Crimson Flag Comic Forums
Other Realms => Writer's Guild => Topic started by: FrostedLights on September 13, 2015, 02:36:43 PM
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Good afternoon!
Today, I was thinking it would be fun to do a sort of Choose Your Own Adventure style short story.
How this works:
About once every 60 to 90 minutes I will post a new section. That section will end with a choice. People can vote on the choice or provide suggestions (end of post will have instructions) and then I will write the next segment and we'll move on to the next section.
First Choice!
Fantasy Adventure (We'll go out on a quest!)
Fantasy Siege (Defend the kingdom!)
Science Fiction Adventure (A quest! With computers!)
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I'll vote for a fantasy siege. Mix things up a little from the 'choose your own fantasy adventure' standard.
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Sure, fantasy siege.
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Fantasy Siege!
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Anyone surprised I'd vote sci fi despite having no chance of it winning? :p
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fantasy adventure!
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Tough choice, hee hee, but I think the Sci-Fi might be fun just for a change of pace.
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Okay that's three for siege, two for SF, and one for Adventure. Siege wins it. Check back soon for part 1~
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Everyone in Thandren knew about the soldiers days before the city wall reported them appearing on the horizon. A week ago the scouts had spotted them crossing the river, banners unfurled and armed for war. From behind the parapets, Kalen could see Haldoren's deep emerald banners flapping in the wind over several large columns of infantry. By midday the soldiers were close enough to count. They made camp outside of the range of Thandren's defensive weapons. A lucky shot from a trebuchet might roll into one of the camps but it would likely not do much damage. Attacking now would only deprive the city of its precious supplies. For now, Thandren was cut off.
Someone shouted and Kalen looked up to see a fire starting in the eastern tower. Far in the distance another tower caught flame, twinkling like a tiny star in defiance of the day.
“Do you think help will come?” Kalen asked.
One of the soldiers answered with a pessimistic shrug, then busied himself restringing his bow. He pulled it back several times with an arrow set, but did not fire it.
Below in the courtyard, Kalen could see lines of refugees hoping to take shelter in the keep. Then came the town crier. He wore a red sash, meaning he had official business from the king. He stood on the corner, elevating himself over the crowd with an overturned crate.
“All pay heed to the words of your king! May his reign last forever!” the crier bellowed. Everywhere people stopped what they were doing and turned their attention to what he had to say. Kalen sat on the edge of the wall, feet dangling over the side. The crier had an interesting job. Much more interesting than blacksmithing. No one paid attention to a blacksmith's apprentice. Sure they might, one day, if he became a master artisan. For now he made horseshoes and nails. All day. Every day.
“Our illustrious king will meet today with the king of Haldoren to discuss a peaceful resolution to the siege that has begun on our fair city. Rationing of supplies will continue. We will be victorious. We will outlast these brigands that come into our lands unprovoked.”
The crier stopped for a moment, searching the crowd to make sure that he had every set of eyes. He continued, this time with an uncharacteristic frankness to his words. He lacked all of the usual flamboyance, conveying the true gravity of the situation.
“This victory must come from us all,” he said, solemnly. “Artisans are asked to remain at their posts. Apprentices, journeymen, and fieldhands are to report to the guard post for assignment in city defenses. You may be thinking it will be easy to ignore this order, that we do not have time to police deserters. That may be true, but know that when you shirk your duty, you place your fellows in the hands of the enemy.”
Kalen's mind drifted as the crier began to list rationing rules for supplies that were likely to run short if the siege lasted long. The prices of food would be frozen. These were things of small consequence to Kalen. None of that would matter, after all, if the city fell. The gates were shut. There would be no leaving...
The guard house has several duties available:
Make your choice!
Sign up to be an archer
Sign up to guard the water supply.
Sign up to be a night watchman.
Sign up to guard the palace.
Please make TWO selections. Your FIRST selection gets TWO points. Second gets one. Highest score wins.
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Archer and night watchman
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1. Guard the water supply. This is an important job and there's little danger of dying in the confusion of battle.
2. Night watchman.
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1. Night Watchmen
2. Water Supply
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1. Water Supply Guard
2. Ankh-Morpork Thandren Night Watch
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Polls are closed~~
Score:
Night Watchman 5
Water Guard 5
Archer 2
Palace Guard 0
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So... Water Guarding at night!
They had given Kalen a spear. This was not the best idea, he thought, since it was much longer than a sword and he barely knew how to handle a sword, much less the polearm resting against his shoulder. They told him it was all that was available. There were swords left in the armory. He could see them from the conscription desk. The quartermaster was probably holding these back for people that looked more suitable for the wall than Kalen. So here he was, posted by the well in the merchant quarter. There were two other soldiers with him. He recognized them both. One was the cobbler's son, Baren, and the other was an orphan boy apprenticed to the alchemist down the road.
“How long do you think we've been here?” Baren asked.
Just then the clock tolled the first hour of the morning.
“Four hours to go,” Luclin muttered. His spear was leaning against the well. The latter hours were the hardest. Earlier in the evening there was a constant stream of laborers and children coming to fetch water. That had dried up soon after dark and so the three waited in the dark and the silence. Luclin picked at a seed, trying to remove the shell.
“Do you think they'll bring us something to eat?” Baren asked.
“Do you?” Kalen asked, arching a brow at him. Baren sighed, head drooping a little. His ears sank as well. Baren, unlike Kalen and Luclin, was not human. He was one of the bardoni. He stood upright like a man, but had fur like a raccoon, a sharply pointed muzzle, and the characteristic mask over his curious brown eyes.
Shortly after the clock chimed again, there was a sound from the well.
“Did you hear that?” Baren asked, his ears pricking forward. He peered nervously down into the dark chasm. “It sounded like a plop.”
Kalen went over to the side, peering in as well. He could see only darkness. “Maybe Luclin dropped the ladle in?”
“I didn't!” Luclin protested, snatching up his spear. “Why are you blaming me?!”
“Because you had your spear against the stones. Maybe it knocked the ladle in!” Kalen shot back. “You're supposed to hang onto it. Captain Malaron was very specific about that!”
Baren dropped a pebble, listening to it splash into the water below. “Maybe it was nothing...”
“Let me try,” Luclin said. He hefted a rock the size of his fist up over the side. It bounced off the walls, careening thunderously into the darkness. Something down there grunted and cursed.
“THERE'S SOMEONE IN THE WELL!!!” Baren shouted. “There's someone in the well! What do we do?!”
Drop a BIGGER rock!
Drop a TORCH!
Run for help!
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Drop a torch...but...wouldn't it be better to hold the torch over the side to see?
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Drop a TORCH!
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If holding a torch was an option I'd say that, but as it is? Bigger rock.
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Run for help
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Run.
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Kalen stepped up to the well, torch in hand. “Quiet!” he hissed. “I'm trying to hear.”
Baren grew silent as a grave, shifting restlessly from left to right. The three of them all huddled around the well.
Kalen held the torch up, trying to get light deep enough to see what had made the noise. He was certain he had heard it. Certain.
“I don't see anything,” Luclin muttered.
“Shhh” Kalen said, craning his neck. He dropped the torch, listening to the flames roar like a flag whipped taut by the wind. A ring of light surrounded the torch all the way down. Briefly he saw several pairs of bright red eyes. They were moving up the well.
“Run for help!” Kalen commanded. To his surprise it was Luclin, not Baren that first seized this opportunity and bolted away, spear forgotten.
The Haldoren surged up out of the darkness, quickly surrounding the two remaining watchmen. Baren and Kalen stood alone in a ring of snaky Haldoren. They had pale green skin on beefy humanoid frames that gave way to long, serpentine bodies around the waist.
Kalen's mind reeled. He needed a plan...
NO VOTING THIS TIME! OFFER A PLAN.
I'll be selecting a plan at RANDOM. Number your entries. I'll roll in the chat when I get back from dinner.
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GET REINFORCEMENTS
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2
Have Kalen make a distraction while Baren darts for the nearest narrow passageway. As a raccoonish person he's probably adept at squeezing through barriers, and should be able to get away and go for help. If Kalen is lucky he can get away while the Haldoren are busy trying to catch Baren, too!
As for the kind of distraction, well... maybe that dropped spear can be useful. Back towards the Haldoren nearest it, as if Kalen wasn't aware of the Haldoren at all, then charge it and try to make it step on the spearhead. If they have boots, maybe go for the fake negotiations or 'if you get near me I'll scream' ploys. Best case scenario: everyone is temporarily free. Worst case: they're really no worse off than they were, unless Baren gets hurt trying to escape, and the noise might bring help.
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3
Stall for time. "Now look here, guys, see you're looking for the east well. Much better tactical advantage, the east well. What you'll want to do is hop back in and hang a left at the first drainpipe..."
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4.
I think the proper response is to shout, "Snakes in the Water" to the tune of https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUwEIt9ez7M (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUwEIt9ez7M), as loud as they can. Surely the nearest guard post will hear.
Following this, the remaining pair, should search for environmental factors to their advantage. Grab that pot of lantern oil, toss it to the snakes, toss the one remaining torch to it, and run! Barring this, I feel, should make a rush to break through the surrounding ring of snake people. Notably, assuming the size of the well was not massive, the number of snakes emerging should not be enough to stop them if they act quickly, particularly given the snakes certainly cannot match their speak in running if they have to slither along. Using their spears/swords, if necessary, they should make a rush to break through the weakest looking part of the snake-ring and then make a run to the nearest source of reinforcements.
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Rolled a 3! Probably get back to this later tonight. Tomorrow at latest. Sorry for the delay! A few things came up.
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TOMORROW IS NOT FIVE DAYS
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I know @_@ I sort of got drafted into a few things. Essentially I thought I would be idle in the hotel. In reality I ended up working til 1 AM four nights in a row. Just got back home and found relatives waiting for me at my apartment @_@ CYOA resumes later today. Going to switch to a once a day schedule. Bigger, longer posts, more sustainable.