[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 dODGE!!!

[Assistant]
All of Jon's training really pays off. Using your sixth sense, you see the attack coming leagues away. With all the grace of youth, you jump to the side as a horse leg soars past your ear. Quite unfortunate for Bowie, who takes the hoof straight in the face. You do not even look. The crack and thump tells you all you need to know.

Dodging more chunks of horse and human, you maneuver your way to Jon and the trolls. Master and apprentice stand back-to-back as you fend off the fearsome beasts. Dodge, parry, dodge, dodge, strike, dodge, parry, dodge, dodge, dodge, strike. And so the battle goes. Troll blood drenches you as you hack away. Surprisingly, it smells like apples.

"Jon," you say, while dodging another troll fist, "they keep regenerating when I dodge them. It's a troll blood bath, but they aren't going down."

"DODGE!" Jon shouts. "Always DODGE!"

"Then RAM," screams Samwellington, bulling into the fray. By the sound of the collision, you think Samwellington just tackled Jon's troll. What an awful, squishy sound.

"Where the fuck have you been?" you ask.

"Cowering."

Your troll swings its long hairy arms wide and claps them together, aiming for your head. You dodge and slide along the blood slicked ground, slashing the beast's legs as you slip between them. Hopping to your feet, you deliver the finishing blow as the beast drops to its knees before splashing face first into a puddle of its own blood.

Jon's troll has met the same fate. Jon appears unwounded, though breathing heavily, leaning on his sword.

"Oh, dear god! Samwellington!"

Samwellington lies on the ground with a grisly gash on his robust gut that looks inches deep. "Oh don't worry," he says. "They just cut into the fat. I always knew eating all that pork lard would pay off one day."

Jon smirks. "See, I told you. Dodge."

"I won't question you again Jon. Too bad about Bowie though."

"Meh, he was a fucking dick anyway."

Sam struggles to sit up. "I don't think those trolls were the reason those people went disappearing."

You nod. "Because all this blood and gore would have been pretty hard to miss."

"No. Because there are five guys with loaded crossbows behind you."

"Shit."

[User] You turn and rush them.

[Assistant]
Without a moment's hesitation, you turn and rush the bandits. You are the fledgling hero of this story after all, and the hero always wins. The bandits either agree or are too shocked by your blazen stupidity and gawk at you as you close the gap.

By the time one of them gathers his wits, three of them are dead at your feet. A bolt grazes your cheek as you cut the fourth man down. The fifth man, who fired the bolt, turns to flee back into the forest. He does not make it. Jon skewers him from behind.

"That's going to be quite the scar," says Jon. "It's not so much a deforming scar as a handsome, charismatic scar. All great heroes get them. Chicks dig it."

"I don't have one," whines Samwellington.

Jon rolls his eyes. "Yeah, I wonder why."

The three of you hobble back to the hamlet. You have one of the priests help draft a report of the incident and send a runner to deliver it to the baron. Some unimportant nobodies go clean up the mess while you kick back and relax. Not bad for a (k)night's work.

"Good work today kid, but don't get ahead of yourself kid," says Jon. "You still have a long way to go to be a true knight. It takes hard work to bang a princess and ride off into the sunset. Oh, and remember."

"Dodge," you say in unison.

The baron is pleased with what he reads in the report. You become Bowie's replacement in the hamlet guard and undertake some other minor missions with Jon and Samwellington. Soon you become a bit of a celebrity and inspiration, and your fame goes countywide. Priests take time out of their day to tutor you in your letters, and the baron invites you and Jon to take place in the next tournament he's hosting. The king will even be there; it is supposed to be quite the shindig. Things are looking up. All you have to decide now is what event you are going to compete.

[User] You compete in the joust.

[Assistant]
For reasons far beyond normal human comprehension, you elect to compete in the joust: never mind the fact that you do not own a horse and have never held a lance in your life. Remember, dodging is against the rules in a joust, so you are not exactly playing to your strengths.

During a morning patrol, you and Jon discuss the upcoming tournament.

"I still think you should participate in the melee with me instead," says Jon. "But if you're dead set on jousting, you're going to need a horse."

"Any recommendations?" you ask.

"Jousting horses are expensive. You're either going to need a big loan or a big friend. And don't forget, if you lose the joust, you lose your horse and your armor."

"Can I use a quarter-horse? I bet old man Nathaniel David would let me borrow Bessy."

"Sure. You can ride out naked too, but you'll just embarrass yourself." Jon smacks you upside the head. "If you aren't going to take this seriously, don't even bother showing up."

You finish your patrol with Jon and head over to old man Nathaniel David's orchard before you visiting the moneylender in the next town. You know it is not wise to ignore Jon's advice, but you want to keep your options open. Old man Nathaniel David proves easy to find, he is humped over, shitting on a sapling when you arrive.

"Um, what are you doing David?"

"Fertilizing," he says with a massive grin. "What can I do for you lad?" He sticks out his hand for you to shake, which you begrudgingly accept.

"I decided to joust in the king's tournament, but I don't have a horse."

"Ah, well, I can't imagine you'd want to use any of the horses in the hamlet. Plow horses ain't going to win that for you, but I know you don't have much money. So if you want Bessy, you can have her, on one condition."

"What's that?"

"If by some miracle you win, you name my lil' pumpkin, Sally, Lady Fair of the Tournament. If you lose, you pay me back by marrying her. You're a good lad, and you'd make a fine husband for my girl."

You have seen Sally David before, strutting around. She has a fine body for a wench, but holy matrimony is her face hideous. It looks like someone took a rake and beat her bloody. You will have to mull this one over; these are high stakes. Even if you won, you could offend many important people.

"Alright, David, I'll keep the offer in mind," you say as you wave goodbye.

Old man Nathaniel David hitches up his trousers and nods. "You do that, boy."

The Baron's Road has been nice and calm ever since you took care of those trolls and bandits, and you arrive at the moneylender's office without incident. The moneylender's office is small and simple: one desk, two hard wooden chairs, and a few bookshelves. You have heard of these types before, and they are nothing but trouble. The moneylender skims over the pleasantries and bids you sit and begin your business.

"What can I do for you, friend?" he asks. His hair is dark and oily, eyes small and beady. An unnecessarily pointy goatee graces his chin. Yep, slap the evil and unscrupulous label on him.

"I need money for a horse to use in the joust. I'm one of the guys that killed those bandits and trolls on the Baron's Road awhile back."

"I know who you are," he snaps. "I also know you have no money and no experience jousting."

"How do you know that?"

"Because." He points at his goatee. "Now I will lend you the money if you agree to my terms."

"Which are?"

"If you win, I get 50% of the ransom and prize money. You keep the horse. If you lose, you become my personal slave for a year." The moneylender pulls, ink, quill and parchment from his desk. "We can get the contract signed right now."

[User] You done deal!

[Assistant]
As you reach to sign the contract, the moneylender stabs your hand with the tip of the quill. He pops the end of the quill into his mouth and sucks the blood off with a loud slurp. Black and blood-red sparks shoot randomly from his body. Wings burst forth from his back and claws grow from his fingers.

"First, I kill you. Then, I rule the kingdom. Finally, I get all the bitches."

You blink in confusion. "What?"

"That's what is going to happen, and you can't stop me."

"Why did you drink my blood? Are you a vampire? So help me Stephanie, if you're lurking around here, I'll kick your ass."

"There's power in heroes blood."

"And?"

"Actually, I have no idea what I am now. I was an evil sorcerer in disguise. Then I drank hero's blood, and since I'm evil that would probably make me an anti-hero now."

"Would I become an anti-villain if I drank your blood?"

"I don't think it works like that."

"Why not?"

Because you're dead. The evil monster rips your head off with his claws and devours your corpse. That will teach you to make dirty deals with shady characters.


[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]
This is a unique form of security, but you're no weak willed fool. You begin to try to disbelieve your surroundings and try to move.

Seeing as you're in the air, it's almost like you're swimming. It's all pretty surreal and you're expecting this illusion to end.

"FOOL! IF YOU WANT THE SACRED TREASURES OF GALPATIS SO BAD THEN EXPERIENCE ITS TRUE GLORY!" The voice booms and suddenly you're falling towards the city!

The shock causes you to panic because now this doesn't feel like an illusion. You immediately drop the crown believing that it might correct things, but all that happens is the crown starts falling to the ground too.

At first you think you're going to die, but then you notice that you're falling not just towards the city, but you're over an area which looks to have some large trees. With a little luck, MAYBE you can slow your descent before hitting the ground.

Shifting your weight slightly, you brace for painful impact of attempting to hit every branch on the way down.

When you're within reach of the top of the tree, you desperately start grabbing at extended branches just within reach. You unsurprisingly break several of them trying to hang on, along with ripping your hands up pretty good. You're very lucky you don't get impaled and eventually you hit the ground bruising most of your body. You curse when you notice your pistol has broken into two pieces.

However, you're still alive. Though in your dazed state, you realize that your "arrival" didn't go unnoticed with several strangely dressed onlookers pointing at you. A couple of them even shout over at you.

You sit up and using the base of the tree you stand yourself up. You're in a lot of pain right now, and it's at this moment that you realize you can't understand what any of these gawkers are saying to each other or you. Some of the words sound similar to ones you know, but it's almost like they're all speaking a different language.

You at first wonder if you hit the ground so hard that it damaged your head so you can't understand what people are saying anymore, but given where you are and how everyone is dressed, you've got a bad feeling that you're a LONG way from Holgard anymore.

And for all you know this could still all be some elaborate illusion.

In any case, you're drawing a crowd and you've had enough experience to know that's never a good thing. You quickly make your escape away from the crowd, especially when you hear more shouting coming towards your position.

You don't know where the hell you are, but you're guessing it must be a park of some sort inside the city. You need to find a secluded place and get your bearings.

As you move as quickly as you can with a twisted ankle and sore feet, you spy out the corner of your eye, the crown laying in the grass by some bushes. Seeing as this is what got you into this in the first place, you figure you might as well retrieve it.

No sooner have you picked it up again, you hear the voice again.

"STILL ALIVE THIEF? YOU ARE STRONGER THAN YOU LOOK."
"End this illusion…whatever you are!" you sputter.
"THIS IS NO ILLUSION. WHAT YOU SEE IS VERY REAL. JUST LIKE YOUR PAIN. YOU WANTED A GREAT TREASURE OF OLD GALPATIS. THERE IS NO GREATER TREASURE THAN LIVING DURING THE APEX OF ITS GLORY. TIS MORE THAN A SCOUNDREL LIKE YOU DESERVES!"
"Wait. You're…you're saying I'm actually here? I traveled back in fucking time?! Bullshit, this has to be an illusion!"
"DISBELIEVE AT YOUR OWN PERIL, BUT THERE ARE NO LIES AND THERE IS NO RETURN. YOU LOST THAT OPTION WHEN YOU STUCK WITH YOUR GREED. YOUR LIFE OF GREED HAS ALREADY COST YOU DEARLY. HOWEVER, YOU HAVE THE CHANCE AT A NEW LIFE IF YOU LET GO. CONTINUE ON YOUR PATH AND YOU WILL MOST CERTAINLY BE DOOMED."

This is a lot to take in. You truly do not know what to make of all this. If this crown, or voice, or whatever is telling the truth, you are in deeper shit than you could have ever imagined.

You're stuck not just in an unknown city or even a foreign land, you're in a whole other time period!

You've got to think. Of course, while you're thinking about how you're going to survive in this new situation, you still might need a lot of coin to make it a little easier.

You look at the crown.

[User] You discard it

[Assistant]
The crown's been nothing but trouble and you're likely just going to suffer more by keeping the damn thing. Not to mention you don't really want to put up with its scolding advice again.

Throwing the crown into the bushes you limp away and eventually find your way out of the park. (Or what you assume was a park anyway)

You walk down a street catching a lot of glances. Most of the inhabitants of this city are human (Though you're seeing a couple of races that you've never even seen before) so you're not standing out so much on that aspect, but the way you're dressed is definitely cause for intrigue.

Unfortunately for you, you're so intriguing that when several military looking men come running in your direction they immediately begin shouting at you in a language that you still can't understand.

You aren't really in any condition to run and there are enough of them that you don't think you could fight them all. You don't even have the advantage of your pistol any longer.

Having no other choice, you attempt to play it dumb and make gestures that you don't understand them. It isn't really a plan; so much as it's the lack of one since you really can't understand them. Though eventually when they get exasperated enough, you understand them all too well.

One of the soldiers grabs you while another begins grabbing your belongings such as your weapons and your pack. They dump everything out and then after a few words to each other, one of them points in a different direction and they all leave. Whatever it is they were looking for you didn't have, though you get the very real impression that it was a good idea to leave that crown behind after all.

Of course your situation is still pretty damn dire. You're stuck in the past and unless you get access to some really powerful magic, you're going to be living the rest of your life here no matter what else you achieve.

You're also at a disadvantage of not knowing the language or even your general location let alone how things work around here. The best you have to go on is a few old stories your sister told you and that's going to have to be enough for now

The voice in the crown told you that you'd have to give up your roguish ways and start a new life, but that's really not going to be possible even if you wanted to. Right now you can see that you're going to have to steal to survive. Possibly even the basics like new clothes because you are really sticking out with what you're currently wearing.

Once you get that down, then maybe you can figure out a way to get back to your own time.

[User] You time passes...

[Assistant]
Year 21

"Oh come on Saldinius you can't do better than that?" you say.
"Sorry, but times are hard right now, that's the best I can offer!" Saldinius replies making a shrugging motion.
"Bah, fine. You're lucky I got more important shit to do."

You take your coin from Saldinius and make your way back to your humble room back at an inn. (Some things never change)

The Galpatis Empire might be going through a "Golden Age" but from what you can tell life is pretty much the same here as it was in your time. The poor bastards are struggling to survive, the rich bastards are sitting on their fat asses reaping all the benefits and everyone in between is just trying to make their own way to be a rich bastard and avoid becoming one of the poor bastards.

Still, you suppose you could have wound up in a worse city when you got stuck here. Galapolis is the shining jewel and seat of the Empire and it's easily five times the size of Holgard ever was. There is no shortage of opportunity for a rogue like yourself here. Crime doesn't change too much after all and if anything you're probably a little more skilled at it than most.

That first year was really hard though. You sometimes didn't know if you were going to make it or not. It wasn't really the survival aspect, but more the mental aspect. True you didn't exactly have a "good life" in your own time, but you still had ties.

Many nights you thought about your family and how you'd possibly never see them again. You even cried on more than one occasion. Maybe you left on bad terms, but probably in the back of you mind somewhere you thought that maybe you'd reconcile somehow with your mom and dad.

Of course there was your sister as well, though you probably thought about her more since you used some of the knowledge from her stories to help you through this.

You found the inner strength to carry on by learning the language, the surroundings and everything else you could. It's quite the accomplishment really. Unfortunately the only thing you haven't learned is how to get back home.

You haven't lost hope on that dream though. Magic seems to be more common, or rather more impressive from what you've seen of it. The city of Galpatolis is protected by a giant invisible shield for example and when a dragon attacked (You nearly shit your pants when you saw one of those for the first time especially since it was much larger than the stories you heard) the beast couldn't even penetrate the defenses and its breath attack was reflected back. Eventually it was brought down by more magical defenses that disintegrated it completely.

If the magic here has that power, then surely there might be a way back home with it. The main problem is magic seems to be highly restricted to the upper class. Like nobles and such. It isn't even like you've ever found any practicing hedge wizards or witches. Those types apparently get rounded up fairly quickly or they probably live far away from the Empire, which is pretty damn large. (As far as you can tell you're currently located where the Delantium Kingdom would be located and Galpatis Empire stretches much more than that.)

There doesn't even seem to be any "divine magic" either or religion as you know it anyway. The citizens of the Empire all seem to worship the current Emperor as a "living god." (The body just being a vessel for him until he discards it for a new one)

Deities in any other sense seem to be fringe beliefs at best or considered to be reserved for uncivilized barbarians that live outside the empire.

In any case, you've asked around and done as much research as you can on the matter and there is one place in the Empire which has slightly more relaxed rules on magic and that's the town of Arcanius. Though it's not so much of a town as it is a giant magic testing area. There is where all the less disciplined, unwanted bastard children of nobles who have minor abilities or just downright anti-social wizards go to practice their skills without as much supervision though apparently there is still a powerful warden that oversees everything.

The funny thing is, it isn't restricted to go there, but there is little reason for the average non-magical person to do so. For one thing it's a very long journey and not in the most hospitable place of the Empire (Close to the Cloudpeake Mountains) Second, it isn't like the average Empire citizen wants to hang around a bunch of unhinged miscreant magic types. Though for you, it's probably your only possible chance at getting back home.

In any event, you've raised enough coin and made the right shady connections to gain rare passage there. The use of carriages is a lot more exclusive during this time, let alone using them to travel to another city. However seeing as you're heading to a town not many want to go to anyway, your obvious lack of nobility isn't as much of an issue. Indeed you'll probably be assumed to be another bastard.

The ride leaves tomorrow and you need to be on it so you need to get your rest. You spend the rest of the day and night packing everything you plan on taking, because if all goes to plan, you won't be coming back.

You head to where the carriages are getting ready to leave and with a few extra bribes, bullshit explanations, and general apathy of the soldiers, you're waved into one of the carriages heading to Arcanius.

It's going to be a several day journey from what you know so you're glad when you find that you have a carriage all to yourself. You'll be able to stretch out.

Eventually there is some shouting heard outside, along with the crack of several whips. Before you know it you're on your way.

You never were much of a reader before, but seeing how long this trip is going to be, you figured it would be a good idea to take some literature with you along the way. If you do manage to get back, you might even be able to sell this stuff for a hefty profit. Galpatis items would no doubt go for a lot. (And you've collected a few other small items with this in mind)

As you spend a few days reading some books (and improve your basic understanding of the Empire's language in general) your thoughts start to wander a bit.

What if you've changed the future just by being here?

You've never pondered this before, but maybe it's due to reading too much philosophy during the trip, but what if you've changed things?

You can't imagine that you've changed that much since you've surprisingly haven't even killed anyone since being here. You've stolen a lot of things, but is any of that really going to make a difference in the long run?

You don't know.

What if you go back and there is nothing to go back to? Or more specifically what if you made changes here to the point that you don't exist?

"Oh shit." You mutter as you ponder this new possibility.

At first you were concerned that you might not be able to get back home. Now you're concerned that maybe you shouldn't go back home!

You go back and forth on this many times.

Staying here has always been something you thought might be inevitable anyway so would it really matter?

You get the impression that if you stayed here, you could probably carve out a future for yourself. You think with time and effort you could rise to be greater than your current status in the criminal world. Hell, you probably could get your own organization started.

For all you know you're the founder of the Ebony Claw Syndicate.

Now you start to wonder if you were MEANT to be here.

"What the hell am I thinking? I need to go back! I can't fucking stay here…can I?" you say to yourself.

In any case your struggles with metaphysical matters soon turn into very real struggles because your carriage (along with the rest) are suddenly attacked!

You hear shouting and the galloping of several horses. A look outside your window and you see a bunch of figures on horseback armed with spear type weapons and bows. At this range you think they might be green skinned. Probably orcs given the noises they're making.

So much for Empire territory being safe everywhere. Granted you are currently closer to one of its borders, but you'd think that would just mean they'd protect it a hell of a lot better.

The carriage you're currently on goes faster, but it's obvious that the orc raiders are going to attempt to cut everyone off assuming they don't kill everyone with arrows first.

Several of said arrows go into your carriage and you try to get as flat as possible. You really wish you still had your pistol. You'd at least be able to fire back.

"THEY'RE GOING TO CATCH UP TO US! EVERYONE TO ARMS!" you hear someone shout and the carriage comes to a halt.

Last time you looked, there was a hell of a lot of orcs. Granted you have some of the Empire's soldiers with you and hopefully a few of the bastard passengers in the other carriages are above average with their lack of formal magic training, but it's not going to be an easy fight.

You almost wonder if you should just run for your life. As strange as it is, you haven't been in a real life or death fight in years since you've been here. You're probably a little rusty. There's also the fact that most of the people you ever fought with were other humans. Orcs are a whole different story. Especially this blood thirsty looking lot.

[User] You help fight off the orcs

[Assistant]
You need to get to Arcanius. If you run and these assholes lose, then you're in for a long walk. If you run away and they live, you can't imagine that the survivors aren't going to be keen on taking you along after you abandoned them, also resulting in a long walk.

You're going to have to at least make the attempt, as much as you'd rather just run.

Still, there's no reason to go rushing headlong into battle. On top of being on horseback, the orcs are armed with bows, spears and javelins. You aren't some heavily armored soldier and you don't have magic powers to fire back. If you still had your pistol this might not be as big of a deal since you could easily fire back at them. Since you don't have any of those things, you figure you'll continue to hide in the carriage until you see a suitable opening to attack.

You remain low to the floor in the carriage, occasionally looking out the window. You mostly the orcs circling about on horseback and using their bows to their advantage, though a couple of the novice mages are breaking up that advantage by slinging a few magic missile spells while hiding behind the shield wall that the soldiers have created.

For a while it looks like you might survive all this and not even have to fight after all.

Unfortunately that's when the leader shows up. He's not riding a horse either, but a chariot pulled by what looks like giant armored boars. Several of his people rally in front of him and they all make a beeline charge towards the soldiers, while others ride around to flank the sides.

To their credit, the soldiers hold the wall and a few of the mages don't even run and instead try to take out the main force approaching, but ultimately the orcs have more numbers and the leader is tough.

His chariot crashes spectacularly into the shield wall, breaking through and trampling several of the soldiers. The boars and chariot aren't in the best of shape either of course, but that doesn't matter since the leader has already jumped off it and begin chopping people up directly with a huge axe.

"Shit. Should have left when I had the chance." You say and leave the carriage as quick as you can.

Realizing that this is a lost battle, you quickly start trying to free one of the living horses still attached to one of the carriages (and desperately trying to get free of the chaos by trying to drag the carriage despite the fact that it's dead fellows along side it are preventing such a thing)

Of course while you're trying to do this one of the mounted orcs appears and gallops straight towards you. You try to get back in the carriage to avoid being trampled or cut down, but instead the orc grabs the last javelin on his back and throws it at you.

Predictably he's a good shot and you're impaled through the back and out your chest. Your death is instantaneous.


[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 attack King William

[Assistant]
With a short, deft movement, you leap to your left and crack a guard's knee with your boot. He gasps and collapses on the floor, cradling his injured leg.

From his limp hands you tear his spear and whip around. The guard behind you parries with his sword, but you twirl your spear around his blade and plunge it into his gut. Leaving it there, you tear the sword from his grip.

Behind you, Orvyn has also managed to acquire a weapon and is dueling with the remaining guard and the jailor. With his free hand, he waves to you

"Go, Aethelwulf, go! Kill him!"

You press onwards toward the throne. William's two guards stand ready for you. Taking a massive lunge to your right, you drive your sword at a guard's face. He deflects the blow easily with his heavy Norman kite shield, but the shield momentarily blinds him and allows you to cut past him.

William, seeing you in front of him, reaches for an ornate gilded sword at his side.

You don't give him a chance. Channeling all your strength, you drive the blade deep into his gut. Behind you, footsteps resonate, and shortly after you feel sharp steel driving into your back. It no longer matters. You keep pushing, driving the blade upwards. William's eyes roll back and his features curl into an insane grimace.

More men enter the room.

Orvyn dies.

Your hand, up to your arm, is covered in blood.

Another blade pierces you.

Your grip weakens.

You fall over, and your vision turns red.

Blood pours from your mouth, but you manage to spit out two words

"For England"

[User] The Aftermath...

[Assistant]
With William dead, the Norman occupation crumbles. Multiple uprisings drive the Norman force out of London.

In 1067 the Normans rally briefly under William's son, who is also named William.

In an act of vengeance, he makes his last stand in Northumbria, your home. While he waits for the impending arrival of a unified English army, he makes Northumbria bleed. Entire villages are put to the sword, and your home is no exception. Your entire family is wiped out; an ancient bloodline extinguished.

The English forces catch William II in a deft pincer; most of his army is killed during the battle. Those who are captured are put to the sword. William II is taken prisoner, he is brought to London and found guilty of numerous charges by a completely unanimous jury.

On August 18, 1067, William II, at nineteen years of age, is executed. In the next four years a wave of bloodshed rips through England. Normans in hiding are methodically sought out and killed.

By 1071, there are none left. Meanwhile, many English lords vie for the throne.

In 1072, an English lord named Ryce takes the throne, and the English monarchy is preserved.

Although you will be remembered as the man who saved England, your actions resulted in your people being massacred and your family being killed.

As history progresses, facts will fade into legend, but you will always remain.

Your name will be lost to history, but you will be remembered instead by your posthumous nickname;

The Bloody Wolf.


[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 gather your men and flee

[Assistant]
"Come on! We're getting out of here!" You yell.

You allies quickly follow as you turn and sprint out of the trees. Shortly afterwards you break free, and to your relief none of the Elves have followed.

"We need to get back to camp." Karn grunts.

Karn's covered in bright red Elf blood mixed in with the darker Ork blood from those around him. You realize that Karn is a fantastic fighter, but should never be given a position of power again. He led your squad straight into an ambush.


[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 phase 2 Interlude

[Assistant]
Well, this is a bit awkward....

Let's just say due to some constraints in the system and whatnaught you have to come here before Phase 2 can begin.

Suppose a congratulations is in order, then again you only beat the first of three sections. Not to mention unless you were a dumbass (or having fun) you shouldn't have died at all. Common sense was all that was required to survive.

Good luck in the next section, it requires slightly more thinking.

Also there was one actual ending in phase 1, see if you can get it later.

Here's something to help you on your journey.


[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 course Not

[Assistant]
You turn away from the door. There's no way in hell you're opening it and letting her inside.

"Who's that?" Bob says.

"Errr....wrong number"

"Oh..."

Bob walks away, apparently believing that the person knocking at the door had the wrong number. You throw on the TV and watch the news for the next few hours, forgetting all about the reason you came over to begin with....

Hours later you remember though (good thing right?).

[User] You time for "The talk"

[Assistant]
Hours later you tell Bob that zombies have risen, and go into a detailed description of your day.

"Woah...sounds rough."

"Yeah, well least I'm alive. So what's your zombie plan?"

Bob stands up from the couch and walks to his room. He comes back and throws a piece of paper at you.

He actually had a zombie plan...

You read it and it's not the most detailed, but it's better than your plan....of nothing.... You decide that in may be in your best interest to stay with him. Then again the guy can be very unpredictable, and when his weed runs out he'll probably get pretty pissed. But then again, he has a shotgun and you have no weapons at your place. Though trusting this guy with a shotgun makes you feel a bit uncomfortable.

[User] You stay with Bob

[Assistant]
You decide Bob's plan is better than yours, and depending on what you've done you may not even have the supplies needed to survive on your own.

A week passes and things happen. The military comes by in a caravan and tries to pick people up, but the two of you decide to stay inside (you were also scared they would find the weed). After picking people up the miltary attempts to control the situation, but they fail quite badly. People and zombies alike attack, but Bob's house holds out, at least for the first two months.

The weed ran out after the first month, naturally Bob was pretty upset at first, but he dealt with it without going apeshit on you.

[User] You phase 2 Interlude

[Assistant]
Well, this is a bit awkward....

Let's just say due to some constraints in the system and whatnaught you have to come here before Phase 2 can begin.

Suppose a congratulations is in order, then again you only beat the first of three sections. Not to mention unless you were a dumbass (or having fun) you shouldn't have died at all. Common sense was all that was required to survive.

Good luck in the next section, it requires slightly more thinking.

Also there was one actual ending in phase 1, see if you can get it later.

Here's something to help you on your journey.


[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] Continue

[Assistant]
"No." you say.
"Suzy? What?" Julie says.
"No, I'm not leaving. She's been a bully to me all my life. It ends today." You say.
"Wow! I can hardly believe you're the same Suzy that spent hiding from the rest of the world. Guess you've finally learned to stand up and be a woman." Kelly says with a smirk.

"But so what? You think because you've survived some of the horrors out there, you think standing up to me is going to suddenly change the situation? Got news for ya, it ain't. I can blow your fucking head off with one twitch of my finger. Last chance to get the fuck out of my house!" Kelly adds.
"Fuck you Kelly. I know you. You already made up your mind to kill me as soon as I woke up. I turn my back and you'll probably shoot me for the hell of it as I walk out the door."

Kelly starts laughing.

"Well like I said, you always were a smart one. Too bad you did something incredibly stupid by walking in here in the first place."
"Kelly, please! Just let us go! We won't come back! We'll just…" Julie starts to plead
"SHUT THE FUCK UP YOU DUMB BITCH OR YOU'LL BE FIRST!" Kelly shouts before turning her attention back to you.

Julie at this point starts sobbing uncontrollably. You continue to stare down the barrel of the shotgun like you're fearless, but that isn't true at all and Kelly knows it.

"You can give me the hard looks all you want, but deep down I know you're ready to shit your panties. Which I imagine you'll do after you're dead anyway. You ready to die little sister?"
"Sure, just a little surprised you'd choose this method. Guess you're more intimidated by me than I thought."
"What?" Kelly snorts.
"You're intimidated by me. You always have been. I really should've seen it before."
"You're fucking crazy. I've never been intimidated by you."
"Sure you have, that's why you've bullied me all these years. You've said yourself on many occasions on how pretty I am so I know you're jealous of my looks. You've just admitted that I'm smart. The only thing that I always lacked in was self-confidence and now that I have that, well I'm pretty much better than you…"
"Fuck you Suzy!" Kelly says.
"No, I get it, you want to play it safe and shoot me, because hey if I gained self-confidence, who knows I might just be able to kick your ass in a fair fight."
"Hah, not fuckin' likely…"
"Well I guess we'll never know, because you'll shoot me and Julie and then go down and hide in the fucking basement…well what do you know…we're more alike than you thought. Imagine that."

And with that taunt it's the last straw. Kelly flies into a rage. It's the kind of rage she flies into when she's participating in her underground fight club. She abandons all rational thought, drops the shotgun to the side and lunges at you with both of her hands going straight for your neck.

Julie is knocked to one side and you fall backward on the couch. You attempt to roll and scramble to escape, but Kelly grabs you by the hair.

"You're right, beating your scrawny ass to death WILL be more enjoyable." Kelly exclaims.
"Julie, grab the shotgun!" you manage to shout before Kelly throws you face first into the bookcase. Kelly then stops Julie from scrambling on the floor for the shotgun by kicking her in the side and then stomping on her back.

Still struggling to recover you grab some of the heavier books that have fallen near you and start throwing them at Kelly. A couple hit her in the head and she ceases abusing Julie and returns to attack you.

You manage to throw one more book at her face, but it doesn't even slow her down. She punches you in the stomach causing you to collapse as you feel the air leave all your body and feel like you can't breathe. As you wheeze, Kelly leans down and grabs the back of your neck with one of her hands. It feels like a fucking vice.

"A hit to the gut, fucks you all up doesn't it? Feels like you're suffocating, can't breathe, can't do much of anything really. It's how Houdini died you know. I'm gonna hurt you so badly Suzy, you don't even know…but you soon will."

Kelly with her other hand smashes a fist into the side of your face. You feel your eye almost close immediately as the rest of you hits the floor. If you could catch your breath, you probably would've cried out from the pain though you're a little dizzy more than anything right now.

"Thought you could kick my ass. Bitch please, what the fuck were you thinking? This isn't a goddamn comic book or movie…shit!"

Kelly's body lands on top of yours with crushing weight. You then hear a shotgun blast and some debris of the bookcase consisting of paper and cheap wood fall on you and Kelly.

"LEAVE HER ALONE YOU FUCKING CUNT!" you hear Julie scream.

You still aren't in any condition to do anything, but Kelly certainly is. She scrambles for the pistol still in the front of her pants and gets up while yanking you up with one hand to use you as a human shield.

Julie takes cover around a corner when Kelly starts shooting. Four shots are fired before clicking follows.

"Fuck!" Kelly exclaims and drops the pistol.

You're practically deaf from the proximity of a pistol going off near your head along with being disorientated. Kelly positions herself behind the couch to give herself some extra cover. She also tightens her grip around your neck with her forearm and puts her other hand on your head ready to break your neck in a second if need be.

Julie comes back out from around the corner weeping, but unsteadily pointing the shotgun at Kelly.

"No…Suzy…(Sob) Let her go!"

"Julie, you're not in any position to give orders. Now granted with a shotgun and you don't need perfect aim at this range, but your precious girlfriend here is BOUND to get hit in the process. Never mind the fact I could break her neck before you get the courage to pull the trigger anyway."
"LET HER GO!" Julie screams again.
"Not gonna happen whore. You got two choices. You try to do the impossible by trying to hit me or you walk out the door and go on with your life. Either way one thing is certain, Suzy here isn't going anywhere. Her fate is sealed and there isn't anything you can do about it. Think about it Julie. Do you really want to be the one that kills her? Just walk away now taking solace in the fact that you never had a choice." Kelly says.

Even with one blurring eye open right now, you can see Julie just standing there sobbing and looking so helpless, despite wielding a shotgun.

"Suzy…I don't know what to do… (sob)" Julie cries.

You feel like you're going to pass out with Kelly's big meaty arm wrapped around your neck right now.

[User] You tell Julie to leave

[Assistant]
"Julie, go…" you say.
"Suzy! I can't leave you here to die!" Julie says.
"I'm dead anyway. You aren't going to kill Kelly. At best you'll probably kill me and blow off one of her arms in the process. After which she'll probably beat you to death with it, because its obvious she's got what it takes to survive in this shithole world which is getting shittier everyday." You say.
"Heh, damn straight." Kelly snorts.

"Suzy, I can't just leave you! I just can't! I love you!"
"Yeah… well I don't fucking love you Julie! I never have and I never will!"
"But…"
"Julie just fucking stop! I'm not into girls despite whatever you might be hoping in your heart, so even if you did somehow manage to aim that thing straight and miraculously kill Kelly without hitting me, that still leaves you with NOTHING!"

At this point Julie starts crying again and barely able to hold up the shotgun. Kelly on the other hand starts chuckling.

"Julie, go on with your fucking life and forget about me." You say.
"I…I…can't. I won't be able to. I won't know how! I need you!" Julie stutters. She still doesn't want to hear the words you've said to her.
"Julie, you're far more capable than you realize. You've faced shit this week that you never expected to and survived. You'll survive this too."
"No…"
"Julie, look at me. If you REALLY love me as much as you say, you'll listen to me one last time and get the fuck out of here. Please."

Julie at this point continues to cry and nods. She slowly starts to walk towards the front door.

"Aww, ain't this some fuckin' heart breakin' shit? Hell, I think I'm about shed a goddamn tear myself…over how fucking pathetically hilarious this is!" Kelly laughs.
"Kelly will you at least let me give her the keys to the car so she's got a vehicle to drive away in? They're in my pocket." You ask.
"Sure, sure, anything to get this bitch out of here quicker."

You put one hand in your pocket and start fishing around for the keys.

"Just keep moving towards the front door bitch. Your little unrequited crush will throw the keys to you. Heh. And then me and you are going to have quality sister time." Kelly says.

You grab the key and slowly pull them out of your pocket.

"Come on, come on, give her the goddamn keys, al…" Kelly says when you blindly swing your arm backwards to try to jam the key into Kelly's eye.

"AAARGH! FUCK!"

You're successful and the piece of metal sinks deep into the orb.

Kelly releases her grip just enough for you to slip from her clutches and drop to the floor.

"SHOOT HER NOW!" you yell.

You see Julie pull the shotgun back up to her shoulder and point it at Kelly. A loud booming noise fills the room when she fires followed by a sickening squishy sound. Blood splatters on you from over head and the slumping of a body falls partially on you.

Julie drops the shotgun and rushes over to help you up.

"Suzy! Oh my god, I was so…" Julie starts to say in between the sobbing.
"Julie, don't fuss right now, I'm fine. But right now the pair of us need to get our asses into the basement and look for that shelter entrance. With all the gunfire that went off in here, I'd hate to think what kind of crowd we may have attracted."

Julie helps you up, but in reality, she's hurting just as much as you, so you basically prop each other up. You stumble down into the basement and fortunately you don't even need to search. You see a hatch in the floor that you've never seen before wide open and a fluorescent glow of lighting coming from within it. Apparently Kelly didn't even bother to close up the hidden door.

You take a look inside and see a long ladder down leading to another floor, which you imagine that's the main shelter. You can't believe how close it was to your room and how you never knew about it!

"How the hell did you brother do this with you hearing or knowing about it?" Julie asks.
"I dunno. I mean he managed to routinely change the entrance all the damn time too. Ben had a gift I guess." you say and you and Julie start climbing down the ladder and you close up the hatch.

Eventually you get to the bottom and you and Julie open up a metal door, which is fortunately not locked.

And there it is, you're in the shelter proper. Before you is a dimly lit living area with various furniture and even a TV. Other rooms include a bathroom, kitchen area, a couple of bedrooms and A LOT of storage rooms. One such room is huge, as rows and rows of canned food and bottled water are found.

"Well looks like we'll be fine for sustenance for awhile. Doesn't even look like Kelly put a dent in the supplies." You say.

Another storage room contains a goodly amount of ammo and weapons of all kinds. Mostly rifles. Medical supplies are in another.

One thing that stands out is that Ben's shelter has solid steel walls. You have no idea how the hell he did this and you guess you never will. You do notice on several of the walls something has been repeatedly scratched out though not entirely successfully everywhere.

At one point you make out most of it.

Pr-p---- o- th- Gr--n- -er- Cor---at-o-

"Well Julie, guess we didn't have to spend a bunch of money like those fucking commercials always said. Ah, damn it!" You say and hold on to your head, which is still throbbing.
"Suzy are you okay?"
"Yeah, I just need to lie down."

Julie escorts you back to the bedroom where upon you collapse on the king sized bed.

"Oh Suzy, your eye, your face…its so bruised and swollen."
"Yeah, I probably look like hell. Guess I'm not very pretty right now." You laugh.

Julie holds your hand and looks into your one good eye.

"You'll always be pretty to me." She says and strokes your hair with her other hand.

There's a moment of silence between the pair of you.

"Suzy… when Kelly was holding you hostage, I know you said what you said to trick her into letting down her guard, but… was it really true? I mean it's fine but I just…"

You don't answer her, you instead just grab the back of her head with your other hand and bring her lips directly to your own and kiss her passionately. And this time this isn't one of those fake kisses to trick the National Guard; you genuinely mean it, because you do have deep feelings for Julie.

When you and Julie stop kissing, her eyes are closed and she exhales like a wave of euphoria has just washed over her.

"Well…I guess that answers my question." She says.

"Ow. Ow. Get up, get up." You say feeling another wave of pain exacerbated by the fact that Julie is partially on top of you right now.
"Oh. Sorry! Sorry! You okay?" Julie says getting off of you.
"Yeah, just still really hurt." You groan.
"Yeah so am I actually. Why don't I try to go find a compress or something for your eye?" Julie says.
"That's a good idea. Maybe bring back some painkillers while you're at it. I'll just lay here and hurt."

Julie leaves and you're left in the room alone. You mainly just lie there, but you do occasionally have the brief thoughts of just how fucked up this week has been. At least you've sorted out your feelings for Julie though. Despite the pain, you're also tired. Really you haven't even been up that long today in the scheme of things, but being held hostage and getting the shit kicked out of you is enough for you to want to go back to sleep.

Besides, it isn't like you've got anything else to do immediately. You're safe down here and you'll have plenty of time to figure out what to do next after some rest.

You drift off…

[User] Next day…

[Assistant]
SATURDAY

You wake up to total silence for once. No sounds of annoying commercials and no sounds of psychotic family members pointing a gun in your face. Even Julie is still asleep. She's right next to you on the bed as you sort of figured she would be when you woke up.

You instinctively reach for your cell phone to check the time, but you don't currently have it on you. Fortunately there is a large clock on the wall in the room that you're guessing is accurate.

"Holy shit, why the hell am I up this early?" you say to yourself, but then you remember you fell asleep pretty early yesterday. Really you're sort of surprised you didn't wake up in the middle of the night.

You get up and you're still hurting, but you're compelled to go wash yourself since your clothes are caked with dried blood at this point and you've been wearing them for a couple days.

Just as you're about to go test the shower, Julie stirs from her sleep.

"Suzy, what're doing? You shouldn't be up and around."
"I'm stinking like a dog here, I need to wash up."
"You smell fine, I like the way you stink." Julie says.

You start laughing.

"Well I'm sure you do, but I really feel like I should… (Sigh) shit."
"What?" Julie asks.
"Don't have a change of clothes. We got just about everything in this thing except clothing."
"So? You don't need clothing, just go all natural, it's just us after all. I'll even join you."
"Heh, while I'm sure that kiss from yesterday has got you all revved up, we still need to talk about us in more detail before we start taking it to that level. In the meantime I guess I'm going to have go upstairs to get some clean clothes."
"Wait, are you serious?! Those things could be up there!" Julie exclaims.
"Well that's why I'm going to be taking some weapons with me."
"But you're wounded! You really shouldn't be going out there!"
"While it's true I ache, I can at least see out both eyes clearly again. Surprisingly I'm feeling slightly energetic. I'll be careful."
"Oh Suzy, (Sigh) I can't let you go by yourself! I'll come with you!"

You and Julie grab a couple of the lighter assault rifles and some ammo and head up the ladder. Really the most nerve-racking part is going to be the initial opening of the hatch since anything could be lurking around ready to attack as soon as you pop your head up.

You open up the hatch and scramble to the basement floor, looking around in all directions.

"Suzy? Is it safe?" Julie whispers from the ladder.
"Well if it wasn't I'm sure they would've attacked by now. I don't even hear any noise from upstairs."
"Good, Now your room is right there, just get your clothes and let's go!"
"Okay, okay, come on up, I need someone to watch out."

You head into your room and Julie climbs up and keeps a nervous eye out. You start going through and grabbing clothing.

"Hey Julie, what about you?" you ask.
"What about me what?" Julie says.
"All your clothes are still in your bags upstairs, what are you going to wear?"
"I don't know! I'll wear your clothes or go naked! I'm not heading up there!"
"Like I said, I don't even hear any noise and I had quite a few favorite belongings in one of the bags. Fuck it, I'm going up there, I wouldn't mind seeing Kelly's body anyway." You say and pass Julie to head upstairs.

Once again Julie follows reluctantly.

You go up the stairs cautiously, once again expecting something to pop out at you. When you finally get up stairs, you expect the same thing, but after checking a bit, nothing is out of place from when you left it yesterday. No broken windows, no kicked in doors, and your bags are still in the same place where you dropped them when you got here.

Then you lay your eyes on Kelly's body which hasn't been disturbed in anyway. You didn't see it when Julie did it since your back was turned, but part of Kelly's head is splattered on the wall and the rest of it is all over the floor.

"Heh, you blew her fucking head off." You say.
"Yeah, it's really gross. Let's get our bags and head back, I'm still worried that something might try to break in and I also don't want to dwell on what almost happened to you in this room. It's upsetting."
"Alright, I just think I needed the closure of seeing her corpse. I know that probably sounds fucked up of me, but then again this whole week has been." You say grabbing one of your bags.

Before you or Julie can say anything else a bright flash shines through one of the uncovered windows along with the sound of a large explosion in the distance. You can't help but take a quick glance out the window.

And there you see it in the far distance, the dissipating remnants of a mushroom cloud rising up in the sky.

"…they finally went and did it." You say.
"Oh shit! We need to get down into the shelter NOW!" Julie exclaims.
"Let's get our asses moving then."

You and Julie grab your remaining bags and head back into the basement. You don't stop the haste until you're safely inside the shelter, though Julie's still a really stressed.

"Oh shit! Oh shit! We were out there when that bomb went off! What if we've experienced a lethal dose of radiation!? I don't want my hair and teeth to start falling out and coughing up blood! Oh fuck!" Julie starts to say while pacing back and forth.
"Julie will you relax? First of all if it had been that close the impact should've at least shattered the windows of the house. From the direction I saw the cloud, I'd say it probably hit Security City and you know how far away that is. It probably wasn't even a large one."
"So we're safe?"
"Well we're safe from what you're worrying about yes. But I mean if nukes are going off, that means the end of civilization, as we know it at best. The world is going to become a lot more dangerous."
"But we're in this shelter! We've got supplies for years!"
"Yeah, if we're smart about conservation we probably can stretch out our supplies for I dare say a decade, but the thing is we're going to HAVE to explore the surface eventually, if only to gather more food and water. And if we're going to do that, we're going to need to prepare ourselves. I foresee a lot of use of that small exercise room in the future unfortunately."

Julie sits down as if this hard reality is finally hitting her.

"Suzy…I don't know if I'm gonna be able to survive this new world. I mean if what you're saying is true, and this week was just an indication of how bad its going to really be, then how useful am I going to be? I mean other than killing your psycho sister; I've been completely useless in this crisis. Even with your sister, you came up with the plan to distract her; my dumb ass thought you were being serious at first when you told me to leave. You've come up with all the plans and taken all the action. It's actually very impressive of how you've managed to cope with all this…I'm just not as strong as you."

You sit down next to Julie and hold her hands.

"Julie, I didn't say this was going to be easy, but WE can do this. You have to have more faith in yourself Julie. And whether I come up with the plans or not doesn't mean you've been useless. I mean you still needed the courage to pull the trigger to kill Kelly right?" you say.
"I wasn't brave, I didn't want her to kill you." Julie says.
"Well I'm sure there's going to be tons of people wanting to do that to me in the future. So you've already proven you've got motivation to kill when necessary. And just think you also helped in tricking the National Guard without killing anyone."
"Oh sure, just shaking my tits and ass at them. That's about all I AM actually good at."
"Hey whatever works for your survival, but look we're together now. I need you just as much as you need me. We're not just friends anymore we have a stronger bond now, one that I want to last for a very very long time. I want to survive to enjoy your company and love for as long as I can. Would you really give up on that so easily?"

Julie smiles.

"No I suppose I can't. You're right Suzy. You're always right." Julie says and hugs you. She then kisses you on the lips.

"I love you Suzy." She says.
"I love you too Julie." You answer.

A brief pause of you both looking into each other's eyes and savoring the moment.

While the next few moments are going to be filled with possibly the most fun you've had this week, you are still thinking about how difficult things are going to be in the near future. Already now, you're thinking that the first order of business is going to be to get Julie to dry out from her drug abuse. (You can't afford for her to go through your supply of medical supplies after all) She's going to probably hate you while she's detoxing, but it's going to be for her own good.

And that's just going to be one hurdle you'll have to jump, but you're not that "good girl" that hid out in the basement from the rest of the world anymore. You're ready to face it head on when necessary regardless of the dangers it may hold.

[User] Continue

[Assistant]
Best Friends With Benefits Forever

The Future…

"I hate dealing with those trailer park assholes." Julie says as you both enter the shelter.
"Yeah, but unless we want to go driving all the way to the next township or waiting around for a wandering merchant, it isn't like we got much choice in barter partners." You say.
"I just feel like we're getting eye raped by all of them whenever we walk into their little enclave."
"Probably are, but Mel's pretty good about keeping his boys in line. He's surprisingly reasonable as well. Besides, they got enough problems ever since the Cult of Tiamat launched a full raid on them."
"Yeah, that's another reason I don't like going out nowadays, the entire fucking town is a war zone between those two."
"Mmm, I'm just glad we don't live where the fighting has gotten the heaviest. It's almost like how it was when all those people were running around like rabid animals. Still never learned what caused that, weird that some people just suddenly went back to normal though."
"Speaking of the cult, do you really believe they won't attack us anymore?" Julie says.
"Well like with anything in this shitty world, nothing is certain, but Bobby has always been a true believer so when he came to us that night saying that Tiamat spoke to him in a dream saying that we were off limits due to recent losses, I'm inclined to believe we don't need to worry about them for now. Personally I think it was that bitch Diana that kept targeting us specifically for sacrifice. She never did like me. Anyway Diana's dead and Bobby isn't under her influence anymore."
"What about his new first wife though?"
"His sister Helen? I only met her a few times back when I was dating Bobby, but she was always okay to me. Seemed to almost want me in the fold as it were. Probably wanted an ally because her older sister Diana was a bully to her…hmm might've had something common I suppose."

As you get ready to relax for the night, Julie ceases talking for a moment and then speaks up again.

"Hey, do you ever wonder what your life would've been like if you'd stayed with Bobby?" Julie asks.
"You're joking right?" you say.
"Well I'm just asking do you think it would've been easier?"
"I really don't see how being the member of an insane cult would've been easier and that's not even factoring in Diana who probably would've been trying to kill me at every turn."
"Ah, I think you would've been okay. You would've found a way to get over on her. Just think you would've been a high priestess with followers or something!"
"And I still would've had to have shared Bobby with Helen and whatever other sisters he choose as a damn wife. Nope, I'm not into polygamy."
"But you weren't into girls either at one time and we wound up together."
"That's a little different Julie, we had a long history. I mean I don't even see you as a female. I mean I do, but (Sigh) …you know what I mean! I'm just saying I'm not the sharing type when it comes to these things. What brought all this weird line of questioning all of a sudden?"
"I dunno, I guess sometimes I play what if and I come up with all sorts of weird scenarios."
"What do you mean?"
"Well okay for example, I can picture you still doing okay even if you made different choices in your life. Like I can picture you surviving and even thriving in this harsh world regardless of what you did. Me? I would've been dead without you around. I just wonder sometimes if your life would've been better without me. Silly I suppose for me to dwell on stuff like that."

You know Julie can still get a little self-conscious at times and would seem tonight is one of those nights. It was annoying at first, but as time has gone on, you've actually grown to find it a little endearing.

"You're damn right it's silly, because how could my life be better without you? I mean I have everything I want with you, what more could I want? To be a leader of one of the many dysfunctional groups out there? No thanks, I was already part of one dysfunctional group, I don't need to be part of another, let alone trying to lead them. I'm perfectly happy down here in our shelter with ample supplies and spending the rest of my years with you. Now come over here."

Julie walks over to you a bit demurely and you passionately kiss her and grab her ass in the process.

"Mmm. Tell you what, since the town has become rather dangerous lately, why don't we stay in for a month or two? Maybe by that time, those idiots will have stopped or killed each off by then. You know we still have lots of supplies left, we can afford a nice romantic vacation of sorts from the world." You say.
"See, you always have the good ideas." Julie says with a smile.

As the two of you embrace in the way lovers do, you realize Julie is right, you do have all the good ideas.

And your best one was choosing to be with your best friend.


[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 letters to home (Last letter...)

[Assistant]
Dear Mom,

We're falling back again. No surprise there. I've had a lot on my mind lately, but not for any of reasons you'd know, so I'll tell you.

Normally this would be something I would've told Mallack, but since he's dead, I feel like I should tell you. I really miss Mallack.

I was in contact with a woman by the name of Helena. She was a traveling merchant who I met years ago during my tour in Retlad. We had a relationship of sorts I suppose. We met whenever she was in the area I was stationed in. Dunno why I never told you about her, I guess I just felt weird about telling you. Silly now that I think about it.

Anyway, she was in the city of Edat a few months ago when it was utterly destroyed. I suggested that she should just stay in the Retlad province since the fighting wasn't as bad there, but she said there was a big deal to be made in Edat, so she went. Reports say there were no survivors. Of course reports have been wrong before and I have used some of my connections to find out for certain but considering the carnage that occurred I hold little hope.

I'll miss her. I can only hope that like Mallack, she wasn't turned into one of those things.

The word "hero" gets thrown around far too much and I should know first hand, but I'll use it here: Where are the "heroes" to stop this? Shouldn't some party of adventurers been able to slip through the Great Lich Lord's defenses and chop his head off by now? Wasn't that how the first one was stopped? Isn't that how it's supposed to go? Where are the gods? Why aren't the good ones doing something to stop the utter destruction of their worshippers?! Hell, the evil ones would even suffice at this point! I mean just to know that SOMETHING is looking out for us in some fashion!

If they haven't abandoned this world, they better do something quick, because I feel like we're in the last hours here. Actually I think we're on borrowed time.

We're getting a report that we might have to fall back to the heart of the empire soon. At this point I'm not sure if I'm even going to do it. I know I've been duty bound this long with only a few falters along the way, but now? In the face of extinction? What's the point?

Sure there may be nowhere to run from death, but perhaps I can evade him for as long as possible.

But I haven't forgotten about all of you. I'd never do that. Even if I have to drag you all out of that infernal farmhouse kicking and screaming.

Leave a light on for me, I may be coming home.

I love you all.

Your son


[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 go around

[Assistant]
It wasn't worth the risk to you so you head around the yard and make your way toward where the tracks resume. By the time a train leaves the yard, you find that it is moving much too fast for you to board it so you set off once again down the tracks on foot.

Every couple of hours you have to ditch the tracks and hide behind a boulder or in a shallow ravine until a train passes. This is the busiest set of tracks that you've been on and if anyone spotted someone your age out here alone they would certainly report it.

You have to take a break so you find a nice clear spot away from the tracks to kick back in and lean back on the bag. You have a sudden urge to pull out the card Jane made for you and look at the old postcards while you rest. You trace each line drawn in crayon on the page with your finger and think back to those few magical days. It seems like so long ago now. A lot has happened and every day that has passed seems to have steadily grown worse than the last. After you do this one thing, you should find someone nice to live with like Jane dreamed of. Surely there's someone out there that would love and take care of you, someone you can depend on. You carefully refold the letter and slip it into your pocket and put everything else back into the treasure chest before giving your eyes a rest.

You don't even notice when you start to drift off, but you are rudely awakened by a brutal gust and find that a strong wind has kicked up. The dust and sand scour your face and you can barely breathe even with your shirt pulled up over your face. You stagger around trying to find some kind of shelter behind a rock or something, but there doesn't seem to be anything nearby and you probably wouldn't be able to see one anyway unless you were right on top of it.

Your foot suddenly finds nothing but open air and you tumble headlong down a steep embankment. Your bag disappears as it goes one way and you go another. And then the world slips away into blackness.

You wake to find your arm twisted under you—your shoulder screaming out in agony. You have scrapes and tiny cuts from the side of your face all the way down your legs. It takes a couple attempts before you're able to roll over and sit up.

You push yourself to your feet and look up at the steep incline that you fell down and don't think you'd be able to climb back up there even if your arm wasn't throbbing like it is. You can see the coat caught on a rock protruding from the ground near the top. One of the plastic jugs tied to the sleeves is crushed and the other one looks like it just exploded when it slammed into the ground. You don't see your bag anywhere.

You pace back and forth along the base of the cliff looking for any trace of your stuff and finally have no choice but to give up. You head down the wash and hope that it doesn't dead end.

The feeling finally comes back in your arm. You can move it, but not without pain and there's a huge black and green bruise that goes from your shoulder to half way across your chest.

The wash spills you out on the edge of a two-lane highway and there isn't a car or a sign or anything at all except brushy desert and rocks for as far as you can see. The train tracks must be somewhere beyond the ridge behind you, but you'd never be able to get back to them that way. You look up at the sun and figure that you might as well keep following it since it has already led you this far.

You close your eyes, take a deep breath and then set off down the road.

You've been walking for hours when a car pulls out onto the blacktop from a gas station up ahead that you didn't even know was there. The hot blazing sun reflecting off the pavement has made you half blind and has given you such a raging thirst that it feels like no amount of water could ever hope to quench. You don't know if you'll even be able to make it as far as the gas station.

You're torn between whether or not to flag the car down when it gets close or to find somewhere to hide until it passes by.

[User] You flag down the car

[Assistant]
You stagger up to the edge of the road and raise your hands. The car slows down for a moment as the rear passenger window rolls down. As it gets nearly even with you, a bottle flies out and hits the pavement halfway to your feet. You don't have the strength or energy to jump to the side so you can only stand there and watch as it bounces off the asphalt and hits you dead center in the chest before you can react.

The pain is so sudden and intense that the wind is knocked completely out of you. Your face feels like it swells to nearly twice its size and burns all the way to your ears. You slump and fall to your knees.

The car screeches to a stop and the driver's door opens. "Why in the hell would you do that to a kid?! I oughtta kick your ass. You could've killed him, you know that?"

You gasp for breath and can't take in any air. You want to cry due to the immense pain, but your eyes are so dry that they can no longer produce tears. Your vision starts to waver and you fall forward. Just before you eat the blacktop, you feel hands grab you and swing you back into a seated position.

"It's okay. I'm here to help. He was just being a dumbass and didn't know that he might actually hit you."

You wheeze and can feel your lungs slowly start to fill with air. Your vision is still fuzzing in and out, but it's slowly beginning to clear.

"What's your name?" asks the teenage boy with closely cropped hair.

You rock back and forth trying to help force more air into your lungs, and only wheeze louder in answer to his question. You look around to see several more teenagers standing around you.

"Take it easy, man. Don't try to rush it. I'm not going anywhere."

You're not sure you want to tell them your real name. After all, one of them just tried to kill you. Maybe it was an accident and maybe it wasn't. You try to think of a name—any name—and a sudden image of little Timmy that lived down the street from you before your parents got a divorce pops into your head. You remember how he used to say his name and before you can correct it, out comes "Tim-O-tee." You take a deep breath and try hard not to laugh or even smile. "Timothy. My name is Timothy."

"What are you doing out here all by yourself, Timothy?"

"I'm lost. I don't know where this is."

"Where do you live? We'll take you home," says a slightly gruffer voice off to the side.

You shrug as you try to come up with something to tell them. You look around, trying to come up with a story they might believe and your eyes settle on a far-off vertical rock piercing up through desert floor. "A long, long ways from here. I was s'posed to stay by the camper, but I wanted to look at the rocks."

One of the boys sucks air in through his teeth.

"That wasn't very smart. Kids get lost out here all the time and die," says the one crouched down by you. "Where were you going? Maybe we can find your parents or get you to someone who can."

If they take you to the cops, you'll never make it to the Grand Canyon. You have to change the subject. "I'm so thirsty. I need water."

The boy reaches up and snatches a bottle from one of the others and says "Here, drink this. We'll get you some water."

You tip the over half full bottle and guzzle the orange soda down without stopping. It burns like fire and doesn't help even a little, but it's wet and wet is better than nothing.

"We've gotta get back. We can't take him with us," says another boy under his breath.

"We're not leaving him out here, alone," snaps the one you've been talking to, "Not here!"

"There's a gas station right there! It's not like he's lost out in the middle of the desert."

"We can't go driving all over the country looking for his folks," says another.

"You shoulda thought of that before you chucked that bottle him!" he hisses up at the boy with slicked back hair—who just pivots around on his heels and stalks back to the car. Turning back to you, he says "C'mon. We'll go find a phone or something," picking you to your feet and helping you to the car.

You hang back as the boys head into the gas station. If they call the police, they'll take you home and you'll never get to the Grand Canyon for Jane.

As soon as the door swings shut, you dash to the end of the building and swing around the corner toward the back. There is a stack of oil drums at the base of the hill out back and you run in behind them. You hope this will be enough because there is no other cover close by that you can see.

You squeeze into a hole between two of the drums that are resting on the ground and wait. It isn't long before you hear them talking from not too far away from your hiding spot.

"Where could he have got to?" asks the boy that's been trying to help you.

"I dunno. He just ran off, I guess. Maybe we just imagined the whole thing."

"Maybe he's a spook and just went invisible," laughs a third.

"Don't be a moron," says the first, "He's just scared."

"We can't go traipsing all over the desert looking for him. When he gets tired, he'll come back. We're already gonna be late as it is."

"I guess. I just wanted to help the kid out, is all."

"Let's just go before we get into trouble, ourselves."

You hear the car engine start and gravel raining down in their wake before you poke your head out. You can't risk going inside because they probably already told whoever is in there about you and the police might still show up.

You spot a coiled hose on the ground by the corner of the building that you must've run right by without even seeing. It's just what you need. You trot over and reach for the faucet, but the handle has been removed. You study it a minute before picking up the hose a little at a time—working the contents out to the end—and manage to get a good mouthful of scalding hot water. You fight the pain and as soon as it's cooled enough, you choke it down.

You can't go any further in this heat so you look for any kind of shade to get out of this blistering sun. You spot a low-lying rock a little ways up the hillside behind the building and judging by its angle it might offer some shelter from the sun. You drag yourself over to it.

It looks like it would be the perfect place for a den of snakes, but peering under the shelf you see no sign of anything. You wedge yourself underneath where you'll wait for nightfall before heading off again.

You open your eyes to find that you are shivering. The temperature has dropped considerably. If you don't end up freezing, it'll at least be a welcome relief compared to that awful sun.

After pulling yourself out, you stand and slink down the hill. Your feet are like bricks, but you have no other choice other than to go on.

The gas station parking lot is deserted except for a run-down old pickup truck loaded down with all kinds of junk and covered with a tarp. It's parked in the shade of the pump lights around the corner of the building and you have to walk around it to get to the highway.

As you pass by it, its yellow license plate catches your eye. It says Arizona in green letters across the top and Grand Canyon State on the bottom.

You peek around the corner of the building and see an old hunched over Indian man with a pony tail halfway down his back stepping up to the cash register.

This could be your lucky break. You could try asking him for a ride, but what if he says no? Maybe hiding under the junk in the back and hope for the best would be smarter way to go. It won't be long before he's heading this way so you'd better hurry and make up you mind.

[User] You ask for a ride

[Assistant]
You lean against the corner of the building to wait for the old man to step out and when he finally does, you rush over to meet him just as he reaches the corner. Even though he's walking crooked, he's still manages to jump back like a cat about to be stepped on.

"Can you take me to Arizona?"

He cuts his eyes around the dark parking lot. "No." He starts walking toward his truck.

"Please? I need to go to the Grand Canyon."

"No."

"Can you take me to the railroad tracks? I can walk the rest of the way."

"No." He opens the door and climbs in.

"Can you take me to the next town, then? I gotta find a new map 'cause I lost my all my stuff."

"No."

"Do you have any water?"

He pulls the door shut, starts his truck and pulls it in gear.

You watch as he backs up and then drives off into the night. By the pump lights, you can see the trail of dust he left in his wake. Maybe you scared him or maybe that's just the way he is. It doesn't matter now.

You look around at the door to the gas station. There's no way you can go in there. You'll have to think of something else.

Maybe you can climb up the ridge behind the station and from there you might be able to see the tracks. It's dark enough that you wouldn't be able to see them until morning—which means that you'll have to find a place to sleep for the night. You could keep going down the highway and maybe figure something out along the way. You don't have any water so you'll have to walk only at night and find cool places to sleep during the day. Whichever way you go, perhaps you'll run into another farmhouse along the way to get more stuff.

[User] You take the road

[Assistant]
You can probably make more miles on the highway than you could climbing the mountains and crossing the desert. Surely you'll run into railroad tracks sooner or later. There are probably more houses along the road, too.

You head around behind the gas station to stay out of the light and then make your way to the blacktop. There are no yard lights within sight, but you'll probably see one before too long. You just have to make as many miles as you can while it's still dark.

You can still feel the heat of the day leeching out of the asphalt and the occasional slight breeze feels good against your clammy skin. Your mouth is dry, but you can probably manage to make it through the night since it isn't really all that bad right now. You should make it just fine.

You watch a shooting star that traverses nearly the whole western sky before burning itself out far to the south. Your wish is the same as you've had from the very beginning—to make Jane's dream come true. It isn't until a little while later that you start kicking yourself for not tacking a little water onto that wish. Oh, well. Surely you'll find some before long.

Even though there are no landmarks to go by, you somehow know that you've covered many a mile. There's a blacker circle in the sky that looks like it might be a moon in a day or two. Until then, you'll just have to make your way as best you can in the dark.

The night has somehow become a comforting friend instead of the dreaded enemy you once feared. You don't even know how it happened. It just—all of a sudden—did.

Mile after mile and you don't see much more than a vague dark shape every now and then out some distance from the side of the road. They would've been monsters lurking and ready to pounce only a few short weeks ago. Now, they're just big rocks.

[User] You migration

[Assistant]
In the lights of an oncoming car, the highway looks like it has little rippling waves on it. They're flowing from one side of the blacktop to the other. This must be some kind of dream, but you don't remember falling asleep.

As the car gets closer, you can see that they aren't waves at all. They're snakes! Dozens of snakes. They move weird, though, throwing a loop and dragging themselves up to it before doing the whole process all over again.

Snakes don't move like that. They slide along on their bellies as they slither along. This has to be a dream. Still, you wouldn't want to be bitten by a dream snake any more than you would a real one so you try not to let them get too close.

You look up and the headlights flash in your eyes. You can't see anything. You don't know whether to get off the road or just keep going. It is a car, though. You'd better at least get off the road so you take a step sideways.

Zzzht-zzzht-zzzht!

You know that sound! And it's much too close! You leap backward, but—whap!—it's too late. Your leg is on fire!

"Aaaah!" You fall sideways and—whap!—another hits your arm. Whap! Whap! Whap! You're being struck from all sides now. Your arms, your legs, your face. Even the top of your head.

The headlights are on you now and you hear the brakes squeal to a slow stop. Your whole body feels like you've fallen into a campfire and you can't pull yourself out. Your body starts to quake and you're helpless to stop it.

"Oh my God in heaven!" shrieks a woman getting out of the car. "It's a kid and he's been snake bit!"

Your tongue grows two sizes and wedges tight in your throat. You can't breathe and you feel like you might pop from the building pressure. Even counting the beating you got from Mom, you've never felt such intense pain. It crashes through your body like a tidal wave.

The headlights waver and grow steadily brighter and brighter until they fill your entire field of view. In the intense light, you can see Jane standing there looking down at you. She's shaking her head. She reaches down and takes your hand—cupping it in hers. The only thing you can see now is her face against the blinding white light.

The burning sensation swallows you whole.

— 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 memories (Joe)

[Assistant]
The Sensitive Ape: Mighty Joe Young

After Kong destroyed his own career, some of the humans that exploited him still wanted to go with the giant monkey theme so they had to find a substitute. Someone suggested Kong's cousin Joe. He seemed like the perfect candidate, maybe he wasn't as big as Kong, but he was certainly a lot more manageable and calm. He'd do, they were sure of it.

This plan was doomed from the start. First of all Joe wasn't really interested in acting, he'd rather just live his life in the wilderness. This wasn't too much of a problem, after all they'd convinced Kong to "embrace" civilization, they could do it with Joe. However, it was apparent that Joe didn't really want to play a brute similar to Kong. He felt he should be portrayed as a more sensitive being. As a compromise the humans told him that the movie would be made in such a way that the audience would feel sympathy like they did with Kong, but Joe wasn't buying it. Rewrites and recasts plagued the productions. Joe was also a lot smarter than Kong, they couldn't exploit him like they could with Kong, he over looked everything they ever tried to make him sign and if he didn't like it then he'd tell them as much.

The third thing was it was apparent that Joe was erm…a bit light on his feet and it was coming through on the screen. They quite correctly though the public wouldn't accept this, so they tried to "toughen" up his image by putting the word "Mighty" in front of his name. It didn't really help since Joe made no effort to hide who he was in public and didn't really understand why he should. Though nobody was going to say anything, since he was still an incredibly strong 12ft ape, the public wasn't ready for a "sensitive" monkey. His movies bombed, but he didn't mind, he made his money and invested it well. The joke was on the humans that tried to take advantage of him.

Last you heard he bought himself a nice home and spends most of time in his private garden tending to his exotic flowers which he grows for his own florist business.


[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 wield the powers of Water.

[Assistant]
Water, filling you with peace even in the middle of a bloody battle and allowing you to calmly assess the situation, flows strongly in you.

Life will be and has been shed, but this is nothing that you can prevent anylonger. You can only hope that it will not be your life, or that of your allies, though that hope already has been betrayed.

You briefly wonder about J'Arel's death. The goblin shamans cannot be possibly capable of wielding such magic. But the thought quickly eludes you, for you know you have to act fast and decisively if this battle is to be won.

[User] You will use your healing powers to revive the wounded soldiers.

[Assistant]
You scramble up on the coach, to get a better view of the battle.

To your left, on the ground, is Lucius, protecting you from stray arrows with his power over the winds.

Closing your eyes, you search for the hidden power in yourself, and, finding it, channel it gently out of your body.

Touching the soldiers with the invisible strands of magic you invoke, you revive them and draw their pains away. A few of the wounded ones gasp in surprise, as their wounds close themselves, then they notice you, give you a curt nod of thanks, and launch themselves into the fray.

Whenever the goblins cut down one of the guards, you channel the pure life back into the body of the wounded one. Slowly, the goblins notice that they cannot harm the men, and start to panic.

However, the strain of keeping the spells flowing through you is tiring, and so you do not manage to keep your concentration when suddenly, Lucius screams in pain.

Horrified, you see that behind him, Farhan Brownhand, the emissary of Alzur, has stabbed Lucius in the back with an evil looking sword.
You reach for the strands of Water again to channel life back into the Air adepts' body, but it is already devoid of life... you shiver at the implication of that, for the sword must hold terrible and dark powers to vanquish a life with only a casual thrust.

Grinning, Farhan lets go of the sword, and turns towards you.


[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 punch out Jack

[Assistant]
You remember an old saying, "A liar is still a liar even when he's telling the truth." And despite Jack telling you the truth about Henry, you can tell he still had his own agenda. In fact it's obvious he was trying to leave you here to rot.

"Hey Jack what's that?" you say pointing in his direction
"Huh?" Jack replies looking down and around himself.

POW!

You clock Jack in his bandaged face, cracking his sunglasses and knocking him to the floor. You quickly rummage through his coat and find a pistol and check the clip.

"Well, well, silver bullets. I always knew you weren't to be trusted! Hell, you sold out Henry pretty quickly. You were using me as a test subject for your formula and were probably were hoping me and Henry would end up killing each other. I knew I wasn't being an asshole to you for all these years for no reason! I bet this is the money I was never going to receive either right?" you open the briefcase and close it when you see it contains the money.
"Alright fine Wolf you got me, but what use is there in really killing me? You can have the money, you can escape. Just let me live, besides you owe me a life! Self serving it may have been; if it wasn't for my formula, you wouldn't have survived the arena!"

You better make up your mind either way; you can hear Mr. Hyde climbing closer to your location.

[User] You kill Jack

[Assistant]
"Fuck you Jack, I would've survived the arena even without your wonder drug, now how about I make myself invisible too?" and with those words you take off Jack's cracked sun glasses and shove two claws in where his eyes would be located, you know you got the right spot since you can feel the squish of the ocular jelly and his screams of agony.

While you'd normally finish the job you don't have time since you hear Mr. Hyde bounding on the bottom of the elevator, making dents in it. You grab the gun and the briefcase and leap up through the service panel in the roof, leaving Jack to writhe in unbelievable pain. Still hearing Mr. Hyde trying to get in, you leap to the emergency ladder, you're having difficulty holding on to the ladder, the gun AND the briefcase though, and guess which one you accidently drop?

The briefcase of course.

"Goddammit!" you shout as it tumbles from you. "Well someone's paying for that!"

You point the gun at the main elevator cable and fire, hitting it a couple times. It dangles a bit and then falls onto Mr. Hyde who is in no position to be able to stop it. Eventually the elevator hits the bottom of the shaft with Jack's dying body inside and crushing Mr. Hyde under it.

You continue your escape by prying the elevator doors open and crawl through panting heavily. You lie face up on the ground for awhile just resting. You think the effects of the formula are wearing off. Too bad, you liked feeling "young" again. You're also pissed that you dropped the damn briefcase of money. You'd climb down and get it, but you're honestly too damn tired and can't be bothered. You're starting to really feel the pain from all the physical activity you've been doing today.

"Damn, I really am getting too old for this shit." You say to yourself.


[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 risk the chimney

[Assistant]
Squirming awkwardly up the chimney you shimmy yourself up the narrow chimney shaft. Outside you hear shouts and dozens of gunshots but focus on ignoring the intense heat and making it up the chimney. Finally you burst out into the cold night air of the roof. Approaching the edge of the roof cautiously you glance down to see John lying dead in a pool of blood just in front of his house. There is a shout as a vigilante spots you and points at you.

Turning you race across the roof as vigilantes fire at the spot where you were seen and with a flying leap you jump off the back of the roof, fortunately landing on one of the few snow mounds to have escaped destruction from the spring sun. Scrambling up you race through the trees that surround John's farmhouse and make your escape through the forest. After an all-night journey you manage to make it to a friend's house and safety.

In the morning you buy a newspaper and read about a series of raids carried out against you and your companions. Ol Shepherd is dead too, killed by lawmen while resisting arrest. George has been arrested and charged with bank robbery. After a short trial he is found guilty and given a short prison sentence. For the next three years you move around Missouri, never staying in one place for too long until finally in the spring of 1871 you re-establish contact with Cole Younger and Frank and Jesse James and arrange to meet at the farm of your mutual friend Clell Miller.

Though the gang has lost three of its members you are determined to continue your bank-robbing career.