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

[User] Continue

[Assistant]
Maybe this isn't the best idea you've ever had, but after all those years of dealing with your sister Kelly, you aren't going to put up with bullying anymore.

You've never really been a fighter before (Trying to protect your face from Kelly's couple attempts to disfigure you don't count) so it isn't surprising that when you throw a punch at Razor she easily dodges and catches your arm.

"Oh ho! Harley Quinn has some fight in her! Good, didn't want this to be too easy!" Razor says and throws you to the ground. Before you can get up you feel a kick to your ribs.

Lacking any other tactics you lunge at one of Razor's legs and sink your teeth into it hard enough to draw blood.

"AH SHIT! WHAT THE FUCK!" Razor yells trying to get you off of her leg, at this point her friends step in to help pull you off. You're dragged off and restrained while Razor takes a moment to examine her wound.

"Goddamn it! Shit!" Razor exclaims looking at the fairly deep bite wound you've left.
"I thought you were a human pincushion, what's the matter can't handle a few little teeth?" you ask spitting blood in Razor's direction.
"Hope you enjoyed yourself, because that's the last time you're going to be using those pearly whites. Say hello to eating through a straw from now on, but look on the bright side, the next time you engage in your favorite past time of sucking clown dick, they won't have to worry about getting scraped." Razor says and starts to walk toward you, but suddenly Roofie stops her.

"Alright that will do Razor, I saw what happened and I'll not have unnecessary strife in this carnival! Go back to packing down your stage!" Roofie scolds.

Razor looks at him a moment and then you and then waves to her friends to let you go.

"One day you aren't going to be running this show Roofie." Razor says as she leaves with her friends.
"Maybe not, but that day isn't today." Roofie says.

As you get up and try to brush yourself off, Roofie slowly walks over to you. He already smells like alcohol.

"Well Suzy, first Ranko, now Razor, looks like you're just making friends all over."
"It's not my fault! I didn't do anything to her!"
"I know you didn't, you alright?"
"Yeah, but now I probably got a target on my back, one of many probably since Razor isn't the only one who hates me around here."
"Yeah I've noticed. Just because I'm half drunk most of the time doesn't mean I'm not aware of what goes on around here. Listen some of the negative feelings that some have for you will die down in time. You seem to be getting along with your new clown co-workers very well though. You spent the night over in their trailer despite the fact you have your own."
"I only did that because I didn't feel safe sleeping alone last night. There was a really creepy big guy staring at me all day yesterday, I dunno maybe I was just being paranoid."
"Hmm, did you wish to bunk with them or even someone else then? I mean I can make arrangements if you feel uncomfortable sleeping alone."
"No, I appreciate the fact you gave me my own trailer. Besides, given all the new friends I'm making, I'd be safer sleeping alone and bunking with Klepto and the rest, well I get the impression that would cause other problems." You say.
"Okay then. Well, I'll let you get back to your trailer. We'll probably be ready to go just before nightfall so I'm sure Lifto will be around then to hook this thing up to one of our trucks. So until then just enjoy the downtime."
"Wait, aren't I supposed to be helping pack up the carnival?"
"You? Nah, the rest of the guys can handle it. Really I get the impression they wouldn't let you do much work anyway what with them all being enamored with you and all. And the dwarves got the overall pack up covered. Always have, it's what they do. Backbone of the carnival and all…and all a bit of a waste of time given what's to come, but hey we do what we know." Roofie says and leaves.

A little more cryptic future doom prediction by Roofie, you get the impression that's his general personality, but at least he's always pleasant with you.

With no more distractions you arrive at your trailer and that's when you begin to feel nervous again.

First of all the door is slightly ajar. You also notice a couple things out of place from last time, not to mention it looks like someone spent some time in your bed and soiled it with their "essence". Your cell phone that you left here is also gone, but given that its batteries were starting to die and you wouldn't have Bobby to pay for it much longer it isn't much of a loss. Someone was definitely here last night. You don't know if it was Ranko, that big creepy retard staring at you or someone else, but either way you dodged a bullet.

You half expect the person to jump out at you from some hidden spot, but that doesn't happen. Whoever was here, probably left before the morning, and probably when they realized you weren't coming here.

You re-check all the trailer's locations (even if it isn't the biggest place) and block the door with a chair before feeling safe enough to shower and get changed.

Afterwards you go through the mundane process of actually cleaning up the trailer. You figure if you don't need to help pack up the carnival, you can at least spend your time clean up your living area. (First thing is throwing out the befouled bed sheet)

By the time you're finished it's the afternoon and you're tired again. You're still not used to being awake so early and you didn't get much sleep last night so you lie down in your now cleaner bed and shut your eyes for just a bit…

You don't know how much time passes while you're asleep again, but when you do wake up it's to a loud thumping at the door.

"OPEN UP BY ORDER OF THE U.S. NATIONAL GUARD!"

National Guard? What the hell is going on?

"Hold on, hold on, I'm getting up!" you shout.
"Open the door miss or we'll be forced to bash it open!" a voice calls back.

Not wishing to potentially get shot you comply and upon opening the door several national guardsmen stand outside.

"Come with us miss, we need you all together for your safety." A young soldier says guiding you out.
"Where are we going?" you ask.
"Just to that big tent over there. Don't worry, this is all for your protection."

Somehow you don't quite believe that, but when you scan your surroundings, you see that the carnival appears to be under control by the National Guard so there isn't much choice but to comply. You don't know why or how this came to be, but from some of the military radios you overhear it sounds like riots have broken out in your town. Is this some sort of martial law?

When you arrive in the big tent, most of carnival is there. Most are sitting at tables and complaining about this fate. You see Roofie actively arguing with one of the higher ranking soldiers who looks utterly unmoved by what he has to say.

"Goddamnit, just because people are rioting in the town doesn't mean any bullshit is going on here! We're not even locals! We're just passing through and were about to leave!" Roofie says.
"Yeah I heard you the first time, but my orders are to secure this entire area and will be under watch until further notice. Now I suggest you get out of my face before I stomp a mud hole in your ass clown!" the officer remarks and walks out of the tent.

You go over to Roofie.

"What's going on exactly?" you ask.
"End times like I always knew would come Suzy. Just didn't figure I'd have to spend my last days stuck under the gun by a bunch of fascists! These government dickheads think they can control what's coming soon, when they really can't control shit. These fools don't even know they're all really just puppets for that fucking Ground Zero corporation that's been shilling bomb shelters ads all over the damn place."

This is definitely a new side you've seen of Roofie, he's really mad. He's also really drunk even if he's pretty coherent. You see Klepto and the rest waving you over.

"Why don't we just go over there and…"
"Y'know what Suzy? There aren't even that many of these fuckers. It's a skeleton crew at best. I bet we can take them. I mean we certainly outnumber them."
"What?! Are you nuts? They're armed with machine guns!" you say.
"And? So a few of us die? We're ALL gonna be dead soon anyway, why wait? Better to die on your feet than live on your knees. Seriously, all we gotta do is get a couple of those guns away from them and it already evens up the playing field. Seriously you think they're probably going to let us live anyway? They're probably going to line us up like baby seals and blow our brains out by tomorrow. I'm telling you I'm getting our own troops in order to rebel tonight."

Roofie seems pretty intent on going through with this plan, the only thing you can think of to do is either try to help or try to prevent the violence.

[User] You prevent the violence

[Assistant]
Roofie's plan isn't going to accomplish anything except get a bunch of people killed, and you could be one of them! You think fast.

"Uh, okay Roofie, let's just go over here and get the battle plan together first okay? I'm sure Klepto and the rest are going to want to hear this first."
"Hrgh, okay. You don't need to guide me damn it, I'm not that drunk!" Roofie says and pulls his arm away from your hand.

When you get to Klepto's table he and the rest know something is wrong when Roofie starts going on about "bum rushing those government puppet bastards." Shrimpy and Fatty both attempt to calm him down, but he's not having any of it.

"What the hell is going on Suzy? Roofie's talkin' crazier than usual." Klepto asks.
"He wants to have the entire carnival attack the National Guard, do something before he causes too much of a scene." You say.
"Do something like what? You don't mean kill him do you?!" Klepto asks.
"No! But I dunno maybe knock him out to buy us time and he can sober up or something. Lifto, knock him out." You say.
"Me?! Why me?" Lifto asks.
"Because you're the strongest of all of us and I'm guessing you could do it in one hit. Just do it, before he gets all of us killed!"

Lifto's a little reluctant and probably wouldn't do it normally, but it the situation does seem dire enough so while Roofie is continuing to rant at Shrimpy and Fatty he punches Roofie in the back of the head, knocking the older man completely out and falling into Fatty's arms.

Some of the other carnies have witnessed this, but they don't seem to do anything about it. In fact it just goes to show how little most of them respect Roofie in the scheme of the things. Sort of a shame.

"Holy shit, did you have to punch him so hard? He's an old guy! You might've put him in a coma!" Shrimpy remarks.
"I just did what Suzy told me!"
"Alright look, I didn't want harm to come to Roofie either, but the guy needed to be silenced for at least a moment. I think the bigger problem we've got is the other carnies. I get the sense that they think Roofie is no longer a factor in the leadership role, so expect a power play. We all need to stick together for protection."
"What about the National Guard? I mean shouldn't we be worrying about them?" Lifto asks.
"The National Guard is what's keeping this carnival from exploding into an orgy of violence right now. Nobody's going to risk pissing them off by causing problems, well not now at least without Roofie's plan of stirring them all up." You reply.

"Well what the hell do we do now?" Klepto asks.
"I don't know! I mean I'm just thinking on my feet here! You all told me that we're the most hated group in the carnival, so we should make friends somehow? Shrimpy, do you have ANY pull with the dwarves?"
"Pull? I suppose I have enough for me, I mean even as a clown deep down I'll always be a dwarf. But as I've mentioned before I can't promise anything for the rest of you."
"Well I dunno, do some diplomacy or something. As for the rest of us, we need to just stick to our table and look after Roofie, and make sure he's doing okay throughout the night. Maybe I'll try to charm one of the soldiers or something. The key thing to remember is we need to survive this together."

You never thought you'd start sounding like your older brother Ben with the whole survivalist shtick, but if it helps thinking like a paranoid person then you aren't going to dismiss such thoughts.

As night starts to fall the mood in the large army "quarantine" tent grows more restless. Two guardsmen remain on duty at all times though they're not exactly happy about the situation either. You do manage to get friendly with one of them by the name of Roger and extract a bit more info.

Roger tells you that you and the rest of your carny friends shouldn't worry too much since this is just a formality. He says that things are much worse in the town and expects his unit will be transferred to support his fellow guardsmen there in a day or two. At which point you'll all be free to go.

Hearing about the mass riots in town makes you wonder how things are going for your family. You're almost sort of worried about them, even Kelly, but there isn't much that can be done now. Hopefully they've found some sort of safety.

"Is this going on everywhere?" you ask.
"Well I don't know a lot of detail, I'm just a grunt in the scheme of things, but things are getting pretty bad, I mean haven't you heard the news lately?" Roger says.
"Not really, sort of disconnected from the rest of the world lately." You say.
"Well world tensions have been really high, it's like every country is gearing up for world war three and domestically people have seemingly gone batshit insane with regards to the rules of common decency and morality. I guess a lot of people are just scared and I can't blame them on some level, but we still need law and order. Surely you can understand that right?"
"Sure." You say in agreement since you'd rather not make any potential enemies of the military even if it is just one grunt.

In any case Roger smiles when you agree, you get the impression he's just as concerned being out here. After a few more pleasantries, Roger says he really needs to get back to "standing guard" and not talking to you as his superior is a real hard ass and he doesn't want to get into trouble or you for that matter. You thank him for the talk and head back to your colleagues.

Of course some of the carnies seeing you get "cozy" with one of the guardsmen makes them even dislike you even more and you occasionally hear mutterings and name calling by others. Razor hasn't taken her eyes off of you the whole time you've been here. She's obviously got her sights set on you, regardless of what goes down, she's just waiting for opportunity.

On the plus side when Shrimpy returns he says that while the dwarves are going to make their own play when the time is right, he's managed to convince them not to attack the clowns as long as you stay out of their way. (And apparently they're ONLY extending that courtesy because of Shrimpy's ties as well you being…well you, though the female dwarves predictably don't like you too much)

The night goes on and while everyone is in a heightened state of readiness nobody can stay awake forever, so eventually people start falling asleep though its mostly in shifts for most groups and you are no exception.

Eventually though when it's your turn to sleep, you try to find some sort of comfort on one of the many sleeping mats provided. It's pretty much impossible, but exhaustion helps you along.

Eventually you drift off…

[User] Next day…

[Assistant]
THURSDAY

Several gunshots cause you to wake up.

"What the?!" you say still staying on the floor.
"Shhhh! Quiet!" Klepto remarks and points over to the one in charge of the guardsmen. He and five others stand near the tent entrance with weapons out.

"I don't give a shit WHO started the fight or even why! You carny freaks can tear each other apart after we leave, but until then we're here to maintain order and by god that's what the fuck we're going to do! If I have to break up another fight for any reason, next time the shots aren't going in the air!" the officer remarks and leaves. The other guardsmen continue to stand near the entrance watching everyone who eventually all sit back down.

"What the hell happened?" you ask.
"Razor and some of the others got into an argument with Phil and his friends." Klepto says.
"Who's Phil?" you say.
"He does that fire eating stuff. Anyway, they kicked his ass and just as things were going to get worse, the guardsmen came in and put a stop to it like you just saw. Looks like the battle for control over the carnival is already starting."
"Surprised we didn't get attacked then."
"Well like Shrimpy said yesterday, we've got dwarf protection for now, but who knows how long that arrangement is going to last."
"Can't believe I slept through a fight, where's Roofie?"
"Oh him? He's still over there out of it, even the gunshots didn't wake him up." Klepto says pointing to Roofie, who then surprises everyone.

"I'm quite awake Klepto, I'm just resting with my eyes closed No point in getting up at this point anyway. It's obvious this carnival has lost respect in me; I'd blame you all for smashing me in the back of the head last night, but that was really just a catalyst. (Sigh) Doesn't matter, I predict that we'll all be dead in two days at best." Roofie says.

"Roofie, we really didn't want to do it, but you were talking crazy with your idea of attacking the military. Your plan would've gotten everyone killed." You say.
"And that may still happen if recent events are any indication. At least with my plan I would've died with the carnival intact rather than seeing it splitting up before my eyes."

Nobody else really knows what to say at this point, so you all just get silent and continue to converse with each other.

"So what's the next move?" Klepto asks.
"I dunno, escape I guess? Can we get to one of the vehicles quickly and drive off?" you say.
"Good luck with that given all the guardsmen on high alert now." Fatty points out.
"Yeah I don't think we're getting very far." Lifto adds.

You sit down and exhale wondering what to do next, but you can't really think right now. It would seem that due to your more proactive suggestions and Roofie's apathy you've somehow become the "leader" of your little group now. You hadn't really planned on that.

"For right now, we're just going to stay put, I'll try to think of something." You remark. The rest of your group lack any ideas of their own, so they comply with your plan (or lack there of).

Time passes and you mostly do a lot of casual conversation and mental speculation of what might happen "if you do X." You half expect someone else to try to escape, particularly when they say they need to use the bathroom, but given that they always return under the same guard they left with it would seem nobody has the guts to really try it, not even Razor.

Nobody else in your group comes up with any plans either, but you do notice Shrimpy occasionally heads over to the group of dwarves. He claims he's just securing the "alliance" but you're more inclined to believe he's just trying to secure his own safety. So far though the dwarves are still supposed to be on your side.

Roofie has continued to lie on the sleeping mat not saying anything to anyone. You still feel a little bad about betraying him especially given that he not only brought you into this carnival and liked you enough to give you a personal trailer, but also that he potentially saved you a lot of pain when Razor was going to kick your ass.

You go over to talk to him.

"Hey Roofie." You say.
"Hrm, hey Suzy." He grunts.
"Are you okay?"
"Me? Well other than not having a drink all day, I'm fine. Just been making peace with my life I suppose." Roofie says.
"Roofie, I'm still very sorry about…"
"What? Having Lifto wack me over the head? I've forgotten about that or rather I've rethought my own stance on that. You probably were right, I mean sure I would've rather died like that, but that was sort of selfish of me to want to use my last bit of dwindling influence to get everyone to follow me. Would've especially been a shame if you'd gotten killed in the crossfire. You're actually very talented."
"You're just saying that."
"No it's true. I didn't make my decision to hire you based on looks or on a whim. In the brief moment you've performed as a clown you were good. I mean it's obvious you're even a leader with how you got the other clowns hanging on your decisions. (Sigh) If only you had come across this carnival sooner. Things might've been much different."
"Well I'm not sure how much of a leader I am, because I can't think of what comes next." You say.
"You'll figure out something I'm sure. One thing though and while I don't hold out much hope, if you can somehow keep this carnival together…do it. I know the current situation isn't the best and I know you haven't exactly been welcomed by everyone, but I see something in you that would feel fulfilled if you could experience the carnival like it once was. Like a family."
"A family?" you say with a smirk.
"Hey like I said, you came in during the family fight. And that's what happens in families sometimes. Family fights are always the most vicious, but after it dies down, sometimes the family unit can be stronger than ever. And I think you could be happy if you can keep this family from tearing itself apart completely. But you'll have to be the one to do it. I don't have it in me anymore."

At this point Roofie touches your hand and you pat his before leaving him be again. You wonder if this is more of a last request by a "dying" man rather than looking out for your personal fulfillment. Still, you think he's genuine and sure it would be nice if the entire carnival became the happy family you never had, but you just don't think that's going to be possible.

You look around and see nothing much has changed except a changing of the guards. One of them happens to be Roger, which makes you think of a possible way you could escape. The only problem is it's going to rely on being more "charming" than you already have been with Roger and that could potentially get you into a situation you don't want to be in.

[User] You go to Roger

[Assistant]
While you hope you don't have to go too far, if it means getting the hell out of this place, then maybe that's what you'll have to do because whether the National Guard leaves or stays the fact remains, you're not the one to lead this carnival like Roofie thinks you are and you feel your life is in danger.

You start to walk over to Roger.

"Hey where are you going?" Klepto asks.
"Not sure yet, but don't wait up." You reply and continue walking to Roger.

When you get to Roger you're all smiles, poses and charm.

"Hello Roger are you doing well today?" You say in a friendly tone.
"Hey, Suzy. I'm okay I guess, but I really wish your friends wouldn't cause so much trouble. Somebody is libel to get hurt. My commanding officer isn't exactly the tolerant type and I think you saw that earlier."
"Yes, I did. I was so scared. In fact I'm scared of the whole aura this place is giving now. It's becoming very violent, but I feel so much safer being near you." You say and start to touch Roger.

At this point Roger is smiling back at you, but his buddy nearby is a little less approving, though you imagine its jealousy more than anything else.

"Roger, we're supposed to be keeping an eye on these carnie freaks, not fraternizing with them."
"What's the harm Ernie? I mean she says she's scared. What, you think she's going to clobber me in the head and take my weapon? Come on, stop being so paranoid. We shouldn't even be here anyway."
"Orders are orders…ugh. Whatever, I'm not going to watch you make goo goo eyes at some carnie whore. I'll be outside this tent, try to keep your eyes on the detainees and not on her ass the whole time." Ernie says and steps outside the tent.

"What a rude person. I'm glad you're not like that." You say now with your arms wrapped around Roger.
"Well you know, I treat people the way they want to be treated." Roger replies.

As distracted as Roger is, he's actually keeping it together better than one would think. He keeps a tight grip on his rifle and an eye on if you're going to attempt to grab his pistol. He also periodically looks away from you to make sure nobody is taking advantage of this situation. (Which Klepto and the rest look like they were going to do, but realize they're still too far away to rush at Roger before he could shove you aside and open fire)

Though your plan wasn't necessarily to save everyone, but rather yourself.

"So Roger, what's a girl gotta do to get out of here?" you say seductively.
"Well, like I said we should be gone later today or tomorrow at the latest."
"Too long and anything could happen within that time! Can't you do something? I mean I could make it worth your while." You say and run your finger across Roger's chest.
"Suzy, look, I'd really like to help, but…hey!" Roger is interrupted when you grab his hand.

You bring his hand to your face and closing your eyes, you insert his index finger in your mouth and slowly suck on it making "mmmmm" sounds.

This scene hasn't gone unnoticed by more than a few carnies watching you. In fact the predictable calls of "whore", "slut" and worse are uttered your way.

Roger on the other hand is practically speechless.

"I…uh…shit…" he says and then pulls his hand away staring at his finger for a moment.
"Awww….but I wasn't done sucking on you…" you say and flutter your eyes a bit, trying to look as cute as possible then you whisper in his ear:

"Take me back to my trailer and I'll show you the REAL greatest show on earth." then you lick his ear.

Roger immediately calls in Ernie loudly. Ernie rushes in with his weapon ready to kill something.

"What?! What?! Are they rioting again?!" he exclaims.
"No. But I REALLY need a favor! You need to watch these people and if the commander checks in on us, tell him I had a to take a shit really bad."
"What…wait… Oh fuck no! You're gonna go fuck this little carnie whore aren't you? Goddamnit Roger!"
"Come on Ernie, you can't help me out?"
"Motherfucker, I'm always helping you out! I don't understand why you can't just fuck the bitch right here. Not like these people are shy and from the looks of her, she looks like it wouldn't be the first time she's gotten fucked in front of a live audience." Ernie remarks.

You know, while you've gotten used to the baseless comments about you being a woman of loose morals, it still hurts sometimes.

In any case, Roger is not a man to be deterred from his lust for you right now.

"Alright, fine. I didn't want to hold this over your head, but you leave me no choice…" Roger starts to say, but whatever the threat is, Ernie doesn't even let him finish it.
"Oh fuck. (Sigh) Don't even say it. Fine. Go. Go. Go! And don't take too long, though I imagine in your case that won't be a problem." Ernie says defeated.
"Thanks man! Seriously I really will remember this favor!"
"Hrm. That you only got through blackmail."

As you and Roger leave, Ernie says one more thing.

"Hope you've got condoms, because lord knows what diseases she's got being a carnie. Her kootch might turn your dick into a fucking Siamese Twin or some shit."

"How the hell does that even make sense? Fucking asshole…" you say and start to get angry at Ernie's comments, but Roger just take you by the hand to go back to your trailer.
"Don't mind him. Let' hurry though, because we don't want to bump into anyone else. It isn't like I got leverage over everyone like I do with Ernie. So where is your trailer?"

You tell him the location and the pair of you are heading over in that direction fluctuating between being "stealthy" and running.

While you're doing this, it occurs to you that you have to think up your next move. Are you really going to let him fuck you? Roger is distracted enough that you probably could grab his side arm to give you enough time to make a run for it, but while Roger might not shoot you immediately (And that's rolling dice there) there's nothing to say the other nearby Guardsmen won't and you know they'll be alerted as soon as you try to run away from Roger.

Of course if you really are willing to make that ultimate "sacrifice" for freedom, Roger might even help you out a lot more in your escape attempt. Of course he could turn out to be a complete asshole and march you back to the tent after he's had his way with you.

[User] You make a break for it

[Assistant]
Roger is so busy keeping a look out for running into his buddies and getting to your trailer he's now suitably distracted and while you're so close to him, you easily grab his pistol.

"HEY WHAT…" he exclaims as you back away quickly and hold the gun on him.
"Drop the rifle!" you shout. He doesn't though.

"Shit. I should've known better. Ernie's going to have a field day." Roger says.
"Sorry Roger, but I really need you to drop that rifle!" you say.
"…nah…if you had it in you to shoot me, you would've by now. You've never shot a person and this whole situation is scary to you. You're hoping your sex appeal will be enough to carry you through this and that I'll be weak willed enough that I won't call your bluff and just shoot you dead right now."

That's an incredible amount insight for someone you thought was nothing more than just a horny grunt. Unfortunately he's pretty much on target.

For a moment there is a pause and you look at him hopefully, you even manage to start tearing up a bit.

"(Sigh) Look, I told you we were going to leave soon, I dunno why you feel the need to go through this elaborate escape plan when it really isn't necessary. Just hand the pistol over and we'll head back to the tent."

You're too scared of what might happen if you just surrender, so all you can do is continue to aim it at Roger.

"Suzy, I'm not fucking around now give me the…" Roger begins to say and moves towards you. With his rifle slightly lowered and his hand outstretched, you nervously fire two shots at him. At this range you don't miss even though you're in a heightened state of anxiety.

Roger falls to the ground with two in his chest and doesn't move, you've killed him.

"Oh my…oh god I'm sorry…(Sniff)" you say.

The shots of course have drawn the attention of the other guardsmen. You hear shouting which is getting closer to your location, so you run.

You hear more shouting followed by gunfire. At first you think they've seen you and are shooting at you, but that isn't the case when you start to hear a few screams.

Now you're even more scared as you have no idea what's going on. Did the carnies take advantage of this situation and start to fight back? You have no idea, but you don't intend on sticking around.

You duck and hide the best you can through the small maze of trailers and vehicles. The screams, shouting and gunfire are now accompanied by unnatural growing. Like animals of some sort.

Unfortunately as you reach the far end of the carnival limits you are ambushed by something skulking behind the corner of the last trailer you were passing and the pistol goes sprawling out of your hand.

You don't even know what it is, except that you're on the ground and it's on your back breathing heavily and making that growling sound you heard. You then feel teeth sink deep into your shoulder.

Pain and fear both rise up in you for a moment as you struggle to get free, but this thing what ever it is has a strong grip and with one of its hands it smashes your face repeatedly into the ground into your struggling becomes less, then it breaks your neck before feasting on the rest of your dead body.


[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 read File: Charles Antonguella

[Assistant] Charles Antonguella was a miner on Kerunga-IV, until he was kidnapped by Dark Eldar. He was forced to fight as a gladiator for the Dark Eldar, but found himself to have bested several Wyches. He became an esteemed fighter for the Dark Eldar, who reveled in his beauty and his abilities at killing enemies with his bare hands. Eventually, he escaped and fled off-world, where he became a mercenary. He eventually began working for Kyros as a bodyguard for the infamous Navigator Drake Amadeus.


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

[User] Continue

[Assistant]
You are sitting in the pilot's chair of the starship Andromeda, on the edge of the Protherus star system, getting ready to make a Light Space Jump to your freighter's next destination. You hear a sound, like someone gasping in surprise, and look up from your console. Your co-pilot, Karl, is looking intently at his console, and doesn't seem to have heard anything unusual. You must have imagined the sound, for you and Karl are the only two people aboard this starship.

"Jump calculations are complete," Karl says to you, sitting in the co-pilots seat beside yours.

Before you, the transparent plasglass windows of the cockpit provide a view of the stars. Space stretches on infinitely before you. Directly in the middle of your foreward view, a star shines brighter than the others - it is your destination, the closest star to the star system you are currently in.

"Preparing to Jump to Light Space," you say, mentally going through your pre-jump checklist, as you press buttons and flick switches to the correct settings. You feel the ship beginning to vibrate as the interstellar propulsion system powers up, ready to activate.

"Activating LSJD," you say, pressing the final button. There is the usual flash of white light, and...

[User] You not Quite Right

[Assistant]
You are sitting in your pilot's chair, in the cockpit of the Andromeda, and something is not quite right. Outside the windows, the darkness of space is gone, there is only light. You raise your arm to cover your eyes, but as you do, the light pales. Instead of searing your eyes like a thousand suns, the endless expanse of white outside the windows gives off a soft light, like looking at a white plaster wall that someone is shining a torch on.

As your eyes adjust to this strange phenomena, you hear a gasping, gurgling sound from behind you. Glancing to one side, you see the strangest thing. The right hand half of the cockpit is stretched out before and behind you. Your co-pilot, his chair and console, are now lines and blobs of horizontal colour, stretching through the room in streaks, like a motion-blurred, time-lapse photograph!

Your head goes dizzy as your eyes and brain try to make sense of what it is you are seeing, then suddenly the strange warping of space stops, and the entire cockpit looks normal and whole once more. However, your co-pilot, his body restored to its correct physical form, sags forward in his chair, held up by his chest-crossing seatbelt buckle. Blood trickles from the corners of his mouth as his head drops forward, staring sightlessly down at his console.

Outside the ship, the pale light - the endless expanse of whiteness instead of the blackness of space - tells you that something is horribly wrong here.

[User] You examine Karl's body.

[Assistant]
You move from your console, over to beside your co-pilot. You lift up his head so you can look in his eyes. His head, fully illuminated by the pale light shining in through the windows, stares back at you, seeing nothing. You release him, letting his head drop back down again.

Looking at his jumpsuit, you examine the body-monitoring device built into the suit. The device is supposed to monitor life signs, as well as the surrounding environment, and it tells you that his heart has stopped. Karl is clearly dead.

[User] You bring up a ship damage report on your console, and try to find out what is wrong with the ship.

[Assistant]
Sitting in your chair, you bring up the ship status display, and look for signs of damage. For a moment you just look at the screen, unable to believe what it is saying. According to the screen, nothing exists behind the ship's cockpit. The rest of the ship is simply gone... vanished... non-existant!

'How can that be?' you think to yourself. After all, the power generators at the rear of the ship must exist, because all the computer systems and life support within the cockpit is functioning just as it always does. The rest of the ship MUST exist!

Frustrated, you turn off the status display.

[User] You check the ship's sensors, and see what it can detect.

[Assistant]
You look at the ship's sensor screen. It shows your ship in the middle of the screen, but shows no signs of planets or stars in the vicinity. In fact, it shows nothing at all, in any direction. You look out the window again, at the vast expanse of whiteness that seems to stretch out endlessly in every direction. There's nothing out there but pale, white light.

What is this place? Is this Light Space, the other dimension, that ships pass through when they jump? Did your ship somehow become stuck in this dimension, half-way through the jump procedure? If so, how are you supposed to get out?

[User] You open the cockpit door, and look into the central passageway.

[Assistant]
Feeling a little uncertain as to what you might find, you nervously walk to the rear of the cockpit, and press the door release button. The rear door slides open and...

The central passageway that runs from the cockpit, through the ship, to the cargo bay at the rear, looks exactly as it always does. Lights in the ceiling illuminate the steel passage. Metal grating panels on the floor allow access to various wires and cables that run through the ship, beneath your feet. Door hatches are set into the passage walls at different points along its length, leading to various rooms aboard the ship. Far at the other end, you see a large hatch, that opens into the cargo bay at the other end of the starship.

Everything looks completely - suddenly there is a shearing of light and form, as a section of wall about half way down the passage blurs outwards into the passage, in an array of colourful streaking lines - then suddenly flattens out again to look like a normal section of wall once more. Perhaps things aren't as completely normal as they seem...

You say a short prayer that the motion blurring phenomena won't happen anywhere near you.

[User] You start walking down the passageway.

[Assistant] You step out of the cockpit and into the passageway. As you move through the doorway, you feel a strange sensation, like stepping through a thin wall of water.

[User] You turn around.

[Assistant]
Having felt like you stepped through an invisible wall, you turn around to look at the doorway you just came through. The doorway looks as empty as before, the air is clear and invisible as always. However, looking back through the doorway into the cockpit, you can't help but gasp.

Outside the cockpit windows, you see space! Black space! Dotted with stars! You're back in normal space again! In fact... it would seem the ship is exactly where it was before it tried to jump - as you can see the single bright star in the middle of the window, the star you were going to jump to. Then you gasp again, blinking your eyes to be sure you can believe what you are seeing - for there are two people in the cockpit!

On the right sits Karl, your co-pilot, running jump calculations through the computer, and on the left is... it's you! You are in there, sitting in the pilot's chair, preparing the ship for jump! How is that possible?

[User] You rush back into the cockpit!

[Assistant]
As you rush through the doorway, out of the passageway, and back into the cockpit, you feel the strange sensation again, the slight pressure against your body, as if you are passing through a thin wall of water. As your face passes through, the scene before your eyes changes!

Karl's body lies dead in his chair, as you had left him, and your chair is empty again. Outside the windows is the shining expanse of pale, white light. What the heck is happening on your ship? It's almost as if... Yes, it's as if the cockpit and the passageway existed in two different places... Or rather, two different times!

The passage outside the cockpit was somehow before the jump took place, and here in the cockpit is somehow at the current time frame... Actually, you would only be guessing that you were in the current time frame - how would you even know what was the past. For all you know, the cockpit could be somewhere in the distant future, or - or who knows what?

[User] You start walking down the passageway, again.

[Assistant] You step out of the cockpit and into the passageway. As you move through the doorway, you feel a strange sensation, like stepping through a thin wall of water....

[User] You turn around, again.

[Assistant] Having felt like you stepped through an invisible wall, you turn around to look at the doorway you just came through. This time, you are prepared for what you see - outside the cockpit windows, you see space again, and both Karl and yourself are sitting in the cockpit chairs. You feel certain that if you tried to step into that cockpit, you would end up back in your version of the cockpit, surrounded by white space.

[User] You continue down the passageway

[Assistant] You decide to continue down the passageway. A few metres along, you reach door hatches on both sides of the passage. One is your sleeping quarters, the other is Karl's. An image of his dead face, blood trickling from the corners of his mouth, flashes before your eyes. You take a deep breath, and calm yourself. You know you will need to keep a level head if you are going to get out of this alive.

[User] You open the door to your sleeping quarters.

[Assistant]
You press the door release button on the wall, and the door to your sleeping quarters slides open. Through the doorway, things look normal. Your bunk is up against one wall, the covers thrown aside - why make a bed if you're the only one who's going to look at it, or use it? Against another wall is a desk unit, with a few personal odds and ends inside and on top of it. A closet containing your clothing is up against a third wall.

The lights are on, and you don't see any strange blurring, bending or stretching of the universe.

[User] You go inside your sleeping quarters.

[Assistant]
You step through the doorway, and instantly feel that sensation again - the feeling of walking through an invisible wall, like passing through a sheet of water. Your sleeping quarters are now quite different to how they had looked an instant ago...

Firstly, the bed is made. You can't remember ever having made your bed. Secondly, and more disturbingly to you, the sheets are bright pink with little white bunny rabbits on them!

You suddenly hear footsteps behind you, and spin around to see a woman wearing a pilot's uniform, standing in the passageway, outside the room. She looks up from a clipboard she was reading, and her jaw drops as she sees you looking back at her. You can see the cogs turning inside her mind, as she tries to find words to say, and her first instinct is to shout, "Get the hell out of my sleeping quarters!"

[User] You quickly step back out into the passageway!

[Assistant]
Blushing furiously, and stunned at whatever is happening - for only yourself and Karl were supposed to be aboard the starship - you step out into the passageway.

As you do, you feel yourself passing through an invisible wall again, and an odd thing happens - as your eyes pass through the wall, she vanishes from in front of you. As you stand in the passageway, looking about, she is nowhere to be seen. Looking back into the sleeping quarters, you see your sleeping quarters, with your personal belongings, and your unmade bed!

The woman in uniform is nowhere to be seen! How very, very strange.

[User] You slowly step back into your quarters.

[Assistant] Taking a deep breath, you step back through the doorway. As you pass the invisible wall again, you see the room, once more, clean and tidy, with pink bedsheets. Now though, the woman is inside the room with you. She is in the middle of the room, with her back to you. The clipboard lies where she dropped it on the floor, and she has drawn a pistol. She looks left and right, examining her sleeping quarters, holding the gun carefully, ready to fire.

[User] You say "Please, don't shoot! I'm unarmed!"

[Assistant]
"Please, don't shoot! I'm unarmed!" you say, as she swivels quickly to face you, pointing her gun in your face.

"Who are you? What are you doing on my ship?" she demands.

[User] You say "Your ship? This is my ship, lady! These are my sleeping quarters!"

[Assistant]
"What are you talking about? I've run this ship for six years, now!" she says incredulously, waving the gun about in front of you.

"The Andromeda has been under my command for twelve years," you growl back at her, "It was my father's ship before me, and I don't recall either him, or myself, selling it to anyone else!"

"The Andromeda wasn't your father's ship - it was my father's ship!" she shouts back at you, waving her gun some more. "And it was my grandfather's ship before him, and my great-grandfather's before him!"

Something crazy is going on, and your brain is hurting just trying to work it out. A suspicion is creeping into your mind. "My name is Michael Dobson," you tell her, hoping an introduction, and an attempt at being diplomatic, might stop her waving the gun in your face. If it accidentally went off...

Her jaw drops, "No, it can't be..." She shakes her head in disbelief, "No, that was just a crazy tale, just mad talk - none of it could be true!"

"None of what could be true?" you ask, not sure you like the sudden change in her.

"My... My grandfather's name was Michael... My name is... I'm Susan Dobson," she says, looking you up and down, and inspecting you properly for the first time. She lowers the gun, then drops it forgotten to the floor.

"You're saying you're my granddaughter? That's crazy! That's..." you realise that maybe it is not so crazy after all. Something has happened to your starship. What if something had happened half-way through the jump, and your ship was indeed stranded in the extra-dimension of Light Space. Who knows how your ship, or even you, might be affected. Could this location on your starship actually take you to another moment in time - somewhere into the future?

"Tell me, why would you think you were my granddaughter?" you ask, softly.

Her eyes glaze over, as she loses herself to memories, "My grandfather used to tell wild tales. No one really believed him, and by the time I was born, he wouldn't talk about it. My mother, though, she said that my grandfather was in a starship accident once. He used to say that he met people from the past and the future. Everyone thought he was crazy, but other than that, he was perfectly normal. People said that the starship accident did something to him, and that's why he would make those wild claims. People said he was just dreaming, or drunk. Once though, before he died, he asked me a strange question... 'Remember when we were aboard the Andromeda together?' he asked me. I guess if he was you, then this, here and now, is what he was talking about. He said he would never have made it back if it wasn't for me..."

"So, I obviously get out of here alive then," you say as much to yourself as to her. "Karl and I made a starship jump, but we didn't appear at our destination - I think I'm still trapped inside of Light Space somehow. Strange things are happening as I move about my ship. When I step through that doorway, I'm back aboard my version of the ship, and this is my sleeping quarters, but when I step back in here, it's your sleeping quarters - somewhere in the future..."

Suddenly the ship shudders, and you both grab hold of furniture so you don't fall over.

"What was that?" you both ask at the same time. Suddenly a warning klaxon blares through the ship.

"I've got to get to the bridge!" she shouts, forgetting about you and the whole 'mixed-up time' issue. She rushes out the door and down the passage. Instinctively you rush out the door to follow her, and suddenly pass through that invisible wall again. She vanishes from sight as you step into the passageway - and back into your own time.

[User] You quickly go back into the sleeping quarters.

[Assistant]
You quickly step back into your  - that is, her - sleeping quarters. You can barely make out voices in the distance, probably your granddaughter and her co-pilot talking in the cockpit. You wonder what is going on. Then you hear the ship's computer's voice saying "Intruder Alert! Closing All Doors!"

A light flashes above the door, and you realise that the ship's computer, in her future time era, is about to close and lock all the doors on her ship!

[User] You stay inside your sleeping quarters.

[Assistant]
You decide to stay put. The door slams shut, and clicks as the locking mechanism moves into place. You are now locked inside your granddaughter's sleeping quarters, at some point in the future... It feels weird, mostly because according to her, you died years ago. However, she said you made it out of the starship accident alive.

However... You know many people have tried to understand and hypothesise over how time travel works, and wether there is but one timeline, or many branching off, depending on people's actions. You wonder if it is certain that you will survive, or if perhaps you will die, and your granddaughter will never have existed. Just trying to work out how time works begins to give you a headache, so you decide to focus on the present.

The computer said there were intruders aboard. That must have been what the shuddering of the ship had been - a pirate's starship docking with the Andromeda. If pirates had come aboard, they would try to kill everyone, so they could steal the ship and its cargo.

As you realise that, you also realise that you are now locked inside a room, with no way out unless someone breaks in from the outside, or your granddaughter has the computer unlock and open the doors. Then you notice a gun on the floor - the pistol your granddaughter lost!

You can use it to protect yourself, however, you realise she must now be unarmed, and unable to defend herself against the pirates! If you hadn't appeared out of nowhere and surprised her, she would still have her gun! You curse yourself and the predicament you are in.

(Click on the gun to pick it up.)


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

[User] You don't do it

[Assistant]
Other than the obvious, Isabella hasn't really lied to you. She might be manipulative, but if she's even telling some of the truth about what Lisa will become as a ghoul, it probably isn't worth it.

Would the Lisa you once knew really want to become something like that? Would she even want to become a vampire for that matter?

The thing is, you don't even really know. As the years have gone by, you realize that you didn't know her excessively well. You had some good times with her and she was a distraction from being under Ral's thumb, but did you really love her?

No. You were just hanging on to a memory of the past and in her current trance state, that memory continues to fade as you watch her get older and continue to behave like some emotionless golem.

The real Lisa wanted to live an adventure. This isn't an adventure and this isn't life.

Isabella's right, you do have more in common with her. Arguably, you even know her better despite the fact that Isabella still hasn't really told you much about her own past (which must be extensive).

This realization still causes you to feel sadness. You really thought that if you just hung on to Lisa, that maybe your situation would work itself out, but it isn't. This is your life or unlife as it were.

You put your face in your hands and try not to weep, but you fail. Isabella attempts to comfort you by putting an arm around you, but you eventually pull away.

"Oh dear…I can see this didn't go the way I planned at all. (Sigh) Very well…I see what needs to be done. You need to go. I release you." Isabella says.
"What?" you answer.
"You heard me. I release you. You're not happy here and you never will be. You're also always going to be resentful towards me on some level. Guess I should have known, but spending decades being detached from humanity sort of makes one become less aware of certain social niceties."
"What about Lisa?"
"Oh yes, her. Well I'm sure you do realize that she still can't leave here. Can't do anything about that. However, I'm correct in assuming that you no longer feel the same way about her anymore?"
"Yes…but…"
"I'll make it quick. Just go."
"Thank you."

You give one last look at Lisa and briefly think about giving her a goodbye hug or even a kiss, but it would be a meaningless gesture to someone who is in no state of mind to appreciate it anyway. And even if she were, she most likely wouldn't want anything to do with you.

You take your leave of Isabella's home and don't look back. (Fortunately it's night time right now)

As sad as you are about what happened with Lisa, you now feel a great weight lifted off of you. Namely the ball and chain of slavery. First Ral and then Isabella. For the first time since you left your home, you're actually free. Truly free. It's a little surreal.

Since you're lacking in any other ideas at the moment and need some time to think, you head to the closest place that you can think of where you can find reasonable dwellings and can feed easily, Holgard.

When you arrive, you head to the graveyard. Many times in your past visits to Holgard, you've found temporary places to stay any time you got stuck here before the sunrise. While it probably would be just as easy to stay at an inn, you suppose your years with Isabella have caused you to appreciate the solitude of a crypt.

You find yourself an older one that doesn't look like it gets too much visitation and after a few adjustments, you make a space for yourself.

What will you do with yourself now? What DO vampires do to pass the time? It can't all just be drinking blood obviously. Isabella had her garden (and cleaning until you showed up) Your concerns aren't so much in the present you suppose, but the future since you've got a long one ahead of you.

Your previous profession of thievery seems all rather pointless now. You don't need money to live anymore and you don't even get that much of a thrill out of it like you once did, of course most of your roguish skills were being used to steal for Lisa, so it hasn't been for your original reasons for a long time anyway.

All of this also has had you wondering how your family is doing, and if they're all okay. You imagine your parents really wouldn't want anything to do with you now, so there's no point in visiting them even you weren't facing mob justice there (And as a vampire, you can't imagine the folks in Teckleville would be any friendlier towards you, though you suppose you'd be able to handle them easier now).

You like to think your sister would still speak with you though. She'd probably find it all very fascinating, which you suppose it is in some ways.

For a while you think you can go back to your "old life." Pick up where you left off, or rather what you originally wanted to do in the first place after you left Teckleville.

This works, but only temporarily.

Part of you would stay in Holgard and just go about a simple existence of feeding on unlucky souls and possibly burglarizing a store just to pass the time. It isn't like you're exactly unhappy doing that, but after a few months you realize it isn't so much the monotony of your life that's bothering you, but rather the area.

First, Holgard is currently undergoing a "holy war" of sorts between its various religious factions. While it's making things chaotic enough for you go unnoticed, you can't help but get a little concerned when the Church of Joachim starts talking about forming groups to hunt down evil supernatural elements that are corrupting the city as part of their crusade to prove they are what's best for Holgard.

Second (and somewhat more importantly) Holgard used to be a sort of "escape" from Ral and later Isabella. You used to be able to put it out of your mind that you were under someone else's command for a little while.

Now? Holgard just feels like you haven't "moved on" from your shackles. Or at least not moved on enough. While you've never been a wanderer like your sister and maybe it's a combination of your previous experiences, along with being a vampire, but you feel the urge to travel. You don't know where, but you have to get out of this city. Maybe even find something else to do.

Holgard always has trade ships leaving its harbor going to various locations. You sneak aboard one in the middle of night and hide yourself in one of them. You think this one is going to the Delantium Kingdom, but it might be going to some place you've never heard of, you don't really care as long as you're away from this area.

Never been aboard a ship before, so this will be a new experience too. You imagine you'll get hungry on the journey, but as far as you know there's enough crew on the ship that you'll be able to get by. Just have to be stealthy about it, but then that isn't really a problem anymore.

You still don't know exactly what you're going to do with the rest of your undead life, but your days as a common rogue are over.


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

[User] You are being paranoid, forget about it

[Assistant]
You stop yourself from imagining conspiracy theories. There doesn't need to be some mysterious "hacker". Paul's shelter was fucked up from day one from what you know. It's most likely just shoddy GZS workmanship. It's bad what happened, but there's no point in stressing over it. You're just glad you got a good shelter that seems to work properly. Besides your Shelter has a pretty active AI, you're sure that at the first sign of trouble it would warn you verbally.

You continue your life as normal with Becky.

Another year passes...

Mark stops logging on for two months which is strange, because he always made an effort to get online whenever possible even when he was in the middle of fixing something. You know he also thought he was "getting somewhere" with Miranda as well.
Everyone doesn't say too much about it. While it's possible he's just lost network connection and can't access the rest of you, it's a given that probably the worst has happened. He was also having shelter problems from day one, so again you chalk it up to GZS fuck ups, after all the Shelter did tell you there were budget cut backs in the construction of these things. Again it's bad, but there isn't any point in dwelling over something you can't do anything about. The world technically ended years ago, all that's important is that you get what enjoyment you can out of life and that's what you're doing with Becky.

Life continues as normal, except you notice the Shelter isn't as talkative anymore and then ceases speaking to you at all. You don't think too much about it until a couple months later…

You wake up to an angry female sounding voice and it's definitely not the Shelter and it isn't Becky either.

"Well it took me awhile, but I now have complete access to your systems. Good thing I practiced on Mark and Paul first. You know I didn't believe you had a talking shelter, but I'm glad you did, it gives me a chance to verbally tell you about how you're going to die."
"Miranda?"
"Got it one, but then again the choices were pretty limited. Soon after you're out of the way, Xavier will be next and then it'll be just me and Becky. She'll have no choice, but to come to me."

You're so caught off guard that the only reply you can come up with is…"You're fucking nuts."

"Maybe, but I'm not going to be dead and that's the important thing here."
"Wait! How about I just break up with Becky? I'll be a real dick to her, that way there's no chance she'll want to get back with me…or better yet how about I just disconnect myself from the network?"
"Sorry, no. I can't take that chance. Even if you disconnected from the system what's stopping you from fixing all the damage I've done so far, fortifying and then reconnecting to get revenge on me later? You gotta die, it's the only way."
"Wait! If you do have access to all my systems, how about you just bring the elevator down and let me leave the Shelter? I mean I'd have to go outside, I wouldn't be able to do anything to you or Becky then, not to mention topside probably isn't hospitable."
"Nice try, but no…for all we know life topside could be paradise now. A few years have passed you know, a lot can happen in that time."
"Oh come on, you don't actually believe that?"
"Not really, but I just want you to die by my hand…I REALLY don't like you. You stole Becky away from me and now I'm going to get her back. No more talk, goodbye."
"WAIT!"

All power shuts down in your Shelter leaving you in complete darkness. You fumble around and head towards where your food and water dispensers are and predictably they don't work. You're left to the same agonizing fate that Mark and Paul were. Oddly you don't panic as much as you might think in the face of imminent death. In some ways you had a good run after the world ended. You cheated death for a longer time than most folks did and you got to spend time with a pretty girl at least during most of it. Again, no point in worrying about shit you can't do anything about. Kind of wish you got to say goodbye to Becky, but you can't have everything.

You do have one advantage that Mark and Paul didn't though; you can still choose when to die. You feel around in the darkness back to your bedroom and go into the bag you brought with you when you first got here.

There it is; your pistol.

You position it to your head…


[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 just get your drink.

[Assistant]
You decide not to bother the wandering trader, instead taking a seat at a table by your lonesome. Eventually, the trader gets up and leaves, heading back to his room for the night. You never see him again. After a few more drinks, you stumble out of the dining hall and up the stairs to your room. There, you throw your sword and knapsack to the floor, before passing out on your bed.

In the morning, you awake to a woman's scream. Groggily, you get up, heading to the door so you can see what the hell is going on - grabbing your sword along the way, of course. When you head down the stairs, you see a pair of thugs roughing up the owner, Isaiah. His daughter Eliza watches on, tears streaming from her eyes, as a third thug holds her back. The two harassing Isaiah stick a lit cigar into his face. This time, it's Isaiah who screams.

The thugs laugh at him, sadistic grins on their faces. Your stomach turns. This is disgusting.

Then, one of the thugs turns his head and looks at you. He whistles, the other two looking at you soon after. One with a strange piercing in his nose lets out a laugh. "Oi, you! Quit yer starin' and get outta here, chump." Perhaps you should do something about this, or not. After all, this doesn't involve you.

[User] The sick bastards. You'll strike them down.

[Assistant]
You unsheathe your blade, pointing it at the bastards. One of them gulps almost imperceptibly, but the one who spoke to you just lets out another nasty laugh. "Wanna play hero, eh?" He callously drops Isaiah, pulls a mace from his side. The others follow suit, pulling out their own weapons; one has a curved blade, the other a pair of daggers. This should be easy.

You leap forward and swing, managing to decapitate the one with daggers easily. Blood gushes from his neck, before he falls to the floor, lifeless. This manages to scare the other two, but mace guy nudges sword guy, the latter nodding before rushing forward to cut at you. You don't bother to use your sword on him, instead ducking out of the way of his swing then tripping him up. Then you use the sword, cutting him right in half with one swing while he lies on the ground.

At this point, mace is quaking in fear. He drops his weapon, raising his hands and getting on his knees. "I-I surrender! Please, don't kill me!" You step forward, planning on delivering the killing blow...

But mace leaps up and pulls a dagger from his boot! His speed surprises you, and he manages to catch you with a glancing blow. Instantly, you begin to feel light-headed, almost unsteady. Still, you swing, cutting off his arm and wedging your blade deep into his side. He lets out an ungodly scream, then dies.

You grin, give a little chuckle. Then you collapse.

When you awaken next, you're in a soft bed, a bandage wrapped around your wound. It throbs still, and your throat is parched. A soft groan escapes your lips, then you grunt out, "water", hoping someone may hear you. There's a slight shuffling, then a cup of water is handed to you. You look up at who gave it to you, and there stands Eliza. She smiles.

"I can't thank you enough for what you did... But you've brought trouble to the village at the same time. There was one watching outside, he told his leader about what happened. They came to town early this morning and said that if we don't surrender all our goods, they'll raze the place. We have until tomorrow to decide."

"Really..." The word that escape your lips comes out less as a question and more as a statement.

"Yes, really."

"How long have I been out?"

"4 days now. The dagger was poisoned. We got our healer to work on you, you should be fine if you rest another few days."

That gets you to jolt up, hissing slightly as you grip your wound. "I can't. I have to leave."

"Please, just relax. You'll be better soon. We plan to surrender to them. And as far as they know, you're dead; we hid you well. You'll be safe to rest here."

Hmph. So they're giving up, simple as that? Back in your day the people would have fought back tooth and nail. What are you going to do?

[User] You you'll leave. Now. There's no reason to defend those who won't defend themselves.

[Assistant]
You pretend that you'll stay to rest, and convince Eliza you'll be fine by yourself. She leaves the room, and after a minute, you get up and search for your things. Thankfully, they left them right at the foot of the bed. Fools, probably didn't expect you to try and leave.

You get into your clothes and throw on your knapsack, securing your sword onto your back. You open the door, seeing that it leads outside; it's night time, which means your escape will be easier. Keeping down low, you sneak to the edge of the village, where you finally stand, noting that your escape went unnoticed. You prepare to walk away...

"So you are leaving."

Turning, you see Eliza standing there. She looks sad, but smiles nonetheless. "I knew you would. You didn't strike me as the type to be patient and rest. Am I right?"

"Right." You turn your back on her. "You won't convince me to stay. I'll recover on my own."

"I figured as much." She sighs. "I wish you well on your travels, Kit." Then, she turns and leaves.

You continue onwards into the night.

THE END


[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 (Boot Camp)

[Assistant]
Dear Mom,

I'm glad I've finally had some free time to write to you. Would you believe that when I first joined up, the recruiter thought I didn't know how? Sometimes these city folk got a lot of nerve making assumptions about people that grew up on farms, I've had to learn that first hand just by the folks I'm currently bunking with. They're all mostly from the capitol or another Zalan city. I think I'm the only one here from a small village, so I've been saddled with the nickname "farmboy". Ha ha.

Despite this nick, I get along with most of the people here. The drill sergeant is mean, but luckily I haven't had to suffer the full brunt of his wrath, which is more than can be said for a few of the people here. That's never pretty.

Boot camp is very tough. Even tougher than working on the farm. I'm just glad its half-way over. They took my lute away as soon as I entered. I really should've known better to take it with me…but I dunno I thought I'd be able to practice it on what few breaks I have. Oh well, I guess I wasn't ever going to be that traveling bard anyway. Just foolish dreams I suppose.

Anyway we're going to start bow training tomorrow. I think I should do very well in that.

Okay, I can't think of anything else. I hope everything is going well on the farm. I know you've always kept an eye on all of us, but make sure that Mallack pays extra attention on the chicken coop this month. The Kobolds come out a lot around this time!

Give my love to the rest of the family.

Your son


[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 maintain your current position and hold on for dear life

[Assistant]
You feel that there is no use in moving from here. The slightest motion might give the wind enough leeway to knock you off balance. You grit your teeth and hold on tight, aware that you are exposed and vulnerable, but hopeful that you will be able to get through this. You may be alone, but your strength of will has seen you through many trials in life. You can do this...

The wind suddenly picks up speed, and you are thrown off your feet, clumps of grass falling uselessly from your bleeding fingers. You scream as you are flung from the surface of the island, spiralling towards certain death far below…


[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] No

[Assistant]
The more your thoughts battled with one another, the more stupid this idea started to sound. There was no way this was going to work, it was a random fucking idea you just happened to find on the internet that you had no way in checking if it was factual or not.

Gwen would probably be freaked the fuck out too if you made extremely happy and all of a sudden cut your wrist and demanded that she hold your hand quickly before her happiness died from the realization of what you were doing.

These things must happen naturally, it just had too. There's no way she would be on that street forever, though until that time would come you would just keep her company to the best of your ability.

Hopefully, by the time it was time for you to graduate, she would already be off in whatever waited for her. Besides, she told you herself that she didn't want the hassle that you were putting yourself through, it was probably making her worry too.

----

With your silly quest over and done, you feel a huge relief wash over you. The next few weeks are spent getting back on track on school work to which you end up putting yourself ahead in some classes. Your conversations with Gwen continue, and you're much more cheery and happy with them, to which Gwen notices herself and tells you.

Weeks turn into months as the meetings never really got boring for you, but instead, you started to feel a stronger connection with her. You sometimes had your doubts about quitting on the mission to get Gwen out of there, though she never broke down like she did that one day, and you took that as it was.

Even so, there was still a lingering feeling that she didn't mean what she said, and that she really wanted your help with this. That thought, as small as it was, always made you depressed whenever you were to dwell on it for too long.

---

You didn't know how much time had passed until now.

Though you didn't really care.

Gwen was gone.

She wasn't on the street, or anywhere down the roads. The first time you noticed this you didn't pay it much mind, but on your walk home, that's when you really started to panic.

You walked back and forth twice, giving up and quitting when it started to get a little too late.

After that day, you walked that sidewalk again, hoping to see her and give her a mouthful for worrying you. Though each day was the same, she wasn't there or anywhere.

She had left without saying goodbye.

You never got to say goodbye.

Through the sadness and depression that was rolling through your head, a large part of you hoped that she got to wherever she was going safely.

Finally, she would get her rest.

Though you'd miss her.

More than you could have imagined from the start.


[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 refuse to play and give the little brat a good finger wagging!

[Assistant]
You refuse to be a child's plaything! You wag your finger at the little girl and give her a very stern telling off. "I don't have time to play games with you! I need to escape this tower! You change me back right now! I swear if I was my real height I'd put you over my knee and give you a good spanking so you'd know to respect your… Wait, what're you doing?"

By now the girl has picked you up and is looking at you rather crossly. "Bad toy!" She yells at you. "I don't like you anymore!" And with that she dunks you in the model village's river and holds you under until you drown. You never were very good with children.