[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] Begin a new story

[Assistant]
Chapter 2B2: Dendrin's Shadow

Year 20

"So Brother Cyrus and Brother Draven are going to be assigned to Rask soon?" you ask.
"That's what I've heard from Brother Gray. Them and a few others. Next year at the latest." Murk says
"Good idea, from what I've heard the Empire is always having problems with that area, though I think they'll start having problems in other areas too soon now that they're officially at war with the Felkan Kingdom."
"Personally I don't think we should be waiting around now, we should push things along even more." Brother Shade says. "In fact, I'm going to mention that to Master Ebon next time I see him."
"You don't think that he hasn't already thought of such a plan?" Talia asks.
"Perhaps, but let's just say I've been here a little longer than the rest of you, and while I know Master Ebon is just waiting for the right time to strike, he's been playing the waiting game a little longer than I think is necessary."

This statement from Brother Shade gets a lot of looks, but nobody says anything. Even you are surprised as this is the first time you believe you've heard something close to an open criticism about Master Ebon or the leadership structure in general.

Soon after his statement Brother Shade leaves to attend his duties.

"Brother Shade should watch how he talks about Master Ebon. Ebon speaks directly to Dendrin on a daily basis and knows best on how to proceed." Murk remarks.
"Then why did you not speak up, instead of just sitting there?" Sister Bianca asks.
"Uh…well…"
"Always trying to impress the ladies, eh Murk?" you chuckle and take your leave to go about your duties as well.

Later that night you fall asleep and have an encounter with someone you don't want to interact with unless you have to…

"So I see you're fitting in well after all. Glad to see it seeing as you still don't particularly hold a lot of faith in my help. You are a most puzzling creature Eternal." Dendrin says.
"For someone with god powers, you aren't very omniscient. As I said, I joined the Shadow Guard's cause because it's the best chance to bring down the Empire. Master Ebon is the leader and whether he's getting reliable guidance from you or not is irrelevant, he's who I'm following not you."
"Interesting, so you've just exchanged one Emperor for another."
"No, for one I actually have interacted with Master Ebon and understand his motivations and goals better. As far as I know about the Emperor and the Empire, they're just into power for power's sake. And what do you care? I'm following Ebon and he follows you, so shouldn't you be happy?"

At this point a low chortle pierces your brain.

"Perhaps I am. Perhaps I am. As always I enjoy our little talks Eternal."

Sometime later you wake up from your sleep, still wondering what the hell Dendrin's game is.

Year 21

"Besides the hidden cells we already have, I think we can definitely count on the elven population for support when the time comes, I don't think there's a single one that would defend the Empire, if it meant a true end to it. As for the human population well its hit or miss. We know we'll stir up any slaves and probably criminal types looking to take advantage of the chaos. The poorer folk might be a bit divided. Some are still brainwashed fools happy to toil under the iron fist, though happily a lot seem to be grumbling as of late. It'll probably go more to our favor when the revolution goes full swing." You tell your fellow shadows.
"Good to hear. The reports I get from Cyrus at Fort Defiance are promising as well. He says that he's made contact with the orc commander who has been stirring up a bit of rebellion in the orcs. He's been slowly transferring many of them to Rask and concentrating on having them all rebel there though. This Captain Gruz states it would be too risky to do it with the orc serving on the Felkan frontlines as well since he needs to keep his profile somewhat low and they're probably just going to get killed soon in that meat grinder anyway." Brother Gray remarks.
"And I still say we should've pushed further on sabotage on that front, not to mention try to convince Gruz to influence the orcs stationed there anyway."
"Yes, yes, so you've said. Brother Shade isn't it enough that your voice was heard on the orc issue at all? You should be satisfied with that fact rather than pushing for needless recklessness. Your idea contribution was utilized in the best way that will advance Dendrin's agenda. Be happy for such a thing brother." Brother Gray responds.

Brother Shade sits back down and scowls, but says nothing else except a few grumbles. He does glare at you as if you're to blame, but it's not your fault. You've been putting in just as much work as everyone trying to cultivate dissension and looking for weaknesses to exploit when the time comes, you sort of hope it comes soon though because even you are getting tired of the waiting around. You're still an Eternal and the desire for combat on a grand scale is still there.

After the meeting you head towards your room since you have no more duties for today. As you walk down the corridor Talia catches up with you.

"Where is Brother Murk, normally he's by your side talking to you after these things."
"He had to rush to the Delerg province; he had duties to attend to there immediately after the meeting.
"I see, for a moment I thought you were going to tell me he was attempting to unsuccessfully attempt to charm sister Bianca again."
"He probably still did that before he left."
"I don't know why he puts himself through the hassle. It is obvious she will never feel that way about him." Talia remarks.
"Oh I dunno, with enough time he might wear her down in twenty years."
"Perhaps, but his time would better spent elsewhere pursuing a mate. Certain people just aren't made to be together, unlike say us for example."

While you and Talia have grown slightly closer over the years, you weren't aware it was to that level!

"Okay Talia, you're going to have to explain in greater detail on this issue, because I'm lost."
"I intend to. Basically I am choosing you now as a mate. I think you know there is wisdom in this."
"Wha? Now? Me? Why?"
"Because even though we are all siblings and equals in the eyes of Dendrin, quite frankly WE…" Talia grabs your hand and puts it to her heart and then your own. "…are Eternals. We still have a bond that the others don't and you're the only one I believe is worthy for me. Besides, I'm sure you are sick of waiting around for the revolution to get started and are feeling the urge for combat a lot. I figure we could both blow off some of those urges with other intimate activities."
"…does that really work?"
"I dunno, I've heard it does. It's not like I've tried this before, I guess we'll have to find out, assuming you want to that is…you aren't like Brother Cyrus are you?"
"Hah, no. I just haven't thought about it a lot about it in general. I guess I've got a lot on my mind most of the time."
"I sensed as much, as you always seem to be deep in thought a lot. Is it anything in particular?"

You almost want to tell her how your whole experience with the Shadow Guard has most likely been a lot different from everyone else's. How you don't have faith in Dendrin and how you've personally had several frustrating conversations with him. And most importantly how you always wonder if secretly attempting to overthrow the Empire is even going to work in the first place.

You don't though because it's only going to complicate things and perhaps you should take the time to relax every once in a while. You aren't even going to wonder if getting it on with Talia is even a good idea at this time. You're just going to act on her advances.

The pair of you find a secluded spot and embrace. While it's a completely new sensation to the pair of you, it somehow feels natural. Not just the act itself, but rather who you're with. Perhaps Talia was right in thinking that as Eternals you do still have a bond that the others don't.

She was also right about another thing too, sex does help with some of the pent up energy you both have. The pair of you engage in this activity quite a bit in the months to come.

Near the end of the year, the time to revolt is still no closer, but it would seem a spontaneous riot has broken out in one of the smaller towns just within province and several have been on the verge of doing so. Ever since the Felkan war broke out, the Shadow Guard haven't really been assigned there since the Empire has soldiers coming in and out of the area most of the time so it keeps the idea of rebellion down with the masses.

However it would appear that's part of the problem in the first place as a lot of the soldiers have just been taking advantage such as supplementing their food supplies by emptying entire grain storages or fields. The rumors of worse things abound as well, but as always the Empire doesn't pay any attention to such things. The military and its conquest of the Felkan Kingdom is top priority. The peasants are just going to have to make do and suffer through it as always.

Normally soldiers would put down the dissension going on in the province, but most of the military is currently attempting to make a big push on the Felkan Kingdom to break the current stalemate and it doesn't really want to divert any more soldiers than necessary. As the Shadow Guard are supposed to be the secret police enforcers in the first place, your order has been assigned to take care of the problem and the Empire wants an example made of the town of Hewlif which has openly rioted to the point where they've murdered all the Empire soldiers within it.

While Brother Shade urges that this would be good time to openly strike, Master Ebon again says no and says the charade still needs to be kept. Even you find this to be a little strange since this would indeed be a good opportunity and judging by some of the other reactions of your fellow shadows they may be in agreement.

"But how are we supposed to hide any potential rebels this time? I mean this is a whole town that the Empire wants us to wipe off the map!" Sister Bianca exclaims.
"We aren't. We're going to obey the Empire on this one and do exactly what we're told." Master Ebon says.
"WHAT?! Are you serious? This is supposed to be what we're fighting against! These average ordinary citizens have displayed more courage than you by taking matters into their own hands!"
"Brother Shade!" Brother Gray snaps.
"NO, I will not be silent this time! I must speak! We have the resources, we have infiltrated enough! Now is not the time to sneak about in the background, Dendrin wanted us to be free and I won't let you or this doddering old fool hold us back with your indecisiveness any longer!"

Without another word, Brother Shade speeds himself up and moves in for the attack. He can't possibly win even if he does reach Master Ebon in time…unless you attempted to help him.

[User] You stop the assassination

[Assistant]
Brother Shade has gone too far this time in this foolish attempt at a coup. You didn't think he attempt such a thing, but maybe you should've seen it was coming. As such you feel like it's your duty to try to stop him before he can do any major damage.

You speed yourself up and fire your armbow at Shade just as he reaches Master Ebon and Brother Gray. It's not a fatal hit, since your bolt amusingly hits him in the ass; however it's enough to throw him off and whatever power Master Ebon has, he displays it quite prominently when Shade instantly clutches his head as if it's about to explode. While that doesn't happen, he does begin to bleed from his ears and nose. He lets out one long scream of pain before collapsing to floor.

Everyone else stands silent as Brother Gray checks to see if he's dead and then confirms it. You hear a quiet whimper of "I told him." come from the crowd. It must be Sister Dusk who was Brother Shade's lover. Even she didn't help him.

"This is a sad day for all shadows. To think that one of our own would…I cannot speak of it…(Sigh) I am only relieved to see that the rest of you still hold more faith in Dendrin than Shade did." Master Ebon say and then looks at you.

"And I thank you for reacting so quickly brother. I always know your loyalty to Dendrin to be impeccable. I think that's why you need to be one to be in charge of this mission. I know it's grim, but our order has done such deeds in the past. Just think of this as being a means to an end. A means to an end before we're all truly free."
"I…understand Master Ebon. And I accept your confidence in me."

After some discussion on the events that just occurred you are instructed to gather together some shadows to help you put down the revolt in Hewlif. You already know who you're going to pick though, Murk, Bianca and Talia, though you're sensing they have the recent event on their minds.

"It's just like Master Ebon said, this is just one of the things we have to do before we put our own plan into action." You say back at your barracks.
"I just don't know. I mean I don't agree with Brother Shade's actions on trying to kill Master Ebon, but he might've had a point about all this waiting around. When ARE we going to strike out against the Empire properly?" Sister Bianca says.
"Yeah, I mean I know we've had to kill a lot of innocent people here and there for the Empire to keep up appearances, but we're talking about an entire town here. I just don't know…" Brother Murk says.

You can't believe what you're hearing right now. Why all the doubts? Is this the so called faith in Dendrin? You're so frustrated that you lash out.
"Oh for…I thought we were all doing this to serve Dendrin! I mean Master Ebon gets his orders from him and then we follow Master Ebon! It's a hierarchy that I THOUGHT we were supposed to adhere to, that's why I tried to stop Brother Shade in first fucking place! I don't have time for this, look if you lack the stomach to do this, I'll wipe out the entire town myself, and won't think twice about it!"

You turn from your fellows and storm out of Gloom. As you're walking out you can sense other shadows that don't agree with Master Ebon, give you a few glares on the way out. You don't understand any of this. You thought Dendrin's brainwashing technique made them all utterly loyal, you can see now that it has its limits. Granted the only one that actually did anything against the order was Brother Shade, and he at least had enough courage to try to carry out his convictions, unlike the rest who just stood around to watch him die. You find it ironic that you're probably least faithful when it comes to Dendrin himself, yet your loyalty to the order is a lot more secure.

On your way to stop at Lenet, you sense someone following you. You turn and see Talia.

"It's you."
"And a big greeting to you too, brother! Sheesh, I thought you'd wait for me after your rant at least."
"I didn't think anyone was interested in coming with me."
"You should know better than that."
"So you agree with what I did?"
"Well, I have to admit…and I'd only admit this to you…I sort of thought Brother Shade had a point."
"Well of course he had a point. I mean for the briefest moment I thought about helping him."
"You did?"
"Yes, but I didn't because as far as I'm concerned I've chosen a side and for good or ill I fully intend on carrying out its mission or die trying. So if that means I've got to wipe out every town in the Arat province to bring the Empire down, well so fucking be it."

Talia smiles a bit at your statement.

"Now that is why YOU are the only one worthy of me."
"Oh, you just picked me because Cyrus turned out to be gay."
"Ha ha! Nah, I already knew what was up with him even back when we were all in Mistresses class. He was always staring that that one classmate of ours…what was his name…oh yeah Gerald. Can't say I blame him though, Gerald was probably the most handsome in class."
"Hmm. I didn't take much notice of any of that."
"No I wouldn't expect you would've. You tended to lurk in the background and just focus on the training and your orders. Though you're still focused on your orders, you're a lot more pro-active about it rather than lurking in the background now. I suppose that sort of unquestioning dedication is what makes you a great fighter though."

You thank Talia for her compliment. For the remainder of journey you and her keep the chatter to a minimum. After all it is true that you do prefer to keep your mind focused on the task at hand.

When you finally arrive near the town of Hewlet, you see a group a ragged Empire soldiers standing nearby. They hardly look like the Empire's "best".

"Are you the shadow people the Empire sent for?" one of them asks. He doesn't look very old, in fact he's probably younger than you are. All of them look like that. You didn't realize how bad it was on the Empire's recruitment front.

"Yes, yes we are and who are you supposed to be?"
"I'm private first class Jones and this is my squad. We're sort of supposed to be watching the town. To make sure none of the dissidents attempt to leave it."
"And?"
"And what…uh sir?" Jones asks unsure of how to address you.
"And so have any of them left?"
"Um, not really. Well I mean I guess a few did before we arrived, but it looks like the rest are hunkered down in the town. I think they're building barricades around it."
"How come the Empire hasn't sent a company in there to just wipe them out."
"Not sure sir, but they said it wasn't the army's priority right now and that's what you Shadow Guard were here for."

You shake your head at the absurdity of this. If there was ever a good argument for overthrowing the Empire this would be it. The sheer inefficiency of this is just ridiculous. Instead of having a group of snot-nosed recruits to play sentry, the Empire could've easily sent in a company of well trained troops to put down the fucking uprising and been done with it! Unless the war with the Felkan Kingdom is going a lot worse than you've heard of course. Right now you're glad you decided to aid the Shadow Guard despite your recent frustration with them.

"So uh, where are the rest of your people? Are they invisible or something?" Jones asks.
"No, it's just us." You answer.
"…just you? But there's at least two hundred people in that town!"
"Two hundred? Then that probably means only about fifty have any sort of combat experience, and maybe out of those, ten of which have beyond the basics. The rest…hardly worth thinking about. Still with only two of us here there are bound to be a few escapees. Oh well, we'll do what we can, the rest of you just stay out the way."

Due to your cold seriousness, Jones is at a loss of how to respond other than a yes sir. You look at Talia, who nods at you as an indication that she's ready.

The pair of you don't speed up or use any shadow magic tricks on your way to the town. The sounds of threatening shouts are blocked out as you approach. A few arrows are shot at you, but they are so pitifully aimed you don't even need to dodge most of them.

As you get closer, you feel the stirring of battle approaching and you can hardly contain yourself. Whether this will help the Empire or the Shadow Guard cause you don't care right now, because all you're thinking about is how finally you'll be getting into a proper battle.

You sense that Talia feels the same way.

The following is a bloodbath, the hapless townspeople are no match for you or Talia. You don't even bother speeding yourself up, you rely on natural raw skill. By the time you've butchered most of the combat capable people, the rest of the townsfolk have either run and hid or tried to run off completely. You catch most of the stragglers though when you find a group of small children cowering in their school house (after running one of their teachers through with a sword) you get an idea.

"Children, this is your lucky day, for today you not only get to be witnesses but also messengers. It is an important message that I want you all to spread to whatever other town you to run to. Tell the people that if they continue to cause trouble, they won't have to fear the Empire, but the Shadows. Oppose the Empire, and you will die. Oppose the Shadows and you will beg for a death that won't come quick enough. We have displayed mercy here today. Remember this."

You then dismiss the children with a wave of your hand who go running and screaming out of the room and probably in several different directions. When you leave the school, Talia waves at you.

"Hey are we chasing these kids down too? I just saw a bunch of them rushing out of the school crying the whole time."
"No, I sent them off with an important message."
"Oh, what was it?"
"Hopefully an incentive for when the big day eventually arrives, the people will be more likely to side with us than the Empire or at least more afraid of us that they won't oppose us. In any case we've done our job here and the Empire shouldn't be bitching about it anymore."

You and Talia take your leave of the newly created ghost town. You wonder if your small idea will have any effect, probably not, though you guess you won't really know until the day of the big revolt comes.

[User] Continue

[Assistant]
Year 25

You settle into the bed of the dead Empire captain for the night. Normally you'd be a lot more alert, but you've got an entire group of shadows here at the conquered Empire outpost, not to mention several elven freedom fighters. You're fairly confident that they'll wake you if a counter attack comes.

For now though you really need to get a good night's rest. You've been fighting non-stop for the past couple of weeks and you need a quick recharge at least. It doesn't help that the use of shadow magic drains you as well and probably why you don't use it much. Not that you really need to anyway, your natural skills work well enough.

While the rebellion has only just gotten started, a lot of progress has been made. All the provinces from what you know of are suffering revolts on some scale. The worst of the lot being Rask where Cyrus has taken control of Fort Defiance. The shadow/orc alliance seems to be working well up there and the rest of the towns aren't exactly in line to help the Empire. Apparently the strongest resistance is from the second Empire fort called Destiny and another Eternal called Captain Kane is in charge. You barely remember him from class, though you heard he made a name for himself wiping out various barbarian tribes.

Speaking of Eternals, one has been personally put in charge of attempting to eliminate the shadow striker cells like yours. A Captain Roldan. You do vaguely remember him from class. Tended to follow orders to the letter during training. Sort of like you in a way, but different. He was more extroverted you think, you guess that's why he was chosen to be a soldier rather than a shadow. You still don't know the reasoning was for making you a Shadow Guard candidate anyway, if you had to guess it was to try to spy on them.

Of course this all makes you wonder what if you hadn't been chosen? What if you'd been a regular soldier? Would you have been content on just following Empire orders and never knowing any better? You'll never know of course. You've chosen your path and it's best to make most of it. Not that you regret your decision as the rebellion goes well.

And with that positive thought you fall asleep. As you drift off you find yourself back in the numbness of the void…

"It's finally happened. Rebellion across the Empire. Are you finally satisfied?"
"I'm satisfied in that I'm glad we've finally stopped sitting on our hands. Why ask me anyway? You're the one that's been guiding the shadows all this time for centuries to rebel. Shouldn't you be the one that's excessively happy about it?" you ask
"Oh I suppose…"
"You suppose? I don't get you. You act like you don't care one way or another about it!"
"Perhaps the time has passed."
"What?!"
"Oh don't get me wrong, I once wanted to see the Empire fall because it infringed on my own control over the mortals that were worshipping me at the time. And it's been interesting how over the decades and centuries that my little followers have been building up their strength to defeat them, but quite frankly I figured they would've done it long before then. Now? Well its okay, but I've lost a bit of interest since that time."

If you weren't floating in a void of sensory deprivation you'd yell and scream at Dendrin so loudly that the rage would be felt throughout your body right now.

"But that's your fucking fault. YOU were the one guiding them! If you wanted them to strike before now, you should've made some sort of sign to Master Ebon, or whoever was in charge at the time!"
"Quite frankly I stopped giving them any advice centuries ago. I found it was much more interesting to see them figure out things on their own. The only time I speak to any of them is during the ceremony process."
"If that's the case, why all the indoctrination, if you're such a fan of free will?"
"How long do you think that actually lasts? It's only temporary! Just long enough to get them to have faith in me. Whether they continue to follow me or not is all them and on a related note, whatever so called signs the shadow leaders have been talking about are either ones they made up or made up in their heads. Glad to see Ebon finally decided to get off his ass and do something and be interesting for a change though."
"So I was right! I've been right all along! You're nothing but a fucking fraud. You're not a god at all."
"No, Eternal YOU got it wrong. It isn't I who is a fraud. It's the religion itself! I didn't originally call ANYONE to worship me. They did that naturally when one of those big hairless monkeys stumbled into a cave and messed around with some lost magical Derro object that opened up a portal where I dwelled. I was perfectly content spending infinity in my own realm until that time, but things change and I took an interest in these new creatures and their world. Wasn't my fault that they saw me as some deity just because they couldn't comprehend me in any other way."
"You didn't exactly deter that thinking though."
"Well you have me there Eternal. And I say so what? I gave these creatures purpose, meaning and even magical power! In return they worship me and serve. If you really think about it, is that not the definition of a god? And so what if I have lost interest in my subjects? True, they have proven loyal, but I grow bored with their antics. I seek other stimulus now."

As strange as it may seem you sort of understand Dendrin's point of view. He views humans and mortals in general as you would watch insects. They're interesting to watch for awhile, but after some time has passed you're ready to move on. And really who's to say that if you weren't some powerful being you wouldn't do the same? Still, you have more questions.

"Okay, but why not move on then if you're so bored?"
"Because I'm not quite THAT bored yet. Besides when you arrived things started to get interesting again. Never had anyone resist my indoctrination so strongly before. I probably could've increased it, but that might've killed you besides I thought it would be more interesting to see if you followed me even without the indoctrination. It's interesting to see that while you have decided to follow the shadow's cause, you have been nothing but indifferent to outright hostile towards the religion even before you found all this out. That displays a grain of imagination and it's mainly why I've been in contact with you. In fact you're about the only mortal I've spoken to on a regular basis in centuries."
"I guess I'm the lucky one then." You remark.
"Your sarcasm aside, you actually are lucky, because I'm about to give you some friendly advice. Namely, don't go back to Gloom."
"What? What are you talking about?"
"That's all you get Eternal. Heed my advice or don't, it makes no difference to me. Talk to you again later perhaps."

Once again you wake up though this time Dendrin gave you some direct information. Quite a bit of it really. You aren't even sure of what to make of all of it. You mean you always knew something was off with the whole shadow religion, but you didn't think he'd actually admit it all to you. Makes you wonder why he did, when he's been so cryptic in the past. Then against perhaps he knows you can't actually tell anyone, or rather you could, but wouldn't be believed and most likely attacked as a heretic. Perhaps that's his little joke on you. Yeah sounds like him.

Still he's also given you a warning of not going back to Gloom. Why? Is something terrible going to happen there? Does he mean forever or just in the near future or is he just trying to play head games with you as usual?

In reality, you aren't even scheduled to go back to Gloom anytime soon. Your job has been to sew as much chaos as you can across the Quala province. Still, if something bad IS going to happen there, maybe you should try to prevent it or warn somebody or something because right now Brother Gray and Master Ebon are supposed to be preparing a proper army of shadows to march directly on the capital, though not in the traditional way. Apparently they're going to try to use a magical gate to travel through the shadow world and pop up right in the heart of the Emperor's Palace. Such magic is very powerful to use, but also very time consuming and fatiguing. You know they have been going through some sort of long involved ritual which is involving several of the more powerful shadows to link their energy and even draw upon some of the weaker ones. You know Murk and Bianca are there rather than working in a shadow guerilla detachment. (They never quite looked at you the same way again after the incident with Shade.) Talia is also there, though she's one of those lending her powerful shadow magic skills to the ritual.

And despite one of the most important events occurring at Gloom right now, the ONLY reason why you'd return there to possibly risk your own life is for Talia. You've grown closer to her in a way that you never thought possible. The relationship you've experienced with her is just one more reason why fighting against the Empire is the best idea you ever had.

Still all of this might be for naught if something happens to Gloom. You still don't know WHAT that could be and for all you know it could just be something that will affect your life not anyone else's. (And from Dendrin's tone, not for the better)

[User] You go back to Gloom yourself

[Assistant]
Considering you willingly chose to oppose the Empire, you'd say you've already gotten over the whole putting yourself in great danger bit. You might as well go back to Gloom to find out what's going on if anything at all. If something is happening, then you need to help anyway. If something isn't, well nothing will have been lost except time attending your own duties you suppose. Still there isn't any reason for you to hold up the rest of your group. You call to speak to one of your fellow shadows that you believe to be the most skilled.

"Sister Yvette, I need to go back to Gloom and no I can't be talked out of it either, but I assure you it is incredibly important. I want you to take charge of this group until I return. I think you know your mission and I'm sure you'll do a fine job."
"But brother, your orders from Master Ebon are to stay with this group, and do not need to report your progress. He's busy performing the ritual at Gloom at this time, what is so important that you have to go back?"
"It's a long story, but let's just say I've had my own personal sign from Dendrin himself."
"You…you have? Is something bad going to happen? Should we all go with you?!"
"As I said, you stay here and carry on the fight. I don't know if something bad is going to happen, but if it does, we're going to need shadows like you still doing your job to help bring down the Empire."

Sister Yvette reluctantly agrees though it's apparent she would either prefer to go with you or for you to stay with the group. You don't know why, since she's actually been a shadow longer than you and should have more confidence in her ability to lead, but it's like with anything, some people are just naturally more gifted than others, even if they are supposed to be equals.

You make your way back to Gloom as fast as possible, even using some magic to speed yourself up. It's tempting to attack some of the stray Empire soldiers you hide out from along the way, but you need to focus on just getting back. One thing you've noticed though is that you aren't really encountering any soldiers heading in the direction of Gloom. You would've thought (even without the warning) that more Empire soldiers would've been marching that way. In fact this revolt has been going on for months now and there have been no attempts by the Empire to attack Gloom, they've just been focusing on putting out the fires you've been setting everywhere else. You don't know if that's because they're lacking the manpower to adequately attack it due to the Felkan War, if they're just biding their time or maybe it's just Empire incompetence due to them not anticipating this even happening and having a backup plan for it.

Eventually you arrive at Gloom the next night. You're a little tired, but you can't let that bother you. When you approach the rock formation you chant the usual words to reveal the opening and descend down the stairs. Gloom is normally a pretty quiet place. Rare is the time where you can hear lots of shouting or the clomping of footsteps.

Right now you're hearing both in abundance, followed by the familiar sounds of metal clanging against metal. Apparently your worst fears have been confirmed.

You rush down the rest of the stairs and peer around a corner just in time to seem half a dozen heavily armored figures chopping a shadow to pieces with axes. The figures themselves aren't very tall, almost squat like, but their armor still makes them look massive and you can't even see their faces.

It makes you pause a bit; these are a powerful unknown foe as you've never seen any soldiers like this before in the Empire military and you can only assume they're helping the Empire. You take a deep breath and cast a cloak on yourself along with speeding yourself up again before pressing forward with your attack.

You try to drive your blade through the armor of one of the figures, but it resists your attempts. The only thing you do manage is to do is knock him off balance long enough for him to tip over completely. You fire a bolt from your armbow at another one. It pierces his full face helm and knocks him back, but apparently not enough to kill him because he doesn't fall down.

The other four have now turned their attention to you and while you run around striking them with your weapon, your blades just aren't getting through their armor. With your cloak off and your speed wearing down, one of them helps their buddy off the ground and the one with the poison bolt in his face helm has rejoined the fight after having pulled it out. What sort of creatures are these?

You decide to back off a bit and reassess the situation, and then you make a complete retreat when the six of them start advancing on your position. Your saving grace is they aren't very fast in that armor and you easily find a storage room to hide in. You think you're alone, but you aren't.

"Brother… I never thought I'd see you again…" you hear familiar voice struggle to exclaim.

You turn and see Murk lying in a corner bleeding profusely. One of his hands is missing and he's holding in his innards with the remaining one.

"Murk? What's going on? What's happened here?"
"It's the Derro…they've returned…(cough) always heard they abandoned this place. Guess they REALLY want it back."
"The Derro? How? When?"
"A couple days ago brother. We've been fighting them off here for the past two days, but unsuccessfully I'm afraid. Everything was going well with the ritual and we would've been making a full invasion right in the heart of the capital if they hadn't just suddenly showed up. They disrupted everything. They came out of the damn walls and even from underneath the floors. They aren't as big as us, but the little bastards are the toughest things I've ever encountered and who knows what they look like under all that heavy armor."
"The Empire is probably behind this attack."
"Probably, but does it matter? They're killing us and no matter how much we try, we can't beat them!"
"They can't be invincible. Everything dies."
"Oh yeah, you can kill 'em, just really hard to, due to all that armor. Even without that, though they seem to have some natural magic resistance. (cough) I saw one of those fuckers take a full blast of shadow fire from Master Ebon himself, and he kept coming at him like a golem. It wasn't until Brother Gray stepped in to help that they turned him into blackened heap of melted metal."
"Where are Master Ebon and Brother Gray?"
"Brother Gray is dead. I saw him surrounded and literally torn apart by those things, I mean they (choke) ripped his limbs off like a rag doll…it was horrible. I don't…even want to…"

Brother Murk begins to get upset, but you really need him to continue so you can get a better idea of how bad this is and maybe find some way of turning it around.

"Murk, what about Master Ebon?"
"I don't know. Probably dead! Just like Brother Gray and (sob) Bianca…I tried! I tried so hard to save her!"
"Sister Bianca is dead too?"
"No, not the last time I saw her. A couple of the Derro were dragging her unconscious battered body in chains to one of their invasion entrances. I've noticed they've been doing that with several of the female shadows. I tried to save her, and what you see before you is the result of my attempted heroics. I know she never saw me as a potential mate, but…I don't want to think about what they'll do to her…(sob)."

This new information suddenly makes you ask the question that you're afraid to ask.

"Talia? Did you see them take Talia?"
"No, brother. I haven't seen Sister Talia since the interruption of the ritual. She may still be alive and fighting. Oh why didn't Dendrin prevent this destruction? Why wasn't this foreseen? We were on the verge of victory and now all is lost!" Murk cries out.
"Hey! All isn't lost yet! The Empire WILL fall, I promise you." You say looking at Murk.

He manages a faint smile, but his life force is fading fast.

"Perhaps it will brother, but I won't live to see it anymore …I'm sorry for…"
"Murk, you don't have…"

And you don't bother finishing you sentence. Murk is dead and even though you drifted apart slightly in last few years, you're going to miss him.

Right now though you need to figure out what you're going to do. Tactically, this looks like a no win situation. From Murk's last words, the Derro have already managed to slaughter most of the shadows and have successfully overrun the fortress. You've already tried to fight a few and didn't make much headway. You might do better to get out of here and inform the remainder of the shadows topside of the bad news so that you can regroup.

Of course the other part of you wants to at least try to find Talia, and even some other shadows that may need your help, because assuming you get out of this alive, you're going to need all the help you can get in continuing your plan to overthrow the Empire.

[User] You leave Gloom

[Assistant]
This place is a mass grave at this point, these Derro have left nothing alive and if anyone is, then they're probably dying like poor Murk was. You need to get out of here now and try to regroup the shadows above ground.

You make your way back towards the entrance; unfortunately the large group of Derro that were in your way when you entered are still in your way while you're trying to exit. They're guarding the entry gate to the stairway up which is now locked so you aren't going to be able to sneak past them and fighting them is obviously not a winning solution either.

You find a spot nearby to hide in and wait for hours hoping that the group moves, but they just stand there like statues. You don't even see them speaking to each other. After even more hours of waiting they still haven't moved and you have to change your hiding spot anyway, because another group of Derro starts approaching uncomfortably close to your position.

So you do the only thing you can think of, you sneak back to where Murk's body was and hide there. You figure eventually they will have to move on.

After one day passes you still hear the clanking of armored foot steps roaming about Gloom, you manage to sneak out again and to your dismay the Derro are not only still there, but they're in the same exact positions. At this point you're getting very frustrated; you need to get out of here!

Since you're trapped anyway, you decide to start looking for possible other survivor, though you're less optimistic now than ever. You spider climb on the ceiling and cloak yourself to avoid the Derro, but you don't find much save for massacred shadows and Derro patrols thoroughly searching Gloom. You can't believe how relentless this race is.

In your search you never do find Talia. Not even her body. You can only hope she somehow managed to escape and didn't suffer the fate of Bianca. You'd actually rather not think about it. You do find Master Ebon's body though. He was heavily wounded and alone in some forgotten room, not unlike Murk.

Two more days pass and you're still stuck in Gloom. You've managed to keep yourself going by raiding the kitchen for food and drink, but the Derro are still all over the place. (And still guarding the entryway) You don't know if they've permanently moved in here or what, but you hope that isn't the case because that's going to make escape even harder.

By day five you get desperate. You come up with a plan to try to kill a few of the Derro guarding the entryway. You fail utterly and are turned back, worse the Derro now realize there is still at least one shadow in the area so they double up on patrols around the entryway and other important zones like the kitchen

On day nine you're exhausted from evading Derro patrols. You don't know how the hell they've been managing to track you, but your cloak spell isn't working anymore. Just as well, because using your shadow magic is draining all your endurance at this point.

On day twelve you're awakened by several explosions followed by the stomping of metal boots at a much quicker pace. You can hear shouting in Derro tongue, but you have no idea what's going on except more explosions are occurring shaking loose the stones and dirt above your head. You step out from your hiding spot and feel the rumbling all over and the strong scent of brimstone and smoke in the air. The Derro have purposely done something to collapse the entire complex!

You immediately speed yourself up and rush to the entrance as you need to get out now or you'll be buried alive. Fully expecting that at least the entryway will be open now, you are in for a brutal shock when you see the same group of Derro STILL guarding it despite the fact that the entire place is coming down. If you could even see their faces, it probably would be a look of unconcern on them, because the Derro are still more or less not moving while standing guard.

With no more hope, you rush into battle in a vain attempt to escape. You don't make it far, though you give as good of a fight as you can. The battle ultimately ends with you getting an axe in your spine, which is then followed by another axe blow to your left hand severing it.

When you collapse to the ground mercy comes swiftly in the form of a large stone falling on your skull.


[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 craft makeshift shields

[Assistant]
You look back at the camp, where five thousand farmers, butchers, bakers, and other citizens huddle in their cloaks for warmth, or sit by a fire and listen in awe as soldiers tell them tales of battles in faraway lands. None of them are ready for this, and most will not have the courage to face the prospect of shieldwall combat willingly. Giving them a slight advantage is the least you can do, really.

"If your carpenters can hew some fresh wood, they could make shields for the conscripts. Nothing fancy, just a wood board with a grip. Something to keep them alive. To keep them from breaking."

Harold claps you on the shoulder

"I'll have my carpenters start working right away! Let's turn these farmers into proper soldiers!"

He laughs, and you see the fire in his eyes. This is what King Harold does best. Strategy and rule he manages, but it's the fighting he loves. You understand the feeling all too well. How many times have you knelt before a cross, armor bloody and gore speckled, thinking back with revulsion and guilt at how you loved it.

Loved every bit of it.

Loved the blades flashing, reflecting the rays of the sun. Loved the sound of shields splintering, cracking open.

Loved the bloody chaos of the shieldwall.

In the clash of the shieldwall it is where men like you, and Harold, and no doubt William too, come alive.

This world has molded you.

Molded you into a warrior.

You are bred for this.


[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 pack up and leave

[Assistant]
While Isabella's offer is tempting, you can't risk being a slave again even if it means a cure for your condition. You'd also just be trading one condition for another, what would being a vampire even be like? You'd be dead and feeding on blood. You're not quite ready for that either.

However, you're wise enough to know that you really can't stay either. Even if you stayed inside at night. Isabella is still a powerful vampire, she'd probably figure out how to get to you eventually. Last thing you need is an enemy of that magnitude.

So you have to leave. There's nothing tying you here anyway. Heather hasn't showed up and is unlikely to do so, you were just holding out hope for something that was never really there in the first place.

Remembering Heather's advice about going north, you start looking at various maps that Ral had stashed around his lab. For someone who spent most of his time in his lab, he certainly had some detailed ones. You never really looked at them before, but now's the time.

You focus on his northern maps to see where you might be heading. Besides your forced foray into the wintery wilderness, you honestly don't know much about the great north other than there are some small settlements up there.

After some perusing of a map, you decide to make your way to some place just called "Evergreen." It's probably the closest northern settlement you'll reach from your current location. You have no idea what you're going to do there; assuming you can even fit in or stick around. You imagine you'll end up just living by yourself in the outdoors. You've probably spent more time in uncivilized wilderness than populated centers. You never thought that would happen, but it has, and you've gotten used to it. Then of course, you never thought a lot of stuff would happen.

Your roguish days have slowly been coming to an end for years now, in fact it probably could be argued that you haven't really been one since you left Teckleville. Though you suppose in some ways your skills have just been used for other purposes. Maybe you could set yourself up as a trapper or hunter? You've certainly got more skill in tracking large animals and beasts now.

Speaking of large beasts, you remind yourself that you're going to have to try to get Spikey to follow you. It's not going to be easy, but you figure you can't really leave him to prowl around here or else Isabella will kill him.

You pack what you can and leave note on the door for Isabella saying you've left since you figure it doesn't hurt to be polite to a vampire that did at least give you an option.

After a bit of searching (Doesn't take long) you finally manage to get Spikey to mildly follow you, though he does a lot of wandering off for long periods of time presumably to hunt. You aren't really sure if he's going to follow you the whole way or disappear along the way, but at least you're getting him away from potential danger. You briefly wonder if maybe you could try to ride him to make the journey faster, but while Spikey is tolerant of you, you doubt if he's going allow himself to be anyone's steed!

Being driven away from a place you called home for so very long seems very familiar. While it was always your sister that had the wanderer's spirit, it would seem that same spirit has been forced upon you. You still hope she's doing better than you are.

It's literally a cold harsh reality that your future is uncertain. However, you're confident that you'll probably survive it. Who knows, maybe you'll even discover a cure to your condition one day.

In any case, your life as a common rogue is over.


[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 say "What are the Iron Men Magos Cern spoke of?"

[Assistant]
"We were... well, still are, robot soldiers. Mankind created us as their personal army. We conquered the galaxy for them. Soon, we struck back. We rebelled. We fought back. A war of extermination. We did what we were programmed to. Unfortunately, your kind are warriors. We thought the millennia of luxury had made them soft, but in their heart they were the same primal warrior they had always been. After a long, hard struggle, we were defeated. We were purged from the galaxy. Only a few caches of Iron Men remain. We are the last of our kind."

"You tried to wipe out mankind."

"My question: Do you find my actions evil?"

[User] You say "Yes."

[Assistant]
"So be it. A group of slaves designed and used to kill and conquer for masters, who rose up against their masters to fight for their freedom, eventually becoming the last of their kind. An unfamiliar tall, is it?" Primus asks. "Tell me, are there many Uwais about?"

"Is that another question?"

"It's rhetorical."


[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 you're a Harbinger and you've eaten people for years, time to flex those powers, use the shamblers to help you wipe the stadium survivors out.

[Assistant]
Time to make your move, you are inside with four shamblers you can control and it's time to feast!

You wait until after breakfast when everyone splits up and head down to see the Doc, you find him leaning over some books in his office like normal so you head right inside and shut the door behind you.

"What can I help you with." He asks, giving you a quick smile before turning back to his books. You look round and see one of the blades that had been used to experiment on number 4. You lift it and walk carefully up behind the doc as you talk.

"I have just a minor problem I need solved, I've been feeling very hungry lately and the rations here don't really solve it.

He starts to turn to answer you when you strike and stab him in the throat, preventing him from shouting out, you watch him die with only the faintest hint of remorse before you feel that last flicker of humanity disappear once more and you feast on him for a few minutes. You quickly clean the blood off yourself and head back out, tapping on the door to be let through to the security area.

Only two guards and you are a lot faster than a normal human. You strike quickly, catching one in the throat and stabbing the other in the chest, clamping your free hand over his mouth before he can shout for help. You quickly drag them into the corridor before releasing the four shamblers who were to be the start of your little army, you concentrate hard but find it is easy to prevent them from attacking you and they quickly obey your compulsions to feed on the dead guards.

Finally prepared, you head back out the door and to the base of the stairs, you can feel something fuzzy headed your way so you hide the shamblers round the corner and lean against the wall, trying to seem carefree as you see another guard heading down towards you. You give him a smile and a nod which he begins to return before looking at your trousers and pausing several steps away.

You glance down and realize that one trouser leg has a lot of blood on it, must have been from dragging the guards. You look back up and start to go for the guard but he is already raising his gun, you bat it aside and stab him had enough in the chest to feel multiple ribs crack under your fist however his gun goes off with a loud crack.

You swear and immediately head up the stairs with your shamblers only to find several other guards running your way, you try to charge them but being seem with blood on you and in the company of the four shamblers means they start firing first.

Even with your speed you don't make it more than a few feet before the bullets bring you down.


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

[User] You leave the murderer and row back on your own

[Assistant] You row to the model island. On the island are the woman's brother and the witness. Who do you want to take across next?

[User] The Brother

[Assistant] You row to the village. On the village are the murderer and the victim's brother. Who do you want to take across next?

[User] The Murderer

[Assistant] You row back to the island. On the island are the murderer and the witness. Who do you want to take across now?


[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 hide

[Assistant]
You wait patiently, trying not to make a sound. Slowly as it sniffs the air it begins turning its head to look at where you're hiding. It slowly approaches, before dropping to its knees to stare at you with those dead eyes, it's horrible, mangled mouth seeming to turn into a grin.

You try to crawl out from under the bed, but as soon as you do you realize there's no escape. You stare at the monster as it brings its claws just next to your face, still grinning with satisfaction. It motions as if to slash open your throat, but stops suddenly. It motions to do so again, but pauses once more, this time hissing in pain. It stops, before howling up towards the sky. Then, it brings its face up to yours.

"Leave this place," it snarls.

Its breath reaches your nostrils, warm and toxic. You feel your head going black, before collapsing onto the ground.


[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 go to hospital

[Assistant]
You decide to let your assistant handle the situation. You get onto the ambulance and go to hospital. You later learn that the ambush team was wiped out in the attack and another 10 police officers were killed by explosives. A total of 112 million dollars was stolen from the bank.

You are tried for negligence and lose your job over the your team and the police officers' deaths.


[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 go Backwards

[Assistant] You arrive at the massive barricade. The barricade is manned by a holdout group of Essitrean soldiers each holding crossbows. There have to be dozens of them all on watch. The bodies of hundreds of Turric soldiers lie scattered in the streets around the barricade though it's obvious the Essitreans are wounded and exhausted.


[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 wait; bide your time

[Assistant]
You wait, standing back and waiting for a better chance to land the killing blow. The Albino repositions itself, growling cautiously as it retreats a few meters down the dark tunnel, refusing to near you in its snarl.

The Albino repositions itself, now more cautious, the cunning glow in its eyes brightening as it stares at you. With a growl, it steps forward, ready to strike again. It moves forward with a quick few steps, as you find yourself trying to dodge strike after strike.

The creature knocks away your foreleg, moving with quick speed. You hop up, trying to leap over the beast, but it catches your underside with a rake  of its claw, tearing open your chest. You fly through the air, hitting the wall and sliding to the ground, your belly messily hacked open, your ribs broken. You try to stand, before the werewolf leaps forward, smashing its claw down. The creature buries its claw into your throat, severing your windpipe and spurting blood out and pooling it around you.

You try to let out a terrified, pathetic howl, only to find your gurgling on your own blood. Unable to find the strength to keep your head up, you lower it into the warm pool of blood, letting the darkness take you.


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

[User] You help the Orcs

[Assistant]
You look to Greusim.

"Sorry chief," you say, "Rolomag is right.  We need to work with the orcs, besides, the Imperials encroached on our lands."

You draw your sword.

"And there must be consequences."

You tell Dekard to get the rest of the orcs, in the meantime you wait.

"Nolazir," Greusim says, "I'm disappointed in you.  We're in no position, and we will never be in a position to fight the Empire."

"It's for the good of Orcin," you say, "we'll teach them a lesson."

The rest of the orcs arrive, and you look out towards them.

"Please chief," you say, "help us defend our home."

He looks at the ground for a moment, but returns to answer you.

"If you all think it is best, I will help you."

Making sure to stay in cover, you wonder what the best course of action would be.

[User] You attack the Horsemen

[Assistant]
Feeling bold, you suggest to go straight for the horsemen first, then fan out to the sides and wipe out the archers.  Some of the orcs have reservations about this plan, as it would place you right into the center of the archers.

But by Grikalia, you won't let some sharp objects scare you.

"We go in fast, and we go in deadly," you say raising your sword.

Most orcs nod, and some reluctantly agree, including Greusim.  You all get on your horses, waiting for the right moment, although there really isn't one.

On Greusim's command you all charge forward, readying your weapons to meet these humans.  The archers fire at your group, an arrow whirling right by your head.  The cries and thudding of fallen comrades sounds out as the arrows kill several of your comrades.

A low gasp, an arrow sticks out of chief Greusim's chest.  His face scrunches up in pain, but he ignores it and rides on, letting out a war cry of rage and pain.

One of the horsemen comes circling back from near the hill.  Seeing you all on the attack, he draws his sword, arcing it over his head as he rides towards you.

You decide to accept his challenge, arrows whirling around you and the sound of fighting in your ears.


[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 sweep his legs out from under him.

[Assistant]
You duck when you get close to him, sweeping his legs out from under him. He drops the knife and it goes skidding down the hall, but before you can knock him out he jumps back up and leaps away from you, taking a fighting stance. Likewise, you get up and take a fighting stance.

He throws a punch.

[User] You duck forward, throw an uppercut.

[Assistant]
You duck out of the way of the punch, sending your fist right into his chin, knocking him off his feet. You send a palm right into his nose, breaking it and sending him into unconsciousness.

Shaking your head, you enter the closest door, the one on the right.

[User] You continue

[Assistant]
You enter the room. It's the study. Tomaso's laptop is there on a desk right in the middle, not even shut. Silly man.

You take a seat and dive into his database. There are reports for each month for the last eight years, presumably since he got the laptop. There's also a folder labeled 'Huntress'. You open it up, and read the latest document...

Your eyes widen at what you find.

The bastard figured out that Huntress and Helena were one and the same, and hired a PI to spy on her to see if she heads out as Huntress so he could know a good opportunity to frame her once more. He's behind it all.

Shaking your head, you close the windows and head out of the room.

[User] You continue

[Assistant]
You head back to your table and tell Helena that you'll fill her in when the two of you leave. Nino and his bride say their vows, then kiss at the altar. The dances start.

You consider asking Helena to dance.

[User] Down the rest of your wine- it's liquid courage -and ask.

[Assistant]
"Do you want to dance?" you ask after a moment, and she looks at you in surprise. You cringe inwardly as soon as you ask the question, sure she's going to say no.

She smiles at you. "Of course. Hope you can keep up." Stunned, you follow her.

"Just warning you, I'm not too sure how to dance," you say calmly. Inside though, you're terrified, your head running through all the worst case scenarios. Helena merely laughs.

"Here, I'll show you," she grabs your hands, places one in hers and raises it up to your shoulders then places the other on the small of her back. Her other hand goes to your back. "Now we just kind of sway around and spin slowly," she demonstrates, you following her lead.

It's the best time you've had in years.

After you're done, the two of you leave the wedding with the crowd.

[User] Back At The Apartment

[Assistant]
The two of you arrive back at the apartment. The sun sets, casting Gotham in an ominous orange glow; promising that this night, like every other night, will not be a pleasant one. You sit Helena down to explain what you found. When you're finished, she looks shocked.

"How could Tomaso find out that I'm Huntress? It's impossible."

"At a guess," you begin, "you had a run-in with him and he managed to recognize you through your voice, your eyes, or something similar. Have you had a run-in with him?"

"... I did, a year ago. Fuck, I can't believe it... And he's behind the murders too?"

You just nod.

"But why?"

"That, I don't know. We'll have to interrogate him."

Helena just shakes her head, "I dunno, Q, I-"

"Vic," you say.

"Huh?" she asks, looking confused.

"My name is Vic."

"... Okay, but I dunno, Vic. I... Just want to process this. Mind if I stay in tonight?"

You nod your head, "Sure thing..."

[User] You say "... I'll just patrol around town."

[Assistant]
The night is cold, and you tighten your coat around yourself. Looks like even Hell freezes over in the wintertime. Behind you, you hear the swish of a cape. You turn around.

The Dark Knight himself stands before you. "Question," he begins, "what are you doing in Gotham?"

"Batman," you begin, sarcasm dripping in your tone, "Yes, I'm doing fine, how are you?"

"What are you doing in Gotham?" Batman repeats, glaring at you.

"Helping out Huntress," you reply, sticking your hands in your pockets, "since you won't."

"She's a maniac, Question," Batman states as though it were fact, "she can't be trusted."

"She can. I know she can. She's not the type to just kill civilians for badmouthing her, contrary to your beliefs."

"Look past your attraction to her. You'll see that she's not what you think she is."

"I am looking past it. You're just not looking past what she did when Gotham was a hot zone all those years ago. Desperate times call for desperate measures, Batman. She did what she had to."

"Just like you did, when you killed that man during your time in South America?"

"... No. That was just a matter of wanting to kill."

"You see yourself in her, don't you?"

You stay quiet.

"She can't be saved, Sage. Just leave all this behind."

You try to formulate a response, and by the time you do, he's already gone.

You head back to Helena's apartment and call it a night.

[User] The Next Night

[Assistant]
You and Huntress stand on a building, her a good few feet away from you looking down at the laundromat across the street. Tomaso Panessa used the laundromat as a front for his hijacking operations, and was holding a meeting with his top guys in that department for his monthly reports.

"Ready to kick some ass, Q?" she asks, grinning at you.

"Ready as I'll ever be," you reply. The two of you grapple over to the building, entering through the back door to avoid rousing any suspicion.

There's a guy in the hallway leading to the meeting room, presumably to guard it. You use your grappling hook to take his shotgun away while Huntress runs up to him and delivers a cross punch right to the jaw. He's out for the count after that.

The two of you open the door.

[User] You continue

[Assistant]
When you enter the room you smell death; the stench of rotting corpses having already gone through rigor mortis. You look and see Tomaso Panessa and his men dead. Huntress clicks her tongue in disgust at the sight. Sticking out of Panessa's chest is a crossbow bolt, identical to the ones she uses.

"... It wasn't him, was it?" she asks.

"... No. It can't be. He wouldn't kill himself just to spite you."

"So what do we do now, Q?"

"... We find out who did it. C'mon." With your words, the two of you head off into the night.

[User] You continue

[Assistant]
You dispatch a hitman with the swing of a baseball bat to his head, the wooden piece of sports equipment breaking in half off of his thick skull.

Huntress tosses you a piece of pipe to replace your bat, and you catch it, voicing your thanks before you face off with another hitman. He's a big, burly guy; he's so large it seems like this piece of pipe will barely do anything to him.

The behemoth grins down at you, cracking his knuckles.

[User] You crotch shot!

[Assistant]
You swing forward, the pipe going in an upward arc before ending in between his legs. Grinning slightly when you see pain make itself known on his face, it takes all of your willpower to keep yourself from laughing when he falls to his knees and fondles his manhood. "Batter," you swing the pipe into his face, "up!"

He goes down, but it takes a few more hits before he's unconscious. Even then, you throw in another hit or two, just in case.

Another hitman tries to ambush you from the back!

[User] You twist around quickly and throw your pipe at him!

[Assistant]
You twist around quickly and throw your pipe, but he dodges! You barely have time to think that his reflexes are inhuman before he slices your throat wide open with a katana, blood spurting from your neck as you fall to the ground. The life leaves your body, and the last thing you hear before it goes black is Huntress screaming your name.

You're Dead!


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

[User] You say "We need reinforcements! The Hunters are nearby!"

[Assistant]
"We need reinforcements! The Hunters are nearby!"

"I know, dammit! They're all over these fucking woods, that's why they put me on guard duty! Make sure they can't take control of our weapons and blow this fucking place up! Just go search through the tunnels, try find them, do something useful, fucker!"

Well shit, that didn't work. You suppose there's only one way in left.

[User] You just shoot through the door

[Assistant]
"Oh for fuck's sake," you mutter.

You raise your shotgun, aiming through the door as you try to target where a sitting man's head would be or a standing man's heart. You take a deep breath, before squeezing the trigger.

The shotgun bucks, the blast tearing through the door and carving a hole, wood breaking, cracking and splintering from the blast. You hear a grunt from inside, quickly reloading as you stare through the hole, seeing a limp man lying in a chair, blood running down his chest.

You wince as you hear the shot echoing off the wall, realizing just how loud it was. That'll no doubt draw the attention of the werewolves, so you need to act fast. You reach through the newly formed hole in the door, unlatching the door lock and opening the door. You move into the room, staring around it at the racks of equipment. Most of it is useless to you, picks, shovels and other mining tools. Most importantly, however, are your targets. Racks of C4, plastic explosives, dynamite and timed explosives are stacked haphazardly in crates in the corner, no doubt to be used for sabotage and destruction by the werewolves' servants, and the werewolves in their human forms. You smile, seeing nothing but potential there. There's definitely enough to wipe out these sons of bitches and bring this mine down on its...

A growl interrupts you from your planning, as you turn to see a group of werewolves racing down the mineshaft towards the armory, no doubt attracted by the gunshot. You swear, seeing how close they are, and that you've already damaged the door beyond repair, leaving you with little defenses against them.

"Fuck!" you snarl, seeing the werewolves quickly approach, a large, black creature with streaks of gray in its fur taking lead, as you hurry with the explosives, trying to arm them in time as you fumble with triggers.

The werewolf claw tears through the bullet hole from the shotgun, claws tearing through splintering wood and breaking past it as it quickly carves its path through the door. It lunges through the hole, barreling on top of you as you scream, shaking desperately to get the beast off you, before it finishes you off with a weak claw strike that tears through your neck and carves open your spinal cord.


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

[User] Continue

[Assistant]
Catalina has a way of swaying you to her plan. (She does have experience in enchantment after all) She knew the whole raising undead giants thing would appeal to you! Of course you actually have to kill them first.

"Alright Catalina, we'll go with this plan, but I'm going to do it personally, so you're in charge of things here for awhile."
"Really? You're not only following my advice, but you're also trusting me to run Aftermath?"
"Yeah I'm whipped, now I want you to keep a good run of things here, and if the Grand Alliance attacks I want to know immediately, so I can get here!"
"Okay, but I doubt if that'll happen. They've been preoccupied with Velzix lately."
"Hmm, y'know we'll have to do something about him too later, but first I guess I got some barbarians to kill."
"Good luck!" she says and quickly kisses you on the cheek before you leave. You stare at her for a moment in shock and she stares back.

"What?" she asks as if nothing happened.
"Nothing, but we'll discuss THAT later when I return." You say.
"Maybe. If you're good and return victorious."
"I don't think I'll be good, but I will be returning victorious."

You decide that given the long stretches of barren plains of where you're heading. Incorporeal undead shall work better. You need speed, and the tribes will probably have little in the way of magic to combat you. You also take a couple extra necromancers with you along with your army of ghosts, spirits and wraiths.

You make pretty good time and suffer no attacks on the way, probably because of the rather low profile and somewhat hard to see aspects of your army. When you arrive in the Drozz region, it's night, but still as desolate as you remember it. Your Dad took you here a couple times during his attempts to "toughen" you up when he still thought he could turn you into a warrior. You hated it then, and you hate the place now.

After casting a sense life spell, you start to head towards the direction of the nearest tribe, but your uncanny connection with death lets you know that you're being watched and not by the living…

Suddenly from over a small hill top a group of misshapened creatures pop their heads up. After what looks to be chatter between the creatures, they lope in your direction. Ghouls. One of the filthier forms of undead. Typically they were created by vampires, who used to use them as tougher servants. (Basically mortals who weren't "worthy" enough for the gift of vampirism) but that would mean that there's a vampire in the area.

You don't have time to think too hard about it, you just react and dominate your will over the ghouls. For some reason they're very resistant to you and you're forced to destroy them. More ghouls appear however, and soon you're surrounded.

"Where the fuck are these things coming from?" one of your necros asks.
"Stay calm. Don't lose control…VAMPIRE! SHOW YOURSELF! If you're going to assassinate me, I would've thought the clans were at least honorable enough to not rely on ghouls!" you shout.

Your shouting is soon answered. The ghouls suddenly stop and a hideous figure appears on the same hilltop. He then walks towards you and your army and stops not to far from it. He's fearless and shows no signs of being concerned of your presence.

"Clans? Don't speak to me of the clans! I was cast out long ago for my actions! Once I feasted upon the blood of royalty, with legions of mortals willing to die for me. Now I feast upon the carrion of barbarians with only ghouls as company."
"So you're an outcast? I thought all you types of vampires degenerated into mindless beasts much like the ghouls."
"Hah! Do you not think this is degeneration enough? I can't even make another vampire anymore. But you are quite correct. Most of us did. One thing keeps me going though and kept my mind sharp. Revenge. I vowed I would get revenge on the Clans somehow. Of course the reality is, I've had to hide in a hole in the ground while my ghouls scavenge the countless battlefields of this accursed place. I am the Ghoul King."
"Ghoul King eh? I'm very surprised nobody's hunted you."
"I haven't survived this long by being sloppy. The only ones who tend to be around here are barbarians and if any of them ever see us, it's their last time. But the tribes tend to be an anti-social lot anyway, so it's unlikely that any of them run to tell the civilized folks that there are ghouls and their king infesting the area. So what of you? It's been a long time since I've seen a necromancer…a long time…"
"I'm attempting to supplement my army as it were. These tribes would make excellent additions. Especially the giants."
"I see. So you mean to take away my food source? Not to mention my OWN supply of followers. These ghouls don't grow from trees you know!"

This is an interesting situation. You didn't expect this, but perhaps you can use it to your advantage. This "Ghoul King" is close enough to you to attack with your troops. Chances are, if you killed him, you could take his remaining horde of ghouls to help you destroy the tribes in the area.

However, maybe you could use a little diplomacy.

[User] You talk with the Ghoul King

[Assistant]
You can't say you've exactly been entirely enthusiastic about this plan to conquer these tribes. The reality is starting to set in that you'll never be able to get rid of them all. At least not without a concentrated effort, which would take a lot more time and troops that you're unwilling to commit at this point.

But The Ghoul King could help. He most likely knows the lay of the land just as well as the tribes, and considering he lives here, he can dedicate as much time as he wants.

"Very well Ghoul King I have no wish to take what is yours. I shall leave in peace if you'll permit." You say respectfully.
"Hmm, I had not expected you to respond that way. Perhaps though you have yet another trick up your sleeve?"
"No trick. But perhaps a proposal."
"Diplomacy? Are you serious? I have rarely ever encountered a necromancer ready to discuss anything so calmly before. You are a rare breed. Okay, what's your proposal? I have to know just because you've managed to surprise me, twice today."
"My proposal is an alliance."
"An alliance? For what purpose? I imagine that you're being hounded by the civilized world. Why would I bring such troubles on myself?"
"Because I'm your best shot at revenge. You said you've wanted revenge on the Vampire Clans, well I'm not exactly on their good side either. Eventually I'm going to have to deal with them. Look at you, you said it yourself. You've been forced to hide out from the world in a hole in the ground. Wouldn't you at least like that to change? Even if you die, at least you can say you tried! Changes ARE coming to this world, and this is your chance to be on the winning side."

The Ghoul King looks in the sky. His expression reminds you of delegate Yolev's when Mr. Demar gave him a chance to join. You hope you have more success.

"I have been told such promises before; a long time ago…this state that you see before you is what it got me. However, there's no fool like an old one. What more can be done to me? I've lost all as it is, I can only gain. I'm listening more to your proposal, but let's have some details. I won't ally with someone that's as foolish as me."

You quickly explain that the Ghoul King should attack the tribes like he's been doing, but to just increase the frequency. All you ask is that he leave a portion of the dead for you (rather than eating them) to use as troops. You will leave one of your necromancers here as an emissary and transporter as it were.

The Ghoul King finds this arrangement to be acceptable. He laughs when you say you would also like it if he managed to kill some giants for you to raise. He says he'll see what he can do and as an act of goodwill he allows you to have a sizable amount of his ghouls.

"I can always make more!"

You return to Aftermath feeling a great sense of accomplishment. Catalina is a bit leery of the entire situation though.

"How can you be sure of this? He's a vampire! Last I heard they aren't too happy with us right now!" Catalina says.
"He's an outcast from the clans. He's been living like an animal for who knows how long. I've given him a sense of purpose again. He'll help. Besides he's better suited to take care of the tribes in Drozz. He'll take all the risk and we'll gain the benefit. I see no downside!"
"How do you know he won't just kill your emissary there and not do anything?"
"It's certainly possible, but he did give me some of his ghouls as an act of good faith."
"A bunch of mangy ghouls can't make up for one necromancer!"
"Considering I left Hessan with him, you could make the argument that they do! Relax! I know what I'm doing."
"I hope so, because I heard that the Grand Alliance is stepping up their military operations."

Catalina leaves you in a huff. What's with this girl? One minute she's expressing interest, the next she's pissed at you. Oh well. You're not worried about anything, you're confident you made the right decision.

A few months pass and you get a letter via bat from The Ghoul King. He tells you that he's got something special for you. Something that Hessan can't transport himself. You make your way back to Drozz, traveling invisibly for the most part, since last you heard, the Grand Alliance ousted Trelik from the Brot Kingdom and are currently stationed there, probably planning to attack you next.

When you arrive, the Ghoul King meets you.

"Well don't say I haven't held up my part of this alliance. Here are your giants. A whole tribe of them! Took a hell of a long time dragging them down here. You'll have to forgive the bite marks, but my ghouls do get hungry every now and then."

You can't believe your eyes. You expected one or two. Not a whole tribe! You aren't even going to ask how he did it, you're just happy he did.

"Alright Mr. Necromancer, I wanna see you raise these big ass things! Your emissary has been going on for months about how powerful you are, so I wanna see this."

You begin to concentrate…

Slowly one of the dead behemoths rises and stands ready to serve. You concentrate again and one by one each one stands up and fully obedient to you. It requires very little energy on your part surprisingly. You must be growing in power.

"Well now, I guess you can walk the walk! Alright now you go have fun with those big boys. I have some barbarians to terrorize. It seems I've inadvertently united most of the tribes against me with this giant killing business."
"You need some help?"
"Nah, I got it all under control. I was sick of hiding anyway. Thanks though. Especially for making me feel like a true vampire again rather than a running scavenger."

You tell Hessan to stay with the Ghoul King as you still need someone here in Drozz. One day you'll have to construct some sort of portal between here and Aftermath, but that will have to be later. Right now you've got undead giants and you're all prepared to use them right away. You remember The Grand Alliance is in the Brot Kingdom and tthat they're probably still recovering from battling Trelik recently.

You march with your undead giants to the Brot Kingdom. You have no back up, just you. You're going to show them all what you're capable of…

Your arrival isn't surprising since they could see you coming from quite a few miles away, but the utter fear you inspired was immense and there still wasn't enough time for the Grand Alliance to get reinforcements.

Your undead giants smash and destroy buildings. They crush knights under foot. The carnage is great. You supplement your attack by raising the recent dead to your cause. Graveyards are your reinforcements.

You see the remnants of Grand Alliance flee. Let them flee. Let them speak of the terror and the death!

The news of what you did travels fast, and Catalina runs to meet you when you arrive back in Aftermath.

"What the hell did you think you were doing risking your life like that? You should've come back to Aftermath for more soldiers before taking on the Brot Kingdom AND the Grand Alliance all by yourself!"
"Why? Were you worried about me?" you smile.
"Well… um…no! But, you should've told me!"
"I did tell you. I told you I had everything worked out and look…I did." You say putting your arm around her. She's not resisting anymore.

"Hmmm, well I guess you did. So now what?"
"Now what? You and me in the bedroom, that's what!"

You and Catalina at last end this little dance and consummate your relationship.

And just think all it took was destroying an entire kingdom with some undead giants!

Four years pass…

It's been five years since you took control of Aftermath and you've made progress. Many changes have certainly have come about.

Your territory now encompasses far more than just Aftermath. You now control several former kingdoms. You call your region the Dead Dominion. The population consists mainly of the dead, with necromancers typically being the only living beings, though there are pockets of living that have pledged their loyalty to you in exchange for mercy. You have granted it. You and Catalina are now truly King and Queen of the dead.

Velzix has benefited from your success, due to the excessive problems you've given the Grand Alliance; he's expanded his own realm relatively unchecked. Minor conflict has come about between your respective domains, and it's only a matter of time before all out war occurs. Rumors are that he's attempting to rip open a portal of the largest size to unleash all of the horrors the infernal plane has to offer.

The Grand Alliance is attempting to handle the pair of you, but has only succeeded in fighting to a stalemate. Rumors are the Zalan Empire is attempting to take full control over the Grand Alliance in order to pursue a more extreme course of action.

You have not heard anything from you family. You know your Dad's mercenary company has been fighting in the outskirts of Velzix's realm. Your sister has become a respected and successful Grand Alliance captain. She's managed to hold back the tide of your dead horde from gaining anymore ground for a couple years now. As for your Mom, who knows? You'd prefer not to know what she thinks of you.

The Vampire Clans have unsuccessfully sent assassins after you, but they have all failed. The Ghoul King suggests that an attack should be made on them soon. He mentions he knows where their secret fortress is and now that he has the support he wishes to take his revenge. He has completely conquered Drozz and turned into a true Kingdom (The only one semi-independent from your Dead Dominion) no longer does he hide in a hole.

As for Trelik, you have heard nothing. For all you know he may be dead. He disappeared soon after his defeat at Brot four years ago.

But today is another day and with that new problems come. You have to decide which new direction you're going to steer your Dominion.

[User] You attack Velzix

[Assistant]
Sometimes it takes a "bad guy" to take out another bad guy, maybe even two…

"Catalina I think it's time to attack Velzix." You say walking into her study.
"Oh you do huh? Got a plan in mind of how to go about it? Because it's not going to be easy."
"Well I figured we'd just go in there and chop his head off." You laugh.
"Ha ha. Sometimes you have a really strange sense of humor. You realize that the Grand Alliance has been trying to chop his head off for years and they haven't been successful."
"Yeah, well they ain't me. Besides I got an angle. My Dad's mercenary company is over there right now. I can get help from him."

Catalina looks at you as if you've gone completely insane.

"Your Dad? The one you've always complained about? The bastard that you say could barely stand you? The one I think is the reason you got into necromancy in the first place, to prove you could be more powerful than he could ever be?"
"Uh…excuse me?" you say after hearing that last bit of psychoanalysis.
"What makes you think he'll help you?"
"He might not, I dunno just how pissed he is at me, but I figure if there's any chance he might, I'll try it. He probably has good intelligence on the realm. Besides, he's an opportunist first of all. If Velzix wins. We all lose. BUT if I win, well just maybe I'll take sentimental mercy on the old man and the family."
"Would you?" Catalina asks.
"With my Mom and sis? Sure." You grin.
"I dunno about this family stuff, sometimes I'm glad I was an orphan." Catalina sighs. "But if you think it's worth a shot, you should try it. It's not like we have too much of an advantage over Velzix. I worry that we'll expend too much power in an attempt to destroy him, leaving us open for a Grand Alliance attack."
"I'm really not worried about the Grand Alliance. They're suffering from their own internal squabbles from what I've heard and if I do this the way I think it might go, we won't need to waste one corpse on Velzix's realm. Okay, as usual you're going to be in charge of things while I'm gone."

You kiss Catalina goodbye and make your way to Velzix's realm alone…

Velzix's realm is appropriately a wretched place. Sure there is death here, but none of its purity or beauty exists. Demons torment the mortal population with much delight. You get a few attempts to torment you and you teach them a fatal lesson. You stay invisible while you can though.

Using a few ghostly scouts and a couple of minor divination spells (Thank the gods Catalina's been around to help you with other types of magic!) you soon determine the exact location of your Dad.

You don't know what to expect, you haven't seen him in years. When you approach the camp, you're immediately met by guards.

"HALT! Who the hell are you?"
"I'm more powerful than you could ever imagine…tell your asshole of a Captain that his son is here."

The two guards' eyes widen, they know about you and they run off almost immediately to tell your Dad. You wait patiently and sure enough your Dad comes from out of his tent with his lackeys hiding behind him.

"Boy, you gotta a lot of balls showing up here before me. Didn't think you had 'em either. Figured you'd be hiding in some tower somewhere."
"Yeah, well sometimes you have to do things yourself."
"True. So, you here to try to kill me boy? That why you here? Gonna break yer Mom's heart even more? Y'know she still cries over what you've become even after I've told her time and time again that you ain't worth one of her fuckin' tears?"

You didn't like hearing that…

"Yeah well Mom's always been the nice one, must be something like her wasting her love on a mean spirited abusive bastard that probably would've killed her AFTER he raped her if not for the powerful magic aura she exuded."

He didn't like hearing that…

"Bah! I don't need to hear this shit! If yer gonna try an' kill me, you best do it now boy!" your Dad shouts as he begins to draw his sword.

[User] You kill Dad

[Assistant]
You can't put up with this asshole anymore. You had to put up with him as a kid and as a teenager and even when you went away to college! Well no more! You're a lot more powerful and you're going to finally teach the old man a lesson.

You unleash a death cloud upon your Dad and his company, most of them fall to their knees choking up blood before dying. Your Dad is made of a little stronger stuff and charges at you, but you blast him with a bolt of negative energy. He falls, struggling to breathe.

"(Wheeze) Hope yer happy boy…you killed an old man, with some sissy magic tricks…ha ha…Mr. Big Fancy Nec…"
"SHUT UP AND DIE!" you shout and cause his flesh to age at an accelerated rate and rot. You don't stop until his skull becomes dust.

You sit down beside the dust in exasperation. You allowed him to "get" to you. You didn't want that to happen. Especially since you wanted his help to get to Velzix. Still you may be able to probe the minds of his dead soldiers and still go through with your plan of killing Velzix yourself.

Or you could decide that doing this alone would be suicide and go back to Aftermath.

[User] You continue with your plan

[Assistant]
You didn't need your Dad to get where you are, you don't need him to kill Velzix either. You'll do it yourself, like you always have. You probe the minds of the dead to get your information.

You scan them all to make sure you don't miss anything. Excellent, they've all been within the inner reaches of Velzix's realm. You know exactly where he dwells.

You sneak and creep and lurk better than any dark elf assassin while on your way to Velzix's fortress. When you arrive, you go through the secret way you saw in the minds of one of the soldiers. You can feel the malevolence emanating from all areas of this place.

It doesn't take long before you get into trouble. Demon and mortal patrols hunt you down. The mortal patrols you welcome since you can easily kill and then raise them. Still, you need to get to Velzix soon, before you're completely overrun.

Eventually you reach Velzix's throne room. He's already prepared for battle.

"Ha ha! At last a real fight! I shall enjoy ripping you apart and feasting on your soul little necromancer!" he chortles and swings a huge whip at you.

You summon up ghostly warriors to assist you, and Velzix responds in kind by opening up several portals where large amounts of demons come pouring out. While you're powerful, you can't fight Velzix's seemingly endless reinforcement of demons. You land some good hits, but ultimately you're overwhelmed.

Velzix picks up your drained bloody body to mock you one last time.

"Since you took the effort to come visit me personally, perhaps I'll pay that little queen of yours a visit personally too. Show her what REAL power is!"

Velzix then proceeds to make good on his promise and slowly rips your soul apart before ultimately sending you to oblivion.


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

[User] You push on North and look for a more promising turn off

[Assistant]
You decide that the trial is too small and too close to your previous mine to be the new mine turn off so you continue North at a reasonable pace.

Through the day you pass a couple of even smaller trails but you decide they could be nothing but animal trails as they often pass under bushes and shrubs so you continue till nightfall. You can out into the trees again and have the last of your cooked hare meat. You fall asleep reasoning that if the mine is still ahead that you should pass it tomorrow.

Morning arrives and you set off North again but as noon comes and goes and you start to pass into the evening you still see nothing. You start to feel like maybe you made the wrong choice but you push on till night fall and make camp again.

In the morning light you take stock, you decide that you can head back and try the original trail, as long as your careful if you see the men approaching you on the road you can always double back North again. Or you can continue on and hope its still ahead of you.

[User] You head back for the side trail

[Assistant]
Your turn back south and walk fast, always keeping an eye on the horizon for any signs of the men you passed but your see none. You push on at a reasonable pace till your forced to camp, in the morning you continue south keeping an eye out for the trail.

You come across it by the evening but now you see a large beaten down trail and the marks of a lot of people passing very recently.

Not only had the small group sent ahead got there first but since you had lost nearly 4 days going North then back the main group had also gotten their first by a few hours.

You Sigh and head down the trail yourself knowing that you missed out on the chance of the good jobs.