Zorlon - Levdia

[Malchik]

Sadly the magic is so strong neither Ford nor Midge hear Lurel and continue walking in the pitch darkness.

 

As Ford reaches out to touch the walls he can feel nothing. His feet move but he can feel no ground beneath him yet he does not fall. Midge has noticed it too.

 

The sounds are beginning to resolve themselves. Panting, scuffling, the odd yip - it sounds very much like an ordinary dog.

 

If only you could see!

[ThetaOrionis01]

"Wait!" Lurel shouts again, but since neither Ford not Midge re-appear out of the darkness, Lurel makes up his mind quickly.

 

"I'm going in after them," he announces to Lisette and the Princess. He rummages in his backpack in feverish haste, pulls out the rope, and ties it around his waist.

 

"Here," he says to Lisette. "That will guide us out again, at least. If there's danger, I'll tug 3 times. If I tug 5 times, let go of the rope. If there's danger here, use 3 tugs on the rope to alert me. If you run out of rope, tug 5 times."

 

He practically throws the coiled up rope at Lisette, and runs into the darkness without waiting to see if she takes hold of it.

 

"Ford! Midge! Wait!!!"

[Switch]

"Whoa... I don't feel right... in fact, I can't feel anything! I've gone numb!"

 

Ford starts to panic.

 

"Lurel?? Anyone? Midge you still here?!"

[Malchik]

As Ford shouts the darkness clears from him. He can make out Midge and Lurel as shapes in the gloom. In front the scene clears more quickly. You seem to be looking at the outside of a house. A large black healthy dog is resting with head on paws. To the left is a dirty bowl with a scrap of bone and a chain attached to the wall. The chain has a muzzle too but if the muzzle was put on the dog its front paws would be lifted of the ground. To the right is a bright well-filled dish of scraps and toys such as a dog might play with.

 

It sees Midge first, springs to its feet, hackles rising and letting out a warning growl. As Ford comes into view, it stares at him intently and then sits relaxed.

 

Ford suddenly realises he can just about make out the wall of the house through the dog!

 

When Lurel arrives, the dog eyes him curiously but without concern.

 

All three are affected by being unable to touch anything.

[Switch]

"Er... what is this? What's a house doing in here?"

 

Ford looks around.

 

"Um... what's with this dog? I can see through it?"

[ThetaOrionis01]

"An illusion maybe? Or perhaps the ghost of a dog?" Lurel speculates. He approaches the dog cautiously, ready to leap back should it attack him.

 

"There, there," he murmurs soothingly as he takes a few slow steps towards the dog. "I don't know what's going on here, or where we are, but we don't mean any harm."

[Malchik]

The dog seems less interested now. It still keeps alert but Ford's presence seems to satisfy it.

 

You hear a voice. Perhaps it is the dog, or perhaps not. It naggingly reminds you of a voice you heard in a cave before where there was another animal involved.

 

"A fox took the chickens but Laca was imprisoned for it. Mara could not bear to see such inhuman treatment. She rescued him. Remember that when you meet him again."

 

There is a silence then the voice says. "I am very curious about you. It is a pity we can never meet face to face. You may meet my illusion in this maze, or you may not. Should you find this, I will answer a question from each of you. But not here."

 

There is another pause and the voice adds. "You can go no further north, the exit is to the far south."

 

She adds to Midge "You remember things, don't you? You will need to."

 

The voice is gone. You are all back with Lisette and Princess Siffli. The dark passage remains but the sounds no longer come from it.

[Switch]

"Well... that was strange."

 

Ford looks around.

 

"At least we're out of there. Make sure to remember what he... or she... or it, said."

[ThetaOrionis01]

"That," Lurel says, shaking his head in disbelief, "was strange. This must have been a clue. Laca - I wonder when we'll meet him again. The voice said we would."

 

Lurel bites his lip. "It reminds me of something. That kind of compassion...."

 

He snaps his fingers. "Do you remember the bear on Levdia? I wonder if there's a connection.... " He tells the princess about the episode with the injured bear. "Can you tell us anything more about Mara which might help us in our quest?"

 

 

While he is talking he unties the rope from his waist, and coils it up again. Once he has finished his story, he asks:

 

"We need to head south, and we know that there's danger there - those attackers we drove off, for one. Should we have a rest and something to eat first?"

[Malchik]

As you consider your options you move away from the unnerving passage following the passage round to the right, now facing south. The next juction is a turning off to the left only. Ahead the path reaches a crossroads. The equality of all distances between junctions indicates that a right turn at the crossroads will take you toward the second box, the one you turned back from before. But first you have to decide about the existing junction. The usual tunnel noises can be heard but nothing new.

 

There is enough space here to rest.

 

You update your map.