Choose Your Own Path Story

[bluebudgie]

The Town Of Woodlake: Prophecy

You tell her you want to go a little farther. The long walk back doesn't appeal to you, and while you know you're delaying the inevitable, there's something about turning around and seeing the same trees again that makes you want to go on. Alexis nods and you continue walking.

"We should head back now," Alexis says, stopping.

You shake your head. "I see something up there. Looks like the end of the forest. Maybe we'll find an easier way back." The trees give way to a large clearing, which, unfortunately, was surrounded by trees. You wouldn't be finding an easier path. That is the farthest thing from your mind though. A small village sits in the middle of the clearing, with tiny wooden houses covered in scarlet patches of vines. Goats roan behind wooden pens. That is if they could be called goats with their six horns and lizard tails.

"Where are we?" Alexis whispers and you give her a startled look.

"You don't know of a village in the forest?"

She shakes her head. "Never heard of it."

"Oh, who are you?" a cheerful voice says behind you. You whirl around. A young boy, maybe the age of four stares at you with big grey eyes. He blinks. "What do I do with them?" he says to himself. His brow furrows as he thinks hard.

Alexis turns to you. "Where did he come from?"

You shrug. "Snuck up on us?"

The boy's eyes suddenly light up. He grabs your hands and drags the two of you towards the village. Not sure what to do, you run along. He lets go when you reach the doorstep of the largest building in the village. He attempts to push the door open, his little arms straining as he shifts it a few inches. Hesitantly, you open it for him. He pulls you inside and down the hall. You struggle to keep up with the child. He stops at a small room and pushes the two of you inside. An older woman sits on a simple wooden chair, reading a book. She looks up at you. Neither of you move.

Alexis finally speaks up. "Hi?"

The lady startles. "You two are humans, correct?"

You and Alexis exchange a look. "Yes?" she says. "Aren't we all?"

"Now why would you assume that?"

You blink. This is getting weird. She walks over to the young boy standing beside you. "Good job, you may go now." He scurries off and you are left alone. She walks back to her chair and sits down, eyes closed and a smile tugging at her lips. You hear her murmur, "The prophecy, is this it?"

Alarm bells start to ring in your head. You speak up. "Excuse me? Where are we? Why did you just mention a prophecy and why did you check if we are humans? What did you think we were?"

"Two human children would come and end the great beast that's been terrorizing us for nearly a decade," she says and then frowns. "It said you would come in the winter, not the summer though."

Alexis laughs nervously. "Can't be us then."

"Nonsense. We have to at least try. You'll stay here tonight, and tomorrow, we'll send you two to the caves to slay the DeathBringer."

******

You pick at the food on your plate. Alexis is having the same issues. "My family is probably so worried," you say. Looking out the window, you see that the last of the sunset had faded away.

"I'm worried about my own life," Alexis mutters.

You wince. "Don't think of it like that. We'll be fine." But your words are flat. You're not sure if you'll survive. Not after that description of the DeathBringer.

Alexis sighs. "This is so messed up. These weird people are sending two random kids to kill a giant monster that's been slowly picking them off one by one." Her laugh is sharp and grating. "This situation seems so unreal now that I've said it aloud. Even ridiculous."

No kidding, but it isn't ridiculous. This is happening and it doesn't sound good. You look around, what do you do?

-Attempt an escape
-See what morning brings

[bluebudgie]

The Town Of Woodlake: Circles

Your feet ache and your stomach clamors for something to eat. You didn’t think to bring snacks.

"Let’s go back." You gesture for Alexis to lead the way, and she confidently begins walking. Taking a sip of water as you walk, your foot snags on a root. You stumble forward, water splashing on you and the ground.

"You okay?" Alexis asks. You nod. In a nearby tree, you hear a shrill whistle followed by a long cackle. The sound moves further into the forest, but you hear no rustle of leaves as whatever animal it came from leaves. For a brief moment, the trees go hazy with a blurry light. You blink and it's gone. Concerned, you finish your water. Maybe you're starting to become dehydrated.

You walk on and on, heading in a straight line. At first, you don't think anything of it, but Alexis begins frowning. She keeps looking around, her movements more and more confused. A rock settles at the bottom of your stomach. "We're lost, aren't we?"

She pauses. "We shouldn't be. It's just taking longer than I thought to reach a certain area. We should be there by now, but there's something odd about the landscape. It's not as I remember it."

You throw your hands up in defeat. "We're lost."

You keep a careful eye on the land as you walk. You too, start noticing something odd. It feels too repetitive. You realize with sickening dread you're going in circles. Alexis has come to the same conclusion, though she's positive you're heading in a straight line. You then notice the wet dirt from when you spilled your water. Growing desperate, you head in the opposite direction.

The forest grows dark as the day progresses into night. It's been hours, and you're still stuck in the same area. No matter where you go, you return to to same spot again and again. You're stuck, and there's no way out.

The end.

[bluebudgie]

The Town Of Woodlake: Escape and Chase

You walk over to the window and press your fingers against the window pane. “If we can find a way to break it, we could run. The noise will send everyone running though.”

“And then what?" Alexis says, throwing her hands in the air. "We’re going to die tomorrow. Could it get worse?”

She has a point. You might as well try.

Picking up the chair, you step back and swing it at the window. The crash rings out like thunder and your hands shake as you break off the remaining fragments stuck to the frame. You jump out, your feet landing on dirt with a soft thump. There are voices somewhere, maybe, and some unknowable instinct leads you to the shadows. Startled animals in a pen you didn't notice cry out in alarm. Alexis pulls your arm and you follow like water, only knowing to keep moving. You enter into an alleyway between two houses. A person melts out from the shadows and waits for you at the end with crossed arms. As Alexis pulls you back, the person does not pursue.

"I can see the forest!" Alexis says but you don't reply. Something in your brain clicks together. Nobody is chasing you. Moving shadows at the edge of the forest shift into the silhouettes of people. Slowing down, you watch as Alexis tries to push past. She gets dragged back, and someone grabs you too.

***

It's morning. The little bits of light coming from under the door create murky shadows in your room. When the door finally opens, you recoil as swathes of day rush into your eyes. You decide to keep your eyes closed. Your inner little kid has got you believing if you can't see them, they aren't there.

"Here," you hear a voice say. You open your eyes, hopes dashed. A staff, fit for a wizard with its gnarled wood and light blue stone is outstretched before you. Your eyes move up the length of the staff and onto the boy holding it. He couldn't be much older than you, but his grey eyes are flat and tired. The long, knotted hair hanging over his slumped frame made him seem like he had seen decades.

"Come on. Take it."

You glance over to Alexis, who is awkwardly holding her own staff. She seems fine, so you lightly take the staff out of the boy's hand.

"Let's go," the boy says, turning away from you so quickly you almost feel shameful. Getting to your feet you...

-Try to bargain your way out
-Accept your fate and just go

[bluebudgie]

The Town Of Woodlake: Onward

The walk through the village is silent. You don't dare speak. The boy is five steps ahead, and he has yet to look back at you. The temptation to run tugs at your instincts, but other people are watching. You can see figures looking on from windows or peeking around the corner of a building. They are silent too. Sometimes, the boy would look up with sudden motion and wave at a person nearby. He might smile, or frown, or suppress a pained expression, and the other person might nod or shake their head to some unspoken question. Not a single word was ever exchanged. None that you knew of anyway.

You are led out of the village and into the forest. It would be easier to run here, but the boy knows it too. With a begrudged annoyance, he falls into step beside the two of you. Luckily for him, it's not much further. A narrow ravine opens up in the ground, with a step-like structure worn naturally into the rock that composes the sides. Ferns jut out of the moss-padded stone, making it blend into the landscape. The ravine stretches through the trees like a claustrophobic scar. Half-healed chunks of rock, dirt, and fungi-studded logs bridge over sections of the ravine, giving a cave-like impression below.

"The DeathBringer lives in there," the boy says. He gestures for the two of you to climb down. The rock is cool beneath your hands, and slippery enough to warrant caution. When Alexis and you reach the bottom, you are surprised to find the boy climbing down too.
"You're really making sure we don't run," Alexis says.

He scowls. "I'm supposed to kill the DeathBringer too."

"And you're willingly going?"

His glare could slice rock. "It's a punishment I deserve. Now let's go. We might as well get this over with." He steps over a decaying log and walks deeper into the ravine.

-Ask what his name is
-Ask if he has anything to defend himself with

[bluebudgie]

The Town Of Woodlake: Offense

"Look, this DeathBringer sounds horrible. Do you really think we are going to have any chance against it? You should let us return home. We'll get people that can help." You fiddle with the staff in your hand. "People with actual weapons that can do more damage than a big stick."

The boy stares through you, the ends of his mouth twisted downward in a grimace. "Enough people have died already. Just do your job."

He walks away, and you are left with no choice but to follow him.

"Are you comfortable sending two kids to their deaths?" you call out after him. "You're just adding to the total." He says nothing and you admit defeat.

-Continue

[bluebudgie]

The Town Of Woodlake: River

"My name's River."

"Slightly unusual, but I kind of like it," Alexis whispers to you. River still hears her anyway. "You're the one with the weird names. Probably because you humans lack any abilities."

Alexis crosses her arms. "You don't have to be so rude about it. I complimented you!"

You chime in. "What do you mean 'lack of abilities?'"

River mutters under his breath. "I'm called River because I can control water. My mother is called Root because she can control plants. Get the idea now?"

Alexis and you exchange a look. "So they got superpowers," she says. "Admittedly that's kind of cool."

River seems to grow even more exasperated. "Will you two be quiet now? The DeathBringer could be anywhere."

Alexis throws up her hands. "I accept death." River faces Alexis with a scalding glare. His mouth opens and then closes, his eyes widening in shock. He points behind her with a quivering finger. "I think you just got what you wished for."

The two of you whirl around to find a giant, black eye embedded in the side of the rock. The side of the ravine starts to peel away with a rumble. What you thought was rock and ferns becomes the body of a long, jagged snake with its eyes locked on you.
River hits it with a blast of water and bolts. You and Alexis don't hesitate to follow him. The thunder of rock colliding echoes through the ravine as the DeathBringer moves its clunky, serpentine body. You duck under a log wedged between the walls and jump into a small hole in the ground. In the corner of your eye, you see the snake bulldoze through the rock and logs, shattering it into a thousand chunks of rotting wood as you shield your face. When you look up again, you see the DeathBringer gaining on Alexis and River. They stumble over the uneven terrain, gasping for breath. River's hands and knees are bleeding but doesn't seem to notices as he crawls and climbs over the stones. He throws out blasts of water, but they only seem to freshen the moss growing on the snake. The DeathBringer twists to pin River against the wall.

You fiddle with the staff you were given earlier. You don't know what it does. You don't think it will work. But you still run up to the DeathBringer. Your feet hop from rock to rock with a nimble grace you never thought you had. Jumping onto the back of the DeathBringer, you feel its body shift.

"Hey, over here!" River shouts with a large blast of water. It hits the snake on the snout and splits apart into drops of water that fall lightly onto you. The DeathBringer turns its attention back to River, giving you time to swing your staff at the eye of the serpent. There's a flash of blue light from the stone in the staff and it shatters, pieces of rock embedding itself in the DeathBringer's eye and falling to the ground. The shards start to glow brighter and the snake jerks, flinging you off with a piercing shriek. Your head collides with a rock and you're knocked out.

You wake with a massive headache. The light is too bright. The voices around you make your head hurt. It takes you a moment to understand what's being said but you come to realize Alexis and River are looking at you, along with other strangers. Alexis holds out a big, clear stone the size of your fist. You push it away, not wanting anything to do with stones. You think you'll throw away your rock collection.

"I know it doesn't look like much, but that's an uncut diamond." She shoves the stone into your hand. "An appreciation gift for killing the DeathBringer. I think you want to keep it." You take it, but you just want to go home. Alexis seems to understand. She helps you to your feet and shoves away the crowd that had gathered in the room. "Alright, we're going to the town now."

"You are welcome to visit anytime," River says. "The people here owe you a lot."

Alexis nods. "We'll consider it after a few therapy sessions to deal with the trauma you put us through."

River seems confused, but doesn't say anything more. As you and Alexis head once more into the forest, you don't think you're coming back.

The end.

[bluebudgie]

The Town Of Woodlake: Swift Work

"I'm not stupid enough to take on this thing with my bare hands. Of course I have something."

You wait for him to elaborate. He never does. This is going very well. Alexis clears her throat and gives him a pointed look. He rolls his eyes.

"I have a few things that will explode when I throw them. They're in limited supply, so don't expect me to use them to save you from your dumb decisions."

"If we're going to fight this creature, I hope it's soon so I don't have to deal with your attitude anymore," Alexis says.

"The feeling is mutual," he mutters.

You catch something big and scaly move out of the corner of your eye. The DeathBringer pounces. You never even had time to react.

The end.

[bluebudgie]

The Town Of Woodlake: Downwards

Morning comes too soon and a large, glowering man comes to fetch you. He shoves a backpack filled with supplies and a staff fit for a wizard in your hands. He leads you from the village and deep into the forest. The way he crosses his muscled arms when you are caught eyeing escape routes is enough to keep you from attempting.

"This is it," he says. He points at a large hole dug underneath a giant boulder. When you hesitate, he grabs you by the backpack strap and hauls you into the hole. The steep incline of loose dirt send you and Alexis sliding to the bottom in seconds. When your eyes adjust to the dim light, you see a spacious burrow with a sloped tunnel that heads further underground.

"Is it me, or is there light coming from the end of that tunnel?" Alexis says. You look closely. It does seem brighter than it should be.

"Do you think that's a way out?" you say.

"I'm not sure but we should look. I don't think we can get out the way we came."

You nod before pausing to brush off dirt and readjust your backpack. You stare at the tunnel, shifting your weight from foot to foot. Alexis marches on without hesitation. You bolt after her when the shadows start to obscure her from view.

The tunnel continues to get brighter and wider. It's not long before it opens up into a massive cavern so big you can't see the walls. You find the source of the light too. An underground forest of silvery trees with leaves that glow pale blue. Neon pink splotches of moss are splattered across the ground, also glowing. Alexis wanders into the forest, touching the leaves and poking at the moss. You are more hesitant about messing around with things.

Your caution proves itself wise when you notice a particularly large clump of moss move. It stretches out towards Alexis.

"Alexis, watch out!"

The clump of moss rears up, revealing a canine-like head with pointed teeth and four stout legs under a shaggy coat of pink moss. It lunges at Alexis and she dives out of the way towards you. The creature turns and she smacks it on the jaw with her staff. It shakes its head with a snort. It's stunned, giving you seconds to react. What do you do?

-Run
-Climb a tree (WIP)

[bluebudgie]

The Town Of Woodlake: Saved but by what?

You bolt. Blue, silver and pink blur together like a smear of paint. The animal heaves after you, its heavy thuds leaving footprint size gashes in the pink moss. Your lungs burn. Exhaustion from your sleepless night starts to overpower the adrenaline rush, making your movements clumsy and slow.

A root snags your foot. The ground meets your face. A scream—but it's not yours.

You roll over to find the animal on its side, twisted and writhing. A spear impales its side and pins it to the ground. The source of the spear stands next to a tree, and its eyes are on you.

Its vaguely humanoid with ghostly pink and white skin. It oozes moisture and the smooth texture reminds you of a salamander. Four large black eyes watch you, unblinking. The creature has a thick torso but long, spindly limbs and a thin tail that is wrapped around another one of those spears. The creature steps forward and when it speaks, its words are soft and grumbly.

"Get out of this cave, go back to your town and don't return."

As if to give you further incentive, it begins to twirl the spear in its tail lazily. What do you do?

-Leave quickly (WIP)
-Try to start a conversation (WIP)