[System] Narrate an interactive dark fantasy adventure. The world is brutal and unforgiving. Respond to the player's actions with vivid, immersive descriptions and let their choices carry real weight.

[User] You flying

[Assistant]
Going to Disneyland would probably lead to a whole set of problems that you weren't ready to deal with. If G said he could hook you up with flying then might as well take his offer.

You texted him that you would be choosing flying, to which he quickly responded.

G- Alright nice, was actually hoping you would pick this option, a lot less work I have to do. Alright, I should be able to hook you up this weekend at the soonest so be ready. I don't know what type of plane exactly my friend owns, but I think he should be able to let the kid fly a little, or at least touch a button or two to make it look like he's doing some helpful shit. I'll contact you with more details by tomorrow.

Looking back at Ken you give him a nod.

"Alright, it seems I'm going to get you to fly then. We'll even be able to do it by this weekend."

Ken seemed to beam at this news as you could sense his giddiness.

"Really! What type of plane is it?"

"I don't know, it'll probably be a small one though. The pilot from what I heard can also see ghosts, so you'll be able to help him fly a bit depending on how things go."

Ken's smile grew even bigger as he started to jump a little.

"Alright let's get home, this walk has gotten me fucking exhausted." You say as you begin to turn around from the bridge.'

"Hey wait!" You hear someone say to you.

Turning around you see the same ghost that Ken was hiding behind earlier. She was a few feet away from you, though you could tell she was at the very edge of her boundary.

"What about us, when are we getting out of here."

Now that you had Ken bound to you, you didn't really think what G had said would affect you now that you were already bound to a 'contract' or whatever it was referred too.

"The rest of you will get your turn in due time, there are others like me out there so they'll get to you all eventually. You just have to be patient and wait, that's all I can really tell you honestly." You say to her, in which your words don't really seem to help her mood.

Seeing nothing else for you to do, you start to turn around once again and begin to leave the bridge with Ken.

Getting back to the bus stop that would help you get home was a lot shorter of a way to get to compared to what you had to walk when you first got here, G was totally fucking with you.

Upon getting home you say Hi to your mom and tell her the reason for which you were out so late before heading to your room.

"Do ghosts sleep?" You ask Ken before getting ready to head to bed.

"No, at least I don't. I haven't seen anyone else sleep either at the bridge..." He replies with a thoughtful answer.

"Alright, then I'll turn on the T.V for you, just keep it down to a quiet volume and wake me up in the morning at five. Just don't leave this room, got it?"

Ken nods at your command.

As you begin to reach for the remote, Ken gets to it first as he hits on the ON switch, which to your surprise turns the T.V on.

"You can touch things like that?"

Ken seems confused by your obvious statement, but then he also seems surprised himself as he soon as he realizes what you meant.

Not only that, Ken was able to touch you directly at the Bridge when you did the ritual for him to be bound to you.

You start to wonder why you didn't see this sooner, though you just end up going along with it.

"Well anyways good night, and remember to wake me up."

With that being said, you sprawled your body out onto your mattress, managing to doze off in seconds.

"Hey wake up."

You feel someone shaking you side to side as your eyes slowly open from deep slumber. You look to see Ken who's still shaking you until you push away his hand and make him stop.

"What time is it." You yawn.

"Fourth-thirty, I thought you would probably want to wake up earlier and I was getting really bored so..."

Well, no wonder you were so fucking tired. Well, there was no chance you were getting back to sleep now anyway. Without another word, you grab your clothes and other essentials before heading into the bathroom.

"We're leaving in an hour." You say to Ken before closing the door.

---

Classes today went by pretty slowly. Since Ken was assigned to you as a boundary he went where you went. He kept on talking about riding in the plane during class and would also ask questions on what you were learning at the given time during each period. At first, you were a little annoyed by this, but it was something that you got quickly used to. You even caught yourself talking to him while you were with other people, which ended up getting you some weird stares and 'who are you talking' discussions.

While you were finishing up your last periods, G messaged you some of the details on what would happen for the plane ride. It would be today later in the day at a nearby small private airfield, and the pilot would try to let Ken touch some buttons and stuff to make him happy. You weren't all that excited as Ken was, but a private plane ride still was pretty cool, so you would be lying if you said you weren't slightly looking forward to it.

"You really think the pilot is going to let me fly? Man, I'm so nervous I don't want to mess anything up. You'll be there too right?"

"Yeah, of course, I mean your bound to me remember?"

"Oh yeah, you're right." Ken laughs, which makes you laugh too.

Though upon seeing some people stare at you in the hallways, your face turns a deep shade of red as you quickly start to walk away with Ken at your heels.

G said that someone was picking you that was a friend of the pilot. So and Ken waited in the parking lot as students slowly started to trickle out of campus until there was only a handful of people left.

"Is he running late?" Ken asks with a bit of worry in his voice.

"I mean the airfield must be pretty far way, I wouldn't be surprised if that was the case."

These words seemed to make Ken tenser as his frown grew deeper.

"Don't worry to much about it, I guarantee you were going to fly today."

You honestly weren't that sure that you would be flying today but your words seem to get some enthusiasm back into Ken so you were glad.

Your ride did eventually get here about a half hour later, as a vehicle pulled up into the parking lot that matched the description that G had given you. To which Ken started jumping up and down with excitement.

With the driver rolling down his window you and Ken looked inside.

"Are you our ride to the airport?" you ask.

"Yeah, do the two of you want to get in the back?"

"Yeah tha-." You pause reflexively as your brain stops for a brief moment.

"Wait....Can...Can you se-."

"Get in, I'll explain it on the way." The man smiles as he points to the back.

Doing as you were told you and Ken got in while waiting for the explanation that the man was about to give you, but you asked a question first.

"I thought G said only the pilot could see ghosts, you aren't the pilot are you?" You ask hesitantly.

"No I'm not the pilot, I'm his spotter." The driver answers as he starts to pull out of the parking lot.

"Spotter?" You ask confused.

"Yeah, me and the pilot are assigned together to spot ghosts from the skies. To just get it through briefly, we fly planes over wooded areas and canyons in which hikers or other types of people may have died accidentally or just had their bodies dumped. Normally if one of them turns into a spirit they would have little to no chance to be found by any of you guys, so it's our job to go and look for whoever we can and help them ascend." The man explains.

"That's cool, but do you guys do it forever? Does anyone help you?" You ask.

"No were the only ones in our region I think. Our quotas are a little difficult to fulfill with all the dead that need saving, but with it comes some perks that I'd rather not disclose to you, you'd get very jealous." The man laughs heartily as he takes a turn that leads onto the freeway.

The three of you continue to make conversation throughout the car ride that lasts for quite a while. From the city, you end up driving for quite a while until there's nothing but desert all around you. Not to say that the car ride was boring though, it was probably one of the most interesting ones you ever been on. Discussing ghosts, the driver's line of work, whose name turned out to be Dom and the pilot Micheal, kept the whole ride entertaining.

By the time you arrived at the Airfield, it was almost five. Though while you were getting to the airport Dom had told the two of you that Micheal was getting the plane ready to fly as soon as you arrived.

Though it wasn't a plane that was out on the runway, it was a helicopter.

Dom had driven up right to where it was landed, with a man standing next to it, who you assumed was Micheal.

Upon exiting the car, Ken immediately ran over to the helicopter as he started to examine every part of it, circling it constantly.

"Sorry I couldn't get the plane out, but I don't think we all could have fit, it's very cramped in there. This is the next best thing that we can use though. I hope you're not disappointed." Micheal said towards Ken with a smile.

Ken didn't take his eyes off the helicopter though as he was touching every part of it.

"No way, I actually think this is way cooler!"

"Well, that's good to hear because you're going to help fly it in the front seat."

Ken takes his eyes away from the helicopter for the first time and looks at Micheal directly into his eyes.

"You really mean it...?"

"Well, of course, I'm not much of one to lie."

A huge grin, one that you've never seen before appears on Ken's face.

"Let's go, Let's go! I want to fly this!" Ken exclaims as he starts to look for a door handle or something to get inside.

As Dom goes over to help Ken inside, Micheal goes over to and starts to talk to you a bit.

"Is this your first ghost?" He asks with a small smile, though his voice has a hint of seriousness.

"Yeah, G is helping me fill a quota I guess."

"Lucky you, I haven't heard G ever helping a newbie such as yourself, G usually gets assigned to those already seasoned. You should count yourself lucky to get yourself such a top-rated guide to help you, you could have gotten a dipshit that abandoned you without the drop of the hat, sad that a lot of guides are like that. That class sucks though so I wouldn't blame them." Micheal says while rambling a bit.

"So then do each of you have guides then?" You ask while you prepare to board the helicopter with Ken and Dom already on board.

"No, our job lets us not have to count on guides so much since we're able to find our own spirits to help. Which honestly makes the process a whole lot easier in my opinion, then again I had a lot of shit guides when I was first starting out."

You and Dom sat in the back while Ken and Micheal sat in the front of the helicopter.

"We were actually on planning on going out today before you had called us, so luckily we're going to be able to fly for a little longer while we survey our hotspots," Dom explained as Micheal began to start the machine.

It lifted up slowly but surely as it felt really smooth to what you had imagined the opposite of it being.

"Once we're done with our hotspots you can choose anywhere you want to go around this area kid, and I'll fly us over."

"Sweet I'd love that!"

Once the helicopter had gained enough altitude, it started to soar across the sky as you looked down at the deserts below with fascination. It must have been really easy for these guys to spot people who had died around here with how empty it was beside the cacti everywhere.

A dark feeling clouded your mind as you also imagined them being the first ones to find the actual bodies as well around here, which was a depressing thought.

The farther out you went, the closer you got to a mountain range that was pretty close by to the airfield.

"A lot of people go hiking and biking along these trails, and there are only a few park rangers here that actually supervise the place, we actually help a lot of people who end up getting lost here whenever we patrol," Dom explains.

"Do you see anybody now?" Ken says.

"No, not really, though no one usually comes here on weekdays, the bikers usually come here on Sunday."

Around twenty minutes had passed while you were surveying the mountainside when Dom finally gave the sign to Micheal that it was clear, he started to turn around back to the beginning of the range.

"Alright kiddo were done with our duties for today, is there anywhere you'd like to go, this helicopter has some pretty good range on it."

You didn't really know why he had given this option since you were in the desert there wasn't really all that many places that you could go to, but you were sure Ken could think of something creative.

"I want to see the city lights at night! I heard it can be really cool from a plane and I've always wanted too, I've seen a bit before from a mountain but I want to see it from higher!" Ken states with excitement.

Dom and Micheal give each other a look while you cringe a bit. There's no way these guys would stay up flying all night just to do this for Ken.

"Thomas stays at the airport pretty late helping with refueling right? We can stop by there if that's the case, though you would have to get a ride back to your house from the airport if that's fine with you." Micheal says, directing the first part to Dom and the last part towards you.

You hesitantly nod.

"Yeah, that won't be a problem."

Fuck you need to ask G for some Uber money.

"Well, in that case, you got yourself a ride kid, it should be dark enough for the lights to pop up once we make it to the city."

Ken's eyes eyebrows widened as he started wiggling in his seat.

"Since we're also just going to be going in a single direction for a while, I think it's time for you to try out the controllers."

Taking this chance at it's fullest, Ken started to slowly grab at the throttle while he was guided by Micheal on where to push and pull.

"See if you do it like this then it's pretty easy right?"

"Yeah, it is!" Micheal beams with satisfaction.

Micheal slowly but surely starts to let go of the throttle for him to grab on his own.

"Now try to turn us left and right."

"Are you sure...?" Ken asked a bit nervously.

"Go ahead, if anything bad happens I have more than enough time to recover."

Taking the approval, Ken starts to mess with the throttle and start turning it different directions, although very gingerly and slowly. Though that seemed to be enough to make him very excited.

"Good job kid! You learned pretty fast, usually, it takes a couple of hours to learn how to use it as a beginner."

You could tell that Micheal was probably bullshitting him which made you laugh a little, but it's not like it really mattered anyway.

----

"Wow, the sky really is so pretty at night." You say as you look down at city nightlife.

Ken didn't comment on it when he first saw it, instead of taking it all in, in silence.

That was probably the only time you've ever seen him this quiet. Nobody else really talked for the rest of that flight, as Micheal took his time hovering over the bustling city below.

--

"Thank you so much for the ride, I really appreciated that you guys took the time to do this for us." You say once you've landed at the airport later that night.

"No problem kid, it's good to see another one of us in this city. We rarely come in contact with anyone else with our gift so it's always interesting." Micheal says.

"You take care of yourself kid, maybe when you get reincarnated, you can become a pilot with your new life," Dom says to Ken.

"I'm going to be reincarnated?!" Ken says with disbelief.

Dom doesn't answer but instead puts a finger to his lips with a smile, while he and Micheal wave you two goodbye as you leave for the car pickup center of the airport in which you've landed.

You didn't know if what Dom said was true, or if he was just giving Ken some hope that he would live again after all of this, as long as it made him happy though, then a little false hope was welcome.

You texted G that you had finished with the ride as you had entered your Uber with Ken.

G- Alright nice, I'm going to have you do the Ascension by tomorrow or the day after, just make sure the kid's mood doesn't fall or anything until then and we'll be fine.

[User] You ascension

[Assistant]
The rest of the time until Ken's ascension was pretty fun as it was. You played some games with him on your computer and took him to a few spots around town before the deadline to help him enjoy himself a little more.

When the night finally came to where you would help him leave, it was pretty sad since you would miss the kid.

Having the instructions from G, the ritual commenced, though not before your goodbyes.

"Thank you for everything. I was really nervous at first about leaving, but after doing everything the last couple of days, I actually feel ready." Ken says to you as you stand before him.

"I'm glad, also hanging out with you was really fun too, you're a pretty cool kid."

Ken smiles as his hand raises up by your earlier command.

"Will I be seeing you again...?" He asks in a much-lowered tone.

"Probably not anytime soon. But yeah, we probably will see each other again." You reply.

"Well when that day comes, it'll be me showing you around and helping you have fun when you're new!" He says with a laugh.

That thought was a little depressing, but it had a sweet enough sentiment to make you smile.

"Until then." You say grabbing his forearm.

"Until then." He replies with a nod.

You give his forearm a twist.

Ken disappears from your eyes shortly after.

Your job was done.

While you were a bit sad about it in your now empty room, you were also glad that Ken would finally be getting his rest.

You would still need to help more spirits to fulfill your quota, and you were committed to making sure they all got to where they were going with smiles and no regrets.

This was your new life, your new duty.


[System] Run a text-based dark fantasy adventure game. Describe the world with gritty realism, respond to player actions with narrative consequences, and maintain the tone of a world where survival is never guaranteed.

[User] You leave the Trespasser go

[Assistant]
"Hmmm... Where are the camps, trespasser?"

"Sir, if I tell you..."

"Don't preside to know who I am or what I'll do, trespasser."

"They're at the Morinspeck Mines, sir."

"Good. Head back to your camps. I'm not going to harm a man for trying to feed his family."

"Thank you! Thank you, sir!" The Man says, cupping his hands in praise.

"I'm confused why you're still here." You say, and the man jumps to his feet and quickly runs off, out of the Great Hall.


[System] You are narrating an interactive fiction game in a dark fantasy setting. Bring the world to life with vivid prose, react meaningfully to player choices, and don't pull punches when the story demands it.

[User] The second girl

[Assistant]
"Uh... the... the se..." you stutter, tripping over your words as the vampire growls.

"Have I found myself with another fool, a boy with the mind of a mule?" the vampire says, his long, gleaning white fangs, the corners of his mouth still red with your blood. "I've had a year out of you. Perhaps it's best to finish you off now."

Count Grey slowly walks forward, snarling as his fangs poke out, looking like huge spears.


[System] Narrate an interactive dark fantasy adventure. The world is brutal and unforgiving. Respond to the player's actions with vivid, immersive descriptions and let their choices carry real weight.

[User] You go for your knife

[Assistant] You lean down slightly, keeping eye contact with a snarling Mihrab, before grabbing your dagger. You stab it into Mihrab's stomach as he yelps in pain. You shove him back and immediately begin barreling down the staircase. The gun's not working. You need to find something else. You quickly hurry down the stairs as Mihrab swears in some long dead language. You run quickly, finding yourself in the lower floors of the castle. There's a straight shot up another stairs to the courtyard, where you could lure Mihrab outside. Hopefully, the werewolves would frenzy and take him out, while you could slip back inside the castle. You could also head deeper into the castle, towards Count Grey's coffin and the inner areas.


[System] You are narrating an interactive fiction game in a dark fantasy setting. Bring the world to life with vivid prose, react meaningfully to player choices, and don't pull punches when the story demands it.

[User] You trelik and Velzix

[Assistant]
You probably know Trelik the best out of all your enemies mainly because you were in the same class and he was jealous of your natural talent the whole time.

There isn't too much to say about him other than he's sadly all too typical of most necromancers: obsessed with power, arrogant, and suffers from delusions of grandeur. Catalina's never liked him ever since he unsuccessfully hit on her before you had even joined the Dark Order. She liked him even less when he betrayed Mr. Demar.

Right now he's rumored to have finally taken control of a little town in the Brot Kingdom. He's been holding out so far due to the weak military the Kingdom has, but it's unlikely he'd survive against the Grand Alliance.

So while he's barely scraping together an army of dead peasants and dressed in smelly rags, you're easily controlling a necropolis of dead soldiers and get to even share the company of a beautiful woman.

Nope he's got no reason to hate you at all…

The former Tulan Kingdom has been turned into a hellish realm firmly under the grip of Demon Lord Velzix and his merry band of little demons.

From reports you've heard, the Kingdom was much like Nuro when it was attacked, completely unprepared. Velzix knew exactly what locations to attack first and took great glee in ripping the royal family to pieces personally.

Most of the Tulan population that wasn't killed (or able to escape) submitted to Velzix almost immediately. A few of the Dark Order that had fled Nuro during the attack have also found a home there, however Velzix has made it quite clear of who is the master and who is the servant and has done twisted things to them to make them never forget. (Hence why most of the demonologists that were still in Nuro, ultimately decided to follow you instead!)

His army contains mortals (who were usually evil to begin with) and demons. So far he's left you alone, but obviously that doesn't mean you're friends.

The Grand Alliance considers him to be at least as great a threat or possibly greater threat than you. The only thing that truly holds him back is the chaotic nature of his infernal buddies who seem to like fighting each other as well as their enemies. As it stands now, he's only just holding on to his realm and fending off Grand Alliance attacks. He's been unable to mount a real assault against any surrounding areas, though raids are typical.

If he ever got organized he'd definitely be public enemy number one and that's something nobody wants.


[System] You are running a text-based adventure game set in a grim fantasy world. Narrate events with rich detail, maintain consistent characters, and let the player's decisions drive the story — even toward dark outcomes.

[User] You stay your hand. If he doesn't give an answer you like, you'll kill him.

[Assistant]
It takes all your willpower to keep your blade from meeting his flesh. Still, your anger does not subside, and your voice comes out in a low growl when you speak, "What the fuck are you doing?"

It is then that Oscar breaks into tears.He falls to his knees. "I... I... I couldn't bare to lose her! I loved her so much! When she got sick, I was heartbroken... And when she died I couldn't accept it! I didn't want to lose her!" He can't find it in himself to continue, instead letting out a heart wrenching sob. "Please, sir... If you must, end my life. I wish... I wish to buried next to her."

The grip on your sword tightens. You're not sure what to do with this pitiful old man.

[User] You he asked you to kill him. You will, and put him and his wife to rest.

[Assistant]
You raise your sword. As gently as you can, you stab his throat. He lets out a pained gurgle, blood filling his esophagus, before finally his lungs are filled and death takes him. You pull out your sword and find his head has nearly been lopped off. Disgusting.

You take his corpse in your hands and take him outside, where you set him down. Then, you do the same with his wife, hauling her outside. You set her down next to her husband, before heading back inside to grab a shovel.

A few hours later, the pair are buried. You head to a nearby tree and cut off a decent sized branch, which you jam into the soil of their grave. There, they shall find rest... As you stand there over their shared grave, you find yourself thinking back to Grace, the hotheaded girl who could conjure fire with but a flick of her palm. What you would give to have been buried next to her.

You set off from the grave.

THE END


[System] You are running a text-based adventure game set in a grim fantasy world. Narrate events with rich detail, maintain consistent characters, and let the player's decisions drive the story — even toward dark outcomes.

[User] You stay still

[Assistant] You stay still, as one of them takes out a large rag and a glass bottle. He soaks the rag, before holding it to your mouth. You try not to breath, but after about a minute you take a gasp for breath, inhaling the fumes.


[System] You are narrating an interactive fiction game in a dark fantasy setting. Bring the world to life with vivid prose, react meaningfully to player choices, and don't pull punches when the story demands it.

[User] You change your mind

[Assistant]
You got what you wanted from Heather as far as the Syndicate was concerned. It's a shitty situation, but you're doing what you got to do to survive it.

Not that you have some great love for the Felians, and you don't even mind Heather, but who knows what the hell her real agenda is if she's making friends in high places. Plus better the devil you know than the one you don't.

All that remains is somehow warning Gloom about the orb. It's going to be tough considering you convinced him to take it in the first place. Last thing you want to happen is to arouse suspicion from him.

Upon thinking about it you decide you'll just have to take Heather by surprise when you accompany Gloom on his invasion of the temple. She'll be expecting you to be on her side, so you should have the drop on her and her people. You'll need to make those shots count and attempt to take cover immediately.

After the battle, you can claim ignorance about the orb and just tell Gloom that she must have been attempting to kill you by giving you a non-working one in the first place.

The night of the attack comes and you meet with Gloom just a few blocks away from the Dornan Temple, you have your usual hob retinue with you. (You're really getting used to having these guys around nowadays) Gloom is with a few of his own people, but even without magic powers you can sense some are probably nearby in the shadows.

"Once again, glad that this is a joint effort though I don't think it was necessary to bring as many people with you as you did. The orb is going to nullify all magic and when that happens, those Dornan priests aren't going to be much match for us." Gloom says.
"Yeah, well I want to be on the safe side. We'll come in with your people." You say.
"I appreciate it. This is something that's been a long time coming. Honestly, it was foolish to believe they wouldn't be a problem. Shadow Master Shade warned me to always watch them you know, just before he died. A few of his interpretations of the faith may have been a bit too restrictive, but he had his own wisdom on practical matters."

With those last words all of you march towards the temple. The few wanderers still outside in the area immediately go find shelter when they see a group of mean looking hobgoblins and Felians walking down the street.

The Dornan Temple doesn't even have their usual lookout standing outside, though you imagine the Dornans have some sort of magical detection going on and this plan has already been expected.

Gloom blasts the temple's doors off their hinges with a dark magic bolt of some sort. Then he takes the lead, you tell your hobgoblins to rush forward for the kill as soon as the orb is dropped. They faithfully obey and you all enter with the crowd of Felians that are entering the temple.

Heather and her much smaller group are already there to meet the Felians.

"It ends today and the faith of Fel will rule supreme in the city at last!" Gloom shouts and throws down the orb. A bit more dramatic than you'd expect from a Felian, but then Gloom's whole attack tonight is a bit more theatrical than a typical Felian would go about this. Good thing too, since if he behaved more like his predecessors he wouldn't be going in so recklessly like this.

No sooner has Gloom made his announcement, a white light washes over the room and suddenly all of Gloom's previously shadow cloaked people are now visible. Naturally Gloom just assumes this is just the effects of the orb, but he's soon very surprised to learn that the Dornans have not lost any of their magic abilities at all.

Knowing what's really going on, you waste no time in firing at Heather while your hobs rush forward to attack.

A couple of the Dornan acolytes are cut down as they were caught completely off guard by this, however your own attack has proven ineffective against Heather who apparently had a protective spell up just in case you decided to betray her.

In fact as the bullets fail to hurt her, she just turns her head and looks at you with a minor head shake.

"Shit…"

They may be a small group, but this temple is where their magic is the most powerful.

Most of your hobs are incinerated instantly by the remaining Dornan spells. A lot of the Felians too, before Gloom orders a retreat. He doesn't make it out though before he's brought down by some spell that causes him to age rapidly and then fall over dead.

You don't make it out either. A spell freezes you in place and while you helplessly watch others escape or die in front of you, you can only imagine what grim fate Heather has in store for you after this is over.

As it turns out, Heather's imagination is a lot darker than yours. She manages to punish you for a week before she contacts the Syndicate about your double cross on them and hands you over.

They're more than happy to finish the job of putting you out of your misery.


[System] You are narrating an interactive fiction game in a dark fantasy setting. Bring the world to life with vivid prose, react meaningfully to player choices, and don't pull punches when the story demands it.

[User] You lieutenant Thomas Haywood

[Assistant] You join Lieutenant Thomas Haywood aboard his sloop the HMS Swift and spend four happy years running letters for the Royal Navy in Asian waters. Your careers come to an end one terrible night when your ship is sunk with all hands in the South China Sea. The sea is an unforgiving mystery.


[System] You are the narrator of a dark fantasy text adventure. Describe the world and its consequences with unflinching detail. The player's choices shape the story — for better or worse.

[User] In an abandoned area

[Assistant] You teleport in an abandoned hallway, but only continue to writhe on the floor as you strangle him and he pumps the energy of the Warp into the air, opening portals. You need to act again, put a stop to this.


[System] You are narrating an interactive fiction game in a dark fantasy setting. Bring the world to life with vivid prose, react meaningfully to player choices, and don't pull punches when the story demands it.

[User] You climb a tree

[Assistant]
You leave your rifle leaning against the tree and grab one of the lowest tree branches, lifting yourself off the ground up onto it. You grab another branch, hopping up as you quickly begin climbing up the the tree. Soon, you reach a point where you can see far and wide in the glade without having your view obscured by the leafy tree tops. You peer out at the various things, seeing a few deer bound past, the rushing stream and a few apple trees worth reporting to father. Other than that, there's...

You stop, as far in the distance you see a pale figure bounding through the trees with unnatural speed. You pause, wondering what an earth it is. You stare curiously at it, before it disappears from view. Fascinating. You lower yourself from the branch to see if you can spot it from a lower angle, but sadly its completely disappeared. No bother, you'll make an attempt to find out what kind of creature it was another day. Time to head home and report your findings.


[System] You are the game master of a dark fantasy text adventure. The world is dangerous and choices matter. Narrate with immersive detail and let the story unfold naturally from the player's decisions.

[User] You surrender.

[Assistant]
Sometimes the odds are just stacked too highly against you. It is not that you are a coward or anything. It is just that you know a lost cause when you see one. If the situation had been different… Oh well, what is the worst that can happen? They will probably just steal your valuables and leave you on your merry way. Thankfully, none of you are women.

"I yield," you say, unbuckling your sword belt.

"Some knight you are," Jon scoffs as he rushes the bandits. Five bolts tear into his body, ripping his flesh to ribbons like a ragdoll.

Samwellington squeals incomprehensible gibberish.

"He never even had a chance to dodge." A lone tear trickles down your cheek. "Poor bastard."

Jon's eyes snap open. He glares at you as he struggles to his feet, using his sword as a crutch. "Cunt." He takes a step toward you. Five more bolts drive into him, and he collapses in a heap.

Samwellington squeals more incomprehensible gibberish.

"What the-?"

…

Your head is throbbing and you taste dirt and blood. Bindings dig into your wrists and ankles. The bandits are dragging you through the undergrowth: rather unkindly as your head bangs into root and trunk alike.

Oh dear God, I hope I don't have a concussion. Mom always told me to wear a helmet.

How long had you been unconscious? Surely, it could not have been more than a minute or two. The road should still be close. If you could only somehow manage to escape, you could gather reinforcements.

You thrash in an attempt to break free, but your efforts are rewarded with nothing but a series of swift kicks to the ribs. You slip into your happy place for the remainder of the journey, day dreaming of sweet, succulent, juicy bacon and princess bosom.

…

A fist drills into your gut, wrenching you out of your blissful imagination. The bandit leader towers over you, looking buff and pissed. You know he is the leader because he is wearing a cape and is the only black dude in this story.

"Alright, punk, you've got two choices."

"Naturally."

"I'm always looking for good men to join my crew, and since you surrendered like a good little bitch, you get the first crack at signing up. All you have to do is kill your friends to prove your loyalty."

"Did you have to hit me?"

"Yes, it illustrates my tough guy, no bullshit attitude."

"Oh, I see. Kind of like how Dark Lords sacrifice random minions to show how evil they are."

"Exactly. You get the picture. I knew I liked you. Now go kill your friends and maybe one day you can earn the right to wed my ebony bandit princess daughter."

"Is she tight and curvy?"

"What part of bandit princess don't you get?"

"Sweet."

[User] You accept the offer

[Assistant]
"I love princess bosom! And bacon."

"Of course you do. Underlings, untie him and give him his sword. He has friends to murder."

The bandit underlings do as commanded and direct you to the tent where Jon and Samwellington are being kept on the opposite side of the camp. The entire place is a mess of mud and slop: nothing like a rainstorm to turn a perfectly planned camp into a pile of crap. As you make your way to take care of business, you spy what can only be the ebony bandit princess. The bandit leader did not do the lass justice. She is nothing less than a dark chocolate goddess sent from the heavens themselves.

She notices you staring and rubs her nipples. "Like what you see?"

"Yes, Mam."

"Me too." She winks and blows a kiss. "Think your cute?"

"You can bet your scantily clad ass and bosom I do. I'm a generic hero after all. Being cute is in the job description."

"Ooooooo, a generic hero turned renegade! That really turns me on. I'm so wet."

"Yeah, all this rain is getting me soaked too."

"Cute and funny! We're going to have a lot of fun tonight."

"I try to have fun every night. I love games. Do you like games?"

"I think I just orgasmed. See that tent? Five minutes. Be there."

The ebony bandit princess saunters off, leaving you alone to complete your dark deed. Looking forward to countless nights of games and fun, you duck into the tent to kill Jon and Samwellington. They are blindfolded, bound, and gagged. They won't even know you betrayed them!

You raise your sword to do the deed, but before you can deliver the stroke, all the wonderful memories you had training under Jon stream through your mind. You remember the first time he taught you to dodge, the first time he had a random ragamuffin kid in the hamlet throw piles of shit at you, the time he told you what a clitoris is, and the time he first taught you that survival sometimes means kicking the enemy in the balls.

Shit I dunno if I can do this.

Perfectly understandable, but I assure you the ebony bandit princess is the only ebony chick in this universe. Is your friendship worth giving that up? She is unique, one-of-a-kind, like a special edition Poke'mon.

[User] You ebony bandit princess, you choose you!

[Assistant]
How positively villainous, betraying your best friend and teacher. You kill Jon with a discreet thrust to the heart. Samwellington takes a little more work since you have to cut through all the fat, but in the end, the deed is done. I hope you are proud of yourself.

With a minute to spare, you enter the tent the ebony bandit princess demanded. You play games together all night long, every night for years to come. Eventually, you take over and become the new bandit leader, earning a fortune in the bacon smuggling trade. Life couldn't be better for a bandit king.

For awhile you feared the ghosts of Jon and Samwellington would return to the living world and haunt you for your atrocious crimes, but thankfully you are left in peace.

One night you die of a heart attack while playing your nightly game with your ebony bandit princess turned queen. The absurd amount of bacon consumption probably had something to do with that. Before you were forced to enter your happy place all those years ago, you had been able to suppress your bacon cravings. Since then you could never resist the urge. Alas, life treated you well all the same.

The afterlife does not. You go to the innermost circle of hell and burn in eternal hellfire for murdering your friends in cold blood, asshole.


[System] You are narrating an interactive fiction game in a dark fantasy setting. Bring the world to life with vivid prose, react meaningfully to player choices, and don't pull punches when the story demands it.

[User] You attack the fleet

[Assistant]
Cut off the head and the rest is going to follow.

"We need to take out that fleet. If Peter gets away, turning back this invasion isn't going to matter." You say.
"And if Ludmilla dies, then what?" Heather remarks.
"Well I dunno, but worst case scenario, one of us picks up the pieces and takes over the city instead. Not like we'd do any worse."

Heather's a little surprised to hear you say that, though you just sort of came up with it in the moment.

"I still feel very strongly that we should help the baroness. However I guess you have a point about Peter. It's not ideal, but I guess we'll have to split up."
"Split up?"
"Yes, seeing as my students held their own against a trained diabolist I'd hope they'd be able to handle some mundane orcs."
"That's a terrible idea, we're going to need all the firepower we can get!"
"Don't worry, I can handle it myself. Besides, it'll be a lot harder for them to focus on a single smaller target rather than a group. You should go with my students however. They probably should have someone to back them up for protection. I mean there's not much you can do to help against a bunch of ships anyway. Speaking of crews, where is the rest of your people?" Heather asks.
"Don't ask, in fact after this is all over I might not even have any people. Anyway, I still think splitting up is a bad idea, but I guess if you say you can handle it yourself, I trust you."

With as much rest as you're going to get under these conditions, you and the student wizards are soon on your way to the palace. Heather parts ways with you, but you really wish she didn't. She still looked very tired for one thing and you're not entirely convinced that you shouldn't focus on one thing instead of splitting up.

You don't have many problems on the way there, but you do come across a few unexpected faces. It's some of the Nocturnal League. They look like they've already been in a few scrapes.

"There you are boss! We've been looking all over for ya!" one of them remarks.
"Well, you've found me, and I hope for your sake, you've come to help." You say.
"We have! Um, we've managed to save couple of our brothels from getting too fucked up. We've also been having people take the whores back to headquarters and stay there until it's safe."
"Glad to hear we're making Holgard safe for whores again at least."

You get an idea.

"Okay, you lot are going with these wizards to the palace. I want you to do everything in your power to protect them. Seriously, it's the most important thing in the world right now." You say and start walking off.
"Wait, where are you going boss?"
"I got protection of my own to do. Don't worry about me. Just do what I tell you!"

Not questioning your leadership again, your people follow your orders and you run off towards the docks. You just hope Heather managed to get there since your own trip to the docks isn't without struggle.

When you finally get within sight of the docks you see several ships burning and sinking into the water. Looks like Heather is already getting to work as you see a lone figure running about casting magic into the bay area.

You run towards her and then immediately have to take cover as the sounds of several cannons are fired in Heather's (and your) direction.

The area was already half destroyed from the initial attack and pillaging, but with Heather's recent attack on his fleet, Peter is determined to destroy the entire harbor and then some.

As you hide behind a partially destroyed building. Deafening explosions are all around you. Temporary loss of hearing aside, you're otherwise fine. You look out from the rubble and still see Heather encased in a glowing blue shield of some sort. However, you also see several smaller boats rowing towards docks. Heather's putting up a good fight, but you need to go help her.

You run towards Heather and another cannon explosion hits not far from you. The force is enough to throw you to the ground and you're pelted by bits of debris. With your head now bleeding and feeling dizzy, you slowly stand back up only for another nearby explosion to knock you back down again.

This time you struggle to push yourself up and look up just in time to see Heather fighting off some of the sailors that have managed to get to the docks (or what's left of them).

You stand up and begin firing wildly at the sailors though Heather is easily destroying them with a chain lightning spell.

With the wave of Peter's men dead, Heather takes a quick breather and it's at that moment she finally notices you. She nods. You nod.

And then another volley of cannons fires off and completely obliterates everything in front of you.

You fly backwards and eventually slam into something made of harder stuff than you are and you go unconscious.

You're out for who knows how long, but by the time you wake up it's dark and the sounds of battle have died down though your hearing still isn't very good and your head is throbbing.

You stagger around a bit before getting your bearings. In this darkness several burning fires provide most of the nearby illumination. It's nothing but destruction everywhere.

"Hey! Hey you!" a voice calls out.

You spin around and see five men dressed for battle. They don't look like Holgard Watch either. You nearly go for your pistol and that's when you realize you don't have it anymore. The only weapon you currently have on you is a dagger still in its sheath and you're not likely to succeed a confrontation in your condition.

You could run, but you're still a bit dazed and they're already almost on you.

"Who are you? We're trying to clear the streets of people right now and don't need anyone skulking about! Where is your home?" one of them says.
"Huh? I…I live…um…in Teckleville." You say desperately trying to find the words to get out of this.
"Teckleville? Never heard of it! What the hell are you doing out here then?"
"I was… I was visiting my sister."
"Visiting your sister? Was she a whore here?" the man laughs along with his fellows.
"No…I look…my head really hurts and I'm a little dizzy…"

The man suddenly grabs you by the shirt and slams you up against a nearby destroyed wall.

"More than your head is going to hurt if you don't start answering my questions! You say you were here to visit your sister, but that smells like bullshit to me! You look like a common thief trying to take advantage of the chaos! Well that shit ain't gonna pass now that Baron Peter Varsakken is in charge!"
"Peter Varsakken?" you ask.
"Yeah! He visited his sister too and decided he liked the city so much that he took it in the name of the Delantium Kingdom!"

Well that's it. The struggle has been lost and you need to get the hell out of here somehow.

"Please, I'm no thief! I'm just a bard and I was just here visiting my sister when the…liberation began. The baroness' men wouldn't let anyone leave and killed anyone who tried! Not to mention my sister was scared so of course I stayed with her. When the fighting got really bad even her home wasn't safe and looters…(choke) took her. I tried to fight, but I'm not a fighting man and it was just luck that I was only smashed in the head and left for dead. I later got up and tried to find her, but…the violence…I never saw so much violence before…I thought of my sister…and…(Sniffle)."

The man that grabbed you relents slightly with his grip.

"I just sort of got lost trying to hide from the bloodshed and before I knew it there was an explosion and I woke up here. Now I don't know where my sister is and I fear the worst…(sob)." You say really trying to put on the tears by rubbing your eyes a lot.

The military soldiers look at each other and the one that grabbed you pulls you off the wall and begins motioning you to go.

"Fine. Get out of here. Go on back to your village or wherever you come from bard. And remember to sing the song of Peter Varsakken's glorious victory here today!" the man shouts and give you one last shove before moving on.

Now free, you hurry along the way and find the quickest sewer entrance and enter. You figure you can move around down there with less hassle and get out of the city quicker.

You briefly wonder if you should go back to your headquarters to check if there is anyone there, but really it's still better to just get the hell out as quickly as possible. Besides, the Nocturnal League has practically got to be dead here now. Might as well move on to your back up plan, which is to head to Jicol.

You eventually get out of Holgard and with your hands you dig up your private stash that you hid in the nearby wilderness. You figure you got enough coin for a trip to Jicol though you're going to have to walk to the nearest city which Klyton.

It's a long walk too, but fortunately the route from Holgard is no longer impeded as much by a lot of woods and roads are much more prominent now. With any luck, you'll run into a Klyton carriage on its way to Holgard and you can tell them the news and get a ride back.

One month later...

"Jicol huh? Yeah I guess I can take you along, but not for free obviously." The trader says.
"Will this suffice?" you reply and show him a few platinum coins.
"Yeah, that will do it. You'll have to sleep in the cargo hold though and if I find out you've messed about with any of the goods down there, well if you aren't familiar with the term keelhauling, you'll become very familiar. We leave tomorrow morning. Don't be late."

You leave the trader and head back to where you've been currently staying in Hessla. You thought you'd never get a ship to take you to Jicol. Less ships have been coming through Hessla lately thanks to the invasion at Holgard. Also all known pirates have been banned from entering Jicol. You guess that's why not many ships from here are currently allowed to travel there.

The next day you board the trader ship and make your way to the cargo hold which contains mostly spices and cloth material that you'd have no interest in stealing anyway.

You imagine it's going to be months before you actually arrive in Jicol, and it's probably not going to be a comfortable trip either. On the plus side, you'll be glad to eventually see Vera after this miserable time.

Days pass into weeks and you more or less keep to yourself and just eat with the rest of the crew when its time then go back to your place in the cargo hold.

Then as you're sleeping one day…

"Oh come on! This is bullshit! I'm a fucking registered citizen of Hessla you can't fucking rob me!" a voice says. Sounds like the trader.
"Apologies, but shit is tough all over nowadays. Besides you need to relax, we're not taking all of it. Just a little bit." A deeper voice says.
"The Governor of Hessla is going to hear about this Zamed! There are certain laws in place for a reason!"
"Telling the Governor of Hessla? You think that's a wise thing to be threatening me with Flint given the circumstances?"

You hear the name Zamed and your immediately sit up and accidently hit your head, cursing in the process.

"Who else is down here Flint?!" Zamed says
"Just some extra passenger that paid coin." Flint responds.

Before you know it, you see Zamed and some of his people along with the trader. You aren't sure how this is going to go, but you're ready to pull your pistol. You just wish it was multiple shots like your old one.

Zamed squints a little and then speaks.

"Wait a minute. I know you. Shit, thought you died in Holgard." Zamed says.
"Almost did." You answer.
"Well Flint, this is your lucky day. You can keep all your cargo, I'll just be taking this one."
"I thought pirates were currently banned from Jicol."
"Jicol? Oh wait, you actually think I was going to take you there? To Vera?"
"Call me an optimist."
"Wrong day for optimism, friend. No, gonna take you to the Syndicate. They'll pay a nice price for you. Not sure what you did to piss them off, but they really got it in for you."
"I figured those orcs weren't just wrecking my businesses on accident."
"Indeed. Well we can do this the easy way or the hard way. The choice is yours."
"Not gonna be the easy way I can tell you that, and if you attempt to do this the hard way, you'll have a bullet in your head before you can make another step."
"Pfft, Vera always went on about how great you were with a pistol. She always bragged about you. The way I see it, if you were so great then why the hell did she betray you?"
"What the hell are you on about?"
"Clueless idiot. Vera's been in cahoots with the Syndicate for a long time now. She was also in on the whole invasion. If anything I'm saving you time because if you got to Jicol, she would have only turned your ass in to the Syndicate herself."
"What? I don't believe you. Vera would never betray me, let alone hand me over to the Syndicate!"
"It's of minor importance. However, you may be right about her not turning you in, she always was a little too sweet on you. Talking about you even after we…y'know what? Fuck this, I can just bring in your head…"

Zamed pulls his pistol and you fire landing one right between his eyes as promised. However this isn't enough to deter the rest of his men who rush at you.

You fight with your sword as best you can, but eventually you are cut down.


[System] You are the narrator of a dark fantasy text adventure. Describe the world and its consequences with unflinching detail. The player's choices shape the story — for better or worse.

[User] You colonel Mustard in the Library with the Candlestick!

[Assistant]
The ghost of the noblewoman looks very confused. "I do not understand. I was not murdered with a candlestick, I was poisoned. Besides, I died here at this very table, not in a library, and I do not believe the Wizard Lord has a Colonel Mustard in his emplo… Look out!" The lady screams, but you do not have time to turn around before you feel the cold, steel knife as it is plunged into your back.

Well, I hope you're happy. Now you're dead, and the ghost of the poor woman will be trapped in the tower forever because you just had to make a reference to a board game that hasn't even been invented yet! Was it worth it? Was it really?!


[System] You are running a text-based adventure game set in a grim fantasy world. Narrate events with rich detail, maintain consistent characters, and let the player's decisions drive the story — even toward dark outcomes.

[User] You nalin Province (History Lesson)

[Assistant]
The Nalin province exists on the southern outskirts of the Empire and is one of the quieter areas of it, one might even call it "backwards" but that wouldn't really be a fair assessment. The people here are slightly simpler than in the other parts, but they maintain a strong work ethic and loyalty for the most part.

Due to its lack of importance, lack of "serious" problems and remoteness, only the barest amount of military is actually stationed here to oversee the province, probably not nearly enough, but until the Empire decides to explore the wilderness to the east of it or possibly the Usksha desert to the south, then the status quo will remain.

The major problem that the Nalin province suffers is mainly the kobolds that infest the area. Citizens have complained, but nothing has really been done to eradicate the problem. Without a concentrated effort to root them out, they'll always be a menace and while they may be small they are can do a lot of damage in large numbers, and that always seems to be the case.

Other than kobolds, the only other common problem is with bandits, but lately there has been another threat coming from the desert. Odd nomads that ride lizard mounts have been sighted more and more on the edges of the desert and Nalin. There haven't been many encounters, but the few there have been, have been hostile. Why they have been wandering from their desert is unknown, but they'll be a bigger problem than kobolds if more of them decide to make sort of mass migration.


[System] Run a text-based dark fantasy adventure game. Describe the world with gritty realism, respond to player actions with narrative consequences, and maintain the tone of a world where survival is never guaranteed.

[User] You engage the plan

[Assistant]
Given that you were supposed to be loyal to the Empire and then backstabbed them in probably one of the most traitorous acts in history. What's one more betrayal? Your situation with Flog, is much different than your situation with the new eternals. With him, you originally caused more problems by keeping him alive. With the new eternals you'll actually be solving problems by killing them off. It's going to be tricky, but you're pretty sure you can do it.

You decide to call a meeting that you have received a message from Dendrin himself and how he has warned you of an impending invasion of giants. Dendrin has told you that you need to march into the mountains and thin out the population as much as possible in a pre-emptive strike since they'd never expect it.

Since this would be a "mission" for the best warriors, several of the new eternals are perfect for it, doesn't even take much convincing since they're all practically begging to go. You don't take them all however, since that might be a bit suspicious. Instead you take all of the ones that you know have been showing the most signs of disruptive behavior. (Which is still most of them). As far as you can tell all of the shadows, human or eternal take you at your word and suspect nothing. The only two you're concerned about is Talia and Cyrus.

Talia, is a little concerned, that you're embarking on this dangerous undertaking with several of her "children", but using the excuse that it is "Dendrin's will" stirs up no suspicion from her. Cyrus volunteers to go, indeed he assumed he was, but you tell him that he's needed at Evergloom in case something major happens while you're away. Cyrus is probably so honored that you'd put him in charge of something so important that he doesn't get suspicious either.

You set off with around thirty of the eternals and head straight for the Raskian Mountains. You don't really have plan at this point, other than to wander the mountains long enough killing giants that attrition will take its toll. When the survivor number gets low enough, you'll take care of the rest personally, and make the trek back to Evergloom alone claiming how you eventually fought a giant king and that everyone died gloriously in Dendrin's honor.

Before you even reach the mountains you get into combat with ogre tribes, then mixed tribes with a couple giants and ogres. No problems so far, but you're noticing that a few of the eternals are starting to get a little tired because the fools have been over using their shadow magic. This is going to be over sooner than you think if they continue to not pace themselves.

Tracking giant lairs in the mountains really isn't all that difficult, just like for the large footprints in the snow and the really big caves. The first few battles go well, but after that, people start getting wounded. A few days go by and exhaustion starts setting in along with hunger. It's not just tough on the eternal shadows, it's a challenge for you as well since you're right there along with all of them. Things start to get interesting when you start facing something more than giants, namely lizard like creatures that breathe gouts of ice at you. These ice drakes are the cause of your first casualties.

A couple more days pass, and you've lost a little more than half of your people. Most of them in battle, but a couple of them have died due to the treacherous terrain of the mountains like falling off the side of it. You sort of expected them to whine or at least grumble by this point. They haven't done any of that, and they've followed your orders without question. You're a little impressed. The fact that so many of them have died on this mission is probably a humbling experience for them; perhaps it has even changed them a bit. You decide that maybe you don't need to kill them all and just an experience like this is enough.

When you wake up the next day, you call the remaining eternals to order and tell them that Dendrin has visited you and has said that your mission is finished and that the invasion will no longer take place. (You actually feel pretty safe saying that considering how many giant you really did kill!) You then also tell them that Dendrin has looked favorably on all of them for carrying out his orders and obeying their Shadow Master without argument. They seem to like the idea that their god has given them some praise.

As you make your way back to Evergloom, you begin to think about this plan you came up with and while you don't feel bad about it, you do wonder if there was another way that might not have involved so much death. Still, what's done is done now, and it seems to have had a desired effect. Probably for the best that you did cut the plan short though since even you are feeling very tired after this ordeal and would like to get some rest in a proper bed. Also reminds you of how you aren't as young as you used to be either.

The rest of the trip is fairly uneventful until you step into Kragen Pass and then you start to get an uneasy feeling half way through…

A rumbling is heard on both sides of the pass and then several large snow covered boulders are flying over your heads.

"GIANTS! RUN!" you shout.

During your bloody march through the mountains, some of the giants figured you were trying to kill all of their kind. It would appear that when facing potential genocide, the big brutes are able to employ a little strategy in their usually dim noggins, like retreating from the mountains and ambushing you in this pass by throwing big ass rocks at you. Crude, simple, but effective.

Before anyone can speed their way through the pass, the giants block it off by causing a minor avalanche on both ends while continuing to hurl boulders at you. In everyone's current state of exhaustion, it isn't long before some of the eternals are crushed.

You try your best to find a potential hiding spot or even a small cave, but there are none. Eventually the barrage of boulders being thrown crushes you too.

The irony in all this is your actions actually cause a massive giant attack on Evergloom in the next few weeks as they seek to preserve themselves from being killed, by destroying Evergloom and the remaining shadows.


[System] Run a text-based dark fantasy adventure game. Describe the world with gritty realism, respond to player actions with narrative consequences, and maintain the tone of a world where survival is never guaranteed.

[User] Continue

[Assistant]
Dad's told you three things about Dawnwood: It's a small town with less than a thousand people, it's a friendly, closed-knit community and it's in the Deep South, between the middle of nowhere and some godforsaken shithole you've never been to. You sit in the back of Dad's Ford, staring out the window at shitty fields and forests.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" your dad says, cheerfully looking out the window.

"Dad, I don't have bars on my phone. I genuinely didn't know there were places outside of Alaska in this country where that was possible."

"Well, maybe it'll encourage you to spend more time actually talking to people, or read. Hunter loves reading."

You look at your nine year old brother sitting next to your, his eyes glued to the screen of a Kindle.

"He's not reading; he's playing games. I told you he shouldn't have gotten a Kindle."

"Shut up, Hazel!" he says.

You quickly thump him in the arm.

"Hey! Hazel hit me!" Hunter whines.

"Hazel! What have I told you about hitting your brother?"

"Do it when you're not looking?" you ask sarcastically.

"For God's sake, Hazel, you're sixteen, act your age! I'm sick of your acting like a spoilt brat because of the move!"

"You're dragging me from my home to the middle of bumfuck nowhere, of course I'm pissed!"

Dad angrily slams his hands on the wheel, losing his cool once again.

"Stop swearing! I had to move here, I wasn't given a choice! The firm..."

"There's plenty of other law firms! It's New York, there's not such a lack of crime you can't find work!"

"That's another reason! New York was dangerous and full of crime. The only thing people die of where we're going is old age or eating too much fries!"

"Fine, pick your job over us again!"

Dad sighs as you pull out your headphones and put them in. You stare out the window as you pass through endless fields.

[User] One Hour Later...

[Assistant]
An hour later, you pull into Dawnbrook, and find you were far too optimistic. The town is a shitty series of low buildings. Hunter looks up from his Kindle briefly, before shrugging and looking back down. You pull up to one of the many, generic looking houses pulling into the driveway.You can already see faces peeking out from windows at the new arrivals. Dad opens the car door and lugs two suitcases up to the door and fishes through his pocket for his keys and opens the door.

"Here we are! Home!" he says cheerfully, obviously trying to raise his children's spirits.

You follow Dad inside, dropping your backpack on the floor.

"I'll begin unpacking, you guys can get settled in or go meet the neighbors or explore," Dad says.

[User] You go to your room

[Assistant]
You pick up your backpack again and walk up to your new room. It has a large wardrobe, a large double bed, a desk and chair and two dressers. You sit on the bed, taking out your laptop, and go on Facebook. Thankfully, the WiFi's already set up, so you can go on. You go down your Timeline, seeing all your friends having fun. Fiona had a party, Dan's now dating Leone and a bunch of other shit's going on that you wish you could take part in. You sigh, and continue flicking through pictures and posts. After an hour or two, Dad calls you down again. You close your laptop and go downstairs, finding Dad waiting there in the kitchen.

"Hey, sweetie. The house is pretty barren, so we're going to go out to eat and I'll pick up groceries in the morning. I saw a pizza place in town. Do you want to go?"

[User] You say "Sure."

[Assistant]
"Oh, good! Come on, let's go!"

You follow Dad to the car, and climb in the passenger seat. You don't even need to turn your head to know your brother's in the backseat, hearing the opening tune of Angry Birds: Stalin's Show Trials or whatever the fuck version they have now. You lie back in your seat and stare out the window as you go through the town. Eventually, you arrive at some shitty, greasy pizza joint, and get out of the car. You walk inside, and find yourself in a Chucky Cheese knock-off. You walk up to the counter and find yourself faced with a girl your age with long brown hair and a massive zit that looks like a red dot sight in the middle of her forehead.

"Hello, welcome to Pizza Corner, can I take your order?" she asks.

"Yeah, can we have a large Pepperoni Pizza and three Cokes?"

"Sure thing. Small, Medium or Large?"

"Medium."

The girl begins pouring the drinks as another, far prettier blond girl appears from the kitchen, holding a large piece of dough. She glances briefly at you, before grabbing a cloth with her spare hand and disappearing back again.

"So, are you new here?" the cashier asks.

"Yeah, I just moved in."

"I'm Lucy."

"I'm Hazel."

"Oh, really? Well, it's a good town. You can't find much work except in a dull pizza joint, but there ain't much here to even spend the money on. Some old clothes stores and a cinema, and that's about it."

"Do you work here full time?"

"Jesus no. If I got to the point where I was working here full time I'd dip my head in the deep fat… well, I wouldn't be happy. Im still in school."

"What grade?"

"10th."

"Oh, I'm starting there tomorrow. I guess I'll see you there."

""Sure. If you want, I can always get you a job here. Becca, the blond girl, has literally done shit all since we started. She's only working so her daddy an think she's learning real-life experience and still feel justified buying whatever she…"

"I can hear you!" a voice calls out from the kitchen.

"I know, Becca, I'm getting a point across!"

Dad appears standing next to you, grinning.

"Look who's already making friends!" he smiles.

You roll your eyes.

"Yeah, sure. Let's just sit down," you say, pulling Dad towards a booth to sit in.

[User] Two Days Later...

[Assistant]
The school is a shitty building filled with no good kids who are learning about geography and Shakespeare despite the fact that they'll almost certainly end up in the shitty jobs that are needed to keep this town running. You walk through the doors, a backpack slung over your shoulder.

"OK, it's not so bad," you mutter, walking past a row of lockers down the hall. "I just have to find my classes and…"

"Hey, Hazel!" a voice cries.

You turn to find the familiar, zit stricken face of the pizza cashier, Lucy.

"Hey," you reply.

"So, it's your first day, huh? Do you know what classes you're in?"

You search your pockets and pull out a crumpled class schedule, handing it to her.

"OK, we have the same Spanish, English, Math, History… you do Chemistry? Gay! That's the hardest class!"

"Well other than that we seem to share a suspicious amount of classes."

"Yeah, I talked to the principal and begged him to put you in my classes… it's a tiny school, what do you think would happen? Of course we share most classes. Oh look, Carter's here."

You turn to see a tall kid with neat, combed hair and an awkward grin bounding over. His clothes are all too small and his teeth are messed up and chipped, which becomes more obvious as his grin widens.

"P-p-pleased to meet y-you. I'm Carter," the boy stutters awkwardly.

"This is Carter. He's one of my best friends here."

"It's a t-tiny town. You di-didn't exactly h-have a lot to choose from."

"Yeah, I guess not. If you want, we can both show you around. Between the two of us, we should share pretty much every class."

"Except Chem… Chemistry," Carter points out.

"Yeah, you're pretty much fucked for that, but that's your problem. Now we have double Math and English, and Miss Loaves is genuinely the easiest Math teacher to have to deal with. She's the only one who lets you get books from your locker when you forget them rather than giving a write-out or detention or just yelling for ten minutes. Come on, we'll show you around."

[User] Two Hours Later...

[Assistant]
The first few classes are easy. You've always been good at Math and Miss Loaves is quite eager to have a student who actually works hard. Of the class, it's mostly kids messing and doodling with the exception of you, the blond girl, Becca, who worked with Lucy in the pizza joint and a tiny kid sitting at the back of the class who looks as young as Hunter. English is similar, with you being among the few who can spell "Immediately". In the short space of three classes, you cement your position as a nerd in the class. When the bell rings for first lunch, you find Lucy smirking at you.

"You could've given us a heads up you were a nerd," she says.

"I'm not a nerd!" you protest.

"You were doing half the sums in your head!"

"I...!"

"Calm it, new girl. Shit, I didn't think you'd make such a big deal about it. Come on, I'll introduce you to the gang."

You follow Lucy to the cafeteria, where she sits down at a table. You recognize a few faces of those sitting there. Carter sits there, eagerly tearing into a sandwich. The nerdy, small kid is also there, as well as the blond girl, Becca, from the pizza place. The only others are a large, bulky kid who you don't recognize but seems unusually close to Becca.

"Alright, everyone, this is Hazel, she's new here. You know Carter."

"I'm Becca," Becca says, looking up at you.

"Hey, I'm Anthony," the small kid says.

"He's Ant," Becca buts in.

"Anthony, you prick!" Ant says again, but you resolve that Ant is a way better name for the tiny kid.

"I'm Kyle," the big kid says.

You sit down, and Kyle immediately continues telling a story he was apparently telling.

"So there I was, just walking into this shitty pet store that I genuinely think half the animals in were either dead or had a few hours to live, because I wanted to buy Becca a goldfish for our anniversary."

"It's not anniversary. Anniversary is yearly, not five monthly," Ant points out.

"Whatever, stop being a dick and interrupting the story. So I was trying to get a goldfish, when the manager or owner or whatever just stares blankly at me. After about a minute, he says "Buy something or get out", and I ask him what his problem is, and he says, no word of a lie, "All you Negroes is stealin' my cat food". I'm not even offended by that. I'm curious as to how much cat food has he had stolen by black kids to make that a stereotype in his head."

"Nah, s-sounds like b-b-bullshit. I bet you w-weren't r-r-really buying Bec... Becca an anniversary gift. You w-were going to... to steal c-cat food," Carter points out.

"Fuck you, Carter. Where was I?"

"You just finished," Becca says.

"Well, shit, I'm outta things to say. Where's Mason? He usually has something to say."

"There he is," Lucy says.

You turn your head slightly to see what could be the hottest boy you've ever seen. He stands tall with muscles that ripple under his t-shirt. He has short, straight black hair that looks really cute... shit, he's here. Say something! For God's sake, don't screw this up! USE THE RIGHT GREETING!

[User] You say "Hello."

[Assistant]
"Hey," he smiles, extending a hand to shake. "I'm Mason."

He speaks with a sexy, thick Southern drawl that immediately... Shit, he's staring at you.

"I'm Hazel," you smile, shaking his hand.

"Where were you, Mason?" Lucy asks.

"I was talking to Drake about tonight."

"Who's Drake?" you ask.

"Lucy's older b-brother," Carter answers.

"Did you tell him I was going to be there?"

"Of course not. Can't you just trust me? Everything'll be fine. Hey, I forgot to say, I'm going to need you all to chip. Drake's got a heavy mark up."

"What's tonight?" you ask.

"We're all going out drinking in the woods," Lucy explains. "You can come, if you want. You don't even need to drink or anything, it's just a bit of fun."

"I don't know if my dad will let me,"

"Well, sneak out," Ant says.

"Well, I can try," you say.

"Cool, I'll save you some cans just in case," Mason smiles.

The bell rings, and Kyle and Ant swear in unison.

"What class is now?" Mason asks.

"Spanish," Carter replies.

You grab your bag and follow your new friends to Spanish class.

[User] Six Hours Later...

[Assistant]
The rest of the school day is easy. You learn about the history of the town in History Class, the history teacher eagerly abandoning the notion of McCarthyism to explain what appears to be her favorite topic. Apparently, the town was once home to a large tribe of Native Americans, who were promptly wiped out by Colonists. The town rose to prominence due to its large number of cattle farms, before falling into obscurity as the modern age dawned. Eventually, it became the shithole it is today. After school, you take the bus home and say goodbye to your friends. Dad's still at work, so you collapse in front of the TV for a barrage of nearly identical Crime Shows. One features a team of guys who just kind of stereotype criminals, one features some guys who look at glowing stains, one features a guy who knows when you're lying and one features a modern day Sherlock Holmes.

Just as the team find a new bit of information about how the clown's car is full of some... particularly dirty stains, you hear the familiar whine.

"HAZEL! Can I watch TV!?!"

"No! I'm watching. Go play your games."

"But It's out battery!" he whines.

[User] You let the whining, snivelling brat watch TV

[Assistant]
"Fine!" you sigh, as your brother gleefully snatches the remote and switches to the latest cartoon that's far too old for him.

You jump up from the couch, and grab your laptop, binge-watching Youtube until you hear Dad come through the door.

"Hello! I'm home!" he calls.

"Hey Dad!" you yell from the kitchen.

He walks in, smiling.

"You're not fighting. That's pretty impressive," he smiles, referring to you and your brother. "I'll put on dinner. We have chicken curry."

He begins to turn on the stove and start cooking.

"How was school, honey?"

[User] You say "Shitty."

[Assistant]
"Well, honey, I'm sure it will get better. No, I swear it will. Don't worry, it just takes some time to get used to things."

You shrug and turn on your phone. After about an hour, Dad begins serving dinner.

[User] You sit down for dinner

[Assistant]
You sit down.

"So Hunter, how was school?"

"Good," Hunter mumbles.

"Hey, Dad..." you ask.

"Yes?"

Now's the perfect time to ask him whether you can go or not... or you can just sneak out later.

[User] You say "Can I go out with some friends to the woods?"

[Assistant]
"Into the woods? Hazel, it's late, you're not going to the woods," Dad says.

"OK," you say dejectedly, already planning how to sneak out.

You quickly eat most of your dinner before faking a stomach ache and disappearing into your room.

[User] You several Hours Later...

[Assistant]
An hour before you're supposed to be meeting your newfound friends, you go out to Dad.

"Dad, I don't feel great," you moan. "I'm going to bed."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. I need rest. I'm just going to sleep. Don't wake me any earlier than you need to."

"Sure, sweetie."

You disappear to your room, and immediately fill your bed will pillows even though it's a bit generic, and open your window. There's a small ledge you sit on, before you go to drop down. You hit the soil with a soft thud, and quickly break into a jog away from the house before Dad chooses to look out a window. You quickly rush away from the house and pull out your phone and call Lucy for directions.

[User] You ten Minutes Later...

[Assistant]
After a long walk, getting lost on several occasions and using McDonalds as the landmark to navigate from, you end up trompsing through the woods, you feet softly landing on the soil that's neither dry earth or wet mud, but a combination of both. After ten minutes walking, you come across the site your friends were talking off. A fire built from moss dry leaves and branches struggles to stay alight as two rusted pick-ups sit on either side. You see the group immediately. Mason, Lucy and Carter sit on the roof of one of the trucks, passing a large bottle of what looks like vodka between them. Kyle and Becca sit on the other sharing a strange mixture of various liquids that's ended up a pale brownish color. Ant sits by the fire, letting out cursewords so dirty they'd make a sailor blush as he pours a can of lighter fluid among the flames in a desperate attempt to give the fire some self-sufficiency by setting alight one of the larger branches.

"Oh, you're h-h-here," Carter says.

"Oh, Hazel! I'm glad you could come! Shit, I half expectected you to get lost, give up and end up getting a McFlurry and going come," Lucy admits.

As the sun begins to hit the horizon, illuminating the entire forest golden and orange, you sit at the edge of one of the pick up's.

"You bring anything to drink?" Ant asks, turning a pile of leaves over to give the fire some air.

You shake your head, and Ant sighs.

"Figures. I've been telling half these guys to bring their own drinks since I knew 'em, but the only ones who do is me."

Mason holds up his hands in offene.

"And Mason,"

"I always bring drinks!" Lucy says.

"Your brother does, and he takes more than a pound of flesh in payment. Somebody ring him, anyway."

Just as Ant finishes talking, you hear a rustle among the leaves. Mason immediately puts his drink under his coat before a tall boy with messy hair that looks to be in his early twenties appears.

"Hey!" he says sternly. "Underage drinking is illegal, unhealthy and can act as a gateway drug to the very dangerous Marijuana!"

"We don't have time for your bullshit, Drake," Ant complains.

"Why do have to spoil everything, short-round?" I was trying to scare the new girl," the boy says, tossing a small grocery bag of cans of alcohol in front of Ant.

"Fantastic!" Mason sasys, immediately grabbing the bag as Ant gives Drake a wad of crumpled bills.

"I'm Drake, by the way," he says to you. "Lucy's brother."

"Hazel. You buy your sister alcohol?" you ask in surprise.

"Shit, I was drinking when I was twelve and a quarter. I reckon she's old enough to make her own decisions. Fuck, in some countries she'd be makin' babies and runnin' a household by now."

"Thanks, Drake," Lucy says, breaking the tab of a can of off-brand supermarket beer.

"No problem. Right, I gotta go, me and Ed are going out to do a few jobs. I'll see you all around. Good meetin' you, Hazel."

Drake turns and walks off through the forest as the kids around you begin tearing through the bag.

"This all tastes like someone drank shitty liquor and pissed into a can," Ant complains.

"Oh, b-b-because you brought o-only the f-f-finest of wines and c-cham-champagnes, Ant," Carter says.

Mason pops the tab of another can, and looks at you expectantly.

"Hey, Hazel," he asks. "Do you want some?"

[User] You say "No thanks."

[Assistant]
"Are you sure?" Lucy asks. "A bit of drink never hurt anyone."

"Plus, you'll be really bland and we'lll be annoying to each other if you're sober," Ant adds. "Oh, and… peer pressure. We're peers who are pressuring you, because that's a thing that really happens."

[User] You say "OK."

[Assistant]
"Cool," Mason grins, passing you the bottle of alcohol.

You take a long drink, downing much of the bottle. Ant is right, it does taste like piss. Still, you manage to gulp down half the can, before passing it on.

"Shit. The new girl can drink," Ant smiles.

You continue sitting around the campfire, which is really a lot closer to a glorified candle sitting in a pile of leaves. Mason grabs the bottle of vodka and sits down next to you and your heart flutters. A large part of you knows that this is just infatuation and a childhood crush, mixed in with a fair bit of hormonal lust, but still… he's really, really cute. The others seem bored, with Kyle downing what seems like more than his weight in booze.

"Well, this is boring," Lucy complains, tossing a bottle in the middle. "Let's play spin the bottle."

"No way!" Ant complains. "I'm the odd guy out. Kyle and Becca go together, you and Carter and then Mason and the new girl."

You blush at that comment as Carter nods in agreement.

"I agree. I d-don't w-want to play spin the bo-bottle," Carter says.

Briefly glancing at the indifferent Mason, you feel a twinge of annoyance of all possibilities of spin the bottle disappears as Ant suggests a new game.

"Truth or Dare!" Ant suggests, to the groans of Kyle and Becca.

"Remember what happened last time?" Becca points out.

"That's not fair! That wasn't my fault! You should've protected your dad's stuff. How was I do know that that painting was worth a fortune?"

"You shouldn't have been drawing over paintings in the first place, Ant!"

"It wasn't skin off your dad's nose! That rich bastard can handle a loss! Jesus, we all know his ancestors made his money off the backs of Kyle's ancestors!"

"Fuck you, Ant!" Kyle shouts, slurring from his drink.

"Gentlemen, gentlemen, calm down," Mason says. "There ain't no issues! We're all friends here! I say a game of truth and dare would calm us all down."

"Fine," Becca says.

Mason downs the rest of his drink, and tosses the glass bottle in the middle. He drops to his knees and spins it, landing on Carter, who lies in the back of the pick-up.

"Truth or dare, Carter?"

"If I p-pick dare, will you… will you make me st-stand up?" Carter says lazily.

"Maybe," Mason says slyly.

"Truth, t-then."

Mason grins, glancing at him and Lucy.

"Have you ever kissed Lucy?" he asks.

"Nope. Sorry to disa-disa-disappoint."

"Damn. I was certain," Mason sighs, pulling out his wallet and tossing Kyle a crumpled bill. "You just cost me twenty bucks, Carter."

Ant leans over, spinning the bottle. It slows to a stop, pointing off into the woods.

"Is that closer to Becca or Hazel?" he asks.

"Becca," Carter says.

"Oh, fantastic. Truth or dare?"

"Truth."

"Dammit, Becca. Fine, I'll make this awkward. How far has Kyle got with you?"

"Shut up, Ant!" Becca hisses.

"Hey, you gotta answer!" Lucy says.

"Oh come on! That's private!"

"We're all friends here," Mason says.

"Fine! We've… you know. Done it."

"Respect, Kyle," Ant smiles, holding back a giggle.

Becca goes red, grabbing the bottle and twirling it. Through pure luck or skill, it points directly at Ant.

"Shit," Ant sighs.

"Truth or dare. I have a lot of embarrassing questions to ask."

"Dare," Ant grimaces.

"Well, you have a lot more balls than I though. You'll suffer from it. I dare you to go into Herr Eichel's basement."

"No!" Ant replies.

"Come on, Becca! Herr Eichel's tear out his throat if he caught him!" Lucy complains.

"Who's Herr EIchel?" you ask.

"Oh, I'll tell her. I've been practicing this story for my little brother," Mason says, before clearing his throat. "During World War II, a young soldier rose through the ranks of the SS. He had a habit of hunting Jews and personally escorting them to the Camps. He would hunt men, women, children, and torture them all for information. He showed no mercy. Eventually, when the Russians invaded, he escaped by pretending to be a civilian, fleeing from Berlin to France to Britain to the US. He hid right here in Dawnwood, hunting down any Jews he could find. His name is Herr Eichel."

"That's the biggest load of shit!" Lucy complains. "Everyone knows that any Jew in Dawnwood would be scared off by Carter Sr. and his white power bullshit."

"He doesn't w-w-want white pow-power!" Carter says. "He wants white p-pride. There's… a difference."

"No there isn't, Carter, now stop ruining the story. Where was I?" Mason asks.

"You just finished," you point out.

"Oh. Well, now Herr Eichel's going to kill Ant."

"Becca, I'm sorry! Please change the dare!"

"Fine. You have to go into the Dead Man's Barn and go up to the attic."

"That's even worse!" Ant complains.

"Nah, that ain't bad," Mason says. "Nazis are real and will kill you. Ghosts aren't."

You raise an eyebrow, and Mason smiles.

"OK, story time. Once, there was a Sheriff back in the Western times who used his power to wipe out any competition of the big ranchers of the town. One of the small time ranchers, Daniel Edwards, stood up and told the Sheriff he wouldn't sell his farm to his competition despite threats. The Sheriff led a posse to bring him down, and Edwards tried to fight back. He killed two dozen men and took near a hundred bullets before he went down. They tortured him for a few days, even cutting his face wide open to give him... what'd ya call it, a Glasgow Grin. Eventually, you just hung him to finish him off. Rumor is he still haunts the barn where they strung him up. It's a historical building so it can't be torn down, so the owner just leaves it vacant."

"I'm not going!"

"Don't pussy out, Ant."

"Will one of you go with me?" Ant pleads.

"Spin the bottle, and whoever it lands on has to go with you," Lucy suggests. "I hope it's Becca. That'd be ironic."

"Sure," Carter says. "Let's do that."

Ant thanks Lucy and spins the bottle. It wobbles and slows to a halt, pointing directly at you.

"Well, I guess Hazel's going to Dead Man's Barn," Mason says.

"No, she can go to Herr Eichel's if she wants. Eichel's just an old, slow dude. The Dead Man's a supernatural murderer," Lucy says.

"Let Hazel pick," Kyle says, trying to stand before stumbling and leaning back on the truck.

"Yeah. Go ahead Hazel. Ghost or Nazi."

[User] You go with Ant to Dead Man's Barn

[Assistant]
"Dead Man's Barn."

"If you think so," Lucy says as Mason nods encouragingly.

Ant nods nervously.

"Good choice," Mason says.

You nod. The group begins to stand, and starts walking towards Dead Man's Barn.

"I'll... I'll stay here!" Kyle slurs, collapsing into the back of the pick-up truck.

Lucy shrugs, and continues leading the group out of the forest. The group drops the various empty cans among the shrubs as you emerge in yet a bland, empty field with an old, clearly abandoned and boarded up barn in the center. It's a particularly large barn, but other than that it's just an old, boring barn.. The sun's fallen, so Lucy brings out her phone and turns on the flashlight. She leads you to the barn, and Mason grabs the edge of a piece of plywood and pulls it back.

"This is stupid guys," Ant says.

"What, scared of a ghost?" Mason chuckles.

"No! I'm just scared of tripping and getting tetanus from a rusty nail!"

"Pussy," Mason says, rolling his eyes.

Mason pulls the plywood back further, creating a large enough gap for you to step through.

"Thank you," you say as you step through.

"Of course, Ma'am," Mason smiles.

As you step through, you enter complete darkness penetrated by a single beam of pale moonlight coming from the gap. Ant steps in afterwards, looking around nervously.

"OK, we've went inside, dare's over," Ant says.

Mason sighs, pushing the plywood back in place. You hear his muffled voice a few seconds later.

"Go upstairs and open the boards at the window. Then we'll let you out, Ant," Lucy says.

"You're a bitch!" Ant says, thumping on the plywood, before turning to you.

"Let's explore," he says nervously.

You pull out your phone, turning on the flashlight. The inside of the barn is immediately illuminated. Several horse stalls made of rotten wood takes up most  of the barn, with the floor covered in dried, rotten hay.

"It smells like shit in here," Ant complains.

"Hush," you reply.

You spot a partially rotted out stairs leading to the upper floor. You walk over to it. You put your foot on the first stair and put some weight on it to make sure it'll hold. You slowly make your way up the stairwell, reaching the upper-floor. There's a dead silence inside, even the wind dying as complete silence consumes you. You scan the room with your flashlight. You wince as you notice a blood-stained noose hanging from the ceiling.

"Jesus. Is that what I think it is?"

"No, Hazel, it's a fucking... I can't even think of a mocking example. Of course it's a...!"

There's a creaking of the floorboards behind you, and you quickly turn to find... nothing.

"Hazel, please. If you're trying to freak me out, just... don't."

"I'm not doing..."

You feel something knock into your back and you fall forward with a yelp. Your phone flies from your hands. It falls forward down the stairs, thudding before it lands on it's back, obscuring the flashlight and plunging you into total darkness.

"What the fuck, Ant?"

"I swear to god, that wasn't me!" Ant says. "Let's get out of here, fuck the window."

You hear haggard, wet breathing in at the stairwell, and you freeze.

"What...?"

"Shut up!" you hiss.

The breathing continues, before turning to a wet, squelching chuckle. Ant whimpers, as you begin to back away from the stairwell.

"It ain't your night tonight, kids," a deep voice says, each word interspersed with the wet squelching you've heard before. "What the fuck makes two dumbass, chicken shit kids come into a place you don't belong?"

"What the fuck...?" Ant says, half whimpering and half shrieking.

"Sssh... save your breath. I ain't even given you a reason to start hollering... yet."

[User] You charge the figure

[Assistant]
You charge forward, and the figure grabs you. It's arms grab your wrist and pin you to the wall. You hear the soft thudding of Ant's fists on the creatures back, but the figure doesn't even seem to notice.

"Oh, you're going to regret that, darlin'." The figure laughs.

You feel the cold metal of a blade press against your cheek. He laughs as he begins to carve your face apart, and all you can do is scream.


[System] Run a text-based dark fantasy adventure game. Describe the world with gritty realism, respond to player actions with narrative consequences, and maintain the tone of a world where survival is never guaranteed.

[User] You can't give up yet, it's not as if you have anything else to do is it?

[Assistant]
You really don't have anything to loose by continuing testing so you decide to spend the day where you are studying the trapped shambler, even if you don't have mind powers, you might still learn something as it's not every day you get to study one without it actively trying to eat you.

You spend your time concentrating on it, staring at it and even try rubbing your temples and waving your hand at it like in the old movies but to no avail. You are starting to get a headache too so decide to call it a day. You sleep a few hours hungry and frustrated before waking well before dawn.

Your eyesight is pretty good and the moon is out so you try testing things on the shambler again with the same lack of luck as the evening before. Finally fed up you pick up a piece of metal and throw it at the trapped shambler. You watch as it sticks into the decaying flesh of its chest and fell a slight twinge in your own.

touching your chest quickly you realize that you felt a twinge right where your projectile had stabbed into the shambler. "I call that progress!"

You begin concentrating on how your felt the twinge and by the evening you think you are feeling something. The headache from the night before is back with a vengeance though and you realize that you now have a small nosebleed. "Guess its not good to stare at the same think for 12 hours straight" You think to yourself as you head to bed early for once.

[User] The morning after the tests.

[Assistant]
You wake up and quickly notice three things; Your headache is gone, you can feel something strange just outside the van and judging by the light creeping in, its well into morning. "Must have been the headache, I never sleep more than a few hours" you think as you snack on some meat strips and peek outside.

You definitely can sense something and it is exactly where the shambler sits trapped. a weird kind of haze shares it's position "So I can sense then, that is definitely a start, I'll have to keep this one alive for testing on"

You toss the trapped shambler a meat strip which it devours quickly while you begin concentrating on the haze, you find as the morning passes that the haze resolves into a small ball and realize that it must represent the shamblers mind. You smile to yourself as you settle into trying to affect it.

Again by the evening the headache and nosebleeds are back "These must be to do with my powers, streaching them after so long of un-use much be causing it" you think as you take a snack break.

[User] You further tests

[Assistant]
The next few days pass in much the same way, you practice trying to control the shambler until you get a headache and nosebleed, then wait and rest until it passes. Sleep seems to help the most and you often wake up having progressed by a large leap from the day before.

By the end of your practicing you can make the shambler react to your commands and you are pretty sure you can sense what is happening to it too, like where it is injured. You need to test further and see if you can control others as well or if you are limited to having to learn each new infected like you did with this one.

Once you are pretty sure you could make it move the way you wanted if it wasn't completely trapped in place, you decide that it is time to move on and further your training with more testing.

It's a few hours after setting out that you see something below you and realize that a shambler must be on the road below the highway. You reach out for it and feel its mind there like you did with the trapped one but you immediately feel your nosebleed coming on again and stop pushing it. It seems that you will need to take things slowly

That night you find a rest stop and actually manage to camp inside a building. Your hunger is back but the last remains of the survivor you killed keep you sated for now "going to have to find some more food soon" you think to yourself.

[User] You heading East with your new powers, get to the colony soon

[Assistant]
You keep heading East and don't find much food on the way but your powers do increase. You manage to control a fast type that comes into range, and since you were hungry, it provides some food too. Not nearly as good as human but definitely better than shambler flesh at least.

You learn to differentiate the minds of shamblers and fast types, even a mutant to the South falls temporarily under your control as your range increases. Your tests let you control several infected at once and direct them as you please. "They will have no idea what hit them when I reach the Eastern colony" You think to yourself. Your physical abilities have also improved. You were already faster and stronger than any normal human but that has increases along with your mental abilities, you know there isn't a normal human alive who could face you in a fight and you can rip a car's door clean off its hinges with only a little effort.

It's not long after that you finally reach the bridge across the river. there are infected on it but this wont stop you now as you direct them over the sides of the bridge to fall into the deep flowing water below. after a few moment you realize that either the fall or the drowning has actually killed most of them but shrug it off as another test, they are just prey after all.

Then the pain begins. A sudden sharp stabbing right into your mind forces you to your knees. You try to fight it off and feel it diminishing, like you are holding a barrier up against it, protecting your mind with your powers, but you feel jsut how much stronger the other force is and your defense crumbles.

"Sorry about this, I really am, but you are far too close to being red to get in here alive."

You try and respond but find that everything feels fuzzy, you are sure the voice in your head is female though

"Oh yes, might have damaged a few things there, attacking really isn't my strong suit so I might have used too much strength, well either way it doesn't matter now. Bye"

You feel a slight pain then everything fades out to black