Story arc #4 The Hero of Pendown
Onto The Ark
“A hero of precise action”
This is a continuation of The Hero of Pendown, part of a ‘Choose Your Own’ tale. Check out how you can contribute, as well as read other amazing entries here.
You decide that Eshami’s connection to the Gods — as well as her healing magic — would be invaluable to you in this adventure.
You kneel down and gently hold Eshami’s chin, guiding her to stand with you. “I’d appreciate your guidance in this quest,” you say to her. She blushes slightly.
With the one hand holding Grand Hierophant Eshami, you reach out to the angel with the other. The moment your hands touch you feel a pulse of energy — electricity? Your vision blurs as crackling sounds invade your ears from all around you. A swirling cloud of smoke blinds you and stings your eyes.
This is no normal teleportation magic!
Your eyes readjust to your new, darker surroundings. The sounds around you have changed into intermittent sparking sounds, like tiny lightning bolts. The lights flicker off and on, and everything sounds a little muffled, muted.
“Are you okay, Eshami?” you ask, looking around you. Your companion looks both curious and terrified. The angel is nowhere to be found.
“Great! I’ve been spirited away somewhere by a divine being with no instructions!” you think to yourself.
Eshami draws her longsword and casts upon it a brief blessing, making it illuminate light as if it were a flickering torch. “We are in a long corridor,” she states simply, underselling the situation.
Indeed, as you look around on one side of the hallway you now find yourself, there is a long row of doors without knobs or handles. On the wall against each is a panel shaped like a large hand.
On the opposite wall are a series of windows, all looking out into blackness and stars. A round green-blue ball rotates silently below.
“We are in amongst the stars?” Eshami whispers.
Indeed, that seemed like the most logical conclusion, absurd though it was. Did the angel teleport us onto his ship? No, his ship was hovering above the city of Pendown. Perhaps this was a different ship?
“Hello?” you call out, hoping for a clue.
You hear a whirring noise all around you, then a short grinding sound.
Suddenly, a ghostly man appears before you, startling Eshami and setting your uneasy thoughts about this quest aflutter with even more unease!
“I am Ketal, Master Servitor,” the ghostly man states. “Welcome.”
You circle the apparition cautiously, your hand never leaving the hilt of your sword. “Where are we?” you ask.
“You are onboard Prison Ark 2–3–7. The ship has suffered damage after passing through an anomaly.”
“Very well,” you respond curtly. You are a hero.
A hero of precise action.
You need to know what to do.
“How do I fix you — I mean the Ark?”
“You will need to secure the control room, the engine room, and investigate the Matterstream Drive and the Ballast Tanks to ensure safe operation of this Ark.”
“Well, that is a tall order!” You think to yourself, “even for me!”
You have several options ahead of you:
- Find a way into the Control Room
- Find the Engine Room and repair the Matterstream Drive
- Investigate the Ballast Tanks
Choose wisely, for the fate of your whole galaxy might depend on it!
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