fn DOOR.PT6 *** CHAPTER SIX *** *** FINAL CHAPTER!! *** OF *** THE BLOODY DOOR TO DELOS *** *A CHOOSE-YOUR-OWN-DUNGEON ADVENTURE* by Mary Ezzell ******** Here is something new! - a public- domain text adventure which can be played on * ANY COMPUTER! * Because it runs as a TEXT FILE under your OWN text editor. You just use the 'Search' function of your editor to search for your choice. The format to enter is GO-YOUR-CHOICE. (If your editor can't find it by 'searching forward', try searching backward.) To: Search for GO- Begin play START-GAME GO-START-GAME * GO-START-GAME In previous Chapters, you fell into a Troll-hill belonging to a Gnome - who by Delian Law has the right to turn you into wood and use your face to decorate a Cross-bow he is making. Your one chance to escape un-bowed was to find the Key to the Bloody Door to Delos.^ In your search through the dungeon below the Troll-hill, you found the Ruby Necklace holding the Key which admitted you into the Bloody Door - a giant fleshy monster that you had to (literally!) HACK your way out of! Once out, you fall, tumble, strike ground, roll till you are matted with gravel! Then, wide-eyed and gasping in the sudden clean sweet night air - you first see the bright, unfamiliar stars of Delos.^ And from somewhere, all-too-close, you hear a faint evil chuckle, "Heh, heh...."^ Dizzy and exhausted, you wheel to look - but can see no one. The stars and three small moons give faint illumination, strangely moving shadows from the pine trees.... The faint hissing 'chuckle' could be anything, nothing....^ Naturally, you are completely soaked and covered with the blood of the Door - and as slippery as a tooth that has just been pulled! Your blood-and-saliva-coated feet slide on the smooth flinty boulders. You must find water and clean off.^ But at least - you are free! The air is clean and sweet and smells both of glacier and of sea. Whatever dangers may await you in this strange world called Delos - at least you are no longer in danger of being stiffened forever into wood to decorate the Gnome's new cross-bow!^ Now the new stars and the three small moons of Delos are disappearing, covered by a growing black cloud. Visibility becomes totally nil - totally dark!^ To: Search for GO- Reflect further upon your situaton REFLECT Set out at once in search of water WATER GO-REFLECT * GO-REFLECT Thinking just how lucky you are to meet the wrath and tears of Delos as a man of mortal flesh, rather than as a face on one of the Gnome's "curiosities", you recall the words of the old Terran poet:^ Out of the night that covers me, Black as the Pit from pole to pole, I thank whatever gods may be For my unconquerable soul. In the fell clutch of circumstance I have not winced nor cried aloud. Under the bludgeonings of chance My head is bloody, but unbowed. To: Search for GO- Continue game WATER GO-WATER * GO-WATER Downhill you hear the sound of a mountain stream. Following the sound, you descend between sharp rocks, your face raked by aromatic pine branches and your feet slipping on pine needles. The sticky mess on your shoes picks up pine needles till both your shoes are as fat and prickly as porcupines.^ Finally you reach the stream - which is not as cold as you expected! Tiny bubbles jump up from the surface to burst against your hands, with a smell like Perrier Water or Ginger Ale.^ You wade in and use the clean, coarse sand of the stream's bottom to scrub yourself, clothes and Key- Necklace and all!^ By the time you are completely clean again, the sky is beginning to turn from black to blue and the cloud- cover is clearing. Shivering, you dry yourself as well as possible on the tall grass beside the stream. Then you make your way toward a shoulder of the mountain from which you can see an open space with growing daylight beyond it.^ Emerging from the pines, you find that you are on the side of a mountain over-looking a beautiful country which is just now being lit up by the golden-misty light of the rising sun.^ Obviously you are not in Kansas! It is a long walk down toward that rich plain. Soon you loose sight of the panorama and must concentrate on finding a path downhill - and, hopefully, something to eat!^ Along the way you find wild strawberries and garlic! An odd combination, but better than nothing!^ At noon (well, when the sun is directly South of you) you sit down for a meal and a rest - and notice for the first time what has happened to your Necklace! It is now only half as long as it was when you first put it on!^ You try to remove the Necklace - but you can't! Not only do your elbows refuse to lift above your shoulders while you hold the Necklace - but the chain has somehow become TOO SHORT to lift over your head!^ In panic you tug and twist the metal links - until they suddenly become so hot that they burn your fingers! "Heh, heh, heh, not so fast!" says a strange hissing little voice - from just below your chin!^ "What is this? Who are you?" you grunt, with difficulty keeping down a rising sense of panic.^ "Heh, heh, heh, I am the Demon Ruddigore! I am your new owner! My Necklace-Home has served you well, and now it is MY turn! By helping you to enter the Bloody Door, I gave you your escape from the Gnome. Now you must serve ME - by doing some foul crime that I may feed on! Each day you must do some Murder or Worse! Otherwise, as the day goes on toward night, I will shrink with my hunger till my chain becomes so short I will STRANGLE you!"^ In desperation, the flesh of your fingers beginning to smoke and blister, you fight the shrinking Chain - but helplessly.^ "Heh, heh, heh, Foul Murder or Worse - is the only thing that can save you! With Crime I grow longer and you can breathe - till tomorrow when I start to shrink AGAIN.... Tomorrow and tomorrow and TOMORROW...!"^ You hear a rustling in the willows just up-slope, freeze to listen. It is footsteps!^ "Heh, there's your chance! Here comes that little Gnome who nearly em- Bowed you! See that heavy rock? Here is your chance to save your life from ME (for one more day!) - and to get your Revenge on the Gnome - BOTH! Go on, he won't see you, pick it up, pound him, pound him...."^ To: Search for GO- Attack the Gnome ATTACK Refuse to attack REFUSE Take out your Pipe (only if you HAVE it!) PIPE-AT-END GO-PIPE-AT-END * GO-PIPE-AT-END The Pipe is sparking with interest. "What a story, what a story .... Reminds me of the old Dungeon augary, 'The Demon to escape the Gnome, the Gnome to escape the Demon'.... Whatever that means!"^ He puffs briskly for a moment, then adds: "Hm, Ruddigore, Ruddigore.... Good Olde Englishe name, what? Rather reeks of Good Queen Bess and Bloody Mary and all that, don't it? ... Interesting ideas of crimes they had back in them days, too. Heresy, dancing on Sunday, suicide.... Must have a look in the Library at Upton, down on the plain...."^ The Pipe heaves a great smoke-ring of satisfaction, then puffs himself back to sleep.^ To: Search for GO- Attack the Gnome ATTACK Refuse to attack REFUSE GO-ATTACK * GO-ATTACK You turn loose the chain and grab the rock. Now you can breathe, move, let out all the fear and frustration of this day. The heat of the Necklace flows down your limbs like warm pus from a lanced boil, your hands and feet swing wildly as you scramble through the bushes.^ You have one satisfying look at the Gnome's horrified, upturned face as he sees you - his mouth gaping in shock, widening to a helpless scream. You and the Demon are one - you feel a strange, warm hunger to devour the Gnome's fear, his struggle against what he sees in your eyes. Now it is the GNOME who is being stiffened, paralyzed, shrinking into a twisted characture of himself - as HE wanted to do to YOU!^ Your stomach pulsating, you savor the sight. Then, as the first wave of panic leaves the Gnome and he takes breath to scream again --you STRIKE! With a slow, heavy, satisfying sensation, you bring the rock down through air, through the feeble waving of his hands, through his flesh, through his skull!^ Slow and graceful as a dance, you strike again and again, your whole will centered in the black warmness of the Necklace - which is even warmer than the spurting blood that is washing your hand, your arm, your face....^ Till the Gnome is a mass of bloody pulp and bone slivers strewn on the flinty rocks, and you are breathing cold air of exhaustion, your arm sore and knuckles raw.^ "Heh, heh," says the warm, cosy voice of the Demon, satisfied now. "See, My Service is not so bad, is it? And just think, it comes again tomorrow and TOMORROW...!"^ Shaken and shivering, you mechanically make your way downhill, toward the rich colorful plain of Delos.^ You wonder whether somewhere in that magickal land there will be magick to free you from this Curse - or, whether, in a few days, you will even WISH to be freed.... End of THIS Game GO-REFUSE * GO-REFUSE You turn loose of the Chain, the Necklace falls limp around your neck. Without your hands in the way, there is still a few inches of slack. You can breathe freely for the next few hours, whatever you decide.^ With deep breaths of the sweet woods air, your panic subsides and your head clears.^ "Heh, go ahead, get the rock, what are you waiting for!"^ You tell the Necklace: "I'm THINKING it OVER." ^ The woods are beautiful and peaceful, the air obviously magickal. You find yourself thinking:^ 'Do I really want to live as a criminal here tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow - or enjoy these few hours with a clear conscience, even if they are my last?' And besides ... Maybe there's just a chance....^ "NO!" you shout. "Little Gnome, run away! Demon, I will do no murder for you, nor any other crime! Except suicide - by letting you choke me instead! So go ahead and get started! Shrink!"^ "Well, heh, well...." The Necklace glows alternately hot and cold, the voice tapers off. "No crime, I kill you ... but suicide IS a crime ... so I can't kill you." The Necklace starts to grow longer. "But you haven't DONE suicide yet...." The Necklace starts to grow shorter. "But by just letting me shrink, you ARE doing it...."^ Longer, shorter, longer, shorter, hotter, colder, hotter, colder, longer, shorter.... The Necklace starts to vibrate and rattle like a wooden bridge with soldiers marching on it! "Yes, no, you haven't, you are, I can, I can't...." The little hissing voice starts to run together and increase in pitch and volume, just like a Positive Feedback screech on a microphone:^ ScreeeEEEEEEEEEEEEE.........!!!!!!!!!^ And then the whole Necklace flies to pieces!^ Some of the hot, sharp pieces hit or graze your neck as they fly (it feels rather like a rope burn!). There is a slapping sound as they hit the leaves of the nearby willow bushes, just like gravel thrown up by a turning car. Some of them must have gone through the leaves and hit the Gnome as well, for he gives a sudden "Yelp!" and runs away uphill.^ But when the dust and disturbance settles - you are Free!^ No nasty little voice, no sense of Evil, nothing heavy around your neck!^^ You make your way to the nearest overlook point and look again at the beautiful Land of Delos below, trying to decide where to explore first....^ You have succeeded in your first adventure in Delos, and now the whole Land is waiting to welcome you!^ End of THIS Game ************ If you don't have all 6 files for this game, or if you would like to read other stories of mine, please write to: Mary Ezzell 117 East 8th St, Suite 814 Long Beach, CA 90813 P.S. I can't receive E-Mail! Please use the Post Office. And please enclose stamps for reply, otherwise I can't promise to reply. Please let me hear from you!^ Hope to meet you again soon in the World of Delos!