In Pursuit of Cheese

Mother

I received your letter today, and I have no idea how to respond. I realise that a part of me held onto some small childhood fantasy that my father was a hero torn away from us to greater duty or to protect us from some terrible danger. It’s hard to let such a long running desire slip away. I will be careful as always but I’m sure you understand our quest was never in any way safe and if he truly wishes to stand against me he must stand against all of Crisis and throw himself to the mercy of the gods as we have. He’ll just have to wait his turn to get his piece of me and I am no awkward child anymore he knows me as little as I know him. I have a lifetime of anger with which to build a shield around my heart to match any hurt he could possibly carry toward me. I have no desire to expend any more love or effort in this letter on him than he has shown me in my life so I will carry on with more news of our current circumstance.

We received a letter from a perhaps former adversary today. Suffice it to say he baited us into visiting him in a “small” town in the shadow of Mount Kardun. Leaving the Capital was not such a hardship and whilst hardly a vestige of decency and beauty our new location seemed somewhat of an improvement if you had to rate the inhabitants by number of felonies committed. My new brother Burlap seems destined to put as many people offside as possible, so our progress through the town was as smooth as usual. Whilst his grating manner may be sometimes a great hindrance he has already given me some of my truly favourite memories which outweigh any annoyance caused.

The weather in this region can turn fierce in an instant and we have been forced to take shelter on a number of occasions the last being a brothel housing the most wretched hive of scum and villainy a person might want to visit, also the location of our erstwhile host. Whilst no one here can be trusted he seems to be more interested in money and fortune than the destruction of the world which is at least something we can work with. He has asked us to perform a maze of tricks and trials for him and in return the item his supposedly former partners stole from us will be ours, waiting for us at the end of the maze. Whilst on principle I wouldn’t normally accommodate a thief I can’t help feeling some leniency toward him when I imagine what he could have done with stolen item. I hope for his sake and ours this turns out to be the business deal it appears. I have a fleeting moment in which to pen this reply as we must enter this maze immediately. Don’t fear for me mother it serves no purpose and I love puzzles, games to stretch the mind and challenge the body. We are equal to the task I have no doubt, our future will be whatever fate has decided, and how can we not win a maze with a minotaur by our side. While we are currently in the Western Empire it grieves me to tell you I see no reunion in the near future but I will keep in touch as I can.

Love,
Cami

Picture from Dungeons.ru
Picture by Ron Leishman
Picture by Saffron Walden Reporter