| You are in Cave #8.
But this time you're relaxed, tanned, and ready.
"WHO GOES THERE?" a voice bellows. You take out the crossbow you got from the dead knight, pull back the drawstring, and cock it. Saucer-sized eyes open. Sparks snort from the nostrils. The dragon puts down its copy of Reader's Digestion and stalks toward you. You take out the golden arrow and slip it into the crossbow notch. "ANOTHER LITTLE KNIGHT!" The dragon bellows out a chuckle that shakes pieces of dirt from the cave walls. "PREPARE FOR YOUR END, LITTLE KNIGHT! NOTHING CAN PROTECT YOU NOW! YOU ARE HOPELESSLY DOOMED!" You rest the crossbow stock against your shoulder and wrap your fingers around the trigger. You take careful aim. The dragon opens its jaws wide and lunges toward you. You pull the trigger. The arrow streaks across the cave and strikes the dragon in the chest, embedding up to the tail feathers. The dragon halts, looks down at it -- and starts laughing again. "FOOLISH KNIGHT! DID YOU REALLY THINK A MERE PUNY GOLDEN ARROW COULD STO -- STO -- STO -- WHOA, I STAND CORRECTED!" And then he falls over, dead. "ALL TOO EASY," you say, in your best Darth-Vader imitation. You walk over and pull the arrow out of the dragon's chest. The dragon's eyes suddenly open once more. "You've got to leave the arrow in him," says a voice at your side. You look up. It's Sir Irving the Explainer. "Sir Irving! How did you get down here!" you ask. The dragon trembles -- which, for you, is about an 8.0 on the Richter scale. "Put -- the -- arrow -- backinthedragonNOW!!!!" "Oh. Uh, sure." You stick the arrow back all the way into the dragon. The dragon closes its eyes and slumps again. You turn back to Sir Irving. "Now, how about explaining -- " But Sir Irving isn't there anymore. On the ground is a scrap of parchment. It reads: "621." "Six Two One," you say. "Six Two One. Hmm, I wonder if that's a clue. Six Two One. Six Two One. Let's see, in numbers, that would be '621.' And if it's a clue, then I'd best try to remember it. Six Two One. Six Two One. I just hope I don't forget, otherwise it's Six of Two, One of another." You see a green door in front of you. No choices this time. |