Gamebooks (Choose Your Own Adventure Style)

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

You Say Which Way:  Secrets of the Singing Cave Alternate Endings Part 6


In CHOICE #8, I don't take a chance at a cave and fall off this time. 


Some ways away, I find another cave that's easier to reach, and has some rope nearby.  To test whether or not the cave is occupied, I throw rocks into the entrance.  It is.


"You throw another.  This time you hear a grunt and a hairy man runs to the cave mouth carrying a club.  He is followed by five more.  Slavers!  You take off along the escarpment through a glade of yonobo trees, and dive into a clump of mintwort.  You dig and burrow your way deep into the thicket.


Heavy footsteps pound along the path past you.  Then stop.  'No more tracks', one of the slavers says.  You freeze.  More footsteps.  Then there's the sound of mintwort bushes being pushed aside.  Oh no, they've found you.  A rough hand grabs your arm and twists it behind your back.  A loop of leather secures your wrists.  The slaver pulls you out of the thicket with a jerk.


'Ouch!' you yell.  'Let me go!'


The slaver ignores you and drags you back towards the cave.  'If you fight, we will kill you', he says as he pushes you up the ramp into the cave.  'You can be slave, or you can be food".


I get both cannibals and slavers for the price of one!  This book feels at times like the caveman version of Deadline Delivery.  You're fighting to survive in an odd dystopian setting, and the risk of slavery or cannibalism is present in both.  This ending is the punishment for taking the seemingly safe path, but the narration did mention the possibility of slavers in the lowlands before, so it's not unfair.  This will go in the Bad Non-Death Ending column due to the epilogue text.


Results So Far


4 Good Endings

1 Deaths

2 Bad Non-Death Endings

0 Neutral Endings

0 Inconclusive Endings

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

You Say Which Way:  Secrets of the Singing Cave Alternate Endings Part 7


Now that all the post-water ceremony routes have been exhausted, let's go hunting with Manaria in CHOICE #1.


I touch the walls until I find "three V-shaped grooves" indicating my sleeping room.  I get my spear and a long knife, then head to the surface.  My out-of-character idea that a longhorn was an animal was mistaken:  it's actually an instrument meant to warn the tribe of intruders, usually slavers.


Manaria and I smell the air, hoping to find vootbeests that way.  She rushes toward the south along with the other hunters once she detects something.  Vootbeests are red, and their "vootpoo" is used by herb gatherers.  If I'm not careful, their hooves can kill me with one kick, according to Manaria.  Their horns are lethal too.  A vootbeest's only weakness is its neck because its hide is too tough for stone spears.


Manaria orders half of the hunters to set up an ambush from the trees, while the rest need to separate one vootbeest from the rest of the herd. 


My fellow apprentice Rooth and I are nervous, but are forced to make CHOICE #2:  Chase the vootbeest, or throw spears at it?


For this path, Rooth and I join the chasers.  Now it's time to pick our victim.  We want a young vootbeest, but not one that has its mother protecting it.  One that's in its prime is out of the question.


The head of the chasers picks an "oblivious" vootbeest, and makes a "Voot!  Voot!" call.  He "jabs the animal in its haunch", and it charges ahead.  We have to dodge the "tail of flailing quills".


But then the vootbeest stops before it reaches Manaria's ambush.  CHOICE #12 is to either take a chance and throw a spear at the vootbeest's neck, or run away and hope it moves into Manaria's trap.


Since the former sounds like it would result in a Death, I'll do it.


Instead of dying, I get a lucky shot and take down the vootbeest in one hit.  My dreams of bloodstone beads are dashed when Manaria has this to say:  "Fool!  You're lucky you weren't killed trying a shot like that!  But what?  You're better than everyone else just because you won a spear throwing competition last season?"


You have to admit she has a point.  Rooth points toward a black cloud, which she immediately recognizes as shredders.  She yells at me:  "Don't just sit there, get under the thorn bush!"  There must be 1000 of these monsters, and most of the chasers are eaten.  "Bones, tattered robes, and fallen weapons are all that remain of the hunting party.  The herd of vootbeests marches on untroubled, their thick hides protecting them from attack".


I suggest taking the weapons back to our cave, and Rooth wants to take some vootbeast meat.  "Manaria's string of bloodstone beads lie next to a pile of bones and a gleaming skull".  I take the string of beads, probably to give the sad news back home.


We make it to the cave and mournfully tell the tribe about what happened.  Zenan listens and tries to console me.  "It's okay.  I know it's difficult.  These shredder plagues occur when breeding conditions are just right.  This will make a hunter's life much more dangerous".


My character thinks of an idea to use thorn bush needles as weapons against the shredders, and CHOICE #13 is to either tell Zenan or Thamus about it.


I explain to Zenan that a good way to deal with shredders is to cut grooves into a spear handle and putting thorns in them.  Zenan is smart enough to know about air resistance, and concludes the needles will make the point land first.  Although throwing needles wouldn't defeat the entire swarm, it turns out shredders are cannibals and will eat the fallen.  This would distract them long enough for hunters to escape.


Zenan takes me to a special area on level 5, and I "feel for symbols carved into the walls".  This is a chamber where "potentially useful things" are located, which include some thorns.  Just when I finish making the new weapon, the longhorn sounds.  The cave is under attack!


Residents grab everything from spears to vootbeest horns and charge towards the slavers.  The enemies are "hairy men", suggesting that they're the same slavers who captured me in a CHOICE #8 ending.  These guys are the perfect chance to test the thorn thrower.  The shot has a spread effect that injures several enemies.


Zenan orders a charge while the slavers "shriek and dance about" and retreat.  Zenan then offers me CHOICE #14:  Test the thorn thrower with him on the next hunt, or visit the "chamber of interesting things" with Thamus and possibly invent more devices.


Of course I'm going to a place called the "chamber of interesting things"!  It sure beats the Cave of Despair from 22 Minutos:  Tibicenas.  When I feel a symbol of an eye carved into the cave, I know we're here.  Perhaps my character could invent Braille?


We see some strange lighting on the roof, and hear Lona's people singing (although we don't know it's them in this timeline).  My character suspects that it isn't really the ancestors singing, because it's not in our language.


These "interesting things" include quills, "oddly shaped bones frozen in rocks", dried leaves, "unusual markings and drawings on clay tablets", and old spears.  Thamus finds a skin and unrolls it, revealing a "diagram instantly recognizable as the stronghold".  This map has all the known areas, but it doesn't cover the unexplored places much.


My character thinks the singing is coming from another cave linked to ours.  (Which is true given the other timelines).  We wonder what a group of round stones is for, and Thamus thinks it's for a game.  Is it going to be a post-apocalyptic story where people have forgotten about checkers?


CHOICE #15 is to either investigate unexplored tunnels with Thamus, or tell the prime guardian about my suspicions of the song's origins.  Even though my character hasn't dealt with the water guardians' corruption in this timeline, they still think something's up with them.


Thamus "blurts it out" and says "We think the singing is coming from another cave system, not our ancestors".  He points out that the sound is easier to hear from the chamber of interesting things.  The prime guardian doesn't take it well.


"The prime guardian stiffens.  You notice the pulse in his neck.  His face reddens further.  He raises his bony finger and says to the guards.  'Seize them!'


'What?' you cry, struggling with the guard.  'What did we do?'  The guards drag you and Thamus down a tunnel towards the guardians' private chambers.  They turn into a smaller offshoot.  This leads to another chamber with small cubicles cut into its back wall.  Each cubicle has bars made from vootbeast horns.


'Cage them', the prime guardian says.  'Why?' you say.  'Don't you want to know where the singing comes from?'  The guards throw you and Thamus into a cage and then brace its door shut with more horns.  Once you're secured, the guards march back out to take up their post in the citadel once more.  'Why are you doing this?' you ask.  'We're just trying to discover the truth'.


'We have our truth', the prime guardian says.  'A truth that has lasted for thousands of years.  Why would we want a new one?"


The epilogue text goes further and says we're imprisoned for life.  If you're going to challenge the water guardians, bring some backup.  Even though you don't see most of the water guardian conspiracy in this timeline, the author has the courtesy to foreshadow that something bad might happen if you take this option.



Results So Far


4 Good Endings

1 Deaths

3 Bad Non-Death Endings

0 Neutral Endings

0 Inconclusive Endings

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

You Say Which Way:  Secrets of the Singing Cave Alternate Endings Part 8


Let's not get caged by the water guardians this time!  In CHOICE #15, I'll go to the unexplored regions of the cave with Thamus.


We know other tribes are hunting in our areas because vootbeest corpses have missing horns occasionally.  We go back to the place where Thamus injured his knee, and go down one of the side branches.  Thamus shouts "Poo" with a bunch of extra "o"s, and my character thinks it's because he stayed with the children too long during storytelling training. 


A few chambers later, and I see a "huge blob of pulsing green light" against a wall.  Slime comes out of the creature, and perhaps it's eating the rock.  However, it's harmless and doesn't even smell bad. 


"A little further along the passage, you come to a narrow crack.  On the other side of this crack is a well-lit chamber filled with singing strangers.  The strangers sing the song you've heard all your life.  After their song finishes, they turn and file out of the chamber.


If only the crack were wider, you could squeeze through and make contact.  You think about shouting, but then stop.  What would the strangers make of you?  Would they see you as a threat?  Do you want to give yourself away before you know more about this new tribe?


One girl, about your age, lingers behind the rest.  She cups a hand around her ear and listens.


'Poooooooo'.  Thamus's call is barely audible now, but by the look on the girl's face, you're pretty sure she heard it.


You turn and are about to head back the way you've come when you hear the girl chuckle.  'Poo?' she says softly, before shaking her head and walking from the chamber".


This is an alternate way of contacting the nomadic tribe, and chances are that's Lona in the final lines of this ending.  The epilogue text says Thamus and I will probably find a way to make further contact, but not much more than that.  It's still framed as a Good Ending.


Results So Far


5 Good Endings

1 Deaths

3 Bad Non-Death Endings

0 Neutral Endings

0 Inconclusive Endings

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

You Say Which Way:  Secrets of the Singing Cave Alternate Endings Part 9


Chances are the final ending for tonight will be the CHOICE #14 ending where I test the thorn thrower with Zenan.  (Wouldn't it be a stupid twist if his name comes from the tribe's ancestors playing Chrono Trigger or Chrono Cross?)


Zenan and my hunting party go north toward the grassland, but going through the escarpment first will offer some protection from shredders.  He also warns us to watch out for slavers.  We spot fat haveras digging in the riverbed to find water.  Although they're 1/20 the size of vootbeests, they're still good prey.  We take down several of them, and the only indication we get as to what they are is that haveras have "powerful forelegs".


I'm the only one who spots the shredders approaching.  The closest thorn bush is far away for some of the hunters who are out of shape.  Some shredders go towards a dead havera, while the others attack us.  I shoot thorns at the swarm and kill about 20.  The other shredders eat their fallen companions and I run for cover.  The shredders go north. 


"Zenan is first to crawl out from under the thorn bush.  He scans the area.  'Toooo-wit.  Toooo-wit.'  The others soon follow.  As you brush the dirt off your robe, Zenan approaches.


'That is the first time I've seen someone walking towards a swarm of shredders', he says.  'Well done.  That thrower of yours is quite the weapon'.  Praise coming from a hunt master of Zenan's status is rare indeed.  The spear bearers whose lives you saved pass you their water skins in turn, inviting you to drink deeply.


'Right, before we move out, let's pick some thorns and get the thrower reloaded.  Never know when those horrible things might return'.


Later that day, your group brings down two vootbeests and returns to the stronghold safely loaded with meat and horns.  At the feast that night, every hunter tells the story of your bravery.  You are awarded three bloodstone beads.  One for each life you saved. 


Then you are given a new name, an adult name.  A name that lets the entire tribe know that you are no longer an apprentice.  A name suitable for a fearless hunter".


But mentioning a specific name would reveal my character's gender!  Or would it?  Some names in this book like Thamus and Rooth are clearly distortions of Earth names, but others may be completely alien to us.


Results So Far


6 Good Endings

1 Deaths

3 Bad Non-Death Endings

0 Neutral Endings

0 Inconclusive Endings

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

You Say Which Way:  Secrets of the Singing Cave Alternate Endings Part 10


For this path, I'll talk to Thamus about the thorn thrower plans instead of Zenan in CHOICE #13.  "The fat end of the needle creates more drag through the air then the pointed end.  That'll keep the needles heading straight at the target".


It seems odd for a caveman to talk about "drag", as if the tribe builds wind tunnels on the side.  My character might know about it intuitively, but the dialogue makes it sound as if they had formal Newtonian physics schooling.


Thamus says "Hmmm. . .I wonder what hunt master Zenan would think of your design".  CHOICE #16 is to either tell Zenan about the proposal, or get some thorns from a bush myself.  The former has the same effect as talking to Zenan in CHOICE #13, so I'll hazard going outside myself.  There's no way this could leave me exposed to a shredder attack!    


I'm so excited to get some thorns that I go solo, because it's too late in the day for hunting parties to leave the cave. 


"Thorn bushes are common on the grassland, so you won't need to go far.  What could go wrong?"  Could the foreshadowing be any more obvious?


The gate guard asks me where I'm going, and I tell him I'm picking mintwort, just like in another timeline.  The thorns are easy to collect, as long as I make sure not to prick myself with them.  Supposedly they can make "your whole hand go red and swell up".


To make my lie to the gate guard true, I pick some mintwort along the way back.  But this is a mistake.


"A patch of brown and black circles behind you.  It's a mid-sized zegar.  There is another rustle behind you.  More zegar.  Yip, yip.  A signal from the pack leader.  When you hear replies from both sides, you understand the zegar have been stalking you.


Another twig snaps.  It's closer this time.  You spin around.  "Yahhhhh!  Get out of here!'


But the zegar are close now.  Bolder.  The pack leader steps out from behind a tree and stares at you.  It licks its lips.  Yellow eyes bore into you.  Yip, yip!


There are too many to fight on your own.  The alpha zegar growls and runs at you.  You turn to flee, but there are zegar all around you.  Yip, yip, yip!"


This is another failure that results from you not paying attention to the rules of this world.  It's clear that going solo into the lowlands is a bad idea, because that's where shredders, zegas, and slavers hang out.  My guess is that zegars are some kind of dog, given the pack behavior, "yip" sound, and mention of an "alpha".



Results So Far


6 Good Endings

2 Deaths

3 Bad Non-Death Endings

0 Neutral Endings

0 Inconclusive Endings

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

You Say Which Way:  Secrets of the Singing Cave Alternate Endings Part 11


What will become of Manaria and the shredders if I follow through with the vootbeest ambush like I should have in CHOICE #12?


I dive out of the way just in time, and Manaria jumps out from behind the tree and throws spears along with other hunters.  They barely miss me and hit the animal.  Manaria congratulates me by saying "Well done, apprentice.  I thought you were going to freeze there for a moment".


Are vootbeests actually inspired more by camels?  They have a "spongy water hump".  According to hunting ritual, the vootbeest's liver is shared among the hunters.  We also drink from the water hump, and she orders us to do it quickly in case zegars show up.


We have a feast in the cave.  The hunters tell their stories, and Manaria gives the trophy horns and their "sweet marrow" to the water guardians.  The guardians assign bloodstone beads to those who succeeded in the hunt.


Thamus tells us a story about a legendary Great Hunter who rode a 3-horned vootbeest in the cave while stabbing it in the neck.  Unfortunately, apprentices like me aren't allowed to speak when the hunters give their formal accounts.  I tell Thamus "I-I nearly got skewered".


"The ambushers downplay that their spears missed the target, but play up how they faced down the rampaging vootbeest and only dove out of the beast's path at the very last moment, risking life and limb".


I like this detail.  Here, we get to see how much of the tribe's stories are "embellished" in a realistic fashion.


"Manaria looks around the room to make sure everyone is watching.  'Everyone had to play their part so that we could enjoy this feast.  The chasers were brave as they split the vootbeest from the herd.  The ambushers stood firm as the mighty beast charged directly at them.  But no one has spoken of the brave apprentice who stared into the eyes of the maddened beast.  Who stood firm as the vootbeest stomped its massive hooves.  Who refused to allow our quarry to escape into a glade of trees.  Who locked eyes with the beast without fear until, in its rage, the beast charged after the apprentice, right towards our ambush'.



Manaria lifts her hand and holds her thumb and forefinger a short distance apart.  'An apprentice who came this close to having the horns of this mighty beast rip through their body so that I could get a shot up its neck'.


Thamus nudges you with his elbow.  'Is she talking about you?'  It takes a moment to realize that she is.


Manaria walks over and grabs your hand.  She leads you over to a flat rock and pulls you on top of it with her.  'My apprentice!'  The crowd cheers.  Two water guardians approach, each with a bloodstone bead resting on a piece of white leather.  One for you, and one for the hunt master.


'For skill and bravery, we the keepers of the sacred well, present you, Manaria, and you, Apprentice, these awards.  May you never thirst.'


'May you never thirst!' the crowd echoes".


Manaria and her hunters don't die because of my rash behavior this time!  And she even has compliments for me.  But the water guardians are still in charge, which will probably cause trouble further in the future.


Results So Far


7 Good Endings

2 Deaths

3 Bad Non-Death Endings

0 Neutral Endings

0 Inconclusive Endings

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

You Say Which Way:  Secrets of the Singing Cave Alternate Endings Part 12


For this timeline, I'll join the ambush instead of the chasers in the CHOICE #11 vootbeest hunt.


Rooth goes to the chasers no matter which path you pick.  Perhaps being an ambusher may be better, as my character received a bloodstone bead for winning a spear throwing contest last year.  There's a scene of anticipation while the chasers are dividing the herd.


This time, my spear doesn't kill the animal, but it at least sends the vootbeast to Manaria.  At last, it falls to the ground and the hunters stab it in the neck.  They're careful to preserve the water in the hump so they can take it back to the cave.  (Not that it's necessary, given what we the readers know about the water guardians' conspiracy. . .)


We learn a bit more about shredders here.  They have an odd symbiotic relationship with vootbeests.  Shredders can't penetrate the hide, but they do get rid of parasites on the vootbeests.


A pack of 16 zegars spots us, and we may have to throw some of our meat to them to escape.  I'm also the slowest runner in the group, but I have more endurance than Rooth, who starts to fall behind.


CHOICE #17 is to stay for a bit and throw some meat to the zegars to save Rooth, or ditch her to save myself.  Since the latter will obviously give me some kind of bad ending, I'll try it.  I can sniff out a CYOA morality test!


"You're not proud of yourself for leaving Rooth to the mercy of the zegar, but the pack is too close to risk going back to help.  Ahead of you, Manaria and her crew are pulling further away.  The weight of the vootbeest on your back is too heavy for you to keep up with them.


When you look back to see how Rooth is going, you see she is on her feet, preparing to throw her spear at the fast-approaching pack.  Her only hope is to kill the pack leader.  Unless she can shock the pack in some way, she has no chance.  Rooth takes aim and throws.


Thankfully, her spear hits its target.  The pack leader cartwheels and skids to a stop.  Rooth starts moving again, still clutching her side and limping.  But at least she's left the zegar in confusion.  For the moment, anyway.


You glance back as you jog, watching Rooth's drama over your shoulder.  You never see the havera burrow ahead of you.  Your leg sinks to mid-shin, bringing you to a sudden stop.  Momentum throws your upper body forward.


Crack!  Woomph!  As you hit the ground, red hot pain shoots up your leg from the break.  'Argggh!'  Rooth looks down at you with sad eyes.  'Sorry, you're too heavy to carry', she says as she trots past.


A large male zegar nips the hindquarters of its slightly smaller rival.  The rival yelps and cowers down on its haunches.  It didn't take long.  The pack has a new leader.  Yip, yip, yip.


You try to pull your leg from the burrow, but the pain is too great.  The new pack leader's eyes lock with yours.  Yip, yip!"



In Dragon's Realm, choosing not to help someone merely gets you a disappointed reaction from the dragon riders who make you live with your shame by sending you to Earth.  In Secrets of the Singing Cave, it kills you, complete with the hunter you betrayed abandoning you.  That's the price you pay for being greedy with meat!



Results So Far


7 Good Endings

3 Deaths

3 Bad Non-Death Endings

0 Neutral Endings

0 Inconclusive Endings

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

You Say Which Way:  Secrets of the Singing Cave Alternate Endings Part 13


I'll be a good player character and save Rooth in CHOICE #17.


Rooth drops some meat, but a few zegars still chase her.  And then I throw some of mine and drag Rooth towards the other hunters near the cave entrance.  When I confront Manaria about why she ditched us, she says "Because you are strong and I knew you would cope with the situation".  I ask what would happen if the zegar ate us, and she says "Then the tribe would have two fewer mouths to feed".


Manaria's last line is especially suspicious given other paths where it's suggested the tribe has few hunters to spare.


Rooth gives her opinion:  "She only likes her apprentices when they make her look good.  She's not half the leader hunt master Zenan is".


Manaria gives the vootbeest meat to the tribe.  Some is dried for storage, while the rest will be consumed in a feast.  "You don't feel like cheering.  Manaria doesn't care about her fellow tribespeople.  She's just after more bloodstone beads and the adulation of the crowd.  And to think you used to look up to her".


The narration shortly before CHOICE #18 implies that it won't be an easy decision.  If I accuse Manaria at the feast, I might make some dangerous enemies, but if I keep my silence, apprentices may die under the command of a narcissistic hunt master.


I enjoy eating fresh food instead of the tough dried vootbeest.  I tell Thamus about what really happened, and he suggests talking to Zenan about Manaria's behavior.  Confronting Manaria in CHOICE #18 and CHOICE #19 has the same effect, so I'll post about it here.


I pound my spear onto the floor and shout "When Rooth tripped and nearly got taken by a pack of zegar, Manaria ran off with her spear bearers.  She didn't even try to help.  Said there would be one less mouth to feed.  Manaria should be stripped of her beads for such actions!"


Demanding that a hunt master be stripped of her beads is quite the insult!  I like this part.


Then Manaria drags me to the cages.  "Time to teach you a lesson, you sniveling little apprentice!  How dare you challenge my authority!  Have you seen my beads?  Did I not kill the vootbeest?  You're not a hunter.  You're just a useless child who deserves to be caged for such disrespect!"


I try to scream for help, but Thamus says it'll only make things harder if I do.  CHOICE #20 is to either stay quiet in hopes Thamus will help me, or keep shouting for help.  Taking the 2nd option is a bad move!


"You don't care what Thamus says.  It's unfair that you've been caged when Manaria is the one who's done wrong.  'Let me out!' you scream.  'Why won't you fools listen to me?'


Manaria catches your eye and bares her teeth in a silent snarl.  You can see she is growing impatient with your constant insults.  She leans towards one of her spear bearers and whispers into his ear.  The spear bearer glances in your direction.


What are they saying?  Is she telling him to come and release you?  'Let me out!  This is unfair!' your throat is sore from yelling.  The spear bearer puts down his chunk of vootbeest, gets up, and slinks off into the crowd.


'Let me out'.  Then you see the spear bearer.  He's with one of his friends, and they are walking in your direction.  Both have knives in their hand and a murderous look on their faces".


Know who the real heroes are in this book?  The shredders.  They killed Manaria in another timeline, thus ridding Secrets of the Singing Cave of a major villain.  Granted, the nameless hunters' casualties made for grisly collateral damage.




Results So Far


7 Good Endings

4 Deaths

3 Bad Non-Death Endings

0 Neutral Endings

0 Inconclusive Endings

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

You Say Which Way:  Secrets of the Singing Cave Alternate Endings Part 14


When I choose to listen to Thamus for a change, he says "Give Manaria a chance to cool off.  If you yell abuse at her in front of the whole tribe, she's likely to do something drastic".  He sticks his tongue out and smirks to make me smile and distract me from my anger.


None of the hunters talk about Manaria abandoning Rooth.  When it's Manaria's turn to talk, we get this narration.  "In her version, the pack of zegar comes across as far less dangerous, and she tells of how she and her spear bearers were ready to rush back at a moment's notice to help Rooth if she thought it was necessary.  Your part in the hunt barely gets a mention, apart from a sarcastic comment about you panicking and giving your meat up too readily".


For a CYOA targeted to kids, Secrets of the Singing Cave has a surprising lesson about how you should have some skepticism about historical accounts and hearsay.


Thamus and Rooth have a plan to help me.  I suggest going to the prime guardian along with Rooth to tell the truth about what happened in the hunt.  There's nothing in this timeline to suggest that the prime guardian is a crook.  But Thamus says Manaria is "known to hold grudges" and "is going to make life impossible for you from now on".  Instead, he offers to put the guards to sleep with sleepwort and let me slip out in the night in search of another tribe.


Shredders won't be a threat because they're strictly diurnal, but zegars could still be a problem if I remain in the lowlands. 


So let's go to a villain and hope he doesn't cage me or something!  Or that Manaria won't shank me later.


The guards laugh at us and threaten to cage us unless we go back to sleep.  Rooth prevents me from causing more trouble:  "Shut up before you get us locked up.  We'll see the prime guardian in the morning".


I shout "But it isn't fair!  I demand justice!" like a comic book character while having my "hands defiantly on your waist".  Then Manaria approaches.


"You're evil', you yell at the hunt master.  Manaria throws her head back and snorts.  'I didn't become a hunt master by playing nice.'  She grabs your arm and drags you towards the pit.  'I'll teach you to abuse me in the great chamber!'


'Run, Rooth!'  But it's too late.  Two of Manaria's spear bearers have entered the tunnel.  Rooth is trapped.  'Right', says Manaria, 'to the stink holes with these apprentices.  Throw them in.'


Oh no, not the stink holes!  Gross!  As Manaria and her spear bearers drag you and Rooth towards a very nasty end, you fight, scratch, and yell at the top of your voices.  The nearest stink hole is only a few steps away.


'What do you think you're doing, Manaria?' shouts Zenan.  'Take your hands off those apprentices!'  Then you see Thamus.  He must have followed you to the citadel and heard the commotion when Manaria arrived, and gone to fetch Zenan from the level above.


'By the waters', Rooth says.  'I thought we were in the poo for sure'.  But Manaria isn't one to back down.  She pulls her knife out of its sheath and steps towards Zenan.  Zenan smiles and pulls a knife of his own.


'If that's the way you want it, Manaria, I'm happy to have your bloodstone'.


The epilogue text for this ending elaborates on it:


"In case you haven't guessed, Zenan won the fight with Manaria.  She lives, but is too injured to hunt again.  Instead, she spends most of her time in an alcove on level four begging for food and water.  Despite what she put you through, you often pass her a piece of vootbeest after a successful hunt".


So no interaction with the corrupt prime guardian, but we do get an ambush from Manaria like Thamus predicted.  It's clear this tribe isn't American because they don't bother with any euphemisms like "restroom" or "bathroom", but simply call them "stink holes".  Is it common for members of my tribe to fall to their deaths while trying to relieve themselves?



Results So Far


8 Good Endings

4 Deaths

3 Bad Non-Death Endings

0 Neutral Endings

0 Inconclusive Endings

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

You Say Which Way:  Secrets of the Singing Cave Alternate Endings Part 15


Our last ending for tonight will involve me slipping out of the cave at night and looking for a new tribe.  Will it be Lona's?


Rooth gives me dried vootbeest, while Thamus concludes I'm right when I say Manaria wants to kill me tonight.


I take a familiar path and hope I can find a havera burrow to hide in for a moment.  But then I hear the yipping sounds of zegars!


They don't notice me at first, but when a rock falls down, it draws their attention.  Climbing the cliff is my only chance.  I barely make it.


"The pack is far below now.  With a final yip, the pack leader admits defeat, turns and heads back down in search of havera.  You watch the sunrise before climbing again.  Seeing where you're going makes a big difference.  At the top of the escarpment, you survey your world and wonder if you are the first to climb to such heights.


In the distance, a massive herd of vootbeests kicks up a cloud of dust.  Further down the riverbed, the pack of zegar lie in the shade of a thorn bush, munching on havera.  Zeeboks and other pastoral animals graze on vootgrass as the plod endlessly north.


But what now for you?  There are so many choices.  Maybe you should explore the lands beyond the escarpment.  There looks to be rich grazing there.  Far to the north, a mountain range glistens in the morning sun.  Towering peaks of napstone, shiny, black, and formidable, make you wonder what tribes might live on those heights.


To the south, near the horizon, a moon hangs over a body of water that looks too large to be real.  It is time to make a decision.  Which way do you go?  There are so many places to visit.  So many choices to make.  May you never thirst".


Was one CHOICE cut out at some point?  Despite the "Congratulations" at the end, this is definitely an Inconclusive Ending, if an optimistic one.


Results So Far


8 Good Endings

4 Deaths

3 Bad Non-Death Endings

0 Neutral Endings

1 Inconclusive Endings


EDIT:  Only a couple of endings left!  I should finish Secrets of the Singing Cave tomorrow night if all goes well.