The Eye Shield - Issue 29

ADVENTURE TIME

It's Autumn 1990, and you're about to take another trip through the Knightmare Dungeon. Keep your wits about you and remain true to the Code of Chivalry and you may go far.

Treguard welcomes you to another quest through the Dungeon. As you have no advisors to aid you on this quest, he does not blindfold you to the way ahead.

"Be warned, young adventurer, that very little here is as it was before," Treguard says to you. "However, if you are pure of heart and sharp of mind then you may yet be able to match the Dungeon's reflexes. Now, face the Dungeon door and step boldly forwards."

You are in a valley between two mountains. The path you are on leads out to a spinning wheel, and there is a choice of two paths from this. This is the Place of Choice, and you must here select the object of your quest. A symbol adorns each doorway - which of these quests do you wish to follow?

The Sword of Freedom: go to 22.

The Shield of Justice: go to 33.

Two of the goblins begin to snatch at the gold bar and a fight ensues. The other two, however, are more interested in you. They soon overpower you and within moments you feel their little teeth biting into your flesh as you are pinned to the ground. Your adventure ends here.

"That's right" Mellisandre beams. "Well done."

"Alright, adventurer, fair's fair," Motley says. "Oakley's secret is that his tree is completely hollow - there are no holes in the trunk's bark, but there's nothing inside the old troll at all."

Go to 30.

"Ah, falsehood" Merlin laments. "I can't give you any magic, I'm afraid, but I wish you luck in your quest. Farewell."

Go to 10.

"Jolly decent of you" Gundrada thanks you heartily as she takes the precious metal. "Well, now that I've seen off those goblins for you I'll be on my way. Good luck."

Gundrada runs off, presumably to continue her own quest. Well, that's that then. You pass on, empty-handed, to 49.

You emerge into the ruins of a cathedral. You could be forgiven for thinking that it is Castle Acre Priory near Swaffham, but in fact it is the ruins of Dungarth, once a proud palace of men and a sanctuary from the predators of the forest. The way into the cathedral is blocked by four goblins. These creatures are deadly if they catch you, but they dare not enter Dungarth. You'll be safe if you can get past them, but how will you do that?

If you hold up a key and run at them, go to 42.

If you blow a horn and run past them, go to 20.

If you offer them a bar of gold as a bribe, go to 2.

You release the prisoner. He stands up with a surprising lack of difficulty. As he pulls his hood off, flowing white hair spills out, framing the face of Merlin, the mighty wizard.

“Ah, thank you very much” Merlin smiles at you. “It really can get quite uncomfortable in those things, I can tell you. It's good to know that you have compassion inside you, adventurer, but if you wish to be successful in your quest you will need more in your repertoire than that. The path now takes you through Dunkley Wood, where a merciless guardian awaits you. I will give you a spell to defeat her, but first you must solve a riddle. Here it is. What runs but has no legs, and has a bed yet never rests?”

When you have an answer, go to 27.

Ariadne soon catches up with you and leaps onto your back. She pushes you over and pins you to the ground with her hard, leathery flesh. You will at least provide the spider with a hearty meal, but your adventure ends here.

You venture further into the woods, but have soon lost your way. You have strayed from the correct path, and will now be consumed by the forest's dark depths. You are at the mercy of the Wildwood, and goodness knows what ancient, evil creature will appear to bring about your end. Whatever the ultimate outcome, this adventure ends here.

You climb the steps and leave the room. You emerge onto another woodland path, where the trees are swaying in the light evening breeze. This is Dunkley Wood, a dangerous obstacle that will lead to the third level, assuming that you are well equipped. As you can hear wolves baying in the distance, you hurry on your way. Soon enough, you reach the seclusion of a clearing. The path from the clearing forks up ahead. As you deliberate over whether to turn left or right, Brother Mace enters the clearing and hails you loudly.

"Greetings, bold adventurer" the monk booms jovially. "What brings you to travel on such a dangerous path?"

You tell him of your quest, and ask if he can give you any advice about which way to turn.

"Such matters are not my forte, I'm afraid,” Brother Mace tells you. "But I do know that the path you must take to leave Dunkley Wood is a sinister one."

The monk wanders off, laughing merrily to himself. Well, he has given you scant advice, but you must still decide which path to choose.

If you go left, go to 38.

If you go right, go to 9.

Fatilla sneers at your offering, before doing just as he promised by blipping you and then blopping you. You collapse to the floor clutching your broken skull and your adventure ends here.

Lightning flashes and Hordriss crashes into the chamber. The look on his face is not heartening, to say the least.

"We made a bargain, adventurer,” Hordriss says accusingly. "And you did not honour it. Doubtless you planned to keep that statuette for yourself and try to discover the extent of its powers. I told you that I would not countenance treachery, and now you will pay the price!"

You start to protest your innocence, but Hordriss snuffs you out with a spell just like that. Perhaps you would have got away with something like this in two years' time, but right now Hordriss is just as likely to prove your foe as your ally. Your adventure ends here.

You are in a large yellow room. The only sight to be seen is Hordriss the Confuser, who is sitting at a table and writing in a large book.

If you approach Hordriss, go to 44.

If you leave the room without speaking to him, go to 28.

"Malefact! Malefact! Malefact!" you call.

Hordriss crashes into the chamber and strides up to you.

"Ah, you have kept our bargain" he says approvingly. "The statue, if you please."

You hand him the goblin statuette, which he accepts gratefully.

"I thank you" Hordriss bows. "And now I will keep my side of the agreement. We must be brief, however, for something most powerful is about this place and discretion demands one's absence. Your reward is called STORM. It may serve you well, but serve you only once. And now, one simply must fly."

The warlock flounces off. As he has taken the goblin statue, you may like to choose another object to replace it - the other items are a silver bar, a green gem and a spanner. When you have done this, go to 46.

The ferryman accepts your payment and punts you slowly across the moat. When you reach the castle, he motions for you to get out of the boat. You climb onto the bank and enter the Tower of Time through a small door in the stone wall. Welcome to level three. A flight of steps leads you back down into the Dungeon, where a circular clue room awaits you. You examine the table and find a green gem, a spanner, a bar of silver and an ugly little statue of a grinning creature. Decide which two of these you wish to take.

Now, if you are ready to leave the chamber, go to 31.

If you have other business to attend to first, go to 37.

Gundrada is very grateful to you for rescuing her. She picks up her sword, Slash, from the floor and hefts it before her.

"Thanks, adventurer" Gundrada gabbles at you. "As you've no doubt guessed, I'm Gundrada the sword mistress. I follow my own quest, but for as long as my path and your path lie together I'll keep the beasties off your back. Let's go."

You will find that Gundrada is now willing to accompany you on your quest, but she might well desert you if the going gets too tough or she gets bored. Go to 35.

Malice says nothing, but disappears with a wan smile. You are left to try your luck on the conveyer belt. When you have been trundling along for about fifteen minutes, you eventually realise that the corridor is endless. Looking around you, you see a hole in the floor to your right. If you can jam something in there, perhaps you can stop the conveyer belt. What will you use?

A goblin statue. Go to 41.

A spanner. Go to 24.

"How dare you?" Oakley roars. "Little Acorn is not illegitimate! You will pay for that slander, miscreant!"

Oakley extends his branches and pulls you slowly - painfully slowly - into his gaping maw. Your adventure ends here.

Fatilla accepts the gold without a word and waves you past with his club. Counting your blessings, you plunge down the well to 45.

The goblins are deafened and confused as you rocket past them. You soon find a way into the castle through a darkened door, and emerge into the wellway room. Unfortunately, Fatilla the Hun is waiting for you on the well steps.

"Hold it there, young dungy-thingy," Fatilla slurps unattractively at you. "Nobody gets by when Fatilla the Hun is on guard. Now, give us what you've got or first I will blip you and then I will blop you!"

If you offer him a key, go to 11.

If you offer him a bar of gold, go to 19.

"Aye, that's the one" Oakley intones. "You may pass, adventurer. The doors ahead are open, but not unguarded. Good fortune in the greenwood, but mind where you step."

Oakley's face disappears. You can now choose your two objects - out of the horn, the key and the gold - and pass on to 6.

The wheel wobbles a bit as you tentatively cross it, but you manage to reach the door with the Sword above it. Note the codeword ATTACK and then go to 13.

"Well, alright then" Gundrada agrees, handing you the gold. "I suppose that's fair. Well, now I've saved your life and paid you for your services, I'm going to get back to my own quest. Good luck."

Taking the gold with you, you pass on to 49.

The conveyer belt grinds to a halt. Fortunately, there is a small door to your right, through which you exit. You are now standing on a narrow bridge made of stone. As you begin to cross it, a large transparent image of Malice's head appears to your left.

"I will give you one more chance," Malice says threateningly. "You will be allowed to live if you now pledge yourself and your endeavours permanently to me alone. Do you so pledge?"

If you say yes, go to 50.

If you say no, go to 34.

"Sorry, that's not the correct answer" Mellisandre informs you. "You'll still have to face Oakley, though - you'll just have to guess his secret." Go to 30.

Malice screams with rage as a black storm cloud appears above her and strikes her with a bolt of lightning. She disappears, leaving behind her a shrill echo of her rage. You can now leave this chamber, victorious over your greatest foe.

If you have the codeword ATTACK, go to 48.

If you have the codeword DEFENCE, go to 29.

The correct answer is river. Because he is feeling charitable today, Merlin will also allow stream, brook, spring or water as answers.

If you answered correctly, go to 32.

If not, go to 4.

You leave Hordriss to his own devices and walk out of the room. It takes you into the Forest of Dunn, where the purple twilight leads you along an overgrown path. You eventually find yourself at a tumbledown building. As there is no way to skirt around it without straying from the path, you may wish to enter through the open door.

If you enter the building, go to 51.

If you want to try your luck in the woods, go to 9.

You are now in the final chamber. There is a goblin statue before you, which has a gleaming shield on its arm. As you retrieve the Shield of Justice, there is a tremendous explosion of light and you hear Merlin's voice booming through the chamber:

"Spellcasting: U-N-I-T-E."

You are back in the Great Hall of Knightmare. An excited Pickle runs up to take the Shield from you, as Treguard and Merlin congratulate you heartily on your victory.

"You have proven equal to the Knightmare challenge" Treguard commends you. "Walk from my halls as a champion of chivalry!"

Well done, but are you up to the rigors of series 5? Come back next issue to find out.

As Motley and Mellisandre seem to have nothing more to say to you, you leave the Crazed Heifer. Back in the woods, you come to a clearing where there is a large oak tree dominating the glade. There is also a small tree stump on which there are some objects: a key, a bar of gold and a horn. Before you can take any of them, a large and ancient face forms on the oak tree. You have met Oakley, the grumpy old tree troll.

"Leaf mould! It's a thief!" Oakley exclaims. "Stand still, thief. You may only pass this place by proving your intelligence. I have been standing here since time immemorial, but I have a secret that none may see or tell from my appearance. What is it?"

You must provide an answer to this, or Oakley will certainly destroy you. What will you say?

"You have an illegitimate son." Go to 18.

"You are frightened of squirrels." Go to 36.

"Your trunk is hollow." Go to 21.

If you have the codeword BARGAIN, go to 12.

If not, go to 46.

"Truth accepted" Merlin smiles. "Well done. As a reward, I gift you the spell HIBERNATE. Now, farewell."

Continue on your way to 10.

The wheel wobbles a bit as you tentatively cross it, but you manage to reach the door with the Shield above it. Note the codeword DEFENCE and then go to 13.

Malice causes the bridge beneath you to crumble and start to fall, so you have to run hurriedly to the exit. You now stand in another round blue chamber with a single exit. Before you have time even to think, Malice crashes into the room in a flash of lightning.

"Enough!" she roars. "I lose patience. Contrary to your beliefs, this is not a game. You thwart me, and so I destroy you!"

You must act quickly now or Malice will do as she says. Do you have the magic you need to defeat her?

If you can cast the STORM spell, go to 26.

If you do not have this spell, Malice burns you to a crisp with her evil magic and your adventure ends here.

As you leave the chamber, the goblin horn sounds again. You hurry up a stairway into the level two clue room, where purplish light streams in through a small window to reveal a bar of gold on the table. Before you have time to grab it, four goblins come scurrying into the room.

If Gundrada is still with you, go to 52.

If you foolishly abandoned the sword mistress, you are defenceless against the goblins' attack. Perhaps next time you will show more compassion to those in need, but this adventure ends here.

"How dare you?" Oakley roars. "To think that I would be afraid of a stupid rodent - the thought is preposterous! You will pay for that slander, miscreant!"

Oakley extends his branches and pulls you slowly - painfully slowly - into his gaping maw. Your adventure ends here.

If you have the codeword BARGAIN, go to 14.

If not, you must now leave the chamber. Go to 46.

The path brings you to another clearing, but this one is ominously dominated by a large spider web that hangs between the trees. There is a portal visible about one hundred metres away from you. As you start to sprint towards it, the horrifically enormous body of Ariadne, the giant tarantula, scuttles speedily into the clearing behind you. You have no chance of reaching the door before she catches up with you, so let's just hope you have the weapon you need to defeat Ariadne.

If you can cast the HIBERNATE spell, go to 43.

If you do not have this spell, go to 8.

"Very well" Hordriss nods with a flicker of a smile. "Call me when you have the statuette. My calling name is Malefact; call three times and I will appear. And don't forget to remain true to your promise, for one cannot countenance treachery."

Note the codeword BARGAIN and then go to 28.

"You must be joking!" Gundrada laughs. "You'd be in pieces within minutes. Look, I've repaid my debt to you, so now I'm off. See you."

Gundrada takes the gold and runs off, presumably to continue her own quest. Well, that's that then. You pass on, empty-handed, to 49.

The conveyer belt does not stop moving. To make matters worse, a circular buzzsaw blade comes whirring down the tunnel towards you. You manage to avoid it, but you cannot possibly hope to keep it up forever. Your adventure ends here.

The goblins swarm around you and within moments you feel their little teeth biting into your flesh as you are pinned to the ground. Your adventure ends here.

The magic causes Ariadne to drop immediately to the forest floor and sleep soundly. You do not wish to hang around any longer, even if your adversary is hibernating, so you run to the exit. You emerge onto the banks of a wide moat that leads over to a colossal fortress. This is the Dunswater, and it bars your way to the Tower of Time, the gateway to level three. A cowled ferryman waits in a rowing boat and calls out to you gruffly.

"Deep is the Dunswater, and cold," the ferryman states. "The fare for the crossing is silver or gold."

If you have a bar of gold, go to 15.

If, however, you cannot pay for your ride, you are forced to remain in Dunkley Wood forever, where your likely fate is far too horrible to describe. Your adventure ends here.

"Ah, at last" Hordriss says approvingly as he sees you approaching him. "Please, sit down."

You sit on a stool opposite the warlock. He continues writing for a few seconds before looking at you with an amused expression.

"Well, adventurer, you needn't bother to explain yourself - one is fully aware why you are here" Hordriss is at pains to assure you. "But if you wish to reach level three and redeem something, you don't stand much chance without my help. But then, of course, one does desire something in return. Upon the path which you follow lies a small goblin statuette. It is not the prettiest of items, but it should prove most useful for a certain spell one has in mind. If you agree to redeem this artefact for me, I will reward you with magic. Well, do you accept my pact?''

If you agree, go to 39.

If you decline, go to 28.

You are in a room with four windows and a door to your left. Gundrada the sword mistress is here, trapped in a set of head-and-hands stocks. As she waves to you, a hunting horn blares through the room.

"I say!" Gundrada yells. "You over there! Are you just going to stand there and watch me suffer? Let me out of here and I'll help you in your quest."

She nods towards a sword that is lying by her side.

"How will you help me?" you ask her suspiciously.

"With old Slash there, of course" Gundrada answers as if you are a simpleton. "Undo the catch on this thing and I'll come along with you, and chop off any heads that want chopping! What say, bargain?"

If you agree to this, go to 16.

If you leave Gundrada where she is, go to 35.

You are in another circular blue room. This one leads into a corridor that has a conveyer belt for a floor, and it appears to be the only way out. As you approach the belt, a large transparent image of Malice appears before you.

"Welcome, dungeoneer" Malice says insincerely. "Welcome to my kingdom, for Malice is now the undisputed queen of the lower level. Only my subjects can progress beyond this point. You do, of course, wish to become one of my subjects?"

This sorceress has you at something of a disadvantage, and you will have to reply to her in some way.

If you say yes, go to 50.

If you say no, go to 17.

"Sorry, that's not the correct answer" Mellisandre informs you. "You'll still have to face Oakley, though - you'll just have to guess his secret."

Go to 30.

You are now in the final chamber. There is a goblin statue before you, which has a jewelled broadsword clasped in its grip. As you retrieve the Sword of Freedom, there is a tremendous explosion of light and you hear Merlin's voice booming through the chamber:

"Spellcasting: U-N-I-T-E."

You are back in the Great Hall of Knightmare. An excited Pickle runs up to take the Sword from you, as Treguard and Merlin congratulate you heartily on your victory.

"You have proven equal to the Knightmare challenge" Treguard commends you. "Walk from my halls as a champion of chivalry!"

Well done, but are you up to the rigors of series 5? Come back next issue to find out.

You are in a pink room with a barred well in the centre and a small staircase leading to a door. In a set of feet stocks sits a forlorn-looking figure in a brown sackcloth robe. Although his face is completely covered, he seems to be aware of your presence.

"Have pity" the stranger implores you. "Pity a poor prisoner unjustly held. Help me!"

Is this some evil monster in disguise, or are his pleas genuine? Dare you risk the continuation of your quest to help this robed stranger?

If you release the prisoner, go to 7.

If you would rather not risk it, go to 10.

"Very well" Malice agrees amicably. "Your first directive is to die!"

She fries you with a spell and your adventure ends here.

You enter the building. Once inside, you realise that it is the Crazed Heifer Inn. As you begin to push your way through the drunken crowds of woodland-dwellers, you are approached by Motley and Mellisandre.

"Hello, traveller" Mellie says pleasantly. "Please, take a seat."

You allow Mellie to sit you down at a table. While she prepares some bread and ale for you, Motley speaks to you.

"I suppose you're one of those travellers who comes in here penniless, aren't you?" Motley sniffs. "Well, it's bad for business, but the landlord is no friend to me anyway. But listen, adventurer - if you can prove your worth, I might just tell you Oakley's secret."

"Ooh, are we setting a challenge, Motley?" Mellisandre asks eagerly.

"Yeah, but I'll ask the question, thank you" Motley glares. "Now, erm, let me think for a minute..."

"Spear-scarred and weary of war" Mellisandre cuts in. "And no balms could heal these wounds."

Motley glares at Mellisandre, but joins her in looking at you expectantly for an answer. Well, what will you say?

Sword. Go to 25.

Shield. Go to 3.

Warrior. Go to 47.

"Oh good, goblins!" Gundrada cries with relish. "Just the sort of exercise a girl needs. Don't worry, dungeoneer - I'll soon see to them."

Gundrada uses her blade to drive the nasty critters away. Then her gaze falls on the gold bar.

"Ooh, gold!" Gundrada exclaims. "I'll have that, if you've no objections."

If you allow Gundrada to take the gold, go to 5.

If you offer to fight her for it, go to 40.

If you tell her that she should present it to you as a reward for rescuing her, go to 23.