Story Arc #1: The Castle of Shadows

Down, Down, Into the Dark

A chapter of a ‘choose your own’ story.

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You quickly decide that you have no real choice. Making your way back down across the rocks in darkness would be madness. And while the ruins look dark and dangerous, at least you won’t freeze to death in there.

Not straight away, anyway…

You get down onto your hands and knees, and begin to let yourself in through the gap in the ancient brickwork, feet first. Soon, your legs are dangling into the unknown.

You don’t immediately find any footholds, but surely it can’t be too much further down before you will find somewhere safe to stop?

Surely?

You wiggle in a little bit more, until you are clinging onto the gap with your upper arms, still feeling around with your feet. Just then, an area of stone crumbles away under your right hand, and you find yourself falling…

You curl yourself into a ball, braced for an impact. But when it comes, you glance off the wall rather than falling directly downwards, and before you know you are rolling, rolling, down a stony slope…

A few seconds later, you come to a halt in the dark. You groan, and begin to feel at your limbs. Nothing broken. It was painful, but you are still alive.

Just then, something moves nearby. An animal of some kind? Your heart is thumping. And then the ‘something’ strikes a match, and lights up a torch near your face.

You find yourself staring into the face of someone or something unusual. After all the talk of goblins, you are pretty sure you are seeing one up close for the first time.

It has low, slightly pointed ears, a bald, rubbery-looking head, and dark eyes that are way too big to be human.

“So, you have come at last,” it says. “Welcome.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” you respond. It speaks English, at least — that’s something. However, you are astonished that it appears to have been expecting you.

“Jade said that you would come,” it explains. “My name is Balorg. Please, help me to stop her before it’s too late.”

You pause and narrow your eyes, raising one hand against the glare of the torchlight and glancing around. The area you have found yourself is long and narrow, and there is a double door at the far end.

“What are you talking about?” you say at last.

“Jade. I just recently escaped from her and her servant, a man wearing iron armor. They brutally killed several of my kind, and chained me up, leaving me for dead.”

“Seriously?”

The goblin doesn’t respond to this, but instead narrows his huge eyes, staring at you intently. “I know that you worked together with her in the past. But I tell you now — she plans to use your knowledge, and then betray you. She and her servant have now located the Castle of Shadows. If they find the Sword of Light, they will unleash a great and dangerous power.”

You frown. First Jade’s sister and now this creature — everyone seems to be telling you that your partner is trouble.

All the same, his claims see pretty far-fetched. The fortress is just a ruin, and the sword is just an old Celtic weapon.

Aren’t they…?

“Okay,” you say at last, half-wondering if you are crazy to even speak to a goblin. “I’ll come with you, if only because I can’t stay here alone. But I’m not making my mind up about Jade. Not just yet, anyway.”

Excited, he nods his head, then begins to scamper towards the double doors, torch held high above his head.

You hurry after.

Continue

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