Story Arc #1: The Castle of Shadows
The Other Side of the Wall
A chapter of a ‘choose your own’ story.
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You feel suspicious. These people seem to know more than they are letting on.
“Hey! What are you guys hiding?” you demand, striding towards the panel in the smooth concrete wall that bisects the dwelling.
The old man takes a step back, his hands thrust into the loose smock that he is wearing. “Nothing,” he says, eyes narrowed. “Feel free to take a look.”
“And then, get the hell out of here,” adds the woman from behind you, thumping the butt of her spear down onto the ground.
With one further glance around the group of villagers, you step towards the metal panel. It doesn’t have an obvious door handle, and looks to be made of solid bronze. But then you notice a black square to its right, on the other side from the large screen, and you prod at it with your fingertips.
The panel slides open, revealing a small room beyond. Like the main area, it is rustic-looking, with stony walls. A fire smoulders in a very tall open grate, and the room has a pair of beds, one on either side.
“This metal door is…” you begin.
“…a nice addition to our modern lifestyle,” says the older man. “A skilled craftsman from town did that for us.”
“The bronze was a nice touch,” adds the woman. “Our clan has lived in this area since the Bronze Age, you know.”
You look back a the small room beyond, your eyes narrowed. You’re not an idiot. It’s clear that this is too small to fill the other half of the round house. And is that fire even real? You didn’t see or smell smoke rising from the building.
The people are hiding something. And if they really have lived here since the Bronze Age, then the Sword of Light is a part of their history...
They probably think that showing you this will be enough to get you to shrug your shoulders and then depart — permanently.
And as if to echo your thoughts, one of the burly men says, “The devil-cat will be gone now, stranger.”
“Right,” you say with a nod, stepping forward into the small room and making a show of looking at the edges of the metal panel. “I’ll be going in a moment, then. Just admiring this workmanship. They really did a great job.”
The old man grunts, taking his eyes off you for a moment. The young girl has moved to the front door of the dwelling and is trying to peek outside, perhaps to see if the beast has truly departed.
Using the momentary lapse in attention, you punch at the black square on the other side of the concrete wall. The bronze panel slides shut again — with you on the inside.
You then press the square again, hoping that this will cause it to lock. It doesn’t; instead, the door begins to slide open. You hit the square once more. Meanwhile, the old man is stabbing at the switch on the other side. In response, you begin to hammer at the one on your side repeatedly.
Time and again, the panel lurches a fraction open and then shuts again. Soon, its gears begin to protest. There is a whining noise, and then a crunch. The great bronze panel stops moving altogether, sitting just three or four inches open. You can detect an electrical burning smell.
“Get the hell out of there!” yells the old man. You see him pull an ornate dagger. The gap is too small for him to get at you, but the woman is approaching with her spear…
If you’re going to act, you don’t have long…
Spinning, you approach the fireplace, and tentatively put your foot towards the glowing embers. As you suspected — it’s a fake. The red glow is not even hot.
You step down on it, pushing at the panel at the back of the fireplace. It swings open. You were sure that there must be a hidden room in here, and it looks like you found it. First time lucky! You’re not one of the best researchers in the country for nothing.
Just then, you notice a glint of light near your right shoulder, and you dodge to the other side as the woman’s spear thrusts into the space where you were standing a moment before.
That was close.
“Stop right there!” she yelps.
Without replying, you duck your head and step through the secret door at the back of the fireplace.
You emerge into an area that looks more like the flight deck of the Starship Enterprise than the interior of a mountain roundhouse.
“I knew it!” you murmur to yourself as you glance around at the screens, panels and sleek furniture.
There is a short set of concrete steps leading down to your left and a further door a half level below. It looks like the obvious way to get out of here, but when you try it, it is firmly locked. You feel sure that there must be a hidden complex below this area, but for now, you can’t reach it.
Turning back into the room, you notice two metallic doorways that were out of sight when you first emerged from the fireplace. Both have a misty translucent film where normally a door would be, and as you approach, each crackles with energy.
You’re seen enough sci-fi movies to know that these look like portals. One has a black translucent film across it, the other green.
There is still yelling from behind you, and you need to act fast before they villagers make it into this area and attack you. You hurry closer to the two glowing doorways, trying to summon up the bravery to step through.
Which doorway will you pick?
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