Think or Thwim
Having fought your way through <Boss Name>'s low-level hordes, you find yourself at the shore of a huge lake that marks the border between the <terrain> of <Previous Level> and the <terrain> of <Next Level>. Both of which are apparently located underneath the Dungeoneer's Association, somehow. You briefly wonder if they had to file for a special zoning permit to have geography like that.
Anyway: lake. Theoretically you could walk around it to get to the next territory, but that would take forever. It's a big lake. Surely there's a better way?
| Swim across |
- When this is the correct choice:
You take a deep breath (though you know it always takes exactly sixty seconds before you start to drown and take damage, no matter how deep a breath you take -- weird how that works) and jump into the water with a splash..
It's a long swim -- exactly three minutes, in fact, since you have to come up for air twice, and you reach the opposite shore just in the nick of time. It's kind of surprising that you weren't attacked by a giant fish or anything, but hey, you aren't complaining.
- When this is the incorrect choice:
You take a deep breath and dive into the water. Since you aren't used to the different movements used in swimming, and having to navigate a fully 3D space, you get turned around almost immediately. You end up swimming directly to the bottom of the lake and bumping your head against the sandy floor. Several times.
Eventually you manage to awkwardly maneuver yourself around to point in the right direction, but by that time your oxygen meter has run out and you start taking damage. You frantically thrash your way to the surface, but make it about half a second too late to keep from dying. Crap!
Guess you'll have to try again later, after you're respawned.
| Make a raft |
- When this is the correct choice:
You set out to gather some tools and parts for a raft. It takes a while, because the best pieces of driftwood are being guarded by giant crabs you have to fight, and when you try to collect some vines to tie the wood together with, a monkey starts throwing coconuts at you, so you have to find some bananas to pacify him with, because for some reason you can't bring yourself to kill that bastard the way you did the crabs.
But, you do manage to make a raft -- eventually -- and the trip across the lake to <Next Level>, is blissfully uneventful.
- When this is the incorrect choice:
You look around for something to make a raft with. With which to make a raft. Out of which? Whatever.
It turns out there's not much in the way of raft-making materials on the shore of this lake. There's plenty of pebbles, but you can't think how to fashion a workable raft out of pebbles.
You decide to go back to <Previous Level>, and see if one of the filthy skeleton minions has a raft you can borrow.
| Throw your <item> into the water |
- When this is the correct choice:
You wind up and throw your <item> as far as you can -- it hits the surface of the lake with a thwock and splash.
A bright shimmering light blinds you momentarily, and when you finish blinking the spots out of your eyes, a tall beautiful fairy is standing in front of you, with long golden hair and a gown of pure white silk.
"Did you drop this silver <item>?" she asks, holding up a <item> that glitters like a mirror. "Or perhaps this golden one?" She holds up another <item>, this one shining like the sun.
"Well, actually, neither one," you admit. "Mine's just a regular one."
"I am pleased to meet such an honest adventurer," she says, returning your <item>.
"Well, I was kind of gambling that you'd give me both the silver and gold <item>s as a reward for being honest."
"Ha ha, no. Not hardly," she says. "I will give you a lift to the other side of the lake, if you like, though."
"Okay, that works."
"You know," she says as she carries you across into <Next Level>, "there is such a thing as being too honest."
- When this is the incorrect choice:
You wind up and throw your <item> as hard as you can. It sails out into the middle of the lake, where it lands with a thwock and a splash.
You wait for several minutes, but nothing happens.
You wait several more minutes, but nothing continues to happen.
After a couple hours you give up and return to <Previous Level>, grumbling, to find a new <item>.
Occurs at The GameInformPowerDailyPro Dungeon.
Notes
- Item can be:
- 10-foot pole
- bagpipes
- beet
- Bohemian earspoon
- fists
- flail
- guisarme
- halberd
- katana
- machine gun
- pistol
- rocket launcher
- shiv
- spontoon
- trident
- trusty scythe
References
- The Honest Woodman was one of Aesop's Fables where a woodsman dropped his axe in a spring; and the God Mercury asked if it was gold or silver; he said neither and so he got all 3 back. Video Games (Most notably games from the Legend of Zelda franchise) have turned this into a way of obtaining powerful or rare items.
