Master of the Deck

Soft, gentle breezes, alternated by slightly ticklish brushes of a large…plumed fan? Ah, that’s nice. It almost makes this headache bearable. Feeling about as energetic as a limp dishrag, Julien tries to ignore the feeling of his strength ebbing even more. But sleep is impossible with that faint yapping in his head. Ugh. Never again. […]

“I knew it!” Cursing his bad luck and considering whether his thoughts had jinxed him, Julien swats gently at the melon-sized bees that buzz around his body. “Go on. There are enough flowers to visit. Leave me alone!” Julien suddenly retracts his hand. “Yow! Sonuva…!” A stinger the size of a pencil sticks out the

Was that all of them? In a haze of pain and exhaustion, Julien limps off, his health bar on just a quarter left and still steadily declining. Shit, even breathing hurts! He heads to the Pagoda, remembering the gourd-shaped Balmea. He gets lucky. He cuts the first one he finds from its branch. An uncoordinated

“Synthisa Activa.” The words sound flat and devoid of energy. Julien looks all around him. Still nothing. Damn him. What spooked him? He is supposed to help me figure this world out, not get scared and disappear! As the opaque light of the dawn slowly repels the night, Julien attempts to banish his night terror

Ugh. Stupid birds. It’s too early. Julien squints against the intrusive light of day, completely unappreciative of the morning’s symphony. If I can just make it to the coffee machine, I might be able to pry my eyes open. He swings his legs over the edge of his makeshift bed to dangle above nothing. Wait.

With a sharp intake of breath and jerking of muscles, Julien startles awake. The first thing he sees is a furry shape jumping away from the entrance to the pagoda. He leaps to his feet, fingers clutching the hilt of his sword, and runs to the door. He is just in time to see a

Julien had lost all sense of time underground. How long did he struggle in the darkness? He has no idea. But now, standing on soft, springy grass, breathing in the open air, the oppressive weight of the tunnels falls away. Between the boughs of the trees around him, he can see a blue sky and

The craggy walls are painted red, and so is the floor. Now that the immediate danger is over, Julien feels some of the tension leave his body, along with a healthy dose of bile. He hacks and coughs to get rid of the terrible combination of sensations. There is a sour and burning acidity in

Julien quickly plants his body against the closest wall. Apart from shielding his back, he tries to gain some confidence from the rough support. He’s not successful. He glances at the body of his ally. Dead! Instantly! And I’m next! In his current position, he cannot imagine how he can prevent rapidly following the stranger

No way out. Seriously?! Julien decides to circle the room for a third time. In the centre, a mound of debris is an indicator of where the ceiling above had collapsed, causing the upper floor to mostly descend into the subterranean room. Daylight streaming in from the upper floor allows him to see, quite clearly,