahead, becoming keenly interested in random things like trees, flowers and rocks and being a general nuisance! I couldn't blame him; he didn't know what was going on. He probably just thought we were going out for a long walk... Well we were... Only it was a VERY long walk to a new area.
I've got to the first location! It's quite close to the island crossing so it was on the way to the other side of the map. As I took the map out, I compared it to the surroundings: a small pool of water enclosed by land... It could be technically classed as a maw... On the map from an aerial view anyway. I put the map away and began to navigate around the pool, looking for signs that might indicate a base or building around or underneath. There were no cliffs of large geological structures around, so it was likely they would be underground... If they were here at all. I took the note out from my bag and studied the last line:
"Once what you seek has been found
Look for what should be underground."
I couldn't see anything unusual around that would be classed as belonging to a subterranean environment... Then again, what was classed in that area? Everything from gravel to diamond! I assumed this meant something that could only be found underground, and never at surface level. Instantly I thought of diamond, but it was doubtful. Why put exposed diamond on the surface where it could be mined by a wandering miner? I continued circling the pool, trying to find anything, but all I saw was water, stone, gravel and dirt. I did see a couple of very odd trees however. They had been stripped entirely of their leaves and branches, and only the trunks remained. I instantly rushed over, thinking it was a head start to begin with! On closer inspection, I noticed scorch marks... Fire? It had been raining last night... Maybe lightning had struck one of the trees, setting it on fire which then spread... The trunk was a hard, dense wood, which would allow for them to survive a fire. Additionally, it was raining; the fire may have initially started underneath the main canopy and built to a dangerous level before burning away the leaves and then being extinguished... Then again they could have been stripped off... However there was no sign of stress at the base of any branch... This was probably just a natural occurrence. Odd, but nothing notable...
I continued onwards, doubting that the first location posed any likelihood of being the right place. From the island crossing, it was simply a case of travelling due East until I reached the second location. I took out the map and crossed the first location off. I kept the map out this time, not having ever adventured this far, however I would still be able to stick to the coast and arrive at the right location. I was still looking out for my safety - and Chiron's... He obviously wasn't! - and kept a watchful out for any guards or sinister shapes! I still found it very odd that HoN Co. hadn't attempted to find me and "dispose" of me as they had with the other miners who had discovered a portal. Especially as I possessed the Solus stone, and presented a large threat the advance of their plan... Apparently. Aside from all of the guards at my house, I had seen one since breaking out from that cell... I had marked the location of that place on the first map, in the hopes it would provide some use to the L7. Although with a tower that huge, it was doubtful they hadn't already spotted it! If that belonged to HoN Co., they had a greater established presence in Minecraftia than I had initially expected. I just wondered how often the L7 came in contact with guards from HoN Co.... Or if they even had!
It's been a long walk and I'm nearing the second location... I think... A few minutes ago, I entered a sandy desert region, and it is hard to distinguish distance when everything looks the same! However the second location seems to be huge so it won't be hard to miss. It won't be easy to search through either though! I continued towards it until I noticed a small amount of land to the South which seemed to enclose the stretch of water currently to my right. As I continued, I rose over the crest of a hill to see the end of the water. A large wall of sand and stone stood above the pool which ended abruptly beneath it. I suppose the advantage with this one would be that everything looks the same, except for that which belongs underground!
This area was much larger than the previous one, and it took me to past midday to search all the way around! As the wall was higher than the water level, it was difficult checking everywhere. I assumed that the note referred to the base being in the centre of the maw... Even if it was a random pool of water. Maybe a mechanised system parted the water allowing people to cross over to the entrance and then hide it again. I guessed my job would be easier from an aerial point of view... I couldn't find anything that should belong exclusively underground anywhere near the pool or "maw". This was going to take days! There were loads of possibilities on the map hinting at "maw" and if I took it as generally meaning "hole" I would have to comb every section of the map with the utmost efficiency! Would I even find it? Maybe one of the L7 would be able to aid me further if I became too lost... I doubted it though... I saw this as the final test... And I didn't really want to be seen failing it...
The third location was about an hours walk to the South of the second location. With the most recent area marked off, I made my way towards the third and final location of the day. The sun was beginning to dip into the low area of the Western sky, and I wanted to hit the third area by the end of the day. Once again, this location was just essentially a pool of water, but still appeared as a hole from above. It was one of the first ones I had ringed due to the shape of it. It was unusual for a geological shape, and I wondered if there was anything more to that. This pool wasn't near to the coast, and so the previous methods of maintaining course without referring to the map was a little pointless. I took out the map and compass, and continued South until I came across the pool. As expected, it was as weird a shape as it was represented on the map, but it seemed more natural up front... There was no sign of anything unusual about it at all, yet it was difficult to search around as it the surrounding area was uneven.
After another hour, I had performed a thorough search on the area. As the entire ground area was uneven, I was able to get closer to the water's edge to take a closer look, but I could still find nothing... This was unlikely to be the right location anyway; geographically speaking it was an atrocious place to build a base. There was no protection from any angle, and it was easily spotted as an area of interest, even on a map! That was proved when I ringed it second! If the L7 are smart, they would not have built anything here...
The sun had begun to go down, and I needed to set up my tent, but it was still quite bright. I turned around and headed back the way I came, to the North. I wanted to cover as much ground as physically possible in the first day so it made it easier as the days went by. And I had a feeling it was going to be days and days! Judging from the map, I had made it about half way across the small desert area before the light receded almost entirely! I decided that enough was enough, and I was going to stop and make camp. As it was dry, I decided to make a campfire! I did this first, initially for warmth but also for light to see by and to cook food once I had the tent set up. I found a location that was ideal for masking the presence of a fire. It wasn't perfect, but it was enough to ensure I remained hidden... As long as I could keep the fire small...Putting the bag down, I went over to a few dead shrubs and plants, and pulled them. I then dug a small pit in the sand and placed the shrubs in it before lighting it with the flint lighter. Despite the downpour we had, the surrounding area was dry enough to start a fire pretty easily! Chiron had finished digging randomly in the sand and had settled down beside the fire. It had been an exhausting day, and I didn't blame him! He had practically decided to go for a swim in every pool we came across! Initially he wasted my time by slowing us down, but once he got the message that I wasn't going to stop and watch, he would climb out and happily catch up. I took some meat from the bag, unwrapped it, and placed it on a small rock which I centred over the fire. Yes, it had been a long day...
I'm quite pleased with the progress we made; three areas searched, and nothing noticeable was found. That meant that either I wasn't looking hard enough, or those weren't the right areas... I just hoped it was the latter, however as long as I found the actual base soon, I wouldn't mind. The steak I had was gorgeous! I don't know why, but freshly cooked over an actual wood - well, shrub - fire makes it taste so much better! Chiron seemed to think so too; he wolfed his down like a... Well, a wolf I guess... Taking out the map, I looked at the next areas that were to searched next; from the looks of it, it was a case of heading due North again for some time, and then following the coast to the next one, before returning inland for the third one, although if I could get that one done by the end of tomorrow, it would be an achievement! Let's just hope that I find the base tomorrow... The longer I'm outside camping, and looking for it, the more danger I put myself in my exposing myself... I had to be careful not to leave a trail of evidence behind me that could be followed. Things like the cloth that I used to wrap up the meat in would be something casually tossed away, but if the guards had wolves or dogs, they would pick up on that so quickly! I had to be careful...
Syeonyx signing off
