📜 CHAPTER 2

Choosing the Weapon: The Sacred Platforms

The mist twisted like living fingers around Alaric’s boots as he stood at the crossroads.
Behind him, something monstrous moved, heavy breaths rattling the fog.

He had no time to hesitate.

Before him, the ancient stones pulsed faintly, each marking a different path — and a different power.
The same magic that once fed SlotLand now lay scattered across the land, waiting for a champion bold enough to claim it.

But Alaric knew the truth whispered by every elder scroll:

"The platform you choose... will shape the warrior you become."

The First Stone: ⚡ Ultra Panda

The stone glowed fiercely, thrumming with wild energy.
Beyond it, the road flashed with bursts of light and flickering shadows — a path for those who moved faster than fear.

"Speed. Agility. Strike before your enemy breathes. With Ultra Panda, the quickest hand wins the crown."

Alaric clenched his jaw. Speed could carry him far... but not always to victory.

The Second Stone: 🛡️ Golden Treasure

Solid. Enduring.
The stone shimmered like a buried fortune, whispering of careful steps and long games won by patience.

Beyond the gate, the road was steep, littered with traps—but lined with glimmering vaults that called to the wise and the steady.

"Strategy. Persistence. Only those who endure the trials may uncover the richest treasures."

Alaric considered it. Strength wasn’t always about the sword; sometimes it was the will to outlast.

The Third Stone: ✨ Vblink

The stone flickered like starlight, its surface rippling with hidden sigils and mysteries.
The road beyond shimmered between worlds — part solid, part dream.

"Luck. Magic. Mystery. For those who trust the unseen and leap into the unknown, fortunes beyond imagining await."

A rogue’s path. Dangerous... but perhaps the wildest rewards.

The Fourth Stone: 🌙 Golden Dragon

The oldest stone.
Worn smooth by countless centuries, it pulsed slow and deep, like the heartbeat of a sleeping giant.
The road beyond looked peaceful—almost deceptively so—lined with ancient statues and slumbering beasts.

"Patience. Wisdom. Power that awakens over time. Golden Dragon favors those who walk slowly but strike true."

A path of dreams... or nightmares.

The Choice.

The ground behind him shook.
A low growl rumbled through the mist, growing louder, closer.

Alaric could see it now — two burning red eyes cutting through the fog.
Not Sythrak — not yet — but one of his cursed beasts: a Shadowfang, sent to destroy those foolish enough to resist.

Its claws scraped the stone. Its teeth gleamed. Its growl became a roar.

He had seconds.

🔥 Ultra Panda promised speed to outrun it.
🛡️ Golden Treasure offered traps to ensnare it.
✨ Vblink whispered of magical portals to vanish through.
🌙 Golden Dragon hinted at a slow, building power that might strike the beast down... if he survived long enough.

Alaric’s hand hovered over his sword hilt.

Every path led to danger.
Every platform offered a different kind of salvation—or death.

He closed his eyes for half a breath and listened.

And then—

He ran.

He sprinted toward—

(The platform you choose next will decide his fate...)

💨 Will it be the blazing speed of Ultra Panda?
🛡️ The cunning traps of Golden Treasure?
✨ The enchanted tricks of Vblink?
🌙 The patient strength of Golden Dragon?

🛡️ TO BE CONTINUED IN CHAPTER 3:
"The First Clash: Alaric vs. Sythrak’s Guardians"

"Alaric faces his first true battle — but even if he survives, the dragon’s traps have only just begun to close around him..."