[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 to First Point

[Assistant]
You are given a break for lunch with only cold rations, then double speed marched hard till dusk. The Capt. Pulls you all off the road beside a small stream and even though your all ready to collapse and pass out he has you form up.

"Right then, this is first point spring. A few generations back some officers from the 1st and 2nd companies were insulting the 3rd, saying we weren't real soldiers because we just built things while they won the war. Our officers didn't take too kindly to this and lets just say a bit of an argument broke out. After the tempers calmed a bit our men challenged the rest of the army to prove their supposed superiority"

He paused to give you all a big grin.

"Our boys in the 3rd work hard every day moving timber and stone, carrying loads long distances and almost never take days off. Their boys sit on their arses most of the time and only train short periods a day when they aren't actively attacking something. So our officers said they should all go for a little march. You all just made it here within daylight hours which isn't bad at all for this time of year. The 1st and 2nd company soldiers made it in about the same. OUR officers beat them by 3 hours and had a full camp set up and running by the time they limped in. They looked up from their fires and said this is normally just the first point the 3rd stop at before marching on but they had thought they should wait for them to catch up. Its been known as first point ever since. Now anyone joining the 3rd makes the march, so welcome to the 3rd gentlemen, now get our camp up!"

Relieved that Capt. Argor wont be calling you all girls for the rest of the march you all set up camp and get some fires going. You're just settling down beside your fire to have supper when a couple of other come over and join you.

"Hey there mind if we join you?"

You nod to a rock near the fire "Of course."

After sitting and eating for a minute one of the men turns to you, "We should be honest with you, we didn't join you just for the company this evening. We have had something on our minds recently and thought you might be thinking the same things as us." After a pause where he looks carefully at your expression he starts again "We are concerned about just how fast the war is going, how one-sided it is and maybe even some of the stories about why it started. We asked about it quietly before and the commander just told us its because we were better prepared than before and broke their defense lines. What do you think?"

You think slowly before the reply


[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 quickly leave and return home

[Assistant] This must be the creature that made the horrible noise. You know if you get any closer, crucifix or not, it'll slaughter you. You turn, and quickly return home.

[User] You continue

[Assistant]
Labor and Duty

You never do see the figure again. You venture out looking for it a few more times, with father alongside you, of course, but you never do. Maybe it just found a new hunting ground, or whatever this place was to it. No bother. As you grow taller, stronger and smarter, father assures you that soon, it'll be time for you to finally leave and get your own home, your own wife, and your own family.

You suppose he's write. It's your duty to God and nation to build a strong family like that which raised you. That's what expected of you, and that's what you'll do.


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

[User] You play up your new image because now you finally have some attention!

[Assistant]
Ah ha, so you weren't really depressed after all, you were just looking for attention! Way to be a manipulative little bastard. Still, whatever works right?

In playing up to your new image you begin to say really creepy shit….

You go up to a group of jocks and ask them if they ever worry about someone putting poison in their water bottles.
You tell a teacher you couldn't complete your assignment on time because you've been having ongoing wet dreams about your Mom.
You go up to a group of girls and tell them that their hair smells so pretty and how you would like to cut off some of it to hang from your bedroom ceiling.

And similar macabre stuff. You of course think all of this is incredibly funny and think yourself as being incredibly clever for coming up with this "amazing" plan for attention.

You completely succeed in your endeavor and have increased your infamy tenfold. Of course now you aren't just the "creepy guy" you're now the "scary ticking time bomb" People are genuinely getting afraid of you, of course there's ALWAYS that element that thinks it's "cool".

As a result you start attracting like minded individuals… well not quite. Mainly because the difference between you and them is that you're just faking for the most part, while these miscreants are genuinely fucked up in the head. Still they're the closest thing you have to friends so you hang out with them.

All of you tend to hang out and talk about all the people you don't like and all the minor slights you've perceived (Real or imagined) A lot of them start talking about how they wish they could "punish" all their "enemies". Soon these talks begin to increase as you all play more violent video games, listen to heavy metal music and watch horror movies; all which are undoubtedly pushing you all in a more aggressive nature. Then one of your new trench coat buddies, Anthony, finally gets the motivation. He mentions how his Dad has a bunch of rifles and pistols. He then mentions how you ALL should start planning to carry out your revenge by next month.

What started out as a cry for attention for you has developed into something else entirely. Part of you does flirt with this idea though. You mean there are a lot of people you don't really like at school…

[User] You go ahead with the plan

[Assistant]
Yeah! You're going to teach all those assholes a lesson! You know how much they all talk about you behind your back! Well that's going to stop soon! Forever!

You and your crew of outcast sociopaths begin your plan. You map out the entire school and where the exit points are, the best time of day to start, the most populated areas, etc.

The DAY soon arrives and you go over to Anthony's house instead of going to school that morning. The gang's all there ready to creative major mayhem, and you're ready to join them. As you take the sub-machine gun, you're wondering where Anthony's parents are.

"They're lying upstairs in bed with their heads blown off, where do you think?" he remarks.

You all pile into the car with enough weaponry and ammo to take out a small army and drive to the school. You ain't going out like those Columbine losers. You got shit more planned out than they did. You definitely have plans to escape afterwards. You can live on the run, and when you get to Mexico, you'll be home free!

Of course all your "grand plans" go to shit when you actually get there. Not that you really had things as organized like you delusionally believed anyway.

First of all, one your buddies is so hot on killing people, he starts blasting folks as soon as he gets out of the car, meaning he ruins your advantage and now you have to go around trying to chase people down to kill them. Most of the people you REALLY wanted to kill escape and you have to settle for innocents…well nobody's innocent in your deranged eyes, but they didn't actually do anything to you, so some of the joy is lost.

Second of all, your other buddy who thought he was a bomb expert must've read the instructions wrong on the "Freedom Fighters against Zionism" website he was studying. The moment he attempts to light up one of these home made bombs he blows up his fucking arm and half of his face. He doesn't even have time to scream out in pain before his half fried body hits the ground in a bloody mess. Still it was pretty cool though!

Finally it's just you and Anthony mowing down some of the Special Ed kids since they were too idiotic to escape in time and just panicked by running around in a circle. By this time the police have arrived and killed all your other friends, and you end up killing Anthony since you figure anyone who would kill retards is not to be trusted.

You briefly entertain the idea of killing yourself, since it's a pretty hopeless situation you're in. But you remember a scene from a movie where the guy shot it out with the cops and took out a shitload of them before he died and how cool that was, so you decide to do that instead.

The moment you come out of the school, a SWAT member snipes you in the head from a nearby building.

The moral of the story?

Yeah, being creepy and talking like a psychopath can be fun, but when you start believing your own hype you're just being a fucktard. Seriously, what were you going to gain from killing a bunch of worthless jocks and cheerleaders? Life on the run? Being a gay porno star in Mexico to help support yourself? Yeah right, you can't even sleep without a nightlight on! You couldn't even do the mass killing right anyway, since you missed most of your primary targets. They'll all go on with their lives and probably make money from the ordeal due to exploiting public sympathies and you'll be worm food.

But you REALLY showed them all didn't you?

And now you know!


[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] The passion still burns within you. You won't let go. You'll fight until every bone is broken and your last drop of blood has spilled.

[Assistant]
No. You won't go quietly. That fire, deep within your soul, it still burns as bright as it ever did. And no two-bit marauders will extinguish it. You swing with more force than you ever have before, take more punishment than you ever have before. Throwing caution to the wind as you try to take down as many of these bastards as you can.

After a while, you think you finally land a hit on their leader, and one hit is all you need. You can tell it's him by the glint of silver decorating his armor. When you land that blow, the others lose their fighting spirit. You plant your sword into the ground, panting as you catch your breath. Then, you turn to them with a sudden jerk of your head, a twisted grin on your face.

"Well? What are you waiting for?"

They stare at you with shock and awe written on their faces. There's only about 16 left. One steps forward. "You... Killed our leader! And most of our band!"

"And I'll kill you too!" You bare your teeth at them for full effect.

Then, they fall to their knees and lay their faces on the ground. You stare at them, still thirsting for blood on your blade. One of them begins to yell, "Lead us into battle, worthy warrior! You've proven that you can kill dozens of men and carry on!"

They're offering you the now vacant spot as their leader.

[User] You you've nothing better to do. You'll take it.

[Assistant]
You stare at them. Then, you grin. "Get your faces out of the mud. We've got a job to do." They all rise up from their bowing position, staring at you uncertainly. Your unsettling grin puts them even more on edge. "One of you! Patch up my wounds. We'll make camp for the night, then set out at dawn. We need to recruit more soldiers, then we'll see about raiding a town."

They all nod. Most of them begin to set up their tents, while others loot the bodies for any valuables. One of them comes over to you and sets to work on your wounds, he tells you he was a healer once upon a time, but grew bored of his life. He desired excitement, so he joined up with a band of raiders.

Perhaps this is what you needed. Excitement. And leading a band of raiders? Just your style.

Sunrise comes, and you set off into the world with your newfound band.

THE END


[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 say "How did you get your name?"

[Assistant] "Found it scrawled in a tome that was dropped out in the trash, back when they let us be rather than freezing us. "Cain" is a lot easier to remember than the Subject however many numbers," Cain says.


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

[User] You go it alone

[Assistant]
You're not paying him shit, this is probably some sort of set up.

"Yeah, I think I'm good on my own." You say.
"Grm. Suit yerself." Warts says and then without another word he disappears back into the forest. You thought for sure he'd at least try to lower his price if you declined his help, but you guess not.

In any case you still aren't sure of which way to go, so you gamble and just pick a path that looks the most promising. You figure you could always backtrack if feels like you're going the wrong way. (You hope)

You walk along your chosen path for a while, still keeping an eye out for any potential ambushes. In fact you don't even walk directly on the path, you mostly just stick close like you were following a river.

Speaking of which you eventually come across a real river with a bridge and everything. There even looks to be a sign post nearby, which makes you think that you are probably going in the right direction.

Unfortunately it also looks like a group of four bandits has boldly decided to set up a blockade of sorts here. They haven't seen you yet, so that's at least one good thing in your favor. Of course while you only see four bandits, who knows if there are more hiding nearby with bows or something. In fact you probably shouldn't linger here too long. You slink away and head upstream hoping you'll find another way. (And not get too lost in the process)

You don't have too much luck for the most part, but then you see one area where the water looks low enough to cross. You decide to make the attempt.

All goes well until it turns out the water wasn't as low as you thought and you're now knee deep in it. You're already a third way across however and you press on.

By the time the water is nearly up to your chest, the current begins to pull you and you're soon not walking across the river bottom anymore. You try to maintain control of the situation, but the current is swifter than you anticipated, not to mention you don't know how to swim.

You're fortunate in that you don't get pulled too far downstream or go completely underwater before you manage to grab hold of a rock which is close enough to the other side that you pull yourself to the other side of the river bank.

Your possessions are another story however. You've lost your coin bag, along with the pistol you just managed to acquire. About the only thing you have left is your dagger. You curse your luck along with the forest, the river and your situation in general. After releasing a torrent of swearing, you move on.

Eventually night falls and along with now being cold and wet, you're also starting to feel tired. You aren't even sure if you're heading in the right direction anymore since you got a bit discombobulated when you were struggling not to drown.

Still, you press on and that's when you think you see a slight respite in this mess.

You see a cabin, though probably an abandoned one as there is no light coming from it. You just hope there isn't anyone or anything lurking inside.

You cautiously approach the cabin and while you have a feeling of unease the entire time, when you explore around it, you don't find anything out of the ordinary. Of course it is dark, so maybe you're missing something, but so far it doesn't look like anyone is making camp here.

As soon as you try the door though all your senses start to scream danger and you draw your dagger and spin around. You are met with the sight of a man in a robe standing nearby. It's hard to see his face, but the light of the moon shows he's a lot older than you.

You lift your dagger up in a defensive stance, but the man isn't moving.

"Put that away son, it wouldn't do you any good again me or anything else out around here I'd wager. In fact you shouldn't even be around this cabin. Bad things happen here." The man says.
"Yeah? Well what're you doing out here then?" you ask.
"Good help is hard to find nowadays. What's your story, you look a little worse for wear."
"What's it to you?"
"Sheesh, just trying to make conversation. You don't look like one of the many bandits out here. You ain't green, so you aren't hobgoblin. Can't see any points in those ears, so not an elf either. Given your age though, what you do look like is a lost lamb in the woods. Is that what you are?"
"No and I'm doing just fine out here."
"Bullshit, kid. You look like a half drowned rat. What'd you do, fall in the river?" he says and starts to step forward.

"Get the fuck back old man! I'm no damn lamb in the woods, I've killed people!" you say thrusting your dagger in his direction a bit.
"Is that right? Hmm, perhaps you could be useful. You just a fighter? You got any other skills?"
"Yeah…I mean what the hell you wanna know for?"
"Because as I said, good help is hard to find and I got a lot of tasks that need doing. Now I know you're lost out here, but I'll tell ya what, I'll get you out of this forest and set you up with a place to stay and whatever else you might need if you help me in my tasks."
"No thanks, I already killed one old pervert in exchange for his so called help."
"Well that explains why you're so mistrustful. Look kid, I barely even think about that anymore and you don't have the right equipment anyway. I'm a wizard and I do a lot research and experiments. Unfortunately, the material that I sometimes need requires me to come outside which I'd rather not do. I used to have an apprentice of sorts to help out on that front, but well let's just say shit happens."
"A wizard that does experiments? And how do I know that I'm not going to be one of those experiments?"
"Because if I wanted you for that purpose, I would have already cast a spell to immobilize you and taken you back to my place already. I'm just looking for someone to help me do the grunt work I don't want to be bothered to do. I can also promise to pay you, if saving your life just isn't good enough."
"How much?"
"We can discuss that later, but I need to know if you want the job, because I'm not staying out here all night."
"Well where is your place? Holgard?"
"Pfft, not that cess pit. Though it isn't too far from there."
"How far is it?"
"Oh, don't worry about that, I can get us there real quick. So you in or not?"

[User] You go with the wizard

[Assistant]
"(Sigh) It seems like I don't have that much of a choice seeing as I'm pretty fucked out here." You say.
"So that's a yes I take it?" the wizard remarks.
"Yeah, I'll accept your help."
"Great, now hold still."

Before you even know what's happening, a bright light flashes before your eyes and encompasses you. You're blind for a few moments and then when you open your eyes again, you find yourself in a room with fancy paintings, expensive furniture and some heads of creatures unknown to you.

Just as you're admiring the new view, you're spun around and find yourself face to face with your "savior." He briefly grabs your left wrist and you feel a tingling sensation on it. Needless to say you pull away and step back.

"What the fuck?!" you exclaim rubbing your wrist.
"Really, I hardly think that's anyway to talk to the man who just saved your life." The wizard remarks

Your wrist stops tingling and when you look down at it, you notice a new little symbol on your skin that resembles an eight.

"What the hell did you just do to me?" you ask.
"Nothing bad I assure you, but I suppose much like you I'm a bit on the mistrustful side, so I wanted to secure the agreement we made." The wizard says.
"What did you DO?"
"Put a geas on you. Don't worry though you still have lots of freedom."
"What the hell's a geas? And what do you mean by I still have lots of freedom? Did you just magically enslave me or some shit?!"
"(Sigh) I hate it when it's put like that. I suppose if you want to look at it that way, then yes. I'm the only one who can take it off though so you might as well not kick up about it."
"Oh? Well I can imagine the spell also doesn't work when you're dead either." You say and draw your dagger.

However as soon as you do, you feel as if you've been dealt a hefty kick to the crotch. You fall to the floor holding on to your nether regions.

"That was a very silly thing to do. Even if I couldn't blast you into ash before you'd even reach me with that pig sticker, the geas prevents you from harming me in the first place. You're just lucky I'm not fond of pointless cruelty. Most of the time when one tries to directly defy a geas, it causes extreme pain throughout your entire body. I altered the spell of course." The wizard remarks.
"So I'm supposed to be glad you're only magically kicking me in the balls instead?" you ask as the pain slowly begins to fade.

The wizard at this point puts a hand to his face and shakes his head. He paces a bit and then speaks again.

"Okay look, let's start over. Hello my name's Ral and I'm your new employer until I feel our contract is done. In return for your service, you will receive lodgings and food. Quality lodgings too I might add. I will also provide whatever equipment you need for whatever task I send you on. If I don't have it, well I'll provide coin so you can go buy whatever you need at that cess pit Holgard which as I mentioned I don't live too far from."

Ral pauses a bit before continuing.

"Now before you start arguing with me again, let me tell you about the exact nature of your geas. First of all, you've still got all the freedom you want. You want to leave my home and go drown your sorrows in whores and booze, go right ahead. Holgard's just a couple days away and I'm not going to stop you. In fact you can go on a three-day bender if you want, but after that, I'd advise you to start making your way back before you start feeling the effects of the spell. The pain will start in your genitals as you've already experienced, but the longer you resist, the geas is going to start taking on a more traditional role and you will feel that pain all over your body. Depending on your constitution you MIGHT be able to last up to three weeks of defiance. No more than that though and you really don't want to know what happens."
"What happens if something else prevents me from reaching you or I'm otherwise detained?"
"Well I suggest you don't let it detain you for over a week."
"That's fucking bullshit. You claim I got all this freedom, but you've just stated I'm practically tethered to the area!"
"Y'know I would have thought someone in your situation would see this as an opportunity, not a reason to complain. Not to mention being grateful that I just saved your life. Despite your boasts of being a killer, you stink more of common thief. You're on the youngish side, so you were probably originally from a boring small backwoods town and going to Holgard to make a name for yourself or whatever. Well guess what? You would have been just one of many cutthroat vagabond thugs there. Your chances of succeeding would have been minute at best. If the Ebony Claw Syndicate didn't do away with you for encroaching on their territory, they would have used you up and spat you out if you were dumb enough to join them. Not to mention the whole city is a mass riot waiting to happen. Mark my words, you'll be thanking me that I did you this favor by next year."

At this point Ral tells you he's done speaking on this matter right now as he has important work to get back to. He tells you the lay out of his home, where your bedroom is and how you can help yourself to whatever food and drink you want in the kitchen. His home is your home as he puts it.

He then mentions that Holgard is west of his home if you need to go there. He also says there's a small village called Dert to the east as well which is actually a lot closer, but his opinion of that place is even lower. From his descriptions, it sounds similar to your hometown, but smaller, poorer and even more insular.

"I'll give you a month to get accustomed to the surrounding area and your situation, but I fully expect you to be ready to perform my tasks by that time, and none of this ungratefulness any longer." He says and then leaves you alone in his living room.

You just slump down in one of the cushy chairs and despair at your new situation. Your eyes wander the room for a bit until they fixate on one of the stuffed creature heads.

"Well at least my head isn't up on a wall yet I guess." You say with a sigh.

[User] You time passes...

[Assistant]
Chapter 2C: Indentured Servitude

Year 17

A year.

A year of this magical slavery has passed already and you're far from thanking Ral for this despite what he told you. It hasn't been as bad as it could be, but it certainly could be a hell of a lot better.

Boredom and tedium are the main enemies mainly because Ral has you doing an endless amount of mundane tasks such as cleaning his home or gathering shit for him and unfortunately, that usually consists of various plants in the forest. Which you suppose has made you a bit more knowledgeable about the outdoors, but that isn't exactly knowledge you ever desired!

If you're lucky, he'll send you to Holgard to acquire something and that's really the only time you bother going to that city. Only having a week of "slack" doesn't give you a whole lot of time to go venturing out to Holgard like you probably would on a regular basis. Two days to get there, two day back. It's hardly worth it most of the time hence why you tend to do all your thievery during these mundane trips.

The thing is, you don't even really need to steal anything since everything is provided for you. You aren't really doing it for the thrills either because you're forever pissed about your situation. You're more or less doing it just to stay in practice. The only good thing is you believe your time there is so infrequent and your mark so insignificant, that you haven't ever drawn the ire or even the attention of any of the other criminal organizations in Holgard, let alone what passes for the law there.

Sometimes you'll go to Dert to "practice" though you don't really like to mainly because there's no challenge. You suppose it's just as well as you just doing it to keep your skills from rusting, because you certainly wouldn't be getting rich from taking anything from those poor bastards that live there.

The people there aren't exactly welcoming to you either and you feel like you're going to get lynched at any time. If that ever actually figured it out that you've been stealing from the place as opposed to passing yourself off as a "herbalist." (All that time gathering plants has at least come in handy for something)

You've been trying to figure out some way of escape, but there doesn't seem to be anything for it. You actually did disappear for more than a week once, but you returned pretty quickly after two days of increasing pain. You can't imagine what you would have felt any longer than that. Ral didn't even seem fussed that you attempted it.

Killing Ral is out of the question since about the only thing you can do is briefly think about it on occasion. You've wondered if he has anything lying around that could break the spell, but even if you got lucky and found something of Ral's that could help you (and could actually figure out how to use it), Ral keeps important rooms like his lab and his library magically locked. (And who knows what other protection he has)

So you're stuck for now. In the meantime…

"Ah, you're here good." Ral says poking his head into your room
"Where else would I be? Not like I can go too far. Can't you just track my location with the spell anyway?" You say.
"More or less, but considering it's easy enough for me to just peek in the rooms of the house you have access to, I didn't really see the need to do it immediately. Anyway, I have a job for you."
"I just gathered a bunch of plants for you yesterday!"
"I'm actually in need something on the rarer side, that's harder to get a hold of, I need you to get a plant called gray blossom. Fortunately I know someone who has it. Unfortunately, they probably won't be willing to give it up very easily."
"Oh? So I'm actually going to use my natural talents for a change?"
"In a manner of speaking yes, though if you can steal from a vampire, I'd be very impressed."
"Did you just say vampire?"
"Yes, she's the only person I know that has the plant that I need for my experiments. Or at least within the area and least amount of trouble to get it.

Easy for him to say, he isn't the one that has to get it.

"I'm sure you're aware that dismal village Dert has that huge graveyard not far from it, well she lives in one of the old crypts there. Now if you really feel your skills are up to the task, you could try to sneak in there while she's asleep during the day and get the gray blossom, but I had a more conventional trade in mind." Ral says and then produces a jar of red liquid. You can already take a guess what it is.

"Wait, she'll just readily accept a jar of blood as payment?" you ask.
"This isn't just regular blood, it's a jar of sprite blood. She loves the stuff." Ral answers
"Aren't sprites really small? Looks like a lot of blood for a sprite."
"Obviously that's because it's at least thirty of the little buggers. Now Isabella will probably try to use her vampire abilities on you like mesmerism, but don't worry, that spell you hate so much will keep you perfectly safe from such attempts at charm or mind control."
"Oh yeah? Well what if she decides to just rip my head off instead?"
"No it wouldn't protect you from that of course. Though she doesn't just go around killing people on a whim, indeed that's why Dert still exists at all. This is also why I'm suggesting that you just give her this blood for the blossom. She might be difficult and try to barter with you or even imply violence if she got up on the wrong side of the coffin, but she's not likely to just kill you. If she catches you stealing however, well her violent reaction is going to be on you."
"Not sure if that wouldn't be an improvement on my current situation." You remark.

"You'll find her in a mausoleum that says Mablava at the top front of it. From there, you'll have to fumble around and find the secret button revealing the stairs that lead to the underground crypt where she makes her home proper. I think it's somewhere on the bottom right wall. It's been awhile. Anyway, I'm sure you'll find it. I'd advise you to announce your presence and state your business right away before you even descend. Probably would be best to do this at dusk when she's just getting up. If you do it in the day, she'll be asleep and she won't be pleased about you disturbing her slumber. If you wait until night, you might miss her since she might have left her home. Now assuming you didn't piss her off, I'll expect you back fairly soon. Off you go."

Having given you your orders and the sprite blood, Ral starts to take his leave as if nothing else needs to be said, but you still have some concerns.

"Hey wait! That's it? I mean shouldn't you be giving me some magical weapon, or something silver at least?" you ask.
"What for? Wouldn't do you any good anyway. Do you even know anything about vampires, or just what you've heard from stories? Look, if I actually thought your life was in any real danger, I'd provide you with either the proper equipment or the coin so you could go buy it. I dare say even if you do something foolish like try to steal from her and get caught, if you drop my name she'll probably still let you off the hook, though perhaps with a nasty scar. This should be a simple enough task that you aren't going to have any difficulties." Ral says.

You don't bother arguing any more since you know Ral's made his mind up and is barking the orders that you're going to have to obey anyway. You can only hope he's correct about his vampire associate.

You make your way to Dert, which doesn't take long. By the time you which the vicinity of the area, it's still day time which means you still have time to spare waiting around before meeting up with this Isabella. Since you don't especially feel like putting up with suspicious dumb ass yokels today, you decide that you'll just head straight to the graveyard and wait there.

When you arrive, you never realized just how damn big the place was as you've only ever glanced at it from afar and certainly never had any reason to go there. In fact, it's almost the same size as Dert itself, in fact, it may even be the same size. You can't imagine why the village would need that big of a graveyard. Was Dert bigger at one point? Plague perhaps?

In any case you spend some time looking for the mausoleum and eventually you find it. It isn't very big; though you imagine that underneath it is where all the space is. Must be for a family, though they must have been richer than everyone else in that village. This all makes you wonder if Isabella is an original inhabitant of this village or maybe she's just making her home her in this place.

You also start wondering if there are other creatures potentially lurking about here. Ghouls? Ghosts? You haven't seen or heard anything since you've got here and the entire place has been as empty and silent as a well…tomb.

As you creep yourself out, you're getting less enthusiastic about just hanging around a graveyard waiting for night to come. Maybe you should just steal the gray blossom now while day still exists.

[User] You steal the Gray Blossom

[Assistant]
Meeting a vampire at night just seems like a bad idea even if you were properly prepared. No, you're going to go with your instinct on this rather than Ral's suggestions.

You begin looking for the secret button on the right wall. As it turns out, this uses up a lot of time because you have a hell of a time finding the damn thing since it's in a near inaccessible place behind a solid stone sarcophagus. At this point you're hoping you get out before the sun sets.

After stretching and reaching for the thing, you hear a click and a section of the floor on the left side opens up. You look down, but only see a dimly lit stairway, which you hope doesn't lead you through some catacomb maze.

When you get to the bottom, you find a better-lit crypt that is fairly clean all things considered. You see several sturdy coffins lining the walls and you can also smell a faint whiff of some sort of flower. Nobody is here, though you see another entryway, which looks like it leads further into the bowels of this place.

As much as you don't like the idea, you'll have to go further in because there doesn't seem to be any plant life here or at least none that resembles what you were tasked to find.

You go through a long corridor which occasionally has smaller rooms off to the side, but you don't find much in any save for some neatly placed furnishings. Other than the coffins you already passed you haven't seen anything else like that, so you aren't sure if this Isabella sleeps in one of those and you already passed her or she's deeper within this place. Either way, you just want to be out of here before she wakes up.

You continue further and unfortunately just like you thought you start getting to forks in path. Still not knowing where to look, you just pick a path and hope for the best.

You eventually come to a room, you sort of wish you hadn't. You see several naked people chained up and the room stained with blood. The people aren't screaming or calling for help though. They're just standing there in a trance condition. You can only guess this must be some sort of feeding room for Isabella. You don't linger too long.

You continue to go through twisting corridors, which increasingly start becoming less "polished" with a lot less torches and you also feel like you're starting to go deeper underground. You're starting to feel like you're not going to find what you're looking for if you keep heading this way, so you decide to turn back.

And then you suddenly stop when you hear a voice coming from the direction that you are currently heading:

"I know someone is here, lurking about in my home. Hope you're a very well prepared group of adventurers or skilled vampire hunters because it's not going to be good when I eventually find you. And I WILL find you."

You genuinely piss yourself at that point and in desperation you immediately run back into darkness. You have no idea where you're going and you end up stumbling and tripping quite a bit as you make your hopeless escape.

"Only one of you huh? That was quite foolish. You realize that you're making a lot of noise correct? I'm a lot faster than you are and know my home better than you do, if I wanted to catch you right now, I could. You should probably save yourself time and just sit put. If you do, I'll promise to make it quick and not keep you around as a blood slave." You hear Isabella's voice say. You don't know how close she is now, but she doesn't sound as far away as before.

Alone, scared and in pitch darkness, you scream out.

"Isabella, please! I don't want to die! Have mercy!"
"Don't want to die? Then why the hell did you intrude on my home in the way you did? In fact, how the hell do you know my name or even how to get in here in the first place?"
"Ral! Ral sent me! He even gave me a gift to give to you!"

There is silence for a moment.

"Ah, that explains some of this then. The old bastard must want something from me, and he sent a lackey to do the job. However, he must either not value your life or he's gotten forgetful in his old age, because I can't imagine that he would have told you to come wandering down here without at least announcing yourself."
"He did! He did!"
"Oh? Then YOU must be stupid or not a very good servant to Ral if you didn't follow his instructions. Either way, I don't think he's going to miss you. This might have gone very differently had you not rudely trespassed on my domain. Don't bother begging anymore, I'm not listening."

With this confirmation that you are well and truly fucked, you gather your remaining strength and continue to run blindly in the dark. You're stopped when you hit something. It isn't a wall though, it's softer than that, but much deadlier.

It's pitch dark, but even at this close range, you see the faint glow of inhuman eyes along with pearly white teeth that sink right into your neck.

The life literally drains from your body as Isabella feeds upon you.


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

[User] You try talk to her

[Assistant]
"Look, please, listen to me," you say.

"Fuck off!" she shouts.

"I don't need you to trust me, just listen! For..."

"I said, fuck off!" she shouts again.

"Listen!" you say loudly, losing your patience. "Did you see those fucking vampires?!"

The girl stares at you, still defiant, but quiet.

"If we want to get out of this, we need to work together. I don't care how much you hate me for doing what I did to you, but we need to."

"You work for the vampires," she says.

"I work for that one," you say, nodding towards Count Grey. "The others killed him, and now they want to kill me... and you. We're on the same side here, understood?"

The girl pauses, before slowly nodding.

"If I let you up, you won't try anything?" you ask.

"Give me my knife," she replies.

"I can't trust you," you say.

"I can't trust you either," she says.

You sigh, before handing the knife back. She grabs it from your, staring at her reflection in the blade for a brief moment, looking as if contemplating attacks, before looking at you.

"What's the plan?" she asks.

"I don't know. We need to... Haygarth," you say. "We need to find him. He should be in the stables. He knows this place better than anyone. He'll have keys, know secret tunnels, know everything."

"Let's go, then," Dasha says.


[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 get the hell out of there

[Assistant]
You haven't survived this long by being stupid and springing to your feet you race through the door out of the room. The shots continue to ring out behind you ending in the sound of a body hitting the floor - later you will learn that Charley's brother Bob has killed Wood Hite. Making it to your horse in the Farm's stable you hastily mount up and ride away. For the rest of the winter you live in hiding in Missouri, not emerging until the winter. In the meantime the James Gang is destroyed.

First Dick and Charley, fearful of Jesse's revenge after killing his cousin Wood, surrender to the law. They tell them where they can find Clarence Hite who is arrested in his hotel in Adairville. Finally Bob Ford murders Jesse James, shooting him in the back of the head while your friend hangs a picture on the wall. Stunned to hear the legendary outlaw is dead you make your way to Tennessee where the other remaining survivor of the gang, Frank James is still living.

[User] The end of the James Gang

[Assistant]
Frank is in shock when you join him in Tennessee: like you he finds it impossible to believe that Jesse James, America's greatest bank robber and survivor of so many gunfights and robberies, is dead. As you spend the summer hiding out in Tennessee Frank grows increasingly pessimistic.

"They'll kill us next you know Bill," he tells you one day. "I'm going back to Missouri to surrender. I figure if I surrender myself they might go easy on me, it's either that or keep running until they catch or kill me. I've got no choice. What are you going to do Bill? I suppose you could make a run down to Mexico or up to Canada or some place where the law ain't got no jurisdiction. But I reckon they'll still get you in the end, just like they got Jesse."

You carefully mull over what to do.

[User] You go with Frank to Missouri to surrender

[Assistant]
You and Frank make your way to Jefferson City, Missouri where friends of Frank have arranged both of your surrenders to Governor Crittenden of Missouri himself. When you meet the Governor you both hand your guns over to him, Frank commenting that it is the first time in twenty-one years since the start of the American Civil War that he has surrendered his gun to anyone.

"We have spent our last twenty-one years on the run," you tell him. "We have been hunted day and night, never able to rest in case every sound is an approaching posse or some lawman on our trail. It will be a massive relief to finally be able to rest."

The two of you are placed in custody and the next three years and taken over by a long series of trials in which Clarence Hite, Charley Ford and Dick Liddil all testify. Despite the many charges laid against you and the mound of testimony by some miracle you and Frank manage to argue your way into acquittal on all the charges and in the spring of 1885 you are finally pardoned of all your crimes and allowed to go free, a truly incredible result!

[User] One last enemy

[Assistant]
By the 1890's as you enter your fifties it seems that you have put your outlaw past behind you and become a respectable citizen. You have little touch with your former fellow Outlaws: Jesse James, John Younger, Clell Miller, John Jarette, Charlie Pitts, Wood Hite, Bill Chadwell, Oll Shepherd, Little Arch Clement, Bud McDaniels and Tom McDaniels are all dead. Bob Younger and Clarence Hite are dead too, claimed by tuberculosis while Charley Ford has shot himself, overwhelmed by guilt for his role in Jesse's death. Tom Webb, Bill Ryan, Tucker Bassham and Hoobs Kerry all vanished after their release from prison while Cole Younger and Jim Younger are still incarcerated. That leaves just yourself, Frank James, George Shepherd and Dick Liddil alive on the outside, and naturally you have little contact with the last two.

You do see the face of an enemy one summer day when you are in a little town called Creede in Colorado to transact some business. Bob Ford, the man who murdered your friend Jesse, owns a saloon in town and you recognize him in the street. Hatred fills you and you strongly consider killing the man who killed your friend. Doing so would of course put you back outside the law again but it would be a fitting revenge after he betrayed and murdered Jesse James.

You carefully consider what to do.

[User] You buy a gun and kill Bob Ford

[Assistant]
Making your way to a nearby gun store you buy a shotgun. After loading and cocking the gun you enter Bob Ford's saloon to find the man you are looking for standing at the bar with his back to you. "Hello Bob," you call out and the young man turns around. Raising the shotgun you fire both barrels directly into his throat, nearly blowing his head off. As Bob Ford is blasted to the floor everyone in the saloon stares at you in stunned silence as you slowly lower the shotgun.

"That's for Jesse James," you declare.

You surrender without a struggle and after a short trial you are naturally found guilty of murder. The Judge takes a very lenient view of the killing and you are sentenced to just nine years imprisonment, being released in 1901. You never regret the killing of Bob Ford.

[User] The end of the story

[Assistant]
The year of 1901 brings two pieces of good news for you: first the traitor Dick Liddil dies of a heart attack and then finally Cole and Jim Younger are released from prison after serving the full term of their twenty-five year sentences. Jim struggles to adjust and when his parole conditions don't allow him to marry the woman he loves he commits suicide a year after his release from prison, a tragic end to a life beset by tragedies. Cole does better, reuniting with you and Frank James.

For several years the three of you travel around the Old West in various exhibitions and shows, earning a bit of money from your notoriety. The days of the horseback outlaw are truly over now with fictional accounts of your crimes told in awful Dime Novels, songs and in the revolutionary new moving picture films. Your infamy is never far away and one day when the three of you have some business to transact in a bank Cole suddenly stops you.

"If the tellers see Frank James, Cole Younger and Bill Grey walk into their bank they are liable to start shooting," he points out.

The years pass and the last actors leave the stage: Frank dies in 1915 and Cole in 1916. The death of one time gang member George Shepherd in 1917 leaves you the last surviving member of the James Gang, now well into your seventies you continue to live in your native Missouri which is peaceful now. The young folks don't believe you when you tell them tales of whizzing bullets, thrilling horseback rides and the screams of dying men in the dust. They don't believe you when you say you rode with the best: the daring Younger Brothers and the best bandits of them all, the legendary outlaws Frank and Jesse James.

CONGRATULATIONS, YOU HAVE EARNED THE HIDDEN SURVIVOR BONUS OF 100,000 WHICH WILL BE ADDED TO YOUR SCORE AND VISIBLE TO OTHERS IF YOU LEAVE A COMMENT.

THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME TO PLAY MY GAME.

[User] You click here if you are interested in how you wrote this

[Assistant]
Jesse James stands alongside Billy the Kid and John Wesley Hardin as one of the foremost outlaws of the Old West thanks in part to his actions and in part to his legend, which Jesse actively worked on and promoted during his lifetime. Jesse was genuinely a bank robber of outstanding ability, the James-Younger Gang's successful record would not be beaten until the rise of Butch Cassidy's Hole in the Wall Gang in the 1890's. Jesse had a reputation as a Southern Robin Hood and a deadly gunfighter of outstanding ability.

In truth most of the men Jesse and his gang shot and killed were unarmed and you certainly wouldn't have wanted to be in a bank when he and his pals came through the door. Many of their killings were random and pointless and Jesse rarely had much stomach for a fight once people started shooting back at him. Far from being a Robin Hood Jesse and his friends never shared their money with anyone except their immediate friends and family, in fact most of the banks and trains he robbed contained the money of his fellow Southern men in Missouri and other states.

But Jesse has been kind to Jesse in part because of the fun alliteration of his name and in part because of his legend. Jesse promoted himself in a way his somber brother Frank or the cautious Cole Younger never did and he couldn't care less about the people he hurt along the way. As one historian pointed out people tended to look at this legendary figure of Jesse James, they rarely spent time looking into the details of all the killings and robberies that put him on this pedestal.

Researching outlaws is always fun and easy, building up a timeline of their activities provides a natural framework to build the story up around, all that really needs to be fleshed out are the characters of the outlaws themselves and the details of the gunfights which were genuinely dramatic and exciting. I think Cole Younger riding back into Northfield towards a dozen people shooting at him to rescue his wounded brother Bob show that the historic truth can sometimes be more amazing than fiction, even great works of fiction like True Grit.

As I have timelines for every gang of American criminals including the Doolin-Dalton Gang, the Hole in the Wall Gang, John Dillinger, Bonnie and Clyde, Baby Face Nelson, Al Karpis and the Barkers, Pretty Boy Floyd and every other major outlaw gang of bank robbers between the years 1865 and 2015 I may write more sequels depending on how this story is received, though the slightly repetitive nature of the story (robbery, possible gunfight, hide out for a time with another possible gunfight or arrest attempt, robbery again etc etc) does concern me as does the fact the reader is encouraged to kill defenseless people to improve his or her score.

Still those people who really lived and really did so many incredible things may prove just too fascinating for me not to write about!


[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 quick March to the City

[Assistant]
You decide there isn't any other sensible option but to get to the city, and fast. You set off down the road at a fast walk and only stop to drink water from any streams or wells you see. You don't pass anyone else until a few days later you can see the city ahead in the far distance and collapse on the road exhausted.

Luckily you fell near a well used field and the farmers load you onto their cart and take you the rest of the way into the city with a piece of bread to try to nibble on.

Once inside the gates they leave you off and after you thank them profusely, they head back out to the fields. You use the last of your energy to get yourself through the now alien feeling streets to your old area of the city and are relived to find it almost completely unchanged. You go to an old way house you knew in the hopes that the same owner was still running the place.

As you walk in the door a man behind a bar looks up and stares right at you for a full minute before saying "Well this is some triumphant return, look at the state of you!"

You start to explain but the man cuts you off and sends you upstairs to a small room to clean and says to come down for some hot food when you no longer smell and look like a beaten up pile of crap.

Once cleaned up and with a good meal inside you you tell your old friend the whole story and and he gives you two options. Work has been going well for him so he could give you a small room and meals and hire you for a low wage till you get back on your feet or you could up into the Iron district where the merchants and barracks have been hiring recently.

[User] The Iron District

[Assistant] You know that there is the option to join the guards as they are hiring at the moment, you'll get a basic wage but you have a bunk in the barracks and 3 good meals a day. Or you can approach the guild or large mining companies with your experience and hope for a starter job with one of them.

[User] You head for the barracks as the guard seems like the fastest way to get a roof overhead and food in your belly.

[Assistant]
You talk to the guard Standing outside the barracks, the home of the city guards and he directs you round to the recruiters. The Captain there looks you over once and asks your story. You explain in light detail that you had been working the mines for years but after being robbed had nothing left so you thought the guards would be a good way to get back on your feet. He thinks for less than ten seconds before passing you a quill to sign on the line telling you that many men had joined for worse reasons and that they needed more men on patrol.

You sign up and after a few days initial training you're attached to a squad and send out for your first training duty. You have no weapons while in training but you are given city guard leather armor and helm and sent out for, as its summed up to you, "Stand behind the real guards in your armor and try not to look stupid for your first week". You manage this with flying colors (especially the not looking stupid part) then for your next training rotation your given a choice by your sergeant.

You can join the training squad patrolling old town docks, the "walk up and down in armor and not look stupid" shift as he puts it (since you wont be armed for at least a month).

Or the Iron district guard training squad, the "stand out of sight and don't interfere with the cites working people" shift.

[User] The dock patrole, at least you get to walk up and down...

[Assistant]
Well, you were right, you did indeed get to walk up and down and it was passable exercise...

Lets face it, its not what you wanted from your life, BUT after a couple more weeks you will become a full guard, proper wages and you get to have a better say in your shifts, not a bad job in all, just the training period to get through.

The week goes as fast as the first one and the roof over head and hearty hot meals three times a day doesn't hurt matters at all. You actually take a liking to the patrol there as you get to stop and chat to the sailors and vendors along the dockside. The sailors there are self policing as a rule so you rarely have to step in to do anything dangerous.

The weeks pass and as you become a fully fledged member of the guard you make the docks your regular patrol, its a lot longer of a walk from the barracks on the other side of the Iron district but you like the atmosphere and relaxed attitude of the work. The occasional sneak thief or pick pocket are the worst of the criminals on your watch and you get to know the locals on your rounds on a first name basis, you even have time and enough spare coin to stop in for drinks with your old friend on occasion after work and he seems happy about how you landed on your feet.

Its really actually starting to look up for you as time passes, you have some small savings building up again, a good job that keeps you fit and your making friends with the other guards and the locals, who like having the guards around even if they aren't usually needed. You even foster some ideas about trying to stay in the guards and move up the ranks as you watch the two large barges from Carn approaching the docks. You think they are approaching a little fast but with all the minor disputes lately they are probably just trying to bluster and throw their weight around with the smaller fishing boats near the dock.

Just as you think about their speed you see the barge furl sails and out oars to turn and think to yourself that you were right when you realize the other had gone full sail and had smoke rising from the deck. You rush to the dock edge with the other guards and a few sailors as you watch its accelerated approach. you all realize its going to ram the old wooden dock about the same time as you see a full scale fire burst out onto the deck. You quickly look for the other ship but it had reversed course and is making haste away from the docks.

The sailors run for their ships and try to get them off the docks and you start forcing the crowd of gawkers away from the danger area but with the burning ship under full sail with the wind off the sea its only a few seconds more before it plows into the old docks and tears through them, crashing into two warehouses as it runs aground.

You start to cry out a warning as you see the ship tilt to one side spilling burning barrels full of oils and tars. But they explode as they hit the ground taking all the barrels filling the ship with them in one huge fiery explosion. You don't even have time to turn away as the blast smashes you through buildings killing you instantly and starting a fire that would incinerate the whole of the Old District


[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 stay here and support the griffin knights with arrows

[Assistant]
Year 378 of the Second Era

You aren't going to flatter yourself. You firing a few arrows into the kobold horde below won't change anything, except perhaps where you die. Fighting on the forefront of the battle won't change anything either, and will almost definitely lead to your gruesome death. No, you aren't that powerful of an individual.

There is only one thing left. If you can manage to hit even just one of your shots on one of the kobold riders, then you could very well change the course of this battle. Killing a few kobold on the ground won't make that much of a difference, but if you can manage to help take down the wyverns, then the griffin knights will be free to help division one on the ground. At this point, victory relies on those knights. You only hope that you can help expedite that process.

You find a bow lying among the dead on the ramparts, along with a few arrows. The only thing left to decide is what you will aim at.

[User] You aim at the kobold riders

[Assistant]
Year 378 of the Second Era

Wyverns are beasts of terrible power, and their hides, while not as thick as dragon hide, will easily block your arrows. Better to aim at the riders, and have the wyverns panic with their riders dead. This would make the wyverns much easier to kill.

In theory.

The situation casts you into a state of wonderment. You never would have though that you'd be in a battle this large, let alone one with aerial combat, and you don't want it all to end here. You take your first arrow, notch it, and pull it back. You wouldn't get many decent shots here, and when the opportunity arises, you don't want to miss it, so you wait. The kobold riders ride low in their saddles, for some among their numbers (including the one you killed) have felt the sting of mankind's arrows. This makes finding a decent shot all the more difficult, but you're patient. After all, you only need one good shot to turn the tide in this battle.

You're left waiting for nearly a full minute before such an opportunity arises, and what the opportunity it is. One of the griffin riders, having been separated from the rest, rides past the wall only several feet away from you. A wyvern and its pair of riders give chase, and their passing by the wall gives you the perfect chance. You take aim at the kobold rider steering the beast, and release.

The Muses must have seen it fit to bless you this day, for your arrow strikes true. it hits the kobold rider and it goes flying from the saddle. You're about to leap with joy when an arrow pierces you through the chest, and you immediately fall to the ramparts wounded. It isn't a shot that kills you immediately, but blood is pouring out of your chest at an alarming rate, so you know you're about to die.

You only wish you could've seen Liliana one last time.


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

[User] You take Helen with you

[Assistant]
While you're very tempted to kill her, the immediate threat at hand does present the need for every possible person to help even if that means throwing Helen to the zombies to buy yourself time if you need to.

"Alright, get up Helen, let's go help Bobby." You say offering a hand to help her up.

Helen looks up at you and takes your hand trustingly. When she stands up, she starts to look relieved, then she tenses up again when you go to Bobby's clothing drawer to get the spare gun he mentioned yesterday.

"Relax, this is for the zombies, or whatever those things are." You say.
"Oh."
"Yeah, well don't look too relieved Helen. After this is over, me and you are going to settle up." You say.
"I…understand." Helen says while nodding.
"Okay then, you first." You say gesturing towards the door.
"Wait, aren't you going to change?" Helen asks.
"Huh? Oh. No, it's my fucking wedding day, why shouldn't I wear my dress?"
"Um, okay then."

Helen cautiously unlocks and opens the door. You both hear the sounds of gunfire and more glass breaking downstairs, this followed by shouting and inhuman growling.

"Suzy, I don't have a weapon." Helen remarks.
"Well I guess you're just going to have to trust me to protect you, because I'm certainly not giving you one." You say.

Defeated, Helen stops stalling and you both leave and proceed downstairs. (Making sure she's in front of you of course) The growling, shouting and the gunfire get louder. As you head towards the center of the house, Helen freezes up in fear.

"Helen, move your ass! We don't have…" you start to say and then suddenly one of the things bursts through the door in front of you and Helen. Helen screams and practically crumples to the floor in front of you in terror. Unfortunately for you the thing in question lunges over Helen and right at you!

You fall backwards and drop your gun in the process. You manage to keep it from biting your face off by at least pushing your forearms up across its neck. At this close range, it doesn't look rotten, just very dirty looking and crazed. Still, undead or not, you don't want to risk getting bit, let alone killed and eaten.

As you struggle with the creature on the floor, you briefly look desperately over the gun that you dropped and try to reach for it, but it's just out your grasp. The thing nearly bites you again and tightens its grip on your arms in an attempt to immobilize you. Even your knees to its groin don't help.

Then out the corner of your eye you see another hand reach for the gun.

"Shit." You say knowing that this isn't good.

Then a shot is fired into the side of the thing's head and blood splatters on you, the floor and partially on the nearby wall.

You try to pull yourself out from under the corpse, but at this range Helen isn't going to miss even if you could free yourself quickly.

You just give her a glaring look of hatred as she points the gun at you even if she does look like she doesn't want to do it.

"I knew I should've killed your treacherous ass." You say.
"I'm sorry Suzy, but I just can't trust you, anymore than you can trust me. I wish this could've been different." Helen responds

Before you have any more last words, Helen ends your life with several shots to your head.


[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 ignore him

[Assistant]
You turn away but seconds later you hear a gunshot and glancing back you find the young man shot through the head and lying motionless on the street. You turn away, this time just in time to see Clell get shot off his horse by a bullet fired from somewhere high. As you and Cole ride towards him and dismount Clell is in a bad way, lying on the ground with blood pouring from his face and shoulder. A quick check reveals he is indeed dead. Cole snatched up Clell's pistol and cartridge belt but as he does so a bullet hits his left leg.

Glancing up you think you can see the man who shot and killed Clell. He is standing at an upper-story window rapidly reloading a rifle in his hands. Though it is a very difficult shot you could try to kill him.


[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 go back to the hospital

[Assistant]
The hospital is probably a better bet. Besides you can get the higher quality stuff there. You doubt if you'll have that much of a problem getting the supplies too, it isn't an uncommon thing for a few things to go missing here and there.

"We better go back to the hospital, I'd rather be on the safe side."

"Good man, come on we'll take the carriage back to the hospital, my brother will drive it, he knows all the short cuts in this city and isn't squeamish about running over dumb fuckers that get in the way."

"Erm, okay then." You reply.

"Just be quick about this shit, if you take too fucking long and Edmond dies, you three are going to be joining him!" Reg reminds all of you.

You, Hans and Wallace leave the Troll's Breath Tavern and set out for the hospital. On the way there you make a mental note of what to say if anyone at the hospital asks you any questions and where else in the hospital to search just in case you don't find what you need right away.

"Tell me, do you think Edmond is a fair man?" Hans suddenly asks you.

"Huh?"

"I said, do you think Edmond is a fair man? Tis not a hard question."

"Uh, well sure. I mean I had a deal with him in the past and he lived up to it."

"Yeah, I know all about that so called deal. If it were truly a deal, you and me wouldn't be having this conversation. I hope you realize this isn't going to be the last time he calls on you again."

You don't say anything. You were trying not to dwell on the possibility of such depressing matters.

"Look friend, I know you. You'd rather not have to live your life being connected to the underworld, but you were in a tight spot, so you resorted to desperate measures. Sort of like your father no?"

"Yeah…I guess so…" you answer not really thinking of that parallel before.

"Well, I sympathize. Trust me I do. I mean I know what it's like to get so far deep into something that you don't know how you're ever going to get out. Hell, I never intended to be part of the Crimson Talons, but I had to do it not just for my survival but my brother's as well."

You say nothing and wait for Hans to get to the point he's going to make.

"What I'm saying is, you don't NEED to have this hanging over your head forever. You could end it tonight."

"Hold on, if we're talking about what I think we are, you heard Reg, he said if we took too long he'd have us all killed."

"I didn't suggest that. I mean that hospital surely has a bunch of things that shouldn't be used in excessive dosages."

"You want me to kill him? I can't do that, I'd get killed by that Sotakan! If not immediately then certainly soon after he suspected that I had something to do with his death!"

"Well I figured that you'd be a little creative in that area. Perhaps give him something for the pain. Something that creates a plausible tale that the man just died in his sleep. It's not like that lizard is really going to put two and two together. It's not the brightest thing; it's just really good at following orders and killing people. I wouldn't worry about it anyway. The lizard will be taken care of soon. And you needn't worry about anyone else potentially retaliating either, Edmond's never been too popular and what few loyal cronies he has other than the lizard will also be dealt with."

You bury your hands in your head at the thought of all this and how you got here in the first place. If you go through with this, you won't just be an accomplice the murder anymore, but a full blown one. You think about the irony of being a doctor. You're supposed to be keeping people alive not killing them.

"Look, I know this is all a lot to take in, but just think. If you do this, you're free. Free to go about the rest of your life as you see fit. And getting rid of Edmond would be a favor to everyone; he's an evil bastard. Now I'm not saying I'm a saint, but the man is unnecessarily brutal. I'd at least try to put an end to some of the random violence that goes on in the organization and get back to focusing on business. Hell, I've got even a long-term plan of trying to make the organization legit one day. Like I said, I didn't really want this life, but it was survival at the time."

If Hans is trying to identify with you on some level to get you to help him, it's working, because you're starting to seriously consider going through with this plan.

Eventually you get to the hospital and you tell Hans you'll be out as soon as possible. It's the graveyard shift so you don't run into too many people you know that ask questions. In fact nobody really pays too much attention to you at all, but you decide to play it safe and head down to the supply room in the basement to take what you need.

After grabbing a few syringes, disinfectants, bandages and the like, you break the lock of the cabinet with the pharmaceutical supplies. You grab the pain killers immediately, but then you look for something that might help you with the other problem.

"Incitahol? What the hell?" you say to yourself, picking up the small vial. This stuff shouldn't even be mixed in with the regular drugs. It's a powerful experimental concoction! It was supposed to be a "miracle" drug that increased the body's natural healing ability even greater than that of mountain trolls and was first used on dying patients. Unfortunately what the drug really did was the speed up the death process and bring them back as zombies. It was banned by most civilized places and is highly sought out by lazy necromancers who don't have the natural ability to raise hordes of undead.

You'd worry more about finding this if you didn't have your own drama going on right now. In fact this would probably be the perfect thing to take with you. Incitahol doesn't cause pain and quickly puts the patient into a coma and death follows soon after. (And then it's zombie time) You'll have to explain some of this to Hans though so he's prepared.

Part of you wonders if you should really go through with all this though. There's no guarantee that Hans is telling you the truth and you might be just trading one master for another. In fact he might just blame you for everything and have you killed when he takes power.

Of course another way to handle this is to inject this stuff into Edmond and not tell him what's going to happen. Chances are undead Ed might kill everyone nearby. Incitahol does increase the reflexes and strength after death making for a rather lively zombie. The problem is this is a very risky endeavor not to mention severely irresponsible.

[User] You don't kill Edmond

[Assistant]
You don't know if you'll forever be indebted to Edmond, but at least you know his character a little bit better than Hans. Telling Hans you're not going to go through with his plan though would be foolish, the only way to do this is to act like you are and then rat him out when you get to Edmond. Not the noblest of plans, but you see that you have little choice.

When you leave the hospital you enter the carriage, which is waiting for you across the street.

"I trust you got everything you need?"

"Yeah, I found something perfect to take care of our problem."

"Excellent! I knew you'd see things my way." Hans says. He doesn't seem to think you're going to double cross him, which is good news for you. Hans goes on a little more about how you're doing the right thing and to make sure to stay calm throughout the whole procedure

You get back to the tavern where Reg and several other Talon members are waiting.

"What the fuck took you so damn long? Edmond could've died already!"

"Sorry." You reply and head to his office.

You enter the office and the Sotakan assassin is holding a dagger to your throat already.

"Down boy, it's the doc...ugh…what the fuck took you so long? I'm dying over here!"

The Sotakan releases you and you run over to Edmond who is now lying on the floor still clutching his side. You begin working on Edmond immediately.

"Argh, fuck! That hurt!" Edmond winces as you take out a few pieces of shrapnel before sewing him up.

"Yeah I imagine it would. I got some bad news to tell you."

"What worse than getting shot?

"Well maybe not as bad as that, but how close are you to Hans and his brother?"

"We're business associates though they've been working for me since they were snot nosed kids. So I suppose I'm like a father figure to them. Heh heh."

"Then they're ready to commit patricide, because they tried to get me to kill you."

"What!?"

You explain to Edmond what Hans told you as you're working on him. He's mad, but not at you. In fact he doesn't even accuse you of making it up. He says it's hardly surprising given the business he's in. He calls over his Sotakan and tells him "Hans, Wallace, dead." With this simple instruction, the lizard assassin finally leaves the room to do his mission.

Doesn't take long for the Sotakan to come back.

"Wow. I guess that's the end of that then." You say still working on Edmond.

"Looks like. Hey doc, that was a real standup thing ya did. You probably could've easily injected me with some shit that could've killed me without even my lizard boy even realizing it before it was too late."

"I'm not a killer, despite my unfortunate lapse of judgment concerning how to deal with those waitresses a few years ago."

"Hmm, well I'm sure it probably still passed through your mind. Especially how that deal went down with Frank's place. Anyway, Hans was probably right about one thing, I was going to hang that incident over your head for the rest of your life, but given these recent events let's call it even."

"Thanks Edmond." You say politely. Sure you could get self-righteous and point out that you've saved his life TWICE. But really, why piss off a crime boss?

After patching up Edmond and making sure he's not going to get an infection, you mention that he should be fine as long as he takes it easy for a couple months. He thanks you again and says if you ever need another favor you know where to find him. You assure him that you won't.

You get on with your life after this last bit of dabbling with the underworld. Part of you for a while worries that Edmond is going to go back on his word, but that doesn't happen thankfully. You definitely feel a great weight has been lifted off of you. You also properly dispose of the Incitahol. You'd normally report something like this, but you'd rather not have to explain why you were breaking into the pharmaceutical cabinet in the first place. You just hope whoever was dumb enough to put the stuff there doesn't have any more of it.

As for your family's inn, your mother eventually sells it in a few years and moves back to Teckleville. You aren't unhappy to see it sold off; you didn't have too many great memories of the place in the last years you were there. Still, if it weren't for the inn you wouldn't have been able to become a doctor either.

While the rest of your life generally plays out in a positive way, you never do lose your minor alcohol problem because every once in awhile you still feel guilt about some of the things you were involved in. Drinking helps ease the pain a bit, but you never talk to anyone else about it of course. Sometimes you wonder what you could've done different when you worked at the inn, a better way perhaps.

You'll never know.


[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] Back out

[Assistant]
"Hey uh guys, I don't know about this. I think it would be best if I just heal the natural way."

Jirzan turns towards you and hisses.

"You insolent fool! You dare turn the opportunity to become a demon, what else do you have going for you in life?"

You instinctively start backing away as he gets angrier.

"Is it my epithet 'Lunatic' that scares you? You humans disgust me. If that scares you I couldn't imagine what you'd think about the meaning of my first name."

Well his epithet played a role, but dark magic frightens you more. Now you're curious about his first name and don't hesitate in asking him,

"What does Jirzan mean?"

He does a little dance and is excited to share,

"Enslaver. My full name means translates to Enslaver the Lunatic. As a shorthand, 'Deranged Enslaver' works as well."

He's known as an Enslaver? Kind of ironic seeing as he is doing Catia's bidding. How did he plan to enslave you with dark magic? Does dark magic break demonic rule or did he have no intent on subjugating you?

"Were you planning to enslave me? How can you just do that, doesn't a deal have to be made?"

"A deal? Why do you think I was banished to earth? I don't do deals and see no reason why I should. All I need is your consent to use dark magic and I can do whatever I want."

Looks like you dodge a bullet. Although, you're still confused about this whole banishment to earth. You thought demons were mounting a full-scale invasion. You bring up your confusion and that only causes him to laugh at you.

"You think I would be near humans willingly? The only reason I'm here is because dark magic is outlawed in hell. Demons tend to stray away from things they don't understand"

"Same reason I'm here," adds Catia.

If not here by free-will, what explains the siege of the capital? How would a bunch of misfits pose a threat to the elite empiric army? As you to reason through it, your brain aches with pain. Damn that hit from Lars got you good.

"Well if he doesn't want to go through with the ritual then my work here is done," says Jirzan.

"Not so fast!" says Catia.

"Eh? Do you want me to kill him or something? I thought you could use the practice."

Catia sighs and places her hand on hip whist saying,

"What about instead of turning him into a demon we make him a Doom Knight? All you'd have to do is teach him a little dark magic and we should be all set."

You don't even know what a Doom Knight is and still don't trust Jirzan to teach you.

"You think this imbecile could handle learning the dark arts? You have truly gone mad! And to think, they call me the lunatic."

"C'mon Zan, you owe me this. Backing out will only lead to more consequences down the road."

This seems to shut him up real quick. He starts cursing as it becomes clear to you Catia has something he dearly wants.

"Fine I'll do it, under two conditions. The first, I will need his full consent to do the initiation spell. Without it, there is no way he could become a Doom Knight. The second, you return Coyote back to me once I finish."

Catia nods and agrees to his terms. She now turns to you and asks,

"Any questions?"

[User] You what's a Doom Knight?

[Assistant]
You rack your brain and try to formulate some questions. Everything they've been saying kind of has blurred together. Though you do want to know what exactly a Doom Knight is.

"Doom Knights are slayers of all things good and holy. Think of them as some sort of reverse paladin."

You always thought paladins were self-righteous assholes. They claim to protect others from evil yet persecute the smallest of sins. Who knows, Doom Knights might be more to your liking.

Other questions?

[User] You why you\?

[Assistant]
"I told you he would ask this!" says Jirzan.

"We might as well tell him the truth, or he might not join," says Catia.

"Go ahead, though you are putting a lot of trust in a meathead."

Catia explains how if they wanted to, demons could conquer earth in minutes.

"Why don't you then?" you ask.

Catia pauses and starts speaking in a sad tone,

"If we did, I could never return to my homeland. In the underworld, different dimensions are at constant war. When darkness fights darkness, brute strength does nothing. You must outsmart your opponent through trickery and manipulation. That's where you come in."

She goes on to explain how banished demons are sent to lesser domains, such as earth, to earn redemption. Some demons are content with wreaking havoc, but others long for home. Take Jirzan for example, he couldn't care less about the underworld. He thrives of chaos and enslaves all weaker than him.

"The only reason he's helping is because he has no choice," adds Catia.

In Catia's case, she needs to others to do her own bidding to prove she does not have to relay on brute strength. Lucky for her, succubi are experts at having others do what they want. By having you kill the captain, she can prove just how capable she is.

"Making Lars believe you are a demon, and constructing a fake deal with him, proves how I can bend reality to my whim," boasts Catia.

Regardless of what you think of her motivations, it seems the only choice you have is to follow her.

What else do you want to know?


[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 weapons training

[Assistant]
The man leads you to a table along the side of the wall of the warehouse. The table has a number of small weapons on it and some other devices that you cannot recognize. He shows you how the smaller weapons work and how you can make them on your own. He shows you a number of the other devices and how they can be combined to make different types of explosives that can be used for different purposes. He explains how to focus and aim both the improvised devices and the explosives so that you do not get hurt yourself.
The man looks at you and says, "We are out of time. You are either ready or you are not ready. And that is what we will determine now." He turns and walks over to a door in the rear of the room and disappears through it. You are alone in the large warehouse, wondering if you were supposed to follow the man.
You have trained the following levels of skills:
Stealth: 1
Charm: 0
Weapons: 2


[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 drive to the trailer park

[Assistant]
Well Donna would know better than you how fucked up it is at Julie's house. You don't particularly care for the idea of her just leaving her doors open for any potential nutjob to come in. You'd at least have some more control over that, if you lived in the trailer with Donna who will probably be gone most of the time anyway.

And perhaps Donna's observations of the trailer park are correct; maybe it isn't as bad there as you've always believed.

A few minutes of driving to your destination and you're sure of one thing being pretty bad, the roads! Once again there are cops everywhere, but also ambulances and fire trucks racing to their various destinations too. Fortunately it seems to thin out as you leave town. Maybe this was a better idea after all.

You soon reach the trailer park, but you pull up near the entrance rather than inside it. You don't know which trailer she lives in, so you figure the owner knows and you imagine he lives in the trailer up front with the signs on it saying "Inquire about trailers here."

You get out of the car and go knock on the door.

"Goddamnit stop fucking knockin'. I'm comin'!" you hear an old crotchety voice shout.

The door opens up and your eyes are "greeted" by the sight of a little old man wearing nothing but an open robe and boxer shorts. His body is wizened and wrinkled and he obviously has no modesty at all.

"What the hell you want blondie? This ain't a fuckin' whorehouse." He exclaims.
"Uh, my sister Donna got a trailer from you the other day, I was just wondering where it was." You ask.

The old guy looks you up and down, squinting the entire time.

"I don't know nuthin' about no girl named Donna. All I do know is some whore yesterday sucked me off as down payment for a trailer. I don't normally trade property fer pussy, but goddamn if that girl wasn't lying about giving the best head ever…"

While you sort of had an inkling of how Donna got a trailer so quickly, you didn't really need to know the gruesome details. And now after seeing who she serviced to get it…you just want to change the subject.

"Okay, anyway which trailer does she live in?" you ask.
"She lives in the trailer at the far end of the park. Now unless you gonna rent a trailer wit money or yer lips too, get the hell outta my face an don't bother me!" the old man shouts.

As you leave the old bastard he slams his door shut. You get back in the car and drive into the park.

The first thing you notice that you didn't expect is how quiet the place is. You were expecting a lot more drama going on like on a bad daytime talk show, but you get none of that. You don't even see anyone really around.

Eventually you approach the far end of the park, and there you see a trailer, which seems to stand out near a large open field. You're guessing this one is it.

You park and approach the trailer and when you try the door that when you realize that you don't have a key for this place. Donna apparently didn't develop the bad habits of Julie either since the door is firmly locked.

"Damn. (Sigh)" you say to yourself realizing that your choice is either wait all day in your vehicle, or maybe go back to to the manager who might have a spare key, though you'd rather not deal with him again.

"Hey darlin' never seen you before here! My name's Jed!" a voice says.

You turn around and see a lanky redneck who has seemingly appeared out of nowhere.

"Oh. Hey." You say.
"Hmm, you sure are beautiful. Yer even prettier than that girl that just moved in this trailer. You a friend of hers?"
"Sister actually. Does the manager have spare keys to the trailers?" you ask.
"That mean old bastard? Yeah, but if you need that open, you don't need to go all the way back to him, here I can open it."

Jed walks past you and pulls out some sort of tool and starts fiddling with the lock.

"Hey, wait a minute, are you picking the lock?" you ask.
"Well I ain't ticklin' it honey. Letssee…yeah…easier than breakin a virgin." Jed says as the door easily opens for him with a click.

"There you go sweetheart. So said that girl livin' here now is yer sister? Guess good breedin' runs in yer family."
"Uh…yeah guess so. Thanks, but I really want to just get all my stuff in and rest." You say and turn to your car and there you see a huge man just staring at you like a gargoyle. It actually startles you, which Jed notices.

"Oh don't be afraid of him honey, that's just my brother Hugo. He's dumber than a bag of rocks, but he's strong as hell. In fact he can carry yer bags in for ya."

At this point Jed is getting uncomfortably close to you as he speaks and you're starting to feel on edge with these two.

"Look I thank you both for your help, but I really would like to be alone please." You say firmly.

Jed looks at his brother then at you.

"Whatever you say honey. Let's go Hugo." Jed says and the pair of them slowly leave and eventually disappear behind another trailer.

No longer being gawked at by the locals, you grab your bags from the car and haul them into the trailer.

When you get inside, you see that it isn't that bad. It's definitely cheap looking, but it's serviceable. You drop your bags by the sofa and quickly check the other areas like the bathroom and what you guess is a bedroom where Donna will sleep.

Just as you're turning around to check the kitchen at the other end, the door opens up and your heart sinks when you see Jed entering with what looks to be duct tape. He looks at you and a deranged smile is across his face.

"Now I already know what's goin' through yer head blondie, cause I've done this a million times. Yer first instinct is gonna be to scream and make a fuss. Well lemme tell ya right now. Ain't nobody gonna help yah. Most of 'em are at the carnival, an the few that ain't are either still passed out or ain't gonna give a shit. Now we can do this the easy way or the hard way.

Despite Jed's warnings, you do the opposite of what he says and scream as loud as you can anyway, while running back into the bedroom in an attempt to look for anything to defend yourself. Jed wastes no time in following.

Unfortunately there isn't anything in the bedroom for you to immediately use since Donna doesn't have any of her stuff here. You attempt to pick up the trailer's TV in desperation, but Jed grabs you and throws you to the bed.

You struggle, but it's no use. Jed is a dedicated murdering rapist with a mean streak a mile wide. After giving you a few punches to the face, you start to drift in and out of consciousness.

"HUGO! HUGO! You can stop watchin' the fuckin' door and gimme a hand over here with this bitch. I reckon we both got time to have some fun with this one before handing her over to ol' doc." Jed exclaims while ripping your clothes off.

"See Hugo? Told ya sticking around here would be better than the carnival."

In your haze, you feel the violations at first. Pain, humiliation and anguish are all abundant at first, but then you go numb and then nothing when you pass out altogether.

During your state of unconsciousness you have a brief dream of when you were much younger. When your mother was still alive and she was praising you about how good you are and how she anticipates great things in your future. It's more of a distant memory than a dream in fact though in any event, it's a nice "escape" from your horrible reality.

When you wake up, you're groggy, naked, incredibly sore and firmly strapped to a medical gurney of some sort. You also have a ball gag in your mouth. The room you're in looks to be some sort of basement with a bright light hanging overhead.

The stench of chemicals fills the air and to your left in a darker corner of the room you see a man in a doctor's coat hovering over another gurney with a body on it.

Naturally in such a state you start to panic and ineffectively struggle to get free. The "doctor" hears you and walks over to you.

"Oh, you're up. I'll have to give you more sedative. When Jed and Hugo brought you in, you weren't in the best condition, though I'm glad they showed a little more restraint than usual."

As you continue to try to struggle and make muted sounds to cry out, the doctor begins fondling you and moving his hands to roam all over your body.

"Mmmm, nice. Though I appreciate a pretty face and I get the impression yours would've been a lot prettier had they not beat you up so much. Not to mention they both completely wrecked your rectum…I swear what the hell is it with rednecks and their pre-occupation for ass rape? Anyway, if I had the time, I'd probably still shove it in your vertical smile for a while, but sadly I don't."

The doctor goes over to a tray and grabs some sort of syringe he fully intends on use on you and you've gone from mere panic to sheer terror.

"Really, you're luckier than most that come through here. Normally I keep 'em awake when I do my work, but I need you unconscious to take out those pretty eyes and other vital organs of yours. Wouldn't want you thrashing about or blinking to cause me to cut them all up and making them useless."

You watch helplessly as the needle goes into your arm. The tears run down your cheeks.

"There we go. Won't be long now. (Sigh) I swear it seems like I never get to enjoy my work any more though. I really would've liked to have fun with you. Oh well, I've got some other things to still look forward to."

You drift into unconsciousness again and your life ends where you ironically spent most of your time.

A basement.