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Level 12
1. As I came up the stairs and through the door (which closed behind me, or do I still need to tell you that?), I noticed immediately that some of the floor tiles seemed to be pressure plates. Two were raised and one was recessed. I walked on the recessed one and nothing happened. When I stepped on the raised pressure plate past it, a gate opened behind me. So I turned around again and, jumping over the recessed plate this time, I headed for the gate. As I stepped on the pressure plate just in front of the gate, I heard another, more distant gate open. 2. Now I had two choices. I could try climbing up a series of landings, or I could explore the way down a gap to the west.
Version 1 2. As I stepped up to another gate, I triggered a pressure plate and I the barrier slammed shut. Now the only direction I could go was up. I climbed a pair of landings and explored the ceiling, finding a loose tile there. As I stepped aside to let it drop, I stood on yet another pressure plate and heard yet another gate open. I climbed up the gap created by the falling floor tile. 3. The short hallway only led a little way east, and I ran that way... 4. ...Just turning... 1. ...and catching myself at the last instant as the floor gave way beneath me. I heard the sound of a distant gate opening as the floor tile fell onto the pressure I had seen in the entrance room. 4. I pulled myself up again and returned to the original gap. 3. I lowered myself into the hole again. 2. On the upper landing once more, I headed west. 5. A guard stood ready to fight me across the way I thought I could challenge him, so I walked to the edge of the landing and jumped the gap, landing just in front of him. He quickly ran forward and stabbed me in the shoulder, knocking me backward. Now, I wasn't seriously hurt, and I managed to catch onto the ledge before I fell and hurt myself further, but seeing him standing above me, I knew I could gain nothing by climbing back up, so I dropped. He stood there, glaring. I stepped on a pressure plate and heard a gate opening high above me. Quickly I began to climb the eastern series of ledges to investigate the sound, for the moment leaving the guard to gloat over his victory. 6. I was just in time to see the gate close again. I would never be able to trigger the pressure plate below and climb fast enough to get through that gate. Besides, there were four gates in all. I wondered if I really had to open them, but I assumed I did. I stood on the first landing. I had noticed what looked like loose floor tiles across to the west, and I decided it was time to turn the tables on that guard. I jumped up and down a few times and the tiles fell. I heard the sound of a gate opening and saw that the last of the four gates began to open. Then I climbed up one ledge. I stood at the edge of the second landing and jumped safely across, coming altogether too close to a spike trap in the wall, however. I then lowered myself down the gap created by the falling floor tiles. 5. I found myself behind the guard I had seen earlier. He whirled, his sword still drawn, and I quickly drew my own. I pushed him backward, toward the ledge, but he was fast and hit me several times. Eventually, however, he lost his footing and fell screaming to the floor below. I heard the sound of a gate opening above me. I found nothing to the west but a spike trap, so I jumped back across to the east and climbed the ledges I had climbed before. 6. I had not looked into the alcove in the middle landing, but when I walked into it, the floor dropped beneath my feet. Then another of the four gates opened. I continued to climb as I high I as I could go. 7. I reached a narrow tower with two small landings in it. When I reached the highest one, I stepped up to the wall to inspect it. The floor dropped beneath me and I heard another gate opening. I climbed down, not seeing anything more of interest at the top. 6. I was even with the four gates again. They were all open now, so I got a good running start and jumped at the last instant. I had noticed a spike trap in the wall below the gates, and I didn't want to risk jumping into that! 9. I came to a ledge and saw a potion across the gap. It looked like a Life Enhancement Potion, and I thought it would be good to get. Again, I got a running start and jumped, just clearing the wide chasm and catching on to the ledge near the potion. I took no chances. Seeing that the only way to get back from here would be to jump back to the east, I jumped to the potion, fearing a loose floor tile. My caution was rewarded, because a tile did jiggle a little, but it did not fall. I drank the potion, my back against the western wall, then ran and jumped back into the air... 8. ...landing on a narrow ledge. I dropped to the floor and ran to the east again. 5. I was back where I had fought the guard. He still lay across the pressure plate where he had fallen. Again I climbed. 6. When I reached the level of the four gates, I turned to the east and started in that direction. 3. I was cautious and tested the floor, or I would have fallen through the trap door It lay hidden just before an open gate. I jumped it and then went through the gate. A pressure plate beyond the gate triggered yet another gate just ahead of me. 4. As I passed through this next gate, I saw a wide gap ahead. I stepped on yet another pressure plate, and a gate across the gap opened. For some reason, I was suspicious of this situation, so I performed one of my usual tests, jumping up and down three times. Two tiles fell, one just in front of me, the other from the ceiling to the east. And two gates closed suddenly, the one behind me and the one across the gap. Was I trapped here? I stepped back onto the pressure plate behind me and, with relief, I watched as both gates reopened. Now I made some room and ran, leaping across the wide gap and catching the ledge below the eastern gate by my fingertips as I had done so many time before. I continued east. 10. My path came quickly to an end. There was no place to go but down to a narrow ledge below me. However, when I looked down and across to the east, I saw a fine, shining sword lying on the ground. I put my back against the gate to the west, then ran and jumped as quickly as I could to clear the gap between me and the sword. 11. I landed painfully right next to it. Before I could reach to pick it up it burst into flame and rose in the air as if wielded by an invisible swordsman. I was very close to it and drew my own sword out of habit, though I did not know what I would do against this fiendish blade. Suddenly, I changed my mind about this sword. I exchanged positions with it, then quickly put my sword away and ran away from it, to the east. 12. I continued to run until I came to another gap. With the flaming sword on my heels, I jumped across without hesitation and fell to a lower ledge. Ahead stood a tower with a guard atop it, but I heard a gate opening to the west. I changed directions and ran back toward the landing where the gate was opening. I jumped a little too early (which was fortunate as it turned out) because I narrowly missed impaling myself on a spike trap in the wall above the gate. The gate was already beginning to close as I made it through. It closed completely as I stepped on a pressure plate just past it. 11. I walked west... 15. ...then dropped down a narrow gap and landed on a pressure plate. I thought I heard the sound of a door opening somewhere. The exit? I was hopeful. But the gate above was now closed, and I saw no way to open it. Finally, I looked to the east. 13. I walked carefully to the edge of a sheer drop and let myself down into a large room, where I spotted a healing potion. I drank it and spotted another to the east. 14. I stood at the base of a great tower. I drank the potion, but decided to retrace my steps and explore to the west. 13. I ran back through the room where I had found the first the potion, continuing to the west. 15. Just in time, I stopped and crawled under a blade trap. I heard footsteps coming from the west. Just as I got out from under the blade trap, a guard appeared. Breathing heavily from the exertion of running, the guard lunged at me. I parried and began to attack with some intensity. I had the blade trap still at my back and knew I had to get out of this dangerous position. I soon defeated the guard and continued on to the west. 16. I ran through a long, low hallway. I passed a small alcove with a very high ceiling, then continued west. 17. I came to a very large room with twin sets of statues at either end. I spotted some pressure plates in the floor and carefully jumped over all of them, I almost didn't notice the one past the second set of statues. Then I passed through the gate to the west. 18. I almost turned back again when I saw the two blade traps and the guard standing between them. But I had come this far, so... I crawled under the blade, all the while keeping my eye on the guard, who stood impassively watching me. When I stood up the guard immediately lunged, slashing me painfully in the chest. He drove me backward toward the deadly blade trap. I immediately countered with an attack of my own. I pushed him backward, but kept crowding him until he was forced to switch places with me. My position wasn't much better now, but I think he was a little surprised. I kept up the attack, parrying and slashing until he backed into the blade. It was sickening, but it was him or me. I crawled under the second lade trap and continued to the west. 19. I found a welcome healing potion, which I drank, then passed through an open gate. The gate closed as I stepped through. There was nowhere to go but up, so I climbed a couple of landings and tested the celling. It was loose and a little prodding made one of the tiles fall. 8. I went up through the gap in the ceiling into a huge room. The ceiling was high above me, out of sight. The room looked familiar, though, and for good reason, as I discovered when I headed east, the only way I could go. 5. I groaned in frustration. I had been here before. The guard still lay dead across the pressure plate. I had just made a big circle. Well, I knew the way to go. I climbed the ledges along the eastern wall. I was about to climb to the four gates and retrace my steps to the east, when I had another thought. I remembered the falling floor I had seen above the entrance room. I decided to investigate on a whim. I remembered having seen another doorway nearby. I headed east. 2. I climbed back up the gap I had previously discovered. 3. I walked carefully to the east, then lowered myself over the ledge. I saw the entrance door beneath me. 1. I dropped, twisting my ankle a little, but it was worth it. 11. Just a little to the east, I found the open exit door. I left this area of the temple behind me at last. Version 2 2. I carefully approached a gate and noticed a recessed pressure plate in front of it. Instinctively, I jumped over it, then lowered myself into the gap in the floor past the gate. 17. I landed on a small outeropping held by two giant statues. A similar, but smaller, outeropping jutted from the wall to the east. I lowered myself and dropped to the floor below, then ran to the cast, jumping over a recessed pressure plate just in front of the base of two statues. I passed through an open gate. 16. I ran down a long corridor, stepping on a pressure plate. I heard a gate close somewhere. I ran on. 15. As I crawled under a blade trap, a guard came up from behind, but he didn't dare follow me. Once I was safely through the trap, I stood a moment, almost daring him to follow, then turned my back and ran again. 13. I passed a healing potion, but saw no need to stop for it, and continued eastward. 14. I came to a strange tower. A healing potion lay at its base, but I climbed immediately to the second landing, then crossed to the eastern side and climbed down to the bottom where I triggered yet another plate. This last one opened a gate to the east. I climbed the short wall blocking the way east, then carefully stepped through the gate. I jumped... 20. ...landing on a pressure plate in another great room where I found two potions I recognized from past experience as containing poison. The gate behind me closed. I ignored it, however, and continued on my way. 21. At the other end of this great hall, I found a doorway that might have been an exit. That, and a healing potion, a poison potion, and a very unfamiliar potion. I knelt and sniffed the bottle - it smelled vaguely of cinnamon - then tasted it. It was exceedingly bitter and burned my tongue. I tossed the bottle away and then, O Hamza, the bottle disappeared in a great cloud of purple smoke and a tiny man appeared. The tiny creature ran away, slipping between the openings of a closed gate, and I could only watch him run. I heard the sound of a door opening somewhere back to the west and a gate closer by I decided to make all haste to return the way I had come. 20. I passed back through the room with the poison potions, carefully jumping over a nearly invisible pressure plate that I felt sure would close the gate ahead. I then stepped carefully to the wall - there being a spike trap there, and just managed to climb up and through the gate before it closed again. 14. Once again, I climbed the base of the tower and then retraced my steps. 13. I ran back through the room where I had found the first potion, continuing to the west. 15. Now the guard I had taunted the first time stood on the other side of the blade trap. I would have to crawl under the trap, then get up and attack him before he could drive me back into the blade. I crawled under the blade, all the while keeping my eye on the guard who stood impassively watching me. He struck immediately as I came out from under the trap. I parried and began to attack with some intensity. I had the blade trap still at my back and knew I had to get out of this dangerous position. I pushed him backward and struck again and again until he fell, then I continued on to the west. 16. I ran through the long, low hallway again and continued west. 17. I came to the room with the twin sets of statues at either end. I spotted some pressure plates in the floor and carefully jumped over all of them. I almost didn't notice the one, past the second set of statues. Then I passed through the gate to the west. 18. I almost turned back again when I saw the two blade traps and the guard standing between them. But I had come this far, so... I crawled under the blade, again watching the guard carefully. When I stood up, the guard immediately lunged, slashing me painfully in the chest. He drove me backward toward the deadly blade trap. I immediately countered with an attack of my own. I pushed him backward, but kept crowding him until he was forced to switch places with me. My position wasn't much better now, but I think he was a little surprised. I kept up the attack, parrying and slashing until he backed into the blade. It was sickening, but it was him or me. I crawled under the second blade trap and continued to the west. 19. I found a welcome healing potion, which I drank, then passed through an open gate. The gate closed as I stepped through. There was nowhere to go but up, so I climbed a couple of landings and tested the ceiling. It was loose and a little prodding made one of the tiles fall. 8. I went up through the gap in the ceiling into a huge room. The ceiling was high above me, out of sight. I headed east, the only way I could go. 5. I stepped on a pressure plate and heard a gate open high above me. I began climbing some landings along the eastern wall, then turned and spotted a guard standing to the west. I decided to look the east and see what lay at the end of the hallway I was in. 2. I came into another room full of ledges and explored a few moments, finding some loose ceiling tiles. I prodded them until they fell, then climbed into the gap they revealed. 3. The short hallway only led a little way east, and I ran that way... 4. ...Just turning... 1. ...and catching myself at the last instant as the floor gave way beneath me. Below I could see the room I had started in. On an impulse, I dropped to the floor below it hurt a little, but it was worth it, because I turned to the east... 11. ...and found the exit door, now open and inviting. With a sigh of relief, I climbed the stairs and left this part of the temple behind me. |
Continue to Chapter 5: The Shadow & the Flame (Level 13)
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