Note from the author:
This is a type of interactive story, and there are choices to made if you want to find a happy ending. I paid attention to the feedback some of you gave me on my previous interactive story, so I hope this one is easier to navigate for those of you reading on mobile devices! Thanks again for the reviews!
Disclaimer: I do not own the Mighty Ducks!
Chapter 1
"Not again," Mira groaned as she looked around at the oddly-colored sky with its purple and light blue hues. Instead of clouds, she saw cracks that ran like veins in the atmosphere, and once and awhile, she could see glowing balls of light like a violet moon or a blue sun shining through the cracks.
How many other people stumble into such weird places? She wondered. And where are the ducks? I was with them just a few seconds ago.
"Borg, did you do this?" she called out, wondering if the little elf-prince was dragging her into another quest.
Her voice fell flat in the air as if walls were preventing her from projecting her words any farther. Mira turned around again and searched for any sign of the ducks.
"Wildwing? Nosedive? Where are you?"
Silence answered her in what seemed like an empty landscape, but then, very close to her, a voice said,
"Lost, are you?"
Mira spun around, but she didn't see anyone.
"Who's there? I'm not in the mood for games."
A shadow materialized to her left, and Mira backed away as a tall figure became clearer. Dark eyes with a gleam of silvery blue were the first feature she noticed. Then a pale face with proud and noble features appeared as long black hair swept down around it and came to rest over the stranger's shoulders. He wore a deep purple cloak over black and silver clothes. And in the light of the pallid sun, his skin almost seemed to have a tinge of blue coloring.
"But I love games," he said with a smile, and then he bowed briefly. "I am Malberic."
She glanced at the points of his ears.
"I'm Mira. Are you Vulcan… like from Star Trek?"
"I am a Dark Elf. And this is my realm, Volundr."
"You don't happen to know Borg, do you? I think he's an elf too."
"That princeling holds no power here," Malberic said as he raised one hand and projected the image of the little elf. "But I suppose you would not have heard of me. It has been many ages since a human last set foot in my realm."
"I'm looking for my friends… they're ducks."
Malberic smiled again.
"They're mine. I bought them from the Saurian lord living on your planet. But he never mentioned you."
"What do you mean you bought them? Is this like a hockey franchise thing?"
"The ducks are my prisoners for now…and the rest of their lives. Is that clear enough?"
Mira was about to protest, but he interrupted her as he began to walk around her.
"I'm certain they will serve as amusements, but now that you're here, I wish I had a human to play with. The last one made for such entertainment. Still, I always keep to the arrangements of the bargains I make, and you were not part of the deal."
He waved his hand and opened a gateway in the air. Mira thought she could see a city that looked like Anaheim in the portal.
"You are free to return to your world."
"I can't leave without the ducks," Mira insisted.
"You can't leave with them. They belong to me, or have you already forgotten?"
"You cannot own the ducks, and that Saurian monster had no right to claim he could sell them."
"All deals made are binding," Malberic said as his right hand closed into a tight fist and the portal vanished. "But if you wanted to strike a new deal, you have my attention."
Mira glanced around at the strange land around her. Perhaps this was the only way to find the ducks.
"How much did you pay Dragaunus for the ducks?" she asked hesitantly.
Malberic laughed.
"I'd forgotten humans only think in terms of currency. No amount of gold or silver could purchase your friends from my dominion."
He waved his left hand and coins began to pour out over the ground.
"Fine by me," Mira said, refusing to be daunted by his reply. "My bank account is stretched a little thin at present any way. So what is it that you want?"
"In exchange for the ducks, I granted Dragaunus a powerful item to assist him with his endeavors. If I am to risk losing the creatures he sent to me, then I seek something valuable to make all of this worth my time."
Mira hesitated as her mind considered the few things she owned in her small apartment in Anaheim.
"I don't think I have any mystical items that you would want, but I would give up everything I have if it meant freeing the ducks."
Malberic smiled.
"Rarely have I been offered everything."
He considered her in silence as he walked around her again.
"Here is the bargain I will offer you. If you can find your friends in my realm before the end of six days and pull them from my power, I will let you take them back to your world. And you can all enjoy your precious freedom again."
"What do you get out of that?" Mira asked cautiously.
"If you fail, … if even one of your friends remains in my grip at the end of six days, then I shall reclaim all of the ducks… and you."
Mira's eyes widened, but she couldn't find the words to protest. She had said everything. She just hadn't thought about that including her freedom.
"What do you say, little mortal?" he asked as he drew closer and put his hand on her shoulder.
Mira quickly pulled away and shot a glare at him.
"I'm not yours yet. And I defeated a sorceress once to save the ducks, so don't think I can't handle you."
"Ah, but you don't know my power. And you will have no Borg to help you this time. No, I will tell you honestly that if you take my bargain, you should expect to lose. But I shall enjoy watching you try to win, knowing that you will only succeed in surrendering yourself to me in the end."
"We'll see about that," Mira answered. "But how do I know you'll keep your word about letting me and the ducks go if I win?"
Malberic frowned.
"My word is not given lightly. Bargains are not broken here. But if you require some sign of proof, then look here."
He stretched out his hands and a small, round stone floated above each. They began to glow with a blue light. In one stone, Mira saw she and the ducks passing through a portal that opened to Anaheim. And in the other, she saw an image of Malberic standing over her and the ducks, and they were forced to kneel before him.
"We shall each take one as a reminder of what we agreed to … should we lose."
The stones dropped into his hands, and suddenly they appeared fastened to light chains like pendants to be worn around the neck.
"But before we accept them, you must agree to the bargain. What do you say to my proposition?"
Time for your first choice.
If you want Mira to refuse the bargain, click on Chapter 2.
If you want her to accept the bargain, click on Chapter 3.
