This is the first chapter of The Great Antler series. All the decisions have already been made in this chapter but the choices are still present to let your imagination wonder what would’ve happened if the other choice had been made.
Chapter 1.1
You’re a contractor hired to survey a forest for clearing. You come to a open area in the middle of the forest and see a giant oak tree shaped like a deer head. There looks to be a hole at the base of the tree.
Do you…
A: Enter the hole?
-or-
B: Look around and survey the giant deer head shaped tree?
(Choice B was chosen)
Chapter 1.2B
You look around the giant tree in the shape of a deer head. Each part of the tree looks naturally grown showing no signs that it was carved into this shape. You come to the back of the tree and are startled by a glowing mass in the middle of the back of the tree. It glows an aquatic green like color and it seems to be pulsing, like it’s calling out to you to touch it.
Do you…..
A: Touch the glowing mass?
-or-
B: Back away slowly from the glowing mass?
(Choice A was chosen)
Chapter 1.3A
You touch the glowing mass unsure of what will happen. As you touch it with the face of your hand you hear horrible hollowing cries all around the forest and feel like there is something coming behind you, something bad. You have clearly disturbed something, but before you turn around your hand is suddenly pulled into the glowing mass. You panic and try to pull your hand free. A vision appears before you in front of the glowing mass. In the vision you see a strange creature resembling a deer shrouded in a green cloak. It has five glowing eyes that are the same color as the glowing mass and its antlers are covered in jewelry of the same color. The branches around the glowing mass begin to pull away revealing the mass to be some type of portal you can go into. The deer creature in the vision looks at you with gentle eyes as if telling you to enter.
Do you…
A. Enter the portal made out of the glowing mass?
-or-
B. Pull your hand free and look at what is behind you making the horrible hollowing noise?
(Choice B was chosen)
Chapter 1.4B
Your fear and curiosity make you pull your hand out of the portal in the tree and turn around. Shear horror encapsulates you as you see a horrifying creature making the horrible hollowing sound at the edge of the forest.
It looks like it could have been a wolf at one time but has been horribly disfigured by mutation or something. It’s back legs have become enormous in size making it stand on two legs in a chicken-like pose. You imagine just one of it’s oversized paws could crush you in an instant. It’s forelegs have maintained their normal size but each paw has grown long razor sharp claws. The forelegs hang in the air like the little arms of a T-Rex. You nearly gag though when you realize it has two grotesque skinless clawed arms growing out of it’s back, though you wonder if it’s actually the smell from the wolf creature’s gaping maw that made you gag.
Before you can decide what it was though you start hearing large cracks of wood as the grotesque arms of the creature begin to effortlessly push aside any tree that’s standing in it’s way as it begins to stomp towards you. It’s black eyes stare at you with determination. You feel your life will end if you don’t make a quick decision.
Do you…
A: Turn around and run into the portal in the back of the tree?
-or-
B: Run from both the tree and grotesque wolf creature and try to find safety in the woods?
(Choice A was chosen)
Chapter 1.5A
You decide to take your chances and run from the ferocious beast into the glowing portal in the back of the tree. On the other side of the portal you enter a long tunnel of roots covered in the glowing mass. You reach out to touch one of the roots when a massive bright light blinds you.
You suddenly feel like all your muscles and bones are being stretched out all at once. What’s happening to you? You put your hands to your head in pain only to realize with sheer horror that your fingers have started merging together forming a three fingered hand. Your skin is itching like crazy as a fine layer of fur starts covering the back of your hands. You notice that your whole body is being electrified by the roots covered in the glowing mass. Is this what’s causing your transformation? Could you perhaps stop the transformation by breaking the roots?
Another light flashes before you revealing a silver door at the end of the tunnel. You’re scared out of your mind not knowing what is happening to your body. Do you…
A: Try to break the roots and see if it stops the transformation and run back the way you came, even though a monster may await on the other side?
-or-
B: Try to run to the silver door before the energy from the glowing mass can transform you any further and escape?
(Choice B was chosen)
Chapter 1.6B
The energy of the roots continues changing your body as you contemplate what to do. You know what awaits you if you try to go back the way you came and you’re not going to be able to stop this transformation standing here. You decide to run to the silver door at the end of the hall. As you run though the energy from the roots seems to only intensify, speeding up the progression of your transformation. You now feel the idea of avoiding further transformation is futile, but the silver door is still a better idea than going back.
You feel and hear your clothes stretching and ripping from your transforming body. You are mere feet from the silver door when the heels of your feet suddenly push out, tearing your shoes and making you fall and tumble right through the silver door.
You land face flat in the dirt. At least you think it’s dirt. You push yourself up but have difficulty trying to stand in what remains of your shoes. You kick them off revealing your toes have fused into 3 digit hoofs on each foot. Most of your clothing has been torn to shreds from your massive growth spurt. You imagine you must be 2 feet taller than you were before entering the portal. The land before you is strange and alien with glowing trees and landscapes. You turn around to look at the silver door only to see a strange creature in your clothes looking back in its reflection. You stare at yourself in sheer shock of what you’ve become. Some type of deer creature with a short muzzle and solid green eyes. You’re not sure what to do next. Do you…
A: Huddle in fear by the silver door hoping some form of help will come to save you?
-or-
B: Remain calm and try to find some sort of bearing in this strange land and find shelter?
(Choice B was chosen)
Chapter 1.7B
You realize that staying here staring at your new reflection isn’t a wise idea in a strange land that you don’t know. It’d be best to try and figure out the layout of this strange land and perhaps find some shelter. You see a path of red dirt leading off into the distance and decide that this is the best course to start out your exploration into this strange land. Your journey starts off with difficulty though as it feels weird to walk on your hooved tipped toes. You feel like a baby learning to walk for the first time again. But you manage to get the hang of balancing yourself rather quickly and keep a decent pace going down the path.
The nature here is so strange. Some of the trees curl like paper scrolls and others shimmer in a bright green similar to the glowing roots that transformed you. The land mass itself seems all broken and chaotic. One minute you’re walking across a field and suddenly it ends with a cliff going straight down into nothingness. Was this land always so broken like this? Or did some horrible event happen? Your thoughts are interrupted though as the red path splits before you. Do you…
A: Take the path to your left that leads along a rocky cliff side full of glowing crystals?
–or–
B: Take the path on your right that leads into a bright colored forest full of bizarre trees?
(Choice B was chosen)
Chapter 1.8B
The path along the cliff feels a little too narrow for your taste, you decide to go right into the brightly colored forest.
It’s so beautiful looking. All the trees shimmer in bright pinks and magentas, their branches curling up at the end like a flower. Makes you wonder if this world would call it a tree or a flower? Do they even use the term tree or flower here? You’ve been walking through this world quite a bit but have yet to see any wildlife or people for that matter. And what about that weird deer creature you saw before entering the tree portal. Does it live in this world, or was it all a hallucination?
You stop for a moment when you notice the red path has started going up and along a huge vine slowly rising up along the ground. Guess the path forward leads upwards you say to yourself while lifting a foot up to climb. But you about fall backwards as a sudden jolt throws you off balance making you wave your arms wildly in an attempt to rebalance yourself. The solid ground right next to you starts to churn and bubble and with a loud spurt shoots out a massive green glowing vine. It rapidly grows across your path spiraling its way upwards to a nearby hanging cliff you didn’t notice till now.
Looking up you notice two large rock formations in the shape of antlers can be seen on top of the cliff. They appear to have the same glowing ornaments you saw on that deer creature hallucination hanging from them. Is this the work of that deer creature? Does it or something else want me to climb up this vine and go to the antler looking rocks? Do you…
A: Climb up the vine and check out the antler shaped rock formations?
-or-
B: Go around the vine and continue down the red path?
(Choice A was chosen)
Chapter 1.9A
You decide to be adventurous and climb the green vine leading up to the overhanging cliffside. The antler shaped stone formation on the top has to give some sort of clue as to why you’re here.
As you make it to the top you stop and gasp in shock. A creature sits before you on an altar of stones between the two stone antlers. You feel relief to have finally found another creature in this world. It appears to be some sort of bat but sitting up right like a human. Was this person also transformed like yourself? You open your mouth to ask many questions but the creature raises its winged arm out in a motion for you to stay silent as it begins to speak.
“Great discoverer we are pleased to see you have made it this far, despite your hesitance to come to us at first.”
“I understand you have many questions, but I can not answer them for you. Only the Great Antler can answer them for you.”
You look at the bat creature mad and frustrated. You’ve been transported to another world and changed into a creature and the first resident of this world you meet refuses to answer any of your questions. The creature suddenly looks at you with burning eyes of green.
“Silence! Do not take my unwillingness to answer your questions as me not understanding your frustration. I am merely here to aid you to your destination. There are absorbers in this land that hunger for what you have. You will need my and many others’ aid if you want to get past them and make it to the Great Antler. Before you are two charms. The circle will make you invisible to the absorber’s hunger, the cube will give you defense to use against them. You may choose only one.”
You ask what the heck is an absorber and why only one…but before you can speak another syllable a massive plume of pink light shoots up out of the altar between the stoned antlers illuminating the bat creature in pinks and magentas. Her winged arms rise to each charm as they are surrounded by glowing pink flames.
“I only have enough power to bestow one of these gifts to you. your heart will guide you to the one that will serve you best.”
“NOW CHOOSE!”
Which one do you choose?
A: The circle charm that grants you invisibility to the absorber’s hunger?
-or-
B: The cube charm that will grant you defense to use against them instead?
(Choice A was chosen)
Chapter 1.10A
You feel extremely nervous and scared to choose a charm from a bat creature bathed in blinding pink lights, but decide that the circle charm that grants you invisibility from the absorber’s hunger will be safer than trying the other one. You point to the Circle Charm and a bright flash of light suddenly envelopes you. You feel the same tingling you felt when you were transformed but instead of another transformation you see a metal ring form around each of your fingers. They’re colored like copper, their edges covered in green like it’s oxidized from exposure. You then notice that there is extra weight on the right side of your head. Two small versions of the circle charm are now hanging from your right antler and ear. Your observations are suddenly disrupted as the bright pink light suddenly extinguishes with a loud snap.
The bat creature is gone! The altar and stone antlers now look all cracked and eroded as if it’s been abandoned for centuries. What the heck just happened.
Suddenly the bat creature answers you quietly out of nowhere. “Quick, there is little time.”
You look around not seeing it anywhere. “Where are you?” you ask.
“Shh, be quiet. I am using my power to hide and you must now do the same with your newly acquired power. Raise your arms and hold your hands out open faced to activate your invisibility charm. I’m afraid our power transfer attracted an absorber’s attention.”
Your heart skips a beat as you hear a thunderous sound behind you. Spinning around you see a giant clawed hand on the side of the cliff side.
“Quick hold your hands out and don’t move.”
You start trembling as you hold your hands out, a pink glow envelopes you not sure if it’s actually working. You feel exposed standing in the open with nothing to hide behind.
The concealed bat creature whispers to you. “I know you’re scared but you must stay absolutely still. The invisibility charm can’t work right if you move. If we stay still it won’t be able to detect us and move on.”
A clawed hand raises in the air to grab the other part of the cliff. Is this power actually going to hide you from this unknown beast?
Do you…
A: Hold your hands out and stand perfectly still hoping this power is actually hiding you from this Absorber monster.
-or-
B: Take your chances and quickly slide back down the green vine from the cliff. Maybe you can run into the woods and hide in the trees.
(Choice A was chosen)
Chapter 1.11A
You are a nervous wreck but you do as the Bat Creature asks and stand perfectly still. Raising your arms out in front of you, you feel a pulsing energy come from the charms and rings on you. A magenta glow envelopes your body. Hopefully this energy is masking you from this absorber as the creature suddenly pulls itself up onto the cliff.
You tremble as you look upon it.
It’s massive, bigger than the wolf creature you encountered back in the woods by the portal. It is grotesque looking; it has three heads of what used to be rats. But they’re merged partially together forming a three nosed three jawed abomination of a creature. What could have created such a horrifying beast. It begins sniffing and screeching awful sounds as it stomps around the altar.
You do your best to stand still but your fear is making your legs and arms wobble. The energy around you retracts a moment during this. The giant absorber turns in your direction letting out a horrifying screech. You quickly regain your balance and stand still the energy around you regaining its full strength. The absorber starts marching towards you mouth agape revealing its tripod jaw of teeth.
It saw you, you know it did. “I’m going to die,” you think to yourself. You close your eyes and prepare for inevitable death.
END OF CHAPTER 1.