The pain is the first thing you notice.  It feels as though someone's poured an entire vat of hot coffee over your entire body.  Somehow, you get the sense that you've been asleep a lot longer than normal. You open your eyes to find yourself laying in a patch of grass, staring up at a clear, starry sky, interrupted by the branches of nearby trees.  You don't move for a moment. How did you get outside? You don't remember going to sleep out here... as a matter of fact, you don't remember going to sleep at all. Or anything else, as a matter of fact.

The pain is fading fast, so you sit up and take a look around, pulse racing. The shadowy forms of trees surround you, the sounds of the night bombarding your senses.  It occurs to you that you're hyperventilating. Is this what it feels like to have a heart attack? No this is a panic attack of some kind. Instinctively, you find yourself focusing on a single blade of grass in the field.  With shaking hands, you pluck it from the dirt and study it, taking note of its shape, the feel of it in your hand, the nearly indistinguishable pattern of little veins running through it. Mindfulness. That's supposed to help with Panic attacks.  Somehow, you remember that. But you can't remember where you learned it.

Slowly but surely, your breathing normalizes.  You wipe the snot from your nose and the tears from your eyes as your body stops convulsing.  For the first time since you woke up, you notice the cool night breeze. You're going to be fine.  If you just keep your wits, you'll find a way out of this eventually. You take a quick inventory of everything you can remember.  Random bits of knowledge surface in your head, facts about whales, mathematical formulas, the steps to changing a tire. But no memories of the people, or events, or books that taught you those things.

As you contemplate these things, you notice a few items laying in the grass around you.  Namely, a small backpack and an odd metal disk, with a glowing screen on one side. You pick up the disk first and examine it.  "Insufficient power," flashes across its face over and over in red.  Something about it tugs at something in your memory, but you can't quite put your finger on what.  Confused, you slip it into your pocket and turn to the bag. You unzip it to find a lighter, a knife, a sleeping bag, a pillow, and... a whole mountain of Cheez-Its and Mountain Dew?  Just what kind of person are you? Still, it's better than nothing, so you slip it over your shoulders.

As you try (and fail), to take your bearings from the waning crescent moon, (not that it really matters, it's not like you know where you came from), you become aware of a strange noise in the distance.  You stop and listen. Is that yelling? Wait, yelling is a human noise, right? So, where there's yelling, there's humans. Before you can even finish processing that thought, your feet are carrying you towards the source of the noise.  You didn't know you could run this fast on pavement, much less over the uneven turf of the forest, but then, maybe you're a famous football player or something and just don't remember it.

The yelling grows louder as you draw nearer.  A dim light shines in the distance, growing brighter.  You slow down a little, these shouts don't sound like happy ones.

"Stop struggling or it'll only hurt more!" a gravelly voice says.

"Help! Stop! Let me go!"  An extremely high pitched voice this time.

You've slowed to a tip-toe now.  Whatever this is, you're not sure you want to be a part of it.  Still you creep closer until you can just make out the figures involved between the trees.  They look small from here, no bigger than children, but then, it's a little hard to tell from this distance.  It looks like they might be wearing some kind of cloaks, green ones, if your eyes don't deceive you.

"Gag her before she draws someone to us!"  Says the gravel tongued shadow to two others holding down a third, "Get her in the bag and tie it tight.  The last thing we need is another escape."

Your palms are soaked with sweat.  You should do something, anything, to help, but whoever these people are, they certainly don't sound like the kind of folks you'd like to mess with...
> You watch from afar. Better to stay safe than risk your life for a stranger.
You stay where you are and listen.

"Please!" cries the high pitched voice, "I just wanna go home!  Let me go home!"

"We're giving you a new home."  Says the gruff voiced one (probably the leader), "A better home!  Don't you want to help make your old home better?"

"No!  I want my papa!"

"My word!"  The leader explodes,  "She's a child! How hard is it to get a child into a bag?"

The screams become muffled now, and a new voice says

"We're not incompetent, you shriveled prune!  See? We've already got her in.  If you'd use your rotten husk of a brain for one second you'd stop yelling and see that."

"Under the old order, a comment like that would get you executed."

"So what?  We're out to put an end to the old order, not-"

"Would you shut up?  You want someone to hear us?  You're worse than the little girl!"

"All I'm saying is, you won't do anything about it.  You know it's wrong, I know it's wrong, so stop making stupid hollow threats!"

The leader laughs, a cold, empty laugh.  "I'll be the judge of what's right and what's wrong, thank you very much.  Not everything about the old order has to go.  Don't throw the slush out with the water, as they say.  Now pick up that bag and start walking.  We've taken too long already."

With that, the muffled screams of the child fade into the distance as the light grows further away.  Soon, all you can hear is the pounding of your heart, returning slowly to normal.  It's a good thing you didn't get tangled up in that mess.  No telling what would've happened if they'd seen you.  Still, the sounds of that girl screaming still ring in your ears.  Something tells you they might linger still for a little while longer.

Soon as you're sure the danger's passed, you walk a little closer to the scene of the crime, or whatever it was you just saw.  To your surprise, there's a path not too far from there.  The kidnapers must've been waiting in the bushes or something, and jumped out to grab the girl as she passed.  With no other options at hand, you start down the path in the opposite direction from the kidnapers.  It's lined with stones, with a few oddly-shaped bricks set in the ground here and there, as if, a long time ago, it was paved.

The trees are thinning out now, and soon you can see the night sky in all it's glory.  You come to the edge of a hill and stop.  Down the slope in front of you, lights are visible.  A village rests at the bottom of the hill, still sleeping in the light of the stars.  What's more, from your vantage point you can just see the beginnings of the sunrise peeking up from behind the mountains in the distance.  The path has given way to a rough set of stairs carved into the hillside.  They are smaller than most stairs you've seen, like they were carved especially for children.  Still, it's better than picking your way down the slope and probably slipping a few times along the way.

You reach the bottom of the hill in record time and find yourself still a mile or so away from the village.  Looks like the path continues into it, so you keep following it.  As you walk, you pass by a strange plant, just taller than you are.  It grows on a thin, blue stalk, straight up, until it droops over at the top, opening into a strange, orange bulb.  The bulb glows in the dawn, lighting the whole path beneath your feet.  Just a few moments later, you pass by another on the opposite side of the path.  The entire trail leading up to the village is lined with these plants, lighting the way like streetlights on an old city road.
> The village
It soon becomes apparent that you are closer to the village than you thought.  Is it just you, or are those buildings smaller than they seemed from afar?  You come to the edge of the village to find that the smallest of the houses are about your height.  Everything is half the size it should be, from the road through town to the stones that pave it.  What's more, everything is made of the strangest materials, the likes of which you've never seen.  (At least, not that you can remember).  The only thing you've seen that looks remotely like this is Paper-Mache, but this must be sturdier than that, otherwise these houses would've fallen down ages ago as soon as the wind decided to pick up.

As you draw nearer to the center of town, you begin to feel that unsettling feeling of being watched.  It's been present for quite some time now, growing stronger as the sun continued to light up more of the sky.  Are those eyes you see, poking out between the shuttered windows of the houses?  Why is nobody out and about yet, it may be early, but even still-

"What in the name of the water-pit are you?"  A voice from behind snaps you out of your thoughts.

You turn, knocking your elbow on the corner of the houses nearby.  Grimacing from the pain, you see before you a strange creature, almost human, yet not quite.  Its head comes up only to your waist, and it's skin has the same Paper-Mache quality as the walls of the buildings beside you.  The ears are the strangest part, sticking straight up into the air.  It's a wonder something so small can hold them up like that for so long.  The creature holds something like a spear, made of wood, pointed straight at you.

"Do you speak, you big brute?"  The creature asks, "What are you, why have you come here, waking us all up in the night?"

"The sun's out," you reply, "People get up when the sun is out, don't they?"

"Do you like getting up at the crack of dawn?  Some of us sleep in and that's besides the point.  What the heck are you, and why are you here?"

"What am I?"  You ask, your irritation growing with each word this creature says, "What are you?  What is this place?  I've never seen anything like you."

Other creatures, like this one before you, peak their heads out from doorways and windows, drawn out by the commotion at hand.

"I am Merk, head of the watchmen of Arrorn."  Says the creature, "This village and it's people are under my protection.  If you have come to do harm, consider this my warning.  State your purpose or leave this place, lest I am forced to raise my spear and drive you out myself!"

"I haven't done anything!"  You protest, "Why are you threatening me?  Don't I have... rights or something?"  That thing may be small, but the stick it's holding still looks pretty sharp.

The creature pauses, lowering it's spear just a touch.  "I don't know what you mean by 'rights,'" it says, "But you raise an important point.  I apologize for threatening you, it's just that I've never seen anything quite like you in all my seventy-four years of life in this village."

"I'm a human... I think," You say, still feeling a little annoyed, "And in all my... well, I'm not sure how many years of existence, I've never seen anything quite like you either.  I think."

"I am what is known as an Oalkwardner."  Says the creature, (Merk, as he called himself), "As are all others like me.  This village-"

A high pitched whistle cuts through the air, cutting Merk off mid sentence.  He seems to jump a little when he hears it, his stance becoming more rigid, more alert.

"The alarm!"  He says, raising his spear once more,  "I'm sorry, but duty calls!"  He leaps towards you and you flinch.  Is he going to attack you after all?  But no, he soars over your head and lands behind you, taking off as soon as his feet touch the ground.

"Wait!"  You call.  The idea of being left alone in this strange village terrifies you.  Who knows?  The next person you talk to might attack you for real.  You run after Merk, ducking through the too narrow streets, nearly flattening a few unsuspecting Oalkwardners.  Even with your longer legs, Merk is faster than you, slowly drawing farther and farther away.

"Please!"  You cry once more, "I don't even know where I am!"

Merk slows a little and looks over his shoulder.  "If you want to stay with me, then do so!"  He calls back, "But I must warn you, I have work to do.  I may not be of much use to you."

"That's... fine..."  You pant,  "Just... slow down... a little."

"We're almost there, human!  I cannot slow my pace, there may not be much time!"

You can hardly begin to imagine what he means by that in your current state, (you're not going to be able to run much longer with this pain in your side), but he's clearly not slowing down.  Maybe it's the fear of being left behind, but somehow you find the strength to keep up the pace.  The road grows wider with each twist and turn, until it gives way to a dilapidated plaza with a strange tower in the middle.  Atop it is what looks to be a horn of some kind, with an Oalkwardner blowing into it.  This is where the high pitched noise came from earlier.

Most of the people milling about the square ignore the horn, as if this is some kind of daily occurrence.  Merk slows at the base of the tower, stopping in front of an Oalkwardner in something resembling a dress, it's ears drooping.  You catch up just in time to hear the ensuing conversation.

"Fila?"  Merk asks, "Why have you sounded the alarm?  What's wrong?"

"Its Pila," Says Fila, "She's dis-" the Oalkwardner notices you for the first time, "What in the world is that?"

Her ears stick straight in the air and she leaps backwards, trembling.  Merk turns and sees you standing there.

"This is human.  It's friendly, don't worry."  He turns to you and says, "And this is Fila, my wife."

"Why is everyone so afraid of me?"  You ask, "I haven't done anything wrong."

"I'm sorry... hue-mon."  Her ears begin to droop once again, "I'm just worried, that's all.  Our daughter,"  She gestures to Merk and herself, "is missing.  She went to play with her friends yesterday evening.  I meant to stay up waiting for her, but I was so tired that I just couldn't stay awake.  And when I woke up, she still hadn't come back."

Merk's eyes grow wider, and he grips his spear tighter.  "What do you mean, she hasn't come back."

"I mean, she isn't here, Merk!  She might've disappeared like all those other-"

"No!,"  he says,  "I'm sure she's fine.  She probably just got lost.  We'll find her."

A chill runs down your spine.  You'd forgotten about the kidnapping you saw in the forest after Merk confronted you.  You were too worried about staying alive to think about someone else's troubles.  But now the memory returns in full force, the fear it brings creeping through every fiber of your being.

"I'm not so sure about that..."  You say, voice trembling a little.

Merk turns to you.  "What do you mean?  Did you have something to do with it?"  He picks up his spear, gripping it tight.

"No!  But I think I might have seen what happened."  And you go on to explain the strange events which you saw when you first awoke.  When you finish, Merk covers his face with his hands.

"I've dealt with this sort of thing for years," he chokes, "But it's always been someone else's kid.  Someone else's heartache..."  He looks up at you.  "This is the fourth kid to disappear in the last month.  If these people that took... that took my daughter, took the others too..."  He stops and covers his face again.

"Then," Fila says, "If we find her, we find them all.  Hue-mon.  Please, will you help us?  Take us to where you saw her, tell us which way they went.  Then, maybe, we can find her.  Her, and everyone else."
> You say "Of course I'll help!"
Maybe it's bravery, or maybe it's the guilt of having done nothing to help the girl in the first place, but you don't hesitate to say yes.

"Thank you so much!"  Merk says, "Come on, we'd better get going now.  Normally I'd get a team together to help with the search, but since I have you, I think we'll just go as a twosome.  The time it takes to round everyone up isn't worth it."

You leave the village and lead Merk back up the hill to where you saw the kidnapping.  His ears twitch nervously as you walk, and he talks incessantly.

"I just don't know what I'll do if we don't get her back."  he says at one point,  "the thought of never seeing her again... hurts more than anything.  Why couldn't it have been me?  What do they want with children?"

You don't respond.  There's just nothing to say.  At this point you reach the staircase, and begin climbing up it.  In the light of the day, you're beginning to notice something strange about the trees.  It's been bugging you for a while now, come to think of it.  From what you can draw from your broken memory, these trees aren't like any back... well, wherever you came from.  The shapes of the leaves are different, so is the pattern of the bark.  It's like the entire forest is something out of a fantasy world.

As you draw near to the scene of the kidnapping, you slow down.

"It happened just up there,"  you point, "They went up the path that way once they were finished."

"We've gotta make sure we don't miss anything."  Merk says, "Thankfully, this path isn't as well traveled as it once was, or our search would be nigh impossible.  Keep an eye on the edges of the trail, let me know if you see any sort of clues."

"What am I looking for anyway?  If I see, say, a broken branch or something, how are we to know it wasn't broken by a deer or some other, innocent travelers?"

Merk sighs,  "I don't know, human, but right now it's all we have."

For the next couple of hours, you walk the trail, scanning the ground for something, anything that might help you.  But there's nothing.  Not so much as a blade of grass is out of place, (if, indeed, blades of grass can be considered out of place in a forest).  The sun is growing low in the sky now, soon it'll be too dark to search.  Your feet ache and your stomach rumbles, your stash of Cheez-Its isn't enough to satisfy your hunger completely.

Then, you see something that is a little out of place.  A few of the trees just off the path look as though they've had bites taken out of them by some big hungry monster.

"Merk?"  you say, "Do you see that?"

Merk jumps a little at the sound of your voice.  "What is it?"  he asks, excited,  "Did you find something?"

"I don't know,"  you say, pointing, "I'm not quite sure it's what we're looking for, but it's definitely something."

Merk takes one look at the markings on the trees and his eyes go wide.  He reaches over his shoulder and draws his spear.

"What is it?"  You ask, your muscles tensing up in fear,  "What's wrong?"

"Those markings," Merk's voice trembles a little, "are from a beaver."

You stare at him for a moment.  Then, a chuckle escapes you lips.

"What's so bad about a beaver?"  You laugh,  "Are you afraid one might drop a tree on you or something?"

"Beavers are no laughing matter,"  Merk snaps, "They're vicious killers!  If you'd heard a quarter of what I had about them, you'd be scared too, I guarantee."

"Do you want to turn back?"

"Heck no!  If I turn back, it means I don't get Pila back, and if I don't get Pila back..." he trails off, and is quiet for a moment. Then, he shakes his head.  "It doesn't matter, we're not stopping.  Beavers or no, we will keep going.  I don't think I could live with myself if we didn't."

"Whatever you say,"  you shrug,  "I'm not afraid of beavers, so I guess you'll just have to face your fear if we meet one."

"Let's try to make sure we don't meet one, alright?"

"Alright," you say, rolling your eyes.

You continue up the trail.  As it continues to get darker, the two of you go slower and slower, as it's harder to verify that there are, indeed, no clues in a given area.  The beaver markings are becoming more and more numerous the longer you walk, which does nothing to help Merk's nerves.  It's not exactly great for yours either, if you're honest with yourself.  You may not be afraid of beavers as you know them, but there's always that chance that "beaver" means something different in this place than what you know.

"Do you think we should stop for the night?"  you ask, as the darkness grows too thick to properly see through, "So we don't miss anything in this darkness?"

Merk thinks for a moment, then sighs.  "I guess you have a point.  We'd best make camp here.  Hold on for a moment, I have to go... erm, relieve myself."

He heads a little ways off the path, and you sit down on a rock to wait for him.  Your feet need a rest, they've probably got blisters all over after all that hiking.

"Human!"  Merk cries,  "Come look at this!"

You groan and stand up.  Guess your feet aren't getting that much of a rest after all.

"What were the kidnapers wearing?"  Merk asks when you reach him.

"It was hard to tell from so far away,"  You say, trying to remember, "It looked like they were wearing some kind of robes."

"What color were they?"

"Green, I think, why do you ask?"

"Because I found this!"   Merk gestures towards a little thorn bush to his left.  Hanging from one of the branches is a small scrap of green fabric.  "I bet they went off this way!"  he says,  "We should see if we can follow their trail."

"Can you do that in the dark?"

Merk goes quiet for a moment.  "I... don't know."  he admits,  "Probably not as well as in daylight, we might lose the trail or something if we go now.  But they could get further away if we wait.  Oh, it's so much harder to think clearly about these things when it's your own daughter at stake... "

"We best wait till morning,"  You say, "We don't want to lose the trail in the dark and get ourselves lost.  We wouldn't be much help then would we?"

Merk doesn't say anything for a moment.  Then, he nods slowly.

"I guess it's the best we can do,"  he sighs,  "It just hurts to sit here, doing nothing."

"I get it,"  You say, "But think of it this way:  by waiting, we're maximizing our chances of finding her."

"Yeah, I know.  Let's get set up, I'm tired.  If we're going to get some sleep tonight, we'd better do it soon..."
> The next morning...
You sleep like a rock.  It's been a very long day, that's for sure.  You've hardly stopped since waking up in the forest last night.  But of course, it doesn't last.  You awake to Merk staring down at you, poking your side with his foot.

"Wake up, human,"  he says, "It's time to go."

You sit up, blinking back the sleep from your eyes.  The sun is just beginning to rise, but by all accounts, it's still pretty dark outside.

"Shouldn't we wait a little longer?"  You ask, "until it's lighter out?"

"By the time we pack up camp, the sun will have risen a little more."

You take one last longing look at your sleeping bag, then roll it up and start getting your stuff together.  In a half hour's time, you're on the trail again, Merk leading the way with his tracking skills.

"What's the plan when we if we do find them?"  You ask.

"We don't know what we're walking into, so we'll have to improvise."

"Oh..."

For a while, the two of you walk in silence, Merk stopping every ten feet or so to check for new clues.  It seems people have traveled this way before, and relatively frequently.  There is a faint trail, if you really look for it, where other Oalkwardners have gone before.

"These beaver markings are getting more and more frequent," Merk says after you've been on the trail an hour,  "I think we're headed right into the heart of their territory.  What on earth were they thinking, coming to a place like this?"

"Listen," you say, "I'll deal with any beavers that come our way.  All I need to do is wave my hands in the air and make a loud noise."

"You're either a lot stronger than you seem, or an arrogant fool if you think that."

"It's a beaver!  What harm can it do?"

Merk doesn't respond.  Instead, he stops short, and you nearly trip over him.

"Why are we stopping?" you ask

Merk puts a finger to his lips and points down the path.  You look and see something big and hairy laying just to the side of the trail.  It's some sort of creature, about the size of a bear, and it isn't moving.

"It's a beaver,"  Merk whispers,  "If you really know what you're doing, go deal with it!"

"That's no beaver,"  you whisper back,  "I'm not sure what that is, but it's not a-"

"Shut up and take a look, will you?"

"Fine!"

Quietly as you can, you walk closer, crouching behind trees at every opportunity.  But it never moves.  You're not even sure it's breathing.  Then, you notice the blood staining the ground around it.  Whatever this creature is, it's dead.

"Merk, I think it's dead!"  you say.

"Are you sure?"

You walk right up to the creature and take a closer look.  It has a gaping hole in it's stomach, and multiple puncture wounds in various places.  Looking at it up close, it occurs to you that this thing really does bear an uncanny resemblance to a beaver, right down to the teeth and tail.  The only thing that's different is the size.

"Yeah,"  you call, "I'm pretty sure."  Just to prove it, you give it a good kick in the side.

"My goodness,"  Merk says when he gets closer, "Never in all my days... Those look like spear wounds.  And that big hole in it's stomach looks too clean to have come from some kind of other animal."

"Are you saying an Oalkwardner did this?"

"Possibly.  And a powerful one at that.  I certainly hope we never have to fight them, should we ever meet."

The two of you stare at the beaver corpse for a few minutes.  Finally, Merk breaks the silence.

"We should keep going, the trail continues this way."

Unnerved, you follow him.  Something about that corpse put you on edge.  Every random snap of a twig has you checking over your shoulder, searching for potential threats.  For another two hours, you walk in silence.  Neither of you dares say a word, in case whatever killed that beaver is somewhere lurking nearby.  The trees are growing thicker now, the beaver markings more numerous.  Then, Merk stops again.

"Do you hear that?"  he whispers

You stop and listen.

"What is it?"  you ask, not hearing anything,

"Shhh!"

For a few minutes, you're completely still.  Then, you hear it, ever so faintly in the distance.  The sound of voices.

"Let's go,"  says Merk, and takes off towards them on silent feet.

As quietly as you can, you follow behind him.  The voices grow louder as you get closer, and soon you can make out snippets of conversation.

"...Hold her still..."

"...better be quick..."

"...somebody help!"

The last voice is louder than the others, more clear.  Merk stand up straighter when he hears it.

"That's my daughter,"  he says in a low voice,  "If they hurt her, I swear I'll..."

He doesn't finish the sentence, but instead speeds up even more.  You follow as closely behind as you can, worried that he might do something stupid.  Suddenly, the trees give way to a clearing, where a large group of Oalkwardners in green cloaks gather around something at the very center.

"It's almost finished!"  one of them says,  "I'm applying the branch now, everyone back off!"

The group spreads out enough that you can just see what they were gathering around.  A small Oalkwardner is strapped to the ground, drenched in some kind of green substance.

"Please stop!"  She cries, struggling against her bindings,  "I don't like this, let me go!"

The cloaked Oalkwardner ignores her and tosses something on top of her struggling form, then takes a few steps backwards as fast as he can.  The girl, Pila, begins to scream, and the earth begins to quake.

"NO!"  Merk cries, and runs into the clearing before you can do anything to stop him.  (How he manages to do so without tripping is beyond you).  All the cloaked Oalkwardners turn and look at him in shock as he runs towards them.  They draw their spears and get ready to fight, but instead of charging them, he leaps into the air, sailing over their heads, and lands right next to Pila.

But while all this is happening, Pila's skin begins to give off a faint blue glow, growing brighter every second.  By the time Merk reaches her side, she's too bright to look at.

As Merk reaches out to touch her, a bolt of lightning flashes up from the ground, and the sound of thunder resonates throughout the forest.   A split second later and the light is gone.  A moment later, the earth stops it's quaking.  You turn and look at the place where Pila once was, and gasp.  All that's left of Merk are a few scraps of Paper-Mache skin and a pile of ashes.  As for Pila... what on earth is that?  A strange lump of wood lays in the middle of the clearing.  It takes you a few seconds to realize that it's an exact copy of Pila.  What the heck did they do to her anyway?

Presently, about half the Oalkwardners head over towards a contraption over on the other side of the clearing, (you can't quite make it out from here), while the rest mill about, chatting nervously among themselves about what Merk did.  If you're going to try anything, now might be the time to do it.  You might be able to save Pila and Merk's remains, at least...
> You attempt to steal the remains of the fallen Oalkwardners
You may not get this chance again, so you'd better make the most of it.  You run into the clearing as fast as you can.  It only takes a moment for one of them to notice you and sound the alarm.  By the time you've reached Pila's side and scooped her up in your arms, every last one of them are charging towards you, spears drawn.  Without thinking, you run back the way you came, leaving Merk's remains behind.  (Not that there was much left to collect to begin with).

Branches scrape your face as you run, but you don't stop.  The Oalkwardners aren't slowing down, so neither can you.  No telling what'll happen if they catch you.  It's a good thing you've got adrenaline, because otherwise the blisters on your feet alone would've stopped you in your tracks by now.  But it doesn't really matter.  They're gaining on you too quickly to escape.  Suddenly, the wooden lump in your arms shifts, and you're so startled, you drop it and proceed to trip over it, falling face first into the dirt.  As you're getting back to your feet, you see out of the corner of your eye, the wooden Pila getting to its feet.  Slowly, it turns towards you, staring at you with glowing yellow eyes.  Then, it leaps on top of you, and digs its claws into your chest.  You're too surprised to do anything about it.  By the time you've recovered from the shock, you're too delirious from the pain to care.  The last thing you see as the world fades away is the Oalkwardners running away in terror as the creature feasts on your flesh...


You sleep like a rock.  It's been a very long day, that's for sure.  You've hardly stopped since waking up in the forest last night.  But of course, it doesn't last.  You awake to Merk staring down at you, poking your side with his foot.

"Wake up, human,"  he says, "It's time to go."

You sit up, blinking back the sleep from your eyes.  The sun is just beginning to rise, but by all accounts, it's still pretty dark outside.

"Shouldn't we wait a little longer?"  You ask, "until it's lighter out?"

"By the time we pack up camp, the sun will have risen a little more."

You take one last longing look at your sleeping bag, then roll it up and start getting your stuff together.  In a half hour's time, you're on the trail again, Merk leading the way with his tracking skills.

"What's the plan when we if we do find them?"  You ask.

"We don't know what we're walking into, so we'll have to improvise."

"Oh..."

For a while, the two of you walk in silence, Merk stopping every ten feet or so to check for new clues.  It seems people have traveled this way before, and relatively frequently.  There is a faint trail, if you really look for it, where other Oalkwardners have gone before.

"These beaver markings are getting more and more frequent," Merk says after you've been on the trail an hour,  "I think we're headed right into the heart of their territory.  What on earth were they thinking, coming to a place like this?"

"Listen," you say, "I'll deal with any beavers that come our way.  All I need to do is wave my hands in the air and make a loud noise."

"You're either a lot stronger than you seem, or an arrogant fool if you think that."

"It's a beaver!  What harm can it do?"

Merk doesn't respond.  Instead, he stops short, and you nearly trip over him.

"Why are we stopping?" you ask

Merk puts a finger to his lips and points down the path.  You look and see something big and hairy laying just to the side of the trail.  It's some sort of creature, about the size of a bear, and it isn't moving.

"It's a beaver,"  Merk whispers,  "If you really know what you're doing, go deal with it!"

"That's no beaver,"  you whisper back,  "I'm not sure what that is, but it's not a-"

"Shut up and take a look, will you?"

"Fine!"

Quietly as you can, you walk closer, crouching behind trees at every opportunity.  But it never moves.  You're not even sure it's breathing.  Then, you notice the blood staining the ground around it.  Whatever this creature is, it's dead.

"Merk, I think it's dead!"  you say.

"Are you sure?"

You walk right up to the creature and take a closer look.  It has a gaping hole in it's stomach, and multiple puncture wounds in various places.  Looking at it up close, it occurs to you that this thing really does bear an uncanny resemblance to a beaver, right down to the teeth and tail.  The only thing that's different is the size.

"Yeah,"  you call, "I'm pretty sure."  Just to prove it, you give it a good kick in the side.

"My goodness,"  Merk says when he gets closer, "Never in all my days... Those look like spear wounds.  And that big hole in it's stomach looks too clean to have come from some kind of other animal."

"Are you saying an Oalkwardner did this?"

"Possibly.  And a powerful one at that.  I certainly hope we never have to fight them, should we ever meet."

The two of you stare at the beaver corpse for a few minutes.  Finally, Merk breaks the silence.

"We should keep going, the trail continues this way."

Unnerved, you follow him.  Something about that corpse put you on edge.  Every random snap of a twig has you checking over your shoulder, searching for potential threats.  For another two hours, you walk in silence.  Neither of you dares say a word, in case whatever killed that beaver is somewhere lurking nearby.  The trees are growing thicker now, the beaver markings more numerous.  Then, Merk stops again.

"Do you hear that?"  he whispers

You stop and listen.

"What is it?"  you ask, not hearing anything,

"Shhh!"

For a few minutes, you're completely still.  Then, you hear it, ever so faintly in the distance.  The sound of voices.

"Let's go,"  says Merk, and takes off towards them on silent feet.

As quietly as you can, you follow behind him.  The voices grow louder as you get closer, and soon you can make out snippets of conversation.

"...Hold her still..."

"...better be quick..."

"...somebody help!"

The last voice is louder than the others, more clear.  Merk stand up straighter when he hears it.

"That's my daughter,"  he says in a low voice,  "If they hurt her, I swear I'll..."

He doesn't finish the sentence, but instead speeds up even more.  You follow as closely behind as you can, worried that he might do something stupid.  Suddenly, the trees give way to a clearing, where a large group of Oalkwardners in green cloaks gather around something at the very center.

"It's almost finished!"  one of them says,  "I'm applying the branch now, everyone back off!"

The group spreads out enough that you can just see what they were gathering around.  A small Oalkwardner is strapped to the ground, drenched in some kind of green substance.

"Please stop!"  She cries, struggling against her bindings,  "I don't like this, let me go!"

The cloaked Oalkwardner ignores her and tosses something on top of her struggling form, then takes a few steps backwards as fast as he can.  The girl, Pila, begins to scream, and the earth begins to quake.

"NO!"  Merk cries, and runs into the clearing before you can do anything to stop him.  (How he manages to do so without tripping is beyond you).  All the cloaked Oalkwardners turn and look at him in shock as he runs towards them.  They draw their spears and get ready to fight, but instead of charging them, he leaps into the air, sailing over their heads, and lands right next to Pila.

But while all this is happening, Pila's skin begins to give off a faint blue glow, growing brighter every second.  By the time Merk reaches her side, she's too bright to look at.

As Merk reaches out to touch her, a bolt of lightning flashes up from the ground, and the sound of thunder resonates throughout the forest.   A split second later and the light is gone.  A moment later, the earth stops it's quaking.  You turn and look at the place where Pila once was, and gasp.  All that's left of Merk are a few scraps of Paper-Mache skin and a pile of ashes.  As for Pila... what on earth is that?  A strange lump of wood lays in the middle of the clearing.  It takes you a few seconds to realize that it's an exact copy of Pila.  What the heck did they do to her anyway?

Presently, about half the Oalkwardners head over towards a contraption over on the other side of the clearing, (you can't quite make it out from here), while the rest mill about, chatting nervously among themselves about what Merk did.  If you're going to try anything, now might be the time to do it.  You might be able to save Pila and Merk's remains, at least...
> You wait and follow them.
You stay where you are and watch as they pick up the contraption and carry it to Pila's remains.  That's when you realize, it's a cage.  They set it down right beside her and put her remains inside it.  Then they close it up and lock it tight.  Four Oalkwardners pick it up by the corners and lead the way into the forest.  You follow at a distance, careful not to be seen.  The brush is thicker than ever here, branches scratch your face and you nearly trip several times.  Luckily, you manage to keep your footing in the end.

As you walk, you begin to notice something strange about the wooden remains of Pila in the cage.  Every once in a while, they shift a little, as if of their own accord.  Is it just your imagination, or did one of her arms just twitch?  The Oalkwardners glance up at it every time this happens, and you notice a few of them gripping their spears, getting ready to draw them in case... well, you're not sure what.

All of a sudden, the whole procession stops.  Something's going on at the very front of the group, but you can't quite make it out from this distance.  Then, you see it.  A wooden hatch opens up in front of them, about four times their size, and they begin to descend down it, carrying the cage somewhat awkwardly between them.  Then, the rest of them follow.  Soon as the last one descends, the hatch falls closed.  You rush over to it and find that it's camouflaged to look like part of the landscape, though, if you really look hard enough, you can just see the outline of it in the grass.

You wait about five minutes before you try to open it.  (Just to make sure no one's lingering by the door when you come in).  A good tug on the handle, (cleverly disguised as a tree root), confirms that, as expected, it's locked.  As you stand there, trying to figure out a way to get inside, you hear the muffled sound of footsteps coming up, getting nearer and nearer to the surface.  Quick as you can, you back away and duck behind a bush, just before the hatch comes open.  A single Oalkwardner climbs out, leaving the door open behind him.  He grumbles something about "Bathrooms" and "Relieving himself,"  and heads off a little ways into the woods.

Now's your chance!  Thanks to that Oalkwardners carelessness, the door is wide open in front of you.  You slip inside as quickly as you can, pulling the door shut behind you.  It clicks when it closes, probably locking itself automatically.  Good, now that Oalkwardner won't come in from behind and surprise you.

You find yourself at the top of a spiral staircase, which descends about twenty feet before stopping.  When you reach the bottom, you find yourself in a dirt tunnel with three paths branching off from it.
> The tunnels
You are at the bottom of a spiral staircase, leading up to the surface.  Three, hard packed dirt tunnels branch off from here, each with a sign that tells where it leads.  A notice board full of announcements hangs on one wall.  You glance over it and notice one in particular reminding the whole facility of a mandatory meeting at this very time.  This is perfect!  You'll be able to explore the whole place without being caught!

The first tunnel is marked "auditorium,"  the second says "Lab," and the third, "Containment."
> You go down the path labeled "auditorium"
You slip down the hallway, trying to be as quiet as you can.  This must be the way to their meeting place.  It's probably where everyone is right now.  Sure enough, you begin to hear the faint sound of voices echoing down the tunnel, growing louder as you go further.  Soon, you come to a round wooden door, blocking the way.  From behind it, you can hear the voices, or rather, one voice, of someone giving a speech on the other side.  You press your ear to the door and listen...

"As you well know," the speaker says, "The order of the broken chalice has spent years upon years preparing to liberate this land in which we all live, by slaying the tyrant in our midst!"  The crowd cheers at this, sounds like only a few hundred Oalkwardners.  Are they really planning some kind of uprising with such a small amount of people?  As if in answer to your question, the speaker continues, "Though we are few in number, the king cannot begin to anticipate our secret weapon: The Oalkfriers!  Thanks to the dedication of our resident alchemists, we have perfected the art of creating fearsome beasts, made of the strongest substance known to our kind: the wood of a simple oak tree!"

"The day of the uprising draws nearer and nearer.  Just a few more Oalkfriers and we will be ready to estate our glorious new order.  Allow me to go over the plan once again.  We begin by releasing our Oalkfriers into many of the current order's key locations.  This includes their military bases, ambassador homes, and the palace itself.  They will wreak havoc, destroying everyone in their path.  Once they have done their job, we will move in and neutralize them, leaving no-one to prevent us from taking the throne ourselves!"  The crowd cheers once again.

You've heard enough.  Whatever this is, it can't be good.  You've got to do something about it, or else there's no telling what might happen!
> You charge into the auditorium and take out as many as you can!
There's nothing else for it.  You fling open the door and rush into the room, screaming.  The entire auditorium turns to look at you just as you reach the Oalkwardners nearest to the door.  Before they can react, you start kicking as many as you can.  They go flying, your foot leaving dents wherever it lands.  Compared to these papery creatures, you're like some kind of superhero, with ten times the strength of any of them.

Unfortunately for you, however, there are about five hundred of them, and they're not about to let you plow through all of them without a good fight.  Many draw their spears, and leap at you all at once.  You try your best to fight them off, but there's just too many!  They latch onto you wherever they can, driving their spears into your arms, your legs, your stomach.  The pain is overwhelming.  Those spears may be small, but they still hurt pretty bad.  You fall to the ground as the world fades away around you.  Who knew you'd be killed by a pack of midgets?


You are at the bottom of a spiral staircase, leading up to the surface.  Three, hard packed dirt tunnels branch off from here, each with a sign that tells where it leads.  A notice board full of announcements hangs on one wall.  You glance over it and notice one in particular reminding the whole facility of a mandatory meeting at this very time.  This is perfect!  You'll be able to explore the whole place without being caught!

The first tunnel is marked "auditorium,"  the second says "Lab," and the third, "Containment."
> You go down the path labeled "lab"
You head down the tunnel, trying your best to tiptoe.  The earthy ground helps muffle your footfalls, thank goodness, but it doesn't matter.  There's no one in the tunnel.  When you reach the end, you find yourself in a room made of wood.  Shelves line the walls, filled to the brim, not only with books, but also with other curiosities.  Jars of frogs, and creatures stranger still, all of them dead.  There are little models, carved from wood, bits of untempered metal and glass, among other things.

A wooden cauldron sits in the center of the room, with a strange liquid sitting in it, still as glass.  A table stands off to the side, holding numerous cups and bowls of different liquids and powders, none of which you recognize.  A neat stack of papers sits on one end of the table, pinned down by a particularly large bowl of rocks.

Everything here is perfectly neat and organized.  Nothing is so much as an inch out of place, even the tiniest grains of powder in the bowls seem to have a strange, indescribable order to them.
> You fill a bottle of the cauldron liquid
You take off your backpack and rifle through it, until you find just what you need:  an empty plastic bottle.  (You finished off the mountain dew the first day you got here).  Quickly, you dip the bottle into the cauldron and fill it up, screwing the cap back on once you're done.  Let's just see what you can accomplish with that...


You head down the tunnel, trying your best to tiptoe.  The earthy ground helps muffle your footfalls, thank goodness, but it doesn't matter.  There's no one in the tunnel.  When you reach the end, you find yourself in a room made of wood.  Shelves line the walls, filled to the brim, not only with books, but also with other curiosities.  Jars of frogs, and creatures stranger still, all of them dead.  There are little models, carved from wood, bits of untempered metal and glass, among other things.

A wooden cauldron sits in the center of the room, with a strange liquid sitting in it, still as glass.  A table stands off to the side, holding numerous cups and bowls of different liquids and powders, none of which you recognize.  A neat stack of papers sits on one end of the table, pinned down by a particularly large bowl of rocks.

Everything here is perfectly neat and organized.  Nothing is so much as an inch out of place, even the tiniest grains of powder in the bowls seem to have a strange, indescribable order to them.
> You check the notes
You take the bowl of rocks off of the stack of papers and glance at the paper on top.

"To destroy and Oalkfrier," the title reads.  Below are a few paragraphs in immaculate handwriting.

"Oalkfriers are essential to the master plan of the Order of the Broken Chalice, however, they must be neutralized once they've served their purpose, lest they overrun the kingdom.  I have created a poison of sorts, powerful enough to destroy these creatures within seconds. For now, it sits in the cauldron in my lab, waiting to be used. It is nearly perfect, as much so as I can hope to make it.  Just in case something is to happen to me before the plan is carried out, (though I highly doubt it), I will relay the instructions for its use below"

"The poison is inactive until acted upon by a catalyst of some sort.  This is for the safety of those using it. To activate, place a generous helping of Sodium Chloride (table salt), into it.  (I have a bowl full of it on my desk in the lab). Then, throw it on the Oalkfrier as fast as you can. Get as far away as you can, as even the fumes from this deadly cocktail are enough to kill a whole room full of Oalkwardners.  (You should be alright so long as you're outside, but I still wouldn't chance it."

You look up from the paper.  The bowl of salt is just to the left of the stack of notes.  On a whim, you pick it up to take it with you.


You are at the bottom of a spiral staircase, leading up to the surface.  Three, hard packed dirt tunnels branch off from here, each with a sign that tells where it leads.  A notice board full of announcements hangs on one wall.  You glance over it and notice one in particular reminding the whole facility of a mandatory meeting at this very time.  This is perfect!  You'll be able to explore the whole place without being caught!

The first tunnel is marked "auditorium,"  the second says "Lab," and the third, "Containment."
> You go down the path labeled "containment"
You sneak down the tunnel, checking around every corner just in case someone hasn't made it to the meeting yet.  It wouldn't do to get caught now, there's no telling how many Oalkwardners are holed up down here.  Luckily, the tunnel isn't that long, and after a few twists and turns, you find yourself in a large, dimly lit room, full what looks to be some kind of boxes

It takes a moment for your eyes to adjust, but when you do, you realize that these aren't boxes at all, but cages, just like the one they used to carry Pila's remains through the forest.  What's more, every last one of them has a wooden Oalkwardner inside them, exactly like Pila after the lightning struck her.  Gripped with a deadly cocktail of curiosity and fear, you approach the cage nearest to you and peer inside for a better look.  It's a perfect likeness of an Oalkwardner child, right down to the Paper-Mache quality of it's skin.  The only thing that's missing are the ears, which look like they've been broken off.

"What on earth have they done to you?"  You whisper to yourself.

Aroused by the sound of your voice, the eyes of the wooden Oalkwardner snap open.  They give off a harsh, yellow glow, lighting up the dim room just a little.  You stare at the creature, stunned, and it stares back.  Then, without warning, it leaps at the bars of the cage, snarling.  You leap backwards in the nick of time as one of its arms reaches between the bars and takes a grab at you.

The noise wakes the other creatures and before you know it, all of them are attacking their bars, trying to get at you.  Fear overtakes you, and you take off running back down the way you came. What on earth was that anyway?  What do they want with all these monsters?  How are they creating them?  All these questions race through your mind, unanswered, as you reach the crossroads once again.


It soon becomes apparent that you are closer to the village than you thought.  Is it just you, or are those buildings smaller than they seemed from afar?  You come to the edge of the village to find that the smallest of the houses are about your height.  Everything is half the size it should be, from the road through town to the stones that pave it.  What's more, everything is made of the strangest materials, the likes of which you've never seen.  (At least, not that you can remember).  The only thing you've seen that looks remotely like this is Paper-Mache, but this must be sturdier than that, otherwise these houses would've fallen down ages ago as soon as the wind decided to pick up.

As you draw nearer to the center of town, you begin to feel that unsettling feeling of being watched.  It's been present for quite some time now, growing stronger as the sun continued to light up more of the sky.  Are those eyes you see, poking out between the shuttered windows of the houses?  Why is nobody out and about yet, it may be early, but even still-

"What in the name of the water-pit are you?"  A voice from behind snaps you out of your thoughts.

You turn, knocking your elbow on the corner of the houses nearby.  Grimacing from the pain, you see before you a strange creature, almost human, yet not quite.  Its head comes up only to your waist, and it's skin has the same Paper-Mache quality as the walls of the buildings beside you.  The ears are the strangest part, sticking straight up into the air.  It's a wonder something so small can hold them up like that for so long.  The creature holds something like a spear, made of wood, pointed straight at you.

"Do you speak, you big brute?"  The creature asks, "What are you, why have you come here, waking us all up in the night?"

"The sun's out," you reply, "People get up when the sun is out, don't they?"

"Do you like getting up at the crack of dawn?  Some of us sleep in and that's besides the point.  What the heck are you, and why are you here?"

"What am I?"  You ask, your irritation growing with each word this creature says, "What are you?  What is this place?  I've never seen anything like you."

Other creatures, like this one before you, peak their heads out from doorways and windows, drawn out by the commotion at hand.

"I am Merk, head of the watchmen of Arrorn."  Says the creature, "This village and it's people are under my protection.  If you have come to do harm, consider this my warning.  State your purpose or leave this place, lest I am forced to raise my spear and drive you out myself!"

"I haven't done anything!"  You protest, "Why are you threatening me?  Don't I have... rights or something?"  That thing may be small, but the stick it's holding still looks pretty sharp.

The creature pauses, lowering it's spear just a touch.  "I don't know what you mean by 'rights,'" it says, "But you raise an important point.  I apologize for threatening you, it's just that I've never seen anything quite like you in all my seventy-four years of life in this village."

"I'm a human... I think," You say, still feeling a little annoyed, "And in all my... well, I'm not sure how many years of existence, I've never seen anything quite like you either.  I think."

"I am what is known as an Oalkwardner."  Says the creature, (Merk, as he called himself), "As are all others like me.  This village-"

A high pitched whistle cuts through the air, cutting Merk off mid sentence.  He seems to jump a little when he hears it, his stance becoming more rigid, more alert.

"The alarm!"  He says, raising his spear once more,  "I'm sorry, but duty calls!"  He leaps towards you and you flinch.  Is he going to attack you after all?  But no, he soars over your head and lands behind you, taking off as soon as his feet touch the ground.

"Wait!"  You call.  The idea of being left alone in this strange village terrifies you.  Who knows?  The next person you talk to might attack you for real.  You run after Merk, ducking through the too narrow streets, nearly flattening a few unsuspecting Oalkwardners.  Even with your longer legs, Merk is faster than you, slowly drawing farther and farther away.

"Please!"  You cry once more, "I don't even know where I am!"

Merk slows a little and looks over his shoulder.  "If you want to stay with me, then do so!"  He calls back, "But I must warn you, I have work to do.  I may not be of much use to you."

"That's... fine..."  You pant,  "Just... slow down... a little."

"We're almost there, human!  I cannot slow my pace, there may not be much time!"

You can hardly begin to imagine what he means by that in your current state, (you're not going to be able to run much longer with this pain in your side), but he's clearly not slowing down.  Maybe it's the fear of being left behind, but somehow you find the strength to keep up the pace.  The road grows wider with each twist and turn, until it gives way to a dilapidated plaza with a strange tower in the middle.  Atop it is what looks to be a horn of some kind, with an Oalkwardner blowing into it.  This is where the high pitched noise came from earlier.

Most of the people milling about the square ignore the horn, as if this is some kind of daily occurrence.  Merk slows at the base of the tower, stopping in front of an Oalkwardner in something resembling a dress, it's ears drooping.  You catch up just in time to hear the ensuing conversation.

"Fila?"  Merk asks, "Why have you sounded the alarm?  What's wrong?"

"Its Pila," Says Fila, "She's dis-" the Oalkwardner notices you for the first time, "What in the world is that?"

Her ears stick straight in the air and she leaps backwards, trembling.  Merk turns and sees you standing there.

"This is human.  It's friendly, don't worry."  He turns to you and says, "And this is Fila, my wife."

"Why is everyone so afraid of me?"  You ask, "I haven't done anything wrong."

"I'm sorry... hue-mon."  Her ears begin to droop once again, "I'm just worried, that's all.  Our daughter,"  She gestures to Merk and herself, "is missing.  She went to play with her friends yesterday evening.  I meant to stay up waiting for her, but I was so tired that I just couldn't stay awake.  And when I woke up, she still hadn't come back."

Merk's eyes grow wider, and he grips his spear tighter.  "What do you mean, she hasn't come back."

"I mean, she isn't here, Merk!  She might've disappeared like all those other-"

"No!,"  he says,  "I'm sure she's fine.  She probably just got lost.  We'll find her."

A chill runs down your spine.  You'd forgotten about the kidnapping you saw in the forest after Merk confronted you.  You were too worried about staying alive to think about someone else's troubles.  But now the memory returns in full force, the fear it brings creeping through every fiber of your being.

"I'm not so sure about that..."  You say, voice trembling a little.

Merk turns to you.  "What do you mean?  Did you have something to do with it?"  He picks up his spear, gripping it tight.

"No!  But I think I might have seen what happened."  And you go on to explain the strange events which you saw when you first awoke.  When you finish, Merk covers his face with his hands.

"I've dealt with this sort of thing for years," he chokes, "But it's always been someone else's kid.  Someone else's heartache..."  He looks up at you.  "This is the fourth kid to disappear in the last month.  If these people that took... that took my daughter, took the others too..."  He stops and covers his face again.

"Then," Fila says, "If we find her, we find them all.  Hue-mon.  Please, will you help us?  Take us to where you saw her, tell us which way they went.  Then, maybe, we can find her.  Her, and everyone else."
> You say "Naw, I'm good."
"I'm sorry."  You say, "I'm not sure where, or even who I am.  I don't think I'm up to this sort of mission."

Fila stares at the dirt, clearly disappointed.

"Could you at least tell us where you saw them last?"  Merk asks

"I guess it couldn't hurt,"  you say. You explain how you came down the path from the top of the hill, and how you went in the exact opposite direction as them.  "Just keep going down the path and, I don't know, get some kind of tracker-person to pick up their trail. Am I saying that right?"

"I suppose that helps,"  Merk murmurs, "Thank you human.  I hope that the knowledge you have granted me is a fair substitute for your presence on this journey.  Come on Fila, let's go round up a search party."

You watch as they walk back into town, leaving you alone in the square.  All the things you felt after witnessing the kidnapping resurface, guilt, helplessness, the whole package.  For a moment you sit there, feeling sorry for yourself. Then you notice the Oalkwardners looking your way, suspicion in their eyes.  Maybe you'd better find somewhere else to stay, you're not quite sure you're welcome here. It wouldn't do to have another incident like you did with Merk.

So, you head out of the village the same way you came in.  Luckily, the most threatening thing you encounter on your way out are a few nervous glances as the rest of the village wakes up.  Soon, you've left the buildings behind and are back on the path through the forest. After you've gone a ways, you turn off the path and head out into the field surrounding the village.  Once you're far enough from the path that you're not likely to run into any unfriendly villagers, you toss your bag onto the ground and pull out your sleeping bag and pillow and spread them out on the ground.  Not that you need to go to bed yet, but just to give yourself something to do, if only for a few minutes. Guess this'll serve as a camp for the time being.

For a while you stare off into the distance, thinking of nothing in particular.  Your mind wanders, replaying the events of the day, contemplating your memory loss, trying to tease something from the thick fog that seems to engulf your thoughts every time you try to remember anything before you awoke in the forest.

After a while, a line of figures appear in the distance, coming from the village, following the trail into the woods.  You can just make out Merk and a few others, all carrying bags slung over their shoulders and spears in their hands. They don't notice you watching them, and carry on into the forest, following the information you gave them.  Hopefully they find what they're looking for.

The rest of the day is uneventful at best.  You busy yourself by building a fire, even though it's far too hot to need one, and exploring around your campsite.  It crosses your mind that maybe you should head back into the village and introduce yourself, show them that you're nothing to fear.  You go back and forth as to whether or not you should, but eventually sheer boredom convinces you to be brave and face the Oalkwardners.  So you stamp out the fire best you can and start towards the path into the village. You've almost reached it when a lone Oalkwardner comes dashing out of the forest and trips, falling right on its face

"Are you alright?"  You ask, rushing to the creature's side.

"They've been taken!"  It gasps, "Merk and the others... I was the only one... to escape.  Man that hurts..." It rolls onto its side, revealing a gaping hole, oozing a clear substance.

"What happened to you?"  Your heart pounds that the sight of the... well, you think it's blood.  "I... I think you need a doctor or something."

The creature doesn't respond.  It just lays there, taking in shallow breaths, coughing every once in a while.  You don't think, you just act, scooping up the body and taking off running towards the village.  It's lighter than you'd expect, but maybe that's just adrenaline.

"Help!"  You shout as you run through the village streets,  "A doctor! She need a doctor!" The Oalkwardners look at you terrified.

"A monster!"  One of them cries, seeing the creature in your arms.

"No!"  you shout,  "Don't those ears of yours work?  I'm trying to save-"

"Run it'll kill us all!"

The Oalkwardners scatter in all directions, screaming.  But there's no time to worry about them, you keep going, still calling for a doctor.  A minute of this and the alarm sounds once more, cutting through the air. Still you search, frantically, for someone to help you.  Then, you round a corner and come face to face with a wall of spears. The Watchmen of Arrorn have come to stop you, thinking you're a monster.

Before they can attack, you kneel and lay the Oalkwardner in your arms at their feet.

"I didn't do this."  You say, "You have to help her, she's going to die!"

"Why should we believe you, monster?"  One of the watchmen asks, "For all we know, you're responsible for all the disappearances."

"Why would I come here if I was the one who did this?"  You ask, "What, do you think I'm stupid?"

"I don't know,"  the watchman says,  "I don't make a habit of dealing with monsters."

"Enough of this!"  A voice from behind the line of Watchmen startles everyone.  "Clear a path, you idiots! This is no monster, but an acquaintance of Merk!  He spoke to this creature just this morning and determined it was no threat!" The Watchmen part to reveal an especially wrinkly Oalkwardner.

"I found her on the path!" you say, "She's from the search party that went out after Merk's kid, but I think something went wrong!"

The wrinkly Oalkwardner takes one look at the wounded creature at your feet and gasps.  "Never, in all my years as an elder... I can treat her, but we must get to my office quickly.  Come on, I need you to carry her, it'll be quicker that way!"

You scoop her up and follow without a word.  The elder's office is on the edge of the town square, (Which, thank goodness, is pretty close).  It's bigger than some of the other buildings in the town, so you can just squeeze inside.

"Set her down here!"  he says, sweeping the contents off a table in the middle of the room in one motion.  You obey, and the elder gets to work without another word, it's as if he's forgotten you're even there.  For a while you stand there awkwardly, watching as the Elder stitches up the wound. What if he needs you for something?  He probably won't but even still, you'd better stay put.

Surprisingly, the operation takes only a half hour.  After the Elder finishes bandaging the wound, he looks up at you.

"Thank you, human."  He says, "We are in your debt.  You may leave if you wish, but-"

The injured Oalkwardner moans on the table, cutting him off.  "They're gone... Dead, all of them." Her eyes are open, and they're staring straight at the elder.

"What happened?"  You demand, perhaps a little too swiftly.

"Don't pressure her, she just woke up," The elder says.

"No, I'm okay,"  she says, wincing, "But they're not."

"If you feel you have the energy to talk, please go on,"  The elder says, "I would like to know more about this myself."

"We were tracking... the kidnapers."  She says, "But... they found us. A whole hoard of them.  There was some kind of talk of a base... said they were gonna... overthrow the king... but no time... to pay attention..."  Her ears droop, "And... they killed... I was... only one..." Her eyes roll back in her head and she passes out.

"My word!"  The elder says, rushing to her side and taking her right ear in his hand, "She'll be alright once she gets some rest, but you should probably head outside for now.  We must make preparations for a funeral for those who were lost. Do you have anywhere to go?"

"I set up camp just outside the village," you say, "I'll be alright, just tend to her."
> The funeral
After word gets around about how you helped save that Oalkwardner girl, the villagers seem to trust you enough to allow you to roam the city without sounding any alarms.  Over the next few days, you help with preparations for the funeral, in part because there's nothing better to do, but also because you feel a little bad about not helping Merk with his search.  Who knows?  Maybe you would've been the difference between his life and death.

When the day of the funeral rolls around, the entire town gathers in the square.  It's the most extravagant display you've ever seen in your short time at the village, with tons of food for all and more flowers than you've ever seen in one place before.  It must've cost a fortune in... whatever these guys use as currency.  Merk must've done quite a lot to help the community, because there sure are a lot of drooping ears.  (Which, you've learned, is the Oalkwardner's equivalent to crying).

You stand at the edge of the crowd, still not quite feeling like a part of the community, as the Elder gives a speech.

"We are gathered here today to commemorate the life of Merk, Gertra, and Silia, three of the greatest-"

A pounding in the distance interrupts the speech.  The whole crowd turns towards the source of the noise just in time to see a whole procession of Oalkwardners dressed in the brightest reds and yellows, all riding creatures like ponies, but with little spines running down their back instead of manes. They beat on little drums, all in sync.

The Oalkwardner at the front of the pack raises her arm and raises her voice.

"Presenting, the great Yelgar, Grand Protector of Realgna and the surrounding country!"

The Drummers beat their drums faster and faster now, parting to allow a carriage to pass through, drawn by three lizard-like creatures, the size of bulls.  The crowd parts for the carriage, and it stops right in front of the stage.

The door on the side of the vessel opens, and out hops a rather tall Oalkwardner wearing a red cape and strange, red bracelets spiraling around the entirety of his forearms, like snakes.

"People of the village of Arrorn!"  He says, "I have come with grave news.  It truly is a shame to interrupt such a lavish funeral, but there are more important matters at hand.  It has come to my attention that there is a base of Rebels in the area, planning to overthrow the kingdom and estate a blasphemous 'new order.'  These are the very same rebels that killed these three!"  He gestures at the paintings of the three fallen Oalkwardners, set on easels on the stage.  "We must act now, lest our glorious empire be overthrown.  Outside this village is the seventy-third division of the King's army, sent to protect this village and take out the Rebel scum in our midst!  It is for this reason, that the King and I felt the need to impose martial law on this village and the surrounding area!  We will also be tripling the tax to sustain our troops.  And we'll be taking all this lovely food you've set out for the funeral.  Desperate times, desperate measures and all that."

A cry of protest comes from deep within the crowd.  "You're already taking three quarters of everything we have!"  A female Oalkwardner pushes her way to the front of the crowd to confront the Yelgar.  "We can barely survive as it is!  And that food for the funeral is the last of our reserves, we only took it out in the first place because Merk and the others did so much for us in their lives!"

Yelgar stares her straight in the face.  "I understand your concern."  He says, "But as I said, desperate times, desperate measures.  Guards, restrain her!"  Two of the horsemen hop off their steeds and grab the girl by the arms, forcing her to her knees.  Yelgar raises his hand, and slaps her across the face, and the crowd gasps.

"Do not question the authority of the Crown."  Yelgar says, still deathly calm, "Or you might wind up like them too,"  he nods towards the paintings.

"Who gives a crap about the Crown?  We're all gonna die anyway under your 'martial law', so may as well go out fighting!"  The girl glares at Yelgar, as the whole crowd seems to hold its breath.

"I see how it is," Yelgar says, clearly disappointed.  "Then let this be an example to anyone else who thinks of dissenting."  He reaches beneath his cloak and pulls out a wooden knife, raising it above his head to strike at the girl, now trembling in the guards grip.

"C-come on,"  the girl says, voice faltering,  "They can't stop all of us!  I say we finish what those rebels started!"

Still, no one moves.  The whole thing reminds you, once again, of the girl in the forest the night you woke up.  The guilt of leaving her behind wells up within you, are you really gonna let it happen again?
> You heck no you're not letting that happen again! Attack Yelgar!
"Hey, stop!"  You cry, before you can think of anything cleverer to say.

Everyone turns towards you, shocked.  Even Yelgar raises an eyebrow. Before anyone has the chance to grab you, you rush towards Yelgar, and his eyes go wide.

"What are you?"  He cries, dropping the knife to the ground with a clatter.

You don't answer, just slam your foot into his face, full force.  He goes flying into the side of the carriage and crumples to the ground, dead.  Holy smokes, did you actually just do that?  How the heck did you do that?  But there's no time to think about it now, a few of the other guards are just realizing what's happened and are charging you.

"He killed the Grand Protector!" one of them shouts,  "Stop him before he does any more damage!"

You should probably run, but something stops you.  So, you tense up, and get ready for battle. Soon as the first horseman gets close, you swing at him with everything you've got.  He goes flying off his steed, tripping up one of the others.

Then it's rinse and repeat for the whole fight.  You find, to your surprise, that you're extremely strong compared to the Oalkwardners.  With every swing, you take out another guard, and a few from the crowd cheer. But now more of the guards are waking up to what's happening, and they begin to encircle you.  There's no way you can beat them all, no matter how strong you happen to be in comparison. Before you have time to react, you're surrounded. They all point their spears your way, slowly closing the circle now that they know they've got you cornered.

Frantically, you look around for any sort of weakness in their wall of spears.  But you can't seem to see... wait, there! One of the guards is a little further forward than the others, and smaller too.  If you attack him, then maybe you can stay out of reach of those spears.

It's a split second realization, and you act on it, charging the guard and tackling the pony out from under him.  (That way, you stay out of reach his spear too). You don't stop to look at the damage you've caused; they'll be after you in seconds!  So, you dash towards the edge of the village. Even though it's only been a few days, you've already got a rudimentary knowledge of this village's layout, which is much more than the guards have, (seeing as they've only been here for an hour, tops.

You quickly manage to lose your pursuers in the twists and turns of the city, but that doesn't mean you're stopping.  You don't slow down till you've made it out of the city, and left the buildings far behind. This is a different path than you've taken before, so it's a good thing you've already got most of your stuff with you.  No chance you'll be able to swing by your little campsite on the way out. So that means you'll have to do without the sleeping bag and pillow you left there this morning. Hope you like sleeping in the dirt.

Speaking of camping, the field surrounding the village is dotted with Oalkwardners in the same red and yellow cloaks of the other guards, setting up tents among other things.  Luckily, they don't notice you, and you soon find yourself in the forest once again. It's only then that you allow yourself to slow to a walk. You feel a little sad about leaving Arrorn, even if you never felt like you truly belonged there.  There's no way you'll ever be able to return, at least, not for a while.
> You wandering in the woods
For the next few days, you continue on the path, surviving on nothing but the supplies left in your bag.  You're almost out of Cheez-Its, so you'll have to find another village soon or you might starve.  No one comes after you, probably because you took out their leader.  No-one to give orders.  Still, you move quickly as you can, just in case they are still after you.

On the third night, you veer off the path a little to find a nice place to sleep.  You've given up on finding something even remotely comfortable, (as your aching back won't let you forget).  What you're really looking for is something concealed, so if anyone tries to find you, they'll just walk right past without noticing.  Tonight, you're lucky.  There's a shallow divot in the ground, just big enough for you to spend the night in.  All you've gotta do is cover it with leaves and sticks, and you're set.

The sun hasn't even finished setting by the time you finish, so you sit on a nearby rock and pull out your last bag of Cheez-Its and stare at it.  If you eat them now, you'll go to bed hungry, but be hungry in the morning,  but if you wait, you're not sure you'll even be able to sleep due to the hunger pains.

The snapping of a twig behind you breaks you out of your thoughts.  You turn around, just as something, you're not sure what, slams right into you!  It sends you toppling off the rock and into the dirt on your back.  Before you even have the chance to comprehend what's happening, you find yourself staring into the eyes of a raggedy Oalkwardner, standing on your chest and pointing a spear at your throat.

"I wouldn't try to escape, if I were you."  The Oalkwardner says, "You may be strong, monster, but I'm certainly quick enough to drive this spear right through you before you have the chance to take a single swing at me."

"What the heck is this?"  You ask, a quaver in your voice.  "Where did you come from?"

"The King sent me after you."  The Oalkwardner says, "They call me Kralmer, I'm one of the greatest bounty hunter's this side of the water-pit."

"So you're a filthy mercenary!  You kill people for what... money?"

Kralmer spits out of the side of his mouth.  "I'm not doing this for money!  The king's holding my family, said he'd only let them go if I took you to him.  It's nothing personal, I assure you."

"Well, that sucks,"  You say, "But isn't there another way, aside from, you know, killing me?"

"I wish,"  He sighs,  "But the king says bounty hunting is illegal.  That's why he took my family.  I was gonna be executed, but he said he'd grant us a pardon if I brought you to him.  Filthy rat won't follow his own rules.  Anyway, really sorry about this.  I heard what you did back in Arrorn.  Heck, I'd join you if I could.  But I've got my family to think of.  I'll try to make your death swift."  With that, he raises his spear to deliver a killing blow.

"Wait!"  You cry.

"What?"  Kralmer says, sounding impatient,  "Look, I don't like this any more than you do, so may as well get it over with."
> You say "Don't I at least deserve a fair fight?"
Kralmer pauses for a moment and thinks.  Your heart pounds as you watch him, hoping against hope that he's honorable.

He sighs and says,  "Why do ya gotta make things so complicated?"  And he leaps into the air, landing about ten feet away from you.  "I guess you have a point.  This way, I at least don't have to feel so bad.  Stand up now, I guess we'd better do this."

You stand up, feeling just a little bit relieved.  But the danger's not over yet.  You've still gotta fight him.

"Monster,"  Kralmer says,  "Just promise me this."

"What?

"Show me no mercy.  On the off chance you beat me, I'd rather not have to face my family to tell them... I've failed."

"Well... okay."

Kralmer readies himself.  "Now... are you ready?"

"I suppose I am."  Your palms are slick with sweat.

"Right then.  Now fight!"

Before the words have even left his lips, he's already flying through the air towards you, faster than you could've imagined possible.  There's no time to put up any sort of defense before he smashes right into your head, his spear penetrating straight through your right eye.  The pain is so great, you hardly notice as you fall to the ground, or Kralmer's whispered apology as the world fades around you.

Well, that ended quicker than expected...


For the next few days, you continue on the path, surviving on nothing but the supplies left in your bag.  You're almost out of Cheez-Its, so you'll have to find another village soon or you might starve.  No one comes after you, probably because you took out their leader.  No-one to give orders.  Still, you move quickly as you can, just in case they are still after you.

On the third night, you veer off the path a little to find a nice place to sleep.  You've given up on finding something even remotely comfortable, (as your aching back won't let you forget).  What you're really looking for is something concealed, so if anyone tries to find you, they'll just walk right past without noticing.  Tonight, you're lucky.  There's a shallow divot in the ground, just big enough for you to spend the night in.  All you've gotta do is cover it with leaves and sticks, and you're set.

The sun hasn't even finished setting by the time you finish, so you sit on a nearby rock and pull out your last bag of Cheez-Its and stare at it.  If you eat them now, you'll go to bed hungry, but be hungry in the morning,  but if you wait, you're not sure you'll even be able to sleep due to the hunger pains.

The snapping of a twig behind you breaks you out of your thoughts.  You turn around, just as something, you're not sure what, slams right into you!  It sends you toppling off the rock and into the dirt on your back.  Before you even have the chance to comprehend what's happening, you find yourself staring into the eyes of a raggedy Oalkwardner, standing on your chest and pointing a spear at your throat.

"I wouldn't try to escape, if I were you."  The Oalkwardner says, "You may be strong, monster, but I'm certainly quick enough to drive this spear right through you before you have the chance to take a single swing at me."

"What the heck is this?"  You ask, a quaver in your voice.  "Where did you come from?"

"The King sent me after you."  The Oalkwardner says, "They call me Kralmer, I'm one of the greatest bounty hunter's this side of the water-pit."

"So you're a filthy mercenary!  You kill people for what... money?"

Kralmer spits out of the side of his mouth.  "I'm not doing this for money!  The king's holding my family, said he'd only let them go if I took you to him.  It's nothing personal, I assure you."

"Well, that sucks,"  You say, "But isn't there another way, aside from, you know, killing me?"

"I wish,"  He sighs,  "But the king says bounty hunting is illegal.  That's why he took my family.  I was gonna be executed, but he said he'd grant us a pardon if I brought you to him.  Filthy rat won't follow his own rules.  Anyway, really sorry about this.  I heard what you did back in Arrorn.  Heck, I'd join you if I could.  But I've got my family to think of.  I'll try to make your death swift."  With that, he raises his spear to deliver a killing blow.

"Wait!"  You cry.

"What?"  Kralmer says, sounding impatient,  "Look, I don't like this any more than you do, so may as well get it over with."
> You say "What if we figure out a way to get your family back without me dying?"
Kralmer lowers his spear ever so slightly.  "What, you got some kind of master plan that'll get the king outta the way?"

"Well..." you say slowly, your mind racing.  You've got a half formulated idea already, if only you had more time to think...  "Don't you get an audience with the king or something?  To show him my dead body?"

He thinks for a moment.  "I suppose, but if you're thinking of trying anything, you best be aware that the king is heavily guarded.  And he wears this enchanted armor, made by his dark sorcerer, Maeldral.  While it's on, he's practically immortal!  That's why no-ones ever, you know, killed him before!"

"But it must have some kind of weakness, don't you think?"

"I dunno... his Maeldral might have something in his notes or something, but I have no idea where he'd keep something like that.  I mean, that's really dangerous knowledge.  I'm sorry, but I have to kill you."

He raises his spear once more, ears drooping.

"But I'm super strong, remember?"  You say, "At least compared to you guys.  If we find a way in, I can take out the guards.  I took out fifteen or so of the king's men just the other day in Arrorn.  Then you won't have to kill me, because your family will be safe!  I could go after the king by myself, if you don't want to get tangled up in all this."

He seems to think it over for a moment.  Then, he sighs and steps off your chest.

"Stand, monster..."  Kralmer says, "I'll accept your terms on the condition that we break my family out before anything else.  And after that, you're on your own.  I have my family to think of."  He's quiet for a moment.  "You're lucky the king has a reputation for making bad deals.  I'm not the first to be roped into something like this by that soggy bag of water, and from what I've heard, he doesn't always follow through.  I certainly hope you're more honorable than he is.  Now, let's find a better spot to camp."
> You to the palace!
Thankfully, Kralmer has enough food for the both of you, so you go to bed with a full stomach.  But you just can't get to sleep.  After a half hour of tossing and turning in the dirt, you sit up and take inventory of your supplies, (for lack of anything better to do).  It's then that you remember the strange disk you found on the night you first woke up in the woods.  You must've forgotten about it after seeing the kidnapping.  It's been in your bag this whole time, waiting to be rediscovered.

You take it out and examine it.  Something about it tugs at your memory, but you just can't place it.  For a while you stare at the screen, flashing "insufficient power," over and over in red.  Tapping at the screen does nothing, and there are no other buttons to speak of.  On the other side is some kind of clear plastic tank, with a little bit of green fluid sloshing about inside.  You can't make heads or tails of it.  Soon, you're fast asleep, the disk resting on your chest...

Your dreams that night are filled with visions of the disk.  You see yourself putting it together, building it, tweaking it.  It's the most important thing you've ever created, more important than your family, your friends, the outside world.  The disk consumes your entire life, you work on it day and night.  And then, one day, there's no more work to be done.  You fill the tank with the green liquid, harvested from the core of a meteorite, tap the screen a few times, and suddenly find yourself surrounded by a brilliant, violet light...

"Wake up, monster!"

You open your eyes to the sight of Kralmer's wrinkly face.

"Eat something, we've got a long trek ahead of us."  he pushes a bowl of black goop into your hands and walks a few paces away as you attempt to choke it down.

"So,"  he says as you finish,  "You're still here."

"Yup,"  you say, running your tongue over your teeth to get the last little bits of your breakfast off.

"You really are honorable then...  I suppose I should call you something other than 'Monster.'  What are you anyway?"

"I'm a human,"  you say.

"Good to know, human,"  Kralmer grins,  "Now, like I said, we've got a long ways to go, so let's get going."

For the next two days you walk on, stopping only to sleep.

On the evening of the second day, Kralmer says "Look! It's just over this hill," and dashes ahead.  You follow, quick as you can.  When you crest the hill, you can just see the outline of some sort of fortress, sitting on a hilltop on the horizon.

"We ought to make camp a little ways off the trail, and soon."  Kralmer says,  "Just in case some of the King's guard happen to pass."

You follow him off the trail and into a nearby thicket.  For a good ten minutes, you push through the brush, covering yourself in all sorts of scratches.  Finally, you come to a clear spot, right at the heart of the thorn bushes.

"There," Kralmer says,  "No way they'll think to look here.  Now, we'd better come up with some kind of plan before we get any closer."

"Do you know if there are any secret entrances?"  You ask.

"The only way in, so far as I know, besides the front gate would be through the moat.  It runs right through the dungeon, so the king can drown his subjects in it."

"Great!"  you say,  "We'll swim in that way!"

"Swim?"  Kralmer asks,  "What does 'swim' mean?"

"You've never heard of swimming?"  You ask,  "You know, where you paddle to stay afloat in the water?"

"Human, you are far more powerful than I ever could've imagined,"  Kralmer is clearly awed,  "We Oalkwardners cannot touch the water.  If we soak in it, it seeps into our skin, making it weaker and weaker, until it simply dissolves into mush.  I imagine it's a horribly painful way to go, hence why our lovely, benevolent King uses it to dispose of anyone who so much as looks at him funny."

"My word!  That's why I never found any sort of well in the village!  I had to suck the moisture out of mud to survive!   What do you do when it rains?"

"I've heard of this 'rain,' you speak of.  Thankfully, such a calamity has yet to befall this land."

"But what about all these trees and plants?  How can they grow without water?"

"I don't know what you mean!"  Kralmer says,  "All plants need is a little sunshine and they'll grow just fine.  But we're getting off topic.  The best way to get into the palace may just be for you to sneak in through the moat."

"But what about you?  How will you get inside?  What about your family?"

"I... don't know.  But the moat could be our best shot.  You may have to go in without me."

"You trust me that much?"

"I trust you more than I trust the King, I'll say that much.  There'll be no-one to guide my family out of the dungeon, should you decide to go after the King.  If you feel the need, you can disregard my earlier request for them to be let out first.  Should you manage to take the fortress, you'll then be able to set them free."

"Alright..."  you agree, "I'll do it."

"Great."  Kralmer says, "We'll think of some kind of meeting point.  I really appreciate this, Human.  You are quite possibly the most courageous creature I've ever met."

"You're welcome,"  you say.

After a moment of silence, Kralmer says,  "Well, we'd better make camp.  I have a feeling it's gonna be a long day tomorrow."

"You and me both,"  you murmur, as you stand up to start getting the camp ready.
> The moat
You reach the fortress at about noon the next day.  It's really not much of a castle.  Instead of stone, like you would expect, it's made completely out of wood, with a few rickety looking towers poking up from behind the wall. Once you're only about a hundred feet off from the moat, Kralmer stops you.

"Send my family out this way, when you get out." He points at a spot where the moat goes under the wood.  "You see where the water crosses under the wall?"

"Yeah?"

"That should take you into the dungeon."

You don't say anything.  This is all happening so fast, you're not sure you're ready.

"Thanks again, human."  Kralmer says, "Whatever happens, I'll make sure your legacy lives on."

"Right," you say, "Thanks."

There's no point in stalling, so you start running towards the moat, fast as you can, so no one sees you.  Once you reach the edge, you don't hesitate to dive right it.

The water is warmer than you expected, and murky.  It's hard to stay afloat with a backpack on, but you still manage to keep your head above the water.  Luckily, it doesn't seem to be flowing in any particular direction, so you have no trouble with current.  You swim for the opening Kralmer pointed out and duck under it.  Suddenly, the sunlight from above is gone.  You're in a sort of dirt tunnel, with just enough space at the top for you to breathe.  It's fairly short, and before you know it, the river opens up into a sort of pool at the edge of a huge underground room.

You swim to the edge of the pool, out of breath.  Are you really this out of shape?  For a moment you sit on your hands and knees, panting.  Then, you look up and get a good look at the wall on the other side of the room.  You suck in your breath.  It's lined with cages, set into the wall, dirty and disheveled Oalkwardner eyes staring out at you from behind wooden... well, they're not exactly bars...  more like fat wooden sticks.

It looks like this part of the fortress is built into the hillside, as half of the walls are wood, and the other half, dirt, hard packed.

Thankfully, there are no guards down here, at least not right now.  You need to decide if you're going to free the prisoners now, or wait until after the king is dead.
> You go after the king first
"I'll be back for you all later,"  you say, as loud as you dare.

There's an opening in the wall with a spiral staircase going up, so you head through it.  At the top of the stairs is a wooden door.  You can hear voices from the other side, probably guards.  Quietly, you turn the handle and push it open.  Two guards stand on the other side, their backs to you.  They don't notice you, because they just keep chatting about the weather.  You creep closer, and closer, and then you put a hand over each of their mouths and drag them back through the door before they even realize you're there!

They struggle in your grip, but their flailing is no match for your strength.  You carry them downstairs, still covering their mouths, and toss them into the nearest empty cell.  You steal the keys off their belt while you're at it, and lock them inside.

"What's going on?"  one of them cries.

"What the heck are you?"  Asks the other.

"Shut up, both of you!"  You say,  "I need to know where the Dark Sorcerer lives."

"Why would we tell you that?  You're kidnapping us!"  the first guard says,

"Because if you don't, you die!"  You say, slamming your fist against the bars.

"I'm not talking."  The first guard says, crossing his arms.

"Well, I am!"  The Second one says, trembling,  "He's in the tower opposite us, at the very top!"

"What the heck is wrong with you?"  The first guard says, "If you tell it that, you're breaking your sacred oath to protect the king!"

"I'd rather stay alive, thank you very much!"

"Shut up, or I'll kill you both!"  You say, feeling a little guilty.  (Threatening lives isn't exactly the most fun thing in the world).

They go quiet after that.  There's no way to know how long they'll stay quiet though, so you'd better be quick.  You head back up the stairs and slip out the door.  Luckily, the courtyard isn't all that crowded, but there are still a few Oalkwardners milling about here and there.

A line of bushes sits in the shadow of the wall, wrapping all the way around, so you crouch behind it to avoid being seen.  As fast as you can, you crawl around the perimeter until you reach the tower the guards were talking about. There's no-one there to guard the door, it's almost too easy.  Quickly, you slip inside and find yourself staring at yet another spiral staircase.

You take the stairs four at a time, as they're smaller than stairs for humans.  The tower has multiple levels, with rooms branching off on each one, but you don't stop to look in any of them until you reach the very top.  The stairway ends in a trapdoor. You press your ear up against it, but hear nothing. Pushing on the door reveals that it's locked, with the same type of wooden lock that was on the cells in the dungeon.  For a moment, you panic. What are you going to do if you can't get in? It would be a defeat on the whole purpose of this mission!

Then, you remember that you stole the keys off the guards you trapped in the dungeon.  Checking over your shoulder to make sure no one's coming, you pull out the wooden key ring and try each one of them on the lock.  The key slides in on the fourth try, and the door swings open freely to reveal something like a cross between a bedroom and a laboratory.  One side of the room has a big table full of all kinds of odds and ends, different materials and chemicals. The other side has a bedroll, woven from grass and stuffed with... well, more grass.

You start looking around for anything that looks like it might do away with magic armor.  You look through the contents of the table first, but don't find anything remotely useful. (Though, there is a cage of yellow rats on one corner, which is quite entertaining to look at).  You're about to turn elsewhere when you spy something else. Hidden behind a stack of books is a bowl of a strange green substance, glowing slightly in the dim light.

This is the same fluid that's in the back of the disk you found in the forest when you first woke up!  You pull it out of your backpack to confirm.  Maybe, if you refill the tank on the back, it'll work properly again, and you can find out more about what it does.
> You fill up the tank and see what happens
You pull the disk out of your bag and examine the tank on the back.  There's a little cap you can take off to open it. It comes off in two twists, and you fill it with the goo from the bowl.  As you screw the cap back on, a little beep sounds. You flip the disk over and find that the display at the front has changed.

"Power Restored."  It flashes, "Ready for dimensional rift generation.  Please set coordinates or choose a preset."

Two options appear on the screen, one reads, "set new preset"  and the other simply says, "home."

For a moment, you forget all about your mission.  This thing can send you home? Impulsively, you tap the button, and a message pops up.

"Warning:  Dimensional travel may disrupt certain brain functions, including cognition, memory, and vision.  Continue at your own risk."

You hesitate, but curiosity gets the better of you and you push "Continue" on the screen.

It'll just be a short trip, you tell yourself.  Just to jog your memory a little, then you'll come right back.  A violet light envelops you, burning your skin. You shut your eyes as it becomes too intense to look at.  It's like you're spinning, being stretched in fifteen different directions at once. That's about the point at which you lose consciousness.

The pain is the first thing you notice.  It feels as though someone's poured an entire vat of hot coffee over your entire body.  Somehow, you get the sense that you've been asleep a lot longer than normal.  You open your eyes to an overcast, gray sky.  You're laying on the lawn of someone's house, in the middle of a quiet suburb.  You sit up and look around.  There's a backpack a few feet away, with a strange disk beside it.  How the heck did you get here?  You try to remember, but find that you simply cannot.  If you really concentrate, you can just remember a strange violet light...