New chapter Cursed city

New chapters do not do much to move the story. There is however a brand new page for characters and improvements in the about page!
But in case you are interested here is the story so far! For new readers this contains spoiler You could avoid it by clicking the first page button right on top of the comic.

Chapter 1
The Dream

The story begins with Neel and Manu resting in the Ivory forest, in the Pancha Muki Mountains in the early hours of the dawn. Neel has a strange dream as he struggles between sleep and wakefulness. In the dream an elephant and a girl share a tender moment when suddenly the girl vanishes, leaving behind an elephant that begins to disintegrate into light particles. A strange creature enters and proceeds to feast on the disintegrating light particles, when it realizes that it is being observed it tries to get closer.

Neel decides to wake up in a hurry from this strange vision dream only to realize he is the target of an ambush waiting to happen. The ambush is lead by the dreaded bandit Virapal. When Virapal realizes that Neel and Manu are from village Varmapuri he becomes more interested in getting information from them regarding a royal Elephant Iravath, that is nearly 150 yrs old. (Elephants usually live as long as humans).
According to an old adage , an elephant that has conquered the 5 servants of death, Illness, enemies, despair & Hunger is said to be quite a powerful animal.
Even a hair from such an animal is said to grant super protection to the bearer.

Virapal observes Manu grasping a red pendent around her neck as she hears the power of the elephant . He then tries to attack Manu. Neel proceeds to easily tackle the Dacoit chief. Manu wonders why Neel does not use the Varmakalai and disarm the dacoit. While she is distracted, one of the hench men wallop her on the head, before Neel can react. As Manu falls down unconscious, a huge bird like creature seems to arise. The hench men drop every thing and run. The dacoit chief who is right in front is transfixed, and can only wonder what it is. Neel has a brief flash back to the first time he saw the creature and tried to touch it. As he holds Manu to heal her and help her gain consciousness, his mind is flooded with flashes of memories he does not remember or know.

While Neel is busy healing Manu, Virapal witnesses changes that the strange bird like creature brings about in the forest. He then decides that the child would make good gift to some one he calls “crippled one”. Before he could do any thing however, something falls down from the sky, and knocks him off his feet and consciousness.

Neel and Manu find a strange man, a floating bearded dragon and the unconscious Dacoit chief in the middle of what appears to be a strange boat wreck.

The chapter ends with the creature in Neel’s dream observing them. This time though he has a companion.