This story is a Choose Your Own Adventure, which means that the story is written for the reader to choose what happens to the character, themself. The purpose is to challenge your guess-making abilities and have fun. But beware, some choices may not be so easily assumed!
The story is organized in such a way that each choice is labeled with a letter and a number. The letter corresponds to what set of choices you are on, and the number corresponds to which choice you have made out of the set. Some have two choices, some have three, some have four. If you get to a choice that says ‘DEAD’ at the end, that means you have reached an ending point and can start over from your previous set of choices or restart the story altogether. If you reach a ‘Continue to PART 1/ PART 2’, it means you must locate where it says PART 1 or PART 2 to continue on with the story. The choices are somewhat mixed up, so locating you selected choice may be difficult. They are arranged in a somewhat chronological order, which should help in finding your selection.
Thank you for reading, and good luck!
You are an adventurer, an explorer. You are in a thick jungle, lush with tropical plants and birds of paradise, flitting about the ancient trees. The weather is hot and humid, you notice, as sweat accumulates on your brow. Using a machete, you cut through the foliage to advance past the edge of the jungle.
Earlier, you had spoken with the native people who described wondrous treasures hidden away in the mysterious forest, placed there by their gods. However, they warned of many trials and traps set there to prevent anyone from taking it. Numerous explorers such as yourself had gone on the hunt for glory and gold and never returned. With this news, your exploration team was too terrified to join you on your trek for the hidden treasures, but you made it clear you would prove them otherwise! The chief of the tribe had led you as far into the brush as he could before mumbling prayers and departing, leaving you alone in the jungle.
All you have is a small bag of supplies like ropes, a flashlight, food, water, a first-aid kit, compass, map, and a few other small gadgets that may come in handy. Are you up for the challenge of finding the lost riches? Let’s find out.
After trekking through the jungle for about an hour, you notice the brush thinning out. When you take a few more steps forward, a large clearing stands between you and a giant, mossy temple! A fast-flowing river runs through the ravine, with a deadly drop to match. You glance around and try to find another path, and discover an old, rickety bridge that leads to the other side. However, in your bag, you have the equipment to throw a grappling hook across and cross the ravine, which you deduce to be the safest option. Exploring all your choices and being one for adventure, you judge the ravine to be short enough to leap across, with a good running start. So, what will you do?
1a Jump Across 2a Use grappling hook 3a Take bridge
1a
As an explorer, you like to take risks, even if they end bad! You take a few large paces back, take a deep breath, and run as fast as you can towards the cliff, leaping just before the edge. For a second, you feel fear and excitement rush over you as your airborne body starts falling. But, in an unlucky turn of events, your chest slams into the cliff on the other side, causing you to falter and start slipping inch by inch towards the edge! Your chest is partially on the ground while your legs hang off the cliff, kicking and trying to find footing. The weight of your bag is not helping, and you have to act quick to pull yourself up! In front of you is a tree root protruding from the ground and a large rock, rough enough to grab. Choose one to grab, and fast!
1b Rock 2b Root
1b
You grab onto the rock, starting to pull yourself up. Just as you think you’re safe and successful, a cracking sound starts coming from the rock. Before you can reach for the root, the rock breaks off from the ground and slides towards you, falling onto your chest and acting as a weight to push you into your watery grave below. DEAD
2b
Taking a chance, you grab for the root and pull your upper body and legs up to the edge. With a few precarious ripping sounds, the root stays firm and helps you get enough of the way up to stand up. Your move was risky, but you made it to the temple entrance alive. Continue to PART 1
2a
You take the safe choice and start to pull out your equipment, tying a few tight knots and giving a few good tugs to ensure it’s safety. You pick it up and swing it around your head like a lasso, then throw it to the other side, catching it on a rock. Tugging it again, you tie your end to a thick tree trunk, then finish up by hooking the equipment to yourself to almost zipline over to the temple. You’re anxious to see how well it works, and push off the ledge carefully. You feel the rope give a little more, then more, until you realize that the rock on the other side failed to hold your weight! You grip the rope tight, your heart pounding. A loud snap comes from the ledge you had jumped off, and in a moment your stomach flies into your chest, as you, the rock, and the dead tree fall into the raging river. DEAD
3a
‘If the bridge has been here that long, it must be sturdy’, you think, walking towards the wooden bridge. You place one foot onto the bridge as it lets out a creak, making you jump back. Did you really make the right choice? As an explorer, you gather up your courage and place more weight onto the bridge’s first board, it creaking even louder this time. Don’t let it phase you! You keep a tight grip on the rope edges while placing each foot one the strongest part of the boards. In what felt like a few minutes, your foot touches the dirt on the other side, and you set off, safely on your way to the temple. Continue to PART 1
PART 1
You dust yourself off and approach the temple, covered in intricate designs hidden beneath layers of moss. The towering structure has a large statue in the front, carved in the shape of a fanciful bird. With no doors in sight, you walk around the perimeter looking for an entrance or symbol indicating a secret passage.
After looking long and hard, you are left with two options: In the back of the temple, you found a small opening with a vine ladder leading into a dark pit. The ladder is safe enough to climb down, and you try to see down using your flashlight, but even with the light you can’t see the bottom. An odd sound is coming from the hole.
At the temple entrance, the magnificent statue of a tropical bird catches your eye. On both sides, of it lay smaller statues, an egg shaped stone on the left, and a dragon on the right. Using your knowledge of hieroglyphics and and ancient texts, you figure that the symbols on the statue mean you need to choose one to take. It may be risky to take either one, or the vine ladder may lead to your doom, but you need to pick one.
1c into the pit 2c pick a statue
1c
The fifty-fifty chance of death given by the statue doesn’t appeal to you, so you walk back around to the pit in the back. You look in it again, still no true view of what is down there. Gathering your courage, you gulp and kneel down, putting your feet on the slimy rungs of the ladder. When you put your hands on the vine ladder, you grip it tight as not to slip. When you feel you foot touch a hard surface, you put your other foot down and wipe your hands on your pants, then start fumbling with your bag to find the flashlight. You grab it and turn it on, glancing around and jumping back at what you find. At the moment, you are standing on an elevated platform, and surrounding it is a large pit of snakes and rats! Upon further examination of the room, you notice a long, thick rope that is within reach that you could possibly use to get across. There’s also another vine ladder that leads into the pit, so you may be able to get up on the other side. Which way will you go?
1d swing 2d climb down 3d jump across
2c
You decide the pit is a bad choice and you know you’ll pick the right statue to pull. The symbols that describe which to pull don’t specify which you should pick, and any other symbols that were once carved are faded now.
The egg is a smooth gem, most likely quartz. It sits on a platform to hold it in place.
The dragon is meticulously carved and is made of igneous rock. It sits on a platform, and the shape has an Aztec style. Which will you take?
1e dragon 2e egg
1d
You grab the rope and give it a few strong jerks to test it, then while still holding it, you walk as far back as possible. After a deep breath, you sprint off the platform, gripping the rope with all your strength as you swing to the other side. Using cautious calculation, you let go of the rope when your body is a few feet directly above the platform and thump onto the platform with shaky legs. You give a triumphant smile to the pit of creatures, then march to the door to proceed to the next chamber.
The next chamber is smaller, and you use your flashlight to survey your surroundings. There’s an old torch on the wall, so you take out your lighter and use it on the torch, picking it up and tucking away your flashlight to save battery.
You first check the floor for any cracks or moving plates, and see that the floor is stable-looking. You are then freely able to walk around the room, and find dozens of intricate drawings on the walls, some looking faded while others appear nearly new. On the wall directly in line with the door, three devices were constructed. One is a large stick with wooden cogs embedded in the floor, and covered with cobwebs. The middle switch was a large panel that pushed in like a button, and was covered in moss. The third device is a handle attached to the wall, which came out like a rowing machine. Compared to the other ones, it looked like it had been used before. Which will you try?
1f stick 2f button 3f handle
1e
You decide the dragon is the better option, so you carefully reach for the small statue, feeling its cool surface. You have to tug a little, but eventually the statue comes off its podium, and for a moment nothing happens. Suddenly, the bird statue starts to move, the sound of rock rubbing on rock coming from the bird as the statue starts to split in half. When the stones halted, a smooth, angled path was revealed, made of gray stone and configured in a slide-like shape. With no other path appearing, you sit on the edge of the edge and slide inch by inch until you’re whirling down the cold, wet, stone slide.
When you reach the bottom, you find yourself in a dark chamber, and you can’t see anything but the light coming from the top of the slide. You pull out your flashlight and look around, noticing a long path that leads to a door! Along the walls lie statues of soldiers, covered in cobwebs and mold. A thin layer of water covers the tile floor, making it slick. Because you’ve explored numerous temples before, you believe that the room has traps built in. You have to continue on, but how will you going about getting to the door?
1g run run run! 2g take it slow, crawl 3g look around more
2e
You figure since the large statue is a bird, you should take the egg. Stretching out your arms and fingers, you place your hands around the egg, give it a strong jerk, and pull it off the podium. The moment you do you hear a loud cracking sound coming from the large statue. In an instant, the large bird is falling towards you! You react as fast as you can, but the falling rock is much too fast, landing right on top of you. DEAD
3d
Judging the rope to be old and weak, and climbing down as suicide, you decide a good strong jump will get you to the door safely. You step back a bit and adjust your bag, then charge forward and off the edge. You smile for a moment before realizing your jump fell short, as you start to shriek and slam into the platform’s wall. The force of impact gives you a debilitating blow to the head, and your fate is sealed from the drop to the pit. DEAD
2d
You take a chance at the pit, thinking the rope may break, and start descending another vine ladder. This one is more slippery than the last, and you nearly fall the last few feet. You hear a crunch of bones beneath your feet and shiver at the squeaks and hisses from around you. Don’t get scared! To your left and right a path is somewhat cleared, so which one will you run down?
1h left (more rats) 2h right (more snakes)
2h
You start sprinting down the path littered with snakes, stepping as carefully as you can while you bolt for the platform. All of the snakes hiss and slither into or out of your way, and you accidentally step on a few here and there. Suddenly, you see a snake flash in front of you, and an instant later you feel a sharp pain in your leg. You cringe in pain and fall, watching from the floor as a king cobra slithers away, before your vision goes dark. DEAD
1h
Since rats won’t hurt you as much as snakes will, you follow the opening mostly scattered with rats. You’re able to move at a fast pace around the rats, stepping on a few tails but still making headway on the path.
Suddenly, your right foot doesn’t hit the ground, and the next minute you’re falling into a dark pit, with a few rats joining you. In the darkness you fumble with your bag to grab your flashlight and look around while you fall, but before you can do much you hit the bottom. A few rats scurry off, while a few lie motionless. You examine them with your flashlight as it flickers to life, as well as look around the cave the pit dropped you in. With no hope of getting back up, you peer around and find a path through the cavern. Dusting yourself off, you trek down the cavern a ways and come to a small pool of water, the stalactites above it dripping. It’s too wide to jump across, but you could swim to the other side, as your backpack is watertight. Another option would be to scoot across the edge between the right wall and the pool of water. How will you cross?
1i swim 2i walk the edge
1g
If there are any traps around, you think that you can get past them by running. You step back a tad before starting off. As you run, you can hear arrows whizzing out of the walls behind you. This causes you to slow down a bit out of distraction, and when you feel a shock of pain in your side, you jolt and yell in pain. The slick floor causes you to slip and fall onto your side, pushing the arrow into your abdomen and sealing your fate. DEAD
2i
Getting in the water could spell trouble, but slinking along the side of the pool will be easier, so you say. You walk to the ledge and put your chest against the wall, grabbing rocks as you go to keep you from falling back. For a minute or two, it’s just you focused on getting across, but trouble arises about halfway through. While focused on your hand movements, you accidentally hit your left knee on a shape rock, and you cry in pain for a second and wince. Though your pant leg you can see some blood accumulating, while some drips down into the water. You’re able to keep moving, even with the injury, but at a slower pace. A splash of water crashes up onto you, and you try to crane your neck to make out what it is. In no time you feel a searing pain in your leg and get pulled into the pool, struggling against the unseen attacker. Just as you’re starting to lose consciousness underwater, the flash of a scaly green tail whips by you, and you know what will happen next. DEAD
1i
The thin ledge is a little risky, and the swim is a more direct route, so you start to kick off your shoes and socks. You stuff them in your bag to keep them dry, then dip your foot in the pool. The water is quite cold, but not enough to harm you. You step back and shake your foot off, then dive into the pool in an arch. Your purpose for jumping in is to get used to the cold faster rather than wading in. From your dive, you make very little a splash and get about halfway across. With the breath you have left, you swim to the other side and gasp as you emerge. The rocky side is cool as you grip it and pull yourself up, noticing a warm breeze as you shake off the water. While slipping your socks and shoes on, you stumble to a wall, with a little light and air coming through the cracks of the man-made wall. With an excited feeling in your chest, you start pulling at the stones to enter a chamber...Continue to PART 2
2g
You believe that if you move slowly and act smart, you can get through without getting hurt. Most of the holes in the statues are higher than waist height, so you duck as low as you can and start inching across the floor. You hear an arrow shoot by your head, and you smirk arrogantly, feeling you’ve outsmarted the temple. Suddenly, you feel your upper body drop as you realize you just triggered a switch! Sweat starts to build on your body, and just as you flip onto your back, a series of arrows fly straight down at you. Looks like you weren’t that careful! DEAD
3g
There has to be another safer way to cross, you reason, and peeking around isn’t a bad idea(you hope). You waste no time in thoroughly inspecting your side of the room, examining the carved walls and nooks and crannies of the room. A section of the wall protruding farther from the rest catches your eye, and you start feeling along the edges to try and move it. As it turns out, the wall section is about an inch thick panel, which you heave off and set on the floor. A large lever is embedded in the wall, with inscriptions of symbols above and below it.”The lever must connect to the traps,” you think aloud, and immediately pull the lever. You watches from the safety of the corner as all the darts come flying out of the statues, some even from the ceiling. It takes only a few seconds, and then all is silent again. Since you’re unsure of whether you set ALL the traps off, you throw a few rocks at the dart’s height, and nothing happens. With your heart pounding in your chest, you walk slowly down the hall, then you gain some confidence as you move along. When you make it to the door, you laugh and nod, wiping sweat on forehead onto your sleeve and walking to the next challenge.
Your laughter doesn’t last long, as you realize that a maze is ahead of you. The walls go up to the ten foot ceiling, so there’s no way to climb up or look over it. In front of you is three ways to turn; left, right, or through the center. Each entrance is marked by an animal symbol. The left is leopard, the right is a phoenix type bird, and the center is a boar. Nothing else indicates the right way to go, so really it’s up to chance. Which path will you go down?
1j boar 2j phoenix 3j leopard
3f
You step up to the handle and grip the carved wood handle, then give it a pull. A thick vine rope comes out of the hole in the wall, as it is attached to the rope. Nothing appears to happen with one pull, even while you wait a few minutes, so you pull a few more times for good measure. Without you noticing however, a series of large boulders are falling from openings in the high ceiling, and you never see them coming. DEAD
2f
You walk over to the mossy panel and press gently, the harder when you realize it requires a little more pressure. When you hear it click into place, you let go and look around for any door to appear. Two walls opposite each other start to shake and groan, as dozens of thin, metallic spikes poke through slits in the walls, and protrude more every second! Panicking, you try to look for an escape route, but the door you came into the room through has been sealed shut! You run for the button and press it rapidly, and feel along the walls for a secret switch, but your efforts are in vain. You spend your last moments wishing you had tried another switch. DEAD
1j
There’s no indication what path to take, but you decide to take a chance and go down the center path. You walk at a slow pace, examining the wall paintings as you go, while watching your step for cracks in the floor or vines. Oddly, there are no pathways branching off since you started, giving you a hopeful feeling that you chose the right path. After about twenty minutes of trekking, you notice the path becomes straight, so you run the rest of the way and smile wide when you get to the end, proud that you chose correctly.
Continuing on, you walk into a cramped room, full of little trinkets and possessions, almost like a tomb. As you move farther in, you realize two slide-like paths that branch in seperate directions. One path is dark, and you hear the rushing sounds of water coming from below. It could lead you down a waterfall back outside, or down to the temple’s chamber of riches. The other path is peculiar, as you can see a faint light coming from farther down. It could mean the treasure chamber is just below, or it leads somewhere outside, or even a person who has started a flickering fire. What is your decision?
1k the lit path 2k the water path
2k
The lit pathway is a little too open-ended, so you decide the water will be a safer choice. You grab a headlamp from your bag and strap it on, putting away your flashlight that is not waterproof. You plop down on the cold stone, smooth and slick, and you feel and increase in humidity and some cold drops of water on your face. To get going, you push off with your hands and start sliding, picking up speed and turning corners like on a rollercoaster. You even let out a scream in a few spots. The sounds of water are much clearer now, and the slide starts becoming vertical, until you splash into the water face first, lucky enough to have grabbed a good breath. Your headlamp flickers, making you panic some. You have to find a way to get out fast, as the water seems to be steadily rising. The watery area you ended up in looks like it once had no water, and through the murky fog you see a switch, which could spell trouble or escape. On the other hand, you could try swimming to the ceiling of the room to search for a switch or take another breath. Choose fast!
1l switch 2l ceiling
2l
If the room has water, a switch that’s more reliable may be on the ceiling. Sure enough, through the dirty old water, you see a lever that looks like the one on the floor, and you swim up to use it. You hear a click in the water, but nothing seems to change. You look up and realize the water is rising faster, just as your vision turns blurry. DEAD
2j
The Phoenix, being the mystical creature, must be the right path. You start down the path, with a few intersections and a few dead ends. Panic rises in your chest because you keep losing your place often, and after about an hour of being in the maze you find that even the entrance you came in is unlocatable. After another hour of wandering, you start using the items in your bag as markers, but find that even those keep disappearing. Hour after hour, you become more lost and more delirious, lost forever on the Phoenix’s path. DEAD
1k
The water sounds are a little intimidating, but the light is more comforting to your conscience. You glance around the room one more time for any other hints or options before sitting down on the obsidian stone and scooting down until you build enough momentum that you’re whizzing down yourself. You start laughing like a child at a playground, before starting to feel uncomfortably hot. The longer you slide, the hotter it gets, until it’s nearly unbearable. Just as the horrifying thought pops into your head, you end your ride by skidding into a pool of lava. So much for a person. DEAD
1f
You grab the stick and start pulling, hearing a grinding sound while spiders scatter. From a side wall, that earlier, looked like all the other walls, you hear a wall start to lift up like a garage door. The door and sounds stop about ten seconds after, and you see light coming from the new room. Gleefully, you rush to the door. But, what your find stops you dead in your tracks.
The chamber you’ve uncovered is ginormous, larger than any room you’ve ever been in, and much hotter too. You’re standing on a ledge high up, and below you is a bubbling pool of lava! A wire is attached to your ledge and the one twenty or so feet away, and you can tell by its metallic sheen that it was left by an explorer before you, who most likely found his or her fate because of it.
The wire itself is a little thinner than a balance beam and seems hot, so gripping t and moving across is out of the question. Your only option is to walk across, with as much stability as possible. You start with your right foot on the wire, as it gives a little and you adjust your left foot to stabilize yourself. The little experience you’ve had on sidewalk ledges and wires aids you in getting halfway across with minimal issues, but the middle is where the wire is giving the most. You feet start stumbling and rocking, and you’re about to fall off! Quick, lean left or right?
1m left 2m right
3j
You start strolling down the leopard path, going along smoothly without too much confusion. After an hour or so of pacing, you come across a high window on one of the dead ends. The wall is rocky enough to climb, so without hesitation you start climbing up the window to look outside.
The view is that of a basement, with the window being level with the ground. You can hear the birds and insects chirping, and smile as a breeze blows across your face. Out of nowhere, a prowling leopard slinks out of the bushes, catching your scent and snarling. Fear washes over you as you duck back below the window but you hear the beast fast-approaching. You start climbing down the wall, but slip and fall your way back down due to your sweaty palms. Now the leopard really knew where you are, and you see it gaze down at you, it’s pupils thin slits and fur standing up. You think you’re safe, but to your surprise the leopard leaps down through the window, approaching you and batting its paw. You start to run with all your energy through the maze, thinking as fast as you can to find an escape. The leopard seems to know the paths well, and can sprint much faster than you can run.
At last, you finally reach a dead end, and start choking up just as the leopard pounces onto you. Looks like it was a dead end in more ways than one. DEAD
1m
You lean to the left, arms waving precariously, and steady yourself enough to slowly get to the other side.
You’re drenched in sweat as you step onto the other side, smiling wide and laughing with a chuckle. Without any time to react, you foot feels no ground and you slip into a dark hole, heart pounding while you scream and grasp for anything. The drop is short, and you land on something hard with a loud thump… Continue to PART 2
2m
You lean to the right, straight after fumbling over your own feet and falling into the lava like the explorers before you. DEAD
PART 2
The treasure! You found it! Through all the trials and tribulation, you made it to the riches! The entire room is full of gold, silver, and gorgeous pieces of furniture, armor, and art. You’re almost brought to tears with the quality and beauty of the riches and outcome of the situation. You scramble around in your bag for your camera, and start taking dozens of pictures. You’re overwhelmed with how you’re going to collect it all, or get your crew to come, or even how you’re going to get out. You grab a coin from the ground and flip it in your palm, examining the engravings. For a short time, all is well and calm, but you don’t realize the eerie figures coming out of the holes in the walls, being sleek, flexible, and silent.
When you do look up, there’s at least five surrounding you with spears, axes, and weapons you believed to have been lost to time. The men, or creatures, wear masks decoratively painted with demonic-looking features. Their movements are fast and sharp, and the little armor they wear was made of vines, leather, and wood, nothing like the armor displayed in the chamber. Their overall presence was ghostly, and their actions made them animalistic.
You put your hands up and watch them carefully, as they speak in a dead language even the natives would not be able to decipher. They seemed to be planning something against you, and you have a gut feeling it’s not something nice. Out of the corner of your eye, you see a doorway that leads down a hall, with the faintest light at the end. That is your only escape. But the five apparitions are closing in, and the only way to get through to the door is to get past them.
You have nothing to fight them with, so you have to pick an opening to charge through. The men are spread almost evenly, so whichever way you go may result in death. This is your last chance. Will you make it out alive?
1n forward 2n left 3n right 4n back
1n
Charging forward will be the easiest choice, as you’re already facing the direction of the door. You wait a few seconds to find a good time to cut through, then run as fast as you can through the men, screaming wildly. The guards catch on quickly, and bolt for you at a breakneck speed. One of them throws a spear right at your back, while another tries grabbing for your arm. You’re able to dodge the spear, but not the man’s grab. He pulls you close to himself and cackles, driving a sharp arrowhead into your side, causing you to crumple to the ground. DEAD
2n
Going left could throw off the men, so without room for any rethinking you run to the left, grabbing a sword from the ground and facing the ghostly guardians. They stop running towards you for a moment, eyeing you cautiously. You smile triumphantly while they start making an odd sound with their tongues. The chatter confuses you some, but you stand your ground and brush it off as a fear tactic. When you start hearing an echo from above you, you look up just in time to spot another spirit warrior jumping down from a hole in the wall right on top of you. You hold the sword up fast to use it as defence, but the man is swift and kicks your jaw even with the sword in the way. You shout in pain and drop the sword, holding your jaw. In the next second, the six men are closer than before, with one more thrown into the bunch. By the end of their escapades, they’ve turned you into a human punching bag. DEAD
3n
Going right seems like a good choice, as the two men on that side appear weaker or at least less intimidating. You quickly jump out of the way of one of the men trying to jab their spear at you and then start making your way left. The ghostly forms start after you right away, so you pick up speed as fast as possible. You can hear them speaking angrily behind you, and you chuckle under your breath while dodging a projectile thrown by one of them. Ahead of you however is a large pile of riches, stacked nearly to the ceiling. Without hesitation you start climbing it, but the coins and shiny trinkets give you little foothold to get across. The warriors are on your tail, so you start trying to go around the hill, not looking back at your enemies. You stumble over the items and see the door, a sense of hope washing over you. Suddenly, a guard pops in front of you from the side, ramming you to the ground. You sweat profusely and try getting back up fast enough to get away, but the large, ghostly man stamps his foot onto your chest and holds his spear to your head. So close, yet so far! DEAD
4n
As the phantom warriors start moving in, you quickly turn backwards and run through two of them as they attempt to stab you with spears. You get an adrenaline rush as you turn right and speed past the other two men, all of them talking wildly while chasing you. The floor is littered in coins and objects, so you bounce your eyes up and down from the floor to the hallway as you charge down it. The ancient men squawk and scream while following you, two of them hurling spears after you, but you manage to dodge both surprisingly easily. The light is fast approaching, but your eyes don’t have time to adjust. With the last of your strength, you push your physical limits and run straight towards the end. When you realize the hallway ends at a cliff, you make the bold, split-second decision to jump. At the last moment, you kick off and leap out of the temple, half laughing and half screaming. The short lived view is breathtaking, as you leap over the ravine you had to cross to get in. The warriors did not follow you, but for good reason; Where were you going to land?! As the ground approaches, you protect your head and body as much as possible and wait for the impact, eyes closed. You feel yourself crash into a thick bush, which cushions your fall enough to only give you a few small cuts and bruises.
As you stir your body back to normal, you use a hand to shield the setting sun and glance back to where you came out, no sign of the warriors at the cliff. They really were ghostly….
You start to grin, then chuckle, then scream out of joy, you made it out alive! When you’ve calmed down a bit more, you take out your compass and start making your way back to camp. While doing so, you start to wonder about all the treasure left behind, and whether or not you’ll ever go back for it. With a deep sigh you put your hand in your pocket, and feel something you don’t recognize. You pull out a coin from the temple, and smile with fuzzy nostalgia. With that, you quicken your pace to get back to camp, knowing that you’ll never see that temple again. END
The story is organized in such a way that each choice is labeled with a letter and a number. The letter corresponds to what set of choices you are on, and the number corresponds to which choice you have made out of the set. Some have two choices, some have three, some have four. If you get to a choice that says ‘DEAD’ at the end, that means you have reached an ending point and can start over from your previous set of choices or restart the story altogether. If you reach a ‘Continue to PART 1/ PART 2’, it means you must locate where it says PART 1 or PART 2 to continue on with the story. The choices are somewhat mixed up, so locating you selected choice may be difficult. They are arranged in a somewhat chronological order, which should help in finding your selection.
Thank you for reading, and good luck!
You are an adventurer, an explorer. You are in a thick jungle, lush with tropical plants and birds of paradise, flitting about the ancient trees. The weather is hot and humid, you notice, as sweat accumulates on your brow. Using a machete, you cut through the foliage to advance past the edge of the jungle.
Earlier, you had spoken with the native people who described wondrous treasures hidden away in the mysterious forest, placed there by their gods. However, they warned of many trials and traps set there to prevent anyone from taking it. Numerous explorers such as yourself had gone on the hunt for glory and gold and never returned. With this news, your exploration team was too terrified to join you on your trek for the hidden treasures, but you made it clear you would prove them otherwise! The chief of the tribe had led you as far into the brush as he could before mumbling prayers and departing, leaving you alone in the jungle.
All you have is a small bag of supplies like ropes, a flashlight, food, water, a first-aid kit, compass, map, and a few other small gadgets that may come in handy. Are you up for the challenge of finding the lost riches? Let’s find out.
After trekking through the jungle for about an hour, you notice the brush thinning out. When you take a few more steps forward, a large clearing stands between you and a giant, mossy temple! A fast-flowing river runs through the ravine, with a deadly drop to match. You glance around and try to find another path, and discover an old, rickety bridge that leads to the other side. However, in your bag, you have the equipment to throw a grappling hook across and cross the ravine, which you deduce to be the safest option. Exploring all your choices and being one for adventure, you judge the ravine to be short enough to leap across, with a good running start. So, what will you do?
1a Jump Across 2a Use grappling hook 3a Take bridge
1a
As an explorer, you like to take risks, even if they end bad! You take a few large paces back, take a deep breath, and run as fast as you can towards the cliff, leaping just before the edge. For a second, you feel fear and excitement rush over you as your airborne body starts falling. But, in an unlucky turn of events, your chest slams into the cliff on the other side, causing you to falter and start slipping inch by inch towards the edge! Your chest is partially on the ground while your legs hang off the cliff, kicking and trying to find footing. The weight of your bag is not helping, and you have to act quick to pull yourself up! In front of you is a tree root protruding from the ground and a large rock, rough enough to grab. Choose one to grab, and fast!
1b Rock 2b Root
1b
You grab onto the rock, starting to pull yourself up. Just as you think you’re safe and successful, a cracking sound starts coming from the rock. Before you can reach for the root, the rock breaks off from the ground and slides towards you, falling onto your chest and acting as a weight to push you into your watery grave below. DEAD
2b
Taking a chance, you grab for the root and pull your upper body and legs up to the edge. With a few precarious ripping sounds, the root stays firm and helps you get enough of the way up to stand up. Your move was risky, but you made it to the temple entrance alive. Continue to PART 1
2a
You take the safe choice and start to pull out your equipment, tying a few tight knots and giving a few good tugs to ensure it’s safety. You pick it up and swing it around your head like a lasso, then throw it to the other side, catching it on a rock. Tugging it again, you tie your end to a thick tree trunk, then finish up by hooking the equipment to yourself to almost zipline over to the temple. You’re anxious to see how well it works, and push off the ledge carefully. You feel the rope give a little more, then more, until you realize that the rock on the other side failed to hold your weight! You grip the rope tight, your heart pounding. A loud snap comes from the ledge you had jumped off, and in a moment your stomach flies into your chest, as you, the rock, and the dead tree fall into the raging river. DEAD
3a
‘If the bridge has been here that long, it must be sturdy’, you think, walking towards the wooden bridge. You place one foot onto the bridge as it lets out a creak, making you jump back. Did you really make the right choice? As an explorer, you gather up your courage and place more weight onto the bridge’s first board, it creaking even louder this time. Don’t let it phase you! You keep a tight grip on the rope edges while placing each foot one the strongest part of the boards. In what felt like a few minutes, your foot touches the dirt on the other side, and you set off, safely on your way to the temple. Continue to PART 1
PART 1
You dust yourself off and approach the temple, covered in intricate designs hidden beneath layers of moss. The towering structure has a large statue in the front, carved in the shape of a fanciful bird. With no doors in sight, you walk around the perimeter looking for an entrance or symbol indicating a secret passage.
After looking long and hard, you are left with two options: In the back of the temple, you found a small opening with a vine ladder leading into a dark pit. The ladder is safe enough to climb down, and you try to see down using your flashlight, but even with the light you can’t see the bottom. An odd sound is coming from the hole.
At the temple entrance, the magnificent statue of a tropical bird catches your eye. On both sides, of it lay smaller statues, an egg shaped stone on the left, and a dragon on the right. Using your knowledge of hieroglyphics and and ancient texts, you figure that the symbols on the statue mean you need to choose one to take. It may be risky to take either one, or the vine ladder may lead to your doom, but you need to pick one.
1c into the pit 2c pick a statue
1c
The fifty-fifty chance of death given by the statue doesn’t appeal to you, so you walk back around to the pit in the back. You look in it again, still no true view of what is down there. Gathering your courage, you gulp and kneel down, putting your feet on the slimy rungs of the ladder. When you put your hands on the vine ladder, you grip it tight as not to slip. When you feel you foot touch a hard surface, you put your other foot down and wipe your hands on your pants, then start fumbling with your bag to find the flashlight. You grab it and turn it on, glancing around and jumping back at what you find. At the moment, you are standing on an elevated platform, and surrounding it is a large pit of snakes and rats! Upon further examination of the room, you notice a long, thick rope that is within reach that you could possibly use to get across. There’s also another vine ladder that leads into the pit, so you may be able to get up on the other side. Which way will you go?
1d swing 2d climb down 3d jump across
2c
You decide the pit is a bad choice and you know you’ll pick the right statue to pull. The symbols that describe which to pull don’t specify which you should pick, and any other symbols that were once carved are faded now.
The egg is a smooth gem, most likely quartz. It sits on a platform to hold it in place.
The dragon is meticulously carved and is made of igneous rock. It sits on a platform, and the shape has an Aztec style. Which will you take?
1e dragon 2e egg
1d
You grab the rope and give it a few strong jerks to test it, then while still holding it, you walk as far back as possible. After a deep breath, you sprint off the platform, gripping the rope with all your strength as you swing to the other side. Using cautious calculation, you let go of the rope when your body is a few feet directly above the platform and thump onto the platform with shaky legs. You give a triumphant smile to the pit of creatures, then march to the door to proceed to the next chamber.
The next chamber is smaller, and you use your flashlight to survey your surroundings. There’s an old torch on the wall, so you take out your lighter and use it on the torch, picking it up and tucking away your flashlight to save battery.
You first check the floor for any cracks or moving plates, and see that the floor is stable-looking. You are then freely able to walk around the room, and find dozens of intricate drawings on the walls, some looking faded while others appear nearly new. On the wall directly in line with the door, three devices were constructed. One is a large stick with wooden cogs embedded in the floor, and covered with cobwebs. The middle switch was a large panel that pushed in like a button, and was covered in moss. The third device is a handle attached to the wall, which came out like a rowing machine. Compared to the other ones, it looked like it had been used before. Which will you try?
1f stick 2f button 3f handle
1e
You decide the dragon is the better option, so you carefully reach for the small statue, feeling its cool surface. You have to tug a little, but eventually the statue comes off its podium, and for a moment nothing happens. Suddenly, the bird statue starts to move, the sound of rock rubbing on rock coming from the bird as the statue starts to split in half. When the stones halted, a smooth, angled path was revealed, made of gray stone and configured in a slide-like shape. With no other path appearing, you sit on the edge of the edge and slide inch by inch until you’re whirling down the cold, wet, stone slide.
When you reach the bottom, you find yourself in a dark chamber, and you can’t see anything but the light coming from the top of the slide. You pull out your flashlight and look around, noticing a long path that leads to a door! Along the walls lie statues of soldiers, covered in cobwebs and mold. A thin layer of water covers the tile floor, making it slick. Because you’ve explored numerous temples before, you believe that the room has traps built in. You have to continue on, but how will you going about getting to the door?
1g run run run! 2g take it slow, crawl 3g look around more
2e
You figure since the large statue is a bird, you should take the egg. Stretching out your arms and fingers, you place your hands around the egg, give it a strong jerk, and pull it off the podium. The moment you do you hear a loud cracking sound coming from the large statue. In an instant, the large bird is falling towards you! You react as fast as you can, but the falling rock is much too fast, landing right on top of you. DEAD
3d
Judging the rope to be old and weak, and climbing down as suicide, you decide a good strong jump will get you to the door safely. You step back a bit and adjust your bag, then charge forward and off the edge. You smile for a moment before realizing your jump fell short, as you start to shriek and slam into the platform’s wall. The force of impact gives you a debilitating blow to the head, and your fate is sealed from the drop to the pit. DEAD
2d
You take a chance at the pit, thinking the rope may break, and start descending another vine ladder. This one is more slippery than the last, and you nearly fall the last few feet. You hear a crunch of bones beneath your feet and shiver at the squeaks and hisses from around you. Don’t get scared! To your left and right a path is somewhat cleared, so which one will you run down?
1h left (more rats) 2h right (more snakes)
2h
You start sprinting down the path littered with snakes, stepping as carefully as you can while you bolt for the platform. All of the snakes hiss and slither into or out of your way, and you accidentally step on a few here and there. Suddenly, you see a snake flash in front of you, and an instant later you feel a sharp pain in your leg. You cringe in pain and fall, watching from the floor as a king cobra slithers away, before your vision goes dark. DEAD
1h
Since rats won’t hurt you as much as snakes will, you follow the opening mostly scattered with rats. You’re able to move at a fast pace around the rats, stepping on a few tails but still making headway on the path.
Suddenly, your right foot doesn’t hit the ground, and the next minute you’re falling into a dark pit, with a few rats joining you. In the darkness you fumble with your bag to grab your flashlight and look around while you fall, but before you can do much you hit the bottom. A few rats scurry off, while a few lie motionless. You examine them with your flashlight as it flickers to life, as well as look around the cave the pit dropped you in. With no hope of getting back up, you peer around and find a path through the cavern. Dusting yourself off, you trek down the cavern a ways and come to a small pool of water, the stalactites above it dripping. It’s too wide to jump across, but you could swim to the other side, as your backpack is watertight. Another option would be to scoot across the edge between the right wall and the pool of water. How will you cross?
1i swim 2i walk the edge
1g
If there are any traps around, you think that you can get past them by running. You step back a tad before starting off. As you run, you can hear arrows whizzing out of the walls behind you. This causes you to slow down a bit out of distraction, and when you feel a shock of pain in your side, you jolt and yell in pain. The slick floor causes you to slip and fall onto your side, pushing the arrow into your abdomen and sealing your fate. DEAD
2i
Getting in the water could spell trouble, but slinking along the side of the pool will be easier, so you say. You walk to the ledge and put your chest against the wall, grabbing rocks as you go to keep you from falling back. For a minute or two, it’s just you focused on getting across, but trouble arises about halfway through. While focused on your hand movements, you accidentally hit your left knee on a shape rock, and you cry in pain for a second and wince. Though your pant leg you can see some blood accumulating, while some drips down into the water. You’re able to keep moving, even with the injury, but at a slower pace. A splash of water crashes up onto you, and you try to crane your neck to make out what it is. In no time you feel a searing pain in your leg and get pulled into the pool, struggling against the unseen attacker. Just as you’re starting to lose consciousness underwater, the flash of a scaly green tail whips by you, and you know what will happen next. DEAD
1i
The thin ledge is a little risky, and the swim is a more direct route, so you start to kick off your shoes and socks. You stuff them in your bag to keep them dry, then dip your foot in the pool. The water is quite cold, but not enough to harm you. You step back and shake your foot off, then dive into the pool in an arch. Your purpose for jumping in is to get used to the cold faster rather than wading in. From your dive, you make very little a splash and get about halfway across. With the breath you have left, you swim to the other side and gasp as you emerge. The rocky side is cool as you grip it and pull yourself up, noticing a warm breeze as you shake off the water. While slipping your socks and shoes on, you stumble to a wall, with a little light and air coming through the cracks of the man-made wall. With an excited feeling in your chest, you start pulling at the stones to enter a chamber...Continue to PART 2
2g
You believe that if you move slowly and act smart, you can get through without getting hurt. Most of the holes in the statues are higher than waist height, so you duck as low as you can and start inching across the floor. You hear an arrow shoot by your head, and you smirk arrogantly, feeling you’ve outsmarted the temple. Suddenly, you feel your upper body drop as you realize you just triggered a switch! Sweat starts to build on your body, and just as you flip onto your back, a series of arrows fly straight down at you. Looks like you weren’t that careful! DEAD
3g
There has to be another safer way to cross, you reason, and peeking around isn’t a bad idea(you hope). You waste no time in thoroughly inspecting your side of the room, examining the carved walls and nooks and crannies of the room. A section of the wall protruding farther from the rest catches your eye, and you start feeling along the edges to try and move it. As it turns out, the wall section is about an inch thick panel, which you heave off and set on the floor. A large lever is embedded in the wall, with inscriptions of symbols above and below it.”The lever must connect to the traps,” you think aloud, and immediately pull the lever. You watches from the safety of the corner as all the darts come flying out of the statues, some even from the ceiling. It takes only a few seconds, and then all is silent again. Since you’re unsure of whether you set ALL the traps off, you throw a few rocks at the dart’s height, and nothing happens. With your heart pounding in your chest, you walk slowly down the hall, then you gain some confidence as you move along. When you make it to the door, you laugh and nod, wiping sweat on forehead onto your sleeve and walking to the next challenge.
Your laughter doesn’t last long, as you realize that a maze is ahead of you. The walls go up to the ten foot ceiling, so there’s no way to climb up or look over it. In front of you is three ways to turn; left, right, or through the center. Each entrance is marked by an animal symbol. The left is leopard, the right is a phoenix type bird, and the center is a boar. Nothing else indicates the right way to go, so really it’s up to chance. Which path will you go down?
1j boar 2j phoenix 3j leopard
3f
You step up to the handle and grip the carved wood handle, then give it a pull. A thick vine rope comes out of the hole in the wall, as it is attached to the rope. Nothing appears to happen with one pull, even while you wait a few minutes, so you pull a few more times for good measure. Without you noticing however, a series of large boulders are falling from openings in the high ceiling, and you never see them coming. DEAD
2f
You walk over to the mossy panel and press gently, the harder when you realize it requires a little more pressure. When you hear it click into place, you let go and look around for any door to appear. Two walls opposite each other start to shake and groan, as dozens of thin, metallic spikes poke through slits in the walls, and protrude more every second! Panicking, you try to look for an escape route, but the door you came into the room through has been sealed shut! You run for the button and press it rapidly, and feel along the walls for a secret switch, but your efforts are in vain. You spend your last moments wishing you had tried another switch. DEAD
1j
There’s no indication what path to take, but you decide to take a chance and go down the center path. You walk at a slow pace, examining the wall paintings as you go, while watching your step for cracks in the floor or vines. Oddly, there are no pathways branching off since you started, giving you a hopeful feeling that you chose the right path. After about twenty minutes of trekking, you notice the path becomes straight, so you run the rest of the way and smile wide when you get to the end, proud that you chose correctly.
Continuing on, you walk into a cramped room, full of little trinkets and possessions, almost like a tomb. As you move farther in, you realize two slide-like paths that branch in seperate directions. One path is dark, and you hear the rushing sounds of water coming from below. It could lead you down a waterfall back outside, or down to the temple’s chamber of riches. The other path is peculiar, as you can see a faint light coming from farther down. It could mean the treasure chamber is just below, or it leads somewhere outside, or even a person who has started a flickering fire. What is your decision?
1k the lit path 2k the water path
2k
The lit pathway is a little too open-ended, so you decide the water will be a safer choice. You grab a headlamp from your bag and strap it on, putting away your flashlight that is not waterproof. You plop down on the cold stone, smooth and slick, and you feel and increase in humidity and some cold drops of water on your face. To get going, you push off with your hands and start sliding, picking up speed and turning corners like on a rollercoaster. You even let out a scream in a few spots. The sounds of water are much clearer now, and the slide starts becoming vertical, until you splash into the water face first, lucky enough to have grabbed a good breath. Your headlamp flickers, making you panic some. You have to find a way to get out fast, as the water seems to be steadily rising. The watery area you ended up in looks like it once had no water, and through the murky fog you see a switch, which could spell trouble or escape. On the other hand, you could try swimming to the ceiling of the room to search for a switch or take another breath. Choose fast!
1l switch 2l ceiling
2l
If the room has water, a switch that’s more reliable may be on the ceiling. Sure enough, through the dirty old water, you see a lever that looks like the one on the floor, and you swim up to use it. You hear a click in the water, but nothing seems to change. You look up and realize the water is rising faster, just as your vision turns blurry. DEAD
2j
The Phoenix, being the mystical creature, must be the right path. You start down the path, with a few intersections and a few dead ends. Panic rises in your chest because you keep losing your place often, and after about an hour of being in the maze you find that even the entrance you came in is unlocatable. After another hour of wandering, you start using the items in your bag as markers, but find that even those keep disappearing. Hour after hour, you become more lost and more delirious, lost forever on the Phoenix’s path. DEAD
1k
The water sounds are a little intimidating, but the light is more comforting to your conscience. You glance around the room one more time for any other hints or options before sitting down on the obsidian stone and scooting down until you build enough momentum that you’re whizzing down yourself. You start laughing like a child at a playground, before starting to feel uncomfortably hot. The longer you slide, the hotter it gets, until it’s nearly unbearable. Just as the horrifying thought pops into your head, you end your ride by skidding into a pool of lava. So much for a person. DEAD
1f
You grab the stick and start pulling, hearing a grinding sound while spiders scatter. From a side wall, that earlier, looked like all the other walls, you hear a wall start to lift up like a garage door. The door and sounds stop about ten seconds after, and you see light coming from the new room. Gleefully, you rush to the door. But, what your find stops you dead in your tracks.
The chamber you’ve uncovered is ginormous, larger than any room you’ve ever been in, and much hotter too. You’re standing on a ledge high up, and below you is a bubbling pool of lava! A wire is attached to your ledge and the one twenty or so feet away, and you can tell by its metallic sheen that it was left by an explorer before you, who most likely found his or her fate because of it.
The wire itself is a little thinner than a balance beam and seems hot, so gripping t and moving across is out of the question. Your only option is to walk across, with as much stability as possible. You start with your right foot on the wire, as it gives a little and you adjust your left foot to stabilize yourself. The little experience you’ve had on sidewalk ledges and wires aids you in getting halfway across with minimal issues, but the middle is where the wire is giving the most. You feet start stumbling and rocking, and you’re about to fall off! Quick, lean left or right?
1m left 2m right
3j
You start strolling down the leopard path, going along smoothly without too much confusion. After an hour or so of pacing, you come across a high window on one of the dead ends. The wall is rocky enough to climb, so without hesitation you start climbing up the window to look outside.
The view is that of a basement, with the window being level with the ground. You can hear the birds and insects chirping, and smile as a breeze blows across your face. Out of nowhere, a prowling leopard slinks out of the bushes, catching your scent and snarling. Fear washes over you as you duck back below the window but you hear the beast fast-approaching. You start climbing down the wall, but slip and fall your way back down due to your sweaty palms. Now the leopard really knew where you are, and you see it gaze down at you, it’s pupils thin slits and fur standing up. You think you’re safe, but to your surprise the leopard leaps down through the window, approaching you and batting its paw. You start to run with all your energy through the maze, thinking as fast as you can to find an escape. The leopard seems to know the paths well, and can sprint much faster than you can run.
At last, you finally reach a dead end, and start choking up just as the leopard pounces onto you. Looks like it was a dead end in more ways than one. DEAD
1m
You lean to the left, arms waving precariously, and steady yourself enough to slowly get to the other side.
You’re drenched in sweat as you step onto the other side, smiling wide and laughing with a chuckle. Without any time to react, you foot feels no ground and you slip into a dark hole, heart pounding while you scream and grasp for anything. The drop is short, and you land on something hard with a loud thump… Continue to PART 2
2m
You lean to the right, straight after fumbling over your own feet and falling into the lava like the explorers before you. DEAD
PART 2
The treasure! You found it! Through all the trials and tribulation, you made it to the riches! The entire room is full of gold, silver, and gorgeous pieces of furniture, armor, and art. You’re almost brought to tears with the quality and beauty of the riches and outcome of the situation. You scramble around in your bag for your camera, and start taking dozens of pictures. You’re overwhelmed with how you’re going to collect it all, or get your crew to come, or even how you’re going to get out. You grab a coin from the ground and flip it in your palm, examining the engravings. For a short time, all is well and calm, but you don’t realize the eerie figures coming out of the holes in the walls, being sleek, flexible, and silent.
When you do look up, there’s at least five surrounding you with spears, axes, and weapons you believed to have been lost to time. The men, or creatures, wear masks decoratively painted with demonic-looking features. Their movements are fast and sharp, and the little armor they wear was made of vines, leather, and wood, nothing like the armor displayed in the chamber. Their overall presence was ghostly, and their actions made them animalistic.
You put your hands up and watch them carefully, as they speak in a dead language even the natives would not be able to decipher. They seemed to be planning something against you, and you have a gut feeling it’s not something nice. Out of the corner of your eye, you see a doorway that leads down a hall, with the faintest light at the end. That is your only escape. But the five apparitions are closing in, and the only way to get through to the door is to get past them.
You have nothing to fight them with, so you have to pick an opening to charge through. The men are spread almost evenly, so whichever way you go may result in death. This is your last chance. Will you make it out alive?
1n forward 2n left 3n right 4n back
1n
Charging forward will be the easiest choice, as you’re already facing the direction of the door. You wait a few seconds to find a good time to cut through, then run as fast as you can through the men, screaming wildly. The guards catch on quickly, and bolt for you at a breakneck speed. One of them throws a spear right at your back, while another tries grabbing for your arm. You’re able to dodge the spear, but not the man’s grab. He pulls you close to himself and cackles, driving a sharp arrowhead into your side, causing you to crumple to the ground. DEAD
2n
Going left could throw off the men, so without room for any rethinking you run to the left, grabbing a sword from the ground and facing the ghostly guardians. They stop running towards you for a moment, eyeing you cautiously. You smile triumphantly while they start making an odd sound with their tongues. The chatter confuses you some, but you stand your ground and brush it off as a fear tactic. When you start hearing an echo from above you, you look up just in time to spot another spirit warrior jumping down from a hole in the wall right on top of you. You hold the sword up fast to use it as defence, but the man is swift and kicks your jaw even with the sword in the way. You shout in pain and drop the sword, holding your jaw. In the next second, the six men are closer than before, with one more thrown into the bunch. By the end of their escapades, they’ve turned you into a human punching bag. DEAD
3n
Going right seems like a good choice, as the two men on that side appear weaker or at least less intimidating. You quickly jump out of the way of one of the men trying to jab their spear at you and then start making your way left. The ghostly forms start after you right away, so you pick up speed as fast as possible. You can hear them speaking angrily behind you, and you chuckle under your breath while dodging a projectile thrown by one of them. Ahead of you however is a large pile of riches, stacked nearly to the ceiling. Without hesitation you start climbing it, but the coins and shiny trinkets give you little foothold to get across. The warriors are on your tail, so you start trying to go around the hill, not looking back at your enemies. You stumble over the items and see the door, a sense of hope washing over you. Suddenly, a guard pops in front of you from the side, ramming you to the ground. You sweat profusely and try getting back up fast enough to get away, but the large, ghostly man stamps his foot onto your chest and holds his spear to your head. So close, yet so far! DEAD
4n
As the phantom warriors start moving in, you quickly turn backwards and run through two of them as they attempt to stab you with spears. You get an adrenaline rush as you turn right and speed past the other two men, all of them talking wildly while chasing you. The floor is littered in coins and objects, so you bounce your eyes up and down from the floor to the hallway as you charge down it. The ancient men squawk and scream while following you, two of them hurling spears after you, but you manage to dodge both surprisingly easily. The light is fast approaching, but your eyes don’t have time to adjust. With the last of your strength, you push your physical limits and run straight towards the end. When you realize the hallway ends at a cliff, you make the bold, split-second decision to jump. At the last moment, you kick off and leap out of the temple, half laughing and half screaming. The short lived view is breathtaking, as you leap over the ravine you had to cross to get in. The warriors did not follow you, but for good reason; Where were you going to land?! As the ground approaches, you protect your head and body as much as possible and wait for the impact, eyes closed. You feel yourself crash into a thick bush, which cushions your fall enough to only give you a few small cuts and bruises.
As you stir your body back to normal, you use a hand to shield the setting sun and glance back to where you came out, no sign of the warriors at the cliff. They really were ghostly….
You start to grin, then chuckle, then scream out of joy, you made it out alive! When you’ve calmed down a bit more, you take out your compass and start making your way back to camp. While doing so, you start to wonder about all the treasure left behind, and whether or not you’ll ever go back for it. With a deep sigh you put your hand in your pocket, and feel something you don’t recognize. You pull out a coin from the temple, and smile with fuzzy nostalgia. With that, you quicken your pace to get back to camp, knowing that you’ll never see that temple again. END