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

Chapter Thirty-Three

You want to throw up.

It's all you can think about right now, the need to throw up. Your body has just been dragged through something extenuating, something awful, something not meant for humans. You get on all fours and retch, but nothing comes out. Eventually, you sit back on your heels and look around you.

Although the darkness is almost complete, you know your weapons and gear are gone and you can see a vague halo of light outside your cell. For you are indeed in a cell. Black stone walls, black stone floor, no window, and the door... well, there isn't a door. It's just another wall, but made of iron bars. Behind them is a wide corridor with more bars spaced around the walls: other cells, whose occupants you can't see. There is a torch burning at the entrance to the corridor, thirty feet away. And above that door is a massive banner - bearing the sigil of the Monkey King.

You should've known.

You turn around and paw all over the walls, trying to find something, anything, but the cell is completely empty. However, after a few minutes, a voice whispers to you.

"Psst!"

You whirl around, surprised, and find a slight young man pressed against the bars of your cell. He's looking left and right, like he's not sure he can be here. He wears beautiful silk robes and soft slippers, all spun of bright purple and embroidered with gold thread. The symbol for "monkey" is sewn over his chest.

"Come here," he whispers again. You frown and hesitate, then move forward slowly. Once you're close enough, the person swallows visibly and begins to talk.

"I know why you're here," he says, "and you shouldn't be here. I know why you came. I can... I can help you."

"Who are you? Why would you help me," you ask, jerking your chin at the Monkey sign on his chest. He looks down at it and shudders.

"I serve the Monkey King, but not with all my heart. Not in this case." He breathes deeply. "My name is unpronounceable for a mortal, I'm afraid. I am a Dragon spirit. From near the eastern coast, not Sichuan."

You blink. He continues,

"I was... recruited, shall we say, by Kuan Yin on her travels. I ate her horse. Back then my physical body was in your world, and my soul in a pearl. But Kuan Yin was powerful, and to punish me she changed my body into that of a horse, to replace the one she'd lost. Eventually I was forgiven, but I pledged my service to her nonetheless, for she had been good to me. She ordered me to serve Sun Wukong, so here I am. But today... today I cannot keep it up."

"What's wrong?"

"Sun Wukong has committed the unthinkable!" he whimpers. "He has stolen a brother's pearl - the Sichuan dragon. He has taken the pearl and he intends to use my brother's soul to further his own life. This cannot happen!"

"How do you know why I came?" you demand. "Maybe I came to serve him."

The dragon spirit scoffs. "No you didn't. You were dragged here. You came from poor Mei Mei's shop. I know you're looking for the dragon's pearl so you can give it back to him."

You begin to formulate a reply, but there is a noise from somewhere away and the dragon's spirit flinches. "I shouldn't be here!" he squeals.

Do a Charisma test, rolling one dice or getting a random number from a 1-6 draw, for a result of 4 or more.

If you fail, the dragon shakes his head vigorously at you and whispers, "good luck." Then he disappears and the bars of your cell evaporate. You slowly make your way to the end of the corridor, and up the stairs. Go to Chapter Fifty-Nine.

If you manage, the dragon stays in front of you and whispers in your ear. Go to Appendix 11.