Choose Your Own Adventure [Part 4]

Hello, peeps! Time for the 4th part of the Frith CYOA! I hope you're enjoying!

[Part 4]

“Well, this is awkward,” you say. “I’m also here to take the Trial of Worth.”

Nini holds her dead bird close as she pokes the tips of her fingers together. A chill ocean wind howls over the rocks, and the crash of waves echoes over the cove.

“I figured no one else would come looking for the leviathans,” Nini mutters, her gaze on the water, her words slow. “I, uh, didn’t want to compete with anyone. I tend to get… nervous.”

Silence follows her statement.

If there’s only one leviathan, then you two will have to directly compete for its approval. However, even if you weren’t here, Nini could still fail the Trial of Worth. If she did, the leviathan wouldn’t bond with her—it would simply leave, unbonded, searching for someone worthy of its might and magic.

Without another word, Nini tosses the bird corpse. It splashes into the water and then half-floats on the small waves until it hits the rocky shoreline. The cove is deep enough that you suspect leviathans could be lurking nearby, in the dark depths.

The two of you wait.

The bird corpse with the albatross feathers eventually sinks beneath the surface. Bubbles float up in its place.

“Do you think this will work?” Nini whispers. “I must admit, I thought this was a brilliant plan when I thought it up, but now that I’m here…” She tugs at the ends of her hair and frowns. “Do you ever doubt yourself? Sometimes I feel like I’m the only one who does such foolish things…”

Before you can decide on a reply, ripples appear on the surface of the water! Then, from the darkness between the waves, a creature emerges. The serpentine beast lifts its snake-like head out of the water, a crest of fins on its head and spine. The blue and indigo scales shimmer in the hot summer sun.

It’s a hatchling leviathan! You suspect it’s only fifteen feet long—short for a baby leviathan—but still quite impressive for a young creature.

The leviathan turns its golden eyes onto you and Nini. Its slit pupils constrict until they’re sharp lines.

An albatross feather is poking out of its mouth.

“Uh, h-hello,” Nini says as she fumbles with her Ocean Mystical Creatures book. She flips to the page on leviathans. “I’m here to prove myself.” She finally finds the section and quickly reads a line. “I, uh, want to become a leviathan arcanist. Please.”

Nini ends her “speech” by bowing to the creature.

The leviathan slurps up the feather. Then it gives you its full attention.

“Uh, this is the librarian’s apprentice,” she says, gesturing to you. “We’re both here to take your Trial of Worth.”

The leviathan smiles—snake-like, and almost mischievous. “Oh, is that so? Two whole individuals?” The creature has an amused masculine tone. “Lucky me.” It serpentines closer to you and then slides up the rocks until it's on land. Then the creature’s gills flare, and its scales glitter with ocean water.

“Uh,” Nini murmurs as she holds up her book like a shield.

The leviathan is much bigger than the two of you. It’s not huge, but definitely larger than a horse. It stares down at you both, water dripping from its nose.

“Well, then I guess I should test you,” the leviathan says, tilting its head. “Hm. But… how?”

Nini’s brow furrows as she re-reads the page on leviathans. “Uh, it says here that leviathans have a trial of worth that involves leadership.” She turns the book around and shows the beast. She even taps the page. “See? Right here?”

The leviathan actually leans down to read the section of the book. Then it snorts—with enough force to blow the pages around. “Hm. That seems long. And complicated. Why not make it a little more exciting?”

“W-What do you mean?” Nini can’t seem to stop herself from frowning.

“Perhaps… The two of you should get in the water. All the way in the water—until your feet touch the bottom of the cove. Whoever comes up for air first loses.”

That's rather dangerous. You’ve swam around the island all your life, but you have the physique of a librarian. Nini is even worse—like a librarian who hates the sun and hasn’t left the shelter of a building in three years.

Nini turns to you, one eyebrow lifted.

What do you do?

A) “I guess we have no choice…” Jump in the water.

B) “Something isn’t right here…” Refuse to jump into the water.

C) “What? That’s it? We’ll be bonded before noon.” Jump in the water.

D) “I’m not swimming in the cove. It’s too dangerous.” Refuse to jump in the water.

E) “Ready to lose?” Push Nini in, and then jump in after her.

F) “You wanted to bond, right?” Push Nini in, and then watch from the shore.

G) Shrug and wait for Nini to decide.