By the Fireside
Pick Your Peril: The Hero of Mudtown
(This is part of a series of choose-your-own-adventure articles. If you want to start from the beginning, click here.)
A friendly companion is something you desperately need right now.
The man grins when you decide to take him up on his offer. He introduces himself as Borris, and lays out a comfortable-looking bedroll for you before he returns to his seat next to the fire.
As you lie down on the bedroll and admire the colors of the clouds in the setting sun, the man chatters on about his love for the forest. He talks about his favorite fishing spot, what kinds of mushrooms he’s foraged lately, how to avoid wolves; anything that pops into his mind spills out of his mouth. You attempt to listen at first but find yourself dozing away, regaining consciousness every few minutes to find that Borris is still babbling on. You fall into a deep sleep.
When you awaken next, you discover the sun has completely set, a full moon on the rise, and the man mysteriously silent. You look around and see Borris preparing his own bedding for the night. He sees you stirring and gives you an anxious smile.
“You looked so comfortable, I didn’t want to wake you.” He laughs nervously. “I’m just going to put out the fire and call it a night.”
He douses the flames and plunges the campsite in darkness.
“If I’m not here in the morning, don’t feel like you have to go looking for me.” Borris lets off another skittish chuckle. “Probably just answering nature’s call.”
The whole exchange is strange, but your drowsy state of mind doesn’t question it before you drift away back to sleep.
A low groaning wakes you up next, some unknown hours later. You crack an eye open and squint through the darkness, looking for the source of the noise.
In the light of a full moon, you see your host hunched over on his sleeping mat, tortured moan coming from deep within. He stands after a moment and stumbles off into the woods, howling in pain and panting the whole way.
You sit up as soon as he is out of sight, and consider going after him. He’s been nothing but pleasant to you this entire time. Sure, Borris has been acting a little strange since the sun went down, but it’s clear he is unwell and might need some help. Are you about to let your host wander off into the woods and suffer alone?
Recalling his odd behavior makes you hesitate. This man is still a stranger, and trusting Borris to let you sleep undisturbed is just asking for trouble. Perhaps you should leave now while you can.
The night is late, though, and you aren’t even fully awake. This all could be some strange dream. Today’s events have exhausted you, and the need to rest keeps you comatose on the ground. It’s probably better to just sleep through it and see what awaits you in the morning.
What will you do?