For the next few days, you continue on the path, surviving on nothing but the supplies left in your bag.  You're almost out of Cheez-Its, so you'll have to find another village soon or you might starve.  No one comes after you, probably because you took out their leader.  No-one to give orders.  Still, you move quickly as you can, just in case they are still after you.


On the third night, you veer off the path a little to find a nice place to sleep.  You've given up on finding something even remotely comfortable, (as your aching back won't let you forget).  What you're really looking for is something concealed, so if anyone tries to find you, they'll just walk right past without noticing.  Tonight, you're lucky.  There's a shallow divot in the ground, just big enough for you to spend the night in.  All you've gotta do is cover it with leaves and sticks, and you're set.  


The sun hasn't even finished setting by the time you finish, so you sit on a nearby rock and pull out your last bag of Cheez-Its and stare at it.  If you eat them now, you'll go to bed hungry, but be hungry in the morning,  but if you wait, you're not sure you'll even be able to sleep due to the hunger pains.


The snapping of a twig behind you breaks you out of your thoughts.  You turn around, just as something, you're not sure what, slams right into you!  It sends you toppling off the rock and into the dirt on your back.  Before you even have the chance to comprehend what's happening, you find yourself staring into the eyes of a raggedy Oalkwardner, standing on your chest and pointing a spear at your throat.


"I wouldn't try to escape, if I were you."  The Oalkwardner says, "You may be strong, monster, but I'm certainly quick enough to drive this spear right through you before you have the chance to take a single swing at me."


"What the heck is this?"  You ask, a quaver in your voice.  "Where did you come from?"


"The King sent me after you."  The Oalkwardner says, "They call me Kralmer, I'm one of the greatest bounty hunter's this side of the water-pit."


"So you're a filthy mercenary!  You kill people for what... money?"  


Kralmer spits out of the side of his mouth.  "I'm not doing this for money!  The king's holding my family, said he'd only let them go if I took you to him.  It's nothing personal, I assure you."


"Well, that sucks,"  You say, "But isn't there another way, aside from, you know, killing me?"


"I wish,"  He sighs,  "But the king says bounty hunting is illegal.  That's why he took my family.  I was gonna be executed, but he said he'd grant us a pardon if I brought you to him.  Filthy rat won't follow his own rules.  Anyway, really sorry about this.  I heard what you did back in Arrorn.  Heck, I'd join you if I could.  But I've got my family to think of.  I'll try to make your death swift."  With that, he raises his spear to deliver a killing blow.


"Wait!"  You cry.


"What?"  Kralmer says, sounding impatient,  "Look, I don't like this any more than you do, so may as well get it over with."

You say "What if we figure out a way to get your family back without me dying?"

Kralmer lowers his spear ever so slightly.  "What, you got some kind of master plan that'll get the king outta the way?"


"Well..." you say slowly, your mind racing.  You've got a half formulated idea already, if only you had more time to think...  "Don't you get an audience with the king or something?  To show him my dead body?"


He thinks for a moment.  "I suppose, but if you're thinking of trying anything, you best be aware that the king is heavily guarded.  And he wears this enchanted armor, made by his dark sorcerer, Maeldral.  While it's on, he's practically immortal!  That's why no-ones ever, you know, killed him before!"


"But it must have some kind of weakness, don't you think?"


"I dunno... his Maeldral might have something in his notes or something, but I have no idea where he'd keep something like that.  I mean, that's really dangerous knowledge.  I'm sorry, but I have to kill you."


He raises his spear once more, ears drooping.


"But I'm super strong, remember?"  You say, "At least compared to you guys.  If we find a way in, I can take out the guards.  I took out fifteen or so of the king's men just the other day in Arrorn.  Then you won't have to kill me, because your family will be safe!  I could go after the king by myself, if you don't want to get tangled up in all this."  


He seems to think it over for a moment.  Then, he sighs and steps off your chest.  


"Stand, monster..."  Kralmer says, "I'll accept your terms on the condition that we break my family out before anything else.  And after that, you're on your own.  I have my family to think of."  He's quiet for a moment.  "You're lucky the king has a reputation for making bad deals.  I'm not the first to be roped into something like this by that soggy bag of water, and from what I've heard, he doesn't always follow through.  I certainly hope you're more honorable than he is.  Now, let's find a better spot to camp."

You to the palace!

Thankfully, Kralmer has enough food for the both of you, so you go to bed with a full stomach.  But you just can't get to sleep.  After a half hour of tossing and turning in the dirt, you sit up and take inventory of your supplies, (for lack of anything better to do).  It's then that you remember the strange disk you found on the night you first woke up in the woods.  You must've forgotten about it after seeing the kidnapping.  It's been in your bag this whole time, waiting to be rediscovered.


You take it out and examine it.  Something about it tugs at your memory, but you just can't place it.  For a while you stare at the screen, flashing "insufficient power," over and over in red.  Tapping at the screen does nothing, and there are no other buttons to speak of.  On the other side is some kind of clear plastic tank, with a little bit of green fluid sloshing about inside.  You can't make heads or tails of it.  Soon, you're fast asleep, the disk resting on your chest...


 

Your dreams that night are filled with visions of the disk.  You see yourself putting it together, building it, tweaking it.  It's the most important thing you've ever created, more important than your family, your friends, the outside world.  The disk consumes your entire life, you work on it day and night.  And then, one day, there's no more work to be done.  You fill the tank with the green liquid, harvested from the core of a meteorite, tap the screen a few times, and suddenly find yourself surrounded by a brilliant, violet light...


 

"Wake up, monster!"  


You open your eyes to the sight of Kralmer's wrinkly face.  


"Eat something, we've got a long trek ahead of us."  he pushes a bowl of black goop into your hands and walks a few paces away as you attempt to choke it down.  


"So,"  he says as you finish,  "You're still here."


"Yup,"  you say, running your tongue over your teeth to get the last little bits of your breakfast off.  


"You really are honorable then...  I suppose I should call you something other than 'Monster.'  What are you anyway?"


"I'm a human,"  you say.


"Good to know, human,"  Kralmer grins,  "Now, like I said, we've got a long ways to go, so let's get going."


 

For the next two days you walk on, stopping only to sleep.  


On the evening of the second day, Kralmer says "Look! It's just over this hill," and dashes ahead.  You follow, quick as you can.  When you crest the hill, you can just see the outline of some sort of fortress, sitting on a hilltop on the horizon.  


"We ought to make camp a little ways off the trail, and soon."  Kralmer says,  "Just in case some of the King's guard happen to pass."


You follow him off the trail and into a nearby thicket.  For a good ten minutes, you push through the brush, covering yourself in all sorts of scratches.  Finally, you come to a clear spot, right at the heart of the thorn bushes.


"There," Kralmer says,  "No way they'll think to look here.  Now, we'd better come up with some kind of plan before we get any closer."


"Do you know if there are any secret entrances?"  You ask.


"The only way in, so far as I know, besides the front gate would be through the moat.  It runs right through the dungeon, so the king can drown his subjects in it."


"Great!"  you say,  "We'll swim in that way!"  


"Swim?"  Kralmer asks,  "What does 'swim' mean?"  


"You've never heard of swimming?"  You ask,  "You know, where you paddle to stay afloat in the water?"


"Human, you are far more powerful than I ever could've imagined,"  Kralmer is clearly awed,  "We Oalkwardners cannot touch the water.  If we soak in it, it seeps into our skin, making it weaker and weaker, until it simply dissolves into mush.  I imagine it's a horribly painful way to go, hence why our lovely, benevolent King uses it to dispose of anyone who so much as looks at him funny."


"My word!  That's why I never found any sort of well in the village!  I had to suck the moisture out of mud to survive!   What do you do when it rains?"


"I've heard of this 'rain,' you speak of.  Thankfully, such a calamity has yet to befall this land."


"But what about all these trees and plants?  How can they grow without water?"


"I don't know what you mean!"  Kralmer says,  "All plants need is a little sunshine and they'll grow just fine.  But we're getting off topic.  The best way to get into the palace may just be for you to sneak in through the moat."


"But what about you?  How will you get inside?  What about your family?"


"I... don't know.  But the moat could be our best shot.  You may have to go in without me."


"You trust me that much?"


"I trust you more than I trust the King, I'll say that much.  There'll be no-one to guide my family out of the dungeon, should you decide to go after the King.  If you feel the need, you can disregard my earlier request for them to be let out first.  Should you manage to take the fortress, you'll then be able to set them free."


"Alright..."  you agree, "I'll do it."  


"Great."  Kralmer says, "We'll think of some kind of meeting point.  I really appreciate this, Human.  You are quite possibly the most courageous creature I've ever met."


"You're welcome,"  you say.


After a moment of silence, Kralmer says,  "Well, we'd better make camp.  I have a feeling it's gonna be a long day tomorrow."


"You and me both,"  you murmur, as you stand up to start getting the camp ready.

The moat

You reach the fortress at about noon the next day.  It's really not much of a castle.  Instead of stone, like you would expect, it's made completely out of wood, with a few rickety looking towers poking up from behind the wall. Once you're only about a hundred feet off from the moat, Kralmer stops you.


"Send my family out this way, when you get out." He points at a spot where the moat goes under the wood.  "You see where the water crosses under the wall?"


"Yeah?"


"That should take you into the dungeon."


You don't say anything.  This is all happening so fast, you're not sure you're ready.


"Thanks again, human."  Kralmer says, "Whatever happens, I'll make sure your legacy lives on."


"Right," you say, "Thanks."


There's no point in stalling, so you start running towards the moat, fast as you can, so no one sees you.  Once you reach the edge, you don't hesitate to dive right it.


The water is warmer than you expected, and murky.  It's hard to stay afloat with a backpack on, but you still manage to keep your head above the water.  Luckily, it doesn't seem to be flowing in any particular direction, so you have no trouble with current.  You swim for the opening Kralmer pointed out and duck under it.  Suddenly, the sunlight from above is gone.  You're in a sort of dirt tunnel, with just enough space at the top for you to breathe.  It's fairly short, and before you know it, the river opens up into a sort of pool at the edge of a huge underground room.


You swim to the edge of the pool, out of breath.  Are you really this out of shape?  For a moment you sit on your hands and knees, panting.  Then, you look up and get a good look at the wall on the other side of the room.  You suck in your breath.  It's lined with cages, set into the wall, dirty and disheveled Oalkwardner eyes staring out at you from behind wooden... well, they're not exactly bars...  more like fat wooden sticks.


It looks like this part of the fortress is built into the hillside, as half of the walls are wood, and the other half, dirt, hard packed.  


Thankfully, there are no guards down here, at least not right now.  You need to decide if you're going to free the prisoners now, or wait until after the king is dead.

You go after the king first

"I'll be back for you all later,"  you say, as loud as you dare.  


There's an opening in the wall with a spiral staircase going up, so you head through it.  At the top of the stairs is a wooden door.  You can hear voices from the other side, probably guards.  Quietly, you turn the handle and push it open.  Two guards stand on the other side, their backs to you.  They don't notice you, because they just keep chatting about the weather.  You creep closer, and closer, and then you put a hand over each of their mouths and drag them back through the door before they even realize you're there!


They struggle in your grip, but their flailing is no match for your strength.  You carry them downstairs, still covering their mouths, and toss them into the nearest empty cell.  You steal the keys off their belt while you're at it, and lock them inside.  


"What's going on?"  one of them cries.


"What the heck are you?"  Asks the other.


"Shut up, both of you!"  You say,  "I need to know where the Dark Sorcerer lives."


"Why would we tell you that?  You're kidnapping us!"  the first guard says,


"Because if you don't, you die!"  You say, slamming your fist against the bars.  


"I'm not talking."  The first guard says, crossing his arms.


"Well, I am!"  The Second one says, trembling,  "He's in the tower opposite us, at the very top!"


"What the heck is wrong with you?"  The first guard says, "If you tell it that, you're breaking your sacred oath to protect the king!"


"I'd rather stay alive, thank you very much!"


"Shut up, or I'll kill you both!"  You say, feeling a little guilty.  (Threatening lives isn't exactly the most fun thing in the world).


They go quiet after that.  There's no way to know how long they'll stay quiet though, so you'd better be quick.  You head back up the stairs and slip out the door.  Luckily, the courtyard isn't all that crowded, but there are still a few Oalkwardners milling about here and there.  


A line of bushes sits in the shadow of the wall, wrapping all the way around, so you crouch behind it to avoid being seen.  As fast as you can, you crawl around the perimeter until you reach the tower the guards were talking about. There's no-one there to guard the door, it's almost too easy.  Quickly, you slip inside and find yourself staring at yet another spiral staircase.  


You take the stairs four at a time, as they're smaller than stairs for humans.  The tower has multiple levels, with rooms branching off on each one, but you don't stop to look in any of them until you reach the very top.  The stairway ends in a trapdoor. You press your ear up against it, but hear nothing. Pushing on the door reveals that it's locked, with the same type of wooden lock that was on the cells in the dungeon.  For a moment, you panic. What are you going to do if you can't get in? It would be a defeat on the whole purpose of this mission!


Then, you remember that you stole the keys off the guards you trapped in the dungeon.  Checking over your shoulder to make sure no one's coming, you pull out the wooden key ring and try each one of them on the lock.  The key slides in on the fourth try, and the door swings open freely to reveal something like a cross between a bedroom and a laboratory.  One side of the room has a big table full of all kinds of odds and ends, different materials and chemicals. The other side has a bedroll, woven from grass and stuffed with... well, more grass.  


You start looking around for anything that looks like it might do away with magic armor.  You look through the contents of the table first, but don't find anything remotely useful. (Though, there is a cage of yellow rats on one corner, which is quite entertaining to look at).  You're about to turn elsewhere when you spy something else. Hidden behind a stack of books is a bowl of a strange green substance, glowing slightly in the dim light.  


This is the same fluid that's in the back of the disk you found in the forest when you first woke up!  You pull it out of your backpack to confirm.  Maybe, if you refill the tank on the back, it'll work properly again, and you can find out more about what it does.

You fill up the tank and see what happens

You pull the disk out of your bag and examine the tank on the back.  There's a little cap you can take off to open it. It comes off in two twists, and you fill it with the goo from the bowl.  As you screw the cap back on, a little beep sounds. You flip the disk over and find that the display at the front has changed.  


"Power Restored."  It flashes, "Ready for dimensional rift generation.  Please set coordinates or choose a preset."    


Two options appear on the screen, one reads, "set new preset"  and the other simply says, "home."


For a moment, you forget all about your mission.  This thing can send you home? Impulsively, you tap the button, and a message pops up.


"Warning:  Dimensional travel may disrupt certain brain functions, including cognition, memory, and vision.  Continue at your own risk."


You hesitate, but curiosity gets the better of you and you push "Continue" on the screen.  


It'll just be a short trip, you tell yourself.  Just to jog your memory a little, then you'll come right back.  A violet light envelops you, burning your skin. You shut your eyes as it becomes too intense to look at.  It's like you're spinning, being stretched in fifteen different directions at once. That's about the point at which you lose consciousness.  


 

The pain is the first thing you notice.  It feels as though someone's poured an entire vat of hot coffee over your entire body.  Somehow, you get the sense that you've been asleep a lot longer than normal.  You open your eyes to an overcast, gray sky.  You're laying on the lawn of someone's house, in the middle of a quiet suburb.  You sit up and look around.  There's a backpack a few feet away, with a strange disk beside it.  How the heck did you get here?  You try to remember, but find that you simply cannot.  If you really concentrate, you can just remember a strange violet light...