Looking beyond the inert mass of the dragon, you can see that the cave goes on into the darkness. But as you take a few steps forward, you notice something else: there seems to be a ray of light coming from a hole in the stone ceiling, and lighting a strange little structure.
You go around the beast as best as you can and make your way further into the cave. The smell of damp and earth is pungent here and the air is still, making it hard to breathe correctly, but you keep advancing. At last, you reach the thing you had seen from back next to the dragon: a small, chest-height stone column.
Column isn't the right word, actually, you think as you look closer. On the top is a flat marble surface, covered in dust, with one single indentation. A circle about as large as your hand, softly sunken into the stone. The dust there lies in a thinner coat than on the rest of the surface. Something used to stand there - and is now gone.
Frowning, you look closely at every angle of the pedestal, until you happen on markings. You run your fingers along it as the symbols come into focus. This is an ancient alphabet and you are not sure you can read it.
If you are a Shaman, do an Intelligence test by rolling 1 dice for a result of 4 or more. Otherwise, go to the "If you fail" paragraph.
If you fail, you whip out a stick of charcoal from your bag and an old piece of parchment, and apply yourself to creating a rubbing of the markings. Someone will be able to translate that for you somewhere.
If you manage, your teachings float back into your mind and you are able to decipher the text. Go to Appendix 6.
To go back and look at the dragon, go to Chapter Nine.
To leave, if you came by the North road, go to Chapter Eleven.
If you came by the South road, go to Chapter Twelve.
YOU ARE READING
The Rains of Sichuan {Choose Your Own Adventure} // Wattys 2019
Adventure"If we want to survive this drought, you will have to make it rain." In this short-and-sweet Choose Your Own Adventure book, you will be taken on a quest to discover why the rains haven't fallen on your tiny little chinese village - and to remedy...
