Galena 14th, in the Year of Myth 11
First thing in the morning, we left the nice patch of wilderness, which seemed to stretch to the southeast, while we were headed southwest, straight as an arrow. The No-face pitted me against a hippopotamus, a creature seeming half as big as the dragon and twice as mean, though as I write this I suppose it still has my sympathy. Luckily for me, he broke its knees before it could trample me, and luckily for it, it bled out while still unconscious and before he could finish pulling its guts through its back.
That was just the beginning, though. At the next river crossing, we stopped to savage some wild boars, but in the midst of dismembering one, he suddenly spotted that an alligator was doing the same a hundred feet away, and he just... just leapt at it. I was left to struggle with the crippled but still very much alive boar, but I suppose it was less loathsome a prospect than having to face one of the gators. They didn't stand a chance, though.
Luckily, the boar managed to limp away before he could stop me from leaving it alone. Somehow it managed to break my finger which had only just healed. I could hardly care less at this point.
We crossed another river later into some kind of huge hot forest, jungle probably. The place really seems quite astounding, the animals of amazing size. The idea of finding a giant vicious beast might be terrifying, especially since I'll probably be forced to charge it, if it weren't for that the No-face is far more unsettling. He had us make a rush at some truly enormous boar, but they were too quick that time.
Now we've come to yet another river, but here we stop for the night.
Galena 15th, in the Year of Myth 11
Today was uneventful for the most part, tramping through the jungle and into a swamp, chasing more animals but thankfully not catching them. This hunting, this cruel chasing, I can discern no meaning for it. Why? Why does he do it, why does he make
me do it? It drives me mad!
As a small mountain rose up from the swamp in the distance, we inexplicably changed course from Southwest to just South, No-face pressing forth with the same sense of indomitable purpose as before. Maybe we're getting close? Though, wherever he's taking me, I honestly expected him to approach it in a straight line, going through any obstacle in the way.
Galena 16th, in the Year of Myth 11
After hiking further southwards, we came to a cave in the midst of some dry plains, which the No-face climbed down into. I caught up with him a few passages downward, in the midst of bludgeoning some kind of small, horrible creature. As I came in for a closer look, it lunged at me, followed by another from the shadows.
I whacked it many times with my crutch, breaking bones, but the little fiend knocked me down and leapt upon my face, so I bit off its arm. No-face just watched my struggle, doing nothing. These gremlins were no dangerous opponents, but by the gods what the hell does he want with me!?
The foul taste of its blood lingered in my mouth as we ventured deeper. We encountered more gremlins, and each time the No-face simply left me to smash them on my own. I haven't much love for gremlins, but nor do I take extreme pleasure in their messy demise: somehow, though, having me kill them so interests
him greatly. Not altogether too deep we found the passage led to a huge underground lake, and promptly turned back towards the surface.