[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] Continue

[Assistant]
Click.

That's the sound of everything in your head finally coming together.

Jacob's right.

Semra's right.

YOU'RE right.

The Emperor needs to die and at this point the reasons are overwhelming and you can't deny it any longer. You lower your sword causing Jacob to breathe a sigh of relief.

"Okay…so the Emperor needs to die. Any advice on how I should accomplish this task, because I'm fairly certain it's not going to just be a matter of storming in and chopping his head off." You ask Semra who is surprised by your response.
"Semra? You listening?" you repeat.
"Yeah…I just…I didn't actually think you'd listen to me…I'm glad you finally have though. Yes, you're right of course it won't be just a matter of chopping his head off, he'll most likely detect your intent as soon as you enter his chambers. At which point he'd melt your brain with just a thought and your mind shield spells wouldn't even help you. Fortunately you will have me along to help you in this task. He can't do that little trick on me, svelk brains work differently."
"Don't I know it." You mumble. "I still don't see how that is going to help me though."
"Easy, I'm going to shield you by joining our minds together. It'll come in handy during the fight as well since we'll be more in sync with our attacks…"

You immediately interrupt.

"Wait a minute, I don't know about this plan. Linking our minds and you having access to mine? That sounds like I'd be at your complete mercy."
"(Sigh) You've trusted me this far, why not a little further? You already know I've been trying to help you from the start. Besides, we've done this to a minor degree already when we were destroying gnome souls in Gnome's Home. Also it works both ways you know. You'd have access to my mind as well."
"You make that sound like that's a good thing."
"Oh trust me lover, it'll be a very good thing. Just think our minds in harmony and knowing each other greater than we could ever express in words. We'd have a level of intimacy that most beings can't even comprehend. Doesn't that sound just so… invigorating?"
"It sounds like something all right. Look, I don't know if I'm going for this. Maybe I'll just take my chances with getting my brain melted."
"I highly suggest you don't. I know you think you are strong of mind, but this is something you are not going to have any defense for without my help. I'm going to meet you down in the hall just before you enter the Emperor's chambers. I suggest you reconsider my generous offer by the time you get there."

At this point Semra's image disappears and its just you and Jacob left in the room. He's still very nervous.

"Jacob, you can stop shaking I'm not going to kill you. In fact since you're partly responsible for this power grab in process, what are you going to be doing?"
"Me? I don't know. I wouldn't be much good in a fight as you well know. I guess I'll be packing a few bags just in case I need to make a hasty getaway, not that it'll probably do me much good."
"Way to have confidence in me, Jacob."
"I do have confidence, but I have to maintain a pragmatic attitude too. You understand."
"Yeah, I get it…so what about Semra? You think I should let her invade my head?"
"You're asking me?"
"Sure, why not? You and her have been plotting this whole thing. You obviously trusted her enough to work up the courage to try to bring me into this. So what's your opinion?"
"I don't know. And I'm not saying that to be evasive or frustrating, I really don't know. I mean if you were anyone else I'd say go for it because you wouldn't have anything to lose because quite frankly I don't think anyone BUT you would have a chance of coming out of this alive."
"But…?"
"But since you DO have a chance of surviving this, who knows what Semra might pull after the Emperor is dead? And if she can get in your head…well…I just don't know."
"Great."
"But didn't she say you'd be in hers as well? Maybe she wouldn't try anything, because she'd be just as vulnerable."
"So she says…shit, just wish this was clear cut. You know? This isn't where I envisioned where my life was heading. In fact I never envisioned this."
"I don't think any of us did, but here we are never the less. The only other thing I can tell you is given how obsessed she is with you, she probably won't kill you."
"There are things worse than death, Jacob. (Sigh) I guess I'll figure it out soon." You reply and turn to leave before you do though, Jacob calls out to you.

"Just in case we don't get to speak again…I just want to say thank you for the times you helped me out."
"Just doing my part in serving the Empire." You say and leave.

"Serving the Empire." You chuckle at that dark joke. You're about to try to kill the man who created it. You might be inclined to rationalize such an act by thinking you're serving the Empire by killing a leader that is no longer good at ruling it.

Of course that would be complete bullshit. You're killing the Emperor for your own personal reasons first and foremost. Some of that is your own desire for power, but a lot of it is for revenge of Alison's murder. In fact the more you think about it, the angrier you get and that's good, because it's keeping out the fear you do have about facing the Emperor.

Eventually you reach the large hall before the Emperor's chambers and just as she promised, Semra is there waiting.

"What took you so long lover? The Emperor is probably aware I'm here by now and possibly even suspecting something is amiss with you as well."
"What's the difference? You said he'd know I was going to kill him as soon as I enter the chambers."
"I suppose so, but I was at least hoping that maybe we'd have a slight chance at a surprise attack. Those are always the most efficient. Killing your enemy before they even get a chance to strike. Less messy, don't you agree?"
"Maybe, but personally I don't mind getting messy."
"Mmmm, yes I imagine you don't. Anyway come to me so we can merge our minds and get this task underway."

You cautiously step towards Semra who gives a faint smile as you do so. Her attempts at being friendly and inviting are probably more disturbing to you than when she used to beat and verbally abuse you. When you get within range, her arms reach out and around you.

"Hey, what are you doing?!" you ask backing up.
"Will you relax? This is part of the spell. We need to be looking at each other and focusing. Now here, just put your hands around me like this…" Semra says and starts to position your hands though you can't help but notice she initially positioned your hands so they were temporarily on her ass before she slowly moved them up around her waist. Her hands find their way on your shoulders and at this point you feel like you're in a compromising embrace rather than preparing for some spell.

"Now stare into my eyes and focus." Semra remarks as her own face is only a few inches away from your own. Your eyes don't immediately focus on her eyes though, you stare at her full blood red lips. You think about how you want to press your own lips against hers.

And then she suddenly does and your mind goes to another place.

You see what's in Semra's mind or at least a glimpse of it. Images are coming at you so fast you can't make out all of it, but you see a mixture of the horrifying and impressive at the same time.

You see what must've been during the time of when the svelk ruled. Everything is very regal and elegant looking, though much like the svelk themselves, it radiates a certain coldness. You also see the svelk treating their subjects (Most of which are of races you've never even seen before) worse than the Empire ever could. They also have greater control too thanks to their magic.

What you aren't seeing is any images of Semra herself and you're even sensing that she's experiencing pain during this process. Semra is obviously blocking some of her more private thoughts. She's showing you a general history of her life, yet somehow only telling you half the story. Meanwhile she's probably trying to scour through your mind of everything.

With this moment of clarity during the spell, you wonder if you shouldn't break off this link given that she's intending this to be a one-way affair. She might have ill intent for you once this is over after all.

[User] You keep focused

[Assistant]
In for a silver, in for a sack as they say. If this spell is going to protect you from the Emperor, you'd best stick with it and worry about Semra's intentions later. Though at this point you don't even feel any pain on your side of things, but maybe that's because you aren't trying to hide anything from her.

Your life has more or less always been an open book. You've never really hidden anything because you've usually come clean eventually anyway. You're not even going to be hiding your desires to kill the Emperor pretty soon. If Semra's hoping to learn something to use against you, she's in for disappointment.

She already knows most of your combat techniques having taught most of them to you. She already knows your mindset well enough that she has more influence over you than you'd like. She already is well aware of your feelings towards her. There is quite literally nothing she is going to find out that won't give her any advantage that she doesn't already have.

Yet you can sense she STILL wants more, its almost as if she's insecure about not having total control over you. You sense a lot of that actually. She can't comprehend why you can have a sexual desire for her, yet not desire her in the way you did with Alison. She's at a loss on what to do about it. And that confusion is a big ball of anger, frustration and pain.

Suddenly you see the image of a young svelk girl. You aren't sure how old, but by human standards she would definitely be considered a child. It's Semra and she is holding the hand of an adult male svelk though you can never quite make out his face.

They are both in a city where a large crowd of svelk are gathered having a good time throwing what looks to be sveld babies against a nearby wall which has a big target on it. Semra looks very happy and cheers whenever one splats into a bloody mess in the center.

It would seem that Semra's entertainment preferences didn't change much for her. Several images of her enjoying similar activities with the same adult male flood your mind. You can only guess that the adult male might be her father, but Semra must be blocking you from confirming that.

In any case, the idea that she was once a child is bizarre, but then everyone starts as one at some point right? She had a twisted childhood to be sure, but she had more of a childhood than you ever did.

Just as think you're starting to see more images of a personal nature, the contact is broken off and Semra pushes you away.

"There. It's done. Let's get this over with." She remarks while rubbing the sides of her head. She also starts rubbing her eyes and is sniffling a bit.

You're silent for a moment, just staring at her. You know that she must be hiding loads of whatever unhappy memories she does have. And she certainly can't have you seeing them, she can't trust you enough to believe you wouldn't mock her in some way or exploit a weakness.

"WHAT?!" she shouts when she notices you staring.
"Nothing. Keep your secrets. Like you said, let's get this over with."

As you make your way to the door to the Emperor's chamber, you do feel the connection of your mind to Semra's. Its not like you can read her thoughts, but its rather a sixth sense kind of feeling. You're curious how this will play out during battle.

After speaking the password, the door opens and you both enter the Emperor's chambers. You look at each other, simultaneously cast your magical shield spells and spread out. Almost immediately you hear the voice of the Emperor, though he hasn't made an appearance yet.

"So it's come to this has it? After all I've done for you. After all I've given you. You turn traitor for a piece of svelk tail?"

The Emperor steps out from his bedroom.

"Son, I am disappointed." He says and then just stares immediately in your direction. You feel a slight pain in your head, but its muted. Semra's shielding spell must be working.

The Emperor looks genuinely shocked. Its an expression you don't think you've ever seen before on him.

"You…you let this…creature into your mind?! Have you gone mad?!"
"Probably." You remark and cast a lightning blast at the Emperor, but he easily deflects it back at you causing it to hit your force shield and knocking you to the floor.

Semra casts a spray of acid, and while it sizzles and melts objects within the designated direction, the Emperor's own defenses absorb it. Realizing he can't just explode your brain, he casts a spell, which starts to turn the room very cold. You're reminded of the time you cast this spell on Cyrus' crew and you immediately cast a ring of fire around yourself in the hopes the heat will be enough to keep you from freezing. You follow up with a volley of small fireballs, which set the many bookshelves in the room ablaze.

"You've made a dire mistake son, trusting this svelk whore. Even if you could defeat me, do you really think she'd allow you to live? She's lying to you son. She always has and I thought you were stronger than that." The Emperor remarks as sheets of ice cover the room extinguishing some of the flames.
"And you weren't lying to me?! You had Alison murdered and you planned to kill me as well!" you shout back as you release your feet from the ice that has managed to encase around them.

The Emperor sends a flash of light that blinds you and Semra. You stumble around to the left since you remember there being a solid stone table you can take cover behind.

"(Sigh) Even if any of that was true my son, what of it? I was your father! Your master! Your life was mine to do with as I saw fit! Of course none it matters now. You've decided to stand against me and now your life is most certainly mine to take." You hear the Emperor say and then suddenly hear loud lighting blast followed by a yelp sound to your far right. Must be Semra, but you're still half blind from that flash of light.

"Ha ha! Not as strong as we thought eh Semra? You always were an overconfident bitch. Won't be long before I break through your pathetic force shield."

Your eyes clear up enough and see Semra across the room struggling to maintain her shield from a steady blast of lightning unleashed by the Emperor. Seeing that trading magic isn't going to work, you put up your own shield and try to make your way over to the Emperor to just butcher him, but the combination of your hampered eyesight and icy floor are enough to slow you down.

"Ever the warrior aren't we son? Here, play with these!" the Emperor shouts and stops his attack on Semra, waves his hands and suddenly five hovering undead figures appear. You cast an enchantment spell on your sword and press forward to battle. Meanwhile Semra has taken advantage of her second wind and cast a telekinesis spell throwing a table directly into the Emperor. She follows this up with smacking him with several other smaller objects. He falls to the floor and re-establishes his own magic shield.

"Keep up the pressure!" Semra shouts.

You'd love to, but right now you're trying to destroy the undead creatures in from of you. While you've never faced such things before, you keep your cool and successfully cut down three of them.

"You fools know nothing of the power you face! Now face the true supremacy of a necromancer!" the Emperor shouts and the entire room gets even colder, but this isn't even like the cold of ice or snow, this is something unnatural. You start to feel the tips of your fingers go numb and feel your energy starting to be drained. It's like when Cyrus touched you, but this is all around you.

You nearly get your head cleaved in by one of the wraiths as you start feel dizzy. You dodge the attack and slash the thing in two. The last one is taken down with a blast of fire from Semra who you sense is feeling the affects of the Emperor's magic too.

You stagger and prop yourself up on a burned lab desk. The Emperor stands only a few feet away, but he seems so far for you to do anything. You look over and see Semra staggers towards him, but collapses and begins screaming. You aren't sure what the Emperor's doing, but his eyes are glowing red.

"A scared little girl still crying about her lost birthright. That's all you are and all you ever will be. You svelk think you know about pain and death, but you know nothing! I'll show you true pain and soon I'll show you death and the endless torture that can come after it!"

Semra's confidence that the Emperor couldn't do anything to her mind because of her race has proven false. While he's not exploding her brain you do sense he's creating some sort of waking nightmare in her mind. She's literally crying and begging for him to stop, she even looks over to you reaching out with both hands telling you she's sorry. She pleads with you to help her and that she needs your strength.

You never thought you'd ever feel a slight twinge of sympathy for her.

In any event, you're not exactly doing so well yourself. You aren't even sure if you could help Semra even if you wanted to given how weak you feel. Though your chances of making a lunging attack to kill the Emperor are equally as slim.

[User] You help Semra

[Assistant]
Under any other circumstances you'd probably be rejoicing in Semra's misery, but on this she is your ally and as your ally you're not going to leave her in the lurch.

With your remaining strength you stumble over to Semra and then promptly collapse near her and grab her hand. This act causes the Emperor to laugh.

"Ha ha ha ha! What would your beloved Alison say if she saw you rolling on the floor with your svelk harlot? Let's ask her!" the Emperor says and then another ghost appears. It's Alison.

"I see that you've already forgotten me and found comfort in the arms of Semra. Now you and her make your grab for power. Why was I not worthy enough for your plan to kill the Emperor? Did you always feel that I was so weak and you ultimately held no respect for my skills?" the undead parody of Alison remarks.

"No. No. No. I'm not seeing this and even if I am, this isn't Alison. She wouldn't say such things. Away spirit, I will not play your games!" you shout.

"Now you dismiss me in death? I have returned and you have no loving words? You do not even make the attempt? It's the least you could do for your failure to SAVE MY LIFE!" Alison says and she begins to utter an unearthly wail. It's horrible and despite your best efforts, it's starting to demoralize you. A depression begins to set in, followed by guilt, but you can't let it get to you, because you're too busy trying to shake Semra out of her own hell.

"Semra! Concentrate! You are Semra D'vessa! Mistress of torture and pain! You are the scourge of the lesser born and one of the greatest examples of your superior race! You don't fear anything! You have no frailties for such things are the attributes of the weak! You have my hand! You have my strength, you…"

You breathe in and exhale hard. You never thought you'd say this, but if it'll help…

"…have my love. Always and forever." You say.

This last declaration causes her to snap out of her nightmare and look over at you. She breaks free of her nightmare. Meanwhile the ghostly abomination of Alison shrieks even louder at your statement before completely dissipating. Apparently your complete disregard of your true feelings for your late wife was enough to destroy it.

You and Semra begin to recover from your ordeal and get up, but this is followed by the pair of you being hit by some sort of black ray. Semra tries to cast a spell, but she's still too weak.

You look up at the Emperor who is now standing over both of you still hitting you with the black ray. He doesn't look young at all anymore. He doesn't even look like how did when he was sick. He's nearly skeletal looking. It's obvious this battle has taken its toll on him, but it doesn't matter because he's still got more fight in him than either of you.

"Now look at the pair of you. On the floor writhing like the maggots you truly are. You've both set my plans back severely, but you'll not stop me. The pair of you will supply me with enough energy to do what I need to do! Argh!"

You stab the Emperor in the foot with your dagger; unfortunately it doesn't distract or give you any breathing space and instead kicks your hand away. He increases the intensity of the ray on you and Semra.

"BASTARD! YOU THINK YOUR PATHETIC WEAPONS CAN STOP ME? I AM CASIMIR OF MORTOS! EMPEROR! NECROMANCER! RULER OF THE…"

"You're an asshole, Casimir." Jacob remarks who stands in the entry way of the chamber and the shot from his flintlock breaches the chest of the Emperor who watches it explode in a gout of blood before his eyes. He falls backwards to the floor struggling to breathe.

"No…not…(wheeze) like this…taken down…by a (cough) fucking bean counter…(wheeze)…" the Emperor gasps and coughing up blood.

You get up as fast you're able, retrieve your dagger from the floor and draw your sword to finish off the Emperor. Semra is still trying to gather her own strength.

You stare down at the Emperor who is already on his way to death, but intend to quicken that journey. You hold the sword to his throat and stare him in the eyes.

"Do it then… (cough) finish me off…but know this son…your will not get to enjoy your victory. (wheeze) You've won…nothing."

You don't even reply you just press the sword through his throat causing him to gurgle one last time and twitch slightly before he dies. It's over at last.

Or at least you thought it was.

No sooner have you turned around to check on your allies, when Jacob and Semra shout at you to watch out.

You turn around just into time to see the corpse of the Emperor lift up off the ground glowing a dark red color. His eyes are rolled up into his head and his mouth drops open and a deep voice emanates from it even though it isn't moving.

"THIS EMPIRE WILL DIE WITH ME AS WILL ALL WHO DWELL WITHIN IT. THIS IS MY FINAL CURSE FOR YOUR TREACHERY." The corpse says and then it disintegrates before your eyes.

A great rumbling starts and parts of the ceiling start collapsing along with the floor starting to crack and break.

"You gotta be kidding me…" you remark.
"Come on we need to get the hell out of here!" Jacob exclaims.

Jacob, Semra, and you immediately run out of the Emperor's chambers trying to avoid falling debris and big holes in the floor at the same time. Jacob manages to reach the stairs just in time for them to start crumbling.

"Come on, quickly before…"
"JACOB ABOVE YOU!" you shout, but it's too late. Jacob is struck by a large piece of concrete followed by an even bigger piece, which crushes him completely. It also blocks off your only escape.

"Shit! Fuck! Damn it!" you curse. "Semra you can move those large slabs of stone if I join my magic with yours can't you?"
"Not in my current drained state and not fast enough even with your help." Semra remarks.
"Shields! We still got enough to do that!" you say.
"We're going to have an entire palace and possibly even a whole city collapsing in on our heads. Even if our magic was strong enough to deflect such massive weight, we still have the problem of being buried alive. We'd just suffocate instead of being crushed."

The rumbles and shakes continue to get worse and knock you and Semra to the floor. You both try to find a spot where the falling debris isn't life threatening. Things are looking mighty bleak.

"I don't believe it. Here I was worrying about you betraying me, but instead I'm going to die from a stupid final curse!"
"Don't be so sure, there's still time for me to betray you."

Normally you wouldn't laugh, but in this hopeless situation you can't help but to do so.

"Heh, well hurry it up then because the rocks are going to get us both soon. This is a hell of way to die, I almost would've rather had the Emperor kill me. At least there would've been a certain honor in that."
"What honor? You were a traitor. He probably would've had your name stricken from all records." Semra says.
"Yeah…well at least it would've been better than being buried and crushed."

Semra doesn't reply to that, but what she does instead is ask you a question.

"Since we don't have much time left, I have to ask you…did you mean it?"

Thanks your mind merge, you already know what she's asking with that question. You also know you can't lie to her because she'll sense that immediately. However, you also sense it doesn't matter if you do.

"Sure. Why not?" you say with a smile. Semra returns the smile and gives you a kiss on the cheek.

"No, you didn't, but maybe you will for this." She whispers in your ear. You give her strange look when she says this as she stands up. She pulls a ring out of a small bag from around her waist and puts it on.

"Hey wait, what are you doing…" you ask and then you're suddenly struck with a paralysis from the ring and then a strange purple field envelops you. You see everything going on, but are unable to do anything about it. A sizable rock even hits you, but you feel nothing. The field is protecting you.

"Mommy loves you…always and forever. Remember this." You hear Semra say before sound becomes muted completely and your vision goes completely black. You are able to breathe normally, but you don't see how you can survive. You'd probably panic a lot more if a strong wave of sleep didn't suddenly take you.

As the continuous falling rubble buries you, you sleep.

You sleep for a very long time.

[User] Continue

[Assistant]
Chapter 3C1: Relic

Year ???

"What the hell is that thing?"
"I dunno, it's about time we found something worthwhile in this old rubble though, because this whole expedition has been pretty pointless. Looks like some sort of weird magic shell. It also looks like something is inside, guess we'll finally get to use this old dispel staff after all."
"Hey wait! We don't know what's in there!"

…

"Shit! It's a body!"
"Yeah. Damn, I was hoping it was treasure."
"You think he's dead?"
"Well he ain't moving is he? Probably been here for who know how long, but I assume the shell preserved the corpse. Hey, check out that neat dagger he's got. Is that mithral? Shit, that IS mithral!
"Hey you shouldn't be doing that! You know what Calvin said!"
"Fuck Calvin, I'm taking this for myself. Not like he's going to know, and don't act like you've never done it before. I saw you pilfering some old ring in the debris back there."
"It's not that, I just don't have a good feeling about this."
"What you think he's gonna just wake up or something?"
"Maybe…I mean like a zombie."
"(Sigh) You and your zombies. I swear you think we're going to unearth a tomb of undead horrors on every expedition and in all our years have we ever even encountered something remotely like that? You read too many damn bad copper dreadfuls about necromancers."
"I dunno, I still say you should be careful. We've never found a body so intact before, let alone preserved in some magic shell. Maybe there was a reason for that."
"Maybe, but that's Calvin's job to figure out. Right now I'm just getting my hands on this dagger…ULK!"

You sit up immediately and thrust your dagger in the throat of your assailant. Blood gushes from the fatal wound and you throw him to the side.

"Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh fuck!" you hear another attacker shout and see him fumble with some sort of pistol only to drop the weapon entirely before attempting to make his escape.

He doesn't get far. You stand up and blast him in the back with a lightning bolt. He screams and falls making a few death twitches when his sizzling body hits the ground.

You have no idea who these people were, but that scream was loud enough to attract more enemies if they're in the area and judging by the large sound of foot steps coming in your direction there are.

You quickly scan your surroundings and see quite a few shovels, picks and lanterns nearby, but no way out other than the one entryway that the fried fellow on the ground was trying to run to.

What happened? Last thing you remember is Semra casting a spell on you and you fell asleep as the palace was collapsing in on your heads. You don't even know how much time has passed. The two men that were hovering around you aren't dressed in the typical Empire style. They carry no weapons other than pistols and those are different from the ones you've ever seen. The pistols are more complex looking.

How much time has passed? Has the Empire fallen? What happened to everyone? Hell, at this point you're even wondering what happened to Semra.

As the sound of footsteps get even closer you draw your sword out of its scabbard and prepare for a fight.

A group of men and women appear in the entryway. A some of them carry gunpowder weapons, but most of them are completely unarmed. Again, their style of dress isn't familiar.

"Stop! You point those weapons at me and I can easily incinerate the lot of you! Don't believe me? Watch!" you remark and throw a small fireball on the ground nearby. It's enough to cause them all to back off and even cause a couple of them to run away. One of them demands to be let through so he can see exactly what's going on.

The man that shoves his way through looks about in his fifties with thinning hair and is dressed in a fancy suit. You've never seen this man before, but something about him looks vaguely familiar.

When he sees you, he's more in awe than he is scared. In fact he doesn't seem to care at all about the two dead men on the ground.

"I can't believe it! It's you! I mean it's gotta be! The way you're dressed, the magic abilities, the location...I just can't…"

Suddenly a higher female voice shouts from behind the crowd.

"Dad! What's going on?! I heard all this…by the...gods…is that…"
"Yes, Jennifer it is! We've made the find of a lifetime! Quintus will be so pleased!"

The woman is on the younger side with raven black hair. Probably early twenties. Unlike her father her clothes are covered in dirt and more practical in nature. You also notice she's carrying a pistol as well.

"Who the hell are all you people?! Were you sent to dig me up?! What's happened to the Empire? Someone better explain what's been going on!" you demand.
"Forgive us. I'm sure this must all be very confusing for you, but we don't go on these digs to find living people, let alone someone like you. I just…wow…I can't believe it's you. I mean you're the Eternal right?"
"I'm an Eternal. Yes. But you still haven't answered and I'm starting to get impatient!" you exclaim.

"Okay, okay! My name is Calvin Mol. I am head of this archeological dig for the Nalin Republic and Senator Quintus Arillicus in particular. This is my daughter Jennifer…" Calvin begins to say before you interrupt him.

"Wait. Mol? Are you related to Jacob?" you ask because it would explain the very vague likeness. When you ask this question both he and his daughter's eyes light up.

"Yes! He was one of my ancestors! Did you know him?! I have so many questions!"
"And your fucking questions are going to have to wait! You said Nalin Republic, what's that? The only Nalin I know of is a province of the Empire! You also said Jacob was your ancestor, how much time has passed?!"

At this point Calvin and his daughter look a bit nervous at each other. Everyone else behind them who hasn't already backed away entirely, does so now.

"Well…taking into the consideration of the age of these ruins and what we already know about when the cataclysm occurred…um…I'd say about five hundred…give or take a few years." Calvin remarks.

Your heart almost skips a beat and now you're the one in shock.

Year 535

"Five…hundred years…" you slowly utter.

You almost hesitate to ask.

"And… the Empire?"

Calvin and Jennifer look a bit nervous again.

"It's…um…gone. Been gone for centuries. It never recovered from the unknown cataclysm that struck the land. Most of it was outright destroyed. By the time most of the pieces were picked up, those areas that weren't hit as hard had become their own nations." Calvin explains.

This news causes you to sit down on a nearby stone.

"I caused this…" you whisper to yourself.

Jennifer and Calvin don't quite hear what you say, but Jennifer sensing that you're more than a little troubled by this news attempts to cheer you up.

"What my father should've said, is while the Empire as you know it is gone, its spirit lives on in the Nalin Republic! Seriously, Nalin was probably the only portion of the Empire that managed to hold on to a few of its traditions and culture during those dark ages. Even the language didn't change too much. That's probably why you can understand us so well, even if our accents and a few of our words are slightly different to yours."

This has no effect on your mood. You are at a complete loss of what to do. You were supposed to rule the Empire, but instead your actions were part of its destruction. You never wanted that to happen.

Maybe you should've believed the Emperor or at least just followed his orders. Who knows what might've happened? Maybe he would've killed you or maybe he wouldn't have, but at least you wouldn't be in the situation you're in now. A man out of time. A relic of the past. You have no nation to rule or serve. You don't even have a home or a master any more. What are you going to do with yourself?

You have no idea. The only good thing about any of this is you have a minor support base here. Jacob's descendants are obviously very taken with you. You've only been half listening to what they've been babbling about, but they keep mentioning that they want you to return to the Nalin Republic with them so you can meet this Quintus character that apparently is going to be glad to see you as well. It would seem that you are somewhat known in the few old writings they've found about the old Empire.

Jennifer's brief description of this Nalin Republic sounds at least like a good place to familiarize yourself with this new world and you could go with them if only to get some bearings before you decide what to do next.

[User] You go to the Nalin Republic

[Assistant]
You don't have much else to do at this point. You might as well go to Nalin. If you decide you don't like it there, you can always leave.

"Okay, okay, I'll go with you. Just both of you stop going on about it!"
"You will? That's wonderful! Hey would you…"
"Calvin, I told you to shut up already!" you snap.

Calvin shuts up and backs away. He starts telling his daughter that he has to stay here with most of the crew because there is still a lot of digging that needs to be done, but that he wants her to take you to Quintus right away. She nods and tells a few of the expedition crew to start loading up a few wagons to leave soon.

Jennifer herself on the other hand starts walking along side you and staring a lot.

"Shouldn't you be helping load up the wagons?" you say implying that you'd like her to leave you be.
"No, they got it. Hey, so how well did you know my ancestor?" she asks ignoring or oblivious to your wishes.
"Not as well as I thought, considering he never mentioned having a family to me."
"Oh I do not believe he had one of his own. But from what I've seen of my father's family tree diagrams, Jacob had a couple of brothers that were just normal civil servants. Record keepers, that sort of thing. Obviously they had families though, otherwise my father and I wouldn't be here. He never mentioned siblings?"
"Nope. Perhaps he wasn't on good terms with them. I dunno. I only interacted with him on things concerning important Empire business. He was pretty immersed in his work most the time. I suppose I can say, he was a dedicated servant of the Empire."

This remark makes Jennifer display a big grin.

"Hah, I knew it. We Mols have always been patriots to our nations!"
"Hm, well he definitely would do anything to save his nation. Unfortunately that seems to have been for naught given that it no longer exists."

"So…um, why were you in that magic shell?" Jennifer asks changing her line of questioning.
"Why do you ask so many questions?"
"Because we could've never believed that we'd discover a living person from the old Empire, yet here you are! I mean we know about the Empire only from a few tattered incomplete writings or mostly oral stories. Now we've finally got someone who lived during those glorious times! Someone who can give us the truth about what happened. I mean the cataclysm for example. All anyone knows is it was a great disaster of a magical nature that occurred five centuries ago. Nobody really knows how or why it happened. You had to have been there for that. Do you know what happened?"
"Oh…I have an idea…" You say.
"And?!" Jennifer asks.
"And I'm not going to tell you." You remark.
"What?!" Jennifer exclaims in total disbelief. She actually is at a loss for words, but unfortunately not for long.

"But why aren't you going to tell me?!"
"Don't take it personal. I'm not planning to tell anyone. It's very apparent that you folks want something from me, which I can provide. History, information, and the truth. If I just give all that shit away, who's to say you won't just toss me aside and try to have me killed after you've milked me for all of it?"
"That…that wouldn't happen! How could you even think we'd do such a thing?"
"How could I NOT think such a thing? Besides, I'm fairly certain you wouldn't want the real truth anyway."
"Of course we want the truth!"
"No, I don't believe you do. Not really, I think you just want to hear what you want to hear. You want the truth? Here's one for you. The Empire existed, and then it didn't. End of history lesson."

This cynical comment causes Jennifer to again briefly shut up which you hope will send her away, but she's not going to be deterred so easily.

"Look, I realize you're probably a little upset about your situation. I get that, but you don't need to take it out on me. I'm just saying you're living history. And more specifically you're a very important part of my nation's past. You could fill in so many blanks. You're more than just some old magical weapon that we found in the dirt."

You snort at that last statement.

"No. That's exactly what you found, an old magical weapon that was buried in the dirt. Not even buried, but sealed away. And like most old magical weapons found sealed away and buried for centuries, sometimes the smartest thing you can do is leave them alone. I would think the dead bodies of two of your crew would be a good example of that."

Jennifer perceives your comment as a threat, as well she should. She makes no smart comment back; she just shuts up like her father and continues walks along side of you. Glad to see these Mols have as much sense as their ancestor did.

Eventually you make it out of this dig site and into the open air. And what you see before you is severely different from what you remember.

Where you once knew a great city once stood is gone. These explorers have uncovered a few pieces of it, but by and large it's gone. Even the surrounding area where you once knew farmland and even lush fields would've been is gone. Everything has been replaced by sickly undergrowth. A wasteland.

Jennifer remarks to everyone needing to keep an extra eye out for orc raiders. Jennifer looks over at you briefly again, but casts her eyes down and tries to get on with packing up the front wagon. You shake your head and walk over to Jennifer.

"Look, Jennifer is it? I apologize for my remarks earlier, but as you said all of this IS a shock to me. I've seen a lot during my time, but I don't think anything could've prepared me for this."
"I can only imagine. I guess overwhelming you with questions was inconsiderate of us."
"Well I suppose your curiosity is natural, but let's just say I'm not quite ready to discuss everything. At least not yet."
"I understand. Your last memories of the Empire were during the cataclysm and you're only just now seeing the results. It must've been a terrible time!"
"Yes, you could say that it was."

Jennifer nods and you help her with loading the last bags on the head wagon. When you step aboard it, you're on your way. For a while there's silence between the pair of you as you ride through the wasteland, but you decide to be social and break the silence.

"So orcs huh? They're a threat? I would've thought they'd all be extinct by now. There weren't even many left in the Empire during my time." you say.
"Sadly, that is no longer the case. I imagine without the Empire around, they reverted back to their chaotic natures and they bred unchecked. Now they're all over the Qualan Badlands and elsewhere too. They probably were one of the few races to thrive during the dark ages. I'm not too worried about that happening today though now that we've got powerful Eternal travelling with us!"
"You shouldn't be too overconfident of that. Under the right circumstances, anyone, no matter how powerful they appear to be can be brought down sometime by the humblest of things. Still, I see the reputation of the Eternals has still survived. So are there any in Nalin?"
"Ha ha ha ha! No, of course not! Before we found you, the last one died over four hundred years ago. First Matriarch Brenda of the Nalin Dominion. She was probably the main one responsible for keeping the fledging remnants of the Empire together during the cataclysm."
"Glad to know someone was trying to uphold order. Good for her."
"Did you know her well?"
'Not excessively, but we did have dealings on a few matters, like during the taming of the lands east of Nalin for example. There was another major event too, but I'd care not to discuss that at this time."
"Understood…well anyway that was back then. Things have changed a lot since her time, our government being just one of those things, but for all intents and purposes she sort of laid the foundations for the Nalin Republic by keeping the country safe in the first place."
"You're going to have to explain what the hell a republic is. Never heard of it before." You say causing Jennifer to smile a bit.

"Well, nowadays a single leader doesn't rule our government. It's run by a senate, which consists of a group of politicians that are chosen by the people. They ultimately decide on the laws and such by discussing and debating them."

You are completely baffled by this concept.

"That sounds like an inefficient way of running things. How does anything get accomplished?"
"Well, sometimes things do take time, but the citizens are a lot freer and happier by choosing their leaders."

Now you're really lost.

"Why the hell would people want to be free and happy? They should just be grateful for the protection and order that the government provides for their miserable lives! One strong leader to rule over them with an iron fist is only thing the citizens really need. And if they grumble too much they get executed, problem solved. Hell, it's not like slaves cost that much if they need an extra hand in the fields."

Jennifer chuckles at your totalitarian views.

"Yes, I imagine that it would be a bit strange to you. I'm sure it might also surprise you that we don't have slavery anymore either; it actually became less cost effective. Still, you'll see that it isn't all bad. In fact you'll probably get along with Quintus, he's a very big admirer of old Empire history and culture. He's the one been privately funding all these expeditions."

Just as you're about to ask Jennifer who this Quintus is, you hear war cries and howling in the distance. It might have been five hundred years, but you know the sounds of orcs when you hear them.

Not long after the general warning, you soon see them coming from the far left and the far right. They look every bit as big, mean and green as you remember them. No heavy armor, but the giant boar creatures they're riding and the willingness to use bows are new.

Jennifer orders everyone to ride faster and ready their firearms. While readying the firearms is always a good idea, there is no way you're going to outpace the orcs at the speed you're going, the wagons are just not fast enough and are weighed down by equipment. There are also enough orcs that some of them are going reach you before they get shot off their pigs and that's assuming everyone in this caravan is a crack shot that can hit them in the head.

Meanwhile you feel like you're a sitting kobold on your own wagon. Part of you would rather just get on one of the horses and unhook the wagon, so you've got a little more maneuverability. Of course you could just start flinging magic spells at the orcs.

[User] You cast spells

[Assistant]
No need to endanger yourself unnecessarily you think, so you start focusing on flinging fireballs at the orcs.

Maybe it's the unstableness of the wagon as it runs over uneven land, maybe the orcs are much better pig riders than you thought, maybe you're just out of practice or maybe it's a combination of all three factors, but whatever the reason you don't actually hit many of them.

Doesn't take long before the orcs return fire with their bows. You immediately cast a personal shield to prevent being shot to death. Jennifer on the other hand isn't quite as lucky as she is caught by several arrows. Her face is one of shock as she stares at the arrow shafts now inside her body puncturing vital organs.

She begins to fall, but in doing so she grabs on to your arm, perhaps in some sort of last attempt of begging for someone to help her. This catches you off guard and your arm is pulled away from your next spell gesture. Before you can pull away from her death grip, orcs on the other side of the wagon have unleashed their own volley of arrows and since you're distracted you don't manage to put up your shield spell in time.

You're relatively "lucky" in that you only catch three arrows in the back. A grievous wound that would probably kill most, but under the right circumstances you'd pull through.

Unfortunately after getting with three arrows in the back, and already slightly off by your footing when Jennifer grabbed you, you lose complete balance due to the wagon going over bumpy land. Doesn't help that arrows also hit the horses and collapse from their wounds which all results in you getting thrown to the ground and smacking your head on a rock when the wagon abruptly stops.

Again though, even with something as bad as this, you'd probably pull through if you had time to heal yourself through magic.

The problem is you don't have that luxury and after you finally manage to shake off the cobwebs of your head wound, you look up just in time to see one of the orc boars galloping towards you and then OVER you. A hoof crushes your skull and the rest break your bones.

Your body broken and bloody is eventually stripped clean by the orcs and left to rot in the wasteland.

Your "return" was a short and ignoble one.


[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 go find something else to do

[Assistant]
That may be your sister's path, but it isn't yours. You decline the offer, and she tells you goodbye and thanks you for sticking up for her today.

You begin to walk around wondering where to go, where all of a sudden Jessica calls out to you.

You stop and wait for her to arrive, she says she heard what happened with Butch and she said she's glad to hear that your sister finally dumped him for good. Jessica had been telling your sister that for a year now, but she never listened to her.

Jessica seems impressed by your actions today, looks like you won't have to wait until tomorrow to ask her out, she's interested now!

[User] You go to the park

[Assistant]
You decide to go for a nice leisurely walk in the park, you can get to know her as you talk and walk in the full bloom of nature.

You and Jessica are having a relatively good time, as the approaching evening makes the moon come out, making this "date" just a little bit more romantic.

[User] You find some place to make out

[Assistant]
While you attempt to find a secluded spot, the approaching evening brings out bad elements of society. Particularly ones you've had run ins with today.

"Thought you were gonna get away with that shit? Bleed motherfucker!" Henry shouts jumping out of nowhere and stabbing you repeatedly. Jessica attempts to help until he slaps her and begins to assault her.

Being a "good guy" has its drawbacks, the world is very unfair when people like you aren't allowed happiness, but that's life. As you lay bleeding to death, hearing Jessica's screams, you realize it would've been better for all, if you hadn't felt the need to turn into a crusader today.

You feel life ebb away then you feel nothing...


[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 give in.

[Assistant] You don't think about it as you're doing it. The fire, the tearing of flesh, the roasting, the smell, the satisfaction—thinking would only drive you mad. You don't have time for thoughts outside of yourself. You can only consume and consume until your stomach can handle no more. You almost throw up, not because of what you're eating, but because you haven't eaten in such a long time that your body doesn't know how to handle it. Soon enough, you've calmed down, and you lie back against a tree. There isn't a thought in your head outside of yourself. You are full and you will survive another day. If only just another day...


[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 act offensively to fend off the warriors and protect the group

[Assistant]
You charge forward, slamming into one of the warriors. You raise your sword and slam it down through her gut, killing her. You grab an Elf about to stab an undefended orc by his hair and yank him back, slitting his throat. The Elves notice your aggressive tactics and five of them crowd around you. You feel a brief sense of fear. They jab and slice at you, opening up your shoulder with several jabs knocking into your chest and smacking the plate armor, causing you to grunt painfully. Then, Karn arrives.

"DIE!" He screams.

He flings at throwing axe with such strength it beheads one of the elves and embeds itself in the shoulder of another elf, who drops and screams. Karn then barrels into a third Elf and begins stabbing her through the chest, leaving you with two elves to fight. You block one of their sword thrusts and parry the other's, before kicking one into a tree. You jab the other in the neck, twisting your sword to have a spurt of blood hit you in the face. The other goes to stand back up, but you kick him in the head and slash his throat.

"Come on, Orcs! We fight and we kill today!"

The Orcs are now prepared to fight, with their formations taken up and their weapons ready. The Elven Warriors quickly begin to retreat.

"Now, Orcs! Target the Archers the foolish warriors left behind!"


[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 refuse to surrender your blanket

[Assistant]
You hold onto your blanket, despite Mrs Jackson's pleas. The deaths continue: the next to go is Margaret Eddy, the absent William Eddy's infant daughter. She died one night in the arms of her mother Eleanor and her mother is inconsolable. Margaret's death means that apart from you there are just forty other people remaining in the camps at Truckee Lake and less than half that at Alder Creek.

Patrick Breen and Louis Keseberg want to make sure the Donner group at Alder Ceek are ok and being too weak themselves ask you to travel down to their camp.

What do you do?

[User] You agree to go and visit the Donner's

[Assistant] You set off on the eight mile journey that morning but your weakened state soon becomes apparent. You get less than halfway before you have to lie down in the snow and rest. You never get up again, your strength simply slips away from you.


[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 strike

[Assistant] He strikes like a viper as you slash your blade, but he slips to the side. He slashes his hand, cutting open the side of your face before grabbing you. He jabs his claws into your eye as you scream in pain, before he catches your head, twisting it quickly and snapping your neck.


[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] Continue

[Assistant]
"My face is fucking freezing," says Lars.

No shit you think to yourself. It's the middle of winter and you both are assigned to guard duty. Normally, the cold isn't an issue. However, due to increasing demon sightings, a few unlucky bastards have to spend the night outside the city walls keeping watch.

Snow begins to fall, and your cheap leather armor offers little resistance.

"I can't take it anymore, I quit."

Lars tosses down his sword and walks towards the city entrance.

"What about the demons?" you ask.

He turns to you and a slight grin appears on his face.

"Demons? I welcome them with open arms. The city could use some heating up."

With that, he leaves. It's just you and the dead silence of the night. You try to stand still and focus on the dirt road leading away from the city. This road is where nearby demon sightings have occurred. A few minutes past and you swear you saw a red flash. Your hands shake and your heart beat slows down. Is your mind just playing tricks on you? Surely you're just reacting to the cold, right?

Mere moments after this thought you hear a laugh. Unlike what you were expecting, this isn't the laugh of some badass demon. No, it's the laugh of a female. You try to tighten your grip on your sword but can't move your fingers. Shit, maybe Lars had the right idea. Spending the night out here is a death sentence, regardless if demons attack.

You can't bear to stand any longer and lower yourself to the ground. You drop your sword and curl into a ball. You don't have the energy to move a muscle and your body becomes stiff. Your eyes shut close and you're out cold seconds later.

"What's a strong soldier like you doing out here all alone?" a soothing voice inquires.

You open your eyes to find yourself staring at barely clothed succubus. She radiates an intense heat, although it's not enough to burn.

"Who are you?" you ask.

"My name's Catia and you never answered my question. Why are you all alone?"

"My other guard, Lars, left. Look there's his sword right there," you say, feeling compelled to give more information than necessary.

Catia walks towards his sword and picks it up.

"Is this supposed to kill me? Ha! Don't make me laugh. Why is your equipment so poor?"

You see no logical reason to tell a demon this but find yourself doing so instinctively.

"Ever since demons came near our city, trade has been impossible. We have no experience with a threat this large and thus don't have the weapons or equipment to deal with it."

She grins and salivates to your every word. You take a moment to stare at her figure. She looks more human than succubi are told to be. Still, there are a few stark differences. These being her bright red eyes, dark red curled horns, and pink tail. Oh, and she utterly beautiful. More so than any human you've seen. Despite being face to face demon for the first in your life, you feel entirely calm. Dare you say, the calmest you've ever felt.

This calmness is ripped away when she begins to leave.

"Where are you going?"

"Hm? You want me stay huh?"

"Yes… I do."

She grins again and starts chewing on her tail in a seductive manner.

"Sorry, no can do. But if you want, I would love to see you again. Trust me, it will be the most pleasurable experience of your life. All you have to do for me is one small favor."

You feel an intense compulsion to comply with her every demand, but you stop yourself. Making deals with demons is serious business. You have enough willpower to at least ask what the favor is.

She explains how if you want to meet again you need to be a more suggestive state, like you are right now due to the cold. She recommends going to a bar and drinking for a few hours. Then, all you have to do is whisper her name and she will come visit, provided that you're alone.

She walks away leaving you all alone. As if in a trance, you make your way to The Drunk Tortoise Tavern.

[User] A few hours later...

[Assistant]
"This is the last time I'm saying this Greg, immortality is not worth cutting off your cock. What's the point of being immortal if you're deprived of the best feeling in the world?"

"Ey' maybe he's lacking in that area. No wonder he wants immortality if all he has to do his cut off an inch or two worth of pecker."

Greg suddenly stands up, drawing your eyes to the bickering trio. They've been arguing random hypotheticals since you've gotten here. All you wanted was to get a quiet drink before meeting with Catia. As long as these buffoons are here, that's impossible.

Even as Greg stands up he's shorter than the other two sitting. It's no wonder they pick on him, he looks pathetic.

"Can you both just shut the fuck up? I mean, god damn. All I'm saying is living forever outweighs the downsides of not having a dick," he says in a whiny voice.

The other two laugh uncontrollably at his pitiful attempt of defiance. One manages to calm down and spits out,

"Maybe when it's smaller than a gnome's toothbrush, but for the rest us it's not so easy."

Queue more uncontrollable laughter as Greg's face becomes redder than demon blood.

"I'll shove a gnome's toothbrush up your ass if you say that one more time! C'mon, let's move on to another question."

The trio quiets down and you zone them out. You take a swig of whisky and start to remember the reason while you're here. Oh yeah, the succubus. She wanted you to drink a bit before meeting her. You didn't necessarily jump at the idea of getting drunk before meeting with a demon, but she promised you she would make it worthwhile. You're pretty sure that means…

Your thoughts are interrupted by the thickheaded trio once again.

"You're telling me you'd prefer your child be retarded and kind than ingenious and mean?"

"Yes Connor, I would."

"God damn it, Greg! You want to spend an eternity with no dick while taking care of a retarded child? Pathetic. I would kill myself after a week."

"Har har har! I would kill myself in a week if I had to live Greg's life as it is. No, scratch that, a day!"

"Fuck you Tom. I can't be the only one who thinks this…"

Greg glances around nervously looking for a savior. Eventually he turns his gaze towards you and his eyes light up.

"Hey you over there! What would you rather have, a dumb, but kind child; or a smart, but cruel child?" he says while pointing at you.

You stare blankly ahead and breathe a deep sigh. This is beyond stupid. You briefly consider just ignoring him and getting the hell out of this place.

"Why do you think that man would agree with you? He's a soldier. Surely, he recognizes the benefits a genius could provide for society. Especially when you consider the need for mages regarding the growing demon problem."

Soldier? Shit you forgot to change out of your uniform. So much for staying inconspicuous. You can thank your lucky stars none of the other guards are here to see you in this shithole.

"Now now, let the man speak. Just because he's a soldier doesn't mean he agrees with you," says Tom.

"Fine, what do you think...and hurry up! We don't have all day."

[User] You say "I prefer a retarded but kind child."

[Assistant]
"Thank you," Greg whispers.

"You what!"

"Pfft! And to think, I used to respect soldiers."

Tom and Connor start shouting about how much of a dumbass you are. You don't bother to engage with such idiotic banter. Instead, you walk out of the tavern without a second glance. As you make your way outside you are hit with a rush of cool air.

"I can't wait to meet Catia," you mutter to yourself.

"Who's Catia?"

You turn around and only see the entrance to the tavern.

"Hello?"

"Ermm down here sir!"

You glance down and instantly recoil. It's Greg, what's he doing here?

"What the hell do you want?"

He begins to squirm uncomfortably and hyperventilate.

"I…uh…I…erm…"

"Spit it out!"

"I wanted to thank you for agreeing with me," he says between irregular gasps for air.

Oh, that's why he's here. You normally wouldn't mind but you have plans tonight and have no time for conversation.

"People don't agree with you often kid? That's too bad," you say while walking away.

"I'm not a kid, I'm 20. But yeah, everyone I meet either ignores or makes fun of me. I almost prefer the latter as at least they keep me company,"  he says while following behind you.

"Damn that really sucks," you stop walking and stare him in the eyes, "Look I'd love to keep you company, but I have somewhere very important to be."

Greg looks at you with a face of disappointment. But he lights up to ask,

"Where do you have to be? Maybe I could come with you."

Gah! As bad as you feel for Greg, under no circumstances could he come with you. She agreed to see you, not Greg and you.

"Sorry I don't have time."

"God damn it. Can you at least tell me why? I don't want to be near Connor and Tom right now. They make me feel inhuman."

Does this guy ever shut up? You been trying to exit this conversation gracefully since it started. You should just tell him to fuck off and be done it. Of course, you could humor him and tell him what you're doing. It's been hard keeping this succubus thing a secret and having someone to confide in wouldn't be the worst thing in the world. On the other hand, you really want to go have demon sex.

[User] You talk to Greg

[Assistant]
"Fine I'll tell you why. But be warned, it's a long story."

"That's alright, the longer I'm away from the other two the better."

You take a deep breath and begin to describe your recent encounter with a succubus.

"Well it all started when I fell asleep during guard duty."

Later

"And that's why I came to this tavern."

Greg looks off in the distance, taking in everything you've told him. He starts speaking aloud slowly asking,

"Do you think she was immortal?"

Immortal? Aren't all demons immortal, unless killed? You're no expert, but you have never heard of a demon dying of old age.

"I don't have a clue to be honest. I was under the impression that her actual age is much more than her physical appearance would suggest though."

Greg gives a nod satisfied with your answer. You feel like you've told Greg more than enough and decide it's time to go. You wish him goodbye and feel a hint of longing in his response.

"Goodbye friend."

You tuck your hands in your pockets and begin the walk to your home. You're going to have to get home fast as the cold is unbearable. You decide to take the alleys, as not only is it faster, but it also provides protection from the wind.

Common sense says going through alleys at night isn't safest, but Ashton is different than most cities. Crime is low, and poverty is uncommon as anyone can get a job as a guard as demand is higher than ever. The night's sky combined with the tight spaced alley nearly blinds you. When you finally get out you're relieved to have arrived at your parents' house.

Most guards sleep in the barracks, however, since your parents never returned from their trip their house is all yours. If they ever return, you hope they don't mind you bringing a demon inside the house. Although, they were always bugging you about finding a girlfriend, this might not be what they had in mind.

You walk to your parent's porch and open the door. The wooden door squeaks loudly as you open it.

"Some things never change," you whisper to yourself.

You immediately start making yourself more presentable. You change out of your soldiers' uniform and put on a loose-fitting black tunic. You probably should take a bath but your too excited to see Catia that you forget to. Do demons mind odor?

You feel like this is your purpose. It's time to see Catia.

"Catia".

A dark cloud appears in your room, dispelling a toxic fume. You start violently coughing as you vision blurs indiscriminately. Your eyes shut close and you feel you grip on reality slipping away from you.

"Ah shit," you whisper before passing out.

Your eyes jitter open and you're greeted by Catia stroking your face. Her palm flushes the coolness off your face. Beads of sweat drip furiously down your neck as she continues caressing you.

"Couldn't wait a single day before seeing me again? How cute."

She crawls onto your bed and moves closer to you. Her aura is all consuming and you feel your free will being drained away. Yet, the whole process is extremely pleasing to you. She moves her mouth to your ear and whispers,

"Do you want to see everything I have to offer?"

You bite your tongue to avoid instinctively shouting yes. This may be your last chance to not go through with this. At the very least, it would give you chance to ask her a few more questions.

[User] You yes, you're ready.

[Assistant]
She takes no time to hesitate and begins kissing you. As she does so, she unties your tunic and throws it off. Her warm body pushes against your bare skin as you are filled with euphoria.

Soon both of you are completely naked. Catia pleases you in ways no other woman has or will ever be able to. Afterwards you both lay in bed panting as one thought races through your mind.

How do you get more of this?

1 Month Later

It's been a month since you've started having sex with Catia on a regular basis. The first few times you felt great afterwards. However, lately she has been demanding more out of you.

First, you no longer have to say her name to see her. She visits you most nights whether you like her to or not. Last night she told you she wants to introduce you to a group: The Order of the Inferno. She told you they are a group of demons who could give you unimaginable powers in exchange for your help.  You protested as you feared what could happen. Demon attacks are becoming more common and more lethal. Their reputation proceeds them and stomps out any curiosity you have of meeting one.  Tales of rape, human consumption, and slavery are a few of many horrendous acts they have committed.

Yet, as always, she managed to convince you. As much as your mind tries to resist, her presence is intoxicating. You embrace it as fighting gets you nowhere. She tells you to meet you in a nearby forest tonight. This is the first time you're seeing her outside your bedroom since the day you met. You sneak out the city walls when no one is watching and blend into the shadows.

Although it is still winter, the temperature has unexpectedly risen. Some say its because of demonic power, others view it as being coincidence. Whatever it is, the cold will not be a hindrance. You reach the edge of the forest and feel your heart leaping out of your chest. While the city has many focused-on demons, other creatures lurk during the night. Just because Catia is on your side doesn't mean you are safe. You keep this in mind as you take cover in bushes and flora periodically.

An intense red light comes into view causing you to close your eyes. You begin to stumble and fall to the ground. When you're able to open your eyes, you find yourself staring up at a hooded figure.

"Who dares disturb me?" she hisses.

Behind a dark brown hood lies a demonic face. Compared to Catia, she is clearly not human. Although none of that matters now, you begin to explain,

"Catia told me to come here. Are you part of The Inferno Order?"

"She sent a human to the center of The Order of the Inferno! I guess she wants to make up for earlier. I could never turn down a good meal."

She begins advancing towards you as a snake-like tongue hangs out of her mouth.

'Wait! She told me you wanted my help and would give me powers in exchange."

She begins to laugh as she towers over you. You're helpless as she grabs your neck and leans in… to kiss you?

"My kiss is to die for!"

You surprise yourself when you send a punch flying at her mouth. She seems equally surprised as she falls backwards.

"I guess I can still resist," you say.

You get up and start running away but it's no use. She's much faster than you, especially considering she can fly. You don't have many options left but need to decide quick. Do you run deeper in the forest and hope to lose her or run back to the city and put everyone at risk?

[User] You go deeper into the forest

[Assistant]
You start running to the heart of the forest praying that you lose her. It's to no avail, she easy catches up to you and it seems you reached your end. Right as she is in arm's length she stops. Before you know it, she has flown away leaving you all alone. What's the deal?

You quickly get your answer as you hear a monstrous screech. You suddenly feel extremely cold as a ghost like entity hovers above you. There's no doubt about it, this is a wraith. They're well known for their madness and spreading it to all they encounter.

Your mind is assaulted with a barrage of incomprehensible whispering. Within seconds you wish that demon would have killed you as the pain you experience is like no other. Your life energy is sapped away from you when the wraith eats your soul. You haven't died technically but exist as one of hundreds of souls trapped within the wraith's body. You're never heard from again.


[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 wait it out

[Assistant]
You tell Edmond that you think that you'll take his approach and wait it out. If he wants to do anything against Frank, well you won't have anything to do with it. Edmond nods and remarks that perhaps it's best you don't get yourself into this game since it's slippery slope that you're libel to get yourself in a lot more trouble that you wouldn't be equipped to handle.

Before you leave he trusts that you won't be speaking to anyone about your meeting, because if anyone finds out, it won't matter how many militia buddies you have. You assure him that you remember his pet lizard and that it won't be a problem.

You're able to get a coach back to inn, naturally it's a lot later now and everyone is asking you where you've been. You explain that you forgot to do something at campus for a class, which seems to satisfy as an excuse.

So you wait and time passes.

You continue to wait and more time passes.

Six months pass and nothing has changed with the Flying Griffon except they continue to do better than your inn and at this point you're just breaking even. Frank must have his demon girls under control because he's still doing well and Klyton militia isn't investigating him.

You wonder if you should take Edmond up on his offer, but then perhaps he's already tried to kill them and his assassin failed. You also ponder if you should report Frank again, but you shake your head. It's pointless now. You're losing a war that can't be won and you're ready to throw in the towel. Everyone working here isn't happy anymore, and you never wanted to do this job anyway. You wanted to go into medicine.

You approach your mother about selling the inn and she agrees. She apologizes that this inn ultimately became a burden on you, so she says when she sells the place she'll give you all the money in the hopes that it will help with your education.

Ironically your mother ends up selling the inn to Frank. She says he was smug the whole time but was willing to pay much more than the city would. It's a lot, but not enough to finish proper medical school. She wishes you well before leaving Klyton for Teckleville and tells you that you'll always be welcome at Enora's house where she will be living.

You decide maybe while you can't be a doctor, maybe you can still choose something in medical field, presumably something you'll be able to afford and not be as stressed all the time.

You ultimately become a veterinarian and feel a great sense of accomplishment. The only problem is they aren't in great demand in Klyton and the few that do exist in the city have the market pretty much cornered, but you do know of a place where they might need one…

You move to Teckleville where you make a living treating farm animals and pets like kitties and puppies. Occasionally someone has something more exotic like a purple tailed glittermane, but it's a quiet life for the most part. You eventually have a family and live the rest of your days there.

Sometimes you wonder what would've happened if you'd done things a bit differently at the inn, but all things considered it worked out.


[System] Narrate a grim fantasy text adventure. The Empire's world is brutal, its people hardened. Respond to the player's choices with immersive storytelling and let consequences flow naturally.

[User] You wish her good luck and say goodbye

[Assistant]
"Well best of luck, but I have to go."

"Ok...goodbye."

You leave and give her a smile, but on the inside you feel horrible. Why didn't you ask if you could come along? The worse that could happen is her saying no, but at least you could say you tried. You arrive home and spend all day inside. During sleep, you have your first nightmare in days. Seeing no reason to go to the Cinnamon Pearl Cafe now that's Julia is gone, you stay inside all day. The shadow people start showing up in the corner of your vision and they taunt you relentlessly. Since you're not eating or drinking, you don't have the energy to leave bed anymore. You spend the next few days like this regretting the choice you made.

On a day like any other, you die from dehydration during your sleep. Rest easy knowing you'll never have a nightmare again.


[System] Narrate a dark fantasy text adventure. The setting is harsh and morally complex. Describe scenes vividly, react to player choices with fitting consequences, and never shy away from the reality of the world.

[User] You help Aaron

[Assistant]
Sometimes attempting to do something positive doesn't work out.

You attempt to tell Henry to leave Aaron alone, but that doesn't help you. Henry just gets mad and attacks you instead. His anger for you interfering results in him beating you very badly. In fact you don't survive.

One last breath and then you feel nothing...


[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 hit the restroom

[Assistant]
It feels so great to release your bowels after such a great meal... AAAAAAHHHHHHH.

"I need to get to one of those guns in the back room just in case whoever was shooting at me earlier makes there way past the old man and into the diner." you think.


[System] Narrate a dark fantasy text adventure. The setting is harsh and morally complex. Describe scenes vividly, react to player choices with fitting consequences, and never shy away from the reality of the world.

[User] You put An Arrow In Him

[Assistant]
You are concerned that if you were to get to close to him or the camp before he is taken out then you will be detected so it is best to deal with the problem from afar.  You pull an arrow back in your bow and wait until the goblin stops fidgeting around.  You were successful with this thing the last time you used it against that one humunculus, but you know that was just luck.  Besides, you aren't going to get a second chance this time.

You carefully aim at the goblins chest because that is the broadest target on his body and an arrow that lands there is likely to still prove fatal.  You wait for the wind to die down, pull the drawstring as far back as you possibly can, perfect your aim, and....................RELEASE!

The arrow sails through the air but fails to hit its target.  Actually, you overshot and the arrow tore through one of the peripheral tents.  You ready another arrow, but the goblin guard is aware now and so is the inhabitant of that tent you shot.  You manage to blow out the guards knee with the second shot (despite still aiming for the chest) but its no use as the camp is now stirring and the goblins are now being roused.  You pull back towards the humunculus caves you emerged from, hoping to find someplace to hide before they get their shit together.  You duck behind a large rock just outside the passageway you exitted from when you first arrived on this plateau.  The goblins have explored the area between you and the camp and they are drawing closer.

The shaman leads them into the passageway you came from and for a moment you think you're going to be safe...until one of the footsolder goblins detects your presence.  He lifts his spear above his head leaving you no choice but to thrust your sword through his abdomin.  Of course, now the other goblins are aware of your presence.  Reasoning your longer legs should enable you to outrun the goblins you take off and it looks like you might get away.  At least, that's what you thought until the shaman lands a fireball against you.

THE END


[System] Narrate a grim fantasy text adventure. The Empire's world is brutal, its people hardened. Respond to the player's choices with immersive storytelling and let consequences flow naturally.

[User] You will use the time to study the landscape, as you have never been so far from Alzura before.

[Assistant]
There are fewer and fewer fields with toiling peasants, this far away from Alzur's protecting arms. The road snakes through terrain that is, plain spoken, rather boring.

Your thirst for adventure is already seriously dampened - the coach, while preferable to a day on horseback, simply does not beat walking. Anyhow, through the smallish windows, you cannot see much anyway.

Sighing, you turn away from the plain fields, and wish for a book. However, the librarians of the Academy, while usually rather lenient when it came to you, were firm on the fact that no books would leave Alzur. Most likely, they were worried that in foreign lands, people would eat books.

You cannot stiffle your curiousity how the city of Khofte looks like. But that is still a good week ahead, and you suppose that you are dead by boredom until then.