ADVENTURE TIME

In this age of heroes, the score is Dungeon 9, Humans 4. However, that’s bound to change soon, as Toby enters the third level.

Toby is in a small cavern. There are two doors, and one is labelled Short Cut.

“Decisions to make already on this level, team,” Treguard remarks. “Will you stick to the path of truth, or risk all to take a quicker route?”

Toby hears his advisors discussing this prospect. He is rather worried that they want to take the short cut.

“Do you want to end up back on level one?” Toby asks his team impatiently. “Take me out of the other door, for goodness sake!”

The advisors do as they are told. A goblin horn sounds and four goblins scuttle into the cave, making straight for Toby. However, he is through the door before they can reach him. Next, Toby finds himself in a large cavern with one exit. Before him is the colossal shape of Owen, the earth dragon.

“Ah, now here’s a place where you must have your wits about you, team,” says Treguard. “This reptilian beast can give you great rewards if he so chooses, Toby, but first you’ll have to prove yourself.”

“Oh, hello,” Owen rumbles. “How nice to have another opportunity to talk to a human. My name’s Owen. What are you called?”

“I’m Toby, and I’m looking for the Talisman,” Toby replies.

“Then I suppose you’d like some dragon magic, would you?” Owen asks leadingly.

“Yes, please,” Toby obliges him.

“Then listen very carefully, all of you,” Owen advises. “Cold and wet, though sometimes dry; warm me up, away I’ll hie. What am I?”

The team talk about this for some time. Toby becomes increasingly anxious, so his team tell him what they think he should say. However, they would have been happier if they had discussed it a little further.

“Snow,” says Toby.

“Falsehood,” Owen sighs. “Your answer is so nearly correct, but I’m afraid the word I was looking for was ice, and no other. Consider this, Toby; you can have dry ice, but you can’t have dry snow, can you? I can’t give you any dragon magic, I’m afraid, but I wish you luck on your journey. Farewell.”

Feeling more than a little downhearted, the advisors direct Toby out. He emerges into Merlin’s vast level three chamber, where there is a glowing letter M on the table. Toby touches this, causing a large image of Merlin to appear.

“Congratulations on making it this far, Toby!” Merlin booms warmly. “You have survived much peril to reach this point, but I’m afraid there are still more challenges lying in wait for you. To help you cope with the most minor of these, I gift you a spell as a reward for your progress. Its name is ESCAPE. Now, step bravely onwards. It is a short path you tread now, but a dangerous one.”

Merlin disappears and then Toby is directed out. The next room is small and blue, and has a large vision of Mogdred’s head dominating it.

“Welcome to the third level, Toby,” Mogdred’s voice booms. “You have done passably well, but now you are doomed to failure. Unless, of course, you agree to pledge yourself to me, as I gave you the chance to do once before. Reconsider my offer, and you can be a winner! Well, will you pledge yourself to me?”

“We shouldn’t trust him,” says one advisor.

“But it might be the only way we can win,” demurs another.

“Perhaps we should use the spell,” suggests the third.

“No, Merlin said to use that on a minor peril,” disagrees the first. “We’re going to have to say something; I think you should say no, Toby.”

“No,” Toby says defiantly.

“Very well,” Mogdred sneers. “Then you are surely doomed to failure, like hundreds before you!”

Mogdred disappears to the sound of cackling laughter. The team’s morale is now waning, but they direct Toby out, straight into a room that is swarming with goblins!

“Danger, team, these creatures can be deadly!” Treguard exclaims. “Take action quickly, or your quest ends now!”

The goblins scuttle towards Toby with their weapons raised. The advisors decide that the time has come to use Merlin’s magic.

“Spellcasting:” says the spellcaster. “E-S-C-A-P-E.”

Just as the first rank of goblins reaches out for him, Tony is whisked away in a magical flash. He now stands in the stained-glass window room, where the symbol of the Talisman glows on the leftmost pathway.

“A very clear signpost, team, but you must press on now,” Treguard urges the team. “I sense that yet another evil power is close by.”

Toby is directed towards the correct path but, before he has taken more than a few steps down it, the stained-glass window dissolves into an enormous projection of a black-clad sorceress.

“Enough of this foolishness!” Morghanna declares regally. “Your mission has amused me so far, but now my curiosity is exhausted. I will not allow you to travel any further into the Dungeon, so I now bring an end to the quest!”

“Ooh, nasty,” Treguard grins sinisterly, as the advisors’ screen goes black. “I’m sorry to have to say this, team, because you did very well in the Dungeon, but you failed to gain the weapons you needed when it came to the crunch. Without dragon magic, you stood no chance against Morghanna, and now this quest is done. Spellcasting: D-I-S-M-I-S-S.”

Toby’s unfortunate end has increased the Dungeon’s lead to 10-4. Who will be next to take the challenge? Read the next Adventure Time to find out.