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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Inez Hull" data-source="post: 573684" data-attributes="member: 5114">III: The Secret DoorAfter departing town in rather a hurry, the A-Team travelled back down the road towards the orcish stronghold. Around them the entire multiverse spiralled, the horizon miraculously keeping up with their walking pace; but then, it was all laid on for their convenience, after all.“Quest,” said Virgil in a satisfied voice. “I love the smell of quests in the morning, smells like..., experience points.”Wilson turned to Virgil in disgust. “Will you shut up. I don’t think it was a quest anyway, more like a dire warning.”“Oh, that is comforting,” said Mango sarcastically.“Pipe down all of you. It doesn’t really matter anyway, none of you will remember what it said when the time comes,” Shana prophesied.“Well here we are,” Dankwart announced as the party crested the rise to look down at the familiar silhouette of the decaying palisade surrounding a squat ivy-clutched tower.A sombre voice sounded from above, “Night falls.”“This is gonna be a disaster,” Wilson moaned. “Never go back, First Law of the A-Team.”“I thought it was ‘When in doubt, do nothing’ ," said Zeek.“No, ‘Always turn left’ ," said Virgil.Mango drew his sword with a flourish. “Let’s get on with it. A hacking and a slashing we will go!”“Mango’s right...,” said Wilson.“I am?” responded a confused Mango.Wilson continued, “...this place will be a pushover, we’ll just go down the secret stairway at the back missing all the monster restocks, grab Spud and be home in time for a bacon sandwich for brekkie.”“Mmm,” said Zeek, “sounds delicious!”“In and out before the Chucker of Polygons knows what hit him,” nodded Shana. “Great!”“That’s not gas spore tennis, He’ll be miffed,” warned Virgil looking to the heavens.“No problem. Let’s have a gander at the map, Zeek,” said Mango.“Are you sure about this plan,” Zeek asked.“Zeek, the map!” they cried.Reluctantly, the cleric took a sticky looking bundle out of his backpack, removed a leftover piece of cake and handed the crumpled paper to Mango. The party gathered around to study the parchment. Apart from some jam stains, all it contained was a large X, and a straight line running out of the X.“What’s that?” asked Shana, pointing to a vague squiggle.“It’s the map,” replied Zeek.“A bit sparse on detail, ain’t it?” observed Mango.“Well, I was a bit busy, looking for secret doors and stuff,” Zeek explained to his disbelieving comrades.“What does it mean?” asked Wilson.“That’s the entrance, and that’s the first corridor, and err, that’s a bit of chocolate eclair,” Zeek interpreted his scrawls.“Right then,” said Wilson clapping his hands together in workmanlike fashion, “In through the out-door it is. Off you go, Dankwart, find it.”Dankwart’s brow furrowed. “Are you sure this is al’right?”“Perfectly,” Wilson cooed.Dankwart wandered off to a promising pile of boulders not too far from the palisade walls. “Over here!” he called.The party ambled over and looked impressed as Dankwart stood back from a doorway in the rocks, revealing a narrow, dark, stair leading down into the bowels of the earth.Virgil fiddled with his codpiece.“Are you laying on hands again?” asked Shana.“No, girding my loins,” responded Virgil, a trifle miffed. “Light the torches, and I shall lead the way.Virgil strode down onto the stairway with the rest of the party following behind.At the rear of the party, Shana turned to Wilson and said with worried look on her face, “Didn’t take Dankthing long to find the secret entrance, did it?”“No,” said Wilson jauntily. “I told you he was good.”</blockquote>

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