Keep playing your pipe
From Create Your Own Story
You keep the melody flowing and continue to dance with the bandit. Her sweat-drenched clothes starkly outline her curves, as do yours.
In time, your fingers begin to ache and your lungs grow hoarse. You don't even realise how tired you've become until you lower the pipe from your lips.
The male bandit hits the ground first, out like a light. Followed by the woman, who gives you delirious grin before fainting away. The dancing catches up with you then, and you collapse like a felled oak.
When you come to, the two bandits are gone. You find that your pack has been propped comfortably under your head, and only most of your food has been pilfered.
You pick yourself back up on your feet and continue your journey. About half an hour later you reach the start of the climb into the Hills proper, and continue upwards until you reach a fork in the road.
The road splits around the base of a gigantic tree, but does not rejoin on the other side. The left path winds down into a valley. There is a river there, and the path follows the left bank. It is a safer route, secluded and protected, but the curve of the landscape would mean you were almost backtracking. The right path rises up a slope towards the first thick forest of the Hills. It's hard to see much further, the forest is so sudden and thick. It may be hard going in that direction, but the Hills will involve a lot of climbing eventually and you may get a decent view of the next leg form the top of the ridge.
You are about to make your choice when you hear a faint cry from somewhere close at hand.
Do you:
