Lair of the Unidragon, Page Forty-Two
You leap into the air, flipping over and over until you land directly in front of the lead spider. You slash its two foremost legs off and snatch the sack just before it falls into the volcano--and are surprised at how LIGHT it is. That's a person? you wonder.
Then the spiders mob you. You hack your way through them, a tangle of huge, hairy legs, beady red eyes, clicking mandibles, and heavy, gooey threads. And the SMELL. You are about to pass out when suddenly, all the spiders, alive or dead--
--disappear.
"There, that's much better." says a muffled voice with a clipped accent behind you. You whip about, but see nothing except for a small grey rabbit crawling out fo the sack, which is now somehow open. As you stand there, gaping, the rabbit grows and stretches until it turns into a Human male. "I thought you'd NEVER figure it out." He shakes his head sadly.
"Never figure what out?" you ask, deciding that perhaps your sword-against-the-neck interrogation technique would not be appropriate here--not against a wizard. You take a look at him. He is of average height, maybe even a bit short, but his bearing makes him seem taller. He has gaunt, acquline features with high cheekbones, a largish, beaky nose, slanted eyebrows, and large, dark purple-blue eyes. His hair is silver-white, slicked back from a slightly receding hairline, and cut off short in the back. Although he is clearly middle-aged, he is trim and wiry (this is evident even underneath his layered clothing) and you get the feeling that, despite the complex network of fine lines around his eyes, this is NOT someone to trifle with.
"Are you QUITE finished?" he says, although pleasantly, breaking into your thoughts. "Such bad manners, Questor. But, since you've done everything right so far, I'll help you out now. My name is Charlie, and--"
You burst out laughing. "CHARLIE? What kind of a name is..." He glares at you. "I mean, my! What a nice name!"
He rolls his eyes, gives you a lopsided half-smile, and continues. "My name is Charlie, and this is, more or less, my island. Oh, I'm not the King, but I control things a lot more directly than anybody else does. Yes, I am a wizard, and I must confess a certain weakness for adventurers. I used to be a wandering minstrel myself, in my day..." He interrupts himself, pulls down his grey twede vest, and continues, "Anyway, that maze you went through was my creation. You figured out how to pass it--you rescued your friend, she's safely at home now, by the way--and no, it wasn't all an illusion, I'm not that type--anyway, you also met your other friend at the castle, and then you rescued me. So now, I'll help you out a little."
You lean forward. "Yes?"
The quirky smile again. Charlie continues, "Yes. The Unidragon IS on this island--just go back to the crossroads and head right. But you do need the Goldensword to kill him. I can't tell you exactly where it is--but I can give you a couple of hints to make the journey there safer. First of all, if you find a bell, remember to ring it every time you enter a new room, and it will disarm all the traps in the room. And if you hear a voice out of nowhere, DON'T ANSWER IT. No matter what." He stands up, pulls down the sleeves of his long, grey jacket, adjusts the legs of his loose grey trousers, straightens his black bow tie, and says, "Well, it was nice meeting you in person, Questor." He salutes, bows, and says, "Good luck," then calmly turns back into a rabbit and hops away.
You stare after him for a moment, wondering how he gets his clothes to change with him like that, then explore the cavern. There really isn't anything interesting here once the spiders are gone, and there aren't any tunnels leading off of it either. You shrug and go back to the cave entrance.
Well, right is done with, so which is it, left or straight ahead?
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