You open the great doors and make your way through.
Inside is a grand, magnificent hall. The ceiling is so far up you can barely see it; it is held up by great columns of red marble. The walls, pure white marble, are covered in frescoes and reliefs depicting the legend of the Monkey King. Statues of jade, taller than a man, stand proudly around the main aisle of the room.
At the very back, at the end of that aisle, stands a throne. Wide and tall, three steps up from the ground, it is made of opal: though black at first sight, flaming hues of green, red and gold can be seen when the light hits it just right. And on that throne, sprawled among a myriad satin cushions, is Sun Wukong.
He is about as tall as you are. Lean, wiry, dressed in pure silks of red, yellow and brown, his red and gold boots smearing dirt on a blue satin cushion. He has a tail - a long, brown prehensile monkey tail that sprouts from his lower back and curls in the air next to him. In his left hand is a strange stick. In his right, as he gazes at it - an enormous pure white pearl, shimmering in the light.
You step up and stop when he turns to look at you. His eyes, the iris of molten gold, go from the top of your head to the soles of your feet and back again in a long appraising stare. He holds the pearl more firmly and, slowly, sneering at you the whole while, he sets it into a pouch at his belt. You wish you could say something, anything, but your voice does not come. All you can do is watch as Sun Wukong stands from his throne, comes down the three steps, and his strange stick grows to become a full-fledged staff.
Combat
SUN WUKONG : Spirit opponent.
If you have the crown: each time you land a blow (he does not parry), you can roll a dice for Agility and another for Speed. If both of these dice show 4 or more, refer to Chapter Fifty-Seven. If you're playing with random draws, do two random draws of 1-6, both must show 4 or more. If you manage, refer to Chapter Fifty-Seven.
If you fail either or both of these tests, throw one dice or get a random number from a 1-6 draw for a result of 4 or more. If you fail, Sun Wukong lands a blow and you lose a life point. If you manage, you parry the blow and strike back, and Sun Wukong loses a life point. Resume combat as normal, and try again after your next blow lands - until one of you is dead.
SUN WUKONG, shape One : the Monkey King.
Life points: 3
Weapon: staff (long weapon)
Shamans cannot use magic against this shape.
Dice rolls: throw two dice - get a random number from a 1-12 draw.
1 to 4 : you fail your attack and the Monkey King strikes back. Lose 1 life point.
5 to 7 : he blocks your attack.
8 to 12 : your attack carries. The King loses 1 life point.
Repeat until one of you is dead.
If you did not survive, go to the Very Last Part.
If you did, move on to shape Two.
SUN WUKONG, shape Two: the Monkey.
Life points: 3
Weapon: bare-handed
Dice rolls: throw two dice - get a random number from a 1-12 draw.
1 to 4 : you fail your attack and Sun Wukong strikes back. Lose 1 life point.
5 to 7 : he blocks your attack.
8 to 12 : your attack carries. The King loses 1 life point.
Repeat until one of you is dead.
If you did not survive, go to the Very Last Part.
If you did, move on to shape Three.
SUN WUKONG, shape Three: the Spirit.
Life points: 5
Weapon: Sword (short weapon)
Shamans cannot use magic against this shape.
Dice rolls: throw two dice - get a random number from a 1-12 draw.
1 to 4 : you fail your attack and the Monkey King strikes back. Lose 1 life point.
5 to 7 : he man blocks your attack.
8 to 12 : your attack carries. The King loses 1 life point.
Repeat until one of you is dead.
If you did not survive, go to the Very Last Part.
If you did, read ahead.
The body of the Monkey King lies dead at your feet. Winded, sore, tired, you kneel beside it and pry the dragon's pearl from the purse at the spirit's belt. When you look up from your task, you see the spirit of the dragon, whom you had met in the jails of the Money King, standing before you. There are tears in his eyes and a smile on his face. He holds out his hand to you.
To take his hand, go to Chapter Fifty-Eight.
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...
