Library: Book With No Name, a Puzzle.

Preface: This book is a riddle, pay attention to details, they will be important later. Once again, my master was angry. It's not difficult to tell when he is, even for someone who only knows him in passing, and for me, who has known him for quite some time, it's a simple matter. He'll roll in like a thundercloud, not at all himself, and sink into a state of anger so deep it's as if there is nothing left to him other than his fury. After a time, however, he will rise, like a phoenix from the ashes, to be himself again. It never lasts long. "Where to on this night, driver?" he asks with such forced civility, it is difficult not to smirk. "The usual haunts, I believe, sir. You seem out of sorts." "Yes... The usual haunts... That will be fine. Stop by the graveyard first, I have respects I must pay first." He sunk back into the carriage, almost disappearing into the shadows in the rear, a sure sign that I was correct, it had indeed been a bad day. We traveled for some time before I spoke again. I have learned that when in a foul mood, it is often best to allow him to be alone with his thoughts. Since we traveled to the graveyard, I thought it best to warn him of the days' events. I cleared my throat, one of our signs. "Yes? What is it?" came from the shadows of the carriage. "Sir, I have heard of a celestial event, it seems that a group of asteroids or meteors have struck the land nearby, and it is causing a rise of undead." We rolled on for some time. "Yes, thank you, that might be important at the yard." From behind me, I heard a slight shifting, as he settled back, or perhaps turned to watch something pass by. We arrived at the graveyard presently. I stopped, and he stepped out, wordlessly, knowing that I would await his return. I waited, and used the time to contemplate what exactly had caused this state of near depression in my lord. Perhaps the meeting with the warlords had not gone well. Perhaps the result of his last joust were unanticipated. Unpleasant surprises, that was what my master liked least in life. After roughly ten minutes, I heard the clash of steel on steel coming through the gates. "Combat!" I thought, and considered my options. In the end, my decision was made for me, for out he came, barely sweating, with 3 corpses of zombies. Only zombies, a simple matter, he would have chuckled if I had gone to help him. Perhaps that would have been good after all, even if the humor was at my expense. He dropped the corpses, not even bothering to bury them and climbed aboard. The carriage barely shifted, even as he brought his weight aboard. Strongly built, walls of mithril reinforced oak, with only windows through which to communicate with me and see the landscape, it was quite defensible. We resumed our travels. "Your decision," was all he said, as we began moving. The ant hill, I decided. A visit to the giant centipede was in order, a task we performed frequently, a wise choice. Perhaps afterward, we'd go to the crystal castle. I informed him of the plan, and he agreed, as he always does. The ride was to be a long one, so I decided to try to engage him in conversation. "Did you find a new pair of leggings, sir? I know that you have been looking for some time now." A slight shift in the back seat indicated that I had perhaps disturbed a nap. A pause. "You want to know what's wrong, don't you?" I started to demur, but he stopped me by chuckling and continuing. "The pretender, he was taking advantage of my status again. So I assassinated him." That explained much. The pretender had been a thorn in my master's side for some time, having assumed a name so similar to his own, and even followed his footsteps to the Crimson Brigade, he sometimes abused his external similarities for self gain. As always, when he was forced to use force, my master felt pangs of guilt afterward. "The strange thing is, I do not feel remorse." I raised an eyebrow at this. "I fear that I am becoming too numbed to this sort of thing, and it worries me somewhat. However, it is important that each of us has his or her own space. Invaders onto our lands, we can slay them, and feel justified, it is even moreso the case then they are attempting to use your very identity. I, often the defender of assassination targets, a vanguard in the fight against such things, have sunk so low as to not even feel when I am the offender. But, when the issue is your own _space_--" "Blast!" I exclaimed, not meaning to interrupt, but I had stopped paying attention to the road and had nearly run over a downed tree. I yanked the reins, and stopped the steeds short of its girth. "My apologies, I did not see the tree until we were almost upon it, sir." He opened the door and stepped out, and pushed the tree to the side of the road. Cyclops strength was unimaginable and somewhat frightening to a gnoll such as myself, but ever since he had rescued me from the ghouls in my youth, I had always felt comfortable around him. He climbed back aboard and closed the door. I resumed our travels. Nothing like a small adventure to lift our spirits. Little did I know what adventure was about to occur, more than we required. My master drew in a breath, as if to speak, when *KABOOM!* an enormous explosion rocked the rear of the cabin! I could barely hold the reins even with their magical strength enhancers as the mounts stormed off, with the force of a stampede! "Hang on!" I shouted over the roar of hooves and wheels on gravel. We careened around a hard right and over the top of a hill only to be greeted by a party which had set up camp right in the middle of the road! I veered hard to the left. "Trying to dodge 'em, sir!" I shouted, as the carriage groaned under the strain! We went off the road down a lucky break in the forest, fortunately wide enough to take the carriage as it hurtled down a slight hill. I kept pulling the reins, and the mounts seemed to be responding when **BOOM** another blast, this one even closer, rocked the structure! The mounts snorted in terror, and bolted off anew! The trees began to loom closer, the track was getting thinner! I cursed under my breath, hoping the forest would thin, a collision with a tree would not please my master and perhaps even kill us. The hill began to get steeper, the mounts showed no sign of stopping. "JUMP! my master shouted from behind me, "JUMP, the carriage is lost!" I heard him open the door, but a passing tree SLAMMED it shut. I jumped at the nearest break in the ever closer trees, hoping that I would not crack my skull on a trunk. Falling.. falling... falling... and then I was rolling, crashing into thick undergrowth, feeling something rip into my shoulder but not really feeling it because it was too fast, light, dark, light, dark as I rolled over and over for what seemed like forever, but must have only been a moment. Then all was dark. I woke after a time, how long, I had no idea, it was still light out. I started to move, but a pain in my shoulder stopped me. I heard a voice, and turned my head toward it. I could not see anything, the undergrowth was too full. "...perhaps you should not have been so hasty..." I heard over the pounding in my head. The voice... I felt a fear in my stomach. It was the pretender, he was here! I crept closer, as quietly as I could manage with the various pains that were racking my body. "Hah, you didn't think I could get back at you, did you?" I heard him say, and another, strange noise. Schick, thump. Shick, thump. "Well, I did, you should be more careful who you kill!" He cackled, like a man who has lost all reason. I heard my master's voice, but it sounded too far away, I decided to get closer, and crept to the end of the undergrowth. I got my first look at him. He was standing with a shovel in hand, in a pit up to his waist. A long, deep pit. I saw the tracks of the carriage, and realized with a disgusted shock that this was an enormous pitfall! He was burying my master in the carriage! I gasped in horror! The pretender glared toward me, but couldn't see me from his vantage point. He took a step in my direction, then stopped, to listen. Hearing nothing, he turned around and resumed his task. I let out a breath of relief. The pretender stopped again and strode directly over to me! A trick, he knew I was here and was paying more attention than I had thought! He spotted me quickly, I was barely able to move, let alone flee. "So, there you are. I had begun to wonder where you were hiding, little one. I cannot have you interfering, you know. Good luck," he said without sarcasm or maliciousness. He began to concentrate on a spell. "Havia kauhistus pois!" And I was gone. It is now two days later, and I still search for my master, hoping that somehow he is still alive in his living grave. I am not sure where our wild flight led us, but I am hopeful that I can find it. As for the pretender, he can be sure that he has not heard the last of my master. If I cannot save him, then I shall avenge him myself, this is certain. Until I am sure, though. I shall continue my search, and if he truly is dead, I will bury him in the graveyard, as he always said he would want. Either way, the pretender... he will beg for death. *** This book, believe it or not, is a riddle. I rather like the story, and for the astute reader of Stephen King, you will recognize strong parallels with a story in "Nightmares and Dreamscapes", called _Dolan's Caddliac_. Apologies and thanks to Mr. King, the concept is really quite excellent. Your task, as an eager riddle solver, is to tell me the title of this book. Simple. Do it first, within 2 weeks of the original publishing of this book, and receive 100,000 gold coins as a reward. Good luck. The puzzlemaster. (As with the Grand Mystery, it is instant disqualification to ask me questions about the book. I do, however, enjoy hearing your ideas, so please let me know what you are thinking. Use bat email to send me your progress reports. Thank you for playing, I hope you enjoy it ;) EET time is Thu Sep 28 08:11:18 1995

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Library: Book With No Name, a Puzzle.