MUD WORLD - UMBRARG'S CASTLE

Welcome to Mud, a strange, weird, and sometimes wonderful world.

Eons ago world was created by a being with such unimaginable power, the very
universe shook when he moved, so much did he love this world he decided to create
another, a sister world a mirror image of the other, but as time passed he found he
could not look after both, and so he appointed two wizards to look after the other,
their names were Umbrarg and Foddy, they were brothers and cared much for the
paradise handed into their care, the land prospered and the brothers were happy, but as
time passed Umbrarg grew more and more possessive, not wanting to share this power
with his brother... the sands of time fell........ and Umbrargs hate grew stronger,
unable to bare it any longer he went to his brother, and catching him unawares.....
killed him.

Ten thousand years later the Mud world had changed much, before it was a paradise,
animals knew no fear, humans lived in bliss, but upon killing his brother Umbrarg felt
no better, in fact he felt worse for he had loved his brother dearly deep down in his
heart.
He cried but know it would never bring him back, he grew bitter, angry, enraged, and
vented his fury on the Mudworlds inhabitants.
He filled the world with Ors, Trolls, Vampires, and other atrocities. He suppressed the
people of the land and made them live in squalor, he created a giant black dragon to
terrorise the villages and cites, and to guard his vast wealth taken from them, and still
his anger flamed..........

In a Forrest near a abandoned dwarf mine was a small woodcutters hut.
Here lived two people, the woodcutter, and his wife, but soon another was to arrive,
his wife was pregnant, something he had dreaded had happened and now his wife was
in labour.

‘What shall we call him Joe?.’
‘We shall not name him.’
‘What?!, why not?.’
‘We cannot keep him Jezza, we can barely afford to live as it is.’
‘But he’s just a baby!, you cant just give him away!.’
‘If he remains here we shall all, slowly starve to death Jezza.’
‘What are we going to do?’
Joe frowned, he wasn’t a cruel man, he did his best and loved his wife more than
anything in the world, but he knew if they tried to rear the child the would all,
eventually die.
‘I shall take him into the woods in the morning.’
His wife looked horrified and held the child close to her.

‘They’ll kill him!, the Forrest is full of wild animals! They’ll eat him alive!.’
The woodcutter looked into his sons eyes, they were wise eyes, and as he looked he
felt he could see into infinity itself.
‘No’ he said, ‘they wont’.

The next day he went into the basement of his hut, he lit a candle and looked around,
trying to focus as his eyes adjusted to the light.
He was looking for something, something he had found in the woods years ago, and
then he saw it, it was a staff it looked different somehow, and he had an Eerie feeling it
was watching him, he didn’t know why, but he knew he had to pass it onto his son.
He rapped it in some old cloth and went up the small ladder leading to the tiny room
that he and his wife had lived in for years.
He found his wife weeping and took the baby from here as gently as he could.
‘Must we?.’ She asked. ‘is there not other way?.’
Joe looked at his wife gravely but said nothing.

He travelled deep into the wood and deposited his son on a nearby stump, resting the
staff on an oak tree, he bent down to look at his child for the last time, he giggled and
pulled at the woodcutters beard with his podgy hands.
‘Well my son, this is it. Your on your own now, be well and always do what you know
to be right.’ And then with tears in his eyes, he left.

It grew dark soon after, and the child cried out with hunger, two golden eyes peered at
him from the darkness.....

Some years later.

‘Hello Mr Flibble!, my, my, my, what a day eh?, I was just talking to Rosie here about
those terrible gobblings comminging from the cave and scaring the daylights out of
us!’.
Mr Flibble sighed, he’d had a hard day and the last thing he wanted to listen to was
Miss crones rambling’s.
‘I thought they’d all forgotten all about us by now!, I was just saying to Ronda the
other day how.....
Miss Crones rambled on, he wasn’t really listening.
‘Could I have a cup of tea please Miss Crones?’.
‘What?.’
‘Yes a cup of tea....this is a tea room isn’t it?, I mean that is what the sign says
outside is it not?, or maybe I got the wrong place and walked into the old bat keeps
moaning show?’.
‘Well I say!, Mr Flibble!, I wont be talked to like that!, not on my own premises, I’ve a
good mind to throw you out my lad!’.
‘fine’. He said heading for the door.
‘Oh!, erm, hang about!, not need to go just yet!, I hate to see someone go out into the
cold without a nice hot cup of tea down them!’.
Mr Flibble concealed a smile, for all her talk Miss Crones hated to lose a customer.

He sat down by the fire and poked it a few times, behind him the bell on the door
jingled, he turned around.

Standing in the doorway was a woman with an enormously large head, he stifled a
laugh, Fleets head seemed to get bigger every day.
‘Hello Mr Flibble’. She said, her eyes daring him to make a comment.
‘Oh hallo fleet, how are you?’.
‘So, so’ she replied vaguely. ‘I heard Joey was struck by lightning the other day’.
‘Really?, what a pity, is he dead?’.
‘As a dormouse, that Guybrush fellow was ever so pleased!, he kept dancing around
the ashes and singing, when I left I looked over my shoulder and he was relieving
himself on them, disgusting behaviour’.
‘Yes’. He murmured.
‘Well I better be off again, I only dropped by to give Miss Crones her dish back’.
‘Still living in the swamp Fleet?’.
‘Yes, why?’.
‘Just wondering’.

Suddenly Rosie’s fiancee burst through the door and starting gibbering incoherently at
Mr Flibble.
‘Smmmgllfffhpp!, the goblins kempsfhhhh!’.
Rosie went over to him and tried to calm him down, he shrugged he off and went over
to Mr Flibble.
‘You’ve got to come quickly!, they, it, I, I, I, I, it all happened so fast!, the just
appeared from nowhere, please hurry!’.
‘Just start form the beginning Crowly, what happened?’.
‘there’s no time!, you must come quickly, the Goblins raided the edge of the village,
they set fire to your house!’.
Mr Flibble charged out, running for all he was worth, soon after Crowley caught up
with him.
‘My wife’. He said. ‘is she......, is she OK?’.
‘I got her out before the roof collapsed Mr Flibble, she didn’t look too good, she asked
me to bring you to her’.

They neared Mr Flibbles cottage, it was blazing, and on the ground, he saw his wife.
‘Rita?’. He said softly, and crouching next to her. ‘are you all right?.’
‘John is that you?.’
‘Yes Rita its me, don’t worry everything is going to be OK, your going to be fine’.
She coughed violently then smiled warmly at him, and took his hand into her own.
‘We both know that’s not true dear’.
‘Now now don’t be silly, your going to be fine!’.
‘Lets not argue John’.
‘I’m sorry Rita’.
I’m dying John’.
Tears sprang into Mr Flibbles eyes.
‘Its not so bad.......almost like flying, we had some good times didn’t we
John?’.
‘Yes. We did, we did’.

‘I love you John’. She said. And then she died.
Mr Flibble roared with pain and fury, he shouted a single
word.......UMBRARG!!!!!!!!!!!!’. and then he collapsed next to his wife crying and
cradling her head in his arms.

He awoke the next day, and found himself sitting in an armchair in Miss Crones tea-
room, he looked around bewildered and wondered why on earth he was there, and
then it all came crashing down on him.

‘are you OK dear?’.
He span round, Miss crones was stood behind him holding a cup a tea.
‘No, no not really’. He croaked.
‘I’m terrible sorry about what happened to your wife Mr Flibble, it was such a tragedy,
here have a cup of tea...’.
‘And that’ll make it all better will it!?’. He snapped.
Miss Crones flinched back.
‘I’m sorry, Th....thank you for letting me stay here last night’.
‘that’s perfectly OK Mr Flibble, I understand how you feel’.

He was about to ask her how an old hag like herself, who had never even been out
with a man, could possible understand how he felt. But though better of it at the last
moment.

His wife was buried soon after in an unmarked grave, everything he had was destroyed
with his house, including his wife, he had nothing left to live for, the only thing keeping
him going was the thought of revenge, revenge upon umbrarg who had created these
evil creatures and driven them to destroy, but he was just a man, how could he
possibly face a wizard?, and immortal being?, he didn’t know, all he knew was that he
would find a way.

Miss Crones had made it clear that Mr Flibble was starting to get underfoot, and also
that her invitation was not indefinite.
‘Ill be leaving tonight Miss Crones’.
‘Oh really?’. She said with insincere sadness. ‘Whatever will you do now Mr Flibble?’.
‘I don’t know yet’.

At dusk as Mr Flibble was preparing to leave, what seemed to be an old man trundled
through the door, he had a long white beard, and penetrating eyes, he lend heavily,
even dramatically on a rune inscribed staff.
Mr Flibble looked him up and down, it was hard to impress him, and the old mans act
raised little more than an eyebrow. As if reading his thoughts, a bolt of blue lightning
streaked across the sky. Miss crone shuddered, stood up and slammed the door in the
old mans face, there was a yelp, then the man threw open door and headed over to Mr
Flibble rubbing his nose, Miss Crones looked about suspiciously then shut the door
again.

‘John James Flibble, born 1302 MZ, married to Rita Ozwald: Deceased’.
‘You seem to know a lot about me’.
‘Yes’.
‘And your name is?’.
‘Cat’.
‘Cat?!, what sort of a name is that for a grown man?’.
The old man looked a little hurt at that.
‘Its a terribly good name don’t you think?’.
‘Why are you called Cat?’.
‘Well my real name is wrowlgrrrrm’.
‘Eh?!’.
‘I was brought up by mountain Lions’.
‘I see, so they didn’t eat you eh?, what an amazing thing’.
Cats eyes narrowed.
‘I’m here to help you’.
‘Oh?, who says I need any help?’.
‘Trust me I know these things’.
‘You do?’.
‘Yes’.
‘How?’.
‘What?, oh I just do, you want revenge right?’.
‘...yes’.
‘Add I want to put and end to Umbrargs suppression’.
‘so you can impose your own?’.
Cat smiled, it was an enormous smile, and seemed to linger in the air even after he had
stopped.
‘No’. he said.
‘then what’s in it for you?’.
‘ I also want revenge Mr Flibble, he has taken me away from my family twice already,
first he forced my mother and farther to give me up, then he send his minions to
slaughter the mountain lions who reared me’.
‘then you’ll come with me?’.
‘no that I cannot do’.
‘wh.....eh?, then why are you here?’.
‘I have to save my power’.
‘why?, what are you a wizard?’.
‘yes’.
‘but I thought Umbrarg was the only wizard left on mudworld?’.
‘he does not know of my existence’.
‘isn’t it a bit risky coming here?’.
‘none can see me, save you’
‘from what?’.
‘what?’.
‘save me from what?’.
‘Its just a saying!’.

Mr Flibble turned around and found Mrs Crones starring at him, and then she looked
away, shaking her head sadly. ‘poor man’ she murmured.

‘I don’t understand, why are you here?, and why do you need to save your ‘power’?’.
‘that is not for you to know right now, but I need you to steal something from
Umbrargs castle for me’.
‘what is it?’.
‘an amulet’.
‘why?’.
‘you will in time’.
‘and you want me to do this on my own do you?’.
‘no, three shall come, a priest who is well versed in the art of healing, his name is
brother Mankoid, a knight, who is a master swordsman, his name is Oz, and an
assassin, her name is Vella, and this........’. the wizards snapped his fingers and a
wand appeared, he coughed and flushed slightly, then tried again. ‘and this,….’. a
small black kitten appeared on his palm. ‘shall be your guide!’.

Mr Flibble eyes the kitten curiously.
‘erm I think you made another mistake Mr Cat..... that’s a kitten’.

Cat looked at the small bundle of fluff on his palm, he smiled fondly at it.
‘yes he’s lovely isn’t he?’.
‘yes he’s a very nice kitten said’. Mr Flibble vaguely. ‘ but how will it help me?, I mean
has he got a compass in his head or something?’.
The kitten glowered at him.
‘erm no offence’.
The kitten ignored him.
‘ he will guide you to Umbrargs castle, and alert you to danger’. He looked down at
the small feline.
‘run along now’. He told it. ‘and be a good boy!’.
The kitten looked at him for a moment as if he was something at the end of the
foodchain, then he hopped off his hand and padded over to Mr Flibble, then he
meowed.
‘he wants you to pick him up’.
‘eh? Oh, oh, ok. He picked it up by the middle and looked at it as it dangled in the air.
‘ill just put you in my pocket shall I?’.
The kitten blinked, but said nothing..... it rarely did.

Mr Flibble looked thoughtful for a moment.
‘when will these three people come then?’.
‘before the end of the night’.
‘why?’.
‘pardon?’.
‘why are they coming?’.
‘they all have their reasons, some want power, some want wealth, others simply want
to see Umbrargs demise’.

‘and they know me?’.
‘I have spoken to each, they will meet you here tonight, and now I must go’.

Cat disappeared in a puff of smoke, Mr Flibble sighed, it was so Cle’shey.
‘sorry’. A voice murmured.

At midnight the three strangers arrived.

‘you must be Mr Flibble’. An armoured man said.
‘ah yes and you must be Oz?’.
Oz smiled ‘that’s me!’. He extended a hand and walked forward, only to trip over a
carpet. Mr Flibble watched bemused as he clattered to the ground.
‘here let me help you up’.
‘ignore it, he does it all the time, you get used to it after a while’.
Mr Flibble turned around, and then he saw the most beautiful woman he had ever seen
in his life, she wore a close fitting leather jerkin, and a long black cape, belted at her
side was a black enamelled broadsword, and he could see two bejewelled dagger hilts
protruding from her boots.
‘and you must be Vella’. He said bowing.
‘yes’.
He turned again and saw a cowled monk before him.
‘ah you must be brother Mankoid?’.
The monk nodded.
‘did you have a good journey brother?’.
The monk shrugged.
‘he cant speak’.
‘oh right I see’.

Oz who had managed to get back onto his feet tapped Mr Flibble on the shoulder.

‘Prithy me kind Sir’. He began. ‘would thou be kind enough to prepare some
bevrages?, verily we have travelled far to be here this night, and would be grateful
indeed for some refreshment’.
‘why is he talking like that?’. Mr Flibble asked the others.
‘Oz, I’ve told you not to do that!, do I have to stick one of these daggers in you before
you start to listen?’.

Oz backed away.
‘B, but it says right here!’. Oz flourished a slightly battered looking book.
‘page 39, section 2, paragraph 4 four, ...Knights must have exquisite manners, and use
formal code at all times..., see! look for yourself!’.
Vella rolled her eyes. ‘you cant learn how to be something from a book Oz!, you either
are or you arnt’.
‘erm, excuse me?’ said Mr Flibble. ‘why is he carrying a book around on how to be a
knight?’
‘he’s just started’.
‘That’s not true!’ snapped Oz. ‘I’ve been doing it for a year now!’

‘erm I was told you was a master swordsman’
‘oh he is’. Vella said sarcastically. ‘he can hold it without dropping it for a whole
minute now’.
‘your just a big meanie!’ said Oz in a huffy tone.
‘yes, I am arnt I?’

Miss Crones walked over to them.
‘wont you introduce me to your friends Mr Flibble?’
‘oh, yes, yes of course, this is Vella, Oz, and brother Mankoid, friends, this is Miss
Crones’.
‘nice to meet you all’. Said Miss crones. ‘I say, is the brother here a healer by any
chance?’
‘yes’
‘well you see, I’ve got these piles that have been playing up all week.......’.
Brother Mankoid looked panic stricken.
‘erm acutely, we’ve go to be off Miss crones, another day perhaps?’
‘yes, yes of course, (brother Mankoid sighed with relief) ill see you again sometime Mr
Flibble, good luck with what ever your doing’.
‘thank you Miss Crones bye for now’.
She nodded politely to them all and left.

‘we better be of don’t you think?’
‘yes’. Said Vella. ‘have you packed everything you need?’
‘yes’
‘were are they?’
‘what?’
‘your things?’
‘Vella, my wife just died, my house just burnt down, the only things I have are the
clothes on my back’.
‘Oh, ok, we better make tracks then, Oz go and get the horses’.
‘But...’.
‘now Oz’. Oz walked away muttering to himself.
‘I’m afraid I don’t have a horse’ said Mr Flibble.
‘you have now, that Cat fellow gave us some money to buy one for you’.
‘buy I cant ride a horse!’
‘you better start learning then’.

After a few false starts, and Mr Flibble being thrown off his horse a couple of times,
they managed to travel to the edge of the village.

‘any idea where were going Mr Flibble?, Cat said you would show us the way’.
Mr Flibble looked slightly embarrassed. ‘he must of told them’ he thought. ‘he
wouldn’t do this to me....would he?’
‘I er yes...., you see the thing is.....the thing is’.
A small fury head popped out of Mr Flibbles pocket and blinked owlishly.
Vella squealed with delight and ran to Mr Flibble.
‘can I hold it?!’

‘wh-, er yes......yes, here’.
The kitten, loving all the attention, was playing it for all it was worth.
‘he’s going to meow pathetically’ thought Mr Flibble.
Vella took the kitten from him, he meowed...... pathetically, and looked at her all
forlorn.
‘oh I think he’s hungry!, poor dear, how long has he been in there Mr Flibble?!, you
haven’t been feedin him have you?, how long has he been in your pocket? Hours?
Days?’
‘no, no, I erm, look! That’s Cats kitten!, he gave him to me and said it would lead us
to Umbrargs castle and alert us to danger!’

They all gave him a peculiar look.
‘oooooooooookkkkkkkk...’. Said Vella.
‘its true!’ Mr Flibble pointed an accusing finger at the kitten. ‘you!, you show them!’
The kittens very being radiated innocence.
‘you feeling ok Mr Flibble?’
‘I, I,I, he, he said....’.
The kitten decided it had, had enough fun and leapt from of Vella’s arms, it landed on
the ground and drew a little arrow in the dirt with one of its claws.
‘See!!!’
‘oh.......’. Said Vella ‘Sorry’.
‘Hmpf!, I guess that means we go that way then’.
‘I guess so, better get moving then’. Vella slapped Oz on the back of the head, who
was still starring at the kitten in amazement.
‘Ow!, what was that for?!’.
‘I’ll think of something later’.
‘always picking on me’ he muttered.
‘what was that?’
‘what?, oh, oh I said I like flicking salami’.
‘Hmmm’.

They travelled a while, then they came across a tall man, who was dancing around a
pile of ashes and laughing insanely.
‘Guybrush is having a nice time I see’. said Mr Flibble.

They carried on going until dawn, then they set up camp, had something to eat, and
then they slept.
They awoke the about noon, and could see the vast mountains in the distance..

‘what I don’t understand’ Said Oz as he tried to shave off his fluffy stubble in a piece
of polished steel. ‘is if this Umbrarg person lives in a giant castle, why cant me see it?’
‘I suppose its hidden by magic’ said Mr Flibble shrugging.
‘a whole castle?!’
‘why not?’
‘well.......um.....I’m not sure....’.
‘good, then we don’t need to talk about it’.

Mr Flibble got up and started to walk over to the stream, he trod on
something.....there was a terrible screech, and Oz managed to take off his left eyebrow
with his razor
Mr Flibble looked down, the kitten glowered at him, then tottered of towards Vella
with pleading eyes.
‘did the big bad man stand on your ikle taily waily?!, awwww! Poor ikle pussy wussy!,
come to mummy!’
Mr Flibble gave her a sickened look and walked away muttering to himself.

They packed up camp and got ready you leave, they found Oz trying to salvage what
was left of his eyebrows, near the stream.
‘can you do anything Vella?’ Oz asked with in a pleading tone.
‘hmmmm’.
Vella rummaged through her pack and finally produced a small black pencil.
‘come here’.
‘will it hurt?’
‘come here’.
Oz walked hesitantly over to Vella, she licked the top of the pencil, and then drew a
line where his eyebrow used to be,........he looked quiet ridicules.
‘does it look ok?’
‘fine’ Vella replied with a completely straight face.
‘Mr Flibble?’
‘What?, oh, oh, erm looks fine! Cant see the difference at all!, what eyebrow was it
again?’
Vella nudged him with her foot. ‘don’t over do it!’. She said out of the side of her
mouth.

They ‘asked’ the kitten what way they should go next, it indicated they should carry on
going north.
‘we seem to be headed towards those mountains’. Said Mr Flibble.
‘hmm, I hope we can get through them in time, winter is coming up pretty quickly’.
After several hours of travelling they decided to stop and set up camp for the night,
they picketed their horses and settled down onto the uncomfortable beds.
‘can we have a camp fire?’ Oz asked
‘sure, do you want to go and look for the firewood?’
‘Me?, I’m too tired!’
‘well then shut up and go to sleep!’.
‘hmpf!’.
Suddenly they heard a strange call from some sort of animal.

‘Trolls!’
‘what?!, where?’
And then they were surrounded.

‘Oh shi......’.
Vella drew her daggers and threw them at to incoming trolls, one was hit in the chest,
the other in the stomach, but they didn’t stop, she could see their fierce eyes burning
with hunger, she backflipped whilst drawing her broadsword, then swung at a charging
trolls whiles she was in mid air.

Its head flew off and landed in a nearby tree, she dodged a swing from another beast,
then took its arm off as she spun round.
Meanwhile, Mr Flibble had armed himself with a crossbow from Vella’s pack horse,
and was busy picking of trolls before they could reach the others, Oz was trying his
best to keep a grip on his sword and swinging blindly, Mankoid was methodically
beating the beast with his staff whilst singing a hymn of glory (he was allowed to sing
hymns.) all in all it looked like a badly rehearsed pantomime.
Mr Flibble heard a roar from behind him, he turned, and came face to face with 4o
stone troll, it pounced on him, then grabbed him by the neck, Mr Flibble looked around
desperately looking for help, but everyone else was busy defending themselves. The
troll lend down. He could smell its rancid breath and the stench of its mangy fur, it was
about to rip his head off...................
and then from nowhere a black panther appeared. It clawed at the trolls legs and tore
one of its legs open with a lightning quick bite, the troll screamed and fled, when his
companions saw the giant feline, they did the same.
Mr Flibble scrambled to his feet and backed away.
‘what the....;.
‘where did that come from?’
Then the panther meowed, something quite disturbing to hear coming from such a
powerful animal. And then it began to change...., first its legs, then its body, one
minute a fierce beast, the next a tiny kitten....
Mr Flibble swallowed hard. ‘Remind me not to stand on his tail again’. He said.
The kitten looked incredibly tired, and attempted to walk over to the others, he
wobbled a bit, then fell over, and meowed...pathetically.
Vella ran over to him full of concern.
‘oh he’s just putting an act on’. Said Mr Flibble.
‘I don’t think so, it must of taken a lot out of him to do what he did, changing an’all,
he saved your life you know?’
Mr Flibble sighed. ‘I rather thought that might be the case’.
‘we better look for somesort of defensive shelter in case they come back, Oz go with
Mr Flibble and have a look around’.
Oz was visibly shaking from his first battle, it never mentioned seven foot trolls, with
razor sharp teeth trying to rip you head off in his manual, he nodded mutely and
followed Mr Flibble into the darkness.
They looked around for a while, but the only thing they could find was a small cave,
Mr Flibble got out his flint and tinder and lit a torch.
‘Oz, you stay here and whistle if you see anything ok?’
‘ok’
Mr Flibble scrambled up some rocks and found the entrance to the cave, a strange blue
light was emanating from within, he re’cocked his crossbow and head towards it.
The source of the light was a rock upon a pedestal, he bend forward, hesitated a little,
and then.... He touched it.
His entire body was engulfed in a blue nimbus, he could feel the life being sapped out
of him, he tried to pull his hand away but couldn’t. Suddenly he felt a massive surge of
power flow into his body, he collapsed.

Oz who had been standing outside, had seen the light. (so to speak) he climbed up to
the cave as fast as his armour encased body would allow him, he found Mr Flibble on
the floor with a slightly baffled look on his face.
‘Mr Flibble?, Mr Flibble?!, are you ok?’
Mr Flibble opened his eyes. ‘oh bugger’
‘what happened?’
Mr Flibble raised his hand to point at the rock behind Oz, suddenly a bolt of bluegreen
fire spewed from his hand, skimmed the top of Oz’s head, the rebounded off the blue
stone and flew out of the cave mouth.
Oz was running around with his hair on fire when Vella arrived, Mr Flibble was in a
world of his own and staring at the palm of his hand like a pygmy who just harvested a
bumper crop of magic mushrooms.
‘what the hell is going on?!’
Vella took off her cloak and threw it over Oz’s head, he whimpered a little then hid
behind her.
‘what’s that matter with you?’
‘he,he,he, he set fire to me!’ Oz stuttered.
Vella’s mouth dropped open.
‘wha.., why would he do that?!, how would he do that?’
‘with his finger!’
‘have you been at my makeup remover again Oz?’
‘Its true!’
‘Mr Flibble, what happened?’
‘well, you see.....um....I touched that stone over there, the next thing I know I’m on
the floor and Oz is running around with his hair on fire,....it,...it came out of my hand
you see..’.
‘your hand........, I see, yes...ok’.
‘Really!’
‘how?’
‘I don’t know, I think that rock did something to me, I feel strange’.
‘in what way?’
‘I’m not sure, almost as’if I’m stronger, more powerful, I keep getting these strange
images in my head’
‘that happens to me sometimes’ said Oz
‘shut up, Mr Flibble what was you thinking when you when you was about to point to
that stone?’
‘how hot........I was’.
‘hmmmm, I’ve heard about these things before, magical stones that can pass some of
its power onto others, if it chooses to’.
‘chooses?’
‘it must have some sort of awareness, it looks like its your lucky day Mr Flibble,
people are usually killed by them’.
‘are you trying to say that rock have given me magical abilities?!’
‘it would seem so’.
‘bu..’.
‘think of water Mr Flibble’.
‘wha....’.
‘just do it, and try to focus it somewhere’.

Mr Flibble closed his eyes and tried to concentrate, ‘Oz’s head must be burning
something awful’, he thought while he was thinking.
There was a splosh.
‘OOPS’.
‘why dya have to pick on me all the time?!, first you set fire to me, then you drench
me!’
‘I’m sorry Oz!, it was just a passing thought, I didn’t mean for it to happen!’
‘Hmmpf!’
‘you’ve go to learn how to control this Mr Flibble. Or we’ll all be in trouble’.
‘I’m so tired, it really takes it out of you this stuff!’ He yawned.
‘ok we better...’ But Mr Flibble was already fast asleep.......

UMBRARGS CASTLE:

Umbrarg sat in his great laboratory, thinking, the laboratory was filled with a whole
manner or instruments, chemicals boiled and filled the air with strange smells,
occasionally there was a ‘pop!’ or a ‘whoosh!’, followed by a scream from one of the
imps who worked there.

‘how many times?’ thought Umbrarg. ‘how many times will this pestering Cat person
send people to their death in a hopeless quest to defeat me?, and still he has the
arrogance to think I do not know of his existence, and always the same people!, a
monk, a warrior, and an assassin, the sorcerer was a bit of an innovation of course,
even if it was an accident.’
‘Oh well’. He said out loud. ‘it’ll give me something to do, maybe ill even put an end
to this Cat person who likes to call himself a wizard, as well eh?, mind you it does get
interesting sometimes doesn’t it?, remember when he sent someone to lead you imps
into rebellion?, Ha!!, I’m still finding bits of him on the furniture’.
Umbrarg clicked his fingers, a great deamon appeared, its eyes burnt pure fire, its fangs
dripped with blood from a recent meal, and its entire body rippled with muscles as it
moved.
‘Ah yes Fred, go and guard the entrance, its that time of year, make sure you let them
in when they come, oh and give them some sort of riddle to solve, I hear they like the
sort of thing’.
The deamon grunted and headed off towards it duties, Umbrarg rubbed his hands
together.
‘Let them come’. He said laughing insanely. ‘Let them come!’

Mr Flibble awoke besides a campfire, tasty smells of sausage and bacon filled his
nostrils.
‘Awake at last I see’. Said Vella.
‘How long was I out?’
‘oh, only about ten or twelve hours’.
‘Jeez!, is the kitten all right? I know how he feels now’.

‘yes he’s fine, here have something to eat’.
Mr Flibbles stomach rumbled. ‘Thanks, I’m starved’. He wolfed it down and had two
more helpings before he laid back onto the soft grass smoking his pipe.
‘where’s OZ?’ he asked.
‘Oh, he’s gone fishing with brother Mankoid, he’s still a bit annoyed at you for burning
half his hair off’.
‘Oh’.
‘Come on lets get packing, we leave as soon as Mankoid and Oz get back’.
‘Rightio’.

Soon after Oz, and Mankoid returned carrying a large sack of fish.
‘Well done boys!, we’ll have some of those for supper, how did you catch so many?’
‘well I wanted to catch them the normal way, but he went and lit this bottle
thingy’m’jig and threw it in the lake, it blew up and all these fish came floating to the
top, he spoilt all the fun!’
‘Oh well, maybe next time eh?’
‘This lot with last for weeks!’
‘What a pity’.
They set off and by midday they had arrived at the foot of a mountain.
‘So what do we do now?’
‘Best ask the kitten’. Said Vella.
‘Whatever you say’.
Vella took the small feline out of her pocket and set it on the ground, it scowled at her
for waking him up from his cosy nap, then he sniffed the air and headed towards the
face of a cliff, and disappeared.
‘It walked through solid rock!’
‘hmmmm, an illusion, Mr Flibble can you move it?, we might be able to get through it
but we’ll never convince the horses that they can walk through a wall’.
‘I don’t know how!’
‘just try’.
Mr Flibble concentrated and a second or so later the illusion began to shimmer back
and forth.
‘that’s it!, keep at it’.
Suddenly it disappeared leaving a great big hole. The kitten came back out and waited
to be picked up.

‘shall we go in now?’
‘now is a good a time as any’. Said Mr Flibble
They got off their horses and led them through the opening in single file, a shaft of
white light could be seen at the end of it, once they got though the long tunnel they
were confronted by a huge beast.

‘Who dat?’
‘wha...’.
‘who dat?!!’
‘I um.....we're....um castle inspectors....?’
‘imspecters?!’
‘Er....yes’.

‘what dat?!’.
‘um, well you see, we check that castles are....working properly’.
The deamon’s brow suddenly creased as’if it was trying to remember something.
‘must solve ridle!’
‘A riddle?’
‘Dat right!, gotta solve ridle!’
‘oh, I see, what is it then?’
‘wat? WAT!!?’.
‘um, the riddle?’
‘oh dat’. The deamon took out a small notebook and began to read. ‘sometimes hard,
sometimes wet...’ Oz put his hand up and was about to speak, only to have Vella put
her hand over his mouth.
‘No Oz, it is not that’. Oz blushed and said no more.
‘Sorry, could you start again please?’
‘Yas, sometimes hard, sometimes wet, sometimes brown, sometimes jet, what am I?’
‘Mud’. said Vella.
‘Wat?!’
‘Mud, you know? Brown stuff, pigs role in it?’
‘How u no dat?!’
‘I guessed’.
‘Liar!, u luked!’
‘you mean you’ve got the answer written down?’
‘why not?’
‘cant you remember the answer to your own riddle?’
‘BAD MEMORY!!’
‘Ok! Ok!’
‘didn’t look den?’
‘no’.
‘sure?’
‘yes’.
‘positive?’
‘yes!’
‘ok, you go dat way’.
‘thank you’
‘Tankyou!!??’. It screamed
‘Yes um, it means um.....oh just forget it’.
‘Tankyou!!!’.
‘yes, ok’.
‘TANKYOU!!!’.
‘Yes bye now’.
‘BYE!!, BYE!!!!’.

They got back on their horses and headed towards the gate.
‘TANKYOU!!!!!’.
They heard the deamon screech from the distance.
‘Nice chap’. Murmured Mr Flibble.

Umbrarg sat on his throne. ‘so, here at last?’ he thought.
An imp entered carrying a drink for him, he took it, thanked the imp, then casually
threw him out the window.

Oz looked up to see where all the noise was coming from, then he looked down as
something went ‘SPLAT!’

‘Urgh!’ Said Oz as he picked Imp entrails out of his eyes. ‘where did that come
from?!’
‘The sky I imagine’. Said Vella.
‘Its all over me!, oh god the smell! The smell’
‘Its an improvement on the smell of your armour’.
Oz sighed and muttered to himself.

They carried on going until they came to a large wooden door.
‘ello!’. Said the doorknock.
‘its speaks!’ said Oz in amazement.
‘it seems so’.
‘can we come in please?’ Vella asked
‘you can go anywhere yea like darlin’. Said the doorknock leering, Vella bashed him
on the nose. ‘Ow!, heh I like a woman who wants it rough!’
Vella rolled her eyes. ‘Will you let us in please?!’
‘Oh all right!, you sure you want to come in?’
‘yes!’
The door opened revealing a huge winding stairwell.
‘nice ar........’.
Vella slammed the door shut with the back of her heal.
‘Shall we get going then?’
‘we don’t know were to look!’
‘then we’ll just have to search floor by floor’.
‘oh goody’.

They spent half an hour on the first floor, rummaging through weird items that often
tried to strike up a conversation.
‘so many things, so many rooms’. thought Mr Flibble. ‘I don’t know how were going
to find the amulet at this rate.

Umbrarg watched fascinated.
‘What are they looking for?’ He asked himself.
A short while later all four of them walked into the room.

‘Oh shit......’.
‘welcome, welcome!, I’ve been expecting you with interest, can I get you anything? A
drink perhaps?, tearing up my home must be thirsty work!, tell me...., what were you
looking for?’
‘none of your business’ snapped Oz before he was shut up by Vella.
‘Ah yes!, the mighty swordsman Oz!, protector of the people!, slayer of fish!’.

Oz growled.
‘and what do we have here?!, the beautiful Vella no doubt!, give up this futile quest of
yours my dear, come to me and I will grant you anything you desire!, power, riches,
Immortality!’.
‘ide sooner die’. She said sneering.
‘yes, yes you will, ah and brother Mankoid, sent by the church to destroy me!’
Mankoid bowed.
‘And finally, Mr Flibble, your purpose here baffles me, why are you here?’
‘You killed my wife’.
‘Really?, I cant say I remember doing that, I so rarely dirty my hands on your mortals’.
Mr Flibble roared and raised his hands, a white ball of energy erupted from his hand
and hit Umbrarg full in the chest, Vella caught a glimpse of the amulet as he toppled,
seeing her chance she launched herself forward and wrenched it from his neck, then
dived out of his reach.
‘Very good Mr Flibble, very good indeed, you caught me totally of guard, I regret
however you will not get such a chance again, give that here young lady and I may
spare you’.
‘come and get it’.
Umbrarg sighed. ‘ I have no times for games bring it here, now!’
‘I don’t think so’. Vella tossed the amulet to Mr Flibble who caught it, suddenly for a
reason he could not understand, he began to chant, the air crackled and sparked, a
wind appeared from nowhere and then, standing before them was Cat.

Umbrargs eyes widened. ‘We meet at last then’.
‘I have come for justice’. Said Cat.
‘justice?, justice?, ha!, who are you to judge?, you can do nothing to me!, I could
destroy you all in a blink of an eye!’.
‘I shall not judge thee Umbrarg..... But I know a man who will’. He added
Cat took the amulet from Mr Flibble and inserted it in to a slot in the top of his staff,
there was an audible ‘click’.
‘What are doing!?’. Said Umbrarg frothing at the mouth.
‘what should of been done a long time ago’.
‘No!, I wont let you!’ Umbrarg raised his hand.
‘Mr Flibble!, I need you to erect a barrier to stop any spells he casts!, I need everything
I have to complete this spell!’.
‘He’s a wizard!’
‘Just do it!’.
Mr Flibble concentrated and imagined a wall between Umbrarg and the others, there
was a sudden bright flash in front of him, and he nearly fell back from the force of it.
‘I cant keep this up long!’.
‘Just a few more seconds!’
Umbrarg roared with fury and continued to hurl balls of fire at Mr Flibbles unseen
barrier. Finally he could take no more and toppled back onto the others, just in time to
see a green ball of fire fly over his head.

Everything had gone dead calm......they all looked up and saw a blue swirling vortex
above them, and it was getting wider........suddenly, a white beam of light came from
within it, they all shielded there eyes, and when they looked again they saw an
incredible old looking man.

‘who dares summon me?!’
Cat stepped forward. ‘ I did it master’.
‘who are you?, where is Foddy?, where is Umbrarg?’.
‘Umbrarg is here’. He pointed to the cowering figure in the corner. ‘Foddy however
died eons ago’.
The old man looked baffled. ‘died?, I gave him immortality, he cannot die...’.
‘Umbrarg murdered him master’.
‘what?!’
That’s right ‘master’. Said Umbrarg who had gotten a grip of himself. ‘ I killed him,
and took what was mine, this is my world now!, I will not allow you to take it!’
The old mans looked distant for a moment, then his eyes widened.
‘Umbrarg, what have done?’
‘That is not you concern old man, leave this place or I shall destroy you!’ He raised his
hands to strike’.
‘You should not of done this my son. I gave you the responsibility to look after this
world, a responsibility you have abused’.
A blew bolt spewed from Umbrargs hand, it hit the old man in the head, and simply
disappeared. Umbrarg looked at his palms in disbelief.
‘I gave you your power my son, you cannot harm me with it’.
Umbrarg fell to his knees.
‘Please master!, please!, forgive me!’
‘You have done to this world as you saw fit Umbrarg, here is your payment’.
Black lightning erupted from the old mans outstretched finger...... Umbrarg
disintegrated violently.

‘You have done well Cat, I should never of stayed away so long, it saddens me to see
what he has done to this world of mine, will you take on the task that Umbrarg has
failed my child?’
‘It would be an honour master’.
‘I shall return each year so this may never happen again, you shall rebuild this world
Cat, and destroy these foul creatures he did conjure’.
‘It shall be as you say master’.
‘Who are these people?’
‘They helped me master, without them I could never of done what I did, let me
introduce you to them, this is Oz, master swordsman....’.
Oz glowered at him’.
‘Sorry’.
And so, Oz stepped forward to meet the most powerful being in the universe, with an
eyebrow missing, half his hair burnt off, and covered in Imp carcass.

‘What happened to you my child?’.
‘Oh this and that’. Oz replied while looking over his shoulder at Mr Flibble with a glint
in his eye.
‘Well we cant have you going around like this can we!’ The old man clicked his
fingers, and Oz was returned to his former self.

‘Oh thank you Sir!, could I ask you a question?’
‘Anything you wish child’.
‘What’s your name Sir?’
‘Oh is that all?!, I though you was going to ask about the meaning of life or if there
was life after death!, my name is Richard child’.
‘Oh said Oz’.
‘You seem disappointed child’.
‘Oh well you see, I um, I was just expecting something, well, bigger......’.
The old mans mouth dropped open, Vella coughed. ‘Er, Oz, could I talk to you for a
minute?, ta’.
‘What?’
‘Erm I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but that’s the creator of the universe your
insulting...’.
‘Oh, no! you don’t understand its just that well, I mean it was, just expecting
something....’.
‘Bigger?’
‘Yes something like, Richard the omnipotent perhaps?’.
Richard suddenly laughed.
‘I have many names child’.
‘Oh, oh right, ok sorry Sir’.
‘Think nothing of it, I must leave now, but you may have anything you desire before I
go, Mr Flibble, I regret I cannot bring back your wife, I could create her again, but she
will have no memories of you, or anything you shared....’.
‘Then I ask for nothing’.
‘As you wish, Oz?’
‘Oh!, money please!, lots of it!’
Richard laughed
‘Certainly my child, Vella?’
‘May I speak to you alone Sir?’
‘Oh yes, yes of course’.
They moved away from the others, a few minutes later they returned, neither of their
faces giving any clue to what they had discussed.

‘Ah, and finally Mankoid, alas I know you may not have possessions, but your quest is
complete, Umbrarg has been destroyed’.
Mankoid smiled and bowed.
‘And now I must leave you my children’. And in a blinding flash of white light, he was
gone.
They all turned to Cat.
‘What do we do now?’
‘We rebuild the world’.

20 years later:

Mudworld had been transformed to it true self, the Sun shone, the birds sang, and
people lived without fear.
Richard looked down upon his fair world, he saw Oz, he had built a military academy,
which baffled Richard because the world was at peace. He saw Mankoid, he had risen
to Arch Prelate, and now governed the church. And finally he saw Mr Flibble and
Vella, her wish had come true, but it had had nothing to do with him, he
smiled........and time passed.

Eventually both Mudworlds died, eventually all his worlds died, the universe had
expanded beyond the anything a mortal mortal mind could conceive, it expanded, then
it shrank, then it collapsed.......... a single sphere no bigger than an apple, but so
dense a single gram of it weighed more than a million worlds, span in the starless
night.........and then it exploded........

Richard sat in the eternal darkness, he smiled,....... and it all began again.