Where the Forest Ends (CYOA altered)
Neil thought for a minute, then answered her.
“I don't know. All I know is following that dirty monster through a portal and I landed on your ship”. Neil shook as he spoke, not wanting to be hurt. The woman backed up, still locking her gaze with his eyes. He started to feel uncomfortable, and turned to look at an axe lying on the ground. The woman growled, and picked up the axe, fiddling with the handle.
“How come you look exactly like him?” The woman asked, glancing down at the shiny blade, “And how come you act exactly like him?” Neil did not have an answer to that, but he couldn’t just stay silent. The girl looked like she would literally kill anyone for an answer to her questions!
“I honestly don’t know, I just followed the enderman here to defeat him, and I appeared here.” Neil answered, nervous. The woman looked down on him, then walked out of the room, leaving only the yellow haired man. His hair wasn't quite the shade of blonde, but more yellow. Click. Another memory, falling into place, still without the identification.
“The name is Ashton. That was Shelby, and sorry about her being so mean. He was just…” The man thought for a moment, then continued. “Close. They were close, I can tell you that much. The captain was Neil, you probably know him, ‘cause you look just like him-”
“I think I am him,” Neil interrupted, clearly confusing the man. “I never knew about him before, but I think that he is me.” Then the memory clicked. He recognised the names… They were his user friends! Ashtons256, and Spearmint123. The girl was Spearmint, and Ashton was, well… Ashton. But he knew them!
“Wait,” Neil said, as the man was about to go. “ You… You have a twin, too. In my world. Just like Neil is my twin.” Ash looked at him with a weird look, then sat back down.
“Tell me more.” He asked with a curious tone, and Neil explained what had happened up to this point. The battle, the mysterious portal, the fight for minecraft… as he was telling the story, he also realized that not only was this fight raging in minecraft, but everywhere else, too.
Ash listened intently, then, after he was finished, said, “I need to bring you to Shell, so you can tell her this. However, I need to make it look like you are a prisoner, so give me your arms...” Ash let Neil out of the cell, and tied a rope around his arms. He then unloaded the ammo from his pistol, and pointed it at Neil’s back, and Ash led him to her house from there. It was a long trek, however, from the dungeon to the homes, and Neil’s swollen ankle was stopping them more than they should have. Finally, after almost fifteen minutes, they made it to Shelby’s house. Ash knocked on the door three times in a row, and after a short pause, once more. They then heard a lock unlock, and the door opened with Shelby standing there. She was startled at first, then turned to Ash, clearly angry. Before she could say anything, Ash spoke.
“I know, you're angry. But Neil has an interesting story to tell.” So Shelby, unhappily, sat across from them on a wooden chair, across from the bed where the other Neil lay, unconscious. While telling the story, Neil kept glancing at himself, wondering what he had done that made Shelby so angry. After he finished, he saw that Shelby wanted to talk.
“How come you lead him here.” She said. Neil, clearly confused, was about to ask why, but she stopped him.
“Wait, he lead you here, didn’t he?” She answered to her own question. Neil nodded at this, letting her continue. “He had come, a few weeks before you. He manned a pirate vessel, that he calls the dragon. It has a powerful steam engine, and he led raids against Whitecrest. He had lead one raid the second week he was here, and he kidnapped that Neil,” She gestured toward the Neil that lay unconscious on the bed, frowning. “The monster then threatened us every time we came after him with his life. I couldn’t risk his life, so I just kept delivering cargo, and whenever he would come, he would steal our cargo. The sad thing is-” She struggled to hold back her tears, she was overwhelmed with anger and sadness. Ash put his arm around hers, and she struggled to muster up a smile, but then she looked at Neil unconscious on the bed, and started sobbing. Neil felt the same way, as he had seen the tortured version of himself, still in shock as Erebus had chucked him into the water. After a few minutes, Shelby started speaking again, puffy red eyed and angry.
“We couldn’t do anything about him stealing our cargo. HE threatened to kill Neil, and I couldn’t let him do that to him, so I-” She struggled to speak, her voice was filled with emotion.
“I just stood there while he took our stuff, and I knew that Neil would have wanted us to fight, even if he would have been killed, but I just- I couldn’t let that diseased monster kill him!” She sobbed even more now, her emotions pouring out. Ash could not comfort her any longer, and he motioned to let her have alone time. Just as Neil was about to walk out the door, Shelby spoke.
“Wait, Neil.” She sobbed, uncontrolling of her emotions. He stepped back into the room, a questioning look on his face.
“It's not your fault that the monster came here, it's not. I just wanted you to know that. And before you leave, I just need to do this, just in case that Neil-” She gestured to the unconscious form of himself on the bed- “can feel this.” Neil nodded, unsure of what she would do. As she walked closer, Neil felt something for her, but it was not sad, or anger- something he couldn't quite remember.
“I don't know. All I know is following that dirty monster through a portal and I landed on your ship”. Neil shook as he spoke, not wanting to be hurt. The woman backed up, still locking her gaze with his eyes. He started to feel uncomfortable, and turned to look at an axe lying on the ground. The woman growled, and picked up the axe, fiddling with the handle.
“How come you look exactly like him?” The woman asked, glancing down at the shiny blade, “And how come you act exactly like him?” Neil did not have an answer to that, but he couldn’t just stay silent. The girl looked like she would literally kill anyone for an answer to her questions!
“I honestly don’t know, I just followed the enderman here to defeat him, and I appeared here.” Neil answered, nervous. The woman looked down on him, then walked out of the room, leaving only the yellow haired man. His hair wasn't quite the shade of blonde, but more yellow. Click. Another memory, falling into place, still without the identification.
“The name is Ashton. That was Shelby, and sorry about her being so mean. He was just…” The man thought for a moment, then continued. “Close. They were close, I can tell you that much. The captain was Neil, you probably know him, ‘cause you look just like him-”
“I think I am him,” Neil interrupted, clearly confusing the man. “I never knew about him before, but I think that he is me.” Then the memory clicked. He recognised the names… They were his user friends! Ashtons256, and Spearmint123. The girl was Spearmint, and Ashton was, well… Ashton. But he knew them!
“Wait,” Neil said, as the man was about to go. “ You… You have a twin, too. In my world. Just like Neil is my twin.” Ash looked at him with a weird look, then sat back down.
“Tell me more.” He asked with a curious tone, and Neil explained what had happened up to this point. The battle, the mysterious portal, the fight for minecraft… as he was telling the story, he also realized that not only was this fight raging in minecraft, but everywhere else, too.
Ash listened intently, then, after he was finished, said, “I need to bring you to Shell, so you can tell her this. However, I need to make it look like you are a prisoner, so give me your arms...” Ash let Neil out of the cell, and tied a rope around his arms. He then unloaded the ammo from his pistol, and pointed it at Neil’s back, and Ash led him to her house from there. It was a long trek, however, from the dungeon to the homes, and Neil’s swollen ankle was stopping them more than they should have. Finally, after almost fifteen minutes, they made it to Shelby’s house. Ash knocked on the door three times in a row, and after a short pause, once more. They then heard a lock unlock, and the door opened with Shelby standing there. She was startled at first, then turned to Ash, clearly angry. Before she could say anything, Ash spoke.
“I know, you're angry. But Neil has an interesting story to tell.” So Shelby, unhappily, sat across from them on a wooden chair, across from the bed where the other Neil lay, unconscious. While telling the story, Neil kept glancing at himself, wondering what he had done that made Shelby so angry. After he finished, he saw that Shelby wanted to talk.
“How come you lead him here.” She said. Neil, clearly confused, was about to ask why, but she stopped him.
“Wait, he lead you here, didn’t he?” She answered to her own question. Neil nodded at this, letting her continue. “He had come, a few weeks before you. He manned a pirate vessel, that he calls the dragon. It has a powerful steam engine, and he led raids against Whitecrest. He had lead one raid the second week he was here, and he kidnapped that Neil,” She gestured toward the Neil that lay unconscious on the bed, frowning. “The monster then threatened us every time we came after him with his life. I couldn’t risk his life, so I just kept delivering cargo, and whenever he would come, he would steal our cargo. The sad thing is-” She struggled to hold back her tears, she was overwhelmed with anger and sadness. Ash put his arm around hers, and she struggled to muster up a smile, but then she looked at Neil unconscious on the bed, and started sobbing. Neil felt the same way, as he had seen the tortured version of himself, still in shock as Erebus had chucked him into the water. After a few minutes, Shelby started speaking again, puffy red eyed and angry.
“We couldn’t do anything about him stealing our cargo. HE threatened to kill Neil, and I couldn’t let him do that to him, so I-” She struggled to speak, her voice was filled with emotion.
“I just stood there while he took our stuff, and I knew that Neil would have wanted us to fight, even if he would have been killed, but I just- I couldn’t let that diseased monster kill him!” She sobbed even more now, her emotions pouring out. Ash could not comfort her any longer, and he motioned to let her have alone time. Just as Neil was about to walk out the door, Shelby spoke.
“Wait, Neil.” She sobbed, uncontrolling of her emotions. He stepped back into the room, a questioning look on his face.
“It's not your fault that the monster came here, it's not. I just wanted you to know that. And before you leave, I just need to do this, just in case that Neil-” She gestured to the unconscious form of himself on the bed- “can feel this.” Neil nodded, unsure of what she would do. As she walked closer, Neil felt something for her, but it was not sad, or anger- something he couldn't quite remember.