Inspired by caustic- Another Kind of Adventure

B.The covers must protect you. Also that was a really nice plot twist you threw in before

B indeed is cold out there

Haha man you guys are funny. I'd say the protagonist isn't very cold, as Gabby's with him, but I digress. I'll type up the next part soon, as I just got off school for winter break
 
Someguy, out of curiosity, which plot twist did you enjoy? I'd love to know

Carmilla's backstory. Its not something you would expect with stories like this which threw me off and made me really interested in what happened.

Ah, I see. Thanks. I'm glad you're enjoying it.

>"Life is scary son. You just have to get used to it. There are no magical fixes for anything. Sometimes bad things just happen and there's nothing you can do about it but push on," says a low, gruff voice. You look up at him. He has short brown hair and a bushy beard. The fireplace nearby gives his blue eyes a shining glow that contrasts with his dark and sunken face. You're sitting on a ratty carpet in a small living area. He sits at a small rotting table on miniature stool, whittling something with a pocketknife. "Dad?," you ask. "Can you tell me about Mom again?" The man lets out a heavy sigh and looks down at the ground. "Your mother... was beautiful. She was nice, wonderful, and so many other things. But more important than any of that, she loved you more than anything, and so do I. Always remember that. "What happened to her?," you ask, looking up at him with big curious eyes. "She, uh, was in an accident. She was on the way home, and, uh, some bad men found her." Not quite understanding you continue questioning him. "What'd they do?" The man turns away from you. "It's, uh, not important. Head on to bed. I'll come tuck you in in a minute." You get up and start walking to your room. It's not hard to find even in the dark with there being four rooms in your home. Before you open your bedroom door, you look back at your dad and see him weeping softly. He doesn't notice you. You walk inside your room and lay in your bed, waiting to be tucked in.
>"Hey, hey!," calls a voice. "You there buddy?" You see Simon in front of you, snapping his finger in your face. "You okay man? You were in some kinda trance," he says. David and Gabby look over at you. Gabby's face is filled with concern. "I'm fine guys. Just, uh, a daydream. That's all." "Well we're about to set off towards the castle." You stand up. It's morning, no later than 9am. "Yeah, yeah. Let's get going then," you say, taking the lead. The others follow right behind you. You can see the castle in the distance, miles away, but it wouldn't be hard getting there. You see no obstacles in your vision, just a grassy meadow. "It'll be some hours before we get there. How bout we get to know each other a little better?," asks David. "I only a little about you guys, and I don't believe we've been acquainted," he says, addressing Gabby. "Well, I grew up in a small town not too far from here. When I was a girl, I used to chase butterflies all the time outside. My parents would tell me to come in, and I'd keep running around. My dad was drafted for some war going on when I was a teenager, so I lived with my mother. Times were a little tough, but we got by fine," she says with a laugh. Her voice begins to grow faint though as her words bring up memories...
>"Dad, where're you going?" The man turns to face you. A beat up bag sits behind him on the living room table, stuffed with clothes and traveling belongings. His hair is gray now, along with his beard. His face looks old and tired. "I've been drafted. I have to go to war," he grunts. His voice still demanded attention, but it was much weaker than it used to be. You feel rage swell up inside you. He never even told you. "You can't!," you protest, practically yelling. "I don't care what the government wants! You're all I have left!" Your father solemnly stares at you and puts his hand on your shoulder. "I wish things were different too son, but I can't run away from my responsibilities. I've done horrible things in my life. The least I can do is fight for my country." Silence fills the air. Something begins to dawn on you. "What happened the night Mom died?," you ask sternly. You stare at your father, who looks away from your penetrating gaze. "Your mother and I had a fight. About money, about your welfare, and... it got ugly. I said some terrible things to her, and she left the house. I was too angry to go after her and when she didn't come back, I assumed she went to her friend's house." Your father's eyes water up, and tears begin to flow down his face like a waterfall. "And the next day," he stammers. "I found out she, she..." "WHAT?," you shout. "She was killed by bandits," your father weakly croaks. "And it's all my fault. If I didn't say those things, if we didn't have that fight, maybe, maybe things would be different." You look away from him. You don't know what to say, what to feel. You sit down. It's as if you're in a dream, but your brain tells you otherwise. Silence lingers in the air for what seems like hours. You finally open your mouth to speak. "We all make choices, and you chose to let mom go. And because of that, she died." "Yes, and I regret it to this very day. That's why I want you to stop going out at night and stealing. It's not worth it." You stand up quickly, a fire blazing in your eyes. "I'm not like them!," you roar. "I did what I had to because we were starving!" He walks over to you, his face red and wet, and firmly grasps your shoulders with his hands. "If something were to happen to you, I'd never forgive myself. I'd rather starve than see you get hurt," he bawls. You push him away from you, hard. He stumbles backwards and falls to the ground. "I stole so we could eat. My choices were for you, for us. I wasn't thinking selfishly." You hear bones pop as your father gets up slowly. He nods his head and grabs the bag off the table, heading for the door. He looks back at you, tears still falling from his eyes. "Guess this is goodbye," he mutters. "I love you." He walks out the door. You stand where you are, still angered by the news you just heard.
>You look around. Your group is staring at you again. "Maybe we should take a break," Gabby suggests. "No, no I'm fine," you interject, once again pushing ahead to lead. You think back to your dad. At the time, you didn't realize how old he was, how unfit he was to fight. You never saw him again after that night. "We'll make you feel much better when you get here...," chimes a feminine voice. You swiftly turn around, looking for the source of the voice before realizing you must've heard it in your head. Your friends stare at you again. "Let's... let's stop for awhile," Gabby says, gently grabbing your arm and helping you sit down. "He's been through-" "We don't have time to rest!," interrupts David. "Look!" You see an enormous swarm of insects come down from the sky, very suddenly. All you can see is a clump of black, made up of small bugs. They surround all of you, and their buzzing rings in your ears. "What do we do?," calls Simon.

>A) Try to fight off the swarm.
>B) Try to run away. There's too many of them.
>C) Pray for Divine Intervention.
>D) Try to communicate with whatever voice you heard in your head.

mmm C is out of the call don't trust gods since MGQ xD so B you can live to fight another day

A

Imma go a all da way

I'm going with D) this time.

D

D

>D)
>You know what's going on here. You close your eyes, paying no attention to the swarm of dangerous bugs in front of you, and empty your mind of all thoughts. "This swarm can't be a coincidence, and a size this big would only live in their nest in the forest," you think in your mind, trying to communicate to whatever voice you heard. You figure that if they can enter your mind, they can also hear your thoughts. "You sent them, didn't you?," you ask mentally. The same voice you heard before laughs loudly. "Of course we did!," it cries. "And those nasty bugs will poison your friends unless you agree to our terms..." This woman's trying to play you! "What are they?," you demand angrily. "Come to our castle, alone." You think for a moment. It's obviously a trap. As soon as you enter the castle you'll be ambushed by lovely midara, which in a way isn't such a bad thing. But can you really risk the well being of your friends? Judging from what Carmilla did to Simon and David, these women have no qualms with hurting them. As your thoughts simmer in your mind, your decision comes to the conclusion that...

>A) You have no choice. You can't risk your friends' lives. Give into the demands.
>B) Refuse. No way you're giving into this vixen's demands. It has to be a bluff. If they kill your friends, there's no way they can force you to do anything.
>C) Compromise. You're pretty good at that right?
>D) Unless your inner beast and take on the swarm with your team.

A)They can always rescue you later.

A) Can't risk it

A) That sounds like a hero's choice... or a pervert's....

A) Go reckless

Been super busy lately, but after this week, I should have much more free time to write. I've been wanting to continue this for a while, and continue it much more frequently mind you, but alas, my schedule has prevented that from happening. Stay tuned!

I wasn't too busy to post anything, but my roommate is kind of a computer hog(we share one). He's out of town for the moment though so for the time being I'll be able to be a bit more active here. What sucks is I got on last night and was about finish posting the continuation for this, but my internet fucked up, refreshed as I was about to send it, so it wiped out everything I typed. Hate it when that happens. And when it does, I lose the mood to write, so here I am now. I may start typing my longer posts in word first just in case something like that happens.


>A)
>You can't just risk your friends' well-being like this. You close your eyes and concentrate, hoping whatever voice that communicated with you can still hear your thoughts. Fine, you win. I'll come to the castle alone. Just don't hurt my friends, okay? You pause, waiting for an answer. Silence. Did they think you wouldn't give in? Or are they just messing with you again? You're about to try to fight off the swarm with your group when suddenly you hear that chirpy voice say Good. I'll tell Elise the news. We can't wait to see you! You open your eyes to see the swarm of bugs simultaneously fly up into the air, clump together, and soar off into the distance towards the woods. Simon's mouth gapes open as he watches them. David and Gabby look quite confused as well, but turn to you, giving you a look as if asking, “What'd you do?” Simon is still focusing on the bugs flying off. He must be wondering why they went away. David's piercing gaze studies you up and down, as if he's trying to see how you're involved, while Gabby has wide innocent eyes, staring at you as a puppy would its master, wanting to know what to do next. You take a deep breath in. This isn't going to be easy. “Look, guys...,” you start. You hesitate, thinking someone would interject. Nope. David and Gabby continue giving you their attention, completely silent, while Simon is still looking out towards the swarm. “I, uh, well there was this voice mentally communicating with me. I think it was a midara from the castle. They sent that swarm to us, and they said they'd poison you guys if I didn't give into their demands.” David raises an eyebrow. “Which are?” “They want me to come to the castle. Alone.” Simon turns to you, his mouth still slightly open in surprise. David has a blank expression on his face, and poor Gabby's turned her back on you, covering her face with her hands. You can hear her quietly sobbing. A long and awkward silence fills the air, when Simon finally speaks. “But I thought we were all gonna go there, you know, together, right? That was the plan.” You put your hands on your hips and drop your head to the ground, nodding affirmatively. You can't look your best friend in the eye and tell him you're leaving him, especially after all you've been through together. “Yeah, I know,” you say rather curtly. “But I have to do this. I couldn't risk you guys getting hurt, or worse.” “Well... okay man. You gotta do what you gotta do.” His voice is filled with disappointment. “Good luck, I guess.”
>You turn away from them, your head still looking downwards, and lift your foot. It feels awfully heavy all of the sudden. You plant it back down, and begin to trudge on towards the castle, standing tall in the distance. You feel terrible for leaving them, but it was the right thing to do. You didn't really have a choice. After what feels like an eternity walking, though in reality was only a few minutes, a rough hand clasps your shoulder. “Hey, wait a sec.” You don't even need to turn around to know it's David. You stop where you are, but don't look up. “Yeah?” “I know you gotta do this, but if you're gonna go alone, you need some protection, dammit! It would've been tough going against the Eight as a group, but by yourself? Here. You'll need these.” He drops 5 blue capsules into your hand. You clutch them tightly. “What do they do?” “They're magical pills I was working on. They counter the charm effects from midara. Simply swallow one before you get charmed when you're in a tight spot and can't avoid midara, or if you have the will, while you're charmed. They're quite potent, but don't last very long, so make sure you act fast, whatever you do. I should warn you though. They're in the experimental stage, so I only have five right now, and I can't promise they won't have any side effects.” You store the capsules in a small pouch hanging on your belt. “Thanks, David. I really appreciate it.” “No problem. Good luck in there, thief. You'll need it. And watch out for Elise, the vampiress. You thought Carmilla was bad? She's leagues above her.” “How will I know which one she is?,” you ask. “Vampires have long silvery hair, blood red eyes, and fangs. Can't miss her.” “Got it. Guess I should be going now. If I don't make it out, take of Gabby and Simon for me, will ya?” David squeezes your shoulder. “Sure thing.” You nod, and continue walking. You hear David's footsteps get fainter and fainter, until you no longer hear them. Everyone must be far enough to not see you anymore, but you can't turn around to check. You couldn't bring yourself to.
>You take a look at your surroundings, only know appreciating the beautiful day around you. The sun is brightly shining, you hear some birds singing an afternoon tune, and vibrantly colorful flowers decorate the spritely green grass beneath you. Gabby would've liked one of those daisys. You decide to take your time getting there and just enjoy nature. You're not in a hurry or anything, and you're sure the midara won't mind waiting either. If anything, they'd probably get more excited having to wait for you. As you look at your goal a few miles away, a brilliant idea pops into your brain. You stop walking and lie down on a soft patch of grass, stretching your legs out and staring at the variously shaped clouds in the sky, then drift off to sleep, the sun's warm rays acting as a blanket.
>You open your eyes. It's like time just skipped ahead of you. The sky is a pitch black, dotted with white specks, and the moon swapped places with the sun. Instead of a puffy white cotton variety, the clouds above are grey and misty, slowly moving past the moon and covering it. The birds had finished their lively song hours ago to make way for the crickets' dull performance You weren't fully asleep, only napping, but your plan turned out exactly as you thought it would. Take a nap in the daytime to get some more energy, and arrive at the castle at night, giving you a better chance to sneak in unnoticed. You smile at your resourcefulness. Who said you had to get there immediately, right? You traverse the rest of the distance, which only takes around an hour, and arrive at the front of the castle. It's much bigger up close. You take a moment to study the exterior. As far as entrances go, there's the two large oak doors in front of, the main entrance, but also a few other possible entry points. A number of windows are scattered at various heights of the castle, but one grabs your attention in particular. It's about a third of the way up, and is open. A nearby tree about the same height could be climbed, though you'd have to jump from its peak to reach the window. Along the right side of the castle walls, far in the back, is what would appear to be a basement entryway. You go to examine it. Sure thing, it does most likely lead to a basement, or perhaps a storage room. The lock is rusted, but you could still easily pick it or break it. Finally, near the very top of the castle, one of two towers catches your eye. A yellow glow comes from a window on it. Inspecting the stone walls, you see they're sturdy and unmovable(as stones should be in a castle's construction), but have enough space in between them to be able to stick a thin object in between, namely, your daggers. Using them as climbing tools, you could get to the tower, and get in that way, though it's fairly dangerous. But, the midara probably wouldn't eexpect that, right? And the ring you're seeking is most likely at an upper level, guarded, or maybe close to the throne, but it may be better to start at the top and work your way down. Although, they do know you're coming, so it might not be worth it. The real question is, how do you want to get inside?

>A) Knock on the front door politely. No need to be creative or waste energy if they know you're coming.
>B) Climb the nearby tree and jump into the open window. Potentially dangerous, but not overly so, and would get you about a third of the way up.
>C) Enter through the basement. It'd give you some darkness for cover, and you might find some useful supplies.
>D) Like a boss, climb the castle with your daggers and go into the tower. Definitely the most dangerous option, but the least expected, giving you a possible surprise advantage.

Let's try to be sneaky C

A

C), let's clear out the entire complex.

Gotta do the D.

yo man do dat c. an gimme sum hot aktion man enuff of dis bullshit

>C)
>May as well go in the basement and work your way up through the castle. You move your way down the right castle wall to the basement doorway. It has a rusted lock, but with a swift flick of your daggers, it breaks easily. You open the door cautiously, careful to not let it creak, and walk inside. It's pretty dark; if there weren't a few torches mounted on the mossy stone walls, you wouldn't be able to see more than a foot or so in front of you. Treading slowly on the wet floor, you move yourself down a corridor. All is silent, except for the high-pitched squeaks of a mouse, or several of them. You continue and find yourself in a storage room of sorts. Wooden kegs line up the left wall. Whether they're filled with beer, wine, or some kind of midara-made aphrodisiac is unknown, but getting drunk isn't on your agenda anyways. The corridor continues down to a hallway, probably leading up to the main floor and maybe having some bedrooms for lower class midara. The right side is split up into several rooms. One is just a closet, having nothing very interesting. Just some cleaning supplies, mouse traps, and a jar of rat poison. You take the rat poison. It could be useful. Another room is bare except for a wooden chest with steel linings. There is a place for a lock on it, but it doesn't have one. It seems a little peculiar to you though. Most chests with anything worthwhile inside are locked tightly. The final room appears to lead to a dungeon, or something of the kind. You know that because of the familiar musty, damp odor they give off, not to mention a barred door blocking your path, which wouldn't be hard to unlock if you wanted to explore it. Of course, the "type" of dungeon it is is a mystery. It could be a dungeon for prisoners but it could also be a midara's dungeon for pleasure. A sudden noise penetrates your eardrums. You raise up your head and listen. A womanly voice comes down from the corridor in front of you. It grows louder each second, and you know the voice is heading straight for you. You could try to confront whoever it is, or hide somewhere.

>A) Confront the voice. You only hear one voice so you probably could handle it.
>B) Hide in the room with the chest. The chest could be a decent hiding spot should they choose to open it.
>C) Hide in the broom closet. It's probably never used anyways.
>D) Open the barred door and hide in the dungeon. It'd give you the best hiding spot.
>E) Hide behind the kegs and surprise attack whoever's coming. You plan to them out, take any useful stuff, and continue up to the main floor.

A)