INTERACTIVE STORY
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[SUMMARY:
I thought I'd better put in a 'brief' summary of what's going on in case anyone has lost track (easily done - this story has become extremely complex).
(1) At the end of series 4, there was a stand-off between Merlin and Mogdred, resulting in Merlin locking Mogdred and himself away in a kind of temporal hole to prevent them manifesting in the next phase of the dungeon.
(2) A few years later, at the end of series 8, Pickle, Majida and Kully found this temporal hole in the form of a locked room. Curiosity got the better of them. They managed to open it, and unwittingly released them. Since two characters from one phase of the dungeon had manifested in another, the dungeon malfunctioned. The result was that all the various incarnations of the dungeon, together with their characters merged.
(3) As a result of this, Morghana phased back too. She was quite old, however (not physically apparant - she masked it with her powers) and decided to search for a replacement body. She decided to use Sidriss (who turns out to be her daughter - which means she was at one time involved with Hordriss, which explains why Hordriss was a lot meaner in earlier series).
(4) After possessing Sidriss, Morghana decided to take over the dungeon. She found Lord Fear and drained him of his powers (succeeding because Lord Fear saw Sidriss, and thought he didn't need to protect himself).
(5) At this point, Treguard decides to enter the dungeon to help, guided by Pickle, Majida and Kully. He meets up with a powerless Lord Fear and teams up with him.
(6) Mogdred breaks into Treguard's antechamber, causing Pickle, Majida and Kully to flee into the dungeon.
(7) After an encounter with Mogdred, Treguard discovers that he has lost the Helmet of Justice, meaning that he is at real risk from the dungeon (seeing is believing, after all).
(8) Treguard meets up with a crowd of other characters and they decide to split up to search for Sidriss's soul (ejected from her body when Morghana possessed it).
(9) Level Two starts to disintegrate (a symptom of the malfunctioning dungeon). Grimaldine is a victim of this.
(10) Treguard et al manage to find Sidriss's soul and use BAG spell to capture it. As this happens, they are being monitored by Aesandre, Maldame and Greystagg. They have joined forces in order to destroy Fear (who is, of course, at a disadvantage). Having read the bones, they have seen the future. They know that Pickle, Majida and Kully will save Lord Fear, so they strive to make it as difficult as possible for them to succeed.
(11) Motley and Folly (with a distinctive creative tension between them!) are captured by goblins (or so they think). Actually, they need their help and form an alliance. They go to Dunkley Wood, where Pickle, Majida and Kully have been deposited by the witches in an attempt to get rid of them. They are caught in Ariadne's web and are about to be eaten. Folly and Motley use insults to get rid of Ariadne (a la series 4) as the goblins set her prisoners free. They then use Smirkenorf and Owen to flee Level Two as it disintegrates completely.
...continued on the next post...phew!...
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...continued...
(12) Everyone is now at Marblehead (every character that has ever appeared, save for Oakley). All the wall monsters (including blockers and the Brollochan) have merged into one being in order to break down the portcullis guarding its entrance.
(13) A confrontation with Sidriss/Morghana sees Morghana destroyed. Sidriss is reunited with her soul. Mogdred now appears, ready to destroy them.
(14) Greystagg mutinies, not prepared to see so many lives lost for the sake of defeating Lord Fear. Aesandre freezes her. However, a power battle ensues between Aesandre and Maldame. The result is that a stray bolt of power ruptures the protective forcefield around the belfry in Marblehead where they are staying. This enables other witches (Mildread, Heggarty, Peggarty and Lillith) to find Greystagg, who they have been looking for. They rescue her, and Maldame and Aesandre are disposed of.
(15) The witches intercept Mogdred, about to do his worst. This enables his prisoners in Marblehead (Treguard, Fear, Lissard, Scarkill, Hands, Hordriss, Sidriss, Mellisandre and Gibbett) to make a run for it. Mogdred sends some creatures after them.
(16) Treguard, who is not being pursued, decides to destroy the dungeon using the same horn used at the end of series 3. Merlin appears, and uses magic to slow the horn down, to give Treguard a chance to escape the dungeon. Merlin and Mogdred begin their final encounter.
(17) A stray bolt of power from Mogdred has resulted in Marblehead crumbling away. Hands and Scarkill have already escaped. Treguard, Lissard, Fear, Mellisandre, Gibbett, Hordriss and Sidriss remain inside the tower, trying to get out before it falls to rubble.
(18 ) The witches know what's going on and know they cannot do anything to prevent the destruction of the dungeon. They leave quietly.
So, will Treguard, Pickle, Majida and Kully manage to escape the dungeon in time?
(19) Everyone else is trying to get IN the tower to rescue those trapped inside. Cedric is using an INVISIBILITY potion to lure Miremen away from the entrance, so as to let everyone in.
Points of interest: Greystagg and Lillith turn out to be sisters!
Mogdred burned down Treguard's antechamber before leaving it to go to Marblehead. It still exists but is charred beyond recognition.
It turns out that Gundrada's quest is to find the Reach Wand! (Couldn't resist!)
I think that's about everything. Granted, there are more details in the story itself so things that might not make sense here do in the main text.
Granted, there may be a few holes in the story here and there but it's nothing a bit of editing won't cure - right, Emii?!!!! ;D
]
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[Genius. Are we going to start winding this up, or keep going for as long as possible?]
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Cedric raced towards the miremen, who all turned and looked at him for a moment with bemused looks on their faces. One of them snarled something in a gurgling tone and they all moved towards the still visible Cedric.
"Ya! BOO!" he called, and raced away from both the group and the miremen. The beasts hobbled after him in short quick steps, goggling madly in their own language, and the rest of the group advanced while their backs were turned.
Slowly, Cedric was turning invisible. When he was fully gone, he needed to be able to get back through the door with the rest of them before the Miremen could return.
By now Cedric was nothing more than a blur...
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Cedric grabbed the Horn of Beckoning from the table. He ran through the courtyards and stopped when he came to a wall. He blew with all his might. The Miremen, already mobilised, began plodding towards the sound. Cedric dropped the horn on the ground, which continued to sound (it was an automatic horn) and started to race back.
"Come on!" cried Mace as the group entered the tower amid falling rubble. Gretel screached as a large chunk of it narrowly missed her. Suddenly, they all heard a cry.
"That was Cedric!" grumbled Gumboil. "He's in trouble."
Sure enough, Cedric had been trying to edge his way past the Miremen as they plodded across the courtyard towards the horn. Still invisible, he accidentally bumped into one of them, who instinctively grabbed him. The potion was wearing off fast, and the other Miremen set upon him.
"Away from him!" shouted Mace, running up, his quarterstaff twirling rapidly. McGrew and Gundrada followed, swords drawn. The ensuing battle was over quite quickly, leaving dead Miremen strewn all over the ground. Cedric lay next to two of them, moaning softly.
"He's in a bad way," muttered Mace. "Spellcasting M E D I C I N E."
With a flash of light, Cedric was up on his feet and looking around, dazed.
"What happened?" he asked shakily.
"No time to explain," replied McGrew, "let's move!"
They ran off to join the others, who had already entered the tower.
The second blast then sounded.
Lord Fear was racing around the corridors aimlessly.
"How could you not remember the way out of your own tower?" he shouted to himself.
In the distance, he saw some figures moving towards him. They were Pickle, Majida and Kully.
"You!" he breathed.
"Having trouble?" grinned Pickle. Lord Fear raised his ring ready to fire, but changed his mind.
"Were this any other day," he spat.
Suddenly, Pickle saw a large chunk of rubble fall from the high-vaulted ceiling, directly above Lord Fear.
"Look out!" he cried, hurling himself towards Fear. He pushed him out of the way, and the block fell on him instead. Lord Fear lay on the ground, shaking.
"Pickle!" screamed Majida. She closed her eyes. The block glowed yellow, and rose from on top of Pickle before setting itself down a few meters away on the ground.
"How did you do that?" asked Kully.
"I am a genie, you know!" replied Majida indignantly, and rushed to tend to an unconscious and bleeding Pickle.
"If it hadn't been for Pickle, I'd have been crushed," murmered Fear.
"So that's why those witches didn't want us here!" gasped Kully.
"Those devious old crones!" spat Fear. He turned to look at Pickle.
"So many good deeds," he groaned, and lifted his ring. With a glow of green, Pickle was awake, but still injured.
"Damn this ring!" cried Fear.
"What's the matter?" asked Kully.
"It's almost completely discharged," replied Fear.
"Can't you do something, Majida?" asked Pickle, short of breath.
"Ees too difficult," murmered Majida. "Eet has been too long for me since I last did magic."
"I've had it," whimpered Pickle. "I'm done for!"
"Don't talk like that!" snapped Kully. "You're not done for at all."
"We should get out of here," announced Majida firmly. "Everybody get on!"
"Get on what?" asked Fear.
"This carpet, of course!" cried Majida, pointing to a large rug on the floor. Fear caught on, and sat down on it next to Kully and Pickle. Majida waved her hands, and the carpet took off down the corridor towards the exit.
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The magic carpet turned a corner. The exit was at the other end of the corridor - but it was now blocked by rubble.
"Oh, no!" cried Kully. They landed next to the portal. Majida, Kully and Fear tried to lift the blocks out of the way, but to no avail.
"This is typical!" gasped Fear.
Just then, Treguard, Gibbett and Mellisandre (the latter still unconscious and being carried by Gibbett) appeared. They saw the blocked exit.
"Am I glad to see you!" breathed Kully. "Help us clear the door!"
"What happened to Pickle?" asked Treguard.
"A crushing blow," sneered Fear, "the same as what seems to have affected Mellisandre."
Treguard stood still for a moment, unable to comprehend Fear's lack of tact. He'd had enough of it. He marched up and punched Fear full in the face. He recoiled, and doubled up on the floor gasping with pain.
"You'll pay for this!" he hissed, nursing a broken nose.
"There's no time to get through this door," announced Treguard. "In any case, there's only one exit that can save us from destruction."
"The Way Out?" asked Pickle weakly.
"We must hurry," urged Treguard. "Gibbett: put Mellisandre on the carpet, next to Pickle. Let's go!"
And so they all ran off towards (they hoped) the Way Out, with the magic carpet serving as a stretcher for Pickle and Mellisandre.
"It's next to the Quest Chamber," gasped Fear, still clasping his nose.
Suddenly, they ran headlong into a crowd of people. The same people who were looking for them.
"There you are!" cried Mace.
"We've been looking everywhere for you, Camel Heads!" shouted Cedric. "We've got to get out of here!"
"What happened to you, Lordness?" asked Lissard.
"Rubble," lied Fear. Scarkill looked at Treguard, whose expression said it all.
Before anyone else could speak, however, Treguard, Pickle, Majida and Kully vanished in a flash of red light.
"Where'd they go?" asked Gumboil nervously.
"They've been kidnapped!" cried Gundrada.
"Who by?" asked McGrew. Everyone shook their heads.
"Well, there's no time to look for them now," announced Elita. "We should save ourselves."
"You fools!" hissed Fear. "That was Hordriss! We were trying to find the Way Out. That doddering old fool has saved them and left us here to die!"
"Where is the Way Out?!" asked Julius Scaramonger desparately.
"Over there..." began Fear, but before he could finish, huge blocks of rubble began cascading down from the ceiling. In less than twenty seconds the corridor was blocked.
"Well, that settles it!" cried Mace. "We can't get to the Way Out now. We'll just have to use the main door. There may be another Way Out outside the tower."
Reluctantly, everyone agreed and made for the exit.
"Blocked!" hissed Velda.
"Come on, everyone!" cried Mace. "We have to get this rubble shifted!"
Everyone ran towards the huge pile of rocks and began lifting them away. They strained to move them as fast as they could.
Meanwhile, Treguard, Pickle, Majida and Kully had appeared at the entrance of the Way Out. Before them stood Hordriss and Sidriss.
"You must leave now," ordered Hordriss.
"But the others!" cried Majida.
"They have to remain here, Majida," said Treguard softly.
"Why?!" screamed Kully.
"There's no time for explanations!" cried Hordriss, and with a wave of his hand he whisked them onto a large block, inside the large pipe that lead back to the threshold.
"For what it's worth," said Sidriss, "thankyoufor saving me."
"But we can't just let the others die!" cried Pickle, grimacing in pain.
"They died years ago, Pickle," said Treguard. "In a way, they never lived."
Hordriss waved his hand again, and Pickle and Mellisandre glowed. When the light faded, they were standing, healed.
"What's happening?" asked Mellisandre weakly.
"Farewell, Dungeon Master," said Hordriss solomnly. With a final wave of his hand, the block began to move. Hordriss and Sidriss stood and watched it as it began its journey. She held his hand. Pickle, Majida and Kully tried to get off the block, but Treguard held them at bay with WYRMSLAYER.
"You'll understand someday," he said shakily.
Merlin and Mogdred were still entwined - a vicious storm of blue and green.
"You'll die too!" screamed Mogdred.
"With any luck," replied Merlin. "Then the dungeon will survive."
The energy storm then exploaded in a huge flash of white light, first engulfing the chamber it was in, then the entire tower of Marblehead, and then the entire dungeon. Oakley, way back in Level One, gazed at the shimmering sky.
"Right on time," he said sadly.
Then, the third blast sounded.
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The tunnel Treguard, Pickle, Majida and Kully was travelling down was starting to melt away. Looking down, Treguard discovered that they were no longer standing but flying. Suddenly, they found themselves standing in his antechamber, safely out of the dungeon.
"Look at theese place!" cried Majida. Pickle raced to the viewer and tried to get it working. He succeeded, but the picture was distorted.
"Root and fen," he murmered. Treguard, Majida and Kully gathered round to watch.
Everyone had managed to escape the tower just as it started to collapse.
"That was close!" breathed Honesty Bartrum.
"Look!" cried Gundrada, pointing upwards. The sky was dissolving, breaking up into its component colours, that promptly began raining down on them all.
"Dragons' droppings," spat Elita.
They all bled away into a mass of colours. Less than a minute later, the writhing masses of colours had blended together into a continuous sea of white. Then, it faded away to black. There was nothing left.
"They've gone," whispered Kully, crying.
"Thee entire dungeon ees gone," murmered Majida.
"Will it ever return?" asked Pickle. Treguard gazed at the hearth. The fire had burnt out completely.
"I don't know," replied Treguard softly. "It could take a year. It could take centuries. It may never reform at all."
"And none of them will come back?" asked Kully.
"They may do," replied Treguard. "One thing is certain, though. The next phase, if it comes, will be very different. Even if some of them survive the transition they might not even look the same. The very rules of the game may change."
"I still don't understand why this had to happen!" cried Pickle.
"The dungeon is not like our reality," replied Treguard. "It is not fixed. What you fail to realise is that the people it contains aren't fixed either. Mogdred tried to extend his presence into later phases. Merlin managed to stop him. When you released them, the dungeon had to shift back to accomodate them. It's the golden rule of any reality - cause and effect are interchangable. Of course, the dungeon couldn't maintain its stability. The only way was to destroy it, before it destroyed itself. If that had happened it would have never returned at all."
"So there is a chance it may reform?" asked Pickle hesitantly. Treguard took another look at the hearth. A tiny flame had started to flicker.
"Yes," he replied. "In time."
[ENTER SERIES 9! ;D
Come on, beveryafraid! Let's have an epilogue!
] -
Browsing through amongst the grimy stock in an ill-lit old bric-a-brac shop in Chatham a young student came across a battered, damaged copy of T. H. White’s Once and future King.
Excitement gripped him.
Could this be a marred, but nonetheless valuable first edition?
Disappointment followed.
Opening the cover to the flyleaf he found the unmistakable imprint of a popular massed-produced library edition.
The student turned over the first page, but there trapped between the well thumbed pages he found two thin sheets of writing paper, yellow brown with age, yet covered with sprawling characters penned in a wavering hand.
INSTRUCTIONS
..take the A5 west from what is now called Llangollen. After five miles you cross a small stream flowing north-south. A mile further, and a deer and sheep track leads off N. into woodland. Follow this path N. and you will find the wreck of an old abandoned mineshaft. You must carry a good rope for the cage and mechanism has long been scavenged for scrap. Drop down into the darkness until your feet find the floor.
Walk forward.
You are now on the Old Celtic Path.
Walk on into darkness until you see the faint glimmerings from the first of the ever-burning torches. Here is the dungeon called Faerie which has never gone from us.
Rather it is we who have abandoned it….
The letter was not signed conventionally. Instead, the same wavering hand, as if strengthened by sudden resolve, had slashed twice with the pen, to produce a single, simple letter T.
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