Story Arc #1: The Castle of Shadows
Facing the Knight
A chapter of a ‘choose your own’ story.
This is a collaborative web-novel. You might want to start the story at the beginning, here, or go back to the previous chapter.
And please check out this article to find out how you can to contribute to this and other ‘choose your own’ stories in this publication!
You decide that this is your moment to be a hero. Okay, okay… you have almost no combat experience, and a university doctorate surely doesn’t qualify you to take on a knight.
But you have a mace in your hand, and a noble cause.
Plus, you have come this far… Surely this is not the moment to quit and run away!
You leap forward and swing the mace, missing Master L’Roche entirely as he rocks back on his heels. He does seem momentarily surprised, but quickly regains his composure, beginning to circle you menacingly.
Master L’Roche then slashes out with his sword and you somehow block the blow with the mace. But the impact is heavy, and you stumble back against one of the pillars in the great room, and fall backwards.
To your surprise, the approaching Master L’Roche then stumbles before he can attack again. You realize that Balorg has come to your aid, tripping the knight. At the same moment, you notice a clashing of weapons across the room. You glance to the side to see that some of the villagers from the mountain valley have somehow made their way down here and entered from one of the archways. They are now fighting off the goblins.
Now, Master L’Roche has seen Balorg; ignoring you for the moment, the big knight turns and slashes out towards the goblin. Seeing your chance, you scramble to your feet, then thump down hard with your mace on the top of the knight’s head. Your blow hits home perfectly.
Balorg points to the throne area of the room. “Look!” he says, “it’s Zyra, Jade’s sister from the village. And she’s fighting for the sword. We have to help her!”
Together, you hurry forward. Three villagers are fighting the goblins, and are holding their own. Meanwhile, Zyra is fighting Jade, both of them slashing furiously with spears. Just behind Jade is the other knight, one booted foot now on the wooden box.
“Zyra,” snarles Jade, as the two women circle each other.
“Sister,” replies Zyra darkly. She gestures to the wooden box with the point of her sword. “That doesn’t belong to you. It has lain here in the Castle of Shadows for centuries, and should never be taken away.”
“It is mine, and will be the instrument of my power,” replies Jade.
“Servants — kill them!”
As you watch, the second knight swings an axe at Zyra, and she narrowly ducks. They then engage in furious hand-to-hand combat. Zyra is skilled, but it is clear that she will quickly be overwhelmed…
Balorg meanwhile has hurried over to the wooden box. He raises its lid with a grunt, and you see a marvellously ornate sword inside, encrusted with gleaming gems.
Now, as the fighting rages, you realize that you are close enough to grab the sword yourself, and run. Should you take it for yourself? It could lead to fame and fortune! Or should you wait, and try to help the villagers win the fight?
After a moment’s reflection, you:
This is a collaborative story. Want to add a chapter, or a story of your own? Come join us at Choose Your Own Adventure–Collaboration to contribute. New to Medium? You can sign up for membership here, and support me at no extra cost.
And for some inspiration for your next piece of creative writing, check out my writing prompts below!