You are thankful for the young Goblin's offer. After all, who knows what lies in the caves beyond . . .well, hopefully Brisby does since he is going to be your guide.
You climb into a rowboat and Brisby hops in after you, sitting comfortably on the prow.
"If you push out into the middle of the lake the current will catch you and you will only have to row on the way back," he explains. You obey and are soon floating at a gentle pace down the length of the lake.
The light from the Goblin torches bounces off the crystals on the walls and ceiling and shimmers on the lake. The water is clear of sediment and you can see right down to the bottom which looks like mirrored glass. Eyeless fish dart about or lazily rest in the shadows of the glassy pillars.
At the end of the great chamber the water of the lake slips out into a narrow passage and flows rapidly. You pull in your oars and sit back for the ride. The water is still clear but the crystals are fewer and farther between and soon the only light is from your torch.
"This is the Crystal River," Brisby explains. "Of course we have just left the Crystal Lake. At the end of this river we have the Crystal Waterfall followed by the Crystal Caves . . ."
You are starting to see a pattern to the tourist attractions of the underworld.
Up ahead the water swirls into a slow moving eddy and you find yourself circling in place.
"This is strange," Brisby mutters. "There isn't usually a circular current here. I wonder. . ." He gazes thoughtfully into the water.
You take up your oars to push yourself out of the whirl pool but notice something sliding towards you over the water.
"Hey, Brisby," you say, "what is that?"
Brisby looks over and his eyes grow wide.
"By the Crystals!" he shrieks. "It's a Grootslang! Row for your life! Row for my life! Just row!"
The Grootslang rears its ugly head out of the water and you find yourself gazing at a grotesque beast with the head of a shriveled elephant and glowing red eyes planted atop a muscular serpentine neck. Dangling from the tip of its truck is a golden circlet studded with gems. It snarls at you making a sound that is a mix between an elephant's trumpet and a snake's hiss. The water about its massive body bubbles.
It disappears below the water then shoots forward like a torpedo leaving a visible wake. Its head slams into the side of your boat and the vessels shudders then cracks in two. The monster grabs the shrieking Brisby about the waist with its trunk and starts to swim swiftly down stream.
Do you pursue the beast to rescue Brisby on your own?
or
Do you fight your way back up current to get help?
You climb into a rowboat and Brisby hops in after you, sitting comfortably on the prow.
"If you push out into the middle of the lake the current will catch you and you will only have to row on the way back," he explains. You obey and are soon floating at a gentle pace down the length of the lake.
The light from the Goblin torches bounces off the crystals on the walls and ceiling and shimmers on the lake. The water is clear of sediment and you can see right down to the bottom which looks like mirrored glass. Eyeless fish dart about or lazily rest in the shadows of the glassy pillars.
At the end of the great chamber the water of the lake slips out into a narrow passage and flows rapidly. You pull in your oars and sit back for the ride. The water is still clear but the crystals are fewer and farther between and soon the only light is from your torch.
"This is the Crystal River," Brisby explains. "Of course we have just left the Crystal Lake. At the end of this river we have the Crystal Waterfall followed by the Crystal Caves . . ."
You are starting to see a pattern to the tourist attractions of the underworld.
Up ahead the water swirls into a slow moving eddy and you find yourself circling in place.
"This is strange," Brisby mutters. "There isn't usually a circular current here. I wonder. . ." He gazes thoughtfully into the water.
You take up your oars to push yourself out of the whirl pool but notice something sliding towards you over the water.
"Hey, Brisby," you say, "what is that?"
Brisby looks over and his eyes grow wide.
"By the Crystals!" he shrieks. "It's a Grootslang! Row for your life! Row for my life! Just row!"
The Grootslang rears its ugly head out of the water and you find yourself gazing at a grotesque beast with the head of a shriveled elephant and glowing red eyes planted atop a muscular serpentine neck. Dangling from the tip of its truck is a golden circlet studded with gems. It snarls at you making a sound that is a mix between an elephant's trumpet and a snake's hiss. The water about its massive body bubbles.
It disappears below the water then shoots forward like a torpedo leaving a visible wake. Its head slams into the side of your boat and the vessels shudders then cracks in two. The monster grabs the shrieking Brisby about the waist with its trunk and starts to swim swiftly down stream.
Do you pursue the beast to rescue Brisby on your own?
or
Do you fight your way back up current to get help?
No comments:
Post a Comment