◄ Chapter 9, Page 6 | Chapter 9, Page 7 | Chapter 10, Page 1 ► |
W...what? From your WINDOW VANTAGE POINT, you can see UNREFINED JAITIA coming out of a CHUTE, presumably from where the UNDERGROUND MINE CART rolled off to. The JAITIA goes up and across a CONVEYOR BELT, getting pounded and chipped to smithereens before finally going through a FURNACE. It's quite far away, but it seems like the REFINED JAITIA consists of some semi-transparent GREENISH CRYSTAL?
So...the CASTLE...is a JAITIA REFINERY? And wait, all of this technology looks quite new. There's no way the VILLAGERS came up with any of this. Plus, what's the end goal--pretty gemstones?
The weirdest thing is that all of this seems entirely automated, probably starting from when you pressed the RED BUTTON. You don't see a single person in sight. Then again, like MARTY mentioned, it's not the end of the month yet...
>> Use master carpentry skills to fashion a Trojan Horse out of the local woods, inventory spikes, and pick ax. Put the horse outside of the castle and sneak in the window as the castle folk are admiring your craftsmanship.
Using your PICKAXE, 6 WOODEN STAKES, the MINOR WOODWORKING ability, and a couple more TREES, you end up semi-successfully fashioning a MINIATURE TROJAN HORSE that you bring around to the CASTLE'S ENTRANCE. Unfortunately, there are no CASTLE FOLK to speak of, no one comes outside, and nothing of any significance happens. (However, you do gain 22% CONSTRUCTION EXP, so it's not a total loss.)
From here, you can see the DRAWBRIDGE blocking entry to the CASTLE, and a nearby TOWER which apparently controls the DRAWBRIDGE. However, there is absolutely no way to get into the TOWER--no LADDER, DOOR, or anything else.
It's starting to get very dark now. You seriously consider going back to your MINIATURE LOG CABIN to sleep until MORNING.
>> Construct a grappling hook, throw it inside the window, and scale the castle wall.
You don't have nearly enough SKILL nor the required MATERIALS to make or throw a GRAPPLING HOOK.
>> Construct super tall ladder to climb into the open window.
Another possibility, but faulted by two things: one, any SUPER TALL LADDER that you could make would probably be too shoddy to safely hold your weight, and two, you'd need to be across the MOAT first. No way are you walking across a flimsy LADDER over a bed of PIRANHA!
>> Yell at the drawbridge to come down for dinner, he's been on that computer all day!
You yell at the DRAWBRIDGE to come down for DINNER.
The DRAWBRIDGE does not respond.
(Maybe it's not hungry.)
>> Sleep is for the WEAK. Don't give up now! Find some THIN TWIGS and tie them into a FLEXIBLE STRING. Then find a NICELY CURVED STICK and attach the FLEXIBLE STRING to the top and bottom of the STICK to make a nice BOW. Rub two of your WOODEN STAKES together to make a fire, if that's successful then use the WOODEN STAKES as FIRE ARROWS. With your new BOW, shoot the FIRE ARROW at the ROPE holding the DRAWBRIDGE up, hopefully it'll catch fire and release the DRAWBRIDGE.
An amazing and strangely well-rounded thought forms in your head--create FIRE ARROWS to sever the DRAWBRIDGE ROPE! You go straight to work.
Using some THIN TWIGS and STICKS you find, you are able to make a SHODDY BOW. This thing looks like it's about to fall apart, honestly, but it's just crazy enough to work...
Unfortunately, your plan to create a FIRE using two WOODEN STAKES is thwarted as you get another SPLINTER. You vaguely remember doing this not five minutes ago with roughly the same results. It seems a NON-FIRE ARROW will have to do.
You pull back your WOODEN STAKE FIRING CONTRAPTION and your ARROW fly.
Incredibly, your shot fires true, but the WOODEN STAKE hits the DRAWBRIDGE LINE and bounces off of it with an odd-sounding "twang". You get the impression that despite its color, the DRAWBRIDGE LINE is not made of ROPE.
Your SHODDY BOW completely shatters immediately after using it, and you have exhausted one of your WOODEN STAKES. However, you did gain 8% CONSTRUCTION EXPERIENCE for your effort!
>> use JAITIA on FIRE
There's no FIRE nearby, especially so long as you're afraid of a chunk of WOOD. Besides, the FURNACE inside the CASTLE looked to be a whole lot hotter than any FIRE you could make...
>> Go back to the cabin, you need some rest and you might find something there
>> Sleep until Morning.
You go back to your MINIATURE LOG CABIN and sleep the night away.
It's MORNING once again! You figure there probably should no longer be any more silly TIME CONSTRAINTS stopping you from doing...whatever it is you usually do.
>> When you wake up from sleeping, go back to the tower and throw a rock or something at the tower with the bridge. It can help you check if a person is guarding it.
You dash back to the CASTLE DRAWBRIDGE and throw a ROCK at the TOWER. Nothing happens. This entire CASTLE seems to be entirely automated, or at the very least, no one's home. But you still wonder how people get up into that TOWER. If it controls the DRAWBRIDGE, then there has to be some way into it.
However, given the MOAT and the TOWER's height, you won't be able to get into the TOWER through your own means. For all you know there's a DOOR on the other side of the TOWER out of your LINE OF SIGHT. But that's just an assumption at this point. Either way, the CASTLE is quiet for now.
>> Traverse the tunnel into the castle overnight, as long as the tracks don't lead you right into the machinery
It's not NIGHT anymore, but you do this anyway. The button is now unpressed and the METAL BARS blocking the path are up again. You venture into the TUNNEL, but a very short ways in you find a small conveyor belt contraption that takes JAITIA out of the WAITING MINE CART and pulls it straight up into some MACHINERY, presumably for the OUTPUT CHUTE inside the CASTLE. Looks like a dead-end!
>> Ask spider friend to get his spider friends together and weave you a set of wings made of their silk, pine needles, and wood taken from the tress.
You head back to the CLEARING and ask the SPIDER to make you some WINGS.
"I must politely decline your request. No one has ever made a set of wings from spider silk, and for good reason--it doesn't work. If I could make a pair of wings from the world around me, don't you think I'd have done it by now? I'd be viewing the world from high above even as we speak. No, I cannot, if only for your own safety. If you were to perish, who would pass on the tale of your spider comrade?"
>> Follow MARTY up to the LOWER MINE SHAFT
You suddenly recall your previous notions of heading into the MINE SHAFTS (which were cut short due to lack of DAYLIGHT.) As long as the CASTLE is inaccessible, this seems like a good option to revisit!
◄ Chapter 9, Page 6 | Chapter 9, Page 7 | Chapter 10, Page 1 ► |