Wagons and Dragons

This Wasn't on the Map

"Fuuuuuck," Bernard groaned aloud, his voice echoing down the tunnel and reaching the rest of the group around the corner.

The whole party came to and quickly rushed around the corner to find Bernard standing in front of them, holding the map. He was frantically turning the map side to side and even flipping it upside down, in a desperate act to find a solution.

Kai chimed in while staring at Bernard who was clearly having what most call an issue. "Eh, what seems to be the problem boss?"

Bernard immediately froze the frantic map flipping and slowly turned his gaze back at the rest of the group. He was wearing a crooked smile that you would typically see on someone who was clinically deranged, or in this case it was the face of someone who appeared to be hopelessly lost. Bernard shifted to the side of the tunnel and threw his arm out gesturing to a single table which was at the end of the tunnel. Kai and Iago stared at him, unsure of what he was pointing at, while Mist asked, "So what's the big deal, why are you acting all bent out of shape? It's just a dead end, we can just always turn around and go down the other tunnel."

"You don't understand, this wasn't supposed to be a dead end," Bernard held out the map and pointed to a spot on the map, "We are here." He then shifted his finger along the map along the tunnel to which the X lay, "And this is where the treasure is. We were on the right path but the map didn't say anything about a dead end and a table."

"So you could say that's an end table, right boss?" Kai remarked with a big toothy grin on his face. Bernard replied with an icy death glare that sent Kai a few steps back to hide behind Iago. "It appears that this was the way to the treasure room but between the time they made this map and right now, someone has created a wall to block us off from becoming famously rich," Iago said while looking at Bernard for confirmation. "It appears that seems to be the case," he replied.

Mist wandered over to the table and began to inspect it closer. On top of the table were two cups placed side by side and in front of the cups was a note. Mist picked up the note and began reading it outloud.

"One drink grants you a safe passage,

One drink offers you a final message.

One drink grants you deep warmth and bliss,

One drink takes your breath with a kiss."

"Doesn't sound like a proper housewarming greeting to me, I'll say," Kai said while still peeking his head out from behind Iago. Iago nodded his head and pointed back at the man cowering behind his back and said, "Ya, I have to go with ol' Kai on this one, doesn't sound to welcoming to me. If you want my opinion, I say we just turn around and try the other tunnel way back when we took a right at the half rotted shroom."

"But that isn't the direction the map told us to go!" Bernard angrily replied while continuously pointing at the map.

"Did the map say anything about a dead end or a table with two mysterious drinks on it?"

"No."

"And did it say anything about a cryptic letter telling us about our certain doom?"

"...No."

"And finally, does the map say anything about having to drink these mysterious drinks?"

"Well, the guy who gave me this map told us to stay hydrated on our journey."

"Sounds like we are turning around to me," and with that, Iago began to turn around and head back the way they came. He called out over his shoulder back to Mist, "You coming, Mist?"

Mist was still leaning over the table closely examining the drinks with her magnifying glass. "Ya, I'll be there in a second, I just want to examine these cups for a moment longer," she laid the piece of paper back on the table and picked up one of the cups to get an even closer look at it.

Iago, Kai and Bernard continued down the path knowing that Mist liked studying strange objects and that she would catch up to them in a moment. Iago led the way this time while Bernard was taking up the rear, silently muttering to himself about how stupid he was for believing in a random merchant's map. They soon found themselves nearing the fork in the road where the massive shroom loomed over the whole path, but something else appeared to be next to the mushroom. Iago stuck out his hand to halt the group and held up a finger to his lips, motioning for them to be silent. He pointed ahead to a figure who appeared to be coming closer towards them. Bernard let out a shocked gasp and started to back away from the figure. "That's H'trad, he finally caught up to us." Iago and Kai gave the figure a closer look and fear immediately overcame both of them as well.

A loud booming voice rang down the hallway coming from the figure slowly approaching the gang, "It took me a while to track you all down, but you won't be escaping me this time."

By this time, the three were already running back down the tunnel towards the dead end, hoping that Mist figured out some way out of this mess. When they reached the final corner they turned to see Mist sitting beside the table just thinking to herself while taking notes. She looked up when she heard the three guys frantically running towards her.

"H'trad is hot on our tails and I don't think he's going to give us a warning this time," Bernard choked out.

"He probably still hasn't forgiven me from that card trick I pulled on him a few years back," Iago wondered aloud.

Bernard looked at Iago and said, "I thought this was about us taking all of his money and running from our job back in Juniper."

"I may have seen him a couple times since then but regardless of that he wants me dead, I'm sure of it," Iago nervously shifted where he stood, constantly turning around to look down the tunnel to see when the face of his doom would turn the corner.

"Well, it looks like the only way out is by drinking one of these cups. But after studying the puzzle for a few minutes now, I still can't make out an answer," Mist said while standing up and looking back at the cups on the table.

"We need to do something I can hear him getting closer," Iago cried out getting more panic in his voice.

Mist snapped back at him, "Be quiet for a second, let me think."

She closed her eyes, raised her hands and began to move them around as if she was putting together an imaginary puzzle in the air in front of her. Iago still stared at the entrance, his heart pounding out of his chest. Bernard pulled out his map and was looking for anything that could help them out. Kai stood near the table just looking down at the cups, he then shifted his gaze to Mist. Kai placed his hand on Mist's shoulder and said to her, "I know the answer is somewhere in you, Mist. You just have to dig in and find it," Mist's hands began to tremble as she was still trying to piece together a solution.

"We are depending on you now more than ever, Mist! " Bernard called out while staring at the turn in the tunnel.

"Left or right cup, Mist, we need an answer," yelled Iago.

A foot suddenly came into view at the turn and soon followed the rest of H'trad's looming body and his shimmering magically blessed scimitar was pointed right at them.

"Left or Right!" Iago cried out while retreating away from the man with hate in his eyes.

H'trad moved forward laughing as he swung the sword above his head. Bernard had backed up into the others and the three of them all huddled around Mist as she was still desperately trying to piece together an answer that would save her friends.

"LEFT OR RIGHT, MIST!" Iago shouted at the top of his lungs.

"LEFT!"