by Daniel Heck
He reassuringly pats you on the arm. You smile, and extend a hand, which Mudd shakes, sealing the deal.
Within days of returning to work, however, you and Mudd discover that your faith was misplaced; a corpse marred by severe burns and gigantic claw marks mysteriously appears near the city gates. Mudd’s associates identify it as one of the spies. The other three appear to have similarly roused the dragons’ ire, for while they return safely to their superior, soon afterward a triad of winged creatures, one black, one red and one a deep, marbled blue, circle above the city and begin to descend. Whether their newfound alliance lays waste to human civilization has now become only a matter of time.
Go back to the previous choice, or start again.
You glance toward Titania, who scratches her head and scans the room over and over. With little time to act and even less in which to think before someone finds you, you wave her toward where you stand, by the knight statue.
“Perhaps this has the most to do with a magical cannon,” you theorize, “since most knights have dealt with one a time or two.”
Titania counters, “That seems like a stretch.”
“Do you have a better proposition?”
She shakes her head. As you approach the structure, a mild humming sound comes from somewhere within or behind it. It reminds you of the magical reverberations of smaller objects like wands. Titania rushes to where, just in front of the bulk of the statue, it looks as if she would be directly within its locked gaze. Its eyes droop somewhat, but overall, the countenance oozes a steely confidence.
“Sir knight,” Titania squeaks, “If you can hear us, see us… help us in any way…. what do you know about the gate to Thomerion?”
The instant your love utters the name of the god of destruction, the statue starts to move. It breaks away from its base with a mighty grunt, as splinters of granite shower down from surrounding supports.
“You must die,” it rumbles. The words send shockwaves through the castle walls, and more stone falls around your feet.
Each of you bolts toward a different exit. The knight turns its head back and forth, then decides to pursue Titania. You keep running and make it underneath an archway, just in time to hear her scream. A tremendous stomp coincides with the crunching of dozens of bones. The knight has smashed the only person that ever mattered to you more than life itself, as easily as if she were nothing more than a pesky bug.
Even if I make it out of here, you realize as tears fill your eyes and despair floods your heart, what would be the point?
Go back to the previous choice, or start again.
The instant you step through the archway, a faint wave of energy washes over you, as if whispering that you’re supposed to be here. You think the statue’s gaze shifts; specifically, it looks straight at the sun talisman hanging around your neck. You reel in surprise. The dwarf’s face relaxes a bit, and appears more hopeful.
“Let our talents shine, eh?” you muse as you approach the statue. “For one, it looks like you took a bad blow at some time or another.” You gently place a hand upon its arm. The limestone’s chipped, aged texture nearly scratches your fingers, but at the same time feels cool and comforting.
You pause. It all makes more sense now.
“Let’s see what we can do for that wound,” you say, “although I can’t guarantee that my magic works on stone.”
You position your palm an inch above the damaged section of arm and grip your talisman with your other hand. You close your eyes and chant an ancient prayer. White light starts to channel itself from the talisman and into the statue. You repeat the prayer once, and then a second time. The limestone slowly molds itself into a new shape, of what surely would be smooth muscle and sinewy scar tissue.
The statue smiles, stands straight as a pole and salutes you.
“Thank you, good sir,” it rumbles.
After leaving the tunnel, you note that the square above the leftmost archway now glows with a soft white light.
“Nice,” Matthias marvels.
If all three tunnels are lit, proceed deeper into the labyrinth.
Otherwise, return to the main chamber and pick an unexplored option.
Daniel J. Heck
Daniel is a 2004 graduate of Iowa State University with Bachelor’s of Science degrees in Technical Communications and Computer Science, and has been writing fiction for approximately eight years as of publication of this volume. He thanks the universe for all blessings, including and especially his home, family, and loving wife Michelle. Daniel’s hobbies include competitive Scrabble, Lego design, and acting in central Iowa community theatre productions.