4/13/09

Choose your own adventure: 18

The story so far:
You awoke on an island after a night of binge drinking with friends because of a shitty day. You don't know how you got there, so you go off to find how to get home. After a few adventures you find a village where the natives, a bunch of otters, have all been slain. You follow the trail of whoever killed them and find a secret lair in a cave in the cliff wall. There you sneak around until you find a secret passage, and overhear some leader and his underlings discussing the deaths of the otters, and that there is some spy (aka you) in the cave. You find a passage to a prison where there are three captives, a huddled furry thing, a penguin with a cool hat and a scary sounding thing in a corner. You talk to the penguin, who encourages you to escape with him down a secret escape passage that another prisoner made in the cell next to his. You free a young otter who is too afraid to speak, and a scary jaguar, who guards the exit while you escape. After escaping, the penguin, Pierre, volunteers to bring you and the otter child to Ellestria if you go with him to his ship, last seen due west in Edgeton. While walking west through the forest of fortune, you stumble into some lizardmen on patrol and get into a fight. You manage to disarm one of them, but reinforcements arrive and chase you all to a marsh, which the lizards are afraid to approach. You and Pierre row a canoe you find out towards the island in the middle of the lake, but while doing so a gigantic black lake monster attacks your boat and sends you all flying. You and Pierre manage to swim to the island, but the otter child is nowhere to be found.
You search a small cave you find and inside is the otter child with a mysterious winged creature. The creature seems to know you both and offers you food and answers tomorrow after allowing you to rest underground. But things are not all they seem, as both the otter child and Pierre are a bit creeped out by the winged one. You, though, slowly succumb to her, seeing your friends as horrible creatures as she sucks the life out of you. Luckily for you, Pierre saves you and you all make your escape. As you see sunlight again, you pass out, only to wake up weeks later in a small village in Ladon Fields, south of Edgeton. Pierre and the child apparently carried your body there and nursed you back to health. Now you decide to renew your journey to Edgeton.

Now begins Time is a Loop: Episode 18

You decide that waiting until Friesday to trave to Edgeton is probably for the best, and allows you some days to recouperate fully. You spend the days out in the field working with the villagers, repaying them for their kindness of taking you and your friends in. The sun and the work restore your body and make you feel healthier. What luck, the work gives you a +2 to endurance!
The village you are in is very small, but also idyllic. It really is only a couple of houses and two families that live in them, the Smith family, who are Oxen, and the Marks, a family of armadillos. They grow wheat and corn in their fields and trade the food for supplies and such in Edgeton in the north. This Friesday there is a big caravan coming through Edgeton which the Smiths and Marks can make a good profit off of. You and your friends volunteer to help lug the wheat.
The families decide to send their eldest sons, Ox and Rand, respectively, to travel to Edgeton. Ox is a large young man who is a hard worker but has never left the village yet, and is very excited. Rand has made the travel a few times before with his father.
"Now you know how to get there?" Rand's father asks.
"Of course Pap. We have done this many times now. You travel north along the road until you hit Newburry and then go east until you reach Edgeton. It isn't that hard."
"Good. Just remember, don't leave the road for any reason, and don't camp out near Newburry."
"Got it."
"And look after Ox." Mr. Smith says.
"Dad, I can look after myself now. I am an adult."
"You aren't an adult yet, you still have one more Solstace before you come of age."
"That's in like 2 weeks!"
"Still."
Ox walks off to start packing the carts, looking dejected.

You and Pierre begin to help him load the wheat when over walks Mina Marks, Rand's sister. "Father, may I go with them to Edgeton? I have always wanted to see a caravan..."
"Daughter, the trip is too dangerous for you to go. I know visiting the big city sounds exciting, but the travels are packed with dangers. I am sorry, but the answer is NO."
"But father..."
"No buts, Mina. The answer is No."
"I am sure that between Ox, our friends and I, we can take care of her. And a visit to the big city could do her some good," Rand says.
"Now son, I know..." Mr. Marks starts to argue with him, and you stop listening. You remember you forgot your badass gloves in the house, and instead of listening to what you are sure is not a plot point at all, you decide to go inside and get them. Afterall, they do add a +2 to badassness. You find your gloves on the dresser of the Mark's house, apparently recently cleaned. You still hear the families discussing outside and decide to poke through their dressers before rejoining them.
What luck, you find a bag of "healing herbs" shoved underneath some clothes, and you pocket them.
In the other room you search the dresser but all you find is some panties. You pocket it anyways. You never know when they could come in handy. Perv. As you put them in your pocket, the door flies open and Mina comes running in, crying hysterically, and flings herself on her bed.
Whew, she didn't notice you going through her underwear. You assume this means she isn't going on the trip with you, and you head back out to leave.
Pierre is finishing loading the cart with the wheat and Rand and Ox are saying goodbye to their parents. You help the otter child into the cart and thank the Smiths and Marks for their generocity, then the caravan heads off on its way.

The trip begins uneventfully. Rand and Ox take turns pulling the cart. You and Pierre walk beside them and discuss life on the farm, shooting the bull. The otter child rides on the cart, napping. The day passes and finally you approach what looks like from far away a small town.
"Up ahead is Newburry," Rand says.
"Should we be getting this close to it?" Ox asks.
You ask why they should stay away from Newburry.
"Its haunted!" Ox says.
"It isn't haunted," Rand says. "That is just legend."
"Really, then why did your father say to stay away from it?"
"Well, because he likes to spook you, maybe?"
"I've never heard of Newburry, but I have also heard of haunted towns before..." Pierre says.
"You aren't helping, Pierre," Rand says. "Here, I will show you it isn't haunted." Rand leads the cart towards the town square.
"Rand, don't!" Ox yells, but Rand doesn't stop until he reaches the town square. You all follow behind him.
"ANY GHOSTS OUT THERE? COME AND GET US!" Rand yells.
"Shh!"
Everyone freezes and looks around at the ghost town, with its abandoned buildings and dustballs blown by the wind, but when after a few minutes when there is no answer but Rand's echo, you breath a sigh of relief.
"See, what did I tell you?"
"Fine. But I still wouldn't want to stay here the night," Ox says. "Let's keep moving."

"ACHOO!"

"What was that?" Ox says.
"It wasn't me," says Pierre, and you, Rand and the otter child nod. Everyone looks around again, scared, when out of the wheat pops Mina's head.
"Sorry guys, when I get scared I start sneezing," Mina states.
"Mina! What in the name of baby Poseidon are you doing here? You were told to stay home!" her brother yells.
"Mina!" Ox says.
"I know I was TOLD to stay home, but I WANTED to come, so I hid myself in the wheat."
"That is no excuse! Father said it was too dangerous!"
"That's silly. There are no ghosts here, you showed us that."
"Still, there are other dangers besides ghosts!"
"Rand, its too late, the deeds been done," Pierre says.
"I guess she will have to come with us," Rand says.
"Oh Mina," says Ox.
"But stay in the cart, no more sneaking off," Rand says, as he begins to roll the cart again, East towards Edgeton.

The party continues on a bit, and just as you begin to leave Newburry you notice something in the distance. It looks like a group of somethings approaching your group, and fast!
"What is that?" Pierre asks.
"I can't tell from this distance. It could be travelers, or it could be bandits," says Rand.
"It could be ghosts!" Mina says.
"Ghosts?" Ox says.
"What should we do?" Pierre asks.

Your group weighs their options. They could:
A: Stay on the road, but get ready in case they are bandits, or worse.
B: Head back to Newburry and hide in one of the abandoned buildings.
C: Head South off the road into the heavy brush and hope the somethings coming towards you don't see you in the heavy brush.
D: Head North into the edge of the Forest of Fortune and hope the somethings coming towards you don't see you in the woods.

(Vote by Thursday.)

4 comments:

  1. Okay, first of all, do these animals wear clothes? Why would a ox girl need underwear? Isn't the penguin and the otter naked? Cause I assumed they were.
    But back on point, if you were to hide in the woods/brush, you would have to take the cart of wheat with you. Cause if you leave a cart full of wheat in the middle of the road those things will get suspicious. Also, how much time do you have until those things get you? Are we talking 5, 10, 15 minutes? Do they see you yet? If you can see them, I assume that they can see you, right? So wouldn't it be pointless to hide if you're already spotted?
    What kind of weapons do you have? Other than the gloves and a small knife, what do Ox and Rand have? Are they bulls? Do they have horns that they can use to "throw down"?
    -Dan

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  2. no, Rand is an armadillo (as is Mina, his sister, so it's totally normal for her to have panties. big, blocky armadillo panties), so he has a kickass shell. Ox has (I bet) kickass ox horns. Maybe Pierre has super rapier skills. Maybe the otter baby can cute them to death. And I bet that Mike can make a gun out of leaves and mud. And Mina's whininess is +3 to annoying.

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  3. What Jaki said. And Yeah they wear clothes. Good job picturing them naked. Perv. Animal Perv.

    You don't know if they see you yet, but they are a distance off. Pierre has really good eyesight.

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  4. I'm the perv? At least I don't write about armadillo panty theft.
    By the way, is that a "key item"? Will it be useful for later plots. Like when you had to give jerky to the lady in 600 AD who didn't have any? Is there going to be a situation where someone is going to be in desperate need of a pair of underwear and it will result in possession of a Sun Stone?

    But anyways, back to the matter at hand. I'd try and drag the cart into the bushes and hide.

    I assume that we're not very high in level currently, so I'd hide and choose my battles carefully.

    P.S. Do our hit points only increase by getting hit? (FFII reference).
    -Dan

    ReplyDelete