40 Civilizations: Choose Your Own Adventure

It’s a trap. It has to be a trap. That General Gaspar doesn’t seem to be dumb enough to leave the door unlocked

IRIS: So? What should we do?
NIKO: We’re staying here
CLEO: Yeah. That’s what I was thinking

Happy with himself, Niko backed away from the door and sat down on one of the benches inside the cell. That’s when he realized:

NIKO: We’re right back where we started...aren’t we?
IRIS: Maybe we can dig a tunnel!
CLEO: Through a stone wall?
IRIS: You can see a river on the other side! We just need to hit the wall with this bench!

As Iris tried lifting the bench, somebody walked towards their cell. It was General Gaspar.

GASPAR: Alright, you two.

Gaspar pointed at Niko and Iris

Shoot. What now?

GASPAR: After reading our reports...you are from the Celtic Civilization?
IRIS: Yep!
GASPAR: Then you are free to go

Iris immediately jumped up and walked towards the cell door. Niko got up slowly but he promptly stopped.

NIKO: What about her?
GASPAR: That Egyptian?
NIKO: Yeah
GASPAR: She will be executed in an hour

After hearing this, it just felt wrong to get up and leave Cleo behind, knowing she was soon going to be executed. Niko didn’t move and Cleo had noticed it.

CLEO: Go
NIKO: What?
CLEO: If you stay here, you will die too. We don’t need to waste lives for no reason

She was right. Niko would gain nothing if he had stayed with her. Slowly, he began to move towards Gaspar and Iris.



5 Minutes Later



Niko and Iris we’re now on a hill about a kilometre away from Madrid. Iris walked over to the nearby river and dunked her head in it. Niko didn’t even count to a second before she quickly raised her head

IRIS: Wow! The current is strong! I bet it could carry an entire tree trunk down the river!
NIKO: Yeah...there’s another river on the other side of this hill going the opposite direction
IRIS: You think it’s this strong?
NIKO: I dunno

Niko felt horrible to have left Cleo alone in Madrid. He sat down on a large rock.

NIKO: 50 minutes
IRIS: Till?
NIKO: Until Cleo’s gonna get executed
IRIS: ...well...what can we do?

Nothing. We can’t do anything about it

A large splashing noise made Niko and Iris look towards the river. Out of the river came a small and skinny man. He had a long nose and short, black hair. He also seemed to be dressed the same as Niko and held the same tools that Niko and Iris were carrying.

Is this guy another scout?

IRIS: Did you just come out of the river???
SCOUT: Well...from upstream actually
NIKO: You jumped in the river?
SCOUT: Yeah...I think
NIKO: You...think you jumped in the river?

The scout twisted his shirt to remove the water from it. He then shook his head vigorously, spraying water in every direction. Most of that water landed on Iris

IRIS: H-hey!
SCOUT: Whoops! Sorry, my bad
NIKO: So...where you from?
SCOUT: Where...I’m from?
NIKO: Yeah! Your home, your country...you know...
SCOUT: Oh...oh right! Yeah! My country! I guess I should introduce myself then
NIKO: Please do
SCOUT: My name’s Ricardo. I’m from Portugal

Niko and Iris introduced themselves. Ricardo seemed surprised when they had introduced themselves as “Celtics”

RICARDO: You’re from Celtia then?
NIKO: Yeah
RICARDO: Our country is great friends with yours! So how about you spare a favour for a friend?
NIKO: Ugh, I don’t like where this is going
RICARDO: Don’t worry! Nothing hard! See...I can’t read the map I drew
NIKO: You smudged it?
RICARDO: No...I just cannot read my own writing
NIKO: And you want our map?
RICARDO: Kind of...
NIKO: Forget it
RICARDO: Then...do you know a nearby civilization where I could ask them for a way home?

A large rushing sound of water came from the river. Niko thought it was another person when he saw a large, hollow, log come barrelling down the river. It struck the rock Niko had been sitting on and stopped as the flow of the river went through the log

RICARDO: That is a powerful river!
NIKO: Anyway, about your earlier question?
RICARDO: You know about a nearby city?
NIKO: Yeah, Madrid of Spain is down this river
RICARDO: Madrid is under the river?
NIKO: No...you follow this river that way and Madrid is there
RICARDO: Ah...so the river goes into Madrid

That was when it hit him. Niko suddenly got a brilliant idea

Didn’t Iris say there was a river on the other side of our cell wall?

Niko’s attention then went to the log that was still caught on the rock and somehow still afloat on the river.

NIKO: Iris! I’ve figured out how to save Cleo!
IRIS: What? How?
RICARDO: Who’s Cleo?
NIKO: I’ll explain later

Niko then took the map out of his pocket and gave it to Ricardo

NIKO: Here! Copy it as much as you want!
RICARDO: Wow! Really?
NIKO: Yeah! Just take care of her until I get back. Stay here!

Niko then jumped inside the log that was caught on the rock

IRIS: Niko! What are you doing?!?
NIKO: Just stay here!

Niko bumped the left side of the log. He felt the log jerk free of the rock. The log then, suddenly, took off at a breakneck speed down the river. Niko was so surprised of its speed that he had to grip the front of the log. It wasn’t long before the flow of the river had slowed and entered Madrid. Niko looked ahead of him. The river lead towards a large building with barred windows at its lowest floor. Niko immediately recognized their cell; it was the first one on the left. He also noticed a small, metal door on the left side of the building. Niko leapt into the water and climbed ashore. He then proceeded to open the door, which, conveniently, was open.

Who invited a party crasher?

The moment Niko stepped in, he saw a large, muscular man looking out a window. Niko also noticed a large axe beside him. Without hesitation, Niko rushed to grab the axe as the man turned around

MAN: Hey! Stop!

The man reached for his axe, but Niko was quicker. In a swift motion, Niko grabbed the axe and swung it at the man’s head, instantly decapitating him

NIKO: Iris would have, for sure, shrieked at that.

That’s when he noticed the strange hood the man was wearing and the axe that Niko was holding. The hood was the type that executioner’s wear, and the axe Niko was holding...was an executioner’s axe. Niko had just killed the executioner.

Now this will make my life easier

Niko put the hood on, took the axe, and looked around. At the end of the hallway he was in, he noticed a large, metal, double door. There was loud cheering coming from inside.

I guess that’s the execution room

Niko began to walk towards the double doors. When he reached the doors, he opened them. Niko stepped into a large room. There were stands on both sides that held probably 1000 people, all cheering, drinking, and laughing. Niko noticed General Gaspar, standing beside a woman in a chair. That woman was defiantly Cleo.

GASPAR: Ah! The executioner has arrived!

The crowd looked at him and began to cheer. Without saying a word, Niko walked up to Cleo as General Gaspar stepped back from her.

GASPAR: Do it slowly, these people rarely get to see any execution these days

What a sicko

Niko stood beside Cleo, holding his axe to the side. She looked up at him; her eyes were filled with fear. Somehow, though, when she saw Niko’s eyes, her own eyes went wide, like this could be her chance to survive this execution.

NIKO: (Yeah. It’s me)

Cleo tried hard not to smile, after all, she was supposed to look like a person who was about to die.

NIKO: (Where are you tied up?)
CLEO: (There’s just a single rope around my belly tying me to this chair)

Niko looked to see a rope around Cleo, tying her to the chair.

If I’m going to cut that, I’ll have to be careful that I don’t slice through the chair

NIKO: (Any exits?)
CLEO: (There’s a tunnel to your left. They use it for ventilation)

Niko looked over to his left to see a tunnel with light coming from it. It also contained no guards. To test to see how hard he should swing the axe, Niko swung the axe lightly at one of Cleo’s legs. Of course he didn’t hit her leg, the axe just dug itself into the chair without going all the way though.

NIKO: (Ah, perfect)
CLEO: (What was that?)
NIKO: (Testing to see how hard I should swing. And to please the crowd)
CLEO: (Oh)
NIKO: (Can’t you pretend to grovel or maybe beg for your life?)
CLEO: (I’m not good at acting)
NIKO: (Alright, enough chit-chat. Are you ready for this?)
CLEO: (On the count of 3?)
NIKO: (3, 2, 1)

The next seconds were a blur. In a single motion, Niko cut the rope that tied Cleo to the wooden chair. As she jumped out, Niko took the axe and flung it hard at the guards in the corner. He didn’t even look to see if it hit any of them, he just ran straight for the tunnel. Gaspar was so surprised that it took him 2 seconds after the axe was thrown before he shouted any command

GASPAR: Seize and kill them!

Cleo was the first to make it into the tunnel. She dove into it and immediately began to slide a little. The tunnel was completely made of mud. As Niko jumped into the tunnel, he felt a sharp pain on his leg. There was an arrow sticking out from it. He quickly pulled it out.

NIKO: Go go go go!

Niko and Cleo crawled quickly through the tunnel. Arrows began to whiz towards them but the tunnel took a sharp right turn. At the end of it, there was a ladder. Niko could hear mud splashing sounds behind them. Cleo dove at the ladder and began climbing, followed by Niko who wasn’t hit by another arrow this time around. They emerged on the roof.

CLEO: What do we do now?!?

Niko ran over to the side of the building. Sure enough, there was a river below them

NIKO: Hurry! Let’s jump!
CLEO: But...how deep is the river?
NIKO: How should I know!
CLEO: Uhh...
NIKO: I-it’s about 10 feet deep!
CLEO: And since we’re about 50 feet in the air...and we calculate...

The sound of soldiers could be heard on the ladder

NIKO: Cleo!
CLEO: And if we include this variable...
NIKO: CLEO!
CLEO: I conclude that it’s safe to jump
NIKO: Good!

Just as the Spanish soldiers finished climbing the ladder, Niko grabbed Cleo’s arm and jumped off the Spanish Palace roof. The fall took only a second before they hit the water. Niko was happy to find out that he was alive. Niko released Cleo’s arm and they both swam to the surface of the river.

CLEO: There...seems to be a current in this river
NIKO: Oh yeah!

The current began to pick up and they we’re off. Only this time, Niko had no log with him. They both struggled to stay afloat.

If I was going to die...should I die by drowning or by getting sliced?

The fast current quickly brought Niko and Cleo over to the opposite side of the hill that Niko first jumped in the river with the log. Niko grabbed Cleo’s arm and reached out for a tree that was close to the riverside. Luckily, he grabbed it and pulled himself and Cleo to safety. Cleo lay down on her stomach and was breathing heavily. Niko immediately got up to check the other side of the hill, and he didn’t like what he saw.

NIKO: Ricardo!

Niko ran over to the Portuguese scout

RICARDO: Oh! Your back! How did it go?
NIKO: Where’s Iris?
RICARDO: The girl that was with you?
NIKO: Yeah
RICARDO: She went along with this group of soldiers
NIKO: Huh?!? Did they come from that direction?!?
RICARDO: No...and I don’t think they fit your description of a Spanish person
NIKO: Then?
RICARDO: Well...she went along with them willingly
NIKO: Willingly?
RICARDO: To be more specific, she forced herself to join them
NIKO: Where were they going?
RICARDO: Who knows?

Cleo then came up beside Niko, leaning on him while still breathing heavily

RICARDO: Hmm? I don’t believe we have met. I’m Ricardo of Portugal
CLEO: Me? Oh…I’m Cleopatra of Egypt
RICARDO: Egypt? Egypt...
NIKO: You remember something?
RICARDO: The soldiers looked alot like you
CLEO: Like me?
RICARDO: Yeah! I’m positive that they are Egyptian soldiers!
NIKO: Great! Iris is on her way to Egypt then!

The distant sound of shouting, running, and tree whacking suddenly rose Niko’s adrenaline meter once again.

NIKO: Their coming, we better go.
RICARDO: Here’s your map back! Thank you for it! I can head back to Portugal now!
NIKO: Glad to be of service

Ricardo gave Niko back his map walked off to the west

CLEO: By the sound of their feet...I calculate that we have 2 minutes to stay here before they come in 3 minutes
NIKO: Well I’m not wasting another minute in this place!



1 Day Later



Tired, hungry, and exhausted; Niko finally heard the words he had wanted to hear from Cleo for the last week.

CLEO: Thebes, the capital of Egypt, is over this hill
NIKO: YES! FINALLY!
CLEO: Some rest...maybe a bath...
NIKO: Ah...I could use some food right now

They climbed over the hill and saw the last thing that they had wanted to see. Spanish soldiers were littering the entire city like ants. They we’re not attacking anyone, they seemed to be...

CLEO: Looking for our leader...
NIKO: Oh right! That...goddess of knowledge or something. I completely forgot about that
CLEO: She’s a great person
NIKO: Yeah, I’ll bet

Niko and Cleo looked at the city. It was likely that the soldiers had received word from Madrid that they we’re to be captured and killed. Still, Niko couldn’t run. He had to find Iris.

CLEO: Let’s go into the city
NIKO: What?
CLEO: I bet that if we make it into the palace, we will be safe
NIKO: Seriously?
CLEO: Come on!

Cleo ran towards the city gates with Niko behind her. When they reached the gates, the guards immediately began to dance and cheer. There we’re only two of them so it wasn’t hard to quiet them down. Cleo then whispered to one of the guards. He whispered back.

CLEO: The Spanish soldiers are looking for the Egyptian leader. My Egyptian buddies told me that she’s out at the moment.
NIKO: Your leader’s not in the city?
CLEO: Ah...yeah...yep
NIKO: So...maybe we should...
CLEO: Head to the palace

Cleo walked through the city gates before Niko could finish his sentence. He was forced to follow her. The moment they stepped through the gates, they saw Spanish soldiers along the main road.

NIKO: Nuts!

To the right, there was a crowd of people walking down the road. They could always jump in the crowd, but Niko stood out a little. Past the people, there was a store that looked like it sold clothing. Niko thought that it would be a good place to hide. There was also a dark alley way beside the clothing store. Might be a good place to hide.

CLEO: This way!

Cleo began to walk straight down the road, towards the Spanish soldiers. It was not like he didn’t trust her or anything, but Niko was wondering what was she doing and refused to move.

CLEO: Comeon!
NIKO: What the heck are you doing?
CLEO: Getting to the palace!
NIKO: What kind of plan is walking down this road?
CLEO: Do you have a better idea?

Do I?​