Quest for the Fountain of Life

#2

You tightly grip your sword at your side and, taking a deep breath, push open the door and step inside.

Dank, moist air brushes past your face. As your eyes adjust to the relative darkness, your eyes begin to take in the surrounding scenery.

Plants! Green, lush vines practically drip from the ceiling. They cover most of the walls, allowing only the occasional peek of chipped and moldy stone. Shafts of sunlight stream in through frequent cracks on the low ceiling above, which help to illuminate the cool darkness of your surroundings. Listening, you can hear faint noises in the distance that cause the hairs on your arms to prickle and rise. This place definitely puts you on your guard.

Vines twist for a little ways down a long hallway straight ahead, and then peter off into the darkness. About two feet down this hallway you can see part of a door, with a lock securely fastening it shut. You give the door a slight push. It won't budge. You make a mental note of that door, just in case.

To the left of where you came in is another hallway, much brighter then the first. Bright enough, at least, that you think (and slightly fear) that you just saw a slight movement at the end of it.

Which way should you go?

Go straight down the hall in front of you.Go to #3

Go down the hall on theleft.Go to #9

#3

You move your way down the hall. The patches of light from above become less and less frequent, and soon enough you find yourself in dim darkness. The walls, now bare of any vines, are chipped and damp. Far at the end of the hall, you see a glimmer of light.

As you progress forward, the glimmer of light soon reveals its source – a patch of sky through the caved-in ceiling, brightening this otherwise murky place.

You find yourself at another sort of intersection. To your right is a door, partly shrouded in vines. You place your hand on the knob and feel vibrations coming from somewhere beyond that door. The vibrations are inconstant, and your mind immediately forms the image of a large and fearsome beast stomping around and wishing to nibble upon a person such as yourself. Taking a deep breath, you force such thoughts from your mind.

Looking to the left, however, is another hallway. It's also covered in vines, and you're pretty sure you can see a door at the other end, where the hallway is exceptionally well-lit with sunlight. While you know that this could be a safer choice, you are also quite aware that evil does not always take the form of something large and fierce.

Continue down the hallway to your left.Go to #4

Try to open the door to your right.Go to #62

#4

You move down the hallway. This area is bright and sunny, the hallways green with life. Your brain is having a hard time balancing this with the trembles you can still barely feel, the slight noises elsewhere in the building, the fear that there are eyes watching you that you cannot see, as well as the ominous warnings in your heart.

You arrive at the door, and put your hand on the doorknob. No ominous vibrations here! You are relieved. There's also a doorway, completely lacking in a door, off to your right. Looking out, you see a patio, with high walls covered in vines, and the sun shining brightly down upon it.

It's rather tempting to explore that patio, though you suspect it may be a dead end. Still, it does look quite pleasant.

Keeping focused, you open the door in front of you.Go to #8

You could use some fresh air! Step out and explore the patio.Go to #5

#5

You step out into the patio. The walls, covered in vines, are quite high, and you cannot see over them. It really is quite pleasant out here. Potted plants, some flowering, are scattered about, and the sun is shining bright, warming you against the chill in the air.

A small table is set up with what looks like a midday snack. Wandering over, you take a look at what is spread out. Breads and jam, and a tray, piled with cookies. There's also a wide-lipped jug, make of fine material and intricately carved, filled with a brown liquid that you assume is tea of some sort.

Your stomach suddenly reminds you of the tasteless dried meats and sour roots that have been your sustenance of late. It seems like a fabulous idea to partake of some of this delicious food. Perhaps whomever the food is intended for might come out and join you? You are a guest here, after all, so you'd be only partaking of what would be rude of them to not offer in the first place, right?

Then again, it’s not your food, and you are a rather uninvited guest. For that matter, you don't know what might be in that food. If only your current rations weren't so dull and tiresome!

Eat some food.Go to #6

Fight the hunger, and don’t eat the food.Go to #7

#6

A swift and final growl of your stomach makes the decision for you. You pull up a chair and sit down.

The bread looks excellent, so you pick up a piece. The bread is warm, it must be fresh! Picking up a knife, you spread on some jam and begin to eat. It is delicious. You then sink your teeth into one of the cookies. Not quite as fresh, but still quite suitable considering what you've been eating lately. Thirsty, you make a move to grab the water pouch you carry with you, but hesitate. The brown liquid would surely be tastier then your stale warm water.

You pour some into a glass and take a long refreshing drink. Sweet, tangier then tea, with a bitter aftertaste. Pretty good, in any case! You drink some more.

Satiated, you lean back and relax. There's suddenly a noise from the door, and you look over. Someone has opened the door inside, and is coming out into the patio.

You look up, tense, and see a willowy woman in flowing, tattered robes step outside, staring at you.

Well, hello. My name is Deneb. And who might you be, oh traveler with a penchant for cookies?

Embarrassed, you set down a cookie you had picked up and were about to start nibbling on, and introduce yourself. You also state your reason for being here, and ask Deneb if she has any knowledge of the Fountain of Life.

Fountain of Life? Hah! I've been drinking from that stupid thing for years, look where it's gotten me? I'll stick to wine, thank you very much.

Deneb continues talking, but you're having an increasingly hard time focusing on the words. Besides that, your entire body is beginning to feel dizzy. You suspect that the brown liquid may be alcoholic.

Deneb pauses, and stares at the glass. Oh. Well, that's a shame, I say. You really should have come and gotten me first, before you started pawing away at all this food, you know. Looking at how much is left of that tea, I suppose you've drank enough poison to kill a large elephant, or even a small dragon, by this point. It is indeed a shame, as I would have liked some company.

The dizziness has moved to weakness, then to pain. You slide onto the floor, and stare up into the sky.

The last thing you remember before slipping into a deep terminal coma are the resigned words of Deneb: Great, another body to deal with.

The End

#7

It all looks quite delicious, and your stomach is rather perturbed with you for not eating any of it. Your brain, however, feels it made the necessary choice. Besides, you've got plenty of rations, albeit less tasty ones.

Looking around, you decide to inspect the walls. There might be another doorway somewhere. It does make logical sense that a Fountain of Life might be located outside. Perhaps there's a secret courtyard that you must get into.

You become so absorbed in poking around that you don't even hear the door opening in the hallway, and a person entering the patio.

A voice speaks behind you.

Finding anything good in there?

You turn around, startled, and see a willowy woman standing before you, covered in long robes made of very fine, if not slightly tattered material, and with a beverage in one hand. You stand there, frozen in surprise.

She speaks again.

I'd not worry about that wall. Nothing's getting in, and I suppose nothing's getting out either. Not that way, at least! My name's Deneb, and it's incredibly rude of me to leave you, my guest, standing there when there's a terrific spread over here and some seating.

You introduce yourself, and take a seat, along with Deneb, at the table.

Deneb continues. Eat, eat! Please, I'm sick of this food. Sick of all sorts of things, really. You just go ahead and eat, though.

You take a piece of bread, put jam on it, and begin to eat. Deneb gazes at you across the table, smiling. You aren't quite sure what to make of Deneb. You find her calming and pleasant to be around. Maybe Deneb could be an asset to your quest. Still, you feel slightly on edge, as how could you possibly know any of her motives, having just met her?

Finishing the bread, you reach for the brown liquid and start pouring yourself a glass.

Ahh... you don't want that. Deneb speaks. That's an excellent water pouch you have right there, I'm sure it tastes much better. Oh, and have a cookie, they're quite good. A bit on the stale side, but what isn't these days?

You take a deep draught from your water pouch, and eat a cookie. You are trying to figure out what to ask Deneb to help in your search for the Fountain of Life, but she speaks first and saves you the trouble.

So I bet you're looking for that Fountain of Life, hmm? Well, you came to the right place. Not that I'd call this a life, at least. No, really, I hate it here. Take me with you when you leave. Been here far too long. Oh yeah, that brown tea there? There's a hefty dose of poison in it. Been saving it for one of my brothers. Or sisters. I'm not picky, really. Might just take it myself, one of these days, though. This place is a hellhole. Good thing I've got plenty of this wine for company.

Deneb raises the glass and takes a swig, then grabs a cookie and munches, staring absently into the distance. You shift awkwardly in your seat. Deneb glances at you and speaks again.

How rude of me, indeed. I shall give you exactly what you need to know. Might not be what you want to know, but what is these days? Just step right into my office over here.

You follow Deneb back inside, and then through the doorway and into a smallish room. The room is set up as a small living quarters, with a bed in the corner and a table, along with a couch and scattered chairs. The table holds more of the foodstuffs that were outside, both of the delicious and the deadly variety, as well as scattered stacks of books and papers. The room, much like Deneb, is in rich disarray.

Deneb notices you gazing around, and then motions toward the table for you to sit down.

Got more goodies, got more death. Take your pick! In any case, come sit down, let me pour some more wine, and I'll give you my sordid tale.

Listen to what Deneb has to say.Go to #61

#8

You turn the knob and enter the room. Looking around, you find yourself in a bedroom of sorts, with a bed, sofa, chairs, and table – seated at which is a woman, dressed in flowing, tattered robes, staring straight at you.

She waves a glass at you. Come in, come in. I haven't had a visitor in, well, entirely too long. At least, not a visitor that I didn't despise completely. Sit, please, and help yourself to some food. The brown tea is to die for. But don't drink it, bad idea. Unless you're a real bastard, that is. Then you're welcome to it. So are you a bastard, or not?

You shake your head at her odd question, and she smiles disarmingly at you and gestures for you to sit down.

Bet you're here after the Fountain of Life, aren’t' you? My name's Deneb, by the way. And it's a delight to meet you.

You introduce yourself and give a bit of detail about your quest. Taking a cookie from a tray of food, you sit down. Deneb, head propped up on one arm, gazes at the table. You suspect that her glass holds not its first portion of wine for that day. You're a bit on guard, but Deneb, though erratic in words, seems friendly enough. You hope she can be an asset to your quest.

I'm trying to kill my brother, you know. Brother, brothers? Sisters? So many people that might need to be killed. I just want out of here, really. The bastards never seem to come for tea, though. Oh well. You might just be the beacon of hope that I need here. I'll tell you about a Fountain of Life, alright.

Attentively, you listen to what Deneb begins to tell you.Go to #61

#9

You make your way down the hallway. As you near its end, you can soon see the outline of a shape, a human shape. It's not moving.

As quietly as possible, you approach the figure. It turns out to be a beefy man, sprawled out on a chair in a corner, a bottle in one hand. Based on the growing stench, you're pretty sure the bottle holds alcohol of some sort. More bottles lay strewn about the floor. He doesn't appear to have any weapons on him (that you see, at least), or near him for that matter. However, he possesses the sort of physical build that you'd rather not have to fight, even if he has no weapon. You grip your sword's hilt tightly.

The man's breathing is deep and his snoring steady. You are quite confidant that he is sound asleep and that you should be able to sneak past him with little trouble.

You slowly make your way past the sleeping man. Just as you're finishing your slow trek, he snores loudly, and the bottle slips out of his hand, hitting the ground with a loud thud.

The man wakes immediately and declares, in a loud and hoarse voice, Hey! Where d'you think you're going?!

Run away quickly, as fast as you can! He's drunk and can't