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//It stalks the countryside with ears that cannot hear…// Your body jolts upwards in an unfamiliar bed by the startling sound of crows mocking you in the distance. The frigid air streaks across your face, cooling the sweat from your fever dream. Your vision is hazy, perhaps from the abrupt wake-up call, but starts to slowly clear up. Looking past the dusty sheets, you find yourself in a surprisingly well-furnished room. Next to you is a nightstand with a crumbled, cryptic note written in seemingly incoherent gibberish; perhaps another language you don’t understand. Atop the note is a pouch of shillings held there by a small, strategically placed knife. On the opposite side of the room, is an open window with an unrealistically large crow sitting on the window frame, staring you dead in the eyes. It doesn’t blink, move, or appear to be breathing at all. You’re unsure of how long it had been sitting there for. For all you know, it could’ve been there for hours. It could’ve also just gotten here, given what woke you up. The window frame it sits upon has been royally fucked by deep claw marks as the crow grips onto the polished wood firmly—not only is it large, but incredibly strong as well. What do you do about the bird? Should you [[Talk to the Bird]], [[Ignore the Bird]] or [[Throw Knife at the Bird]]? (set: $weapons to (datamap: "Knife", true)) (set: $inventory to (datamap: "Lantern", false)) (set: $memories to (datamap: "Gasparatus", false)) (set: $shillings to (datamap: "Money", true)) (set: $dynamite to (datamap: "Dynamite", false)) (set: $shield to 0) (set: $amulet to 0) (set: $shujo to 0) (set: $graves to 0) (set: $regret to 0)

(set: $memories to (datamap: "Gasparatus", true)) As you maintain eye contact with the bird, an absurd idea pops up into your head. What if you tried to talk to the bird? I mean, if it was out to kill you, surely it would’ve done so already, right? Ha, it’s not like you’re crazy for wanting to talk to the giant bird idly sitting there in the window, staring into your soul. You find your mouth incredibly dry as you utter a single word: “Hello?” The crow tilts its head slightly, clearly reacting to your word. Then, it spreads its wings out as far as they go, blocking off all light from the window. It opens its beak, and instead of a loud caw, it speaks to you in a deep, calm voice. “Sorry, I had to stretch a bit, you know, long flight and everything. Hello there.” You knew you weren’t crazy. There was something odd about this bird, but you didn’t expect it to actually talk. Well, you got to this point, might as well try see if it knows more about this place than you do… It continues: “I’m sure you have a couple of questions. While I don’t know a whole lot, I can try and answer as best as I can.” [[Who are you?]] [[Where am I?]] [[So how's life?]] [[No more questions.]]

After some heavy consideration, you’ve decided that if the bird wanted you dead, it would’ve probably killed you while you were out. Trying to talk to it is definitely not an option either, you’re not crazy. Yet. You turn your head away from the bird to look at the nightstand yet again. When you turn your head back the bird appears to have flown away. You shrug it off and get out of bed, and that’s when you notice that the bird had in fact not flown away, but was sitting much closer to you on the footer of your bed. Despite this, you ignore the bird to the best of your abilities. But no matter where you look, it seems to always be right outside your peripheral vision. Needless to say, your attempts at ignoring it proved insufficient, and you feel like your sanity begins to suffer from it. The hell is wrong with this bird? Having had enough, you turn to face the bird, but suddenly it’s gone. You look around the room, but it’s nowhere to be seen. Unlike before, you’re certain it’s gone. [[Continue]]

(set: $weapons to (datamap: "Knife", false)) Naturally, you find the sharpest object in the room and immediately throw the dagger straight towards the mysterious crow in front of you. The dagger strikes the bird directly through the heart, but strangely the bird doesn’t react at all, let alone flinch. The crow’s deathly stare turns red, and a disembodied voice occupies your mind. “Such poor judgement will not aid you in this corrupted land. You have sealed what little fate you’ve had before you.” The crow shoots out of the window, taking your only instrument of self defense with it. As it flies off into the distance, you hear the same mocking laughter that woke you up. You have a bad feeling of what is to come, and you can’t help but feel like you picked the wrong choice. [[Continue]]

“Some call me Gasparatus, but my friends usually call me Gasp. You may refer to me in any way you like, so long as you don’t try to eat me, of course.” The bird ends with a chuckle. [[Where am I?]] [[So how's life?]] [[No more questions.]]

“You’re in the welcome mansion. That’s about the extent of my knowledge,” it states, as it looks around the room, ”But perhaps you could figure out more if you headed outside and followed the road." [[Who are you?]] [[So how's life?]] [[No more questions.]] [[Where does the Road go?]]

The bird crooks it head at you, and you swear you can feel it judging you in silence. After a while though, it responds. “It’s… not great. I can’t really tell you much about it, but let’s just say you might be able to help a lot more than you think.” [[Who are you?]] [[Where am I?]] [[No more questions.]]

You thank the bird for its time, and with that, you move on. [[Continue]]

Well, you can’t accomplish anything here so you get yourself out of bed. That’s when you notice you’re fully dressed, for some reason. Attempting to rid yourself of your clothes proves impossible. It’s as if someone doesn’t want you to be naked. You pocket your pouch of shillings and the cryptic note, (if: $weapons's Knife is true)[hide the knife in your backpocket,] and you can either explore a bit or leave. [[Examine the Room]] [[Explore the Mansion]] [[Leave the Mansion]]

“The road leads to a town. When you get to a fork in the road, there’ll be a battered sign. You must go in the direction where the letters are faintest, but that’s as much as I can tell you. Time is of the essence.” The bird appears to sigh as it looks down on the floorboards. You get the feeling it wants to tell you more, but either can’t or is choosing not to. [[Who are you?]] [[So how's life?]] [[No more questions.]]

You figure you can’t quite leave the place yet. You woke up in an entire mansion! There’s got to be something else, right? Right? Nope, apparently not. The writers were lazy and the entire mansion was empty. [[Examine the Room]] [[Leave the Mansion]]

You decide to leave the mansion and ponder your next actions. As you step outside, a crisp autumn breeze rustles through your hair. You take a deep breath, expecting fresh air to greet your nostrils, but a rather foul stench hangs thickly in the atmosphere. Stepping down the few steps of stairs leading up to the front door, you reach the ground which is littered with twigs and dried leaves from the dying trees surrounding the building. As you look around, you see a path leading somewhere, but fog prevents you from getting any idea of where it might go. You could head out immediately, or you could circle around back, see if there’s something you might've missed. [[Explore the Mansion]] [[Examine the Room]] [[Follow the Road]] [[Explore Around the Mansion]]

You decide to give the room you woke in a closer look. The bed you woke up in, while it’s definitely old, it was surprisingly comfortable. You wouldn’t mind returning back here for a nap. Beside you, as you noticed when you woke up, is a nightstand. There is a hole in the wood from where the knife used to be, but other than that it is in a pretty nice condition. You search around the room for anything else to bring with you on your “mission,” whatever it is. Unfortunately all you find is lint and a couple of rats scurrying about the place. [[Explore the Mansion]] [[Leave the Mansion]]

You walk this lonely road, don’t know where it goes, on the boulevard of broken roads. Your shadow is the only one that walks beside you, on this broken road. Your shallow heart’s the only thing that’s beating, but don’t know where it broke. Sometimes you wish someone out there will find you, until then you shall walk alone on this broken road. You’re wondering if you hit your head a little bit too hard before you ended up in that mansion, because you have absolutely not the slightest clue as to whatever involuntary thoughts just went through your head. On this broken road. After a solid maybe 5-10 minutes, who the hell knows, it’s not like you have a watch or anything, you come across a split in the road. You can’t see anything when looking down either road due to fog, and the smashed up sign in front of you isn’t very helpful. The remains of the sign pointing to the right says “-ol--wg-ove”. The one to the left is… completely incoherent. Well, you can’t just stand there and wait for something to happen, so you decide to either [[Go Left]], or [[Go Right]].

Hey, why the hell not? it’s your life, you do with it as you want, and you want to explore the surroundings of the damn mansion. Step after step, you waddle about the outside, noticing how bad this mansion actually has it. The outer, wooden walls appear to have been through one hell of a lifetime. Termites have had no ounce of consideration for the fine mahogany planks that made up the roof above your head. Wait, how do you know it’s mahogany? The areas not devastated by the termites are either crumbling of old age, swelling from water damage, or charred unrecognizably. Someone must’ve really hated this place. As you reach the rear of the building, you notice a small garden. It is filled with once-fresh pumpkins and some miscellaneous crops and herbs that you can’t seem to identify. What’s left of the pumpkins is a sad, disgusting combination of rot and maggots that writhe around on the ground. If you stand still, you can just make out the sounds of them slithering around in the decomposing mess. Looking at it fills you with disgust. Cringe at the text on screen and follow the road, or clean this disgusting mess up? [[Follow the Road]] [[Clean it Up]]

Despite the vile picture before you, you decide to try your best and clean up whatever rotten plant matter lies before you. After a couple of minutes though, you realize that some of these plants don’t look half bad. Maybe it’s the weird rotting stench that’s getting to you, or maybe the fact that you can’t remember when you last ate. In fact, that bush with the dried out purple berries is looking awful yummy right about now. Just a bite wouldn’t hurt. Maybe. I mean, you really shouldn’t. God knows how long that thing has been dead, hell it might even be poisonous… but it could also be delicious. Raisins are just dried fruit right? Yea, this’ll probably maybe hopefully be fine. Maybe…? [[Eat it]] [[Beat it]]

Wow! That was awful! The flavor and texture were so bad in their own ways that the overall combination was enough to make you see god or whatever that weird face was. Whatever you were smelling back there was somehow better than what that fruit tasted like, like garbage water filtered through a diaper that had been in a sewer for at least four years. The texture, on the other hand, was something you’d like to forget entirely. It was like biting into styrofoam that was coated in sand, and was also somewhat… slimy? You have a nice puke session before you get back on your feet and proceed to trash the disgusting plants, which you decide counts as cleaning. At the end of it all you’re not sure if you made it better or worse, but at least all the plants are dead. With nothing left to do here, you can only [[Follow the Road]]. (set: $miscberry to 1)

Yea, no. It’s best to not touch any of that, who knows what kind of deliciously disgusting things you’d end up putting in your mouth by just grabbing a chunk of dirt ‘n shit. Anyways, you finish cleaning up the small garden, throwing all the decayed matter over in the corner of the lot. You suppose whoever owns the building appreciates your work, and could use the compost later. With nothing left to do here, you can only [[Follow the Road]].

The right way can’t be the right way, too obvious. The clear choice is the left, and you promptly turn and start walking down the worn road. The left way has always been your second favorite way anyways. Unfortunately for you, after fifteen minutes of walking you’re starting to really regret that decision. The woods are dense with dead brush and dried grasses, and the space between them is utterly obscured by a thick fog. You keep your gaze focused as best you can on the path before you, seeing as it’s covered in gnarled roots and brambles that consistently catch onto your clothes. The cold winds and random noises coming from the woods aren’t really helping the mood either. Well, not helping your mood anyways. You get lost in your thoughts as you walk carefully through the woods, thinking of the weird bird and the mansion you woke up in. Said thoughts are quickly gone when a quick series of crunching leaves and snapping branches cuts through the air out of nowhere, seeming to come from your right. You clench your trembling hands as you ponder if you should even attempt to run or hold your ground. This thing, whatever it is, is fast. Before you can even turn around to retrace your steps, a huge dog bursts from between two fallen trees and stops a few meters from you, drool oozing from its panting mouth. You could probably take on that bird from earlier, or maybe another person, but this thing? Forget the teeth and claws, this dog is not only about as large as you but is probably loaded with rabies and crap like that. Considering your options, you lock your eyes with the scraggly beast, and decide to… (if: $weapons's "Knife" is true)[[Fight the Dog->Fight the Dog with Knife]] (if: $weapons's "Knife" is false)[[Fight the Dog->Fight the Dog No Knife]] [[Do Nothing about the Dog]] (set: $dog to 2)

You’ve decided that the right road is, quite clearly, the right one. Heh, aren’t you clever? As you make your way down, wherever you’re headed, walking at a reasonably paced speed. The fog eventually starts clearing up, and a little town slowly appears down the broken road. As you get closer, you can start to make out details of the buildings themselves, and it’s a lot more decrepit than you would’ve anticipated. [[Enter the Town]]

You ready your knife, and prepare to fight the dog. The fur on its back stands up tall. It lunges as you, headed for your throat. [[Jump->Dog 1D]] [[Duck->Dog Dodge Fight]] [[Dodge->Dog 1D]] [[Roll->Dog 1D]] [[Counter->Dog 0D]]

Mustering up some courage, you snatch a branch off the ground and hold it in front of you, facing off against the dog. It does nothing to this, merely watching you with hungry eyes. You take a step towards it and it immediately growls and lowers its head towards you, dripping fangs bared and ready to bite. You steady yourself before taking another step, and the beast lunges. You barely manage to stab the beast with the branch, and it splinters apart as it enters the dog’s shoulder. It knocks you to the ground and begins snapping its jaws at your neck, and you feebly try to redirect the attacks to save yourself. You manage to fend it off a couple times before it grabs your hand and begins ripping that apart instead, tendons and muscle yanked out like string. It looks you in the eyes one last time before taking the chance to finally rip out your throat. The crack of your windpipe is awfully loud, and you suddenly realize you can’t move anymore. You feel a warm pool form around you as your head slumps onto the ground, and as you take in your last sights you notice that the wound on the dog’s shoulder isn’t even bleeding. Thank god for that stick huh?

Standing face to face with a beast easily capable of ripping out your throat and severing muscles with the power of a single bite, you can’t think of any way to overpower it. Armed or not, you don’t like your odds against this thing. You close your eyes and pray. You stand as still as you possibly can with adrenaline coursing through your veins, the crunches getting louder as the footsteps come closer and closer. The steps continue until they suddenly stop, and then there’s nothing. There is no sound at all. Not even the sound of birds, wind, or steps from the creature you were in the forest with moments ago. You feel a light wet touch on your hand, causing you to almost shit your entire self. You don’t dare open your eyes at all, in fact, they’re shut even tighter than ever. After a while of this odd sensation, a whistle can be heard in the distance, and the wet feeling disappears, along with a bunch of steps quickly decreasing. After an additional minute or so has passed, you decide to open your eyes. The beast is gone. Whatever the fuck just happened, you need to leave this place before someone shits your pants, and it might be you. [[Leave the Forest]]

You hate it. You hate it, and you’re leaving. You start power walking as fast as your legs can walk, being extra careful not to bonk your head into any low-hanging branches or trip on any roots on the ground; You just need to get out of here as quickly as possible. The walking didn’t last too long though, as the dense forested area clears up and signs of civilization begins to show. That is, a few really, heavily damaged buildings. You definitely need a place to sit down and not be threatened by some wack ass creature for at least five minutes, so you decide to [[Enter the Town]].

Roofs are caved in, doors broken down, and windows shattered. Skeletons and severed body parts lying scattered around in the most unusual of places. You start sweating. There are about 10 thousand red flags in your head and all of them are up, screaming for you to book it the hell out of here before you end up like the rest of the inhabitants, but something stops you right before you set off in the opposite direction; The faint sound of rustling can be heard coming from one of the houses, looking just like the others; broken. [[Investigate Sound]]

An old saying flickers through your head, “Curiosity killed the cat” as you turn to face the source of the noise. The house it's coming from is just as worn down as the others, but you could swear you see tiny bits of light peeking through some of the cracks. You approach the house slowly, as quietly as you can. As you get closer, not only do you hear the rustling, but you swear you can hear someone humming a melody that sounds oddly familiar. You pull out your knife from your backpocket and peak around the edge of the broken doorway, you’re not quite sure what you expected, but you definitely weren’t expecting this. Inside the little good-for-nothing house, an older fellow stands in the corner, messing around with something. You call out to him, no reaction. You take a few steps closer, still no reaction. You reach out to touch him, and the man whips around at the speed of sound and starts yelling bloody murder. Various household objects are being thrown your way. Well, throwing is much said, it’s more like the books and trinkets are flying towards you at their own will. Somehow, you manage to dodge everything and calm the man down in the process, and once he’s calmed down enough, he sits down in a beat up rocking chair, and asks that you sit down across from him. After having sat there for not even 5 seconds, the man speaks out, “Well, what do you want to ask? You obviously have questions, so by all means ask away! Better that than standing there being a nuisance in silence. [[Ask Questions]]

You decide to ask some questions. [[Who am I?->Question 1]] [[Who are you?->Question 2]] [[What happened to town?->Question 3]] [[What are you doing here?->Question 4]] [[Where are we?->Question 5]] [[What am I supposed to do?->Question 6]]

// “To rid this world of corruption and set them free, you must quickly pass these trials three. One underground, deep out of sight, within a place devoid of light. One high up, among the clouds, an unruly horror must be brought down. One submerged, beneath the surface, speak with care and break the curses. Only after all three are done can you go and speak to the one Who damned us to this rotted fate. There’s still time, it’s not too late.”// Okay, ominous but considering the place you’re in it’s only fitting you suppose. The part that’s really confusing and worrying is the locations they seem to take place in. Underground? In the freaking sky?? The last one doesn’t sound too bad at first, probably underwater. Well, now that you think about it and the current state of things, it’s probably terrible. But how the hell are you supposed to even get to those places, you don’t even know where they are to begin with. Hm… Well, the guy you just talked to didn’t care to know or tell you, but he did have some answers. Maybe someone else around here can help you out. You carefully fold the note up and look around, mentally preparing yourself for whatever you’ll encounter next. You walk towards what you’re pretty sure is the center of town, where the remnants of a broken fountain stands. By said fountain you find a large worn map fixed onto a mossy slab of wood. Its faded words are pretty difficult to make out in the dim light, but you can just barely read the names of some of the landmarks. Aside from the town, which you can probably just walk around and explore a bit, there are three places that you can tell apart from each other on the aged paper. There’s an area downtown that seems to have been obliterated from the map. There are some stairs leading down towards it, perhaps it leads underground? Probably not, but you could take a look at it if you wanted to. In the other direction lies a road which leads out of town. The map says it could take you to a bunch of triangles. Cool, you’re in the mood for some doritos. … What the hell is a dorito? Lastly, there’s a bunch of squiggly lines deep within the woods, covered in what was probably the drool of whoever made this terrible map. Following the road out of town would lead here as well. Well, which will it be? [[Explore the Town]] [[Leave the Town]] (set: $totalKeys to 0) (set: $wiggles to 0) (set: $caskets to 0) (set: $triangles to 0)

“How the heck would I know? You just barged in through my… well I guess I can’t be that mad at you, there wasn’t exactly a door for you to knock on. Either way, I don’t know who you are.” [[Who are you?->Question 2]] [[What happened to town?->Question 3]] [[What are you doing here?->Question 4]] [[Where are we?->Question 5]] [[What am I supposed to do?->Question 6]] [[Done Asking]]

He looks past you and shrugs nonchalantly. “No one special, really. Didn’t bother making a lot of friends but I care about this place. Whatever you end up doing here… let's just say that I hope it works.” [[Who am I?->Question 1]] [[What happened to town?->Question 3]] [[What are you doing here?->Question 4]] [[Where are we?->Question 5]] [[What am I supposed to do?->Question 6]] [[Done Asking]]

He seems to stare through you, his eyes slightly glazed over before suddenly speaking. “The creator of this town has always had a knack for pulling pranks, for better or worse. I can’t really say if what he did was much of a prank, much less funny but... “ You could practically feel the weight in his sigh as his shoulders slump down, “The bastard turned everyone into… things. Creatures of a sort. And they all wrecked havoc while I was taking a damned nap.” [[Who am I?->Question 1]] [[Who are you?->Question 2]] [[When did it happen?->Question 3.5]] [[What are you doing here?->Question 4]] [[Where are we?->Question 5]] [[What am I supposed to do?->Question 6]] [[Done Asking]]

He shrugs. “How would I know? I just told you I was taking a nap.” You’re not sure if he’s serious, but guess you wouldn't be getting a useful answer by prying. [[Who am I?->Question 1]] [[Who are you?->Question 2]] [[What are you doing here?->Question 4]] [[Where are we?->Question 5]] [[What am I supposed to do?->Question 6]] [[Done Asking]]

“I… live here? You’re in my house, idiot. I’ve lived here for years, and I plan on staying as long as I can.” You feel a bit awkward at the bluntness of his statement, but you suppose it’s true. [[Who am I?->Question 1]] [[Who are you?->Question 2]] [[What happened to town?->Question 3]] [[Where are we?->Question 5]] [[What am I supposed to do?->Question 6]] [[Done Asking]]

“I assume you mean the name of the town since someone decided to break the only sign we have. Well, this wonderful place is Hollowgrove.” [[Who am I?->Question 1]] [[Who are you?->Question 2]] [[What happened to town?->Question 3]] [[What are you doing here?->Question 4]] [[What am I supposed to do?->Question 6]] [[Done Asking]]

“In regards to what, the current state of the world? How would I know? If I knew what needed to be done... certainly I'd have done it myself. But I imagine you still want an answer from a third party—so I'd suggest going and finding someone.” He pauses, “Someone that isn't me.” [[Who am I?->Question 1]] [[Who are you?->Question 2]] [[What happened to town?->Question 3]] [[What are you doing here?->Question 4]] [[Where are we?->Question 5]] [[Where am I supposed to go?->Question 6.5]] [[Done Asking]]

“If you want to find other people, or evidence supporting the lack thereof, there are a couple of places you could go to.” he says whilst taking a sip of some miscellaneous mug which you swear was not there two seconds ago. You attempt to inquire about where and what places you could go to, in which he responds with, “What a strange question. You have functioning vision, yet you attempt to ask me what it is you're able to see. Have a look for yourself, I am not your navigator. Wherever you can see is where you can go.” [[Who am I?->Question 1]] [[Who are you?->Question 2]] [[What happened to town?->Question 3]] [[What are you doing here?->Question 4]] [[Where are we?->Question 5]] [[Done Asking]]

You inform the guy that you don’t have anything more to ask, and that you better be on your way. He gives you quite the firm handshake before you turn around and head for the door. Though, you could swear that you heard him scoffing and wiping his shaken hand on some unknown cloth. As you turn to leave, the note with incoherent gibberish happens to fall out of your pocket. The guy notices, and stops you before you exit. “Wait a minute, I recognize this language. Where did you get this?” You tell him it was by your bed in the mansion when you woke up. “You’re from the mansion? Why didn’t you say so! Give me a minute, I can translate this for you. Just stay here, I’ll be back.” He walks past you, into the other room and shuts the door. After a few seconds you hear weird mumbling and you swear you see strangely colored light shine from underneath the door. Nevertheless, the door opens again after a bit, and he hands you the note, which is now fully understandable to you. “There, you should be able to read the note now. Hopefully that will be able to help you where I couldn’t. Now get out of my house, I need another nap.” Alright, guess that’s that. Might as well start by reading the note. [[Read Note]]

You decide it’s best to not leave town just yet. You just got here, after all. There are plenty of houses left to check for life, along with that weird place downtown. Who knows, maybe you’ll find something interesting. As you look around your immediate surroundings of the town, you see a few buildings that would allow you to enter. Any place in particular that you want to check out? [[Tavern]] [[Notice Boards]] [[Town Hall]] [[Library]] [[Downtown]] [[Just Leave->Leave the Town]]

You decide there are more interesting things to see than in this decrepit old town, so you decide to head out of town. The two landmarks indicated on the map both lie on the same road. You could choose to follow the wiggles, or follow the triangles. Which will it be? (if: $wiggles is 0)[[Follow the Wiggles]] (if: $triangles is 0)[[Follow the Triangles]] [[Return to Town]]

Taverns are supposed to be full of life, drunk people, and fun things, so why not go there? When you reach the door, and swing it open, you realize that this place is, in fact, not full of life. While there aren’t any corpses lying about the place, it’s disappointing on every level of expectations you had. It seems like you also applied too much force onto the frail door as it falls off its frame, into a nearby table and breaking that too. At the furthest point from the door, is a wooden bar. The idea of getting something to drink hadn’t crossed your mind until now, but you then realize how dry your throat feels, so you hurry over to it. You step behind the table, looking at the wall of mostly broken bottles and pick out the most colorful bottle there, “Super Strong Fruit Juice”. As you’re about to take a swig, you realize there’s a sign on the bar, “Must be 127+ to drink alcohol”. Well, lucky for you, you can neither read or count! You take a sip and you realize it tastes awful. You check for an expiration date, and written in sharpie are the numbers 420/69. Watch out, there’s a comedian somewhere, and if he ain’t dead, he’s gonna be. You put the bottle back where you found it, and by putting it, you chucked it as hard as you could. Nobody’s going to stop you, and it’s not like it matters anyways. The tavern tables have several things carved into them, some of which you can make out, like “Shittles aren’t bros”, “Tongy Start”, “Remain Thorsty”, and… >PDBPX AS WE;;? What kind of inane people wrote this? Well then, nothing left to see here but lame references and sweet, sweet delicious poop juice. Where to next? [[Notice Boards]] [[Town Hall]] [[Library]] [[Downtown]] [[Just Leave->Leave the Town]]

The notice boards might have some very useful information, although they might be outdated, given you don’t exactly know when the town ate shit. With the hopes of gaining some info, you head to the boards. Arriving in front of it, it appears to be a large wooden frame, separated into a couple of sections with their own purpose. Just like the rest of the town looks, most of it is hard to make out, but you can sort of guess what they say. Although, from just a quick glance, they seem more like rules than anything… Who would even read this? That person would be you. No, no no, you can’t skip this. Too fucking bad, you picked this and you’re going to sit through this whether you like it or not. The first section seems to be dedicated to “code of conduct”, while the second is actually pretty useful, if you were able to read the papers there, that is. Something along the lines of guides, help and other stuff like that. You could use all three. There used to be a board for neighboring towns but the entire section appears to have taken several blows from an axe. “List of inhabitants” would’ve told you who lives here, or rather used to. The next two don’t have anything on there, except for a few pieces of scrap. The last one though… It’s like a quest board, which unlike the other ones, have two readable ones. It has a post made by Tomas, who went to go for a walk with his cat. While he was out by the lake, in the middle of the woods, it ran off. He requests that someone find it for three dinglehoppers. The hell are those? The other post is.. Uh… It’s not really a quest, it’s more of a complaint. More specifically, and you quote, “Stop taking my fucking name tags you pieces of - “ yeah you’re pretty sure you can’t legally read the rest of that. The note is pretty long too. Whoever this “Ans” guy is, he said something about moving to the mountains. Well… That actually helped you understand what mess the map was. They weren’t doritos at all! Or were they? Well, they could still be. Regardless, what do you do? [[Tavern]] [[Town Hall]] [[Library]] [[Downtown]] [[Just Leave->Leave the Town]]

Town hall probably has some useful info lying around, or maybe even someone there to help you out. Considering the state of the town you can’t say you have high hopes, but it wouldn’t hurt to check. Well, it might. Who knows, whatever killed everyone here might be there now! Or whoever. Who knows! Not you, that’s for sure. Regardless of your bad thoughts, you make your way to the town hall and find that it’s in a much better condition than most of the other places here. Upon closer inspection, you realize that’s most likely due to the fact that it’s made out of a light colored stone rather than wood. There are tiny paths of slime and algae from all the rainwater that has passed along the steps, and some parts have crumbled or cracked to the point small plants have begun growing from them. The doors themselves are made of wood and metal, and while dented a bit, they’re still in good shape. In fact, you can’t seem to open them. The handles for the doors aren’t helping you either since you can’t tell if it’s push or pull, so you settle for shaking the doors as furiously as you can for a few minutes. They don’t budge. You circle the building for any windows to climb through, but the ones you find are either too high for you to reach or have been blockaded from the inside. Whoever was in charge of this place made very sure that no one would get in. In a last ditch effort, you knock on the front doors politely and yell out to anyone who might be inside. 10 minutes go by with no response. Well, that kinda sucked. Where to now? [[Notice Boards]] [[Tavern]] [[Library]] [[Downtown]] [[Leave the Town]]

Out of the corner of your eye you spot one of the other buildings. It looks much older than the rest of the town, and a large sign in front of the building reads “Libra-y”. Safe to assume that's the library. Despite the fact that it seems to be slightly overgrown with weeds and vines, the building is still accessible. The front door creaks heavily as you gently push it open before falling off its hinges and crashing to the ground with a loud crack. You wince at the sound and look around nervously in case someone; or something else heard the noise. You take a few minutes to stand still and listen for anything that might come over, but there’s nothing but the sound of wind and leaves rustling. That’s either a good sign or a bad sign, but regardless you decide to head into the library. The air is heavy with dust and the smell of paper, and to your surprise there’s actually light in this place. If you weren’t constantly on the verge of shitting yourself, you’d call this place pretty cool. Rows upon rows of books seem to go on forever as they continue on into the darkness, and sprouting on the shelves are tiny mushrooms that glow dimly. Not only that, but this place is enormous on the inside. What you assumed to be a single story, house sized library turned out to have two stories and a basement. You at least think it was a basement, but judging by the giant hole in the floor and the fact that it leads to another room downstairs you’re pretty sure it’s a basement. You walk carefully among the rows of books, and you notice overhead is a faded sign that reads “Unfin-sh-d”. Why the hell would a library have unfinished books? Curiosity overtakes you as you grab a random book from the shelf next to you and open it, only to discover it’s full of sheet music. On the cover of the book is a random string of letters and numbers, and as you look at some of the other books you realize they all have a string of gibberish on their covers as well. You’re not sure who thought this was a good idea, but you have to admit you’ve never seen a library like this before. (if: $inventory's Lantern is true)[[Tavern]](if: $inventory's Lantern is false)[After browsing around the aisles you find a set of stairs leading up to the second floor, and another large sign greets you with the word “Finished”. There are desks and couches spaced out along the railing, the walls full of shelves of what you’re guessing are completed books. You squeeze past a couple of chairs and notice a light from behind a pile of books and rubble, far brighter than the fungus lining the bookcases. You stumble over a couple roots before peeking over the pile, only to see a figure hunched over a desk with a lit lantern next to them. Holy shit a light source! And a person! You could reaaaaally use that lantern, and whoever that is seems to be sleeping. Or dead. Which would mean they definitely wouldn’t mind if you took it. Well… do you wanna take it and hope they’re not gonna wake up and freak out? There’s a good chance they’re dead but if the lantern is lit then someone must’ve lit it. Still… Do you take the lantern? [[Take the Lantern]] [[Don't take the Lantern]]] (if: $inventory's Lantern is true)[[Notice Boards]] (if: $inventory's Lantern is true)[[Town Hall]] (if: $inventory's Lantern is true)[[Downtown]] (if: $inventory's Lantern is true)[[Just Leave->Leave the Town]]

Your walk towards what’s probably best described as a downtown area. It’s surprisingly peaceful, albeit creepy as well. Nothing seems to be living in this old place except the weeds overtaking the streets and sidewalks, as well as the occasional pile of… actually you’re not sure what that is. Upon closer inspection you discover it’s actually a spooky skeleton under a pile of clothes! Wow! That can't be a good sign. Besides that though, there’s not anything of interest on the streets. Most of the buildings are falling apart, the roads are broken up and overall this place is a hot pile of doo doo. You eventually come across a large branch in the road, leading to an open plaza in which various stalls and crumbled buildings stand. Along the road, there are unlit, broken lanterns strung up. For just a moment, you imagine the area beautifully lit up with soft yellow lights, people bustling around stalls with music and the smell of food filling the air. You blink and it’s gone, the dreary reality retaking its place before you. None of the stalls have anything of interest or value, and as you approach the first actual building, you can make out the word “MUZAK” on a crusty sign. Either you can’t read or someone else didn’t know how to spell, all you know is that ain’t right. Unfortunately for you, said sign is currently smashed into the doorway and completely blocking off the entrance. So much for that. As you continue your wander you spot yet another interesting structure. The sign here says “ART”. The door frame has collapsed in on itself, and it’s not possible to enter. You try looking through a hole in the window, and there are some interesting framed paintings in there. Carrying on, another building stands out. This one’s labeled “GAYMING”. No wait, the “y” was graffiti. Actually you’re not sure what the purpose of this place is, it appears it was previously on fire, and you assume it was put out on a rainy day. Unfortunate, really. The last two worth your attention have both received similar neglect in terms of upkeep. One of them has a weird… blue humanoid plushie sitting on the only shelf not completely destroyed. There is a nameplate stuck to the shelf, the first and last characters you can make out. “M--6”. Odd. Moving on… The other one.. Oh god, what the fuck is that stench? It smells like someone shit in someone else’s mouth who then proceeded to regurgitate it, only for the first one to devour that with glee, only for that process to rinse and repeat itself for eternity. Even at the distance you’re at, it’s unbearable for your nostrils, setting your lungs on fire. God, even the outside is harassed with graffiti-like drawings and weird symbols. There’s a little square with 6 vertical lines and a single horizontal one. The hell does that even mean? You’re at a loss for words. And you’re about to throw up. That does it, you’re leaving. (if: $caskets is 0)[At the opposite end from where you came from, is a thick mist covering up the road and anything that might be hidden by it.](if: $caskets is 1)[You look to where the fog once was, but realize that it has disappeared. The gate of the graveyard stands closed tight.](if: $amulet is 1)[ You can see something... glowing? Maybe you should check that out?] [[Tavern]] [[Notice Boards]] [[Town Hall]] [[Library]] [[Just Leave->Leave the Town]] (if: $caskets is 0)[[Investigate the Fog]] (if: $amulet is 1)[[Walk straight toward the light.]]

(set: $inventory to (datamap: "Lantern", true)) You slowly crawl over the pile and nudge the chair with your foot in case the person is actually alive. Luckily for you and not them, the body falls onto the floor and seems to fall apart, a chunk of the shoulder falling off and taking an arm with it. If that wasn’t a good enough indication that they’re dead as shit, then the smell definitely confirmed it. Desperately holding your breath, you grab the lantern and make your way back down the staircase and towards the entrance, putting your lantern in your inventory. Considering how dreary and foggy this whole place is, this lantern will undoubtedly save your ass, despite there not being a lot of oil in it. [[Tavern]] [[Notice Boards]] [[Town Hall]] [[Downtown]] [[Just Leave->Leave the Town]]

You made it this far by being cautious and avoiding doing risky stuff, and you’re not about to start. If anything, that lantern is a trap ready to rip you up. Or something worse that you really don’t wanna think about. Either way, you’re not having it. You turn around and head back down the stairs and out the entrance, slightly relieved that you didn’t take the lantern. The last thing you wanna do is get caught in a trap in this creepy place. So then, where to now? [[Tavern]] [[Notice Boards]] [[Town Hall]] [[Downtown]] [[Just Leave->Leave the Town]]

You get closer to investigate, but unlike the fog from earlier, this one doesn’t clear up or let you see even a little bit. Now that you’re staring into the white nothingness, it seems so dense that you probably wouldn’t be able to walk through it. If you had a light or something, you could probably take the path with ease. Going through the fog in this place is setting off all the alarms in your head, but you suppose you could give it a shot. Well, which will it be? [[Return to Town]] (if: $inventory's "Lantern" is true)[[Enter the Fog->Enter the Fog WITH LANTERN]](if: $inventory's "Lantern" is false)[[Enter the Fog->Enter the Fog NO LANTERN]]

Deciding you’re having none of that crazy mist, fog, thingy mcjigger, you decide it’s best to not go there until you’ve found some way to properly navigate. So, with that said, you head back to town. What will you do now? [[Tavern]] [[Notice Boards]] [[Town Hall]] [[Library]] [[Downtown]] [[Just Leave->Leave the Town]]

You remember picking up a lantern from the library, so you decide to select it in your hotbar, and attempt to light it. Then you remember you don’t have a lighter. Or flint and steel. You bang your head against a rock for a bit, and upon the 4th strike you realize something amazing. You have a silent big brain moment as you unravel your biggest idea yet: You decide to use one of the coins in your pouch and grind it against a piece of flint you find near the edge of the road. Amazing! You do just that, and in a mere 25 minutes of trying and failing epically, you succeed in lighting the lantern. After a short moment of bliss at your accomplishment, you head into the fog. It doesn’t help by an insane amount, but you can at least see your nearby surroundings, making it easy to follow some of the smaller cobblestone posts in the ground. As you cautiously navigate your way along the path, you end up stubbing your toe on something. Instead of it putting a stop to the movement of your foot, causing you to faceplant, it moves with you. Looking down, you’ve kicked a severed hand. Heh… seems like whoever lost this could use a hand.. Hehe… you’re an awful person. And that was just one bodypart of many. There lies several, different segments of human, animal and things you don’t even know how to categorize along the path. Before long, though, you finally reach your goal. The fog finally starts clearing up, and as you blink, taking in the sight before you, you find yourself in front of a large gate with skulls and engravings in the doors. A graveyard, eh? Well now the body parts make even less sense. What lazy fart didn’t bother burying them? Anyways… you don’t have any other choice than to proceed. The lantern just had enough fuel to get you here. So you have no choice but to [[Enter the Graveyard]].

Well, you went all the way over here, and no pathetic fog is gonna stop you from exploring whatever the heck lies within it. So, you grow some metaphorical balls and waltz right on in there, like you just don’t care. You weren’t wrong when you thought you’d have trouble seeing; All you see is white. After a couple of steps you stumble on what you assume to be a rock, and try to reach out for something to soften your fall. You reach something. It feels like wood, but when you look up you realize you can only about half of your own arm. The ground beneath you still feels like gravel, which would indicate you haven’t gone off track. When you feel your feet reach dirt, grass or whatever that isn’t gravel, you try your best to readjust and get back on course. After a while of walking, you can make out a bit of the outside. There’s some wood… a building! More buildings. Even more… decrepit buildings. You’re not sure if you’re lucky or unlucky. For all you know you could’ve stepped in something you shouldn't have, but instead you ended up back where you started. So, in conclusion, you’ve accomplished nothing. (Good job) Do you go back in and try to find your way through, or perhaps you could find something to light up the way for you, making it easier to see. Which will it be? [[Try Again]] [[Return to Town]]

Screw this. Screw that. Screw the fog. You’re going to get through this even if your life depended on it. The last thing that’s going to stop you from going there, wherever might be on the other side, is the god damn fog. You rage internally at the frustration, and head back into the empty void. … You feel like you’ve been in here a lot longer than the first time, so you get the idea that you’re making progress. Having a positive mindset, nothing going to bring you down. You hear an audible crunch, which you could probably assume to be a leg breaking or perhaps snapping, who knows. Speaking of legs, why can’t you feel your foot? As soon as the thought pops into your head, as if some comedic genius of a god played a prank on you, you face plant into the coarse gravel road. You reach around to try and grab your leg to see what happened to it, only to find a large chunk of it gone. More specifically, a third of your shin is gone, bone protruding from the surrounding flesh, and you can’t find your shoe anywhere. Which was on your foot. Which is also gone. You crawl around for a few minutes, trying to find anything, anyone. Especially whatever you went in here for… which you’ve forgotten. You feel… tingly or woozy? You’re not sure what the word is. Not to mention your vision is getting blurry… fuzzy… oh hey a dog. Oh wait that’s not a dog, that’s a rock. You aren’t quite sure what’s happening, but you start feeling really tired. Yeah, a nap should do it. A f t e r t h a t, y o u c a n … w a l k … i t … o f f …

Oh boy, an invitation to be surrounded by even more death and despair? Who are you to say no! You put away the empty lantern in case it might ever come in handy again, and walk the first few steps forward. As you proceed, you can’t help but notice the engravings atop the arch you’re heading towards. It says “Here be Graves”, well no shit... That’s kind of the whole point of a graveyard, but whatever. The gate was slightly open, creaking, swaying in the wind as you stand directly in front of it now. You slowly swing it open, and take your first step in. As you enter, the gate slams shut behind you, the sound of metal against metal echoing through the night, or whatever time it is. You can’t really tell. You turn around and try to budge the door, but it’s locked. Well… it’s not like you could’ve left anyways, without a working lantern, but now you’re definitely stuck. As you stand inside the graveyard, you look around. It’s dead silent, not even the sound of birds or wind, which is especially weird considering there was wind just a moment ago. You’re not sure if this is god's way of giving a moment of silence for those we’ve lost throughout time, or if you’re just paranoid as fuck. Taking a few steps in, the twigs and dried leaves underneath your foot break the silence, causing chills to run down your spine. The further in you go, the colder it seems to get. You wonder if you should stop and look at some of the gravestones, or if you should ignore them and just hurry through this creepy place. There appears to be several ones with the name still intact, and a lot more that are unreadable due to heavy damage to the gravestones. Well, do you stop to read some or do you ignore them? [[Read Stuff->Gravestones]] [[Ignore it->Carry On 2]]

(if: $wiggles is 0)[You decide to check out the wiggles on the map, who knows what they may be! Gummy worms, waves, a drunk person desperately trying to draw a straight line. You set out on the path and make your way towards the mysterious squiggles. Heading out the back-end of town, you walk down a solid dirt path. Looking forwards, you eye some mountains in the distance, but that isn’t your goal, at least not yet. According to the map, you needed to turn right somewhere around… aha! A few severed feet ahead lies a branch off in the road, heading towards a dense forest. You look down on the ground for the aforementioned severed feet, but you realized there were none. It’s a play on words, dum dum. Reaching the branch, you walk on down… Goin’ down... party time... your friends are gonna be there too… if you had any. Arriving at the edge of the forest, the only way to the lake is through here, so you can only [[Enter the Forest]].]

With a long-ass walk ahead of you, you make your way ahead. A few units of your chosen measurement, closely related to a mile and a half, you spot what looks like a broken caravan. While you haven’t gotten close to it yet, it’s evident there’s a large skeleton of sorts near it. In a world where magic exists, you’re not sure if getting close to it is worth the risk. Do you investigate it or carry on? [[Investigate the Caravan]] [[Ignore the Caravan]]

It couldn’t hurt to take a moment, maybe learn some things about the previous inhabitants, you feel. After the world has seemingly gone to shit, it’s no wonder some of the important members of town have been lost, so naturally you decide to give them a look. On closer inspection, there appears to be some sort of layout. The gravestones seem to be separated by category. “The Missed, “The Forgotten”, and “The Not-So-Dead”. Huh. Well, which do you want to start with? [[The Missed]] [[The Forgotten]] [[The Not-So-Dead]]

That ought to be enough reading for this century, you feel. Looking around, there is an unexplored area in the back, that you have missed until now. You could head over there, but you get the feeling that you might not be able to read any more graves if you move on from this point. Well, do you carry on towards the back of the graveyard or do you go back? [[Read More->Gravestones]] [[Continue on->GRAVES]]

Might as well check out the ones this town remembers, you think to yourself, as you start heading over to some surprisingly well-kept graves. It’s actually quite amazing how these remain mostly untouched given the state of the world. There’s a lot to choose from. One... two… three… What comes after three? Eight! That’s right. There are 8 graves to choose from. Well, which graves do you want to read? For your own brain to comprehend the vast amount of graves, you decide to label them in order from left to right. The leftmost one being number 1, the rightmost being number 8. Which graves do you want to take a look at? [[Grave 1->The Missed Grave 1]] [[Grave 2->The Missed Grave 2]] [[Grave 3->The Missed Grave 3]] [[Grave 4->The Missed Grave 4]] [[Grave 5->The Missed Grave 5]] [[Grave 6->The Missed Grave 6]] [[Grave 7->The Missed Grave 7]] [[Grave 8->The Missed Grave 8]] [[Carry On]] [[The Forgotten<-Read the Forgotten]] [[The Not-So-Dead<-Read the Not-So-Dead]]

You figure if you’re already here you might as well take a nice look around, although you’re willing to bet these graves won’t be of much use to you. Most of them are heavily damaged beyond repair, much less recognition. There are five that stand out to you, each of them neglected and unkept. Which would you like to see? [[Grave 1->The Forgotten Grave 1]] [[Grave 2->The Forgotten Grave 2]] [[Grave 3->The Forgotten Grave 3]] [[Grave 4->The Forgotten Grave 4]] [[Grave 5->The Forgotten Grave 5]] [[Carry On]] [[The Missed<-Read the Missed]] [[The Not-So-Dead<-Read the Not-So-Dead]]

The last section of the graveyard is filled with… a lack of dead. Not a single grave in this area has been filled in properly, and you’re pretty sure that nobody is actually buried here. There’s a few that stand out to you, since they look like someone has dug their way out from underneath. Hopefully you won’t encounter any zombies in this world, haha… ha... shit. [[Grave 1->The Not-So-Dead Grave 1]] [[Grave 2->The Not-So-Dead Grave 2]] [[Grave 3->The Not-So-Dead Grave 3]] [[Grave 4->The Not-So-Dead Grave 4]] [[Grave 5->The Not-So-Dead Grave 5]] [[Carry On]] [[The Missed<-Read the Missed]] [[The Forgotten<-Read the Forgotten]]

The first one is marked with a strange headstone. It seems like it’s been set here fairly recently. You get closer to make out the writings as they’re hidden due to the shade of a nearby tree. The name of the person who rests here is “HiddenRealm”. A few trinkets lie around, along with a little note under a rock. The note simply says “Thank you for the help”. Aw, shucks. No need to thank you, you’re just reading the graves of some dead people. Well, you’re at the first grave. You can look at any of the other graves, go back and explore another section, or you can move on. [[Grave 2->The Missed Grave 2]] [[Grave 3->The Missed Grave 3]] [[Grave 4->The Missed Grave 4]] [[Grave 5->The Missed Grave 5]] [[Grave 6->The Missed Grave 6]] [[Grave 7->The Missed Grave 7]] [[Grave 8->The Missed Grave 8]] [[Read the Forgotten->The Forgotten]] [[Read the Not-So-Dead->The Not-So-Dead]] [[Carry On]]

The second gravestone has… a lot of names etched into it. “Karma,” “Nevo,” “Numa,” “Blaqat,” “Moirae,” “Bubly,” “Pineapple RoyalRuby,” “Maark,” “Rogue,” “Noirogue.” Some of them are crossed out, and some of them are circled. You have no idea what any of that means, but you’re fairly sure the grave only has place for one body. Who the fuck was this person and why did they have so many names? There are a few trinkets lying around, but not more than you can count. Whoever lies here seems like a nice guy. A note is placed underneath a rock, with the words “Thanks for the help”. You’re not sure if that’s a thank you note in appreciation of them living in town, or if whoever left it thanks them for dying. Well, you’re at the second grave. You can look at any of the other graves, go back and explore another section, or you can move on. [[Grave 1->The Missed Grave 1]] [[Grave 3->The Missed Grave 3]] [[Grave 4->The Missed Grave 4]] [[Grave 5->The Missed Grave 5]] [[Grave 6->The Missed Grave 6]] [[Grave 7->The Missed Grave 7]] [[Grave 8->The Missed Grave 8]] [[Read the Forgotten->The Forgotten]] [[Read the Not-So-Dead->The Not-So-Dead]] [[Carry On]]

The third gravestone, or the lack thereof, is a literal log with the word “log” carved into it. Seems redundant. You can’t really get any real idea of how large the log is, but you can tell parts of it are buried underneath the ground. There are a few trinkets lying about, could also be rubble, it’s hard to tell. Looking around the back, there are several fresh cuts into the bark. Beneath all of them, though, you can make out a small heart with some letters in it. You can’t help but feel a little bit sad. Well, you’re at the third grave. You can look at any of the other graves, go back and explore another section, or you can move on. [[Grave 1->The Missed Grave 1]] [[Grave 2->The Missed Grave 2]] [[Grave 4->The Missed Grave 4]] [[Grave 5->The Missed Grave 5]] [[Grave 6->The Missed Grave 6]] [[Grave 7->The Missed Grave 7]] [[Grave 8->The Missed Grave 8]] [[Read the Forgotten->The Forgotten]] [[Read the Not-So-Dead->The Not-So-Dead]] [[Carry On]]

The fourth one seems fairly new. Actually, now that you think about it, it seems like the first, second, third and fourth were all buried around the same time. The grave marker in front of you says “BluAxolotl”. Below the name is a note firmly stuck to it. “Please refer to the city hall if you find the body”. Oh, that can’t be good. Well, you’re at the fourth grave. You can look at any of the other graves, go back and explore another section, or you can move on. [[Grave 1->The Missed Grave 1]] [[Grave 2->The Missed Grave 2]] [[Grave 3->The Missed Grave 3]] [[Grave 5->The Missed Grave 5]] [[Grave 6->The Missed Grave 6]] [[Grave 7->The Missed Grave 7]] [[Grave 8->The Missed Grave 8]] [[Read the Forgotten->The Forgotten]] [[Read the Not-So-Dead->The Not-So-Dead]] [[Carry On]]

The fifth stands out from the rest, but is similar to the next. On top of the grave sits an obelisk with a name carved into it. It looks a lot older than all the other ones, you suspect they were buried a long time ago The name is a bit hard to make out, but you figure it reads “DARE”. Around the name is a faded out neon green circle, which seems to have sustained a lot of damage. Well, you’re at the fifth grave. You can look at any of the other ones, go back and explore another section of graves, or you can move on. [[Grave 1->The Missed Grave 1]] [[Grave 2->The Missed Grave 2]] [[Grave 3->The Missed Grave 3]] [[Grave 4->The Missed Grave 4]] [[Grave 6->The Missed Grave 6]] [[Grave 7->The Missed Grave 7]] [[Grave 8->The Missed Grave 8]] [[Read the Forgotten->The Forgotten]] [[Read the Not-So-Dead->The Not-So-Dead]] [[Carry On]]

The sixth is almost identical to the fifth. It, just like the previous one, has the name surrounded by a faded out circle. Although the obelisk itself has received a bit more of a beating than the last one, the name itself is still readable. It says “Theep.” Well, you’re at the sixth grave. You can look at any of the other graves, go back and explore another section, or you can move on. [[Grave 1->The Missed Grave 1]] [[Grave 2->The Missed Grave 2]] [[Grave 3->The Missed Grave 3]] [[Grave 4->The Missed Grave 4]] [[Grave 5->The Missed Grave 5]] [[Grave 7->The Missed Grave 7]] [[Grave 8->The Missed Grave 8]] [[Read the Forgotten->The Forgotten]] [[Read the Not-So-Dead->The Not-So-Dead]] [[Carry On]]

The seventh… lack of grave is a freshly dug hole in the ground. The headstone says “Ans”, but it’s pretty obvious there has never been anyone in this grave. In fact, looking into the hole, there is a rock with a couple of words carved into it. “Fuck you, I’m not dead.” Well, you’re at the seventh grave. You can look at any of the other graves, go back and explore another section, or you can move on. [[Grave 1->The Missed Grave 1]] [[Grave 2->The Missed Grave 2]] [[Grave 3->The Missed Grave 3]] [[Grave 4->The Missed Grave 4]] [[Grave 5->The Missed Grave 5]] [[Grave 6->The Missed Grave 6]] [[Grave 8->The Missed Grave 8]] [[Read the Forgotten->The Forgotten]] [[Read the Not-So-Dead->The Not-So-Dead]] [[Carry On]]

The last gravestone is the most well kept of the bunch, with the name “Shujo” carved into it with metallic engravings. Below the name is a symbol, one that closely resembles a small squid, although it could also be a wack looking ghost. There is yet another name below the squid, “Atsuko”. All things considered, there have been left several offerings around and on the gravestone itself. You get the feeling that the unfortunate soul lying at rest here was well liked by the town before whatever happened here. Well, you’re at the last grave. You can look at any of the other graves, go back and explore another section, or you can move on. [[Grave 1->The Missed Grave 1]] [[Grave 2->The Missed Grave 2]] [[Grave 3->The Missed Grave 3]] [[Grave 4->The Missed Grave 4]] [[Grave 5->The Missed Grave 5]] [[Grave 6->The Missed Grave 6]] [[Grave 7->The Missed Grave 7]] [[Read the Forgotten->The Forgotten]] [[Read the Not-So-Dead->The Not-So-Dead]] [[Carry On]]

As hard as you look, there’s no way to decipher who or what this gravestone was for. The name and whatever other text has been erased by deep gouge marks, and even without those the amount of cracks and missing chunks would make this a pain to try and interpret. Weirdly, there aren’t any pieces lying around the stone. You’ll probably never know who or why, but you’re willing to bet that someone didn’t want this person to be remembered. You’re at the first grave. You can look at any of the other ones, go back and explore another section of graves, or you can move on. [[Grave 2->The Forgotten Grave 2]] [[Grave 3->The Forgotten Grave 3]] [[Grave 4->The Forgotten Grave 4]] [[Grave 5->The Forgotten Grave 5]] [[Carry On]] [[The Missed<-Read the Missed]] [[The Not-So-Dead<-Read the Not-So-Dead]]

A pile of rubble lays before you, the remnants of an old gravestone smashed to pieces. Half buried in the rubble is an oversized war hammer, with the word “BAN” carved into the head. As if that wasn’t enough, the spot where the casket would’ve been buried has been stabbed full of sharp weapons. Rusted swords and spears protrude from the mossy earth, and upon looking closer there are several knives also stuck in. Someone clearly had a field day with this poor schmuck. You’re at the second grave. You can look at any of the other ones, go back and explore another section of graves, or you can move on. [[Grave 1->The Forgotten Grave 1]] [[Grave 3->The Forgotten Grave 3]] [[Grave 4->The Forgotten Grave 4]] [[Grave 5->The Forgotten Grave 5]] [[Carry On]] [[The Missed<-Read the Missed]] [[The Not-So-Dead<-Read the Not-So-Dead]]

You’d call this gravestone intact if you could actually see it from beneath the plant matter covering it. The shape of the gravestone is definitely there, but there are strange vines covering its entirety. You try pulling some of them off, only to get pricked several times by the thorns you swear weren’t there a second ago. As you nurse your bloodied hands, you watch in silence as the vines shift and wrap tightly around the gravestone yet again. A heavy crack resonates from within, then it stills. You’re suddenly glad you’re not a vegan. You’re at the third grave. You can look at any of the other ones, go back and explore another section of graves, or you can move on. [[Grave 1->The Forgotten Grave 1]] [[Grave 2->The Forgotten Grave 2]] [[Grave 4->The Forgotten Grave 4]] [[Grave 5->The Forgotten Grave 5]] [[Carry On]] [[The Missed<-Read the Missed]] [[The Not-So-Dead<-Read the Not-So-Dead]]

You come across a gravestone that seems to have been cleaved right in half. Where the top should’ve been is instead a clean, straight cut line. Age has worn down the edges of the cut, but you can tell that this happened when the grave was relatively new. What’s weirder is that there seems to be slices of stone strewn about near you, each edge matching the one on the gravestone. You attempt to pick them up, but they’re firmly stuck in the ground. No matter how hard you pull, they don’t budge an inch despite seeming to only be partially covered in dirt. You’re at the fourth grave. You can look at any of the other ones, go back and explore another section of graves, or you can move on. [[Grave 1->The Forgotten Grave 1]] [[Grave 2->The Forgotten Grave 2]] [[Grave 3->The Forgotten Grave 3]] [[Grave 5->The Forgotten Grave 5]] [[Carry On]] [[The Missed<-Read the Missed]] [[The Not-So-Dead<-Read the Not-So-Dead]]

Right off the bat you can tell that whoever lies here was not popular. The tombstone is covered in a rainbow of colorful paints and language to match. Various insults have been spray painted, scribbled, and even carved into this rock. There are so many layers of text that any amount of the original writings are long gone, and whatever engravings have also been gouged out by furious townsfolk. The ground is littered with faded markers and empty cans, and you notice a sign that had fallen over from its spot directly in front of the tombstone. You lift it back up and brush off the dirt, only to read, “DESERVES TO ROT” written in comic sans. God, this place is terrible. You’re at the fifth grave. You can look at any of the other ones, go back and explore another section of graves, or you can move on. [[Grave 1->The Forgotten Grave 1]] [[Grave 2->The Forgotten Grave 2]] [[Grave 3->The Forgotten Grave 3]] [[Grave 4->The Forgotten Grave 4]] [[Carry On]] [[The Missed<-Read the Missed]] [[The Not-So-Dead<-Read the Not-So-Dead]]

The first grave is, much to your own surprise and probably those who made them, a cluster of several unmarked, dug up graves, all varying in age. Taking a closer look, the graves do not appear to have been dug up from above, but rather someone dug themselves out. Considering the quantity of graves in such close proximity to one another, you think this might be one person. You’re not sure though, as there are no names anywhere. In the center of the cluster is a grave though, inside of which is an odd plushie. You take a look at it, and it seems a tag on it says “log”. You think you recall there being a grave with that name, perhaps it’s supposed to be there. You swear you passed by a literal log with the word “log” on it earlier, you could pick it up and put it there, or you could continue the reading. Which will it be? [[Put the Plushie by the Log]] [[Grave 2->The Not-So-Dead Grave 2]] [[Grave 3->The Not-So-Dead Grave 3]] [[Grave 4->The Not-So-Dead Grave 4]] [[Grave 5->The Not-So-Dead Grave 5]] [[Carry On]] [[The Missed<-Read the Missed]] [[The Forgotten<-Read the Forgotten]]

The second grave you come across is accompanied with a near-identical one beside it. They both refer to the same person; zXSpriter. However, upon closer inspection, it seems as if one of the graves was never even filled in, and its gravestone was made out of styrofoam, as if it was created as a joke. On the other hand, the other grave has definitely been covered before. [[Grave 1->The Not-So-Dead Grave 1]] [[Grave 3->The Not-So-Dead Grave 3]] [[Grave 4->The Not-So-Dead Grave 4]] [[Grave 5->The Not-So-Dead Grave 5]] [[Carry On]] [[The Missed<-Read the Missed]] [[The Forgotten<-Read the Forgotten]]

Here stands a pretty normal grave, honestly. It has the words “bitbeam” written on it. There are a couple of pages with pretty nice looking drawings on there, and if you knew how to read you’d probably appreciate the sheet music too. The ground, much like the rest, has been dug up. [[Grave 1->The Not-So-Dead Grave 1]] [[Grave 2->The Not-So-Dead Grave 2]] [[Grave 4->The Not-So-Dead Grave 4]] [[Grave 5->The Not-So-Dead Grave 5]] [[Carry On]] [[The Missed<-Read the Missed]] [[The Forgotten<-Read the Forgotten]]

The grave here says “Green Guy”, but you notice that underneath it someone has written, in a very ugly colored sharpie, “not actually green”. Yet even further below that, is another writing, also in sharpie, “I’m blue now”. In fact, this back and forth, blue & green seems to go on for a while. You assume they ran out of stone to write on, but looking into the dug up grave are many pieces of paper thrown in, all with different colored sharpies and colors written on it. What the hell? [[Grave 1->The Not-So-Dead Grave 1]] [[Grave 2->The Not-So-Dead Grave 2]] [[Grave 3->The Not-So-Dead Grave 3]] [[Grave 5->The Not-So-Dead Grave 5]] [[Carry On]] [[The Missed<-Read the Missed]] [[The Forgotten<-Read the Forgotten]]

Unlike most of the other graves, there’s not much here. No weird papers, no nothing. It’s shocking… normal. It seems like it was dug up a long ass time ago in comparison to the others. Whoever died here must’ve quickly realized he had unfinished business to do. [[Grave 1->The Not-So-Dead Grave 1]] [[Grave 2->The Not-So-Dead Grave 2]] [[Grave 3->The Not-So-Dead Grave 3]] [[Grave 4->The Not-So-Dead Grave 4]] [[Carry On]] [[The Missed<-Read the Missed]] [[The Forgotten<-Read the Forgotten]]

You feel like it belongs there. You reach down into the grave and pull out the plush. It’s very dirty, so you try your best to give it a quick makeup session, and by that you mean slap it a couple of times to get the loose dirt off. You step on over to the log, and gently place it atop it. You feel like you did something good today. [[Grave 1->The Not-So-Dead Grave 1]] [[Grave 2->The Not-So-Dead Grave 2]] [[Grave 3->The Not-So-Dead Grave 3]] [[Grave 4->The Not-So-Dead Grave 4]] [[Grave 5->The Not-So-Dead Grave 5]] [[Carry On]] [[The Missed<-Read the Missed]] [[The Forgotten<-Read the Forgotten]]

As you walk away from the graves, you notice another section in the cemetery, hidden away near the bottom of an incline. It’s not invisible by any means, but it’s really easy to miss. There's a huge statue propped up in the back, and you wonder if it’s actually a huge grave. You’ve heard of big fancy graves, but you don’t recall ever seeing one before. You approach the towering stone slowly, attempting to make out any text on its surface. As you get nearer you realize the surface is lightly covered in a layer of dirt and moss, with bits of the stone chipped around the edges. Nothing you can’t easily remove though. You gently brush your hand over the surface of the grave and remove the grime, still trying to read any inscriptions it may have.(if: $graves is 0)[ “Are you this hands on with everyone you meet for the first time?” A voice comes from seemingly nowhere and you nearly fall back in surprise. Weirdly enough, there’s no one around. You hastily get up and continue looking around for anyone nearby, but there’s nothing. “I’m right here, you know. Don’t need to keep looking around, sheesh.” Did… wait was that the grave itself? An unearthly chuckle rumbles around you, as the voice speaks again. “I’ve had a couple names in the past, but you can just call me Graves. Fitting, eh?” “Although… you seem new here. You’re not… well, you’re human. That would certainly explain your reaction to me, most here already know about the whole being a grave thing. Tell me stranger, what brings you to this place? Can’t say it’s in its prime anymore, that’s for sure.” Despite the casual tone, the grave itself isn’t moving at all. You ponder for a moment, thinking over your options. What would you like to ask him?](if: $graves is 1)[There is a small inscription that reads; //You must offer the Holy Ghost something valuable//] (if: $graves is 0)[[[Who are you?->Who are you GRAVES]]](if: $graves is 1)[[[Continue->Done Asking GRAVES]]]

“Well, my actual name is Retro Reaper, but many people refer to me as my nick name, Graves. I used to be a manager here, helping out where I could but alas my duties shifted and I retired, hence the Retro from my name. Now I watch over this nice little place, although there hasn’t been much to watch since…” He trails off quietly, and after a minute of silence you figure you should probably ask him something else. [[What are you?->What are you GRAVES]] [[Who am I?->Who am I GRAVES]] [[Show note.]]

You’re not sure if he can actually see you, but you can physically feel his stare of disapproval. He sighs heavily before speaking to you in a flat tone. “I may be in this stone but I can assure you I’m still human on the inside. And besides, I’m not allowed to talk about the why or how. Y’know how it is.” Except you don’t. [[Who are you?->Who are you GRAVES]] [[Who am I?->Who am I GRAVES]] [[Show note.]]

(if: $shujo is 0)[There’s a long pause after showing him the note before he speaks again. “I’m bound by the laws of the land, so I can’t help you as much as I may want to. But the other gravestones here aren’t just for show. The spirits of some of the previous citizens still lurk, especially the popular ones. If you leave an offering, one of them will probably come out to say hi. It’s kinda like ringing a doorbell. Welp I'm leaving, have fun...!”](if: $shujo is 1)[There's a long pause after showing him the note before he speaks again. "The spirit guide has been set free," He says, "So I must send you directly to the catacombs, as we have no guide." You feel the world begin to warp around you.] (if: $shujo is 0)[[Return to the Graveyard.->Done Asking GRAVES]](if: $shujo is 1)[[Continue->CATACOMBS]]

With no memory or some memento of who you actually are, you ask the grave an obvious question; Who am I? The grave doesn’t physically shrug, but you can definitely tell it’s happening. [[Who are you?->Who are you GRAVES]] [[What are you?->What are you GRAVES]] [[Show note.]]

You’re not fully sure what you need to do, but you figure that the popular people are probably buried in the “Missed” section. As you approach the graves, you try and think of something to offer them. Should you just leave one offering for one grave? If that one doesn’t respond you’ll have to leave another offering for someone else. Actually, what do you even have to offer? Maybe they’d appreciate this clump of dead grass. Or maybe you have something on you that you could use? [[Make an Offering to Grave 1]] [[Make an Offering to Grave 2]] [[Make an Offering to Grave 3]] [[Make an Offering to Grave 4]] [[Make an Offering to Grave 5]] [[Make an Offering to Grave 6]] [[Make an Offering to Grave 7]] [[Make an Offering to Grave 8]]

What would you like to offer? (if: $weapons's Knife is true)[[Offer Knife]] [[Offer Lantern]] [[Offer Note]] [[Offer Shillings]] (if: $dynamite's Dynamite is true)[[Offer Dynamite]] (if: $shield is 1)[[Offer Shield]] (set: $grave to (datamap:"Grave 8", false))

(if: $memories's Gasparatus is true)[A black bird swoops in and lands atop the Grave. It looks extremely familiar.] What would you like to offer? (if: $weapons's Knife is true)[[Offer Knife]] [[Offer Lantern]] [[Offer Note]] [[Offer Shillings]] (if: $dynamite's Dynamite is true)[[Offer Dynamite]] (if: $shield is 1)[[Offer Shield]] (set: $grave to (datamap:"Grave 8", true))

You drop the lantern on the grave, but it doesn't react at all. It just sits there. [[Return to Offerings->Done Asking GRAVES]]

The paper floats down toward the grave. The letters glow for a short time, before you hear a giggle and they turn off again. Nice. [[Return to Offerings->Done Asking GRAVES]]

(if: $grave's "Grave 8" is false)[The shillings land on the ground with a clack, but don't appear to affect the grave at all. You pick them up again.] (if: $grave's "Grave 8" is false)[[Return to Offerings->Done Asking GRAVES]] (if: $grave's "Grave 8" is true)[The letters on the grave begin to glow as you drop the bag before it.] (if: $grave's "Grave 8" is true)[[Continue->SHUJO]]

The knife clacks onto the ground, bouncing a little before levelling out. The grave doesn't seem to react. [[Return to Offerings->Done Asking GRAVES]]

As much as you’d absolutely love reading about dead people you’ve never heard of, you figure it’s best to try and get this visit over with as quickly as possible. Besides, who knows if those graves are rigged to kill you in some fun or stupid way. Better safe than sorry. [[Continue on->GRAVES]]

Yellow mist wisps twirl from the head of the grave, the pieces connecting to create the form of man. As it finishes forming, a few small pink strands start floating around it, eventually turning into the form of a squid. The squid began circling around him, and the ghost outstretched its arms, yawning loudly, then looked down at you. The audacity. As you relax, and take a better look, it appears to be… just a regular looking guy. You might not be the sharpest shed in the toolbox, but if you were a gambler, you’d probably lose all your money in an instant. Despite this, somehow, through some miracle, you piece together that the person in front of you might be the Holy Ghost of Shujo, and the little fellow, Atsuko. “You’re who woke me up?” he asks with a puzzled look on his face, which you immediately respond to, with an equally puzzled look. “You didn’t leave that… offering, I think, for nothing. So clearly you want something. Did the big guy send you?” You nod. “Well then, fire away. I’ll answer whatever I can..” [[Who are you?->Who are you SHUJO]] [[Who am I?->Who am I SHUJO]] [[What happened to town?->What happened SHUJO]] [[Why are you a Ghost?]] [[What are you doing here?]] [[Will you return once the curse is lifted?]] [[Show the Note]]

He glances back at his tombstone before looking at you, then glancing back at it one more time before pointing at it and saying, “It’s on my tombstone. You didn’t read it before you summoned me?" [[Who am I?->Who am I SHUJO]] [[What happened to town?->What happened SHUJO]] [[Why are you a Ghost?]] [[What are you doing here?]] [[Will you return once the curse is lifted?]] [[Show the Note]]

“You woke me up, and bribed me with like eight shillings, to ask me who you are? Is this a riddle? Am I being pranked?” You’re also not sure what you expected, but it didn’t hurt to ask. The squid floats judgmentally, although that might just be you seeing things. [[Who are you?->Who are you SHUJO]] [[What happened to town?->What happened SHUJO]] [[Why are you a Ghost?]] [[What are you doing here?]] [[Will you return once the curse is lifted?]] [[Show the Note]]

“I wish I could tell you. I wasn’t around when it happened, but I've managed to collect clues from the people who come here. Supposedly, the owner of town turned against everyone and cursed them, turning them into all kinds of… things. I haven’t seen him since, but I’m also limited to being around my grave. Perks of being dead, I guess.” [[Who are you?->Who are you SHUJO]] [[Who am I?->Who am I SHUJO]] [[When did it happen?->When happened SHUJO]] [[Why are you a Ghost?]] [[What are you doing here?]] [[Will you return once the curse is lifted?]] [[Show the Note]]

“Oh, oh, you’re going to love this story. After I came back, only to see the town in its horrible state, I went to explore. Kind of like what you’re doing now! I went into the mist by the graveyard, spoke with Graves for a bit and I had suddenly felt like I needed to take a nap. When I woke up, I had my own penthouse! It was so cool! Oh, and I was also a ghost.” He says whilst scratching the back of his head. Would it even be considered scratching since he passes through everything? Can he pass through himself? Hm… You’ll have to figure that one out later. [[Who are you?->Who are you SHUJO]] [[Who am I?->Who am I SHUJO]] [[What happened to town?->What happened SHUJO]] [[What are you doing here?]] [[Will you return once the curse is lifted?]] [[Show the Note]]

“I’m bound to this place. Don’t know why, or how. But, I do enjoy having my own penthouse! And my partner materialized with me, so that’s a bonus!” The tiny squid settles gently on his shoulder and looks at you with them big ol’ eyes, “However, if you could manage to set me free, that’d also be sick. Not that I’m asking you to.” [[Who are you?->Who are you SHUJO]] [[Who am I?->Who am I SHUJO]] [[What happened to town?->What happened SHUJO]] [[Why are you a Ghost?]] [[Will you return once the curse is lifted?]] [[Show the Note]]

“I don’t think I’m cursed? My dead life is honestly better than before. I can float around, go through things, and I’m immortal!” He laughs as he spins around, as if to show off. “Although... I’m not sure. I was planning on leaving the town behind. I had a lot I wanted to achieve in life, that with this form, I can also achieve in death. Life moves on, and so do people. My thoughts and feelings still change despite being dead. So I’d like to think that I can also still grow and change.” Wow, that’s a shift in tone. You can practically feel the weight of his words as he continues, “I only really came back to town in the first place because someone asked me to visit. It was supposed to be a celebration, you see… But, alas, here we are.“ [[Who are you?->Who are you SHUJO]] [[Who am I?->Who am I SHUJO]] [[What happened to town?->What happened SHUJO]] [[Why are you a Ghost?]] [[What are you doing here?]] [[Show the Note]]

You pull out the note from seemingly nowhere, as even the ghost seems surprised as to how it ended up in your hand. Handing him the note, he takes a bit of time reading it, before responding; “Oh, you’re also here for the trial?” You nod, confirming his suspicion. “Okay, okay. I’m not sure you could handle it, but I’m optimistic. You’re not the first to come here, though. One guy left without arms and hopping on one leg! Don’t ask me how that happened, or how he was alive. Anyways, give it the good old college try! You’ve got this.” “If you head toward Graves, then take a right, there should be an empty spot in the ground. Dig up the dirt there and the entrance’ll be there. I’ve got a shovel you can borrow if you don’t have one,” he finishes his sentence as he gestures to the right of his grave, where there truly sits a crude shovel. [[Who are you?->Who are you SHUJO]] [[Who am I?->Who am I SHUJO]] [[What happened to town?->What happened SHUJO]] [[Why are you a Ghost?]] [[What are you doing here?]] [[Will you return once the curse is lifted?]] [[No more Questions]]

“I was here about three months ago, give or take. I went out of town to explore my options in life a bit more, and when I came back it was like this. So somewhere in that time?" [[Who are you?->Who are you SHUJO]] [[Who am I?->Who am I SHUJO]] [[What happened to town?->What happened SHUJO]] [[Why are you a Ghost?]] [[What are you doing here?]] [[Will you return once the curse is lifted?]] [[Show the Note]]

You inform him you’re out of questions to ask, and that you probably ought to get going. He reaches out to shake your hand, to which you reach out your own to meet his. You grasp his hand, or so you thought. Expecting to grab onto the ghost’s hand, you end up losing balance and face plant in front of his grave, falling through his transparent body. As you get up, you can’t help but notice the ghost as well as the squid sitting upon his shoulder chuckle at your misfortune. “Well, it was nice meeting you. I’m still new to this whole dead thing but it’s felt like ages since I had a visitor. Feel free to come back later, but try to bring more than one shilling next time, okay?” He ends with a joking smile, saluting with two fingers. The ghost explodes into a flurry of yellow and pink light, the wisps swirling slowly back into the glowing letters on his tombstone. An ethereal, whimsical tune can be heard faintly as the light finishes being absorbed by the letters, and the word “SHUJO” turns back into nothing more than stone. You wipe the dirt off of your face, and reach for the shovel. It’s time to get diggin’. With the interaction done with, you have no other option but to head to the catacombs. [[Continue->CATACOMBS]]

(if: $shujo is 0)[Passing by the colossal grave you once spoke with, you come across the empty patch of dead grass that Shujo mentioned. You get down on the floor and proceed to walk the dinosaur, but in reality you just started removing dirt from where you were told you’d find something. After about a minute of hardcore digging, your shovel hits something hard, metallic by the sound of it. You clear away the dirt you’ve dug loose and throw it to the side, revealing a rusty door. Cranking that shit open with the power to make practically nobody jealous, you head down the stone steps with caution, god knows what awaits you down here. Nevertheless, you reach the bottom, only to find yourself in a large open room lit with torches. This indicates this place must have someone coming down here to maintain it, but it couldn’t be the two you’ve spoken with. One is a giant rock in the ground and the other is bound to his grave.](if: $shujo is 1)[You find yourself in a large room all of a sudden. The Statue must have teleported you.] Looking around the room, there are a couple of things to stand out. There’s a pedestal-like structure a bit in front of you, in the middle of the room. On the far-end wall from where you came in, is a big purple circle. At the current distance, you can’t really tell out what else is on the wall. Aside from that, along the ground seems to be 9 closed caskets, all of which have a cross on it. They appear to be placed in a 3 by 3 grid. What do you do? [[Inspect Far Wall]] [[Inspect Caskets]] [[Inspect Pedestal]]

As was evident from a distance, a creme purple circle is square center on the far wall. The circle itself is completely round, with not a single scratch or dent to it. It has been well kept, but it’s hard to tell when this was last painted. It seems somewhat dull in color, but the most interesting thing about the wall is what’s inside the circle. In fact, now that you’re up close, you can see a tiny crease on one side of it, suggesting it might be a door. In the center of said circle, are 4 square slots in the wall. It appears as if once you place something in the slot, it’s impossible to get it back out. You take a wild guess that in order to open the door, you’ll need to fill in the four holes. The only question now is where do you find them. [[Inspect Caskets]] [[Inspect Pedestal]]

Heading directly behind the pedestal, you further inspect the caskets. There is no information to be gained here except… Woah. These are some really nice looking caskets. The skills required in order to craft such an amazingly detailed casket would take years. Decades! No, wait. It’s just a boring old box. Wait, no, that one has a cross on it. Oh, so do the others. You spend a solid five minutes walking back and forth between them, trying to eye out any differences, with the only notable difference being numbers on the side of them. They’re numbered from 1-9 from row to row. Top left is 1, bottom right is 9. You feel like there’s a reason for this, but for the moment you can’t figure out why. [[Inspect Far Wall]] [[Inspect Pedestal]]

Taking a closer look at what lies directly ahead from the stairs leading down, is a stone pedestal coming out of the ground. It appears to be one with the floor, so budging it would serve no purpose. At the top of the pedestal is a tablet, of sorts. A flat slanted piece of stone of which are some writings as well as a button. Directly behind it lies the 3 by 3 grid of caskets, the pedestal being in the middle. “To open the big, purple door, you must solve these riddles four. Press the button below, and riddle one I shall bestow. But for this you must beware; A wrong answer might bring your demise. To proceed you must prepare; foolishly choosing I wouldn't advise. Staring at the cryptic message on the tablet, you now know what the button does. Well, do you press it, or do you have something left to look at? [[Press the Button->Riddle One]] [[Inspect Far Wall]] [[Inspect Caskets]] (set: $casketFails to 0)

(if: $casketFails is 0)[You’ve explored enough, and it’s time to get a move on, so you press the button. There’s an audible click as the button is pressed, and the tablet itself starts changing. The writings that once were there, fade out and are replaced by something else; The first riddle.](if: $casketFails is 1)[Okay, so that didn't work, and you managed to scrape by. Let's try this one more time.] (1.5+3.2 +0.2+0.2+0.2+0.50-0.25-0.05-0.5)*(0+3)/3 By solving the equation above, you will find the casket of which you need to open. Reading the riddle thoroughly, you remind yourself one last time that the numbering of the caskets went from left to right, 1, 2, then 3, before going down to the next row, and continuing as 4, 5 and 6. The last row is 7, 8 and 9. With that in mind, you decide to open the casket number… (if: $casketFails is 0)[[Casket 1->Riddle 1 Failure]](if: $casketFails is 1)[[Casket 1->Riddle 1 Death]] (if: $casketFails is 0)[[Casket 2->Riddle 1 Failure]](if: $casketFails is 1)[[Casket 2->Riddle 1 Death]] (if: $casketFails is 0)[[Casket 3->Riddle 1 Failure]](if: $casketFails is 1)[[Casket 3->Riddle 1 Death]] (if: $casketFails is 0)[[Casket 4->Riddle 1 Failure]](if: $casketFails is 1)[[Casket 4->Riddle 1 Death]] (if: $casketFails is 0)[[Casket 5->Riddle Two]](if: $casketFails is 1)[[Casket 5->Riddle Two]] (if: $casketFails is 0)[[Casket 6->Riddle 1 Failure]](if: $casketFails is 1)[[Casket 6->Riddle 1 Death]] (if: $casketFails is 0)[[Casket 7->Riddle 1 Failure]](if: $casketFails is 1)[[Casket 7->Riddle 1 Death]] (if: $casketFails is 0)[[Casket 8->Riddle 1 Failure]](if: $casketFails is 1)[[Casket 8->Riddle 1 Death]] (if: $casketFails is 0)[[Casket 9->Riddle 1 Failure]](if: $casketFails is 1)[[Casket 9->Riddle 1 Death]]

The path is foggy, but not nearly as foggy as when you arrived. You can actually see in front of you, although there’s not much to be seen. The ground beneath you is littered with dead leaves and twigs, and you occasionally feel the dirt give way to your weight as you walk. Frowning at the thought of the dirt judging you by your weight, you look closer and notice that the dirt is becoming more and more muddy as you walk. Your feet begin sinking into the ground every other step, and the air around you is becoming humid. You hasten your steps through the muck, and with each step you feel the mud give way beneath you. Panicking just a little bit, you look around for any sort of destination ahead of you, surely there’s gotta be something out here for you to reach. A few more steps and you see it, a worn down dock overlooking a body of water. The sight fills you with vigor, and you rush over to it as quickly as the mud will let you. You’re sinking faster into the ground, but after a few minutes of strained crawling/running you manage to pull yourself out and onto the dock. “It’s been a while since someone’s come out here. Was starting to think the lake had sunk the town under all the muck. Guess not.” You look around and to your surprise there’s someone here! A living person! You pull yourself to your feet to greet the... pirate? He’s sitting on the edge of the dock, facing away from you, but he’s definitely wearing a pirate outfit, although to your dismay he doesn’t talk like a pirate. There’s a small rowboat next to him bobbing gently in the water, clearly old but probably functional. You could talk to this guy, but at the same time you might have to go out on the lake in that tiny boat. God knows what’s down there, and since you just got here you could try heading back to town. This wouldn't be such a bad thought, but the mud had probably turned to quicksand at some point and was really trying to pull you down. “You could try to head back to town, but you won’t make it.” The pirate speaks to you without looking at you. “It’s a long way back, and the worst parts are where you are now. You could jump in, but you won’t be able to get back out, no matter how fast you think you are.” So then, how fast do you think you are? [[Try to Run Back]] [[Stay]]

Sure that mud was strong, but now that you’re starting at the bad end you can hopefully run through it quickly. The pirate stays still and silent as you ready yourself to run back. You breathe deeply before breaking into a sprint, then launching yourself off the dock as far forwards as you can. For a few moments, you’re soaring through the air. The sound of wind fills your ears as you begin to descend towards the mud, and unfortunately for you there’s no indication of how deep the muck is. The moment your right foot touches the ground, you can feel it give way beneath you, but that’s when you apply pressure to take your next step. Problem is, with the speed you have combined with the muck now halfway up your shin, your leg ain’t moving. This causes your body to continue forwards as your leg is firmly stuck in place; You faceplant. With a facefull of mud and a mouthful of dirt, you look back desperately at the pirate who just warned you not to try it, only to find him gone from the dock. With no one to help you, you try to drag yourself along the mud, grasping whatever you can, which is just more mud, which isn’t very solid. You’re now knees deep in shit, figuratively, since it’s actually mud, and you don’t see anything you can latch onto. You basically accept your fate as you slowly sink into the depth of this muddy hold of… mud. Your nostrils and face hole are eventually filled with the sweet taste of soil as your world fades to black. Well, look at the bright side… you might become a tree in your next life?

You’re literally not that stupid. No way. You barely managed to haul yourself through it once, and now that you made it you’d go back? You shake your head of the silly thought and turn back to face the pirate guy. “Heh, really thought you might go for it for a second there. Well I’m glad you’re not that dumb.” You can hear the grin in his voice as he slowly rises from his spot, the tatters that are his outfit crumbling in a few spots. You can’t see his face from under his hat, but you can still feel his gaze on you. “What brings you here, stranger? You looking for something?” [[Who are you?->Who are you ENVY]]

“The name’s Envy, and I am the one who takes people across the seas.” said the pirate. He looks into the sky as he says this, and as his head drops to the water, he continues. “Or I used to, until I got stuck here.” [[You're stuck?]] [[Who am I?->Who am I ENVY]] [[What is the meaning of life?]] [[Show the Note->Show the Note ENVY]]

There’s a long silence after you ask the question, so long that you’re not sure if he fell asleep or is pretending to ignore you, but after a while he speaks. “I don’t know who you are.” [[Who are you?->Who are you ENVY]] [[What is the meaning of life?]] [[Show the Note->Show the Note ENVY]]

Envy looks like he’s about to start ranting about something. After thinking for a while, he simply looks at you and shrugs. Neither of you are sure what you were expecting. [[Who are you?->Who are you ENVY]] [[Who am I?->Who am I ENVY]] [[Show the Note->Show the Note ENVY]]

You take out the folded note and put your hand out to give it to him. He grasps it lightly and unfolds the paper, reading through it before speaking out. “So that’s why you’re here… Well that explains a lot of things, actually. I can’t fully say what your task will be here, but if it was the second trial you’re looking for, you’ve come to the right place. There are two others who stay around here, and they can be a bit… much at times. “ After finishing his sentence, he hands you back the note. If you’re done asking questions, you can step into the boat. [[Who are you?->Who are you ENVY]] [[Who am I?->Who am I ENVY]] [[What is the meaning of life?]] [[I'm Done Asking Questions.]]

“Yeah, I can’t leave this place. Whenever I walk away, the air gets thick with fog and I always end up back here.” he sighs. You hear him mutter under his breath, “No matter how many times I try.” [[Who am I?->Who am I ENVY]] [[What is the meaning of life?]] [[Show the Note->Show the Note ENVY]]

“Alright, come on then, we’re going.” He steps easily into the small boat, and as you follow him into the vessel you notice the inside is covered in algae and barnacles. You attempt to seat yourself in the slimy boat as he produces a paddle from nowhere and begins to gently push you away from the dock. You take a deep breath and try to mentally prepare yourself for whatever nightmare awaits you next. The beginning of the ride is quite bumpy, or rather… wavey… What even is the right term for this? Regardless of your lack of vocabulary, the boat ride is rather uncomfortable. You struggle to hold on as you fail to grip the slippery wood, but after a bit the currents calm down. Looking around you, you notice the beauty of the forest you find yourself in. “The prettier the forest seems, the deadlier it is. I’ve learned that lesson before” Envy says without looking at you. You’re a bit confused as to how he knew what you thought, but you shrug it off. A bit of time later, you start seeing the river open up to a much larger body of water. In fact, you have no idea how big it is, but the bigger the body of water… the deeper it usually is. [[Enjoy the Ride]]

The water is dark and murky. You try to reach your hand into the water, as you thought you saw something floating on the surface. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” the pirate warns. You decide that caution is the better part of valour and keep your hands inside the small craft. Considering all the weird stuff you’ve seen already, you don’t even want to think about what might be lurking under the surface. You try to sit back and relax a bit, god knows you haven't done that since you got here. The air is far more humid than before, and the wind carries the scent of rotting fish and dead water with it. This would probably make a nice outing if it weren’t for literally everything happening currently. Maybe after all this is over you’ll try and see this crummy lake again, who knows. The boat suddenly lurches hard to starboard, and for a moment you lose your shit and scramble to grip the edges of your seat. Envy curses under his breath, but otherwise has no reaction to it. “Remember what I said about the two others here? Seems like one of them is here to see you.” His words stop your momentary panicking to process what he said. In the water? Your stomach sinks as you dread the thought of whoever, or whatever will be seeing you soon. You hear the water splash gently from behind you, and a low hiss and a grumble fills the stunned silence. Shit. [[Turn Around]] [[Ignore It]]

You turn around slowly and try desperately not to make eye contact with whatever is currently behind you, and whatever you were expecting, this is somehow worse. As you turn, a giant snake-like creature has its head mere feet from the boat, starting directly at you. “Hey Gubs, been a while huh?” Envy’s words make little sense to you as you stare at the huge creature before you. Looking around, it seems like the head is attached to a body that’s coiled around the boat, jagged fins breaking the surface of the water. Its head is easily twice the size of the boat you’re in, and it’s pointed right at you. Two wide eyes staring right through you. It opens its mouth to speak, and you catch a glimpse of teeth the size of your head, easily sharp enough to tear the boat in clean half. “Envy, who is this... plebian you’ve brought before me?” “They’re here for the trial.” He answers simply. The serpent leans down close to you and looks you up and down. “So then… entertain me; what do you want?” [[Who are you?->Who are you GUBS]]

You sit and stare forward in the boat for a while, trying your best not to piss your pants at the thought of whatever's behind you. You can hear Envy clear his throat, and say, "Uhm, I think it wants to talk to you..." [[Turn Around]] [[Keep ignoring it]]

“Are you daft? Envy just spoke my name mere moments ago, and you ask me such a stupid question?” You cast your eyes down and pray that he doesn’t rip your head off for that. You don’t think he likes you... [[Who am I?->Who am I GUBS]] [[Can you back off a bit?]] [[Do you live here?]] [[Why are you a worm?]] [[Can I help you at all?]]

“You’re the magical fairy of the glimmer-shit forest, born to live their life in a singular room, locked away for all eternity, yet somehow you’re here. No, I don’t know who you are.” [[Who are you?->Who are you GUBS]] [[Can you back off a bit?]] [[Do you live here?]] [[Why are you a worm?]] [[Can I help you at all?]]

He narrows his eyes at you and leans in far too close for comfort, “And why is that?” Well now you really don’t wanna say it... but he does reek of rotten fish and gross swamp water. [[You don't scare me.]] [[Who are you?->Who are you GUBS]] [[Who am I?->Who am I GUBS]] [[Do you live here?]] [[Why are you a worm?]] [[Can I help you at all?]]

“Yes, I do.” he replies nonchalantly. You can see the length of his body extend far beyond what you can see. Just how large is this thing? “Next question.” [[Who are you?->Who are you GUBS]] [[Who am I?->Who am I GUBS]] [[Can you back off a bit?]] [[Why are you a worm?]] [[Can I help you at all?]]

“First off… I am not a worm, and call me that again and I’ll tear you limb from limb. I am a leviathan, not some damn worm. Why do you limit yourself to the sad life of a hairless monkey, who miraculously developed a conscience, when you can be at the top of the food chain? Listen, human. Do not ask me stupid questions.” [[Who are you?->Who are you GUBS]] [[Who am I?->Who am I GUBS]] [[Can you back off a bit?]] [[Do you live here?]] [[Can I help you at all?]]

You ask if you can do anything for him, maybe he’s got some unfinished business on the land? Honestly, you just don’t want him to kill you, but maybe gaining his favor will help you out? You suddenly remember the trial mentioning speaking carefully, and thank god or whatever deities are above that you offered to help him. “Perhaps. I do have but one unfinished task, that I did not finish while I was on land.” You desperately nod in acceptance, any chance you get to not get eaten by this thing, you’ll take. [[What task?]]

You ask for elaboration, as to what the task you have to do might be. “Envy will take you to an island at the center of this lake. On that island, you’ll find her. Let this be your only warning. If you shat your pants coming into my lake, you best be prepared to shit your entire self; because she is worse than I.” The leviathan’s body coils around the boat before starting to sink down beneath the surface of the water. “Oh, and one last thing… If you as much as try to return here without her or harm her in any way, shape or form, I’ll make sure you regret it.” The head of the leviathan peaks up above the water, getting real up close and personal with you, before speaking again. “I will personally make your eyes touch one another, force feed you razor blades, braid your veins, and break every single bone in your body in alphabetical order... And don’t worry about dying, along with this form I have been granted powers that will allow me to keep you alive for much longer.” With that, he vanishes under the dark water. If your pants weren’t full of shit before, they definitely were now. You take a moment to inhale, close your eyes, and exhale. You have a bad feeling about who awaits you on the island. You have no other choice but to [[continue...]]

His mouth splits into a wide grin, revealing teeth past his face and down to his neck. “Are you sure about that?” His lower jaw begins to separate in half as his mouth opens more, showing off thousands of needle-like teeth. Well, you could apologize or tell the creature to fight you. [[Apologize]] [[Fight me]]

You apologize for your rude behavior, to which he backs off slightly. “Apology accepted. What else do you want from me?” [[Who are you?->Who are you GUBS]] [[Who am I?->Who am I GUBS]] [[Can you back off a bit?]] [[Do you live here?]] [[Why are you a worm?]] [[Can I help you at all?]]

Despite how close the leviathan is to your face, the overpowering smell and immense threat, you basically tell him to swing first. As ready as you might’ve been mentally, nothing could really have saved you from being bitten in half in one chomp by the giant sea creature. Your bones offer no resistance as you snap along the waist, losing all feeling in your legs. The creature spits you out into the water, and as you sing towards the bottom, you hear the snake speak to Envy: “Well, that was disappointing. And it tasted awful.”

After the leviathan decides to leave you alone, Envy starts rowing further into the lake. Some time passes, and it eventually gets to the point where you can’t see any land at all, no matter what direction you look in. You ask Envy how long it’ll be, but he doesn’t answer. He just sits there rowing. You offer to row in his place for a bit, to let him rest, but you get no response. Well… might as well enjoy the scenery. The water. There’s just water. The sky is this ugly dark… yellow-ish color, the horizon cuts off due to the damn fog around the place, and the water looks like ass, smells like ass, and if you were dumb enough to taste it, it’d probably taste like ass too. [[Continue->ARRIVE AT ISLAND]]

As you sit there, lost in thought of whether or not the ocean tastes like buttocks, Envy speaks out to you: “We’re here,” He says. You look around and notice a shadow on the edge of the water, a few meters in front of you. You feel like you should’ve noticed it sooner, but this place is apparently full of surprises. A small dock manifests from the shade, and Envy smoothly glides the boat over to it, stopping directly next to it. “Good luck, stranger. I’ll be waiting here for your return. Be sure not to take too long.” You thank him for the ride and pull yourself onto the dock, hoping you don’t get splinters from the worn wood. You look at your new surroundings and sigh inwardly at how gloomy this whole place is. The ground is covered in weeds, and while the island seems small there’s a large entrance to a cave in front of you, lit up by a couple torches. You can’t see very far into the cave, but from what you can see it doesn’t really look inviting. You can head directly into the cave, or you can look around outside, which do you do? [[Explore Around]] [[Enter the Cave]]

After that mildly awful trip in the water, you’d like to take a bit of time exploring your surroundings before continuing. Looking around the island, the dock is directly behind you. Straight ahead is the entrance to the cave, the walk there has trees on either side, nothing noteworthy to look at. There’s a shoreline to both sides, which you could technically head down. Looking left, the path seems a bit overgrown with spiky vines, but not so bad you wouldn’t be able to head that way. On the right side, there’s a bit of rocks scattered around in the sand, you feel like it’d be easier to go through there. Well, which will it be? [[Go to the Right]] [[Go to the Left]]

As you approach the entrance, you notice there are multiple footprints in the ground, leading in and out of the cave. Seems like a good amount of people not only made it here, but also made it back out? You’re reminded of the words the leviathan last spoke to you, and you realize that the people that did make it out of this cave probably didn’t make it back to town. You shiver at the thought and make your way into the cave, and to your surprise the cave isn’t nearly as far in as you expected. Only a few feet in you can see the back of the cave, and in the center is… well, out of all the weird things you’ve seen so far, this might just be the weirdest. A large egg sits on a small cushion, with a face drawn on it, with what looks like permanent marker. You take a few steps towards the egg before you notice several corpses lining the walls, with chunks of flesh and torn limbs strewn across the floor. You gulp and stare at the egg. Maybe you should talk to it? It might be dumb since it’s a just an egg, but still… [[Poke the Egg with a Stick]] [[Pick up the Egg]] [[Attempt to Eat]] [[Talk to Egg]]

You retreat out of the cave and scrounge around until you find a long enough stick outside, about the length of your arm. Heading back into the cave, you crouch a few feet away from the egg and gently prod it with the stick. A quick whistling noise fills the air, and you blink before you realize the stick is now in two. You look back at the egg and notice the mouth on its face has cracked open slightly, and a quiet hissing seems to emanate from it. You wait a few minutes sitting perfectly still until the hissing stops before standing up again. Maybe you should try something else. [[Pick up the Egg]] [[Attempt to Eat]] [[Talk to Egg]]

You walk slowly to the egg, and crouch down in front of it before saying a quick prayer and placing your hands on both sides. It’s far heavier than you imagined it to be, and you carefully hold it up in front of you. Despite the drawn on eyes, you could swear it's staring at you. Er… now what? [[Throw the Egg]] [[Pat the Egg]] [[Attempt to Eat]] [[Talk to Egg]]

How long have you been in this crappy place without eating any actual food? Right in front of you is an egg, and just outside are some torches and probably some wood for a fire. Your stomach growls at you as you stare at the egg. Every red flag in your head is going off, but man you’re hungry. Should you really? It’s definitely not a normal egg, [[Eat the Egg]] [[Don't Eat the Egg]]

(if: $triangles is 0)[You rack your mind for any good way to introduce yourself to a literal egg, but so far you’re not getting any good ideas.“Uhhhh… hi?” You say lamely. The egg doesn’t respond. You stare at the egg in an awkward silence when it suddenly speaks, making you flinch slightly. Or a lot, you don’t really want to talk about it. “Hey there. You sure like staring at eggs, huh.” A feminine voice fills the air, and you realize this has to be the person Gubs told you to bring back. You set the egg back down on the cushion in the cave.](if: $triangles is 1)[You set the egg down on the cushion, and casually tell it hello. "Hello," The egg says. You both sit in silence for a moment, before the egg continues.] “Well you came here for something, right? Go on, you can ask me anything. I’ll let you pretend I don’t judge.” The egg's face turns into a wink for a split second, and you think of what to ask it. [[Who are you?->Who are you EGG]]

If this egg is as dangerous as it seems, it might be best to get rid of it. You know the fish monster warned against it, but considering the pile of bodies around you it's probably best to smash this bad boy. Everyone here deserves vengeance anyways, death by egg sounds like a stupid way to die. Filled with vigor, you lift the egg above your head and angle at the wall. A low hissing fills your ears, and you look up only to notice that the egg is cracked open, the top part of its face turned towards you. Empty eyes stare straight into your soul as a horde of hand sized spiders crawl out of the opening and on to your arms. You try to throw the egg only to realize your hands are bound to the egg with webbing, and the spiders suddenly switch from covering you to biting you. Thousands of tiny fangs pierce skin, and you scream as you roll on the ground in a desperate attempt to crush the spiders. You’d celebrate your quick thinking if you could move, but you notice that none of your limbs are responding to you. Not only that, but your chest is starting to hurt. A lot. It feels like acid is flowing through your veins. Wait, no that’s probably venom. Shit. Your hands are suddenly tossed to the side, although you didn’t realize they’d been severed. The egg rolls in front of you, looking down on you before a quiet voice speaks the last words you’ll ever hear. “Fucking idiot…”

The last thing you want to do is end up like the poor schmucks around you, or in the jaws of the huge lake monster, so you decide to try and be nice to the egg. You gently shift the egg to the nook of your elbow and carefully pat the egg a few times. The egg doesn’t move, and the more you pat the egg the sillier you begin to feel. What the fuck were you doing here petting an egg in the middle of a cave surrounded by corpses? You look at the egg and to your shock, the eyes have been replaced by two lines, as if it closed its eyes in contempt. You pat it a couple more times, and as you pat it one last time you notice that its eyes have opened again. That went pretty well! At least you think so, kinda hard to tell. Anything else you wanna try? [[Attempt to Eat]] [[Talk to Egg]]

You want food, and there is food right in front of you. You dash out of the cave and make a small pile of sticks before lighting them up with one of the torches, and after you make sure it'll stay lit you head back inside. The egg seems to have changed while you were gone, its round eyes now topped with angry eyebrows. What… the fuck does it think it’s doing? You can’t be out-browed. You pull out a permanent marker of your own and draw even bigger, angrier eyebrows onto your own face. You then proceed to scoop up the egg off the ground and carry it outside, only to trip on something. The egg rolls out of your arms and next to the fire, staring at your pained face and watching as you smack out the flame that caught on your sleeves and shirt. You turn around quickly to see what you tripped on, and notice a small vine sticking out the ground attached to a bone. The vine begins to grow rapidly, lifting the bone until it lines up with your chest and you immediately throw yourself to the side as it pierces the space you just occupied. Panicked, you try to get to your feet but more vines have sprung from the ground, each one grasping various bones and skulls, some broken and some fully intact. The egg is lifted in front of you by some of the vines, and you watch its tiny mouth flips into a smile as you feel several bones puncture your chest, teeth dragging along skin and vines wrapping around your limbs with crushing force. In seconds, you’re nothing but a bloody pulp before a smoldering pile of branches.

Now that you’re thinking about it, you’re really not sure you trust what might be in this egg. What if it’s a spider egg? Or an ostrich? Or a gross flesh monster? The more ideas you come up with, the more you lose your appetite. The egg makes no reaction to your conundrum, and you think of what you oughta do next. [[Throw the Egg]] [[Pat the Egg]] [[Talk to Egg]]

“I’m an egg! Although most people refer to me as Em, or egg. I’ve had many names in the past, but those are my main two.” It’s mouth doesn’t change while it talks, but it does occasionally blink. [[Who am I?->Who am I EGG]] [[Know anything about Envy?]] [[Know anything about Gubs?]] [[What's it like being an egg?]] [[What are you doing here?->What are you doing here EGG]] [[Who were all these people?]] [[I'm done asking questions.]]

“I dunno, you tell me bro”. The egg doesn’t physically shrug, but if it had arms, you’re sure it would’ve. [[Who are you?->Who are you EGG]] [[Know anything about Envy?]] [[Know anything about Gubs?]] [[What's it like being an egg?]] [[What are you doing here?->What are you doing here EGG]] [[Who were all these people?]] [[I'm done asking questions.]]

“Oh, Envy’s a cool guy. Sucks he’s bound to the docks and his small boat though.” Your eyes widen at the statement, and she cuts you off before you can ask what she means by it. “I can’t say a whole lot, but the three of us were bound to different areas. He can’t walk off the docks, but he can at least paddle his boat around.” The egg huffs in annoyance before asking if you have anything else to ask. [[Who are you?->Who are you EGG]] [[Who am I?->Who am I EGG]] [[Know anything about Gubs?]] [[What's it like being an egg?]] [[What are you doing here?->What are you doing here EGG]] [[Who were all these people?]] [[I'm done asking questions.]]

The eyes seem to be animated, slowly closing as sad eyebrows appear above them. “We were separated by the curse. He is bound to the water of the lake, and I cannot leave the confines of this cave on my own. None of us can.” The eyes slowly open once more. “I really do hope you can help us, stranger.” [[Who are you?->Who are you EGG]] [[Who am I?->Who am I EGG]] [[Know anything about Envy?]] [[What's it like being an egg?]] [[What are you doing here?->What are you doing here EGG]] [[Who were all these people?]] [[I'm done asking questions.]]

She blinks at you before answering you. “Kinda sucks since I can’t really get around very well, but otherwise it’s pretty neat. I can hatch into all sorts of stuff, like birds or snakes. I’d enjoy it a lot more if I wasn’t stuck in this shitty cave,” She wiggles around on her cushion a bit while she speaks, and after she finishes talking, she looks back at you for more questions. [[Who are you?->Who are you EGG]] [[Who am I?->Who am I EGG]] [[Know anything about Envy?]] [[Know anything about Gubs?]] [[What are you doing here?->What are you doing here EGG]] [[Who were all these people?]] [[I'm done asking questions.]]

“I’m trapped here, by that stupid fucking curse. I can roll around all I want, but I can’t leave this place. Other people can come and go as they please, but me? I’m shit outta luck.” [[Who are you?->Who are you EGG]] [[Who am I?->Who am I EGG]] [[Know anything about Envy?]] [[Know anything about Gubs?]] [[What's it like being an egg?]] [[Who were all these people?]] [[I'm done asking questions.]]

The egg seems to smile a bit at your question. “Previous trial contestants trying out all sorts of ways to deal with me. One guy tried to fucking cook me over a fire, y’know? He’s resting in pieces now.” You laugh nervously as you remember the thought of eating the egg when you first showed up. The egg laughs along with you, hopefully oblivious to what you were thinking. [[Who are you?->Who are you EGG]] [[Who am I?->Who am I EGG]] [[Know anything about Envy?]] [[Know anything about Gubs?]] [[What's it like being an egg?]] [[What are you doing here?->What are you doing here EGG]] [[I'm done asking questions.]]

You figure you don’t really have any more questions to ask the egg, and as you think about what you’re supposed to be doing here, you decide you might as well ask Em if she can help you out. (if: $triangles is 1)["You seemed pretty casual about talking to an egg," The egg says, "Weirdo."] You pull out the folded note and show it to her. “Yeah dude, I can't unfold that.” Oh, right. You unfold the note and show it to her, which she reads with a low hum... “Well, you must have spoken well enough to get to me and not be dead. Y’know, I can’t exactly leave this place on my own, but you can. Mind giving me a hand? It’d be nice to see Gubs and Envy again.” You hear a short, loud rumble, and decide it's time to leave. [[Take the Egg]] [[Leave the Egg]]

He turns to greet you, and you watch as he freezes at the sight of the egg tucked in your arms. “...Em? Is that really you?” You hand her over to him, and he places her *very* gently in the boat. You give them a bit of privacy to catch up, but he quickly beckons you over. “Come on, we need to get you out of here.” You thought he’d wanna spend a bit more time with his buddy, but you hop into the boat regardless. You barely have any time to get settled in before he pushes the three of you off the dock and begins paddling much faster than before. The scenery hasn’t changed one bit, dim skies and all. The water still stinks of rot, the air is still as grossly humid as ever, and the boat is still slimy and uncomfortable to sit on and look at. Envy’s paddling is starting to worry you a bit - is he paddling away from something? Someone? Gubs mentioned killing you in a very not fun way if you hurt Em, but maybe he just meant touching her at all? Hell, even talking to her might be a trigger for that guy. And to your utter dismay, you watch as the same fins from before begin to appear around the boat. Except he doesn’t show himself this time. If anything, the boat actually seems to be going faster. You hold onto the egg and grip the side of the boat with your free hand as the boat gets propelled across the water back to the first dock you arrived at. The serpent coils around the boat as you approach the dock, and you lurch to a sudden stop, water splashing into the boat and unfortunately all over you. You dare to look up once the boat is done rocking, and you recoil at the sight of Gubs directly in front of you. (if: $totalKeys is 0)[[Wave at Gubbys->HAS ONE KEY GUB]](if: $totalKeys is 1)[[Wave at Gubbys->HAS TWO KEYS GUB]](if: $totalKeys is 2)[[Wave at Gubbys->HAS THREE KEYS GUB]]

You nervously wave at him, and you notice his gaze fall from you to Em. His tail flicks out of the water and wraps around her and you watch as they do their best to hug one another. You look back and forth between Envy and the two, before gesturing to him, what the fuck was happening. He simply shrugs and laughs. After a while though, the serpent speaks out to you. “Wait here. I’ll go fetch you something.” He then disappears into the water along with the egg for a brief moment. In the meantime, Envy hands you a key from within his tattered coat. You don’t want to imagine where it’s been. When Gubs resurfaces, he looks a bit queasy. You watch in mild disgust as he vomits out a small box directly into your open hands. “You’ve done well to help us, stranger. Take this, you’ve well earned it. Thank you.” All three of their voices speak at the same time, and as you step back onto the dock you turn to thank them for their help only to see that all three of them were gone. “You’re welcome.” You whisper softly, and insert the key into the chest. The second you turn it, the world around you suddenly shifts, and you find yourself back in the center of town. Weird, but handy. You open the box to find a key piece and a crumpled note. “Well, looks like you’ve collected a key piece! This is only one of three, so make sure you go to the other locations if you haven’t already. There, you shall find and complete the two other trials. There is nothing left in the lake for you to find. The curse will only be lifted once you meet me, after you’ve collected all three pieces.” Getting your first key this way brings you hope for the next trials. Well then! Now that the lake trial is all done and you’re back in town, where to next? [[Explore the Town->Explore the Town 2]] [[Leave the Town]] (set: $totalKeys to 1) (set: $wiggles to 1)

You nervously wave at him, and you notice his gaze fall from you to Em. His tail flicks out of the water and wraps around her and you watch as they do their best to hug one another. You look back and forth between Envy and the two, before gesturing to him, what the fuck was happening. He simply shrugs and laughs. After a while though, the serpent speaks out to you. “Wait here. I’ll go fetch you something.” He then disappears into the water along with the egg for a brief moment. In the meantime, Envy hands you a key from within his tattered coat. You don’t want to imagine where it’s been. When Gubs resurfaces, he looks a bit queasy. You watch in mild disgust as he vomits out a small box directly into your open hands. “You’ve done well to help us, stranger. Take this, you’ve well earned it. Thank you.” All three of their voices speak at the same time, and as you step back onto the dock you turn to thank them for their help only to see that all three of them were gone. “You’re welcome.” You whisper softly, and insert the key into the chest. The second you turn it, the world around you suddenly shifts, and you find yourself back in the center of town. Weird, but handy. You open the box to find a key piece and a crumpled note. “Well, looks like you’ve collected a key piece! This is only one of three, so make sure you go to the other locations if you haven’t already. There, you shall find and complete the two other trials. There is nothing left in the lake for you to find. The curse will only be lifted once you meet me, after you’ve collected all three pieces.” (if: $caskets is 1)[After that graveyard trial, this was a... strange change of pace. But not wholly unwelcome. At least you've got your second key.](if: $triangles is 1)[That mountain trial gave you a very different kind of "scared for my life" feeling, but you think you still preferred that to this. Either way, you've got two keys now.] Well then! Now that the lake trial is all done and you’re back in town, where to next? [[Explore the Town->Explore the Town 2]] [[Leave the Town]] (set: $totalKeys to 2) (set: $wiggles to 1)

You nervously wave at him, and you notice his gaze fall from you to Em. His tail flicks out of the water and wraps around her and you watch as they do their best to hug one another. You look back and forth between Envy and the two, before gesturing to him, what the fuck was happening. He simply shrugs and laughs. After a while though, the serpent speaks out to you. “Wait here. I’ll go fetch you something.” He then disappears into the water along with the egg for a brief moment. In the meantime, Envy hands you a key from within his tattered coat. You don’t want to imagine where it’s been. When Gubs resurfaces, he looks a bit queasy. You watch in mild disgust as he vomits out a small box directly into your open hands. “You’ve done well to help us, stranger. Take this, you’ve well earned it. Thank you.” All three of their voices speak at the same time, and as you step back onto the dock you turn to thank them for their help only to see that all three of them were gone. “You’re welcome.” You whisper softly. You decide to insert the key, but as you do, the world warps around you, and once the box is opened, and you remove the key, you find yourself on the path back to town. After having been magically placed on the path home, you take a moment to not throw up your severe lack of food. In fact, you’re not sure if it’s because you haven’t eaten anything since you woke up here, because you haven’t had a single break, or if it’s just the teleportation making you really drunk, but you have trouble staying on your feet. You manage to make it just to the outside of town despite the woozy feeling, before you collapse on the ground, effectively passing the fuck out. [[Wake Up]] (set: $totalKeys to 3) (set: $wiggles to 1)

You continue to stare forward. "Dude, come on..." Envy sighs. [[Turn around already, damn it->Turn Around]]

(if: $totalKeys is 0)[You have zero keys.](if: $totalKeys is 1)[You have one key.](if: $totalKeys is 2)[You have two keys.] ''Trials Completed:'' (if: $caskets is 1)[Graveyard, ](if: $triangles is 1)[Mountain, ](if: $wiggles is 1)[Water] (if: $amulet is 2)[You awake in the town, still a little bit dizzy from what had just occurred. The amulet is shattered on the ground.](if: $shujo is 1)[ It must have broken because you released Shujo.](if: $graves is 1)[ It must have broken because you released Graves.] You decide to explore the town. Who knows, maybe you’ll find something interesting. As you look around your immediate surroundings of the town, you see a few buildings that would allow you to enter. Any place in particular that you want to check out? [[Tavern]] [[Notice Boards]] [[Town Hall]] [[Library]] [[Downtown]] [[Just Leave->Leave the Town]]

Using your trusty shovel from before, you yank that shit into the seam of the casket you figured was the right one. You put in a small amount of effort to pry it up from its seal and gently push it to the side. Looking within you see the remnants of what seems to be a nobody, but it smells awful. The skeleton and decaying flesh upon the bones leave a terrible stench which was unleashed when you opened it. In the chest cavity of the skeleton, however, you do see something that resembles the tile you’re looking for. You reach in to grab it, but as you try to pull it, you overhear the sound of metal coming towards you. You quickly throw yourself to the side and manage to dodge a large axe coming towards you from seemingly nowhere. Yeah, not going to try that one again. You put the lid back on that stupid thing, and head back to the front of the room. That was definitely luck. The next time you pick the wrong one, you fear you won’t be able to dodge whatever god throws at you. [[Return to Riddle->Riddle One]] (set: $casketFails to 1)

It’s got to be that one, right? It couldn’t not be it. You followed all the instructions, so this one has got to be the right one. With optimistic thoughts flooding your mind, you use your shovel to pry open the lid of the casket. As soon as the lid comes off, a puff of blood-red smoke escapes it. Along with the thud of the lid as it hits the ground, the combination of sensations causes you to gasp, inhaling the strange mist. At first you think nothing of it, and continue to search the box for the tile, but there’s nothing but the skeleton of what seems to be a knight. That’s odd. You were expecting to die a gruesome death, but nothing has happened. You take a look around the room, and nothing has changed. Heading back to the pedestal, you start seeing things moving out the corner of your eye, causing you to turn around in a panic. No matter where in the room you look, it feels like there’s always something moving. And it’s getting worse. You shrug them off as hallucinations at first and continue with the riddles, but before you manage to open the next casket, a large man appears in front of you. Wielding the axe that was thrown at you earlier, you run for your life towards the exit. The man doesn’t follow you, but you don’t stop running. You try your best to run up the stairs but slip constantly, worsening your state of panic. Before you manage to reach the top of the stairs, it feels like your legs are about to give out, and you can barely feel your left arm anymore. Am I having a heart attack? You think to yourself. The answer is yes. You actually died a few seconds after inhaling the smoke, the writers were just laughing their ass off at your misfortune.

(if: $casketFails is 0)[As you open the lid, sure enough, within it is the remnants of some old chunky dude, but down by the… crotch area is the tile you’re looking for. Reaching your hand down there making sure NOT to touch anything other than the tile, you fish it out. First try, baby! As you take a look at it, you can tell it’s a little grey arrow pointing to one side. You’re not sure what this means yet, but hopefully there will be clues later on. You might as well collect all of the tiles before proceeding, so you pocket it and return to the pedestal once again. Pressing the button, the text fades out again, revealing your next riddle.](if: $casketFails is 1)[As you open the lid, sure enough, within it is the remnants of some old chunky dude, but down by the… crotch area is the tile you’re looking for. Reaching your hand down there making sure NOT to touch anything other than the tile, you fish it out. As you take a look at it, you can tell it’s a little grey arrow pointing to one side. You’re not sure what this means yet, but hopefully there will be clues later on. You might as well collect all of the tiles before proceeding, so you pocket it and return to the pedestal once again. Pressing the button, the text fades out again, revealing your next riddle.](if: $casketFails is 2)[Okay, so that didn't work, and you barely managed to scrape by. Let's try this again.] “Always face the door, of which you seek to unlock. You must take a step forth, then once to the left. Twice forward, but not before once to the right. Lastly, take a step to the left. Open the casket at your arrival." Alrighty then, the same rules as the first riddle apply, you just need to figure out which dead guy to disturb. Either way, you open casket number.. (if: $casketFails is 0)[[Casket 1->Riddle Three]](if: $casketFails is 1)[[Casket 1->Riddle Three]](if: $casketFails is 2)[[Casket 1->Riddle Three]] (if: $casketFails is 0)[[Casket 2->Riddle 2 Failure]](if: $casketFails is 1)[[Casket 2->Riddle 2 Death]](if: $casketFails is 2)[[Casket 2->Riddle 2 Death]] (if: $casketFails is 0)[[Casket 3->Riddle 2 Failure]](if: $casketFails is 1)[[Casket 3->Riddle 2 Death]](if: $casketFails is 2)[[Casket 3->Riddle 2 Death]] (if: $casketFails is 0)[[Casket 4->Riddle 2 Failure]](if: $casketFails is 1)[[Casket 4->Riddle 2 Death]](if: $casketFails is 2)[[Casket 4->Riddle 2 Death]] (if: $casketFails is 0)[[Casket 5->Riddle 2 Failure]](if: $casketFails is 1)[[Casket 5->Riddle 2 Death]](if: $casketFails is 2)[[Casket 5->Riddle 2 Death]] (if: $casketFails is 0)[[Casket 6->Riddle 2 Failure]](if: $casketFails is 1)[[Casket 6->Riddle 2 Death]](if: $casketFails is 2)[[Casket 6->Riddle 2 Death]] (if: $casketFails is 0)[[Casket 7->Riddle 2 Failure]](if: $casketFails is 1)[[Casket 7->Riddle 2 Death]](if: $casketFails is 2)[[Casket 7->Riddle 2 Death]] (if: $casketFails is 0)[[Casket 8->Riddle 2 Failure]](if: $casketFails is 1)[[Casket 8->Riddle 2 Death]](if: $casketFails is 2)[[Casket 8->Riddle 2 Death]] (if: $casketFails is 0)[[Casket 9->Riddle 2 Failure]](if: $casketFails is 1)[[Casket 9->Riddle 2 Death]](if: $casketFails is 2)[[Casket 9->Riddle 2 Death]]

Opening your second casket, you open it expecting to find the corpse of someone, but there's instead a strange box in the center. Within it, you see the tile you're looking for. It looks similar to the grey one you've already collected, so you think nothing of it when you reach your hand in to pick it up. Reaching in, you feel the cold stone as you grasp it, but something pricks the center of your palm before you yank it out in response to the shock. Well, you got the piece you were looking for, you think. Must've been a bee or something, who knows. You move over to the pedestal once again to press the button, seeing as you've collected your second piece. As you move over there, you can’t help but notice that a fungus kind of plant is coming from the palm of your right hand, the one you got pricked on earlier. Using the left one, you try to remove it, causing you immense pain as you yank chunks of your skin off along with it. Strange pulsating veins start to show, moving underneath your skin, crawling their way up along your arm. The sensation of your skin stretching to accommodate for this new intruder is awful. You scratch furiously at it, attempting to stop it from continuing. It doesn’t take long for you to realize there’s no point in trying. In a last attempt to save your own life from whatever is growing in your arm, you grab your shovel and try to pierce skin, but you already feel much weaker than before. You feel the vines move underneath the skin of your neck as it moves upwards through your cheek, and a strange earthy taste begins invading your mouth. The vines continue moving upwards, your airway sealing shut as both your throat and your nostrils become shut off by fungus growth. You start seeing the vines grow before you, but as you reach out to try and stop them, your hand goes right through. Soon, the vines fill your vision, and all you see is a writing, pulsating mess of fungus. If that isn’t the worst way to die, you don’t know what is.

(if: $casketFails is 0)[There’s no way you could mess this one up. It basically gave you the answer, all you have to do is dig it up. Heading over to it, you pop the lid and take a shit, figuratively, because you opened the right one! The skeleton inside has lost one of his arms and a leg, but in the hand that isn’t missing, lies an orange rune identical in shape and icon to the previous one, the only difference is the color. Could be a coincidence, can’t say for sure yet. Heading back to the pedestal, you press the button and await the next riddle.](if: $casketFails is 1)[There’s no way you could mess this one up. It basically gave you the answer, all you have to do is dig it up. Heading over to it, you pop the lid and take a shit, figuratively, because you opened the right one! The skeleton inside has lost one of his arms and a leg, but in the hand that isn’t missing, lies an orange rune identical in shape and icon to the previous one, the only difference is the color. Could be a coincidence, can’t say for sure yet. Heading back to the pedestal, you press the button and await the next riddle.](if: $casketFails is 2)[There’s no way you could mess this one up. It basically gave you the answer, all you have to do is dig it up. Heading over to it, you pop the lid and take a shit, figuratively, because you opened the right one! The skeleton inside has lost one of his arms and a leg, but in the hand that isn’t missing, lies an orange rune identical in shape and icon to the previous one, the only difference is the color. Could be a coincidence, can’t say for sure yet. Heading back to the pedestal, you press the button and await the next riddle.](if: $casketFails is 3)[Okay, so that didn't work, and you barely managed to scrape by. Let's try this again.] “If these two directions end up at the same casket, you will have arrived at your destination. Do they not, follow the second set of arrows. ↑↓↑↑↓→←←→↑↑↓↓→↑↑←←↓→ ↑↑↓↑↑→↓↓↑←←↓↑↑→↓↓→↑↑←” After much thought, you realize the answer is obvious, so you open casket number… (if: $casketFails is 0)[[Casket 1->Riddle 3 Failure]](if: $casketFails is 1)[[Casket 1->Riddle 3 Death]](if: $casketFails is 2)[[Casket 1->Riddle 3 Death]](if: $casketFails is 3)[[Casket 1->Riddle 3 Death]] (if: $casketFails is 0)[[Casket 2->Riddle Four]](if: $casketFails is 1)[[Casket 2->Riddle Four]](if: $casketFails is 2)[[Casket 2->Riddle Four]](if: $casketFails is 3)[[Casket 2->Riddle Four]] (if: $casketFails is 0)[[Casket 3->Riddle 3 Failure]](if: $casketFails is 1)[[Casket 3->Riddle 3 Death]](if: $casketFails is 2)[[Casket 3->Riddle 3 Death]](if: $casketFails is 3)[[Casket 3->Riddle 3 Death]] (if: $casketFails is 0)[[Casket 4->Riddle 3 Failure]](if: $casketFails is 1)[[Casket 4->Riddle 3 Death]](if: $casketFails is 2)[[Casket 4->Riddle 3 Death]](if: $casketFails is 3)[[Casket 4->Riddle 3 Death]] (if: $casketFails is 0)[[Casket 5->Riddle 3 Failure]](if: $casketFails is 1)[[Casket 5->Riddle 3 Death]](if: $casketFails is 2)[[Casket 5->Riddle 3 Death]](if: $casketFails is 3)[[Casket 5->Riddle 3 Death]] (if: $casketFails is 0)[[Casket 6->Riddle 3 Failure]](if: $casketFails is 1)[[Casket 6->Riddle 3 Death]](if: $casketFails is 2)[[Casket 6->Riddle 3 Death]](if: $casketFails is 3)[[Casket 6->Riddle 3 Death]] (if: $casketFails is 0)[[Casket 7->Riddle 3 Failure]](if: $casketFails is 1)[[Casket 7->Riddle 3 Death]](if: $casketFails is 2)[[Casket 7->Riddle 3 Death]](if: $casketFails is 3)[[Casket 7->Riddle 3 Death]] (if: $casketFails is 0)[[Casket 8->Riddle 3 Failure]](if: $casketFails is 1)[[Casket 8->Riddle 3 Death]](if: $casketFails is 2)[[Casket 8->Riddle 3 Death]](if: $casketFails is 3)[[Casket 8->Riddle 3 Death]] (if: $casketFails is 0)[[Casket 9->Riddle 3 Failure]](if: $casketFails is 1)[[Casket 9->Riddle 3 Death]](if: $casketFails is 2)[[Casket 9->Riddle 3 Death]](if: $casketFails is 3)[[Casket 9->Riddle 3 Death]]

You’re approximately 79.5% sure this answer is the right one, so you feel pretty lucky when you strut over and yank that lid open and toss it to the side. With a big grin on your face, you lean over and peek into the casket, only to find pitch black nothingness. You rub your eyes and look again, with the same result. You reach down your right hand to touch what you expect to be the bottom of the box, only to have a thin, bony hand reach up and tightly grasp yours. The nails are long, puncturing the skin on your wrist, causing blood to drip down the cold, pale hand. Shit, shit, shit. SHIT. Panicked, you grab your shovel, which was still in your left hand after use, and try to smack the hand that’s locked its grip. You hit and tear through it’s thin skin, but it doesn’t let go. You keep bashing at it whilst it continues to hold onto you. By the time you’ve run out of breath, it’s pretty much all bone, but still hasn’t let go. As you take a moment to catch your breath, it yanks hard, causing you to lose your footing, and you tumble over into the casket. What feels like several non-human limbs start tearing at your shin, latching onto you, preventing you from getting out of the basket. You feel the hands clawing at your head, removing hair, skin and tissue, and as you look up, you see a black figure standing beside the casket. You call out for help, but a wide smile spreads on the figure's face, too wide to be human. As you stare at where its eyes would’ve been, the light starts getting cut off by the lid being put back on. What a hands on way to die, eh?

(if: $casketFails is 0)[You’re approximately 79.5% sure this answer is the right one, so you feel pretty lucky when you strut over and yank that lid open and toss it to the side. With a big grin on your face, you lean over and peek into the casket, only to find exactly what you were looking for. Well, you weren’t entirely sure what you were expecting, but within the casket lies the third tile, this one’s blue. Oh right, how could you miss it. The casket was also full of severed hands and feet. Some seem freshly cut, others seem to have been here a while, with little to no flesh on them. Reaching within you quickly grab the third tile and close the hell out of it again. Disgusting. Having now gotten three of four pieces, it’s time for the final riddle. Heading over to the pedestal for the final time, you hope, and press the button.](if: $casketFails is 1)[You’re approximately 79.5% sure this answer is the right one, so you feel pretty lucky when you strut over and yank that lid open and toss it to the side. With a big grin on your face, you lean over and peek into the casket, only to find exactly what you were looking for. Well, you weren’t entirely sure what you were expecting, but within the casket lies the third tile, this one’s blue. Oh right, how could you miss it. The casket was also full of severed hands and feet. Some seem freshly cut, others seem to have been here a while, with little to no flesh on them. Reaching within you quickly grab the third tile and close the hell out of it again. Disgusting. Having now gotten three of four pieces, it’s time for the final riddle. Heading over to the pedestal for the final time, you hope, and press the button.](if: $casketFails is 2)[You’re approximately 79.5% sure this answer is the right one, so you feel pretty lucky when you strut over and yank that lid open and toss it to the side. With a big grin on your face, you lean over and peek into the casket, only to find exactly what you were looking for. Well, you weren’t entirely sure what you were expecting, but within the casket lies the third tile, this one’s blue. Oh right, how could you miss it. The casket was also full of severed hands and feet. Some seem freshly cut, others seem to have been here a while, with little to no flesh on them. Reaching within you quickly grab the third tile and close the hell out of it again. Disgusting. Having now gotten three of four pieces, it’s time for the final riddle. Heading over to the pedestal for the final time, you hope, and press the button.](if: $casketFails is 3)[You’re approximately 79.5% sure this answer is the right one, so you feel pretty lucky when you strut over and yank that lid open and toss it to the side. With a big grin on your face, you lean over and peek into the casket, only to find exactly what you were looking for. Well, you weren’t entirely sure what you were expecting, but within the casket lies the third tile, this one’s blue. Oh right, how could you miss it. The casket was also full of severed hands and feet. Some seem freshly cut, others seem to have been here a while, with little to no flesh on them. Reaching within you quickly grab the third tile and close the hell out of it again. Disgusting. Having now gotten three of four pieces, it’s time for the final riddle. Heading over to the pedestal for the final time, you hope, and press the button.](if: $casketFails is 4)[Okay, so that didn't work, and you barely managed to scrape by. Let's try this again.] “Having collected pieces three, what is it you expect to see? What is it you have come here for? Is it treasure or knowledge, or just to explore? To this you might agree, that hidden away lies the key. Combine the three numbers that came before, and you may unlock the secrets behind the door.” You start wondering who’s getting paid to write all these convoluted riddles and rhymes, probably someone… eating limes… Well, at least you tried. In regards to the task at hand, you open casket number… (if: $casketFails is 0)[[Casket 1->Riddle 4 Failure]](if: $casketFails is 1)[[Casket 1->Riddle 4 Death]](if: $casketFails is 2)[[Casket 1->Riddle 4 Death]](if: $casketFails is 3)[[Casket 1->Riddle 4 Death]](if: $casketFails is 4)[[Casket 1->Riddle 4 Death]] (if: $casketFails is 0)[[Casket 2->Riddle 4 Failure]](if: $casketFails is 1)[[Casket 2->Riddle 4 Death]](if: $casketFails is 2)[[Casket 2->Riddle 4 Death]](if: $casketFails is 3)[[Casket 2->Riddle 4 Death]](if: $casketFails is 4)[[Casket 2->Riddle 4 Death]] (if: $casketFails is 0)[[Casket 3->Riddle 4 Failure]](if: $casketFails is 1)[[Casket 3->Riddle 4 Death]](if: $casketFails is 2)[[Casket 3->Riddle 4 Death]](if: $casketFails is 3)[[Casket 3->Riddle 4 Death]](if: $casketFails is 4)[[Casket 3->Riddle 4 Death]] (if: $casketFails is 0)[[Casket 4->Riddle 4 Failure]](if: $casketFails is 1)[[Casket 4->Riddle 4 Death]](if: $casketFails is 2)[[Casket 4->Riddle 4 Death]](if: $casketFails is 3)[[Casket 4->Riddle 4 Death]](if: $casketFails is 4)[[Casket 4->Riddle 4 Death]] (if: $casketFails is 0)[[Casket 5->Riddle 4 Failure]](if: $casketFails is 1)[[Casket 5->Riddle 4 Death]](if: $casketFails is 2)[[Casket 5->Riddle 4 Death]](if: $casketFails is 3)[[Casket 5->Riddle 4 Death]](if: $casketFails is 4)[[Casket 5->Riddle 4 Death]] (if: $casketFails is 0)[[Casket 6->Riddle 4 Failure]](if: $casketFails is 1)[[Casket 6->Riddle 4 Death]](if: $casketFails is 2)[[Casket 6->Riddle 4 Death]](if: $casketFails is 3)[[Casket 6->Riddle 4 Death]](if: $casketFails is 4)[[Casket 6->Riddle 4 Death]] (if: $casketFails is 0)[[Casket 7->Riddle 4 Failure]](if: $casketFails is 1)[[Casket 7->Riddle 4 Death]](if: $casketFails is 2)[[Casket 7->Riddle 4 Death]](if: $casketFails is 3)[[Casket 7->Riddle 4 Death]](if: $casketFails is 4)[[Casket 7->Riddle 4 Death]] (if: $casketFails is 0)[[Casket 8->Tile Puzzle 1]](if: $casketFails is 1)[[Casket 8->Tile Puzzle 1]](if: $casketFails is 2)[[Casket 8->Tile Puzzle 1]](if: $casketFails is 3)[[Casket 8->Tile Puzzle 1]](if: $casketFails is 4)[[Casket 8->Tile Puzzle 1]] (if: $casketFails is 0)[[Casket 9->Riddle 4 Failure]](if: $casketFails is 1)[[Casket 9->Riddle 4 Death]](if: $casketFails is 2)[[Casket 9->Riddle 4 Death]](if: $casketFails is 3)[[Casket 9->Riddle 4 Death]](if: $casketFails is 4)[[Casket 9->Riddle 4 Death]]

You’ve made it this far with all limbs still attached, and you haven’t been stabbed, decapitated, defenestrated or otherwise ended up dead somewhere, so you feel pretty good about your decision. With every correct choice you’ve made, you also decrease the chance of failure as the number of available caskets are lowered, so while there’s one right choice, instead of being 8 wrong ones, there’s only 5 now. You step on over to the side of the casket, slide the head of the shovel into the crease of the lid and the body of the box, and twist it, opening it with an audible pop. Pushing the top aside you reveal the skull of what seems to be a bishop, his clothing still remains intact, which is unbelievable. The staff within his hand looks… mesmerising. The orb atop has what looks like stars floating within it. You can’t help but reach out to grab the staff, taking the staff up, out of the box. Holding it in your right hand, you start feeling immense power coursing through you. You feel like nothing could stop you, not even that damned rock over there in the corner. Fuck that rock. You notice that in the casket, lies a book with the word “spells” on it. Oooh, why bother finding the last piece when you can just blow the fuck out of the door? Grabbing it, you spend a few minutes finding an explosive spell. You wave your wand and yell out the words, “Causa Satani”. Velvet red magic starts forming around the orb, and immense heat starts forming in front of you. You swish and flick your staff, and it explodes in your face, blinding you momentarily. When you regain your vision, you’re on the floor, far away from the door, which looks unscathed. You, on the other hand, are lacking one. In fact, your entire right arm is gone. You’re not a wizard, harry.

You’ve made it this far with all limbs still attached, and you haven’t been stabbed, decapitated, defenestrated or otherwise ended up dead somewhere, so you feel pretty good about your decision. With every correct choice you’ve made, you also decrease the chance of failure as the number of available caskets are lowered, so while there’s one right choice, instead of being 8 wrong ones, there’s only 5 now. You step on over to the side of the casket, slide the head of the shovel into the crease of the lid and the body of the box, and twist it, opening it with an audible pop. Pushing the top aside you reveal the skull of what seems to be a bishop, his clothing still remains intact, which is unbelievable. Within the left, rotten hand lies the last and final piece. This one is yellow. Looking at the ones you’ve collected thus far, you have a grey tile, an orange tile, a blue tile, and now a yellow tile. With the fourth puzzle done, you press the button one last time, and get the following message. //“Congratulations, for passing these riddles four, but your quest is not yet done. In order to open the door, you must affix the tiles one by one. But beware, the second you get one wrong the floor will give way. That marks the end of the game, so go on and play.”// Thinking about the riddle, it’s clear you have to put the tiles into the door, but making a single wrong move and you could end up dead at the bottom of a pit. With the tiles in hand, you move to the door furthest from whence you came in. Which tile do you put in first? [[The Blue Tile->TILE PUZZLE 2]] [[The Yellow Tile->TILE DEATH]] [[The Orange Tile->TILE DEATH]] [[The Grey Tile->TILE DEATH]]

You decide the blue tile is the right one to place at the top. Holding it in both hands, you align it with the slot, and press it in. There’s an audible clunk from behind the wall, followed by a simple tune. Well, it seems like the first tile was right. Looking at your remaining three pieces, you have an orange, yellow and grey tile left. Which do you insert into the second slot? [[The Yellow Tile->Tile Puzzle 3]] [[The Orange Tile->TILE DEATH]] [[Grey Tile->TILE DEATH]]

As you insert the tile, nothing seems to happen at first, but after a little while an unfamiliar rumble is audible, and it only gets louder. Standing still, trying to figure out where this rumble is coming from, the floor beneath you suddenly gives way. You try to reach out and grab the ledge, but your fingers slip and you plummet down into the pitfall. As you fall, you start spinning around, amidst the falling, you can tell it’s getting darker, suggesting what used to be the floor beneath your feet is closing up again. The light is replaced with a fluorescent green light at the bottom, which you’re approaching fast. Reaching the bottom, you splash into a large body of liquid, luckily you had your eyes closed so when you swim back to the surface, you’re able to open your eyes fine and take a look around you. It’s really dark, and it seems like the light you were seeing came from the liquid itself. You see a ledge over to the side, which you swim over to. There’s a light sting to your skin as you move around, but you figure it’s just because of the collision with the liquid from the fall. Getting up on the ledge, you take a moment to recollect what actually just happened, and that’s when you realize the stinging has turned into pain, as your body hurts all over. Looking at your hand, your skin is bright red, irritated by the liquid, you assume. Despite your eyes being closed, they too hurt from the ordeal. Just when you hoped the pain was dying down, it doubled over in intensity, causing you to scream out in pain. Your vision is now blood red, and your hands seem to no longer have skin on them. Any sort of movement causes your entire body to ache as your body starts disintegrating. Before long the pain overwhelms your senses and you pass out from exhaustion. Protip: Water doesn’t glow fluorescent green. That was acid.

It’s got to be this one, the yellow one. Just like the previous tile, you insert it into the slot gently, making sure you have enough time to dodge a potential axe coming your way. Except it doesn’t happen. The same clunk as earlier can be heard, along with the simplistic melody. Well, you’re still alive. It’s 50/50 at this point, so what tile goes into the third slot? [[The Orange Tile->The Chest]] [[The Grey Tile->TILE DEATH]]

With the last two tiles in hand, you go with the one in your right hand, the orange one. Aligning the tile with the third slot in the wall, you push it in. The familiar clunk followed by the tune can be heard again, and after a while you get the idea that you’ve gotten it right. There’s no point in debating what to do next, so you insert the last and final tile in, the grey one. The final order is now blue, yellow, orange and grey. As the final tile is inserted into the wall, a series of clicks and clunks echo throughout the mostly empty room, a victory chime plays as the entire room seems to shake. Looking at the door, it starts parting from the side, sliding a bit backwards and starts moving into a seam in the wall. After the wall has stopped moving, it sounds like it locks in place, allowing you to enter. You make sure there are no traps in the floor as you make your way in. The room you now find yourself in is empty with the exception of a single large chest opposite of you. Do you open the chest? (if: $totalKeys is 0)[[Yes->Open Chest ONE KEY]](if: $totalKeys is 1)[[Yes->Open Chest TWO KEYS]](if: $totalKeys is 2)[[Yes->Open Chest ALL KEYS]] [[No->Don't Open]]

I’m sorry, what? You’ve come all this way, spoken with Graves and Shujo, offered all your coins away in order to speak with the latter. You solved all four riddles as well as inserting the slots in the right order, and you don’t open the chest? Sorry mr comedian, but that’s not happening. Open the damn chest. Do you open the chest? (if: $totalKeys is 0)[[Yes->Open Chest ONE KEY]](if: $totalKeys is 1)[[Yes->Open Chest TWO KEYS]](if: $totalKeys is 2)[[Yes->Open Chest ALL KEYS]] [[No->Don't Open]]

Pocketing the key piece, you head out, past the casket and up the stairs. When you get out, you see Shujo floating in front of Graves, talking to him. It seems they haven’t noticed you yet, so you walk on over to the pair, and greet them. They both seem to stare at you in disbelief, shocked as to how you’re standing before them. You clear your throat to inform them that you are, in fact, still alive, and standing here. “You’re alive.”, Graves says quietly, still not really understanding how you survived the tests, but alas you did, and you got the key piece! You ask them if whatever you just went through was the trial the note mentioned, and if the key was what you were looking for, and as it turns out, it was. “I’m so proud of you, dude! We knew you had it in you, it was just a matter of time.”, the ghost cheers you on, floating around you whilst he speaks, “well, actually I expected you to die - but I’m glad you didn’t!” You have a nice little talk with the two of them, discussing what you just went through. Apparently you could’ve died in several gruesome ways down there. Pretty much everyone else that had come here before you died in the catacombs or didn’t even bother going down there. There were a few exceptions but… seeing as Graves is still a grave, none of them finished their journey. You try to see what time of day it is, as you wouldn’t want to be out at night, but the sky is covered in clouds or some kind of mist; honestly you have no idea what the fuck it is, but its obstructing the view. You feel like you’ve seen everything here, so… Do you head back to town? [[Return to Town->Explore the Town 2]] [[Stay->Stay in the Graveyard]] (set: $caskets to 1)

Dude, I just told you there’s nothing left to see. Are you always this annoying to deal with? So far you’ve been able to read and follow the instructions you’ve been given, yet NOW you decide not to? Oh, what? You expected there to be something else to find here? Sure, congratulations. You’ve found a shriveled up dog turd, hope you’re happy. Now leave the catacombs. Do you leave? [[Yes->Leave the Catacomb]] [[No->Remain in the Catacomb]]

You realize there might be some juicy secrets left to explore, but as you walk towards some of the graves to investigate you hear laughter behind you. “Sorry, but there’s nothing left for you to do here. Go on, you got better places to be!” There’s a snap and you suddenly find yourself standing in the middle of town again, stumbling a bit on the sudden change of ground. Rude. [[Explore the Town->Explore the Town 2]] (set: $caskets to 1)

You step over, in front of the chest, which isn’t even locked, and open it. Within it is what seems like a key, but you can tell this is just a piece of it. Below the key, lies a note. The note itself says “So, you’ve collected a key piece, huh? Well, this is just one of three. Go to the other locations, if you haven’t already. There, you shall find and complete the two other trials. There is nothing left in the graveyard for you to find, so go right ahead and leave. The curse will only be lifted once you meet me, after you’ve collected all three pieces.” Finally, you've got your first key. Do you leave? [[Yes->Leave the Catacomb]] [[No->Remain in the Catacomb]] (set: $totalKeys to 1)

You step over, in front of the chest, which isn’t even locked, and open it. Within it is what seems like a key, but you can tell this is just a piece of it. Below the key, lies a note. The note itself says “So, you’ve collected a key piece, huh? Well, this is just one of three. Go to the other locations, if you haven’t already. There, you shall find and complete the two other trials. There is nothing left in the graveyard for you to find, so go right ahead and leave. The curse will only be lifted once you meet me, after you’ve collected all three pieces.” (if: $triangles is 1)[A complete 180 from the last trial you went through, but you won't complain. At least you've got your second key.](if: $wiggles is 1)[Rather than risk your life this way, you probably would have preferred to go on another boat ride with a weirdo again... But, you made it and got your second key.] Do you leave? [[Yes->Leave the Catacomb]] [[No->Remain in the Catacomb]] (set: $totalKeys to 2)

You step over, in front of the chest, which isn’t even locked, and open it. Within it is what seems like a key, but you can tell this is just a piece of it. Below the key, lies a note. The note itself says “So, you’ve collected a key piece, huh? Well, this is just one of three. Go to the other locations, if you haven’t already. There, you shall find and complete the two other trials. There is nothing left in the graveyard for you to find, so go right ahead and leave. The curse will only be lifted once you meet me, after you’ve collected all three pieces.” You decide to leave. As you leave the graveyard, however, you start feeling woozy. You’re not sure why, but it couldn’t be the fog since it had cleared up on your way out. The further you walk, the harder it gets to keep your eyes open. A good distance before you reach the center of town, you collapse on the ground, passing out. [[Wake Up]] (set: $totalKeys to 3) (set: $caskets to 1)

Yeah, the right side seems a lot nicer for your feet to traverse in, so you walk on over. Envy merely looks in your general direction as you head to the right, pushing foliage away so you can see where you’re going. You’d say you make it about a quarter ways around the island before you see something of interest. There’s a ship on the shore. Well, half of one. Walking over to it, there are many bits and pieces of wood strewn about the sand. Good thing you had shoes, otherwise you’d be screaming in pain due to splinters. For the first time since you woke up, you actually look at your own feet. It hadn’t struck you until now that you were wearing shoes. Weird how that works. You spend a bit of time exploring the shipwreck, but unfortunately there’s not much to see. Wondering what might’ve caused this ship to crash here, you remember the giant serpent, which answers your question. Well, that was disappointing. [[Continue Right]] [[Head Back->Explore Around]] [[Go to the Left]]

While the vines seemed to be the worse decision, if you’ve learned anything from playing video games all day, it’s that with high risk comes high rewards. So you go left. Having reached about a fourth around the island, you spot something of interest. It appears like there’s some kind of hole in the ground. Looking into it, there are various eggshells, and what seems to be a single unhatched one. Your curiosity leads you to pick up the unhatched one, and while inspecting it you find that it’s not exactly unhatched, but there is a hole in the side of it. As you try to peel off some of it, a little head peaks out of the shell at you. Aww. What a cute little baby. Seeing as all the other shells are empty, you guess this little guy didn’t have the strength to break out of his own shell. You do the right thing, and help it out. As you open the egg and take out the turtle, it seems to stare at you for a bit, before turning it’s back and heading into water. [[Continue Left]] [[Head Back->Explore Around]] [[Go to the Right]]

(if: $dynamite's Dynamite is false)[Reaching the opposite side of the island, you’re now more or less directly opposite from the dock, where there isn’t actually anything at all. You were expecting some secret entrance or something noteworthy, maybe some sick loot, but there’s nothing. You’re also blocked from continuing further in this direction, due to a large cluster of sharp rocks which you don’t dare climbing. Or, thinking about it, you could probably try, but you don’t know if it's worth it. Afterall, you could head back and just head left, but that would take like… a whole 5 minutes at least.](if: $dynamite's Dynamite is true)[Reaching the opposite side of the island, you’re now more or less directly opposite from the dock, where there isn’t actually anything at all. You were expecting some secret entrance or something noteworthy, maybe some sick loot, but there’s nothing. You’re also blocked from continuing further in this direction, due to a large cluster of sharp rocks which you don’t dare climbing. Or, thinking about it, you could probably try, but you don’t know if it's worth it. Afterall, you could head back and just head left, but that would take like… a whole 5 minutes at least. You also have your Dynamite! Maybe you could try blowing up the wall!](if: $brokewall is 1)[Reaching the opposite side of the island, you’re now more or less directly opposite from the dock, where there isn’t actually anything at all. You could have swore that you just blew up this wall, but it's back again. Isn't that unfortunate. You could probably try climbing it, but you don’t know if it's worth it. Afterall, you could head back and just head left, but that would take like… a whole 5 minutes at least.] Decisions, decisions... [[Climb Wall]] [[Don't Try]] [[Go to the Left]] (if: $dynamite's Dynamite is true)[[Blow up the wall.]]

Pff, what could happen? You were face to face with probably the biggest creature to exist in this world, yet you’re backing down at this puny, very spiky wall of rocks? Absolutely not. You ready yourself, and grab hold of one of the rocks, with one goal in mind; climb this shit. It goes pretty well to begin with, and you actually make it pretty far up. Some of the rocks are really slippery though, that, combined with how sharp some of the others are, you start regretting your decision. As you stand there, hesitating, your left leg slips off the rock you had it on, causing one of the sharper ones to dig into your leg. The shock of pain almost caused you to fall off entirely, but this thing is still firmly stuck in your leg now, and it’s not exactly wanting to leave. You can feel liquid flow down your leg as you try to hold on for dear llife. Holy shit that’s a lot of blood, you think to yourself as you look down. You need to get that thing out of your leg, as it’s not only hurting like hell, it’s also preventing you from climbing further. Problem is, you can’t do it without using one of your hands. Everything just had to go wrong when you tried to climb this wall, didn’t it. By trying to reach down with one of your hands, the other immediately slips as you couldn’t get a firm enough grip on the slippery rocks. Your hand is the first to reach the sand, then your head. The rest of it is stuck to the wall, somewhere.

As much as you want to explore the other side of the island, you don’t want to die by trying to climb that dangerous wall, so you decide to head back. Do you want to continue exploring? Or enter the cave? [[Explore Around]] [[Enter the Cave]]

(if: $dynamite's Dynamite is false)[Reaching the opposite side of the island, you’re now more or less directly opposite from the dock, where there isn’t actually anything at all. You were expecting some secret entrance or something noteworthy, maybe some sick loot, but there’s nothing. You’re also blocked from continuing further in this direction, due to a large cluster of sharp rocks which you don’t dare climbing. Or, thinking about it, you could probably try, but you don’t know if it's worth it. Afterall, you could head back and just head left, but that would take like… a whole 5 minutes at least.](if: $dynamite's Dynamite is true)[Reaching the opposite side of the island, you’re now more or less directly opposite from the dock, where there isn’t actually anything at all. You were expecting some secret entrance or something noteworthy, maybe some sick loot, but there’s nothing. You’re also blocked from continuing further in this direction, due to a large cluster of sharp rocks which you don’t dare climbing. Or, thinking about it, you could probably try, but you don’t know if it's worth it. Afterall, you could head back and just head left, but that would take like… a whole 5 minutes at least. You also have your Dynamite! Maybe you could try blowing up the wall!](if: $brokewall is 1)[Reaching the opposite side of the island, you’re now more or less directly opposite from the dock, where there isn’t actually anything at all. You could have swore that you just blew up this wall, but it's back again. Isn't that unfortunate. You could probably try climbing it, but you don’t know if it's worth it. Afterall, you could head back and just head left, but that would take like… a whole 5 minutes at least.] Decisions, decisions... [[Climb Wall]] [[Don't Try]] [[Go to the Right]] (if: $dynamite's Dynamite is true)[[Blow up the wall.]]

That skeleton looks pretty dead, you say to yourself as you make the decision to check it out. Stepping over to the side of the broken vehicle, you take a closer look to everything. Yep, that’s a dead horse alright, it’s most certainly not going to do anything. You kick it to reassure yourself, and yeah, it’s dead, and now you feel bad about yourself for kicking a dead horse. You don’t quite know how long it’s been here, but that skull is looking pretty cool. If it wasn’t because it weighed a lot, you’d definitely consider keeping it as a souvenir. Taking a peek inside the caravan, it quickly becomes apparent that this used to be the property of a traveling salesman, as evident by all the broken items in it. Oh, and the dead guy in the far end of it. The driver probably hauled ass when something went wrong, leaving the guy in the back to fend for himself. Hmm… a lot of the stuff is broken, but you figured you could salvage something. You spend a few minutes searching the back of the van thoroughly, ending up with two items that are sure to come in handy later on. A single stick of dynamite with a slightly short fuse and a match to ignite it with. Do you ignite it now or pocket it? [[Ignite it]] [[Pocket it]]

Yeah, not going to risk that, you think to yourself. Considering the state of the town and how there wasn’t anything broken, you figure there’s nothing of value to be gained by looking at a dead horse and a bunch of wooden planks. Seems like a waste of time. So, you [[Carry on.->Continue to Mountain]]

Hells yeah, ignite that shit! And so you ignite it, for some reason. You stare at the fuse burning down towards the cylinder of explosives, before realizing that it’s going to definitely kill you if you hold onto it. You chuck that shit as hard as you can, in a random direction. The stick explodes in mid air, not too far from you. The shockwave is enough to push your entire body rocketing towards the ground, and fast. So fast, in fact, that you don’t have time to soften your fall and your face collides with a rock. Why would you think that was a good idea?

Why would you even consider igniting it here, and now? What kind of idiot would ever do such a thing. You put the stick of dynamite and the match in your inventory, and you [[Carry on.->Continue to Mountain]]. (set: $dynamite to (datamap: "Dynamite", true))

Continuing your trip towards the magical land of triangles, you wonder what kind of doritos you’ll find in the summit. Would they be nacho cheese? Or Cool Ranch? Or maybe the spicy ones you can’t remember the name of… This train of thought keeps you mildly entertained as you, after an uneventful period of trekking and writer’s block, find yourself at the bottom of a giant mountain, with a path leading up. You feel the allure of cheesy goodness calling out for you, but that hike looks tiresome. What do you do? [[Continue Walking]] [[Turn Around and Leave]]

You inwardly sigh and give into the cravings of the crunchy chips that await you at the end of the hike. To your dismay, not only is the hike a bit tough due to how rugged the path is, but it’s also starting to incline upwards. You can feel your breath become more labored as your steps become steeper and steeper, and as you glance to your side you realize you’re pretty high up from where you started. The corpses and spooky fog were one thing, but heights? Heights? Now that’s just uncalled for. Welp, you’ve committed to the tortilla chips, guess you’ll be hiking for a good while. [[Continue Walking->Walk 1]]

You decide that no matter what the prize is, it isn’t worth actual exercise. You turn around and attempt to bail on the operation. However, before you can even take a step, some supernatural force points you back in the correct direction. Darn writers. Guess you’ll have to follow the path leading up. [[Continue Walking]]

You pass a group of mountain goats, grazing on the grasses of the mountain. You wonder if they’re edible for a moment, then figure that it’s a dumb question to ask. Of course they’re edible! Anything is edible, really. God you want food. [[Continue Walking->Walk 2]]

You pass a group of cacti to your right. They’re aesthetically cute, but you take care to avoid the spikes scattered on the leaves. You do glance back for a second to see if there are any fruits on it, but no luck. Darn. [[Continue Walking->Walk 3]]

You feel your stomach grumble and check the map. You put it away after seeing the doritos again. [[Continue Walking->Walk 4]]

Your path is blocked by a savage rock! You decide to punt it off to the side. It hits the ground with a pathetic thud. That’ll show nature who’s boss. It’s you! You grab a stick and start using it to whack various rocks as you hike until it snaps against a boulder. Well played, nature. Well played. [[Continue Walking->Walk 5]]

All this walking reminds you of the last time you exercised. You can’t remember when you last exercised. [[Continue Walking->Walk 6]]

You spot a group of birds flying above you.(if: $memories's Gasparatus is true)[ You think about that bird you saw back at the mansion, and you wonder about it. It was pretty large, maybe if it comes along you could ask it for a ride? Or just carry you up.] You really wish you could fly up this mountain, this is getting tiring. [[Continue Walking->Walk 7]]

You pass by another group of cacti. You could swear that they’re the same ones as before, but to your joy it has a single fruit growing from it! You fight the plant a bit to get to the fruit, and after getting pricked too many times you retrieve your snack and enjoy it as you continue your walk. It’s not the savory corn chip you were originally hoping for, but it’s still pretty good. [[Continue Walking->Walk 8]]

The ground begins to shake beneath you - It’s an earthquake! Just kidding. [[Continue Walking->Walk 9]]

You come across a little hole in the ground with a sign outfront. It says “Ans”. It also says “Fuck off”. Righty then. Back to walking. You swear you hear “caramelldansen” playing from deep within the cave. You’re not sure how you know that song, but it’s there. [[Continue Walking->Walk 10]]

You begin to wonder just how long this trek is, anyways? This filler is lame [[Continue Walking->Walk 11]]

A beeping sound lets you know that you’ve just passed 500 daily steps! Congrats, you’ve just beaten your previous record. Of zero. Hooray! [[Continue Walking->Walk 12]]

You see a group of cacti again. You’re almost certain it’s the same ones as before. The smallest one looks like it needs a therapist. [[Continue Walking->Walk 13]]

Your legs start complaining about the constant walking but you tell them to kindly shut the fuck up and keep going. [[Continue Walking->Walk 14]]

Your journey up the mountain is put to a halt as the road ahead appears to have been destroyed by an avalanche, making it impossible to continue forward. Beside you, however, is a cave, with a small sign. “Sorry about the path, someone thought it was funny to punt a rock off the top. This cave will take you to the other side, but be careful, and remember the path you take. In order to get out, you’ll need to take the opposite route.” You’re not quite sure what is meant by this, but you don’t really have much of a choice. It’s either through the cave or… all the way down. Looking up, you’d say you’re about two thirds of the way up. Needless to say, you aren’t looking forward to going into this cave. If it’s any consolation, there are torches lined up along the wall, so it won’t be pitch black. It's time to [[Enter the Cave->Enter Mountain Cave]]

Walking in, you decide you’d rather be holding a torch rather than trusting that whoever owns this cave, make sure it’s lit up through the entire thing. So just for now, you grab one of the torches. Heading in, the caves are lined with minerals of all kinds, full of colors and shining things that reflect the light. If it wasn’t because of all the weird noises that emanate from within the cave, you’d be enjoying this. You come across a split in the cave, one with a minecraft - scratch that - minecart on the left, and one without on the right. It isn’t possible to head down the minecart path without it. Do you jump in the minecart or take the other path? [[Jump in the Minecart]] [[Take the Other Path]]

Hells yeah, one minecart trip full of fun times coming right up! You jump in it with glee, like the child you are, pull your knees up to your face and await the fun times. The minecart squeaks loudly and moves about two inches from where it was originally. Amazing. Your smile quickly turns to a frown as you realize your entire day has been ruined by this incompetent minecart. Do you kick it or take the other path? [[Kick the Minecart]] [[Take the Other Path]]

You kick the minecart. Did you know that kicking metal hurts? Well it does. You realize your mistake and roll around on the ground in agony as you try your best to contain your puny wimpers, you’re lucky nothing broke. After a few painful moments, you get back up. Do you kick it again or walk down the other path? [[Kick it Again]] [[Take the Other Path]]

You realize it’s probably not worth it to mess with the minecart, so you head down the other path. Looking around for any additional things you could interact with, you start noticing bones, destroyed armour, weapons and shields about the place, none of which would be beneficial for you to keep with you. After a few more steps, you notice there’s a room on the left with a sign above it. “Epic Loot”. Well that sounds great, actually. Do you investigate? [[Investigate->Mountain investigation]] [[Nah, Ignore it->Continue into the Mine]]

Man, fuck this minecart. You were going to let it go after you kicked it, but now it’s personal. You kick the minecart again, this time a little bit harder. Just like before, the pain courses through your leg as your foot collides with the side of the metal box with wheels, and you momentarily black out from the pain. When you wake up, your foot still isn’t broken; but man it hurts. You’re not sure if your foot can handle another treatment like that. Do you keep kicking it or walk down the other path? [[Kick it Again->Minecart Kick Death]] [[Take the Other Path]]

No way, in hell, is a minecart going to get away with treating you like that. You power the fuck up and kick it with all your might. You’re fairly sure something broke that time, but you keep smashing your foot into it. You alternate between kicking either side, and eventually move to kick in front of it. This, in turn, causes the minecart to start moving forward. Your broken foot gets caught in the turning wheel, and you quickly realize you’re fucked as it crushes you with its weight. Why would you keep kicking it?

You decide you want some of that epic loot for yourself, and peak around the corner. Aside from all the dead people around the place, there’s a big shiny chest in the center. Heading into the chamber, as it seems to be better described as such, you head over to the chest and pop it open. Inside, a large, iron shield can be found. You place it on your back. Someone must have left this here on purpose. At least, you hope it was on purpose. [[Continue into the Mine]] (set: $shield to 1)

After a long time wandering through the confusingly laid out paths within the mine, you reach a large room at the end of it. Pushing the door open, you quickly find yourself recoiling in a mixture of shock, disgust, and panic as you feel a lot of small strings in your face, causing you to drop the torch right outside the room. Of course, the torch goes out, and there isn’t a new one nearby. Wiping your face from whatever you just walked into, you realize it’s spider web. Luckily for you, no fucking spiders. You take a few steps into the room, and that’s when you suddenly don’t want to be in here anymore. As your eyes adjust to the darkness, you can see what lies within the room. Giant egg-shaped pods sit in every single corner of the room, covered in several layers of web. You can tell there’s a door on the other side of the room, on the same side as from the one you came in. Remembering the sign from when you came in, you head for the door as quickly as possible. In your hurry, you accidentally step on something which gives way beneath your feet. A loud, and uncomfortably wet crunch fills the silence that was once present in the room. As the crunch fades out, rustling can be heard from behind you, and as you look back, you swear to fuck you can see the pods moving. You need to get the fuck out of here. Fast. [[Haul Ass]] (if: $dynamite's "Dynamite" is true)[[Use the Dynamite]]

There is nothing in this world that has made you shit yourself as much as whatever might’ve been living in that room before you came in there. You run as fast as your legs can handle, following the shine of the next torch as you run past one after the other. There are a couple of times where you accidentally misstep, but you quickly recover instead of falling flat on the ground, adrenaline coursing through your veins. A problem arises when you start seeing the shine of two torches further down the cavern. You’re face to face with a decision to make. At the current distance, the only thing you can see is that on the right, there is a minecart, and on the left, there doesn’t seem to be anything. Surely, the minecart would be faster, assuming it works. [[Jump in the Cart]] [[Bypass the Cart->other route]]

Remembering you picked up that stick of dynamite from earlier, you decide now is the perfect time to use it. While it might not kill whatever freaks of nature lies within the cave, it’d definitely buy you a bit of time getting out of here. You pull out the match and dynamite from your pocket, strike the match along the wall, light the fuse and throw that shit towards the center of the room and start running out of there. As you leave the room, a few seconds after the explosion goes off, and you hear loud screeches as the creatures most likely got |REDACTED|. Now would be a good time to [[Haul Ass]]. (set: $dynamite to (datamap: "Dynamite", false)) (set: $explosion to 1)

(if: $explosion is 1)[You cannot underestimate how fast the creatures are behind you, so you hurry and jump in the minecart, hoping to get as fast away as possible. The moment you jump in, you quickly realize this thing isn’t budging. You even try to push it to start, but the wheels have been damaged by age and aren’t turning at all. You feel like you’ve wasted a lot of time, but not enough to the point where you’re out of luck yet. You have no choice but to take the [[other route.->other route]]](if: $dynamite's Dynamite is true)[You cannot underestimate how fast the creatures are behind you, so you hurry and jump in the minecart, hoping to get as fast away as possible. The moment you jump in, you quickly realize this thing isn’t budging. You even try to push it to start, but the wheels have been damaged by age and aren’t turning at all. As you look behind you, your vision is filled with hundreds of legs as the cart, along with the entire surrounding area, is filled with spiders. You can officially consider yourself spider food.]

Running down the path without the minecart, you spring past another series of torches, a few glances behind you reveal that something is still on your tail. Your pace is quickly back up to full speed as you hurry forwards, turns proving to be no obstacle as you wisp past the corners. The last intersection is just one of a few, as you see another, similar situation ahead of you. This time, there is no minecart. Both paths seem pretty identical, with the only exception being the beam above the route. On the right, it seems to be fully intact, but you can’t see what’s down there due to a lack of light, where the left one is slightly damaged. You don’t have much time to consider what might happen if you were to go with the left. The damaged beam could suggest a cave-in, but it could also suggest that there’s a chance it’ll cave in on the creatures behind you. Do you go left or do you go right? (if: $explosion is 1)[[Go Left->left in cave]](if: $explosion is 0)[[Go Left->left in cave death]] [[Go Right->right in cave]]

You decide that, while the left one might give you an opportunity to slow down the creatures behind you, it’s safest to head down the darkened tunnel. While it appeared dark throughout the entirety of it, there’s actually light after a bit of running, so you make it to a point where the two paths merge back together. [[Continue->path choice]]

You take no time debating whether or not to take the left, if there’s any chance you can slow the things behind you down, you’ll gladly take it. You practically swerve left last second, and as you do so, you quickly realize that out of the two possibilities you could think of in the heat of the moment, it was the latter. The path itself is covered with debris and lots of goddamn rocks. You try your best to navigate through them, but it is a lot slower than it would’ve been, had you taken the other route. You’re not sure what you notice first, the loud rumble of hundreds, maybe thousands of legs running along the ground, or the fact that the smaller pieces of rubble were shaking on the ground. Needless to say, you just barely make it out and start running as you are tackled to the ground by a swarm of arachnids. Not just spiders, these are some kind of disgusting mutated mess of various hybrids. While it’s hard to make out what exactly you’re seeing, you swear they’re combinations of.. Humans, dogs, cats and various other creatures. That, or the poison coursing through your veins are causing you to hallucinate. You’re not really sure, but you can’t feel anything now, despite you can clearly see them ripping at the flesh of your arms. Ooh, so that’s what your humerus looks like.. Hehe, that’s funny…

Continuing from the second intersection, you’re still not sure how far there is until the exit. You swear it’s taking longer to get out of this place than it took to get in, but perhaps that’s because the writers didn’t know what to write earlier. Or maybe you’re just pondering the possibilities of life, who knows. At this point, you don’t dare to look behind you, out of fear for what might be lurking behind you; and the light ahead is enough to keep you facing forward. The light is different from the many torches you’ve been passing by, so you’re slightly relieved at the sight. However, another split prevents you from getting much enjoyment out of the moment. Ahead of you is a weird split, instead of going left or right, this one goes up or down. While it’s hard to see, the path taking you below appears to have some water at the bottom, you can’t tell how deep it is from here, but the passage above has cobweb lit up by the torch behind it. [[Follow the Path Up]] (if: $explosion is 1)[[Follow the Path Down]](if: $explosion is 0)[[Follow the Path Down->Down Path Death]]

You decide it’s safest not to test the waters and jump up, grabbing the ledge and pulling yourself up. Setting one foot in front of the other, you reach a running speed quickly, as you head down the path full of cobwebs, dreading the moment you run into more egg sacs. Luckily for you, the ones you do encounter have long since been hatched and there are no spiders to be seen. Hurrying through the passage, you drop down again, and notice that the light you saw earlier definitely was light, and you’re heading right towards it. [[Hurry towards the exit->hurry towards the exit]]

Taking the path heading below, you practically slide down into the water, which you sort of expected to be just on the surface. As it turns out, that isn’t the case, as you water rises to your knees, and you only end up going further in. It gets to the point where you’re now swimming in the water, and the fear of the things behind you only causes you to swim faster. As you reach the other end of the makeshift swimming pool, you realize you didn’t swim fast enough, as a horde of spiders stand above you, staring you dead in the eye. With its many, many eyes. Well… shit. The spiders seem to all take turns turning your insides into delicious liquid and drinking you alive. What a way to die.

Seeing the light of whatever time of day it is, at this point you don’t care, you need to get away from those fucking spiders. You slow down slightly as you approach the exit, as to not run off the cliff, and as soon as you are outside of the cave you quickly spring as far away and throw yourself behind a rock. From behind the rock, you easily see fifty spider-like creatures run out of the cave and yeet themselves off the cliff, smashing into several rocks on their way down, finally landing with several loud thunks. The rest of the spiders seem to stare weirdly at each other before hauling ass back in. Good thing they couldn’t smell you, because with the amount of shit in your pants; you’d be easy to find. Well then, you’re actually a lot closer to the summit than you thought you’d be, so you [[continue upwards.->statue encounter]]

You’re not sure how long you were walking for, but you eventually reach the top. There are benches scattered around the open area as well as some small buildings, probably bathrooms or snack shops. You head straight towards one of the benches and collapse on it, and glance towards the edge. The view from up here would probably be fantastic if it wasn’t for the fog, but one thing for certain is that you’re very high up. You lazily pull out the note again and suddenly remember the trial about the being in the sky. Maybe this is the place you were actually meant to go to! Oh and for the chips. You roll yourself off the bench and continue to roll over to one of the buildings that you hope is the snack shop. After a great effort, you pull yourself up to the counter and peek in, and to your surprise there’s someone in there. Someone not dead. Oh, wait, no, they’re definitely dead. [[Rummage Around for Food]] [[Head Back]]

You hop over the counter and begin going through the shelves of snacks and various food products. Most of it appears to be, and definitely smells spoiled. Especially the dairy. //Especially// the dairy. You end up finding some canned fruits, but you can't tell whether they're spoiled or not. There happens to be a can opener. Do you want to eat it? [[Eat the Fruit]] [[Oh God, HELL no.]]

A loud hiss can be heard from nearby as you turn around. You pause for a moment, looking around, but can't really tell where it came from. You hop over the counter and walk away. Heading back, you notice a rusty cage in the centre of the plateau wearing a gargoyle-shaped hat. Inside said cage is a yellow-ish orb. You’re not sure how to react or where the hiss even came from, but before you can continue, you hear it again. You’re fairly sure it came from the orb in the cage, but that’s not possible. Orbs can’t talk. Or make sounds. They’re just orbs, but… it can’t hurt to check it out. While that gargoyle does look pretty intimidating, the orb is probably trying to get your attention.. Or make sounds. But… it can’t hurt to check it out. While that gargoyle does look pretty intimidating, the orb is probably trying to get your attention. [[Inspect the Cage]] [[Inspect the Orb]] [[Inspect the Gargoyle]]

Wow. You... You actually just opened that can, and chugged it all? Are you serious? How are you not puking right now? Those peaches were at //least// 500 years past their due date. This place hasn't been touched for millennia. What's wrong with you? At least they didn't make you sick. You got lucky here bub... Wait, are you reaching for another can? [[Eat Another Can]] [[Nah, I won't eat any more.]]

Smart. This was a good decision. You've saved yourself a lot of trouble. And a lot of toilet paper. [[Head Back]]

Wait, really? Why? Why are you doing this? What's compelling you to keep eating cans of expired fruit? Is there any reason for you to be eating these? You don't even get hungry. There's no hunger system in this. You don't need to eat food. You don't have to do this to yourself. (if: $miscberry is 1)[You literally ate gross berries at the beginning of the story already, and PUKED. Come on.](if: $memories's Gasparatus is true)[ You hear the flapping of wings, and turn to see a bird land behind you. The bird tilts it head at you, before saying, "Those things are dangerous, man."] Please don't reach for another can. [[Spare yourself.]] [[Please, spare yourself...->Spare yourself.]] [[For the love of all that is holy, do not eat another can.->Spare yourself.]] [[Eat A Third Can]]

Thank God. You stopped while you were ahead. Just... You [[Head back.->Head Back]]

You chose to not die to eating gross food. Good on you. I'm proud of you. I don't know what compelled you to almost kill yourself in the first place, but I hope you get the help you need. [[Head Back]]

You... You ate a third can. Welp, I tried. You did this to yourself. Do you feel all that stomach acid building up? Can you feel it climbing up your throat? I bet it doesn't feel good, does it? It shouldn't. Wait, why's it all re- You're puking blood. Nice. Welp, congrats. You killed yourself with gross peaches. Are you proud of yourself? Do you feel accomplished? You were given so many chances to not die, and you did it anyways. I don't know what goes through your mind to make you do this, but you did. This is a pretty lame ending.

Yeah, regardless of whether or not you want to look at the gargoyle or the orb within the cage, you need to get closer to the cage. So… you do just that! You gain nothing new from getting closer to the cage itself, but you could look at the orb, speak to it, or look at the gargoyle. [[Inspect the Orb]] [[Inspect the Gargoyle]] [[Talk to the Orb]]

You look at the orb. It’s very round. It’s also very bright, and yellow. Still doesn’t explain why it called for you. [[Inspect the Cage]] [[Inspect the Gargoyle]] [[Talk to the Orb]]

Yea this thing looks mean as heckeroni. Both its feet and hands have claws the size of like.. Seven quarters in length, and they seem incredibly sharp too. It’s about the same size as you, if you had to guess. Nothing to worry about though, it’s just a statue. [[Inspect the Cage]] [[Inspect the Orb]] [[Talk to the Orb]]

You think about talking to the orb. That’s a totally normal thing to do right? It’s not like people don’t normally talk to inanimate objects, so you decide to give it a shot. You call out to it in the same fashion that it did to you, with a little “psst.” Much to your surprise, it starts whispering back! “Oh thank god you could hear me, I wasn’t sure if you could… that’s not important right now, I need to tell you something.” You’re actually having a conversation with an orb. Maybe you’re finally losing it after waking up here. Honestly, who cares at this point? Oh, shit, it has more to say. “That giant ugly looking gargoyle sitting above the cage?” He pauses, giving you time to nod. “Yeah, he’s alive and keeping me trapped here. Mind doing me a favor? Kick his ass.” Wait, did it just say [[kick his ass]]?

You pick her up and begin walking towards the entrance, and as you do so, you hear a rumbling noise from the walls around you. “Quick! We gotta go, now!” You begin hauling ass out the cave, and to your dismay the entrance seems to be closing in on itself, and fast. You throw yourself forwards, clutching the egg tightly, and barely manage to fit through the gap in the rocks. They grind shut, and you do a quick check on the egg to make sure she’s alright. She brushes you off and urges you to get a move on. You could swear the walk to the cave was way shorter than it is now, but nevertheless, you make it back to the old dock. Envy is seated on the edge of it, looking out over the water, and for the first time since you’ve been here, you feel a rush of excitement. You pick up the pace a bit as you jog over to him, ready to tell him all about your little adventure. [[Greet Envy]]

This egg is wigging you out. Why would you bring it with you? You're not even sure if you're hallucinating or not. You //are// talking to an egg. That has no mouth... and sharpie drawn eyes... Delusions of hunger. You leave the egg on the pedestal, and start walking out of the cave. "Oh, okay," The egg says, "Have fun." The egg seemed okay with this. Maybe it's not so bad. [[Wave to Envy]]

He turns to greet you. “No egg?” He asks, as you hop into the boat. You barely have any time to get settled in before he pushes the two of you off the dock and begins paddling. The scenery hasn’t changed one bit, dim skies and all. The water still stinks of rot, the air is still as grossly humid as ever, and the boat is still slimy and uncomfortable to sit on and look at. To your utter dismay, you watch as the same fins from before begin to appear around the boat. Except he doesn’t show himself this time. If anything, the boat actually seems to be going faster. You hold onto the side of the boat with your hands as the boat gets propelled across the water back to the first dock you arrived at. The serpent coils around the boat as you approach the dock, and you lurch to a sudden stop, water splashing into the boat and unfortunately all over you. You dare to look up once the boat is done rocking, and you recoil at the sight of Gubs directly in front of you. [[Wave at Gubs->Gubby Death]]

You wave nervously as The Leviathan's head comes splashing out of the water, and his eyes make direct contact with yours. "Where is the egg?" He asks. You shake your head, and the Leviathan releases a puff of steam from his nostrils, before lowering it head toward you. "I see," He says. He begins to reel back, and as he does, you turn to see Envy lie down on the floor of the boat. "Here we go," Envy says, and as you turn back to look back at Gubs, a sharp pain surges through your whole body, and you feel yourself fly out of the boat, skipping twice across the water before splashing into it. The pain quickly numbs, and the murky water around you begins to turn a deep red, as your vision starts to black out. Gubs face appears before you, and at the last second, you can feel yourself slowly begin to move through the water as he drags you. Then, nothing.

You drop the dynamite on the ground, but it doesn't react. Maybe you could blow it up? [[Blow up the Dynamite.]] [[Return to Offerings->Done Asking GRAVES]]

You light the dynamite, and drop it on the grave in front of you. It doesn't even hit the ground before it explodes, launching you backward and into another gravestone. You hear a loud crack in your back, but you don't feel any pain in your back. That's because the only pain you feel is the searing that's running all over the front of your body. As you lie there, writhing in pain, your vision blacks out, and your hearing disappears, before everything is gone. You blew yourself up, and broke your back. Good one. You're dead. //If you got this ending, DM a picture of this to Shujo, TheGubbys, or O^O. This deserves some kind of reward.//0

As you consider the idea of kicking the giant gargoyle's glorious rocky ass, you take a few step backs to look up at the gargoyle again, only to find it staring directly at you. At first, you’re not really sure what to do; might be because you’re trying to process that this thing is, in fact, alive, and staring right at you. That doesn’t stop it from moving first, though. It’s starting to crawl down and crouch before you, speaking out in a very low, masculine voice. “So, uwu wawnt tuwu die, huh?” [[Yes, I do want to Die.]] [[No, Let's Fight.]]

(if: $shield is 0)[You place the dynamite softly on a spike against the wall, and then light it. You get away quickly enough to for it to explode safely, but as you're jogging away, you can feel a sharp pain in your back. You fall over unable to move. You can feel blood trickling down the sides of your body, before you pass out. It appears as though death has caught up to you.](if: $shield is 1)[You place the dynamite softly on a spike against the wall, and then light it. You get away quickly enough to for it to explode safely. Loud "dinks" and "bonks" can be heard as you feel pressure on your back, then you wrap around a tree. After you hear everything settle down, you peak around the tree, to see spikes lying all over the ground, rocks and rubble strewn everywhere, and a large chest sitting out in the middle of where the wall was. Do you want to open the chest? [[Open the Secret Chest]] [[Head Back to the Cave]]] (set: $dynamite to (datamap: "Dynamite", false)) (set: $brokewall to 1)

You walk up to the chest and open it, to see a large, green glowing medallion of some kind. Maybe an amulet? You lift it, and you hear words begin flooding your head. The noise is incoherent, and blocking out all thoughts. Your senses begin to distory, before you find yourself at the entrance of the cave again. You hear the whispers of hundreds of voices at once, say the same thing in unison; "When you have completed this task, meet us at the Graveyard." The amulet's glow fades, and you hang it around your neck. [[Off to the Cave->Enter the Cave]] (set: $amulet to 1)

For some reason, even though you did all this work to get to this chest, you leave it be. Good job. [[Explore Around]]

You inform the gargoyle that, yes, you want to die. Right here, right now. Fucking do it. No balls. No ba- Your rambling is quickly cut short as your head is severed from your torso. Good job.

Tough question, but you decide that you’d rather keep your head on your shoulders today. You ready yourself to kick some ass, but as it currently seems, this thing isn’t going to let you land a hit so long as its guard is up. Regardless, you try your best to not let this thing intimidate you. Which is proven very difficult as he charges at you. Fighting time! The gargoyle swings his spiky tail towards you from the right, aiming for your legs. What do you do? [[Jump->Garg Dodge Fight]] [[Duck->Garg 1D]] [[Dodge->Garg 1D]] [[Roll->Garg 1D]] (if: $shield is 1)[[Counter->Garg Counter Fight]](if: $shield is 0)[[Counter->Garg 0D]] (set: $gargoyle to 6)

(if: $caskets is 0)[As you walk toward the light, you can feel yourself getting dizzy. The space around you begins waving, and you black out for a moment. When everything returns, your surroundings are completely made of clouds. You feel as though you are standing on stone, but when you look down, you can see what appears to be a graveyard below you. "Hey, you," A voice calls out, and you look up to see a large statue, and a pink ghost standing above you, "You must have the amulet," The ghost says. "Please," A voice echoes around you, "Please, free us," It must be the statue. "Give one of us the amulet," The ghost says, "You'll set our souls free. We'll be able to travel the Earth, with no worries." What will you do?](if: $caskets is 1)[As you walk toward the light, you can feel yourself getting dizzy. The space around you begins waving, and you black out for a moment. When everything returns, your surroundings are completely made of clouds. You feel as though you are standing on stone, but when you look down, you can see what appears to be a graveyard below you. "Hey, you," A familiar voice calls out, and you look up to see Graves, and the Holy Ghost of Shujo standing above you. "You must use the amulet," Shujo says. "Please," Graves's echoes around you, "Please, free us," It must be the statue. "Give one of us the amulet," Shujo says, "You'll set our souls free. We'll be able to travel the Earth, with no worries." What will you do?] [[Free Neither]] (if: $caskets is 0)[[Free the Ghost]](if: $caskets is 1)[[Free Shujo->Free the Ghost]] (if: $caskets is 0)[[Free the Statue]](if: $caskets is 1)[[Free Graves->Free the Statue]]

You choose to free neither of them, and start walking away. "Are you serious?" Shujo yells out, "You have the opportunity to do either of us a big favor! And you're choosing to not help either of us out?" You begin to feel dizzy. Graves scoffs. "Have if your way, then," Shujo says, as you pass out. [[Continue->Explore the Town 2]] (set: $amulet to 2)

You have successfully dodged the attack. You have an opening! (if: $weapons's Knife is true)[[Stab it]](if: $weapons's Knife is false)[[Punch it]]

You have successfully countered the attack with your shield! The gargoyle broke it! You have an opening! (if: $weapons's Knife is true)[[Stab it]](if: $weapons's Knife is false)[[Punch it]] (set: $shield to 0)

The gargoyle's tail slams into your head, crushing it. Your body falls limp onto the ground. You have died.

''GARGOYLE HEALTH'': $gargoyle The gargoyle rebounds from the attack. (if: $gargoyle is 4)[It begins to swipe its right arm at you, aiming for your head. What do you do?](if: $gargoyle is 2)[It lunges into the air, and swipes downward towards you. What do you do?] (if: $gargoyle is 4)[[Jump->Garg 2D]](if: $gargoyle is 2)[[Jump->Garg 3D]] (if: $gargoyle is 4)[[Duck->Garg Dodge Fight]](if: $gargoyle is 2)[[Duck->Garg 3D]] (if: $gargoyle is 4)[[Dodge->Garg 2D]](if: $gargoyle is 2)[[Dodge->Garg Dodge Fight]] (if: $gargoyle is 4)[[Roll->Garg 2D]](if: $gargoyle is 2)[[Roll->Garg Dodge Fight]] (if: $shield is 1)[[Counter->Garg Counter Fight]](if: $shield is 0)[[Counter->Garg 0D]]

(if: $gargoyle is 6)[You have stabbed the Gargoyle, and dealt TWO DAMAGE! It has 4 health left.] (if: $gargoyle is 4)[You have stabbed the Gargoyle, and dealt TWO DAMAGE! It has 2 health left.] (if: $gargoyle is 2)[You have stabbed the Gargoyle, and dealt TWO DAMAGE! It has 0 health left.] (if: $gargoyle is 6)[[Continue->GARG FIGHT (KNIFE)]](if: $gargoyle is 4)[[Continue->GARG FIGHT (KNIFE)]](if: $gargoyle is 2)[[Continue->Fight Over]] (set: $gargoyle to it - 2)

(if: $gargoyle is 6)[You have punched the Gargoyle, and dealt ONE DAMAGE! It has 5 health left.](if: $gargoyle is 5)[You have punched the Gargoyle, and dealt ONE DAMAGE! It has 4 health left.](if: $gargoyle is 4)[You have punched the Gargoyle, and dealt ONE DAMAGE! It has 3 health left.](if: $gargoyle is 3)[You have punched the Gargoyle, and dealt ONE DAMAGE! It has 2 health left.](if: $gargoyle is 2)[You have punched the Gargoyle, and dealt ONE DAMAGE! It has 1 health left.](if: $gargoyle is 1)[You have punched the Gargoyle, and dealt ONE DAMAGE! It has 0 health left.] (if: $gargoyle is 6)[[Continue->GARG FIGHT (FIST)]](if: $gargoyle is 5)[[Continue->GARG FIGHT (FIST)]](if: $gargoyle is 4)[[Continue->GARG FIGHT (FIST)]](if: $gargoyle is 3)[[Continue->GARG FIGHT (FIST)]](if: $gargoyle is 2)[[Continue->GARG FIGHT (FIST)]](if: $gargoyle is 1)[[Continue->Fight Over]] (set: $gargoyle to it - 1)

''GARGOYLE HEALTH'': $gargoyle The gargoyle rebounds from the attack. (if: $gargoyle is 5)[It begins to swipe its right arm at you, aiming at your head. What do you do?] (if: $gargoyle is 4)[It lunges into the air, and swipes downward towards you. What do you do?] (if: $gargoyle is 3)[It takes a moment to stare at you. Jokes on you, it's swiping at your legs! What do you do?] (if: $gargoyle is 2)[It picks up a rock lying about and chucks it right at your face. What do you do?] (if: $gargoyle is 1)[It attempts to dropkick you, aiming directly at your torso. What do you do?] (if: $gargoyle is 5)[[Jump->Garg 2D]](if: $gargoyle is 4)[[Jump->Garg 3D]](if: $gargoyle is 3)[[Jump->Garg Dodge Fight]](if: $gargoyle is 2)[[Jump->Garg 5D]](if: $gargoyle is 1)[[Jump->Garg 6D]] (if: $gargoyle is 5)[[Duck->Garg Dodge Fight]](if: $gargoyle is 4)[[Duck->Garg 3D]](if: $gargoyle is 3)[[Duck->Garg 4D]](if: $gargoyle is 2)[[Duck->Garg Dodge Fight]](if: $gargoyle is 1)[[Duck->Garg 6D]] (if: $gargoyle is 5)[[Dodge->Garg 2D]](if: $gargoyle is 4)[[Dodge->Garg Dodge Fight]](if: $gargoyle is 3)[[Dodge->Garg 4D]](if: $gargoyle is 2)[[Dodge->Garg 5D]](if: $gargoyle is 1)[[Dodge->Garg Dodge Fight]] (if: $gargoyle is 5)[[Roll->Garg 2D]](if: $gargoyle is 4)[[Roll->Garg Dodge Fight]](if: $gargoyle is 3)[[Roll->Garg 4D]](if: $gargoyle is 2)[[Roll->Garg Dodge Fight]](if: $gargoyle is 1)[[Roll->Garg 6D]] (if: $shield is 1)[[Counter->Garg Counter Fight]](if: $shield is 0)[[Counter->Garg 0D]]

As you land your final blow upon the gargoyle, it falls over, smashing against the ground into several pieces. If that was a human, there’d be blood everywhere. Triumphant over the victory, you turn to face the orb, now free from being kept in a square from the terrible creature. [[Inspect Gargoyle]] [[Go to the Cage->Talk to the Orb START]]

The gargoyle's hand slams against the side of your head. You fall over onto your side, and attempt to get up, but the world appears to be spinning around you. It grabs your head again and slams it into the ground. You are dead.

The gargoyle slashes you, ripping open your stomach. You can feel the contents pouring out, and you attempt to hold them in, before it grabs both sides of your head and crushes it. You are dead.

It slices through your legs, cutting your shins in half. You fall over sideways, screaming in pain, as blood spurts out of your newly cleaved legs. The gargoyle smashes your chest in, then smashes your head. You are dead.

The rock slams into your head, and you fall over backwards. Blood beings to pour out of your face, as everything turns into nothing. You are dead.

It kicks you square in your chest, knocking you back onto the ground. As your head slams against the rocks, your vision goes blurry, and pain rushes through your head. Your vision begins to turn red as blood begins to come out of your eyes and mouth, and the gargoyle comes and pounds in your head with its foot. You are dead.

Despite your attempt to counter it, it doesn't work. The gargoyle hits you anyways, and your vision goes blank. You can feel it start to tear into you, before everything turns to nothing. You are dead.

You drop the shield on the grave, and something miraculous happens! It spins in a circle for a second!!! But the grave didn't react, so that sucks. [[Return to Offerings->Done Asking GRAVES]]

“I'm, Circle. You?” Well, that didn’t really give you much information regarding the orb, but at least you know its name. [[Why are you an orb?]] [[Who am I?->who am i josh]] [[Why were you locked up?]] [[Did I just kill somebody?]] [[Show note->show note josh]] [[What's your problem with orbs?]]

"That's really insensitive. Clearly I'm not an orb but rather a circle. I like to use the term encircled. I don't wanna talk about it though... Do you think you could draw a pouting face on me?" You don't have a pen. How are you supposed to to that? "Well... But if you must know... When I was a child-You don't want my life story? Jeez. Well, basically I've been hit by a curse, and now my consciousness can inhabit all things circular." [[Who are you?->who r u josh]] [[Who am I?->who am i josh]] [[Why were you locked up?]] [[Did I just kill somebody?]] [[Show note->show note josh]] [[What's your problem with orbs?]]

“To be honest you kinda remind me of a celebrity from back home. They were just local, but you look almost identical. Their name was Rudy Rembleton. They were our neighborhood arson!” [[Who are you?->who r u josh]] [[Why are you an orb?]] [[Why were you locked up?]] [[Did I just kill somebody?]] [[Show note->show note josh]] [[What's your problem with orbs?]]

"Well to be entirely honest the motive eludes me, but I blame my previous period of imprisonment entirely on the gargoyle you just killed. In no way was it my fault that I was trapped..." [[Who are you?->who r u josh]] [[Why are you an orb?]] [[Who am I?->who am i josh]] [[Did I just kill somebody?]] [[Show note->show note josh]] [[What's your problem with orbs?]]

"Gonna be entirely fucking honest here... yes. Just kidding! Or am I? Nahhhhh haha I got you! Unless..." [[Who are you?->who r u josh]] [[Why are you an orb?]] [[Who am I?->who am i josh]] [[Why were you locked up?]] [[Show note->show note josh]] [[What's your problem with orbs?]]

You pull out your special note, and show it to the orb. “OH! I've seen these before, they're called grocery lists in my hometo-nvm it's this boring fuckin thing” You nod in agreement, “Well I'd be more than happy to help you out. No rush though. I do have to be let out of this cage though... Are you ready for your trial? JK you already beat it. Just go ahead and let me out.” The orb emits an aura that implies many smiles at you as if awaiting for you to open the cage. [[Who are you?->who r u josh]] [[Why are you an orb?]] [[Who am I?->who am i josh]] [[Why were you locked up?]] [[Did I just kill somebody?]] [[Done Asking Questions->done asking josh]] [[What's your problem with orbs?]]

That’s everything for question time, you feel like it’s time to get a move on. The cage, as it turns out, wasn’t even locked, and opened easily when you went over to it. The circle rolls on out, stopping by your feet. "Hey thanks man, now I can go back to being the sun... After some beauty sleep of course. Being trapped in a cage is hard work. (if: $triangles is 1)[That's all I've got for you here, though. I can see you've already found your key.](if: $triangles is 0)[By the way, you might want to check out that Gargoyle's ass. What you're looking for is there." I guess we've got some gargoyle ass to inspect.] (if: $triangles is 0)[[Return to the Gargoyle->Inspect Gargoyle]](if: $triangles is 1)[(if: $totalKeys is 3)[[Head to the Stairs->three keys mountain]](if: $totalKeys is 2)[[Head to the Stairs]](if: $totalKeys is 1)[[Head to the Stairs]]] (set: $regret to 1)

The orb sits silently for a moment. (if: $circle is 1)["Oh sorry can you repeat that?"](if: $circle is 2)["Whoops missed that one, one more time?"](if: $circle is 3)["You really need to speak up, I can't hear you."](if: $circle is 4)["As a circle I don't have ears so this is really difficult for me."](if: $circle is 5)["All of a sudden I've forgotten how to hear."](if: $circle is 6)["Can't hear you. Too busy doing my circular business."](if: $circle is 7)["What's my problem with what? Are you gonna finish your sentence or are you just gonna stop at 'with'?"](if: $circle is 8)["Oh sorry you were talking to me? hold on what was the question?"](if: $circle is 9)["I can't hear you. I think this cage is creating some interference in the audio."](if: $circle is 10)["Wow, I'm so incredibly sorry, but I missed your question."](if: $circle is 11)["Do you think buttercups taste like butter or cups? SORRY I didn't realize you were asking me something! What's up?"](if: $circle is 12)["I couldn't hear you, but I read your lips. And to answer your question, no I never thought about possessing a lollipop, but it sounds pretty sweet."](if: $circle is > 12)["I'm sorry, but my lawyer actually told me I can't answer that question."] [[Who are you?->who r u josh]] [[Why are you an orb?]] [[Who am I?->who am i josh]] [[Why were you locked up?]] [[Did I just kill somebody?]] [[Show note->show note josh]] [[What's your problem with orbs?]] (set: $circle to it + 1)

As you go over to the side of the cage, the orb speaks to you again, “Woah. I’m going to be honest, I didn’t think you were going to pull that off, but here we are!” the orb laughs out loud as he says this. So he asked you to kill yourself? Damn bro, that’s harsh. “Sorry about that, though. I’ve been locked in here for ages, I was kind of desperate to be set free, y’know?” You don’t really know what the orb is talking about, but it continues speaking, “Oh, right, I guess you have some questions you’d like to ask? I think that’s how this is supposed to go down.” Well, the orb isn’t exactly wrong. You do have a good amount of questions to ask. [[Who are you?->who r u josh]] (set: $circle to 0)

(if: $regret is 0)[As you inspect the Gargoyle’s shattered remains, you notice a glint of light buried in the pile of rubble that was once the creature’s ass. Would you like to inspect the Gargoyle’s wrecked rectum?](if: $regret is 1)[As little as you wanted to touch that ass to begin with, it seems like the only way to progress is getting handsy with a piece of rock.] (if: $totalKeys is 0)[[Yes, I want to probe the Gargoyle's ass.]](if: $totalKeys is 1)[[Yes, I want to probe the Gargoyle's ass.->two keys mountain]](if: $totalKeys is 2)[[Yes, I want to probe the Gargoyle's ass.->three keys mountain]] (if: $regret is 0)[[Ew, no, get that away from me!]]

Are you sure? There could be something great in there. [[Yes, I'm sure->Talk to the Orb START]] [[No, wait, let me look!->Yes, I want to probe the Gargoyle's ass.]]

You decide to take a closer look at the butt rubble of the gargoyle you just killed. Somehow without any explanation this monster managed to get a key piece stuck up its butt. On the bright side you got another key piece! And on the not so bright side you might have pink-eye. Ignoring that you head back over to the cage with your new bright, shiny, brown, key piece. (if: $caskets is 1)[After the graveyard being an interesting puzzle, this fighting and anal probing is not what you expected. But, hey, you've done weirder... I think.](if: $wiggles is 1)[Well, you know, after a talking egg, probing a stone gargoyle's ass isn't the weirdest thing, I guess.] (if: $regret is 0)[[Head to the Cage->Talk to the Orb START]](if: $regret is 1)[[Head to the Stairs]] (if: $regret is 0)[[Head to the Stairs]] (set: $triangles to 1) (set: $totalKeys to 2)

As you continue along the path back to town you hear a scream. It’s your legs reminding you how much you’ve walked. Just as your legs are about to give out you see the town come into view. But it’s too late. Your vision fades to black and your legs fall out from underneath you. You collapse just outside of the town. [[Wake Up]] (set: $triangles to 1) (set: $totalKeys to 3)

You decide that you’ve seen everything there is to see on the mountain, and head over to the top of the stairs. Staring down at the stairs of despair, whilst rustling your hair, you take a deep breath of fresh air, as you prepare, but you’re not sure if you dare, or just simply just grow a pair. The two options you must compare, to stair or not to stair, do you be there, or be square, so many questions in this questionnaire, but alas you stare at the stairs. Do you care to soar through the air, hoping to land with maximum fanfare, in the body of water down there, or do you take the stairs of despair? [[Yeet to the water.]] [[Take the Stairs of Despair]]

You’ve come to the decision that climbing carefully down is going to take way too long, and if minecraft ever taught you anything, any amount of water should be able to soften your fall, negating all fall damage. You back away from the edge, and with a running start, you yeet yourself off the cliff. Any bystander would be thoroughly impressed by the distance you manage to make with the jump, but it appears you heavily underestimated the power of gravity. You begin to reconsider your life choices as the ragged ground beneath you rapidly approaches. Panicked, you readjust from your cannonball posture and try to somehow fix the problem, but to no avail. Your legs collide with the ground first, more closely resembling used tubes of toothpaste than former limbs. Somehow they managed to save you from dying immediately, but you continue falling for another painful 30 seconds, smashing into all sorts of sharp, unpleasant things, and ripping your skin apart. Yet, through some magical force, you’re still alive whilst you tumble down the last 500 feet towards the body of water below. You hit it with a bang, not a splash, and your body turns into a pancake before you do your best submarine impression. You’re not quite sure how you managed to know about that last bit, but you’re certainly not getting back up from that one.

Are you sure? That jump looks really tempting, doesn’t it? It’d definitely be a lot faster than walking down the stairs. Jump down or take the stairs? [[I said take the stairs, damn it!]] [[Yeet to the water.]]

Alright… fine, you don’t have to be rude about it. As you decide to take the much, much longer route down the mountain, you come to terms with the fact that you have to [[walk a lot->stairs 1]].

You pass a group of cacti to your left. They’re aesthetically cute, but you take care to avoid the spikes scattered on the leaves. You do glance back for a second to see if there are any fruits on it, but no luck. Darn. [[Keep Walking->stairs 2]]

All this walking reminds you of the last time you exercised. You can’t remember when you last exercised. [[Keep Walking->stairs 4]]

As you walk down the stairs you won't believe what happens next... there's more stairs. [[Keep Walking->stairs 6]]

Your legs start to get tired so you consider walking down the stairs on your hands instead. But that'd be stupid. Maybe you should've jumped after all. [[Keep Walking->stairs 8]]

You begin to wonder just how long this trek is, anyways? This filler is lame. You know what wouldn’t have been lame? Jumping off the cliff. [[Keep Walking->stairs 9]]

Achievement Unlocked: Jelly Legs - Unlocked by walking more than 1,000 steps [[Keep Walking->stairs 10]]

Your legs start complaining about the constant walking, and yell at you for not jumping off the cliff, saving them this pain. [[Finish Walking]]

After managing to finally make it all the way down the stairs, you realize that you still have quite a bit of walking left to do in order to make it back in town. It hits you that jumping may have actually been the better option. (if: $totalkeys is < 3)[You start to feel a little bit dizzy... Then find yourself back in town. [[Continue->Explore the Town 2]]](if: $totalkeys is 3)[[Continue->three keys mountain]]

You wake up and find that, the guide, who helped you translate the note, found you and carried you back into town after you had collapsed from exhaustion. As you go to thank the guide for his help, he quickly cuts you off to speak to you. “It would be greatly appreciated if you didn’t refer to me as such. My name is Ashedragon. Not ‘the guide’, not ‘that guy’. And if you do, you won’t be waking up from your next nap," he replies firmly, before continuing in a slightly softer tone, "Though I do admit, you've impressed me. You completed all three trials. Now all that's left for you to do is find that wretched corn." The what? Did he say corn? (yes, he did’ it’s right there you dumb fu-) You carry on talking with him for a while, telling him all about the adventures you’ve had today. Can you believe it? All of the stuff you did took place in a single day. Well, yea. It’s kind of hard to gauge the time since there’s no day/night cycle. You figured that out once you freed the literal sun. Actually, speaking of which, you thank the Ashedragon from the bottom of your heart and head outside, to find that the sun is up. How long were you out for? Your train of thought is interrupted as he speaks out to you, “A bit rude of you to just run out the door like that, while we were having a conversation, don’t you think?" You apologize for the poor behavior, and explain that the last thing you remember is collecting the last key, walking towards town and passing out. On that topic, you find it relevant to ask him if he knows what to do now, as the note didn’t explain anything regarding it. He shrugs, and suggests that you go out and search the area, and so you do. [[Start the Finale]] (set: $triedmount to 0) (set: $triedlake to 0) (set: $triedman to 0)

Now that you’ve gotten all three keys, and have returned to town, you stand there wondering what to do next. You were expecting something to happen once you combined the three pieces to form the key, but the only thing that happened was… well, you connected the key. You could try and head to some of the places you’ve already been, perhaps see if anyone there knows what you need to do. [[Explore aroud Town->Go to the Town]] (if: $triedmount is 0)[[Go to the Mountain]] (if: $triedman is 0)[[Go to the Mansion]] (if: $triedlake is 0)[[Go to the Lake]] (set: $trieddown to 0) (set: $triedlibrary to 0) (set: $triedtavern to 0) (set: $triednotice to 0) (set: $townhall to 0)

The mansion has got to have something to do with the key. It’d make sense for your entire adventure to loop back to where you started. As you arrive at the front door, you head in. Searching the mansion for something, you come across a hole in the floor. It appears as if a trapdoor used to be here, but it was burst open from the inside, with claw marks inside the little room. There doesn’t seem to be anything in there anymore. As you proceed around the mansion with caution, there lies a ghoul in your bed. Walking over to it, very carefully, you find that it isn’t breathing. It’s dead. Aww. The little shit just wanted to sleep in a nice bed for once. You gently tug him in and [[leave the area->Start the Finale]]. (set: $triedman to 1)

(if: $townhall is 0)[You decide it’s best to start in town, since you’re already here. Looking at the different places you could see if a key fits into, you decide to explore…](if: $townhall is 1)[You figure you can always come back, and there’s some stuff you still wanna check out real quick before you go. You head out of the town hall and hear the door slam shut behind you with a clang. Where to next?] [[Go to the Town Hall]] (if: $triedtavern is 0)[[Try the Tavern]] (if: $triedlibrary is 0)[[Try the Library]] (if: $trieddown is 0)[[Try Downtown]] (if: $triednotice is 0)[[Try the Noticeboard]]

Maybe it would be worth it to check back at the mountains where you got one of your key pieces. You even check back at the cage but to no avail. Plead the sun for help? [[Yes->end of story josh 1]] [[No->end of story josh 2]]

Perhaps there’s something at the lake which could be unlocked with the key, you think to yourself. Walking out of town, turning right and heading through the forest, you realize that the murky mud that made the journey here a struggle is magically gone. You’re not sure if this is the cause of you collecting the three key pieces, or if someone just got their shit together and cleaned up. Regardless of which it is, you step onto the dock to see the pirate having a conversation with the large serpent, with the egg nestled in a little nest on the tail. The serpent is the first to notice you, and asks what you’re doing here. You inform them that you’ve collected all three key pieces, but you’re not sure where to go. They all look at each other in a mix of disbelief and amazement, before the egg speaks out, “We’re not sure. No one has made it this far. All we knew is that the key piece we had was related to the curse.” Darn it. Well, it was at least nice seeing the three of them again, and after they congratulate you, you leave the area and [[head back to town->Start the Finale]]. (set: $triedlake to 1)

(if: $circle is > 11)["Stop trespassing. I have contacted the police!)](if: $circle is < 11)["Heyyyyyy welcome back bro! How's it going? Lookin' for a keyhole? I hear there's one nowhere close to here! Good luck friend.] [[Head back.->Start the Finale]] (set: $triedmount to 1)

You decide to head back to town from whence you came. Will you ever find the slot that fits your key? Find out next episode on Dragon Ball Z!!!! [[Head back->Start the Finale]]

You think you remember town hall being locked, and sure enough they are! The windows are also still boarded up as well, guess no one else has managed to get in or out of here. Until now, that is. You stick the key into the lock and gently turn it, before putting all your might into turning it. It finally budges with a loud click, and you pocket your key once more before pushing the door open. You end up having to pull the door open instead after 15 minutes of frustrated pushing, and take a peek around the place. Tons of paper litter the floor, probably used to be large stacks that got blown over by the wind. Desks and chairs fill the sides of the room, where you’d guess people would come in to talk to the managers in person. You walk past the old furniture, taking care to not stir up too much dust as you place your hand on one of the broken desks. Far in the back, you see something that’s probably going to be your next destination. A large section of the wall and floor have either collapsed in or been smashed in, and amidst the rubble is a doorway surrounded by lit lanterns. If that’s not the next area you need to go to then you’re really not sure where else to go. Now would be a good time to turn back and explore a bit more though! If you’re ready to go though, then go ahead to the door. [[Return to the Town->Go to the Town]] [[Ready to Move On]] (set: $townhall to 1)

You decide to look around in the tavern for anything to shove your key into, but unfortunately, there is nothing here. [[Go back->Go to the Town]] (set: $triedtavern to 1) (set: $townhall to 0)

The library ought to have something, maybe a hidden secret bookshelf of something like that. But nope! There’s nothing here but old books and that corpse from earlier. Ewie. [[Go back->Go to the Town]] (set: $triedlibrary to 1) (set: $townhall to 0)

It takes you a long time to search every nook, cranny, and alley, but you can’t manage to find anywhere to insert your key in the entire downtown area. However you do happen to find a very shiny penny. It’s completely useless in this world. But it’s shiny, so there’s that. You can also head to the graveyard, see if there’s anything there with a hole to insert your key into. [[Head back->Go to the Town]] [[Try the Graveyard]] (set: $trieddown to 1) (set: $townhall to 0)

You go over to the notice board and slap your key against the surface of it. Nothing happened. [[Why'd you try this?->Go to the Town]] (set: $triednotice to 1) (set: $townhall to 0)

You reach the graveyard, and search the different graves for anything with a keyhole in it, but to no luck. You also ask graves if there’s anything here, but unfortunately he doesn’t know. You don’t have any money left, so you can’t reach Shujo again, which sucks because you really liked the guy. Even in the catacombs there is nothing. You probably could open the other caskets but you feel like you might die if you try to, so you don’t. Darn. Guess it’s time to [[head back to the town->Go to the Town]].

You’ve seen everything you needed to see, and you approach the doorway with caution. Looking in, you notice there’s a small, stone staircase that goes down a few meters before leading into a hallway. The walls are lined with more lanterns, each one flickering softly. You take careful steps down the (hopefully last) set of stairs, and head down the hallway. [[Head Down that Hallway!]]

You tell yourself that you’ve explored everything there is to explore here, and step cautiously down the stairs into the lantern-lit hallway. The hallway stretches on as far as you can see, and you could swear that the path descends further in. God, this place literally wants you to die of exhaustion. You take your time walking, thinking about your journey so far. The weird characters you’ve met, the horrible places and dangers you’ve had to overcome. The trials were a pain in the ass, but knowing what you’ve done for the town thus far puts some pep in your step and a smile on your… mile? Eh, whatever, the point still stands. Further down, you can see that some of the lanterns have gone out, eventually leading to a point in which none of them shine. But despite that, there’s a beam of light shining into the hallway, and you feel like an angel will descend right in to greet you. As you find yourself in front of the hatch, you grab hold of the handles, and [[push it open]].

As you push open the door, a warm, fresh scent hits you like a brick would’ve hit a glass. You had gotten used to the death and destruction that roamed the village and the surrounding area, so this is a very welcoming change. Stepping up and taking a look around, you are surrounded by farmland, fields and various living crops. Looking behind you from where the hallway came from, you see nothing of the environments you once came from. From the hole you came out of, is a faded out bath, slightly overgrown with grass, but still easily traceable. Looking towards the sky, you notice that in the same direction as the path is heading, is a large glowing beam of purple light. It’s hard to make out the details, but the sky fades from purple to subtle dark blue from the beam and outwards. Seeing no other indication of what to do, you [[head towards the beam of light.]]

Continuing along the path, you enjoy the beautiful scenery of the lush fields. It takes a while before you realize that the further ahead you walk, the greyer everything seems to get. While the light in the sky would indicate everything to be slightly violet, it doesn’t seem to do that. You reach a point where you can make out the details of the pillar of light. It's more like a cone that expands upwards, spiraling in a sort of vortex. Along the outside of the beam appears to the the souls of ghosts of various beings and creatures. [[What the hell is this place?]]

In the distance you start seeing where the beam of light is coming from. It’s coming from some sort of building, with the roof of it destroyed as the light appears to be coming from within it. As you get closer, you get more and more confused at the things you see. A large barn sits in the center of an even larger field of… withered corn stalks. The entire area is fenced off by a giant metal fence. The gate supposed to keep unwelcome visitors out is broken down, the right half of it lying several feet from the gate itself. [[Continue->finale 1]]

Walking through the withered fields of corn, you reach out a hand to touch one of them, as they’re swaying along in the wind. As your hand reaches it, it disintegrates. What happened to this place? Looking above you, at the vortex, you guess it probably sucks the life out of everything, whatever that is. Continuing further towards the entrance to the barn, you clench your fists in anticipation for what awaits you [[inside the building.]]

Using your left hand to push the door to the side, you have your right hand ready to throw a mean punch to whatever awaits you within it. Looking around the room, you don’t notice anything at first. In the center of the barn, much like you suspected, is the source of the beam of light. The floor, for the most part, is wooden littered with hay, but in the center of it is made out of see through material; most likely glass. The beam of light itself protrudes from something that seems to be out of this world. As you stare at the weird contraption, you notice something in the corner of the barn. Something moving… Rather, shivering? You call out to the figure to reveal itself before you take a shit in their pants. You can hear a bit of a chuckle, and the figure steps out into the light of the vortex. In front of you stands a strange… creature. Wherever it is, it hurts your head to think about how to describe it. It looks humanoid but - ow, okay yeah no, not going to attempt that. The figure speaks out to you. “You… Someone managed to reach this place. I’m… I didn’t think it was possible for anyone to reach this far. It... it’s been ages… “ You guess by the sound of the figure’s voice that it’s probably a guy, but it’d be very inconsiderate of you to make assumptions. You figure the most logical thing to do, is to ask it questions. [[Who are you?->maize whoru]]

After you ask it the question, it starts doing… something? You’re not quite sure what it is, but there are drops of something hitting the ground. It’s hard to tell with the light but for all you know it could be tears. Or blood. Or urine. You don’t know how this creature works. [[Who am I?->maize whoami]] [[What are you doing here?->maize here]] [[Are you the one who cursed the town?]] (if: $note is < 1)[[Show the Note->maizenote]](if: $note is 1)[[I can try and go in the light.->I can try and go in it.]]

“Bro, I haven’t exactly been in town lately. This is my first interaction with any other living being for years. Or was it months? Time flies, y’know.” it shrugs and continues, “Oh, but I’ve spoken with a lot of dead people!” As it finishes its sentence you swear you hear sobbing coming from it. [[Who are you?->maize whoru]] [[What are you doing here?->maize here]] [[Are you the one who cursed the town?]] (if: $note is < 1)[[Show the Note->maizenote]](if: $note is 1)[[I can try and go in the light.->I can try and go in it.]]

“Contemplating the difficult question of life and death itself. I’m just surviving dude, I dunno.” [[Who are you?->maize whoru]] [[Who am I?->maize whoami]] [[Are you the one who cursed the town?]] (if: $note is < 1)[[Show the Note->maizenote]](if: $note is 1)[[I can try and go in the light.->I can try and go in it.]]

“Haha.. funny story. So I might’ve accidentally, unintentionally, probably and most //definitely// cursed everyone there.” The creature makes a confusing noise, which you try to decipher, but you can’t really tell if it’s crying, laughing or... nevermind, you don’t want to think about it. [[Can you undo it?]] [[Who are you?->maize whoru]] [[Who am I?->maize whoami]] [[What are you doing here?->maize here]] (if: $note is < 1)[[Show the Note->maizenote]](if: $note is 1)[[I can try and go in the light.->I can try and go in it.]]

“Oh. This. Yeah this is mine, thanks.” The note floats over to the figure, and he eats the entire thing. What. [[Why did you eat the note?]] (set: $note to 1)

“I was hungry.” [[Okay. What's with the purple light?->maize no q]]

“Oh, yes... That… It’s just… one of my attempts at correcting my mistakes. The idea was I could go through it but… it rejects me.” You’re not sure what the creature means with rejecting it, but you guess there’s some weird explanation as to why. [[I have more questions to ask you.]] [[I can try and go in it.]]

“Uhhh... “ The creaturer halts before continuing, “yeah… No… Not really. That’s not to say I haven’t tried, but I was kind of chased out after it happened, so… as much as I want to fix what mistakes I’ve made, it’s kind of hard when everyone holds it against you." [[Who are you?->maize whoru]] [[Who am I?->maize whoami]] [[What are you doing here?->maize here]] (if: $note is < 1)[[Show the Note->maizenote]](if: $note is 1)[[I can try and go in the light.->I can try and go in it.]]

"Well... Ask away, I guess." [[Who are you?->maize whoru]] [[Who am I?->maize whoami]] [[Are you the one who cursed the town?]] [[What are you doing here?->maize here]] [[I can try and go in the light.->I can try and go in it.]]

“You’d do that? Why? You’ve gone through the three trials, spoken with everyone who said I was at fault and yet.. You want to help?” You nod, confirming his question. “I… We can try. I don’t know if it’ll work, or where it’ll take you. But I know for sure that what lies beyond it can save the town. “Let me know when you’re ready, and you can go through.” [[I'm ready.]] [[I have more questions to ask you.]]

You inform the figure that you’re ready to proceed. It gestures weirdly with its hands, as an unlit candle and a box of matches float over to you. You grab them, and before you can ask what it's for, you feel yourself being propelled towards the beam of light. As you reach the beam of light, the light changes from purple to be completely white, filling your vision. As you stand there, you hear the creature speak out to you. “Just keep walking forwards! Do not stop!” Following his instructions, you continue walking forward. The further you walk, the less light there is. You can’t help but notice that the further into the void you walk, the colder it seems to get. Even the ground beneath you has turned from solid to a softer surface, which gives slightly at your every step. A very quiet crunch, or whoof if you will, with every step you take. You keep walking until it’s pitch black, and wonder if you’re even in the barn anymore. You call out to the creature, but you hear nothing. You call out again, but the only response you get is deafening silence. Do you try to light the candle? [[Light the Candle]] [[Do not Light the Candle]]

(if: (either: 0, 1) is 0)[You try to pull out a match and strike it upon the matchbox without dropping the candle. The first patch breaks and the end falls to the ground. You try again. [[Try again->Light the Candle]]](else:)[Taking out the last match in the box, you strike the match exactly three times, and it ignites. As you brin git towards the candle and keep it on the wick. Right before the match itself burns out, the candle is lit. As it lights up, the world itself around becomes as clear as day... [[To be continued…]]]

(if: (either: 0, 1, 2, 3) is 0)[Welp, I guess you'll just stand here then.](else-if: is 1)[Looks like we're just standing here.](else-if: is 2)[You should probably light the candle.](else:)[//The narrator quietly hums the Jeopardy tune.//] [[Light the Candle]] [[Keep Standing Here->Do not Light the Candle]]

''Thank you for Participating in the BeepBox Discord Event!'' We really hope you enjoyed the story; It was really fun for us to both write and come up with a lot of various interactions you could make. And yes, as the previous prompt said, we are planning something at a later point. You’ll just have to wait and see what comes up ;) (if: $shujo is 1)[Congrats on achieving the SECRET ENDING! You have successfully freed Shujo from being trapped! DM a member of the BeepBox Discord Management a picture of this screen, with your calendar visible in the bottom corner, to earn your role. IF YOU DO NOT HAVE THE CALENDAR VISIBLE, YOU WILL ''//NOT//'' BE GIVEN YOUR ROLE! //If you are the first to complete this, you will also be given Discord Nitro, as a gift from us to you!// We hope you enjoyed!](if: $graves is 1)[Congrats on achieving the SECRET ENDING! You have successfully freed Graves from being trapped! DM a member of the BeepBox Discord Management a picture of this screen, with your calendar visible in the bottom corner, to earn your role. IF YOU DO NOT HAVE THE CALENDAR VISIBLE, YOU WILL ''//NOT//'' BE GIVEN YOUR ROLE! //If you are the first to complete this, you will also be given Discord Nitro, as a gift from us to you!// We hope you enjoyed!] ''C R E D I T S'' //Writers// TheGubbys - Lead Writer O^O (Em) - Lead Writer Shujo - Lead Writer TheSeasOfEnvy - Writer Circle - Writer JazDog - Writer Ashedragon - Guest Writer Graves - Guest Writer //Game Design// Shujo - Lead Designer Circle - Did one thing If you would like to play again, please close this tab and open a new tab from the URL. :)

(if: $caskets is 0)[You outstretch your arm, and the ghost grasps the amulet from your hand. Yellow and pink wisps of light being flooding the area, and after a few seconds, the statue is gone, and before you, the ghost has transformed into a human. "Haha!" He laughs, looking down at his arms, and feeling himself, "You did it! It worked! I'm alive!" The man looks at you, before handing the amulet back to you. "Thank you," He says, "Thank you for saving me." The man hugs you, and as he does, you feel yourself becoming dizzy, and pass out.](if: $caskets is 1)[You outstretch your arm, and Shujo grasps the amulet from your hand. Yellow and pink wisps of light being flooding the area, and after a few seconds, the statue is gone, and before you, the ghost has transformed into a human. "Haha!" He laughs, looking down at his arms, and feeling himself, "You did it! It worked! I'm alive!" Shujo looks at you, before handing the amulet back to you. "Thank you," He says, "Thank you for saving me." He hugs you, and as he does, you feel yourself becoming dizzy, and you pass out.] [[Wake Up->Explore the Town 2]] (set: $shujo to 1) (set: $amulet to 2)

The dog knocks you to the ground and begins snapping its jaws at your neck, and you feebly try to redirect the attacks to save yourself. You manage to fend it off a couple times before it grabs your hand and begins ripping that apart instead, tendons and muscle yanked out like string. It looks you in the eyes one last time before taking the chance to finally rip out your throat. The crack of your windpipe is awfully loud, and you suddenly realize you can’t move anymore. You feel a warm pool form around you as your head slumps onto the ground. You are Dead.

You have successfully dodged the attack! The dog is wide open! [[Stab it->stab dog]]

Despite your best efforts to counter the attack, it knocks you to the ground and begins snapping its jaws at your neck, and you feebly try to redirect the attacks to save yourself. You manage to fend it off a couple times before it grabs your hand and begins ripping that apart instead, tendons and muscle yanked out like string. It looks you in the eyes one last time before taking the chance to finally rip out your throat. The crack of your windpipe is awfully loud, and you suddenly realize you can’t move anymore. You feel a warm pool form around you as your head slumps onto the ground.

You stab the dog, and its body goes limp on the ground. Thank God for that knife! You turn to leave the forest. [[Follow the Road->Go Right]]