Story Arc #1: The Castle of Shadows

The Pit

A chapter of a ‘choose your own’ story.

This is an ongoing story which begins here.

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You move away from the door, coming to the realization that marching straight in won’t help Jade at all. It sounds like there are at least two other people — or creatures — in there with her. And if they are armed, there’s nothing you can do to fight them off.

Instead, you’re going to have to find a way to sneak in, or at least get a better look at what is going on.

Cautiously, you grasp hold of the handholds on the rock face to your left, and ensuring that your feet have a firm grip too, you begin to move away from the underground path.

For a moment, you glance down. Below you is still only darkness, and the further you go, the darker it gets. A pit — and who knows where the bottom of it is?

A few yards from the edge, you pause, clinging to the rocky wall, panting. Was this an idiotic plan? There isn’t an obvious alternative entrance to where Jade is being held.

As you hang there for a moment, you hear Jade’s voice again. Strangely, unless your ears are deceiving you, it sounds like she is giving the orders to the other people in the room…

Your heart leaps.

Perhaps she is with someone friendly after all. You should get back to her.

Hurrying to move back towards the path, you move a little too quickly. Your right foot misses its foothold, and your right hand is jerked free as a result. You swing to the side, holding on with one hand, both feet scrabbling at the rocky face.

And as the fingers of your left hand begin to slide off the handhold, you know that this must be…

The End.

Or is it the end? You can zip right back to the previous chapter here.

And with this publication, you can always change the ending! Perhaps the protagonist falls to the depths and suffers grievous wounds, but later wakes and finds themselves being nursed back to health. Or perhaps they somehow drop onto a portal that teleports them into a sci-fi story. It’s up to you! I’m stopping here, but this is a collaborative story, and you are welcome to write another chapter.

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And for some inspiration for your own ‘choose your own’ stories, check out my writing prompts below!