Sandra's Response

The werebear scowled. "Do not forget, woman, that I also have your sword. If you refuse, I will not give it back to you. These mountains are a place of dark magic. There are minions of the Dragon here, and worse things, as I am sure you know well by now."

"And?" said Sandra defiantly.

"If I send you off without your sword, you will die!" said the werebear, enraged.

"And if I face the Dragon of the Southern Caves, even with my sword, there's a good chance I'll also die," said Sandra, gloating. "Dragons are formidible foes, and this one is said to be a very powerful mage. Probably more powerful than you, considering that you seem to be afraid to face him yourself." The werebear seemed positively infuriated by now. "I am still an inexperienced warrior, and even you were able to put me in a compromising position quite easily. I will not throw away my life for a mere one hundred gold pieces."

"Five hundred," said the werebear, grudgingly. "And not a cent more." Sandra looked dubious. "Six hundred," the werebear finally said. "Do you accept?"

"Welllllll, yes," answered Sandra.

"Very well then." The werebear waved his hands, and some mist in the air congealed into a crude sword in Sandra's hands. "If you seek to abandon your quest, this sword will dissolve. I will return your true sword to you, along with five hundred--"

"Six hundred," interrputed Sandra.

"I apologize. I had forgotten. Six hundred gold pieces. As I said, if you abandon the quest, this sword will dissolve. I would recommend against using any weapons you may find lying around in the Southern Caves--or anything else, for that matter."

The snow began to fall more heavily around them, its whiteness drowning out the werebear and everything else. The wind grew so strong that it almost blew Sandra off her feet, but she held fast. As the wind and snow subsided, Sandra found that she now stood in front of the Southern Caves. It was less cold here, perhaps because of the dragon's magic. A vast mountain towered over her, and ahead of her two cave mouths tunnelled off into the darkness, one to her left and the other to her right. Sandra felt an odd feeling of deja vu as she gazed down the tunnels. Naturally, nothing the werebear had said had given her any indication which was the way to the dragon. Or perhaps all roads in these caves ultimately led to the dragon?

1. Sandra chose the left cave mouth.
2. Sandra chose the right cave mouth.
3. Sandra found that her sword was pointing to the left, like a divining rod.

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