The Rains of Sichuan {Choose Your Own Adventure} // Wattys 2019

Chapter Nineteen

You shoulder your belongings and make your way out of the boutique. Once in the street, you realise you have no clue where to go.

Where would you find the Monkey King, of all people? How do you get to where such a creature lives? You decide there's only one place where you can get the answer to that: a Temple. Luckily, Hangzhou is a very big place, and although they do not have a full-fledged Temple, they do have a lovely large building with beautiful gardens on the outside and a handful of monks on the inside.

You turn to go, filled with renewed vigor, and you stop dead.

Ahead of you, the way is blocked by three people. You cannot distinguish their features, hidden under their helmets, but the sigil standing proud on their chest is not unknown to you. They are standing three abreast, their staffs firmly planted by their side, and they are immobile.

You feel a treacherous drop of cold sweat run down your spine. You turn around and prepare to run down the street in the opposite direction - and come face-to-face with the same three people. Disbelieving, you look behind you. The street is empty. You turn once more, aiming to run in that direction - and the three people are back again.

And so it dawns on you: these are spirits, they are with the Monkey King, and you are in deep trouble.

Before you can do anything else, the one in the middle lifts a hand and snaps his fingers. Immediately your body stiffens until you fall to the ground, completely paralysed. Do a Constitution test, rolling 2 dice or getting a random number from a 1 to 12 draw. Shamans and Monks have a +4 bonus to this test.

1 to 8: you cannot resist the spell that was cast on you. Your eyelids droop and you fall into a deep sleep. Congratulations, you finished Part 2! Now go to Chapter Thirty-Three.

9 to 12: although you can't move at all, you do manage to stay awake. Go to Chapter Thirty-Four.