The trail had already long since gone cold. They moved fast and were clever, but it wasn't as if Kuroki could just sit around back home and wait, hope that the situation resolved itself. He found himself somewhere familiar, a pang settled in his chest, a tightness that bothered him more than he thought it would. It wasn't even homesickness, not really since Ashen had moved on ages ago. It felt more like, well this place was a visual reminder than things changed and not always for the better and if he fucked up again then- how bad could things really get? Being dark and broody did not suit him at all.

Three wolfish borzoi stand before you, shifting with anticipation. Their glowing green eyes flitter and dance with an ethereal excitement. To your left, a pale and excitable wolf beckons, their tail wagging fervently behind them. In the center, a mournful wolf who's coat is such a pure slate, it seems as if she's tinged blue. To your right stands a dark abrasive looking wolf who's eyes are barely visible under his furrowed brow as he impatiently awaits your decision. In fact, it seems they are all waiting for you to make a choice between the three.

Who do you choose?

Easy Route: The Gleeful Guide

This route poses minimal risk, but also lesser rewards.
Risks: Scarring, small loss of gems/skill points

Medium Route: The Sorrowful Guide

This route poses some risk and moderate rewards.
Risks: Scarring, cosmetic disfigurement, temporary disabilities, moderate loss of gems/skill points

Hard Route: The Irascible Guide

This route poses the most risk and greater rewards.
Risks: Scarring, cosmetic disfigurement, permanent disabilities, higher loss of gems/skill points

No risk, no reward. It was dangerous and stupid and Oki knew deep in his gut there was a strong chance he could get hurt, real hurt, but he didn't care. Couldn't find it within himself to stress about it, not when there was already so much on the line. He turned to the stranger wolves, his gaze dark as he met the sternest of the trio's gaze. Their attitude was familiar, and though he wasn't any good at dealing with folks who had attitudes like this guy, he chose him all the same. "Where we going?" He asked, not wanting to delay any further. Kuroki chooses the serious wolf!

The grumpy wolf's brow relaxes just slightly when you choose him. He seems to give you a moment to reconsider. After a moment, the tough looking wolf grunts in approval and turns to lead.

As you follow, a thick smoke rolls in and masks sight and smell. Through watery eyes, you are barely able to follow the guide, but eventually the smoke begins to clear and you are hit with the strong smell of Sulphur. You take a step forward and the guide pulls you back slightly. Blinking the rest of the tears out of your eyes, you realize you're on the edge of a steep chasm- a chasm filled with bubbling lava. One wrong move and it's over.

The guide motions to a wobbly wooden bridge that connects down into a cave on the other side of the canyon.

What do you do?

Strength: Dash across before the bridge can collapse.

If you're fast, the bridge won't have a chance to collapse!

Charisma: Make the guide go first.

This was his idea, so make him go first.

Dexterity: Balance lightly between the planks evenly as you go.

Most of the planks seem stable enough. If you balance evenly, surely none of them will break.

Wisdom: Evaluate the safest planks to walk on.

If you take your time, you can pick out the safest planks.

Leave.

Leave and exit the event.

Wow, okay. It didn't take long for Kuroki to wonder where the hell this guy was taking him, and why couldn't they take the longer way around, that didn't involve a rickety bridge over some fiery death chasm? He paused for a moment, stepping around the guide to take a proper look at all the wooden slats. He knew he was fast on his feet, all long and leggy, lithesome even, so he could probably make it across if he made a mad dash, right? The question though, ultimately remained; was it worth it? Probably not, but when had that ever stopped him? "Try to keep up." Kuroki said, taking a moment to stretch out his shoulders. Kuroki uses his strength to cross the bridge.

You kick off, launching yourself down the shaky bridge. You can hear the guide grunt in surprise behind you. Your paws crash down on the warm, dry wood. About halfway through the bridge, your paw crashes through a plank, sending your body tumbling into the weakened structure. The guide is fast behind you, scruffing you and shoving you down the bridge one step at a time. At the end, he releases you and ushers you quickly into the cave with an eyeroll.

In the struggle, you scrape the tip of your tail. It bleeds a little, but will heal just fine.

Inside the cave, warm lava lights the way. Small pools bubble and small streams flow from tiny cracks in the walls. Several boulders act as stepping stones across larger gaps, and small wooden bridges span other areas. Around the walls of the room, a thin edge navigates above any threat of lava. It is clear you need to get to the end of this room if you wish to continue your journey.

What do you do?

Strength: Take the stepping stones.

The stepping stones look sturdy and all you have to do it jump a little.

Charisma: Ask the guide to lead the way.

The guide should know the way through the pass.

Dexterity: Take the thin edge.

Creeping on the thin edge keeps you above and away from danger.

Wisdom: Take the bridges.

The bridges are obviously there for a reason, so use them.

Leave.

Leave and exit the event.

Well that didn't go great. At least the grumpy guide wasn't a complete ass and let him fall to his death, Oki could give credit where it was due. "Thanks bro." His tail wagged high as he continued to follow him, trotting a little to catch up and give him an affectionate, bro-ly shoulder bump. They continued on and Oki took a moment to survey their surroundings once more, all this heat made the pink of his nose ache. Was he gonna get sunburnt? Lava burnt? Was that even a thing. Either way they had to keep moving, to dawdle would be dangerous. Deciding he wanted to hop across the stones, he bent down in preparation, his rear wiggling as he flexed his toes. Talons at the ready to grip. Kuroki uses his strength to take the stepping stones

You coil yourself and jump from one stone to the next. Hey! This isn't too hard. The warm, smooth stone holds steady and after a few jumps you find a strange item you can't quite comprehend; guess you'll have to fully examine it later. After just a few more jumps, you find yourself on the edge of a new lava room.

Across the lava room stands a flat piece of smooth stone, so level and flat, it is as if thousands of paws had worn it over time. It looks cool to the touch and vaguely important. Surrounding it is a mote of lava, separated only by sharp stalagmites that impale it to point towards the open ceiling. There is no discernible path across. You know you must get there one way or another, but you're not sure you'll be able to go back the same way you came if you cross.

What do you do?

Strength: Jump over the gap.

If you push off real hard, you can close the gap... probably.

Charisma: Ask the guide to help.

Maybe just this once...? He's got to know something!

Dexterity: Use the stalagmites as stepping stones.

If you're careful, some of the tips of the stalagmites look wide enough to balance on.

Wisdom: Build a bridge with the materials from the other room.

It'll take a while, but it should work...

LAST CHANCE TO LEAVE.

If you proceed further, you will not be able to leave. Abandoned threads may result in failed rolls.
Risks: Scarring, cosmetic disfigurement, permanent disabilities, higher loss of gems/skill points

Kuroki was intent on making it to the end, sure it might not be a smart thing to do but it would be kinda stupid to make all of the effort go to waste. Who knew what risks lingered ahead, but as far as he was concerned he'd deal with whatever happened next. Nothing much fazed him, not even the weird silent wolf dude who was leading him to who knew where. Figuring it was best to rely on his strength again, since he was indeed strong, he took a moment to eye the jump. Trying to judge it by eye to see if it was something he could make. Risky as all hell but... Kuroki relies on his strength again!

You kick off with all your strength, hoping your back legs are strong enough to propel you over the gap. Fortunately they are, and you land hard on the other side, feeling the impact of your jump ripple through you.

Though you make it to the other side, a low roar behind you gets your attention, and you spin around...

A giant, glowing worm erupts from the molten chasm below, lava sputtering onto the ground before you. It screeches, towering over the stage and you immediately recognize its name as Sebastien. The guide growls, his stance rigid and wide. This is an enemy that must be dealt with if you wish to escape with your life.

What do you do?

Strength: Find a way to attack the worm.

With the way the worm's head begins to lower toward you, surely you can find time to strike...

Charisma: Convince the guide to deal with the worm.

Surely he has a better idea how to deal with this than you do, right?

Dexterity: Try to dodge the worm and stay out of its range.

Surely there's got to be a way to escape this worm, if you're just quick enough!

Wisdom: Study the worm to figure out how to deal with it.

You've never seen anything quite like this, so maybe acting too rashly isn't the best idea. You decide to study it inside and see what information you can gather.

Holy shit that was a big worm. Oki glanced over at his guide, as if to say: you seeing this bro? For one reason or another, Oki just knew its name was Sebastien, and Sebastien was PISSED. Now Oki was strong and stupid, and when he saw a big opponent rearing its ugly head, he couldn't help but want a peice. To have a right go and see if he could kick its ass. What else was he supposed to do? Run away? Nah, that weren't gonna happen. He launched himself forward, tooth and claw bared-this was probably a very stupid decision. But that was Oki for you!! Kuroki chooses to use his strength, again.

You decide to strike as soon as possible as the worm lowers its head toward you, mouth opening to reveal rows upon rows of jagged, ugly teeth. Though you nearly manage to land a bite, the worm is apparently quicker than you are, striking you hard and fast as everything around you abruptly goes dark....

All you remember is the hot blazing heat and then... cool darkness. You awake outside of the chasm on a smooth, flat rock.

A familiar form kneels beside you, tending your wounds. It takes several blurry moments to realize this is not your guide, but a cluster of fireflies in a cloak the same color as your guide's fur. Your injuries are blindingly painful, but you will live; you can tell somehow by the way the fireflies buzz around you. The most notable of your injuries is to your right rump left shoulder left back paw, where a huge section of flesh has been torn and shredded - best see a healer about that one. It'll surely leave a lasting scar (in a roughly 6 x 6 inch section). You feel less skilled having gone on this little adventure, losing 67 85 83 hunting skill points in the process.

You realize loosely how little sense that makes and you wonder if this is real, but a warm force closes your eyes and bids you to think of home, of safety. When you awake next, you are in a safe place, one which you might have imagined.

As the worm lowers, you attack. Your teeth meet a piece of steaming hot flesh that gushes a bitter liquid when pierced. As the worm rears, you jump back to the stage.

The worm rolls and screeches, diving into the lava, then into the air, over the stage, and back into the lava. Hot globs of molten rock splash over the stage. Your guide grunts and dodges, his teeth barred in frustration. He glances to you, a silent invitation to take the lead. The worm emerges again. This is it. The final stand!

What do you do?

Strength: Attack as soon as the worm emerges.

You decide to strike at the soonest opportunity.

Charisma: Tell the guide to take the lead..

You think the guide would know best what to do.

Dexterity: Attack at the highest point in the worm's jump

You decide to wait until the worm's head is furthest from you to strike.

Wisdom: Wait for the perfect point over the stage to attack

You choose to observe the worm, patiently waiting for the right opportunity to attack.

Rerolled using Firefly's Favor.
Firefly Favor used again.
Firefly Favor used again again.

Who knew Sebastien would taste so meaty? Still, as big and angry as said worm was, Oki was intent on beating its ass. Not only to prove a point and all that (which was actually very important) but he'd come this far and there was no reason to turn back now. And a series of other inspirational quotes I can't be bothered to google or add into this post, just take my word for it I'm not padding out till the word count is reached.

With teeth bared, he stared at his opponent, the dark of his eyes glistening in the fiery light. Strength don't fail him now!


Oki uses his strength, duh.

YYou attack, the worm just emerging from the lava. As the rivulets of lava begin to separate, you launch, biting into the hard, hot underbelly of the lava worm. The guide follows suit. With this, you are able to peel off a slab of his scale-like armor. It clamors into the lava just seconds before the worm does.

The worm thrashes and sinks into the lava, his bones rising to the surface as shiny as fresh metal. They float, suspended for a bit, before slowly beginning to glow and melt into the pool.



As the worm fades from existence, the lava begins to calm and sink down into the earth. A small land bridge becomes apparent and you are able to safely exit the chasm. On the other side, smoke swaths you once more and you find yourself back where you began, singed, sore, but not too worse for wear.

It is time for goodbye, you can feel it in your soul. You turn to the guide, who looks almost proud of you.

Your guide gives you a curt nod of approval and you blink. When your eyes open, only a few fireflies buzzing lazily where the guide once was.

The cave, now peaceful, stands to be explored by any who come across it. Maybe you can remember your way back sometime.

You have unlocked a new site land: Pyroduct Caves!

You receive: To Hell and Back Bundle:

• Deluxe Open Character Pass [USED ON RONAN - GRANTED!]
  
• Choice of litter pass (Gay Litter Pass, Ghost Litter Pass, Mystery Litter Pass) [USED ON SOMNIUM LITTER PASS - GRANTED!]
  
• Boosted Worm companion (Regular companion size, named Sebastien, but you may change this, only speaks a language you do not know) [USED ON RONAN - GRANTED!]
  
• Lucky Rabbits Foot
  
• Firefly's favor
  

Other prizes you collected will be revealed later.

Three wolfish borzoi bow their heads in appreciation. Thank you for playing the Halloween 2023 event! All is calm as you look out, but there's no telling what's on the horizon... or perhaps even under it...

Look forward to peeks into the event, hiccups, and maybe some hints into the next adventure!

You Gained This Along the Way...

• Cursed Litter Pass
  
• Extra Companion Slot
  
• Dire Wolf Character Pass
  
• To hell and back bundle
  

You Lost These Along the Way...

• Minor injury - tip of tail