Read Festival of Shadows Online
Authors: Michael La Ronn
Festival of Shadows (40 page)
Theo moved forward and landed in a slide square, and he slid into the final challenge.
SORRY!
You didn’t make a selection. Go back to the previous page. Otherwise, you may get lost.
Braindon drew a card and laughed. “Poor luck,” he said showing him a card with huge C on it. “That’ll cost you two moves. And, you must proceed to the final challenge.”
“That’s not fair.”
“Had you not drawn, it would have been fair,” Braindon said, snickering.
Theo slid across the board against his will and landed on the final square.
SORRY!
You didn’t make a selection. Go back to the previous page. Otherwise, you may get lost.
Theo moved forward and landed on an empty space.
Theo < Slide+1 < Final Challenge
SORRY!
You didn’t make a selection. Go back to the previous page. Otherwise, you may get lost.
Theo moved forward and landed in a slide square, and he slid into the final challenge.
SORRY!
You didn’t make a selection. Go back to the previous page. Otherwise, you may get lost.
Braindon drew a card and laughed. “Poor luck,” he said showing him a card with huge C on it. “That’ll cost you two moves. And, you must proceed to the final challenge.”
“That’s not fair.”
“Had you not drawn, it would have been fair,” Braindon said, snickering.
Theo slid across the board against his will and landed on the final square.
SORRY!
You didn’t make a selection. Go back to the previous page. Otherwise, you may get lost.
Braindon drew a card from the deck and showed it to Theo.
“Blast you,” the alien said. “Proceed forward two spaces.”
Theo slid forward two spaces and landed an empty square.
Theo < Slide+1 < Final Challenge
SORRY!
You didn’t make a selection. Go back to the previous page. Otherwise, you may get lost.
Theo moved forward and landed in a slide square, and he slid into the final challenge.
SORRY!
You didn’t make a selection. Go back to the previous page. Otherwise, you may get lost.
Braindon drew a card and laughed. “Poor luck,” he said showing him a card with huge C on it. “That’ll cost you two moves. And, you must proceed to the final challenge.”
“That’s not fair.”
“Had you not drawn, it would have been fair,” Braindon said, snickering.
Theo slid across the board against his will and landed on the final square.
SORRY!
You didn’t make a selection. Go back to the previous page. Otherwise, you may get lost.
Braindon drew a card and laughed. “Poor luck,” he said showing him a card with huge C on it. “That’ll cost you two moves. And, you must proceed to the next challenge.”
Theo slid across the board against his will and landed on the next challenge square.
CHALLENGE!
A Game of Chance
“Time for a new challenge,” Braindon said.
He retreated into the saucer, and the ship divided into three units. They spun around so fast Theo couldn’t follow them. Then they stopped, and he heard Braindon’s laughter.
“Where am I? Best two out of three!”
Theo scanned the saucers—it would be a completely random choice.
Theo picked the:
SORRY!
You didn’t make a selection. Go back to the previous page. Otherwise, you may get lost.
The saucer that Theo picked opened, and Braindon stuck his head out. “I thought for sure you wouldn’t find me,” he said. “Here we go again!”
The saucers spun around at a dizzying speed again and then stopped.
Theo picked the:
SORRY!
You didn’t make a selection. Go back to the previous page. Otherwise, you may get lost.
The saucer that Theo picked opened, and Braindon stuck his head out. “I thought for sure you wouldn’t find me,” he said. “Here we go again!”
The saucers spun around at a dizzying speed again and then stopped.
Theo picked the:
SORRY!
You didn’t make a selection. Go back to the previous page. Otherwise, you may get lost.
The saucer that Theo picked bounced up and down, but there was no one inside.
“Pathetic choice,” Braindon’s voice said, echoing from one of the saucers. “Try again!”
The saucers spun around at a dizzying speed again and then stopped.
Theo picked the:
SORRY!
You didn’t make a selection. Go back to the previous page. Otherwise, you may get lost.
The saucer that Theo picked bounced up and down, but there was no one inside.
“Pathetic choice,” Braindon’s voice said, echoing from one of the saucers. “Try again!”
The saucers spun around at a dizzying speed again and then stopped.
Theo picked the:
SORRY!
You didn’t make a selection. Go back to the previous page. Otherwise, you may get lost.
The saucer that Theo picked opened, and Braindon stuck his head out. “I thought for sure you wouldn’t find me,” he said. “Here we go again!”
The saucers spun around at a dizzying speed again and then stopped.
Theo picked the:
SORRY!
You didn’t make a selection. Go back to the previous page. Otherwise, you may get lost.
The saucer that Theo picked bounced up and down, but there was no one inside.
“Pathetic choice,” Braindon’s voice said, echoing from one of the saucers. “Try again!”
The saucers spun around at a dizzying speed again and then stopped.
Theo picked the:
SORRY!
You didn’t make a selection. Go back to the previous page. Otherwise, you may get lost.
The saucer that Theo picked exploded; another exploded, and Braindon popped out of the one that remained.
“Failure,” he said. “That’ll cost you two moves. My game is better than I thought.”
“That’s because it’s rigged,” Theo said, readying himself for the next space.
SORRY!
You didn’t make a selection. Go back to the previous page. Otherwise, you may get lost.
The saucer that Theo picked shook from side to side, and Braindon popped out.
“It cannot be,” he said, clutching his temples. “The odds were supposed to be in my favor.”
“Be quiet. It’s my turn now.”
SORRY!
You didn’t make a selection. Go back to the previous page. Otherwise, you may get lost.
Theo moved forward and landed on an empty space.
Theo < Slide+1 < Final Challenge
SORRY!
You didn’t make a selection. Go back to the previous page. Otherwise, you may get lost.
Theo moved forward and landed in a slide square, and he slid into the final challenge.
SORRY!
You didn’t make a selection. Go back to the previous page. Otherwise, you may get lost.
Braindon drew a card and laughed. “Poor luck,” he said showing him a card with huge C on it. “That’ll cost you two moves. And, you must proceed to the final challenge.”
“That’s not fair.”
“Had you not drawn, it would have been fair,” Braindon said, snickering.
Theo slid across the board against his will and landed on the final square.
SORRY!
You didn’t make a selection. Go back to the previous page. Otherwise, you may get lost.
Theo moved forward and landed on an empty space.
Theo < Slide+1 < Final Challenge
SORRY!
You didn’t make a selection. Go back to the previous page. Otherwise, you may get lost.
Theo moved forward and landed in a slide square, and he slid into the final challenge.
SORRY!
You didn’t make a selection. Go back to the previous page. Otherwise, you may get lost.
Braindon drew a card and laughed. “Poor luck,” he said showing him a card with huge C on it. “That’ll cost you two moves. And, you must proceed to the final challenge.”
“That’s not fair.”
“Had you not drawn, it would have been fair,” Braindon said, snickering.
Theo slid across the board against his will and landed on the final square.
SORRY!
You didn’t make a selection. Go back to the previous page. Otherwise, you may get lost.
Theo looked ahead; there was a circle with alternating black and white squares, with two card decks in the middle—one white, one black.
Braindon hovered over a black square. “Now we battle,” the alien said. An LCD screen on the front of the saucer lit up with five red bars.
Against his will, Theo slid onto a white square. He activated the Whatsamadoozle and turned it into a sword. “You’re finally speaking a language I can understand.”
THE FINAL CHALLENGE
~ Theo and Braindon will circle the board. They will land on Light Squares or Dark Squares. Each color has its own associated deck of cards.
~ Light Square cards may be helpful, such as restoring damage or deflecting Braindon’s attacks. They may also do nothing.
~ Dark Square cards may be harmful, such as sucking health from Theo. But the dark energy may also be useful.
~ Each turn, Theo can attack or draw a card. Braindon will do the same. The battle ends when any one player’s Health Points (HP) are reduced to zero.
~ Braindon has superior knowledge of the decks, and his strategy will change based on Theo’s actions.
I should draw to see what happens, first.
The Light Square shimmered at Theo’s feet, and he drew a card with a metal shield on it.
“A Shield Card,” Braindon said.
A force field of selerium energy rose around Theo, preventing damage from the next attack.
“Give up now,” Theo said.
Braindon snickered. “I knew you’d do that. But you shouldn’t doubt the darkness. Well . . . nah. I don’t think I’ll draw.”
ZEER
! Braindon fired a laser at Theo, but the force field protected him and then disappeared.
“Next round!”
Braindon hovered over a Light Square, and Theo ran onto a Dark Square.
Theo (5 HP)
SORRY!
You didn’t make a selection. Go back to the previous page. Otherwise, you may get lost.
Theo drew a card with a box of tissues on it. He waited for something to happen, but nothing did.
Braindon laughed. “A Tissue Card? Not good.” He fired a laser at Theo, knocking him back.
Theo stood and screwed his eyes at Braindon. “Why haven’t you drawn yet?”
Braindon harrumphed, and they switched squares again.
Theo (4 HP)
SORRY!
You didn’t make a selection. Go back to the previous page. Otherwise, you may get lost.
Theo drew a Tissue Card. Nothing happened.
Braindon fired a laser at him, knocking him back.
They switched squares again.
Theo (3 HP)
SORRY!
You didn’t make a selection. Go back to the previous page. Otherwise, you may get lost.
Theo drew a card with a shadow cloud on it. He froze in place as dark energy swirled around him and squeezed him.
“Ahh, a Shadow Card. Excellent draw,” Braindon said. “I bet you’ll think twice about drawing another Dark card. I think I’ll draw, if you don’t mind.”
Braindon drew a card with a clock on it. He moved at twice his normal speed, and he fired a laser twice at Theo, knocking him back.
“Quick Cards are my favorite card,” he said.
They switched squares.
Theo (1 HP) remaining
SORRY!