I tried to break my bonds (not that I hadn't tried before, but I figured it might be easier to do when not being pulled around by spiders). The stuff refused to give way, but I did fine myself able to worm my arms about. And that was how I rediscovered the gun I had originally planned on using to rob the bank. I took hold of it and...

A: tried to fire it in an attempt to cut some of the spider-silk.
B: decided that A could end in nasty injury and so didn't risk it.

(Nice, Ariel, bringing back that detail from the beginning! 😀 )

...I thought about trying to fire it in an attempt to cut some of the spider-silk, but, after some reflection (after all, I had plenty of time to reflect, being stuck in a dungeon and all...) decided that doing so could potential end in a rather nasty injury, so I decided not to risk it. I used it to prod at the webs binding me, however, and to my astonishment, they loosened and fell gracefully away from me as the gun touched them. Soon, I stood free.

Now, they had called me the Deliverer. Who was I supposed to deliver from what? Or was this a case of mistaken identity? That giant, King Mervis, didn't seem to want me about. Was I to deliver somebody/somebodies from him...? Or...

I heard a soft cough behind me. Whirling around, I saw my fellow prisoners behind me. Were they friendly or were they yet another threat I had to face? I...

A. stood ready to run, and asked them who they were.
B. told them I was supposedly the Deliverer and asked them if they knew what that meant.

I decided to throw caution to the wind (I couldn't get in much more trouble than I was in now.) and tell them I was supposedly the Deliverer and asked them if they knew what that meant. They replied that they would tell me if I would explain why the princess had been in talking to me. "P-princess? That girl with the glowing eyes was a princess?"
"Indeed. You didn't know?"
"No. Now, explain."
A. The spokesman sighed. "This might take awhile. Let's sit down."
B. He asked my why I had been locked up.

(@Islie: 😀 Thanks!)

"Why did King Mervis lock you up?" the spokesman asked.
I waved my arms about (before I realized that waving a gun around was probably not a good idea) and snapped, "Oh, I don't know. Maybe if you got to explaining, I could tell you!"
The spokesman...

A: gently told me to calm down.
B: snapped back.

"Now, calm down. We'll explain." He paused. "What do you know about the Deliverer?"
"Besides the fact that it appears to be me? Nothing."
"Oh. Well, the Deliverer is supposed to rescue...
A. us."
B. the Giants."

"The Deliverer is supposed to rescue the Giants."
I stared at him. "Riiiiiight. And that's why I got thrown in here," I said, mustering up every ounce of sarcasm I had.
"Actually, yes."
I stared again. The dude was crazy. That's all there was to it. But before I could say that to his face, he said, "This is a testing ground.

A: "You have to fight us to get out of here."
B: "We were would-be Deliverers that failed, but if you heed our instructions, you may succeed."

"We were would-be Deliverers that failed, but if you heed our instructions, you may succeed."
I blinked. "Really?"
"Of course. Why would I lie?"
"Well, what do you have to tell me?"
He laughed. "This is 'How to be the Deliverer in...
A. 5 Easy Steps."
B. 8 Easy Steps."

"This is 'How to be the Deliverer in Five Easy Steps'. Number One --"
"Should I be taking notes?" I said, interrupting.
The spokesman just shrugged. "Number One: Don't die. Number Two: Protect the Giant and his family at all costs. Number Three: Do everything the Giant King asks, no matter what it is. Number Four: Don't trust the Princess. Number Five: Don't fail."
I said, ...

A: "Can you elaborate on that any further?"
B: "Wait, what now?!"

"Can you elaborate?"
"On which part?"
"All of it! For one, why not trust the princess?"
"Because...
A. She's a liar."
B. she's a spy for the people you're delivering from."

"She's a liar. Pathological."
Just then, the little girl - princess, I mean - came swimming back. She beckoned. "Come with me."
I looked at the spokesman for help. He just nodded, so I cautiously swam after her. Turned out that a couple of the prison "bars" were actually just thick strands of seaweed.
She led me to...

A: the Giant.
B: up, up, up (for what I'm sure must have been fathoms) to the surface.

The Giant. "How did you find my dungeons?" he boomed.
"Rather crowded, actually."
He laughed. "Did they tell you what you need to know?"
"Some of it. What exactly are you expecting me to deliver you from?"
A. "A bunch of Minotaurs."
B. "A couple of dratted witches."

"A couple of dratted witches," replied the Giant. He was about to say more, when suddenly we heard a slight noise at the door, and two old ladies swam in in a very dignified way. One of them was wearing a sensible blue suit, with a matching blue hat that had a small sparkly veil. The other was wearing a grey-and-green dress full of flounces and a hat full of huge plumes that were dyed to match the dress.

"Rats!" the Giant whispered to me. "Here they are now!"

The next moment, he was addressing the two witches politely, offering them seats and refreshments, and as he attended to the ladies, he stood before me (I had the impression that he was trying to block me from their sight) and waved a hand behind his back towards a giant seaweed to the side of the room. I took the hint and hid in the middle of the seaweed, where I could easily see but not easily be seen.

As soon as the two witches had settled down comfortably, to my surprise, they began scolding the glum-looking Giant about...

A. how he hadn't hired any wizards yet.
B. the way he let the Princess stay at home, when she should be sent to an Academy for Witches.

How he hadn't hired any wizards yet. "That was part of our bargain, you remember," the one in the gray-green said.
"After all, we aren't getting any younger," the one in the blue added.
"Ah, yes, honorable ladies, I fully intend to uphold our bargain. The delay is only my pleasure in enjoying your company without interference."
Smooth move. I thought.
A. "Isn't he the sweetest thing?" Gray-Green Witch cooed.
B. "Just remember, if you renege on your promise, we get your daughter," Blue Witch sneered.

"Just remember, if you renege on your promise, we get your daughter," Blue Witch sneered.
I looked at the Princess, but her expression was stoic. I guess she is a princess, after all... or does that mean that she's feeling something else and just lying about it by not giving anything away?Maybe I should have asked how much of a pathological liar she is....
Green-Gray cooed. "You'd better hope your daddy does what we say, sweetheart."
The Princess's eyes glowed brighter and she snapped back, "I don't care."
Blue smiled smugly. "Well. We shall be back in the morning. You had better have those wizards for us, Mervis."
"Please," the Giant said, "won't you stay for further refreshment? My new cook makes the finest crabcakes west of the meridian!"
Blue tossed her head up, creating a severe angle at which to regard the Giant (and making her hair ripple beautifully in the water). "The last time we ate your refreshments...

A: "an octopus had to give me the Heimlich!"
B: "Green-Gray had an allergic reaction!"

"Green-Gray had an allergic reaction!" Both witches flounced out.
"Well, that was something," I said, sliding out of my hiding place.
"Daddy, do I have to go with them? I don't want to!" she wailed, burying her face in his side.
"There, there, sweetheart. I'll track down a wizard if I have to. You won't have to go."
"Oh, thank you, Daddy!" She ran out.
The Giant sighed.
A. "I need to track down a wizard."
B. "Now you see why you need to destroy them."