Storm Warning (Choose your own adventure)

17

The wind whips at your face as you climb to the top of the stairs and find yourself on the top deck. The dreadnought's huge bridge towers over the stern of the ship. You're near the front, where the machine gun turrets are mounted. The landscape of a beautiful pine forest is carpeted out below you. "Hey! there's the stowaway!" a soldier yells. "Oh, Xaan forbid! That's the fugitive that Lord Valorus is looking for!" another soldier says. Why would a lord be looking for me? you think, but your thoughts are interrupted by a yell. "Get him!" a third soldier shouts. You have no idea what to do as they rush forward... Then a spark lights up inside you.

Energy surges through your veins. The wind starts swirling around you. You want to let loose all this energy, but it seems to be blocked up. You push harder and harder, until ZZZZZRRRKKKK! Your gauntlet explodes as a dazzling blast of electricity rockets out of your hand and fries the soldiers in front of you. "He destroyed the gauntlet! He's stronger than you think!" a soldier yells out.

You realise the gauntlet was some sort of restraining device for your powers....but who attached it to you? You don't have time to think as more soldiers rush up to attack you. With a sweep of your arm, you send a swirling scythe of wind at the soldiers and they go flying off the ship, pushed by the sheer force of the attack. The remaining soldiers have begun to roll out the heavy weapons. You're getting tired and trying to destroy the weapons could easily kill everyone on the ship, even you.

Then you get an idea. You frantically grab a grenade out of your bag, hurl it at the soldiers, and jump off the edge of the ship. This is a resounding KA-THOOM behind you as the grenade rips apart the ship in a blinding explosion. A blast of hot air hits your back and you tumble through the sky. Panic and fear grip your heart as you see the pine forest, stretched out beneath you. Your brain is frozen, but you force yourself to summon air currents to slow down your fall.

For what seems like ages, you slowly move down to earth. You finally dodge a tree and land on the ground with a crunch. You hear a distant explosion and see chunks of burning metal fly into the air. That must be the dreadnought going down, you think. Valorus is going to try even harder to capture me now, I had better get away from the crash site. And with that, you quietly slip away through the trees.

A few days later, you arrive at the edge of the forest. The horizon opens up into an empty wasteland. You decide to set up camp at the edge of the wasteland. If you try to cross it, you'd just get lost and starve to death. Valorus may be following you, but you can't go any further. It's time to make a final stand. Turn to 22.