You press your body firmly against the back wall of the chamber and slowly make your way over to the entrance of the large passageway on the left.  Occasionally the campfire will flicker light in your general direction giving you pause, but the humunculi are totally unaware of your presence.  Eventually, you manage to make it to the passageway and it doesn't take long before you reach another chamber.  You are greatly disheartened by what you see up ahead. 

 

A larger than normal humunculus stands in the center of the fairly well lit chamber and judging from his tribal decor you figure he must be someone of rank.  The passageway continues at the other end of the chamber, but this creature blocks your path.  At the moment, he is looking off to the side and does not notice your presence.  You weigh your options.

You draw Your Bow And Try To Kill Him From A Distance Before He Realizes You're Here.

The room is too well lit to try and sneak past him and lunging forth at a superior foe with a short sword doesn't strike your fancy either.  You decide to get creative and pull out the bow that Brandolf gave you in the council before you left.  You ran a few practice shots before departing on this journey and you know you can at least hit a general target, though you'd be pretty hard pressed to achieve any kind of real accuracy.

 
The first shot whizzes past the creatures head and into a nearby pillar of rock.  His eyes go wide as he looks at the arrow then turns to look directly at you.  You immediately pull back another arrow and take aim knowing this shot is going to make or break destiny.  You aim for his chest as that is the broadest target available and the iron arrowhead may even reach his heart.  As he lunges forth you close your eyes and release...

 

You half expected you'd be dead by now but when you open your eyes you discover your arrow went through the creatures neck.  He is now on his knees bleeding profusely and clutching his throat.  Wasting no time, you finish him with your short sword, then dive into the darkest corner.  The three humunculi heard the ruckus and have come down from their campfire to see what the commotion was.  When they discover their fallen comrade, they go into a rage and start to look around.  You dig into the corner as much as you can and clutch your sword.  Two of the creatures move towards the unexplored passageway on the other side of the chamber while the third seems to be gravitating closer to your position.  You begin to wonder if you should strike him by surprise while you still can or hope you can try to remain undiscovered.

You strike Now While You Have The Chance!

Instinctively, you know you are going to be discovered if he gets any closer.  You aren't sure how you are going to go about escaping the other two, but you are gonna have to kill this one before it gets any closer.  Without warning you lunge forth and put your short sword through the creature's belly.  You were actually aiming for the heart and the creature moved so I guess that says something about your swordsman skill.  Nonetheless, it proved effective at killing the creature.  You waste no time at all in bolting back up to the original chamber with the campsite and the other two will round the corner any second.  You need to make a decision FAST! 

 
The large pathway (on the right wall as you enter) is now inexplicably barred but you can still run back outside the cave or down the passageway that was previously inaccessable due to their presence.  The adrenaline floods your body and your survival instincts take over.  You immediately decide to...

You run Down The Previously Inaccessable Passageway

You run down the passageway that you were previously unable to get to while the three humunculi were at the campfire.  Unfortunately, the humunculi have chosen the same path.  You aren't sure if it is because they saw you or because of bad luck, but they are not far behind you now.  You reach another chamber and find a large, demonic looking creature blocking your path.  Before you can even think about how to describe this thing you feel the humunculi grab you from behind and pull you to the ground.  They are about to stomp you to death when the demonic looking creature disintigrates them on the spot. 

 
"Nobody takes my prey in my domain.  Tell me little thing, what are you here to do?"

 
This thing looks like a large floating eye with multiple smaller eyes attached atop its head.  You realize this thing is a beholder and soon you find yourself paralyzed in its gaze.  That's what you get for staring into its eye I guess.

 
"Answer me puny one, why are you here in my domain?"

 
You are too terrified to answer, but this creature appears to grow irritated by your silence so you muster all the courage you've got and speak up

 
"I'm here to slay the Craxil" you proclaim, terrified of how this creature will respond to such a bold statement.

 
"HA!  Amusing little one, someone of your strength doesn't have what it takes but it would entertain me to see how you die in the Craxil's mountains.  Answer this riddle correctly, and I will permit you to continue through to the other side of my domain.  Answer incorrectly, and you will share the same fate as your pursuers.  Are you ready?"

 
"As ready as I'll ever be" you squeak.

 
"Very well!" it bellows, clearly enjoying every bit of this.  "I am a vast canyon that spans beyond sight.  I am without end and have been a part of every man whenever there is trouble.  What am I?"

You boundless Hope

"Indeed" the creature states.  "You are clearly in trouble right now as you are helpless in my domain, yet like the rest of your kind you retain hope of survival somehow.  I guess this means I'll have to let you through to the other side, but hear this:  once you reach the other side, I'll not permit you back in so this is a one way deal.  Get going."

 
You wanted to protest as you can't guarantee you won't need to come back here later in search of the Craxil but let's face it... you aren't willing to argue with this thing either.  Just stay focused on the goal and avoid unnecessary conflict with anything other than the Craxil.  You cross to the other side and a gate closes behind you.  The beholder gives you a look as if to say "good-bye", then turns and moves the other way.  You have no choice but to move foward from here.

You time To Move Forward

You are standing on a narrow plateau in the rugged mountainous region beyond your village.  Unlike the brownish/tan rockface you see near your village, the rocks in this region are more redish and vibrant looking.  You see a path leading forward and you decide to follow it.  On the plus side, you haven't encountered any hostile creatures so far.  You walk for at least a few miles and it appears to extend beyond your sight.  You curse at your luck and begin to slump into depression when you realize you don't even know where to fnd this Craxil thing in the first place.  You decide to build a campfire for the night, think things over, and gather some rest.  As you are doing so, a strange man lumbers out from behind a large rock and begins to beg you for help.

 
"Please, it won't take long.  My caravan was beset upon by foul creatures and I fear for my families safety.  You must help me!"

 
You pause.  It seems odd that a human would be up here in such a hostile region, let alone a caravan.  But this is definitely the face of a human and he shows no signs of hostility.

 
"Why are you up here anyway"? you ask. "The Craxil and his followers will kill anyone that wanders into their mountainous territory."

 
"We got lost trying to find our way to Jacquescrappe village, perhaps you've heard of it"?

 
"Yeah... I just came from there... but I don't think you want to go back that way, you won't get far."

 
"Look, I don't wish to be rude, but my family is in danger and I need your help NOW!"  

 
At this point, the man turns and runs down the path.  You call out to him to stop but he keeps going.  You aren't sure if you would be of much help to him in battle, but you aren't sure how you would feel about abandoning him like that either.  Time to decide...

You ignore The Man, There Is Something Fishy About That Fellow

You decide to just ignore the man as he runs on ahead.  Part of you feels like an absolute dickhead for doing this, but you sense there is something strange about how a human caravan is operating this far into the Craxil's lands in the first place.  And even if it is true, the man is physically stronger than you are so what kind of help do you honestly think you can provide in a situation that has him scared?  Most importantly of all... your gut tells you there is something fishy about that fellow and you think it best to let him run on ahead.

 
You wait until he is out of sight, then wait a while longer and continue your jouney.

 

As you continue on your journey you wonder if you made the right choice.  I mean, what if the man's family really was in danger and you could have made a difference?  Did you make the right call?  You console yourself by reminding yourself of the importance of your own mission and how you cannot afford to take unnecessary chances.  Just as you are having these thoughts, you discover the man who approached you earlier as well as four others standing in the middle of the beaten path with their heads down.  It looks like you aren't done with them after all...

You what Do They Want?

The man you just dismissed earlier is standing at the front of the pack.  You knew there was something off about that earlier request and seeing this display only reaffirms that you were right to avoid them in the first place.  They are all looking down at the ground but now he is looking up directly at you with a creepy smile on his face.  

 
"So, you saw through our little ambush scheme did you?"  he sneers.

 
"What is it you want?"

 
"Quite simply we're aware of your quest to reach the Craxil and we are not prepared to allow it."

 

At this point their heads begin to twist and contort and their skulls appear to come out of their mouths.  It is almost as though they were never human at all but part of some kind of disguise.  In fact, it is now readily apparent that this is the case.  You are now looking at five maniacal looking skeletons armed with an assortment of swords and hand axes.  They seem like they are eager to get things started and in fact, they are all rushing down the beaten path towards you.  You turn the other way until you can decide what to do and despite what you've been told about the undead, you discover they are perfectly capable of keeping pace with you.  

 
You know you aren't going to be able to take on five of these guys and they seem intent on sticking together during the pursuit.  To your left is another cave you've chosen to pass up on your journey, figuring it was just another humunculus den.  Perhaps, if you are lucky, you can lose your pursuers in there.  Alternatively, you could always try climbing the steep rockface off to your right.  You've had plenty of climbing experience as a kid and somehow you hope these skeletons won't be able to follow you.  You could also turn around and start unloading arrows into your enemies.  They may be keeping pace with you, but you still have a heck of a head start and you'd wager you could release quite a few before they catch up to you.  It's up to you...

You try To Lose Them In The Cave

The cave is dark, and dark is good given your need for evasion.  You dart forth into the cave hoping not to alert any inhabitants present inside.  You know you have a good headstart on your pursuers so you take the time to quietly move in and survey your surroundings.  Just inside the cave is a half eaten corpse (one of the villagers that was taken from the village a few weeks ago in fact).  The stench is overpowering but you persist down the next passageway and into a large chamber with a multitude of standing rocks.  Another passage off the left wall goes deeper in, but you choose instead to find a hiding place behind one of the standing rocks here.


 
For quite a while you wait, thinking the skeletal warriors that chased you are not going to be coming.  Just as you are about to stand up and leave you see them coming down the corridor.  They fan out and are now scoping out all the possible hiding spots in this room so it won't be long before they find yours.  You look back at the passageway on the left and notice that although they are not up, there are bars in the floor that can be raised to block the passage.  You can only hope that the lever on the wall controls this mechanism.  In a flash you jump up and run towards this passage.  You throw up the lever and step back.  The bars raise in time to stop the other four from getting in, but the lead one who tried to fool you earlier managed to get in before the bars raised and now brandishes his sword at you. 

 

In self defense you draw your own sword and prepare to thwart his advance.  He is fast and it takes all your concentration just to block his attacks from hitting you.  Given you are in a close range battle in a part of the cave that may or may not have other inhabitants, you don't really see much use in running.  You figure you are going to have to continue this fight with your sword but another item catches your eye.  Off to the side is a good size rock that would fit easily in the palm of your hand.  Given the opportunity you could try and bash the skeleton in the face with it.

You sword Fight

There is no time to try newfangled plans, you just need to survive.  You parry his most of its attacks but take several slashes.  Nothing major, but damn if it doesn't hurt and you are losing blood.  You manage to land a blow against his shoulder and it goes halfway through the bone, but that doesn't stop the skeleton from fighting.  In fact, before you can get your sword back out he lands a blow against your shoulder and it deals a lot more damage.  You struggle to keep up with your opponent but you are losing a lot of blood now and this monster is picking up the pace.  In desperation you suddenly drop any pretense of defense and lunge forth at your opponent.  You bring your sword down through several ribs but this does little to phase him and now you are wide open for the final blow.

 
Perhaps this would have gone better if you remembered that bladed weapons are only effective against enemies with flesh and blood.

 
THE END