Just some more rain here in the Assol Outlands. Sheets of it devastated the landscape and knocked down bushes and grass. Even small trees were ripped from the ground and battered into wilted sheaths. Dang! No travelers dared be caught out in the plains on days like today, days when the Autumn Storms wracked the land and altered the landscape. The rain was so thick the horizon looked like a gray blanket of NOTHING, as though fog were rolling in but it wasn’t really just rain. Can you imagine? I can. Now you can. Please do so now.

Because Hem, Bram, and Crawley, our intrepid band of neato adventurers, certainly could. They were living it. They had not encountered the Nurmermermermermermermaids as they had hoped (indeed it was the only reason they had come out to this Canyon of course INDEED) but seeing as they had encountered something else, something potentially more exciting than the original quest, they were fine.

“Mayhap we’ll catch a glimpse of the Nurmermermaids another time,” remarked Crawley hopefully. He was disappointed in their apparent failure.

“Mayhap,” answered Hem in an absent sorta way. He was not thinking about anything but getting back to town and talkin’ to Blom. Blom had the answers. Or at least Blom had the insight. Or if nothin’ else Blom had an opinion. Bram and Crawley had none of those. He would have to keep that sentiment to hisself as they navigated back to familiar country.

“Speakin’ of nothin’ in particular,” said Bram, “you think we can find our way home soon?” The rain had destroyed all visibility. There wasn’t a thing to be done except for follow the river when they could handle the rain. It was not easy. The river was floodin’ and soakin’ their feet and such. What happens to rain at the bottom of a canyon? Never been in one so I don’t know, but we can make some guesses.

“Not sure,” answered Hem. “If we keep huckin’ this river I suspect we’ll hit the forest soon.”

“Food’s holdin’ out, at least,” muttered Crawley as he checked his bags. They had good waterproof gear that kept the dry things dry and the wet things from gettin’ wetter.

“This scene’s kinda runnin’ out of gas,” said one of them.

“Aye,” said another.