An Unconventional Battle: Stoowarb and Tawkerr in the Renaissance Pacific

As he stepped out of the safe room, Stoowarb noticed a slight movement from the corner of his eye. He quickly turned and drew his weapon. The attack came before he could fully turn around. A bright light blinded him for a moment; then there was only pain. His mind immediately went to what had happened before. He thought about how he had been betrayed by his closest ally, and how that betrayal had led to his capture and torture. Now he stood in a damp, dark room with a small door in front of him. His eyes adjusted and the dim lighting made it possible to see the walls were covered in writing of all sorts. He quickly realized that it was a message from his team mate, Tawkerr:

"I didn't want it to be this way."

Stoowarb looked at the door again and realized that it wasn't just another taunt from Tawkerr. The writing continued on the threshold and Stoowarb could see that it was a set of instructions telling him how to get out of this room, but also giving him some cryptic clues as to how he might escape whatever trap had been set for him.

Stoowarb read through them quickly. First was a note instructing him to put on an "Axe". Next was information about a map which would lead him out of the area where he was being held captive. Stoowarb put on the Axe and began examining the wall for a seam or other indication where he might find some sort of mechanism that would open the door and allow him to escape this prison.

The writing appeared again further down on the wall nearer to where he entered: "Remember, you can't shoot your way out." Stoowarb laughed at this odd bit of advice, but also wondered if there were more than one exit point here in this room. If these instructions were truly from Tawkerr, then maybe there was a way for him to sneak up behind whoever had captured him. As he followed along looking for a hidden seam or something else that would indicate where he might find an exit, he found that there was no way out from his starting point toward where Tawkerr's note had indicated an exit could be found near the entrance.

He moved back toward the entrance thinking maybe what he needed was not on this side at all, but found nothing even when examining the far wall near where Tawkerr had left his note. He turned back toward what seemed like the center of this room and began looking around again when suddenly another note appeared: "I know you're wondering why I'm doing this." Stoowarb read through it then looked at the ceiling above him when another note appeared: "You may be surprised at who's helping me." This time Stoowarb's gaze went towards one end of the room where there seemed to be no writing on any wall or doorframe surface close enough to reach without having to move too far away from where he stood now near where Tawkerr's second instruction note had appeared earlier.

As he began walking toward that end of the room, Stoowarb knew that if Tawkerr really wanted him dead, then there would have been no need for all these hints about what lay ahead for him in this room. So far things were definitely not going as expected, but Tawkerr never did anything without good reason so Stoowarb figured this must somehow be part of whatever strategy Tawkerr planned for them both once they escaped together after saving their people from certain death at the hands of those who sought their extermination.