[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 talk Annah out of this

[Assistant]
Annah might think she has a handle on things and maybe she does, but you need to try to talk her out of getting in too deep with the Syndicate again.

But you also think that maybe starting with a lecture might not be the way to go about it, so you start with helping her a little.

You give a rundown on every underworld contact you have of relative importance, along with the strength and numbers of the Black Hooks. You then also give Annah an approximate guess on the strength of the Jicol Watch and how effective they are.

"Would you say they're susceptible to working with the Syndicate? The Holgard Watch has never been too much of a problem in that regard." Annah says.
"Well, the Jicol Watch isn't adverse to a bribe here and there, but the Mayor of Jicol tends to pay them well enough for them to not to make a habit of it." You say.
"Mayor of Jicol? Anything like the Governor of Hessla?"
"He's ten times more reclusive. Apparently most haven't seen him in decades. About the only descriptions that exist are that the Mayor is male and human, but who knows? In any case, while this place is no stranger to corruption, it still adheres to law and order fairly strongly. Not Klyton level, but that's probably due to more emphasis on their fleet rather than land force which is thankfully smaller."
"I see. Anything else?"
"Not really. So…you going to go assassinate them all now?"
"Heh. Well, based on everything you've told me, doesn't seem like I need to bother. I suppose I could anyway. You said you spoke to someone called Sneaks that used to belong to the Thieves Guild in Holgard recently? I bet Rook would want to someone like that taken care of. Maybe the leader of the Black Hooks as well just to keep that group from getting too organized."

You just sort of stare at Annah for a moment and exhale a bit while briefly rubbing your hand over your chin. This doesn't go unnoticed.

"What? Is there some other potential obstacle you haven't mentioned?" Annah asks.
"No. I saw you in action three years ago remember? I have no doubt you've only gotten more dangerous since then and are more than a match for anyone here." You answer.
"But?"
"But, you told me to think about working with you on this Syndicate business and I truly do not see a good ending for us that way if we stick with them and the longer we do it, the harder it's going to be to get out. I personally don't want to associate with them. The Black Hooks are about the most I'm going to tolerate for reasons I've mentioned. You say you aren't formally connected with the Syndicate and that's good, because I think after you do this last job for them, you REALLY need to break ALL ties with them. Things might be going good now, but they might not always be."
"You could say that about anything."
"Yeah I could, but I'm talking about this. Look, you say this Rook fellow isn't happy with the rest of the Syndicate leadership and he's trying to build a power base here. This sounds like it's the prelude to a big internal power struggle, which is likely to escalate very quickly. Now I don't pretend to know as much about the Syndicate as you do, but from what I gather, any threat to the leadership is going to be met with an extreme use of force to ALL involved. Best thing to do when that happens is to be as far away from the conflict as possible."

Your words about a potential violent power struggle have weight and she looks as if she didn't really think about that before.

"Hm. You might have a point about that. I'm going to have to think on that." Annah says.
"Annah, I'd rather you not think and just do what I tell you." You answer.
"Well apologies, but that's not the kind of woman I am. Pretty sure you know that."
"Yeah, don't I know it…" you say and then start chuckling.
"What's so funny?"
"I was just thinking about how many times back in Teckleville I used to go out my mind telling you to do something and you'd just blatantly ignore me."
"Teckleville…seems like a lifetime ago."
"Yeah, it's weird though sometimes I still think about the place and my family. Wonder how my mom and dad are doing. Probably living a safe and boring life. Drama free life too without me around. I guess if we'd stayed our lives would've eventually been safe and boring too."
"I dunno, you almost got killed there."
"Yeah. Can't go home again anyway."
"Is…that what you want?"
"Eh. I mean when was running a semi-legitimate business, I thought it was a little dull at times, but there was sort of a relief that I wasn't looking over my shoulder every five minutes. But of course after that all was over, I obviously went back to my old ways."
"Any particular reason why you did?"
"No. Just habit I guess. Plus, wasn't like I had a reason to really go legit anymore."
"So it took the love of honest woman to make you settle down?"
"Wouldn't call Zalmora an honest woman, she was an ex-Talon. Just had more sense than the rest. I dunno, I liked her and she liked me and I thought you were gone for good so I suppose I just latched on to her."
"So you didn't love her?"
"Yeah. I mean fuck, I dunno. I assume I must have on some level. What's with all the questions?!"
"Okay, relax. Just asking. I'm not mad or anything. I mean it's not like I didn't meet someone during my eventful stay in the Delantium Kingdom."
"Oh? You never mentioned that during our last meeting."
"Well I was still sorting it out then not to mention all that other shit with you went down. Wasn't really a good time for the story."
"Let me guess. It involved the Ebony Claw Syndicate."
"Yeah he was definitely a Syndicate member. Met him by chance, but had years of fun with him. Had so much fun that he got the fool notion to want to run away with me with a bunch of the Syndicate's coin. Sure you know how that one turned out."

You nod and don't say anything while she continues.

"Funny thing is, I thought for a brief moment that I'd put you behind. I'd gotten over you. I mean I THOUGHT what I had for him was love. But it wasn't."
"Oh? What was it then?"
"Distraction. I mean what we were doing was wild and exciting. Defying the law, ripping off the Syndicate, I probably loved all that more than him. Didn't really realize that until I was being fucking tortured and I gave him up so easily."
"What?"
"Oh sure, I held out a bit, but honestly most of the shit the Syndicate did to me was AFTER I gave up his secret hiding spot. I imagine they would have done much worse or killed me had I not given him up so easily. You know they killed him right in front of me, after they tortured the both of us. Even when they told him how I gave him up, he wasn't mad he just kept pleading for them not to kill me."
"Well…I guess you did what you had to."
"Damn right I did. And I don't feel any remorse about it. I mean at first I was upset, but I think that was mostly from the physical torture and fear that I was also going to die that night. As for him? All I could think is how foolish he was for falling for me in the first place."
"That's some cold shit…but again I get it."
"After I was let go, I dwelled on all of it for very long time. I wondered if I was evil or crazy, even wondered if I was possessed by a demon. However when I found you again in that store in Hessla, all those old feelings I felt for you, they came back and I was right. You would always be my one and only."

Annah puts her hands in her face and you can tell she's starting to get emotional.

"I…I guess I just wanted to know if you really loved another even briefly and the reasons. As I said, I don't care, but the fact that you were able to move on and I wasn't, the fact that you don't kill unless you have to, while I've done it without hesitation says a lot about me. (sniffle) Namely…I'm fucked up. I don't know if I got that way over time, or it was always there."
"Well I wouldn't call myself a beacon of role model behavior Annah. I mean I haven't been tortured by the ECS or had the same experiences you've had. All that plays a part and take a toll. There's still A LOT we don't know about each other and missing gaps, despite the fact that we seem to be drawn to each other. Maybe if we talked more…"

Annah immediately goes to kiss you.

"I don't want to talk anymore. I just want to feel you inside me again. I want you to love me again." She says and continues to kiss you while trying to strip off her clothing.

You proceed to help her achieve her desires.

It's been a long time since you've been intimate with her like this. Even as forward as she was with the initiation of this, she suddenly becomes unsure when your hands embrace her and run across her back. She even attempts to pull away a little, but you reassure her that it's okay and that you don't care.

You aren't sure why, but you also feel the need to mention that you cleared up that shit you caught from Flameflower (whatever the hell it was). Oddly, you don't think it would even matter to Annah right now, but she gives a brief smile at your insistence of being

Later...

You wake up to Annah laying next to you dressed again and just staring at you.

"I know, I know. Watching you sleep is probably creepy." Annah remarks.
"Considering I once woke up after you drugged me and robbed me blind, this is a lot more preferable. What the hell…" you reply when you feel a wetness on your hand that's hanging over the bed.

You look over briefly and realize its Checkers licking your hand. You sit up and move your hand away.

"Hm, uncharacteristically friendly of Checkers to be licking my hand rather than biting my ankle." You say.
"She likes you, you know." Annah says.
"Well the furry beast has participated in saving my life a few times, so I guess she's alright. Has she grown at all? She looks about the same size when I first saw her."
"Not much. Just grown older I suppose."
"Happens to the best of us."
"I don't really like to think about how her years are probably coming to an end soon though. Weird, I know considering what I've been doing the last few years."
"Well seems like she's had a good life under your care. Whatever else you may be thinking about yourself Annah, you've got a nurturing side to you."

You give Checkers a pet and get up to get dressed. Annah continues to go from watching you and staring at nothing in particular. By the time you're half dressed, she suddenly gets up.

"Hey, so I gotta go now. Best that I get this information back to the Syndicate and all." Annah says.
"You're leaving? Already?" you ask.
"Yeah, no point in sticking around. If the Syndicate wants anyone wiped out, they can do it themselves."
"Ah. So you're taking my advice and this is going to be your last job with them?"
"Yeah. I thought about it and you're right. I need to do something else with my life. This…path with or without the Syndicate that I'm on really isn't the healthiest. I don't sleep much, I'm constantly looking over my shoulder, well you know how it is."
"Yeah I know how it can get. And I imagine for you it's worse. So what are you going to do?"
"I dunno, guess I'll have to figure that out. In any case, you might want to start thinking about relocating yourself. Not immediately, but y'know."
"I could just come with you right now. I mean its not like I'm tied to this place."
"As much as I'd like that, I think I need to work some things out. Last thing I want to do is destroy what little we still have left due to some stupid argument we're going to inevitably get into."
"Annah, I don't really get this. I mean it's obvious you want to get back together and I'm open to it, so I don't see the need for you to just go wandering off again. We're obviously both different than we were thirteen years ago. Whatever personal demons and shit we got to deal with, we can deal with them together."
"Remember how you weren't ready the last time we met up? It wasn't your fault or my fault, just bad timing?"
"Yeah, but…"
"Well, this is yet another case of that. I got shit going on in my head that I don't even want to heap on you. Your life as it is right now, is calm. I know you. You like to keep things simple. That's probably why you nearly went legit with Zal. It was easier and more convenient at the time since that's the way life seemed to be heading. When it was gone, you fell back into the old ways, because again it was easy and familiar. While I know I'm familiar, I'm definitely NOT easy to be with. I don't know what the future for me holds. Everything is always a whirlwind of thrills and not always in a good way. You don't want to deal with that and I don't want you to have to deal with it. At least not until I believe I've got my shit together enough that it's not going to fuck up your feelings for me."
"Annah, unless you shot me in the dick or something, whatever you got going on right now isn't likely to change how I feel, but fine. I won't bother arguing with you even though I really want to. Obviously you feel strongly about this, so once again I'll see you when I see you and hopefully whenever that is, you won't be affiliated with these Syndicate assholes again."

Annah touches your face and smiles a bit.

"I'll be careful." She says and kisses you goodbye before calling Checkers to follow her.

And once again Annah's gone. One of these days the pair of you are going to get your timing right.

In the meantime, you at least got some knowledge about what changes are about to come to Jicol even if not immediately. You figure you'll stick around for now and see how things go.

Maybe you can even prepare for the coming storm.

[User] You time passes...

[Assistant]
Year 32

"So yeah, they're going to start rebuilding that old Fel temple in the jungle and turning it into a headquarters soon." Marco tells you.
"Hm, looks like the Syndicate is moving quicker everyday." You answer.
"Yeah, but its good. I mean I know you told us all to watch our asses, but so far the Syndicate members that we've had dealings with have all been pretty reasonable guys. Even said that the Black Hooks could be fully incorporated as full members in a year or so. We've been doing a lot better in general."
"Well glad to hear it. Maybe I was wrong."
"It's okay. I guess you were just looking out for us like you always have. Y'know, you should join too! You're really skilled and the Syndicate is looking for members like that!"
"So I've heard. A couple of them have approached me a few times, but I'm just not interested."
"Yeah, but if you joined you wouldn't need to pay protection and you'd be able to do whatever you wanted!"
"Pretty sure I wouldn't be able to do WHATEVER I wanted. It's not like the old days where you can just break and enter into anywhere. Thanks, but I'm good with what I'm doing now. Anyway, what's the Syndicate tax this month? Did it go up to help rebuild the temple?"
"No, it's the same, but you know you don't need to worry about it. I got you covered, but I just don't know how long I'm gonna be able to. Sooner or later the Syndicate might get one of their guys to start doing the collecting. That's why I'm trying to become a real member soon!"
"Thanks as usual Marco, but don't worry yourself too much about it. I'll be fine."
"Okay…see you later then. And thanks for unloading that other stuff for me."
"No problem. Later Marco."

Marco leaves your "shop" and you just shake your head and smile at what a few little words of encouragement and support can do to mold a young mind. Marco probably sees you as the dad he wished he had. You imagine some of the other Black Hooks d too.

Which of course is handy since its paid off as far as you not really having to kick anything up to the Syndicate whose presence has becoming more noticeable in last few months. Might be time to leave soon. You don't know where you'll go though.

While you're pondering this, the door opens and someone comes in.

"Son, you and I need to have a long talk."

You can't believe it. He's older (But to you he was always old and unfun) but you'd never mistake his face or his voice.

"Dad?" you ask.
"Of course its me!" he responds.
"Wh…what the hell are you doing here?"
"Trust me, it's not something I wanted to do, but after a long talk with your mother, its what we both decided in the hopes that you've still got it in you to do the right thing. Call us hopeless optimists."
"You came all the way here to give me a lecture after nearly twenty years? How the hell did you even find me?!"
"Annah told us. Well told us where your last where abouts were anyway. She said you'd probably still be here since you've always had a tendency to stay put unless you absolutely have to move, which sounds about right."
"Wait, you've spoke to Annah?! When?"
"Nearly on a daily basis, for the past couple years. Pretty much ever since she come back to Teckleville and had the babies."
"WHAT?!"
"Congratulations, you've got twins you've never seen."

You are getting flooded with so much information right now that you can't even process it all.

"That's…impossible. Last time I saw Annah was two years ago."
"Yeah well that timeline matches up since that's how old they are. Look, I delivered them myself, not to mention they look like you and your sister. You're definitely the father, despite Annah trying not to admit it. That didn't last long though, since I'm pretty sure that's why she came back to Teckleville in the first place. She knew your mother and I wouldn't NOT help her."
'I…don't believe it. I mean…and I hate even asking this, are you REALLY sure? I mean maybe this…"
"Is what? A scam to get money from us? Boy, I wasn't born yesterday. I told you, the two little buggers look like you and your sister. The genetics are impossible to ignore. I mean the hair is darker and there's a difference in eye color, but there's no mistake. Shit, I even hired a wizard from Klyton to double check. They're definitely your work."
"Fuck…"
"Yeah, well that's what got you into this mess. Anyway, this brings me to why I'm here. YOU need to come back and take responsibility. I understand you're off having fun being a criminal, but even Annah gave that up after having children. They need a father and your mother and I need a fucking a break. Our days of running about catching two twin terrors are supposed to be over."
"Wait, why are you just now coming to get me then?"
"Oh, I wanted to get you a lot sooner. However Annah always claimed that she didn't know where you were. Having raised two of the best liars, I knew she wasn't telling the truth, but I always assumed you pissed her off and she didn't want you involved. However, thanks to your mother's monthly interrogating via niceness, Annah finally broke down a few months ago and as it turned out Annah just didn't want you to put your own life on hold for this. She said she'd put you through enough trouble in the past. Ain't that sweet?"
"Sounds like her."
"Also sounds fucking retarded. Why the hell should you get to continue to live without care and responsibility? Your mother of course thought you should come back too, but she was worried about me going to get you. Thought we should hire bounty hunters to find you, but I figured I'd make more of an impression and you're probably already adept at avoiding capture anyway. So here I am."
"Yes, so here you are. You might have been better off going with mom's idea though. At least you would have had a better chance of getting me back to Teckleville. Speaking of which, how the hell can I go back anyway? Aren't I wanted for murder there?"
"Oh. Yeah, no. That actually got settled shortly after you ran off with Annah. Some of the witnesses to the fight admitted Klint started it and you killing him was more of an accident and even self defense."
"You're shitting me."
"Nope. Surprised me too. Not that you weren't a murderer, since I figured Klint started it because he was an asshole like his father, but that people actually came around and spoke up in your favor. Anyway, the charges were dropped which pissed off Klint's dad who left the village swearing revenge and that was about the end of it."
"So you're saying I'm completely free and clear?"
"Yep. Have been for years now. The old sheriff is dead now anyway, so it's not even like you have worry about him either. In fact Annah, works as a deputy of the town now, so you've got a lot of breathing room as far as your shady past is concerned."
"Annah's a…what the…well I guess she found something new to do like she said she would."
"Yep. And it's time you do as well."

Your dad sees the apprehensive and non-committal look on your face and sighs.

"And of course you're going to be stubborn about this…" he remarks.
"Dad, I appreciate the update and all this news about Annah, but this is a lot to fucking take in! I mean I don't know what she's told you, but our relationship isn't exactly the most stable. I mean its not like she came here herself and TOLD me about her being pregnant. Shit, she didn't even tell you and Mom where I was until recently like you said. I might not have even been here anymore. Obviously she thinks we're better off apart."
"Bullshit, if she really thought that, she wouldn't have come back home at all. She knew your mother and I would help her. Gods know her own lush of a mother isn't going to help. Look, I'm not some relationship expert, but obviously you two have enough chemistry between each other that you got yourselves into this mess."
"Maybe, but kids didn't really play a part in any of it."
"Yeah well shit happens. You think your mother and I planned for twins? Also didn't plan on you two being criminals. Still don't know why the hell you two turned out the way you did considering you had everything."
"Here we go, another lecture…I'm not a fucking teenager anymore dad."
"Damn right you aren't, which is why its time you stopped fucking acting like one and take some responsibility for a fucking change! What the hell do you have going on that's oh so fucking important right now? From what I can tell this dump you're living in, you aren't exactly living some carefree life of a swashbuckler like in those badly written novels. What, you spend all the coin you steal on wine and whores?"
"I'll have you know I live frugally and save very carefully."
"Well great. Good for you. Glad to hear you're a thrifty thief. Actually explains a lot. Now, if you've got so much coin saved up, you've got enough to support your children."
"Is this what it's ultimately about? Fine, I'll go empty out my safe and you can take it all to give to Annah and the kids."

Your father suddenly gives you a minor tap upside your head. It's unexpected and you almost feel like you're ten years old again.

"What the fuck?!" you utter.
"This isn't about money, this is about responsibility and YOU needing to fucking take some! Your children need their father, you've already missed some of it, you really want to miss it all?" your father says.
"Why don't you do it? Obviously you think I'm a no good vagabond, so I would make a terrible father."
"Maybe you would, but I don't think so. Surprised to hear me say that?"
"A little."
"Well I'm not saying it to boost your ego, I'm saying it because I believe based on what Annah's told me about you and the boy I used to know. There is a streak of responsibility in you. I mean even as a thief you're obviously preparing for the future by saving your ill-gotten loot. I remember how you always stuck by your sister and tried to take the blame for some of the more serious shenanigans you two got up to. It looks like you're running some sort of shop here and Annah's said you've run a shop in the past with some other woman that you apparently had a stable relationship with. You've got it in you to be a contributing member of society."
"I don't know about that."
"Well you won't know unless you try and you might as well try with a family. As far as you and Annah are concerned, well I don't know if you two are going to be a proper husband and wife. I mean it'll be good if you can, and I'm inclined to believe you two are still in love. However, if that doesn't work out, you should at least still be there for your children."
"You don't think I'll just be a bad influence?"
"Oh, I don't doubt that you won't to some degree, however I also don't think you're going to want to put up with the headache of raising two little criminals. I know Annah certainly won't and I can't say I'd want to be on her bad side. What the hell happened to her anyway? I swear she can shoot the wings off a fly."
"Long story, though I don't know all of it since she's never told me the whole story about her adventures during our times away from each other either."
"Well maybe that's something you can finally catch up on and bond over. Besides, y'know, your kids of course."
"Maybe."

Your father puts a hand on your shoulder.

"Look, this has been an exciting adventure for me and all, but I really want to get back home before your mother starts hiring a search party. I need to know if you're coming with me or not. It's a simple answer that doesn't require much overthinking. If you are, let's get going now. If you aren't, then I won't bother you again with this."

[User] You go with your father

[Assistant]
It's a strange position that you never thought you'd ever be in, but you're in it and even stranger, you're ready to embrace it.

One thing your father said that convinced you the most was the question of "What are you doing that's so important?"

Nothing. You are not doing anything of major importance. If anything, you're probably living just as boring of a life in Jicol as you would in Teckleville. You haven't actually done any real thieving since the Syndicate started making more of a presence here, you do more middle man merchant shit than anything else.

You could leave and start over elsewhere which is what you thinking about doing anyway. But if you're going to do that, you might as well have a better purpose than just doing the same thing again.

Besides, you've done fairly well in this profession all things considered. You might as well "retire" ahead of the game before something REALLY bad happens to you. This might as well be your out as it were. Not to mention, Annah's saved your life several times over. The least you could do to repay her is to help out with your spawn.

That's going to be weird though. You suppose you'll just have to muddle through that, hopefully better than your own parents did.

"Okay dad, I'll come with you, but need to get some things first and make some arrangements." You say.
"By the gods, you actually listened to me for once. I'm not going to question it, but glad to see I finally got through." Your father says in partial disbelief and relief.

To ensure a safe trip home with your savings, you hire a few mercenaries to escort you to Klyton. From there you figure you shouldn't have much problem.

You also leave your "shop" and home to Marco and his group, though you don't tell him that immediately, you write a message and hand it to a courier to give it to Marco in a few days. Just a simple note not explaining where you went, just that you had to leave and that they can do whatever they want with the property.

Finally you board a ship heading to Hessla with your father (and your small retinue).

While you're on board, your father has one more surprise for you that you have plenty of time to talk about along the way.

"Oh by the way son, I guess I might as well tell you, you've got a younger brother now." Your father says.
"WHAT?! How?!"
"Pretty sure you're familiar with the process."
"Ha ha. I'm talking about you and mom. I mean you guys are old!"
"Fuck you, we're weren't THAT old when you and your sister took off. True, we sort of thought that part of our lives was over, but soon after you were gone, I guess nature decided to give us another chance to get it right. And we did. Adam has never been a problem child."
"Hm, well congratulations I guess. Another new family member for me to meet I suppose."
"Speaking of family, you know anything about your sister? Any contact with her at all?"
"No. I do wonder what she's been up to though. Always hope she's okay."
"She is as far as I know. Your mother and I get occasion messages from her. Not many and the last one I think was a few years ago but she said she was doing fine. Having her own adventures no doubt."
"Oh. Well I'm glad to hear that. Hope that's still the case. I miss her."
"Your mother and I do as well. Despite her criminal ways, she was always creative. Just wish she put more into that instead of…well unlawful behavior. Still, I guess she has been doing that from some of the stuff she's written to us."

The rest of the trip is mainly you catching up with your father. It's odd, but neither of you really argues once. You even laugh and joke a few times. You don't tell him everything that happened though. Some things you just would rather leave buried. At least for now.

Your father never really presses you for too much information anyway. He probably doesn't want to know some of what you were involved in. Although there is one question…

"Just wondering, I mentioned Klint's father left Teckleville muttering about revenge. My guess is he went to go look for you. You never ran into him did you?"
"Nope. Can't say I ever did."
"I only ask since you mentioned you ran to Klyton, and my guess is that's where he first went to look for you. I asked Annah once and she said she never bumped into him either. Still, seems strange he never came back here."
"Dad, if he did, you know Klyton's a huge city. I mean it wasn't like I was making myself well known there either. If he did go there, he must have given up and went elsewhere. Not exactly like safe travels are a sure thing, hence why I hired mercs for part of our trip."

Your father looks at you a moment. You already know he's trying to see if you're lying.

"Okay. Just thought I'd ask."

You aren't sure if your father believes you or he just doesn't care and was merely curious. Either way, he doesn't press the issue.

You eventually reach Hessla, then Klyton and from Klyton you start the last stretch of your trip in the carriage ride to Teckleville. That's when you begin to get nervous. You didn't think that would happen, but you begin to get so nervous that its visibly noticeable to your father.

"Not having second thoughts I hope." Your father says.
"No, not at this point. Too late to turn back now. Fuck…" you say.
"Son, you'll be fine. You'll soon realize this isn't the end of the world."
"Yeah, I guess."
"Think of it this way. What's the worst thing that has ever happened to you? Don't tell me if you don't want. Just think about it. Now with that in mind, do you have ANY thought that reuniting with Annah and seeing your children for the first time is going to be remotely worse than that?"

You think for a moment, wincing a bit about your encounter with Flameflower.

"No. Definitely can't be anywhere near as bad." You say.
"Well, see? There you go then." You father says and then pats you on the shoulder a couple times.

Which is easy for dad to say considering he doesn't really know the extent of just how bad that event was. In any case, you manage to calm yourself down and just try to rest before you get to your destination.

Eventually you reach Teckleville during the night. Your father wakes you up.

"Get up, we're here. I'll help the driver get your things off the carriage, in the meantime you go knock on the door and make your presence known." Your dad says.
"Wha? Wait, where exactly are we?" you ask half asleep.
"Teckleville, ya idjit. We're near Annah's home. Still early in the night so you probably aren't going to be waking her up."
"Shit. I'm really here. Okay, well guess nothing to it, but to do it."
"You'll be fine."

You get out of the carriage and your dad once again points to the house where Annah lives. Fairly small, but then, probably doesn't need too much room and this is the best she could do.

You have no idea why you're still so nervous. You've bumped into Annah several times in the past after long stretches of being separated. Why is this different?

Oh right.

The other thing that's different is you're seeking her out, or rather your dad dragged you to her. In most other instances, she's always been the one to go to you. She didn't even tell you about being pregnant. She could have at least got a message to you or something if she really thought it was important for you to know. Apparently she didn't.

You know what your father said her reasoning was, but maybe she really just wanted to make a clean break. Start fresh. Maybe you being here isn't what she would want at all. For all you know she's going to tell you to get right back on that carriage and go away.

You march up to the door and before you can even knock, the door opens.

"Annah. I…" you start to say before she immediately hugs and kisses you.

Well so much for her telling you to go away. Apparently the love is still there.

"Your mother told me your father went to get you. When I heard the carriage outside I just hoped it was you!" Annah exclaims with some emotional tears in her eyes.
"Annah, why didn't you just tell me?" you ask.
"I don't know! It was stupid, but I just thought…I dunno a part of me just didn't think you needed to be saddled with all this. But I'm so glad you're here now! You're back right? You're not going anywhere right?"
"As far as I know I'm not going anywhere Annah."
"Oh I'm so glad. We'll finally be a proper family."

As you embrace Annah's tight hold on you and those words of being a "proper family" you feel a small part of your old life slipping away.

Not really in a bad way, but you really know now for certain that things are never going to be the same. You're going to have to find something legitimate to do. You doubt even fencing stolen goods is going to be something you can engage in around here. You'll think of something though.

Your father and driver drop your trunk of stuff near you.

"Well I can see you two got a lot to talk about. I'll leave you to it. Your mother will probably be by to see you tomorrow so expect to see her." Your dad says as the driver walks away back to the carriage.
"Um, okay dad. And thanks." You say.
"Hm. Told you, it would be fine."

Soon, the carriage is gone and so is your father, leaving you and Annah alone.

Well not totally alone.

"So hey let me help you get that trunk in and you can finally meet your son and daughter." Annah says.
"Don't worry I'll get the trunk." You say and take one side of the hefty trunk and drag it just inside the house.
"I've actually told them about you a few times."
"Oh? Hopefully just the good stuff, because I'm sure their grandfather will be more than willing to tell them the bad."
"Come on, I'll take you to them."

As the front door closes and Annah takes your hand, you realize your life as a rogue is over.


[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 leave it alone

[Assistant]
You decide there's no need to kill Elliot. If the day should come where he begins to think about getting rid of you then you'll kill him. You need a personal reason to do it; you can't just do it on a whim.

You go back to your job and think nothing more of it.

Five more years pass...

You've been down here ten years and you're beginning to get a feeling of unease.

Elliot has turned this place in a cult compound. He's had children by all the remaining fertile women in the shelter and sterilized just about all the remaining men. He's completely indoctrinated everyone to think the way he does at this point, anyone who was still resisting him has been dealt with. He's got complete obedience from everyone now. You get the impression that killing Elliot wouldn't do much good at this point, since you'd just be overwhelmed soon afterwards by his followers.

He's regained his cult of personality, and you're just about the only remaining sane person left. Oddly Elliot still thinks highly of you, and has never tried to do anything to you either; he continues to let you do your job, with one exception. He's been sending his older children to the computer room for you to teach them how to use and work on the central computer.

"What's this?"
"Don't touch that! That'll be next week's lesson!"
"Can I access the game database?"
"No!"
"Ohhh I got a lady to appear on the screen and she's naked!"
"Stop that and pay attention!

You've become a glorified baby sitter, you've gone half insane and you're ready to put the damn gun to your own head at this point.

Over the years you've been wondering about the surface. You wonder if it wouldn't be better than living in place. One time when you were considering leaving you overrode the safety controls to the elevator which would allow you to bring it down. You could bring it down. All you'd have to do is gather what supplies you think you're going to need.

The only problem is thanks to the idiotic GZS shelter design; you'd need to trust Elliot's kids to send you back up from the computer room.

[User] You leave the shelter

[Assistant]
Fuck it, whether this plan works or not, you don't care, all you know is you can't stay here anymore. One thing that's working in your favor right now is the fact that Elliot and everyone else is in the conference room (Which he turned into a "meditation room" where he's preaching some sort of weird philosophy to everyone.) You need to be quick though. You press a few buttons to make the elevator begin its decent. You only need one kid to help you in this task, so you get the one who is the best behaved and does more or less what you say. You get Jane.

"Jane I need you to come with me. As for the rest of you, go ahead and access the game database and play with whatever, just don't touch anything on the central computer!"

The kids gleefully start following your instructions while you and Jane leave.

"Where are we going?" Jane asks innocently, while walking beside you.
"I need to check on something back in my room, the central computer says something broke down, but I need to see if it actually did, or if it's a glitch in the monitoring system. Now if something did, I'll need to get in there and open up the paneling and do some re-wiring. Could be dangerous, so I need you to run to the medical room and grab a first aid kit just in case. Nobody should be in there right now, so just take it."
"I dunno, Daddy doesn't like people taking things from there without permission…"
"Its okay, this is for the good of the shelter."

Upon hearing that mantra, Jane seems to be more receptive to follow your orders. You tell her to wait by the elevator door when she gets the med kit. You rush to your room, load up on water and leave hoping that nobody has wandered by. You see Jane holding the med kit and looking in wonder at the elevator door which has opened up. Good its here and everything's going according to plan. Now for the final stage.

"Hey! This door opened up! Daddy said it shouldn't ever open up. He says he doesn't want anyone to leave."
"I'll bet." You mumble before addressing Jane properly. "Yeah, I know he wants to keep us all safe. Nothing was broken in my room, but I think something screwy is going on with the shelter's systems and I need your help to fix it because I think you're the only one talented enough to do it."
"Yay!" Jane says in pride.
"Glad to see you're excited, because this is REALLY important. You have to follow my instructions to the letter. You think you can do that?"
"I think so."
"Okay, back in the computer room on the central computer on the right side you'll see a green button flashing. Press that one. Then when the screen asks for confirmation, click on yes and press the enter button. You got all that? Repeat it."
"Go back to the computer room, go to the big central computer, and uh…look on the right side for a green flashing button. Press that button, then the screen will ask me a question and then I click on yes."
"Excellent, now after you do that, you might get a screen telling you the status of the elevator, telling you its going back up. That's what we want it to do. We don't want anyone leaving right?"
"Right!"
"Okay, I'm going to stay here and make sure this elevator doesn't come down anymore, I need to open up some panels and do some re-wiring, so I'll be taking that first aid kit now."

You take the kit from Jane and tell her to go back to the computer room and do what you told her and to continue monitoring the elevator status just to make sure it goes back up and stays there. When she's out of sight you quickly enter the elevator, and soon the door closes and you're on your way up.

You are nervous as the elevator ascends, you half expect it to either start coming back down, or worse just stop suddenly mid way through trapping you.

None of that happens though and as soon as that door opens up again, you run out into the foyer you entered ten years ago and past that into the outside world again.

You see a bright light. It's the sun; you forgot how bright it could be. You never thought you of all people would be glad to see it again. You see everyone's cars still parked here, well almost. You can tell that few of them must've been taken at one time; a lot have just been plain vandalized. Your van still looks the same though, nobody in their right mind would steal that thing, and it already looks vandalized. You wonder if it would still start, but you left your keys to it in the shelter. You doubt if it would though.

"Meh, I need the exercise anyway."

You cover your eyes and take a far view of your position. Nobody around, there's not even a sound except the wind; you're all alone as far as you can tell and this is what you missed. Once again you have peaceful solitude. You don't know if you'll make it out here, but anything's better than staying in the shelter.

You begin to walk…


[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 need a hint

[Assistant] First I need to apologize since the flags are not historically accurate considering this game is meant to be set in medieval England. Second, for those of you that don't speak six different languages, avez-vous entendu parler de google translator?


[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 fight offensively

[Assistant]
You quickly levitate over his blow, blasting him in the side of the head with a fireball. He pivots on his feet with remarkable grace, swinging again as you duck down, before Taj brings his knee up, smashing you in the face and sending you flying onto your back.

"It seems our fates are tied. I lead you to your grade, you lead me to mine," Taj says.

Taj swings his war-hammer as it slams into your chest. Your organs are crushed, and you let out a single psychic scream, just like you did back home, surrounded by Orks and about to die. Although Taj is killed, his head exploding as the energy reverberates through him, you last just all long.


[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 say "Everything will be fine here once the defenses are up."

[Assistant]
Hinsman hesitates. "I just worry something may happen to her. She's so weak still, she needs care we may not be able to give depending on how things go."

"Pirates are a risk at any time, and this station was designed to be defended by only three people," you point out.

He nods after a moment and flashes you a smile. "You know, you're right. Thanks Zee. But I guess we better gets to work now before Karoff finds us just standing around talking."

You both drag piles of equipment about while Karoff diverts more power from the ship, as much as can be spared, and even sacrifices most of the shuttles. Before long the equipment is in place and the three of you begin rigging up cables, energy cells, power nodes and anything you can find that can produce or transfer a charge down each of the station's splayed arms to the laser and torpedo turrets mounted at their tips.

Finally, the heavily damaged medical wing is the last that needs attention. That's all on you.

"Think we can get by without that one?" Hinsman asks.

Karoff shakes his head. "Without the turrets that's a biiiig area where they can get in close and freely maneuver and we can't touch them."

"Figured. All right then Zee, off you go. Just hook up these cables and don't slip and go floating off into space, it'll be a pain in the ass to collect you again. One of us will keep in voice contact while you're there."

You stand in the airlock, the minutes ticking by while you wait for the atmosphere to slowly equalize with that of the absent one in the medical wing. You know you're getting close when you begin to float in place.

Once the door opens and you drift into the entrance to the medical wing, you search for the panel Karoff told you about. It's about the only one here that hasn't had its conduits fried, and you remove a connector you'll need. That and the EPN loaded with an energy canister you have strapped to your back should be all you need to power the turrets. After checking in on your wrist comm you start to make your way on down to the hall.

You carry a cable as well, meant to be attached to your suit. If you were following safety recommendations, one of the two clips along the length should always be anchored to something. You're not entirely sure you need it however. The sides of this section have blown out in some places but you can just avoid getting too near the edge of those gaps. Using the tethered cable is fine when working in one place, but tediously slow when trying to move.


[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] Continue

[Assistant]
Calm in the Storm of Chaos

The Future…

"Look Nergal, I know Emberville is miles away, but ever since those dumb ass rednecks have been aggressively trying to move in on our territory, we can't trade with them or even New Security anymore in the near future. So get these crates of berries and apples over there as quick as you can and get us some medical supplies." You say to Nergal having to strain your neck just to look up at him a bit.

Nergal is an imposing figure to be sure. He's the largest member of the family, but he'll always be your "baby" as far as you're concerned.

"But why do I have to do this? I want to go help Anu and Dad fight those trailer trash fuckers." Nergal replies.
"Don't argue son. Besides, Aiden and Nadia are going with you. I thought you liked hanging out with them."
"Well they're good in a fire fight sure, but…I dunno I always feel like they're telepathic talking about me inside each others' heads. They're always making odd laughter about some private joke that only they know."
"Well that's probably because they are, but trust me, you know deep down they'll come through for you. Right?" you say asking Aiden and Nadia.

The two twins look at each other.

"Of…" Aiden says.
"course…" Nadia says.
"Aunt Suzy." They both say in unison with a smile.

You've gotten used to a lot of odd things since marrying Bobby, but these two sibling never fail to creep you out to a minor degree. You go back to address Nergal.

"Now get a move on, you know those mutants really like their fruit…oh and DON'T waste any of it on some three legged hooker like before. You remember what happened last time, you had to use up some of the medical supplies just curing yourself of whatever the hell that… thing was carrying…ugh. You're lucky your cock didn't turn green and fall off."
"Aw mom…" Nergal says looking a bit embarrassed.
"Don't aw mom me. You heard what I said. Now get going and be safe son." You remark and hug him goodbye before the three of them get in the truck.

You watch the gate open, the truck leave and the gate close again before going to check on your other son who is inside the house.

You find Enki in his workshop with a stack of books and reading one he took from the library (Unsurprisingly the town library was mostly untouched in the chaos, nobody in town has ever appreciated reading very much even before the bombs). As usual he's reading something science related, probably in the effort to figure out how to possibly improve something around here...or perhaps he's just doing it for his own enjoyment.

"Anything interesting son?" you ask.
"Oh. Didn't see you there mom. I fixed those guns Dad took from the last raid on those rednecks. I was just catching up on some reading. I was reading about solar power, but I dunno where we'd get the panels. I guess we're sticking with biofuel in the foreseeable future. In any case I think I need to go search the library again, I'm almost done with the books I took last time."

You smile at how he's always trying to learn new things. He's always been the smartest of your children. He's also the quietest and most introspective. He probably takes after you the most, not surprising since he looks the most like you.

You pat him on the shoulder.

"Sometimes I think it's a shame you didn't grow up before the bombs. You would've really liked the Internet. All that knowledge at the tip of your fingers and you never had to ever leave the house." You say.
"Yeah, you've told me before mom. Sounded really useful, wish it was still around." Enki replies.
"Certainly occupied a lot of my time, anyway I'll let you get back to it. Remember to eat something son, I know how you get really involved with your reading and tinkering."

Leaving Enki to his own devices you decide to go back to your own as well by heading to your room, and that's when the sounds of various laughter and similar noises coming up from the basement stairs. School must be out.

Several little ones pass you by, a few wave or say "Hi Aunt Suzy" but most to run off to go play. You don't even know which ones belong to who anymore, you just know they aren't yours or Bobby's and you are definitely glad that it isn't your responsibility to look after them.

"Children! Remember if you go outside, to stay within the fence! Don't try to climb over it! I mean it!" you hear Helen shout.

You then see Helen slowly walking from the basement stairs. She looks pretty drained but then having to look after the Morningstar youth constantly for years tends to do that to a person.

"You need some help there Helen? You look a little tired." You ask.
"Oh, hey there Suzy. I'm fine. They were just a little overly rambunctious today. All excited about tonight's sacrifice to Tiamat I guess." Helen replies.
"Oh is it time for one of those again? Didn't realize. Seems like you've been having a lot of them lately." You say.
"Well, we are at war with those trailer parkers. Tends to bring in some more captives than usual."
"Mmm, true." You say with a nod.

You're about to leave when Helen makes more conversation.

"You shouldn't worry about them you know. They're fine." She says.
"Who shouldn't I worry about?" you ask.
"Bobby and Anu."
"I wasn't worried. Why would I be Helen?"
"Oh…um…well I thought maybe with them leading these raids against the trailer park, your concern would be increased." Helen starting to stumble over her words.
"Not particularly, I know they're both far more skilled than some trailer trash."
"Yes…of course. I just know how much you love Bobby and wouldn't want anything to happen to him, and Anu being your first born and all."
"Indeed, but I'm almost inclined to believe you're more worried than I am especially given your own feelings towards him." You say.
"What? I don't love Bobby! I mean I do, but not in that way! I mean it's not like that anymore!" Helen exclaims.
"I wasn't talking about Bobby. I was talking about Anu." You say.

Helen begins to look panicked.

"I…I um…" Helen begins to sputter.
"Oh come on Helen, Anu, looks almost exactly like a younger version of Bobby. You probably saw it as a second chance even. I'm not blind Helen, I know you've been fucking my son."

Helen's eyes begin to tear up and she begins to shake. You ALMOST have an urge to press this a little further, but you just can't bring yourself to torment poor Helen even if it would be funny to do so.

"Helen, Helen, relax okay? I'm not angry. Stop worrying and calm yourself." You say and put a hand on her shoulder in an attempt to reassure her.
"Y…you're not?" Helen responds.
"Well…that might be the wrong choice of words. I'm not THRILLED by the idea, but I already confronted Anu about this, months ago when I first started to notice it. Wasn't really a conversation I wanted to have and Anu swore up and down that it was all his idea…though I suspect he wasn't entirely truthfully about that…"

Helen's head looks down.

"I'm sorry…I just…I was so lonely…you don't know what it's like…" Helen meekly says.
"I know Helen. I know. (Sigh) Look, the only reason why I'm not excessively angry about this is because…well this family isn't exactly conventional and you're both consenting adults and Anu's old enough to make his own decisions."
"So…you're okay with it?"
"Eh…let's just say…that time you brought me back to life in the past? That debt's finally repaid. Just…just continue to keep it low profile okay?"
"Of course! We will Suzy…and thank you for understanding." Helen says and hugs you tightly.
"Mm, well I am the nice one in the family." You say patting her on the back and slowly withdrawing yourself away.

Helen bids you goodbye with a slightly more upbeat tone and leaves to go see to the children. You just shake your head at how simple it is to make Helen happy. You guess after all these years; you still can't help but feel sorry for her.

You may not be a born killer like most in this family, but you've definitely proven that even living among incestuous cult killers, a little kindness still goes a long way.


[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 say "War is brutal"

[Assistant]
You exhale tiredly and spread your hands sympathetically

"I am sorry, truly I am. By joining my fyrd your husband and son were put in a dangerous position, and regrettably they were killed. I can never ask you to forget, but I can ask you to forgive. Will you do that?"

The woman says nothing; her cheeks are streaked with tears. Bowing her head, she pushes through the crowd, away from the market square, people make way respectfully. Tugging at your horses reins, you turn homeward, and your escort silently follows you.

The crowd remains silent, watching.


[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 The Rockface To Get Beyond Their Reach

[Assistant]
The skeletal undead aren't exactly known for their climbing skills so you promptly head over to the steep rockface and set about climbing to a point beyond their reach.  You are almost at the top when the skeletons reach the base.  The attempt to climb but as you had hoped, they are substantially less successful than you.  One of them responds to the situation by tossing his hand axe at you and you move your hand just in time to avoid it.  You make sure it stays stuck in the rockface so it doesn't get to try again, then pull yourself up and over the top.

You are glad to be away from those damn things and now that you are at a slightly higher elevation along the mountainside, there's a good chance you won't be seeing them again.  Just got to keep your cool and remember to be stealthy.  You continue your journey in the same general direction but keep to this elevation for fear of encountering those undead creatures a second time.  After a while, you begin to smell a rather curious smell up ahead.  As you approach you discover a camp situated in what is probably the only forested ledge on this entire mountain range.  You don't initially see anyone there, but you keep your distance and eventually see something hop down rather quickly from one of the trees and go behind another.  You didn't get a good look at whatever it was and you are hoping they haven't seen you.

Nightfall comes and now the occupants of the camp are coming into view.  You never believed that at any time in your entire life you'd ever lay eyes on the creatures you are seeing.  The grippli, a race of humanoid tree frogs standing at 2 feet tall, have organized this camp.  There aren't more than a dozen tops, but grippli are known to be considerable fighters when they need to be and there is no way of knowing if there are more of them in the trees.

They often prefer to fight with poison darts, nets, and bows as they would prefer to keep their enemy at a distance but a few bear swords.  You see one of them adorned in considerably nicer garb than the others and commands quite a presence from them so you surmise it must be their leader.

Suddenly it occurs to you.  These creatures are in Craxil territory so odds are they work for the Craxil.  That means that instead of wandering the mountain range aimlessly you ought try and extract information regarding the Craxil's whereabouts from the grippli.  Ideally, you could get your hands on their leader but that is going to be easier said than done.  There may not be many grippli present, but each one is a challenge in his own right and you have no way of knowing how many may be in the trees to see what you do.

Eventually, the captain retires to his tent as do many others.  Three grippli remain near the campfire out front and again, you have no way of knowing what is still in the trees.  The captain's tent is near the back.  You surmise you could go around, giving the camp a wide berth, and sneak into the captain's tent.  However, you feel like you should at least do SOMETHING about the three on watch or you may be the one getting captured instead.  This is quite a dilly of a pickle indeed.

[User] You sneak Around Back And Enter The Captain's Tent Quietly

[Assistant]
You don't foresee any way to take down a group of three grippli given each one would probably pose a challenge.  As well, they are tasked with being nightwatchmen so you doubt they'd abandon their posts so easily no matter what you do.  You are going to just have to take a risk and sneak into the captain's tent without attracting any attention.  You give the camp a wide berth as planned and SLOWLY work your way along the far edge of the treeline until you are in a position to sneak in towards the captains tent without being seen by the grippli at the campfire.

Your approach is successful.  You slowly creep in, staying low to the ground.  You can't help but look up at the treetops everyone in a while out of fear that darts, arrows, or nets may come raining down upon you but so far nothing has happened.  Perhaps there is nobody there or perhaps they just don't see you.  Either way, you've made it to the captain's tent.  Cautiously, you open the canopy and enter the tent.  As you had hoped, the captain is asleep and you take care to knock him unconcious with a block shaped wooden figurine from his tent.  Now all that's left is to carry him away from the camp, someplace safe where you can interrogate him for information regarding the Craxil.

You exit the tent with the grippli captain slung over your shoulder.  At only 2 feet tall the little fella is surprisingly light.  Unfortunately, as you exit you hear a rather startling noise.  It sounded like a cross between a ribbit and a scream.  Whatever the hell it was, it came from one of the grippli over by the campfire.  Almost immediately, the whole camp is on alert.  Grippli are dropping down from the trees and coming out of their tents.  You take off and run, your only real option left.  Unfortunately, the grippli have amazing speed and agility.  You drop the captain behind in hopes of getting away but before long you've taken a few darts in the back.  As the poison sinks in, you realize it no longer matters if you outrun your pursuers... this stuff will kill you anyway.

THE END


[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 say "Do not fear the Sith. They will help you."

[Assistant]
Her eyes met his and she resembled a deer in headlights.  Her crying stopped from sheer shock.

"Your a monster if you believe that," she said, "You must be."  She fled from him, leaving him kneeling with a hand in the air.  She fled because she feared him.  She just didn't know.  The Sith were the good ones.  Not the Jedi.  Ka was a good example.  So he became a Sith Master, destroying all dear to him for he knew this was the right thing to do.


[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 letters to home (Random thoughts...)

[Assistant]
Dear Mom,

I meant to tell you this weird man from Zalan Intelligence offered me a job, a few months ago. Said I could be a "real" hero and a bunch of other stuff. Part of it sounded appealing, but something about him made me feel really uncomfortable.

I wonder if I'm just avoiding my "potential." Like perhaps I am supposed to be some great general or warrior, or whatever. But I just don't feel that desire within me. Now if I had been offered to give up all this army stuff and play at the Emperor's Palace as a regular job then I might've accepted!

Over these years as I've played for others and mainly for myself, I truly believe I really was meant to play music in this world. Just events didn't work out for me I guess, but even within this situation, I've still found a way to indulge in my passion and I suppose it's better than never being able to at all.

Who knows? Perhaps one day all of this will be over and I'll come out of this alive and manage to pursue music without hindrance.

I know that sounds a little uncharacteristically optimistic from me, but I guess I still have a little hope left after all.

Give my love to the rest of the family

Your son


[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 join Clell at the Miller Farm

[Assistant] You and Clell hide out at the Miller Farm for a few months until one evening there is a knock on the door. Clell goes to answer it and you hear a voice declare "Clell Miller, you are under arrest." You are sitting in the kitchen and springing to your feet you raise to the back door. As you do you hear a voice yell halt and glancing back you see a Deputy Sheriff standing in the kitchen doorway pointing a pistol at you. You have to decide whether or not to surrender or keep running.

[User] You surrender

[Assistant] Unwilling to risk a bullet in the back you sigh and raise your hands. You and Clell are taken into custody and escorted to the local jail. There you find things aren't as bad as you fear: you and Clell are only charged with the armed robbery of the Columbia Bank. Even better when the four customers who were in the bank are brought to the jail to identify you they seem uncertain that you are the men who really robbed the bank. Thanks to their mistake you and Clell are released on bail due to the lack of evidence and you both promptly go on the run. Pleased at your lucky break you meet up with the rest of the gang in the spring of 1873.