[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 join Semra

[Assistant]
You realize you don't want to die yet.

You also realize that events have conspired against you to lead up to this moment, so perhaps maybe you should just give in to fate.

You hate Semra. You've always hated her. And whenever she's helped you've resented it even more. And when she's right that's when you hate her the most.

But you can't deny her appeal. Even after all these centuries, that part of you, that sick twisted part of you that thought was gone forever is still there and as strong as it ever was.

So you give in. You take your place by Semra's side and sit in the chair that Semra has provided for you. You can sense the delight in her mind.

"So…now what?" you ask.
"Now the fun begins, lover! Just close your eyes and relax. As always mommy will take care of everything…"

You feel your magical essence join with Semra's own and together you both feel stronger. Most of the energy goes towards the barrier protecting Lenay, but the rest goes towards your own whims, which are now endless at least within your mind, and the city is concerned.

You and Semra take a more direct control over Lenay now without Eldolith in charge. You both instill fear into the populace and give commands via your mind to the next highest in rank. (Who just happens to be Eldolith's latest ambitious girlfriend who gladly accepts the position of Domina).

For the most part you just let the city run itself and enjoy watching the excess the city has to offer. Semra herself says things like gladiator matches, the torturing of sveld slaves and the baby throwing competitions are much more enjoyable now that she has someone close to share them with.

And when you aren't doing that, you engage in an activity that's more common. Of course seeing that your bodies are in no longer suitable for that activity, you engage intimately on a whole mental level. Semra was right about this too, it is somehow more intense than you imagined that could be. Your mind is not limited like the body and you and Semra indulge in many twisted fantasies.

You have to admit though, you don't ever really see baby throwing as a "sport", but more like an activity. You and Semra constantly have debates over this issue…

"But there's a target and points and everything! How the hell is it not a sport?!" Semra asks.
"Just doesn't seem like one to me. Gladiator matches I can see. There's clearly skill and training involved."
"You think there isn't any training or skill with baby throwing? Do you realize how much sveld babies squirm about before your throw them? It's not like just lobbing a nice round rock you know. They don't tend to fly straight, you have to practice and adjust for wind and all kinds of other little factors. Like whether or not the baby has eaten within the last couple of hours or so."
"What? If you're going to kill them anyway why the hell would you even feed them so close before throwing them?"
"It shouldn't surprise you, but baby throwing is taken VERY seriously in svelk society. So much so that some like to cheat by secretly feeding their opponent's babies before hand. Nothing worse than a baby-spraying diarrhea all over you while you're swinging it around to throw. Even the smell could distract you from your throw and cause you to lose valuable points."
"I dunno, still just seems like a celebrated svelk activity to me. I mean why don't you consider torturing elves a sport? Surely the torturers have practiced their trade enough to keep victims alive long enough to give a good show." you ask.
"Because that's not a sport, that's a fucking art! (Sigh) You humans are such uncultured barbarians."

While you and Semra remain safely inside the barrier of Lenay, the world outside goes on, but not in a good way. The Empire suffers greatly without your leadership. The Xi begin overrunning the borders and the gnomes continue to bomb the hell out of both.

Doesn't take long before holdings in Arat fall completely and Quala is well on its way. Sightmaster Crowley does his best to fill your shoes, but it just isn't enough when the gnomes come out with an even deadlier weapon than their airships.

They develop a plague of some sort to kill the Xi and it works spectacularly. The Xi die off by the thousands. Then the citizens of the Empire start to die off as well. Whether it's from the same disease or a different one the gnomes created, it doesn't matter. Elves, humans and even orcs begin to sicken and die. The only ones with somewhat of a resistance are the kobolds and they quickly abandon their duties and scurry back to the safety of their underground dwellings when the gnomes start fire bombing the dying husk of the Empire.

The gnomes don't give up on Lenay either. They attempt to use different weapons to breach the barrier and continue to use the old ones in the hopes that eventually the magic on the barrier will weaken, after all you had the same idea that even Semra couldn't keep it up forever.

And it's true she can't by herself. With your help though it isn't quite as much of a problem. Unfortunately even with the two of you, you can't keep it up forever either, especially you when you realize that Semra's been slowly draining all your energy little bit by little bit. You were so wrapped up in enjoying decadence that you didn't think about how Semra was ultimately using you and eventually killing you.

You try to free yourself, but her spell that melded your minds keeps you in place and too weak to resist her.

You try to reason with Semra by stating that if you die, it'll only buy her a bit more time and the gnomes will eventually break through anyway.

"Perhaps, my sweet eternal, but not today…I will miss you…" Semra says sounding genuinely sad.

You curse yourself for being so weak as you have nobody to blame but yourself. Semra was just being true to herself, something you should've done. You were so afraid of death that you ran from it only to die a slave rather than a warrior or even as a free man.

You lament your poor judgment as your mind begins to fade into the ever-lasting darkness.


[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 cythia Gemma (Personnel File)

[Assistant]
From all accounts Cynthia had a very average upbringing, though it would appear that her family was never big on the military lifestyle as most of them seem to have had a history of working as laborers of some sort. You can only guess she was a bit of a black sheep.

Actually you've never really known Cynthia on a personal level, but you've known her to be a competent soldier and later officer. Though currently a colonel, in some ways she's still a little "unready" than her position would suggest, as she has risen through some of the ranks due to the older officers retiring or dying off. Still, she's served with distinction during the tribal wars in the east and has kept on top of the bandit rings that sometimes still pop up and you wouldn't have suggested her promotions if you didn't think she could handle it.

She's always been a little too eager to please at times, but you really can't fault her for being loyal.


[System] You are narrating an interactive fiction game in a dark fantasy setting. Bring the world to life with vivid prose, react meaningfully to player choices, and don't pull punches when the story demands it.

[User] You take the forest path

[Assistant]
While you're going to have to stomp through the swamps eventually, if you can avoid the areas that contain vicious invisible beasts that would probably be better for your survival.

"Okay, we'll take the long way." You say.
"Probably for the best." Tych remarks.

As you and Tych travel through the forest, you find that Tych is overly talkative. He even acknowledges that he is, but he's just so happy to talk to ANYONE who isn't Ral. Most of his talk concerns Gnarlwood and Sotak swamp, so it isn't completely useless banter though you're more concerned with his chatter calling attention to you.

He has much to criticize when it comes to elves and says it was they who started the war with the sotakians in the first place. And ever since that point, now everyone else who lives in Gnarlwood forest that was more or less minding their own business has to deal with the consequences.

"The sotakians were perfectly content on staying in their swamps before the elves pushed them. The sotakians would just take a few elves every now and then for their primitive sacrifices, it wasn't personal and the sotakians never tried to encroach on their territory." Tych says.
"I can't imagine WHY the elves would take that badly." You reply.
"It isn't like the elves couldn't afford to lose a few of their number given how much they rut with each other. Not to mention as I said, elves are a bunch of territorial assholes. They just used their war as an excuse to try to lord it over the rest of us that live in Gnarlwood. Demanding tribute, conscripting us to help them. Nevermind the fact that the rest of us don't have problem with the sotakians. A bunch of degenerate hedonistic imperialist assholes is what they are."
"Interesting. Elves generally don't have that reputation of being particularly interested in conquest, well other than the sexual kind I suppose. I dunno, I haven't really run into many save for passing by a few aggressive whores in Holgard."
"Hm, well luckily for you humans, you've already established your dominance in this land. If you were in lesser numbers, the elves would be trying to conquer you lot as well. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if the elves hadn't sent out their people to go purposely mate with humans and other races to create more half breeds in the world."
"What would they gain by that?"
"Spies of course! Half elves would make excellent spies to gather information about the rest of the world and human governments in particular. Mark my words plivik, there will come a day when elves will try to pull their bullshit on humanity. I know you humans already tend to be foolishly entranced by their superficial looks. Ugh, dunno how anyone could find those freaks attractive."

Yep, Tych certainly has strong opinions on elves.

Most of your journey is uneventful and despite Tych's ranting. Eventually you do get weary of the sprite's squeaks and tell him to keep it down. Tych apologizes and complies.

As night begins to fall, you decide to camp for the night so once again you find yourself a tree you can climb up and reasonably sleep in.

"What are you doing, plivik?" Tych asks as you climb up a tree.
"Maybe you sprites can see in the dark, but I can't unfortunately. Not to mention I need to get some rest if I'm going to go steal the eyes from sacred sotakian statues tomorrow." You respond.
"Hm, I suppose you're right. Very well my wings could use a rest too and it'll be nice to sleep outside rather than a glass jar for a change. (Sigh) Just wish I could sleep with my beloved Gink tonight. Even the sight of her would be most welcome."
"You're married?"
"You surprised? Though I'm not married in the way that you probably are thinking. There was no lavish ceremony like you big legs seem to like to have. Gink and I just bonded under the moon in private and made our commitment statements to each other. We're the only ones that matter, so why all the need for a crowd to watch?"
"Makes sense to me actually."
"What about you?"
"What about me what?"
"Do you have someone?"
"No. I mean I had someone for a few months, but it didn't last…anyway I wasn't married and honestly it's not something I've ever thought about. Especially not now."
"Yes, I suppose our predicament would put other concerns first. Remember though, it doesn't have to be that way."

Tych flits away and goes off to find a soft leaf to sleep on. You remain awake for a little while wondering if Tych is lying about everything, telling half truths, or being completely honest.

Eventually you fall asleep.

Later you wake up to Tych's squeaky voice.

"Wake up! Wake up, plivik! Elves are in the area and they're on the move!"
"Huh? What? Here? Now? I didn't even hear anything!" you respond, suddenly waking up and catching yourself before you fall.
"Well no, they aren't right here under us plivik, but close enough! I woke up early and did a little scouting north. There are a bunch of them marching down that well trodden path that leads into the swamp. It looks like a war party."
"So are they going to attack a lizard village?"
"I would imagine so."
"I guess taking the path is completely off the table now."
"It is until they clear the area which might be awhile."
"Do you know what village they're going to attack? Were we heading in that direction?"
"I actually did hear some of their conversation and they're striking the closest one on the border and fully intend on wiping it out. I think I know which one that is and it's a fairly large one. Makes sense that they would send so many soldiers. Our destination was going to be a little to the southwest when we reached the swamp. A smaller village that was further in the swamp."
"Would both of them contain idols?"
"Well the sotakians are pretty religious, and they usually have one somewhere in their villages, why?"
"I'm just wondering if instead of me trying to sneak around a lizard village by myself that maybe I shouldn't just shadow the war party and snatch the gems from a village that's going to be raided instead."

Tych gives you a concerned look.

"I don't know plivik, that sounds pretty risky. As I said, the elves are likely to attack you as well." Tych says.
"You're probably right, if only because they're going to wonder what the hell I'm doing there, but lizards are still going to be their primary targets. At least if I get seen, there's going to be enough distraction on both sides that I might avoid getting targeted. If I get caught in the other village, it's just going to be me by myself surrounded by lizards and I don't expect you'd be much help." You respond.
"Way to have confidence in me, plivik. I'll have you know I can fly about the other village without causing any attention and give you a run down on how to best approach the place. Certainly seems safer than what you're proposing."
"Hmm, okay, we'll go with your idea again."
"It is the safer course I assure you, plivik. I am also happy that you have so much trust in me." Tych responds.
"I'm just hoping I don't regret it."

Since you're intending on going with the original plan, Tych says that he's going to go back to watch the elven war party and let you know when the path is clear. He suggests that even when they do finally all pass by, it would probably still be best to keep off the path proper and just follow the general direction of it until you get to the swamp. From there he'll once again guide the way and scout ahead.

As Tych takes his leave, you sit back and wait. You sort of feel like you haven't been doing much on this task, though you suppose Tych IS your guide so it makes sense that he's doing most of the work to get you to your destination.

You don't know how long you wait, but it's enough that you end up going back to sleep for a little while. The second time Tych wakes you isn't quite as jarring.

Having been given the all-clear reassurance, you climb down from the tree and follow Tych as he leads you into the Sotak swamp.

The swamp is about like what you imagined, it's muggy, very wet and filled with a lot of little biting and stinging insects. (Though in Tych's case, they aren't all that small and he tends to perch on your shoulder for most of the way) You don't encounter anything too bad; save for a couple of the larger reptilian predators (Tych says they're crocomoths) and in both cases they're busily feasting on something else and you slip by unnoticed.

Despite you practically being up to your knees in muddy water you're making good time all things considered and then that's when you hear a faint sounds in the distance coming from the north. Sounds like a horn.

You walk a few more minutes and that's when you begin to hear a lot of splashing, several voices shouting and heading in your direction from the south and getting closer by the second.

"Those must be sotakians!" Tych says.
"Shit, I just realized, that horn sound we heard was probably was some alarm from that other village getting attacked. There's probably going to be a shitload of lizards heading our way!" you say.
"We have to hide!"

Tych at this point does exactly that and flies away! Whether he's completely left you or not is irrelevant because all that matters now is you finding your own hiding spot.

You don't know how many are heading in your direction and how spread out they are, but all you can do is hope you stay out of their sight.

[User] You hide in some tall reeds

[Assistant]
Hiding underwater holds the danger of drowning on top of getting stepped on and getting discovered. You'll take your chances with tall reeds and hope for the best.

You run to the left and hide in a thick clump of reeds getting as low as you possibly can without actually being completely submerged.

You keep your weapon ready as you hear the splashing of several bodies heading your direction. You expect one of those lizards to suddenly stumble upon you at any time. You only hope you kill him so quickly that none of his fellows notice.

Unfortunately, you're paying so much attention to if the lizards are going to stumble upon you, you don't notice the nearby snake nest that you've stumbled into.

You suddenly feel several small piecing bites in your flesh. This causes you to jump up and yell involuntarily as you quickly try to get the colorful little snakes off of you. Of course this then calls the attention of not just one, but several lizards who were running by at the time.

They notice you and after a few hisses and something in a language you don't understand, three of them move in to attack you while the rest continue their other mission of defending their settlement.

Besides outnumbering you, the lizards are bigger than you and probably faster than you in this sort of environment. They're also most definitely better warriors than you.

However, none of that really matters because you're currently in no condition to fight or flee from the sotakians. Whatever type of snakes those were, they were highly poisonous and you just got bit by several of them.

By the time one of the lizards even reaches your position, you've fallen to the ground vomiting, your heart beating much to fast, and you feel like the interior of your body is on fire.

Your eyes roll in the back of your head and then you lose complete consciousness before dying face down in muddy water.


[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 fight Defensively.

[Assistant]
You plant your feet sturdily into the flooring, watching his sword with caution. Whenever he moves closer, you move forward and around him, bringing him closer to the ledge and maintaining an important amount of distance between the two of you. Tomas chuckles, and finally begins swinging his heavy artifact. He does so not wildly, rather with strong, fluid motions; all of which your utmost concentration allow you to just barely dodge. His long strokes give him a lot of range, and you have a feeling that he's only just started.

He picks up the pace, using his heavy sword more like a rapier, thrusting and swiping, attempting to corner you to the other side of the room; that isn't necessarily bad, as it's the side  that has the ledge, but you need to quickly get back in control of the fight if you wish to get the old fool.

Tomas advances, giving another quick thrust with his sword-- you try to take advantage of that by kicking his sword out of his hands, but his firm grip doesn't let go of it. Not wasting the opportunity, you leap at him while he rebalances the sword, and try to land a heavy claw at his neck. Seeing you, the old man, with bizarre agility,  drops to the floor, and sweeps your legs from under you, knocking your head on the rails. You quickly get back up with a sharp twist, but he has enough time to give you a thwack on the back with his sword. The pain stings, and you feel your bones crack as he smacks you upside the head again with it, over an over again. Every time you attempt you get up, you are taken out again by Tomas's repetitive strikes. Can't... Get back up...

Before you know it,

You have been killed by the hands of the Church.


[System] You are the narrator of a dark fantasy text adventure. Describe the world and its consequences with unflinching detail. The player's choices shape the story — for better or worse.

[User] You visit the Shop

[Assistant]
You go into the shop, and buy a lamb steak, a shiny purple fruit, boiled sheep's brain and a pouch of milk. You quickly eat these delicious fruits, particularly enjoying the sheep's brain and milk. As you finish, you smile to yourself, your stomach full.

Time to find something else to do.


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

[User] Continue

[Assistant]
You realize you aren't getting out of this alive without a weapon, and run for the helicopter. The garbage people start to fire back, but that doesn't go to smoothly. Roger follows you into the cockpit, safe from the garbage people.

You scrounge around, and are rewarded with a small handgun with a full clip. Looking at the approaching horde, you realize the garbage people may not even be your biggest threat at the moment.

[User] You fire at the garbage people

[Assistant]
At the moment, the garbage people pose more of a threat to you than anything, you decide. You turn so you can see them clearly.

The leader is approaching the helicopter, so you fire at him first. You were aiming at his chest, but the bullet goes through his arm. It still cripples him, so it's done it's job. The other garbage people quickly catch on, and start firing back.

Your gun's clip has thirteen bullets in it; you manage to kill three garbage people before you run dry. For a moment you're worried that you just made things a lot worse, but Roger passes you another fully loaded clip.

"We keep them under the seats," he explains. "For emergencies." You ditch the old clip, and keep firing. Luckily, the garbage people's guns are louder than yours, and your gunfire combined with the hordes of the dead cause them to eventually fall back.

"There's one problem solved," you say. "Now we just need to get our group back."

"Actually, that problem is also solved," says Roger, pointing into the trees. Conway, Ozzy, and Matthias are running through the trees towards the helicopter. They're being followed by a massive horde. You open the doors as wide as they'll go in preparation.

When the three make it back, you slam the door shut and hide. "Hopefully, the gunfire from that other group will draw the horde," says Matthias. The group sits quietly in the helicopter for a while. Soon, it becomes clear you'll be spending a long time in the helicopter. The dead show no sign of going away, and the growls, while faint, are a bit too close for comfort.

[User] You prepare to spend the night in the helicopter

[Assistant]
Thankfully, the seats of the helicopter are soft enough to lay on. As the sun sets, you lay down. The group agrees to taking two-hour shifts to watch for garbage people or zombies, and warn the others. You volunteer for a later spot, so you can get some rest.

The night drags on, safe but very boring. When you wake up for your shift, it's almost light outside.

"Hey!" you say. "Why didn't you guys wake me up?"

"It was my fault," says Ozzy. "I just took the whole night."

"You shouldn't have done that," exclaims Conway. "You have to fly this helicopter!"

"Uh, not any time soon," Ozzy says, gesturing out the window. It's true. The dead are meandering outside, not too interested in letting you get your fuel.

"Looks like some action needs to be taken," says Matthias. "So, what's plan B?"

[User] You keep waiting

[Assistant]
You keep sitting in the helicopter, with the hopes that the dead will eventually leave. Your food situation is decent, and you're prepared to spend multiple days here if you need to.

"We're really doing this?" asks Ozzy. It's not the best plan, but it saves bullets and effort.

"Yeah, we are," you answer. Outside, it doesn't seem like your plan is working. The zombies are basically stagnant, not even walking around. They just stand there, like a creepy flash mob. You pray for a gunshot, or a  plane, or some noise to draw them away.

Finally, Conway gets restless. He gets up, and takes a flare gun from out of his duffel bag.

"Conway, what are you doing?" asks Matthias. Conway doesn't answer, but goes for the helicopter door. The rest of the group moves to stop him.

"Get off!" Conway yells. "I'm not gonna sit and wait any longer! Y'all want a distraction? I'll give you one!" Conway yanks open the door, attracting the attention of a few zed. Conway fires a flare over the field, and then slams the door shut. The good news is the flare lands on the opposite side of the field, and most of the horde clumps around it. The bad news is that the door slam attracted a few stragglers over to you. The group immediately jumps up and readies their weapons.

"I'm gonna open the door and let a few in," Matthias says, "Then we kill 'em. Let a few in, kill 'em, let, kill, repeat until they're gone. Ready?" The first few step forward, and are eliminated quickly. Nobody's using guns because the noise would damage hearing, so there's just as much of a threat posed by the others' knives as the zombies do.

Once the dead are clear, you're open to grab the fuel. You waste no time getting over to the tanks, where the area is now empty of the dead.

"Lucky us," Conway remarks as your team fills gas canisters up. You lug them back over to the helicopter, and begin to fill up the tank. Ozzy goes in to watch the fuel gauge, while Matthias keeps watch of the horde. Three painful and long trips later, the tank is full.

"Come on," Matthias says, "They're getting restless. Load up!" Everyone piles into the helicopter, and Ozzy starts the blades. The horde, noticing the new potential for food, turns over to you. By the time they get anywhere near you, you're up again.

"Take that, growlers!" Ozzy shouts over the engine.

[User] You airborne (Again)

[Assistant]
Once in the air, Roger addresses Conway.

"That little stunt, ripping open the helicopter door like that? Not gonna fly with me," Roger says. Conway stands up.

"Excuse me, but did anybody get so much as a scratch on them? My little 'stunt' got us to safety," Conway retorts.

"You're lucky that's the way things went. Next time, it might turn out different."

"Yeah,, if someone who didn't know what they were doing tried it! I've had several years of experience on the battlefield."

"CONWAY MATTHEWS, LET ME REMIND YOU THAT YOU ARE TAKING THAT TONE WITH FIRST SERGEANT ROGER MILLS! I WILL NOT ALLOW YOU TO ENDANGER THE LIVES OF MULTIPLE SOLDIERS AND A CIVILIAN! DESIST AT ONCE!"

Both soldiers rise and stare each other coldly in the eyes.

"Guys? Right when we're flying over hordes of man-eating monsters is not the best time to get physical," Ozzy warns from the front.

"Sit down, and obey my word," Roger hisses. Conway begrudgingly takes a seat, and holds a stare with Roger. Matthias makes eye contact with you, and you see a slight twinge of fear in his eyes. He's been with Roger for a while, so if he's worried, you're worried. Roger finally sits down next to you, as far away from Conway as he can get.

"We won't make it to Washington," Ozzy suddenly says. This gets the attention of everyone immediately. "We don't have the fuel. We'll get close, but we don't have enough, even with the extra fuel."

Everyone looks around at each other.

"So we need to find another reserve," Roger says. Matthias pulls out a pocket map, and a pen. "Where will we run out of fuel?"

"I think about here," Roger says, pointing to a spot on the map. It's in Oregon, not far from the border. "There aren't any fuel reserves there, far as I know," Roger continues.

"Any chance we could get the fuel from cars?" you offer.

Roger shakes his head. "This thing won't take car fuel, of any kind," he says. "Unless somebody just happens to have filled their tank with jet fuel."

"We'll figure something out," Matthias says. The subject is dropped. You just don't want to think about what will happen if you can't find any fuel.

[User] You continue

[Assistant]
For the next few hours, the ride is uneventful Everyone is minding their own business, and the cabin is silent, except for the occasional noise from Ozzy, at the controls.

Before you know it, you're drifting off, and then it's a new day. You look out the window. The terrain has changed. You're no longer above a city of bodies, but empty roads, with only a few zombies lurking around. You're getting closer to Oregon, which means closer to the fuel issue. You don't want to think about when that time comes. Luckily, Roger takes your mind off it.

"Breakfast time," he says, fishing around for a backpack. The team searches out cans to make a meal out of, and that's when it becomes apparent that you're very low on food. Three cans left to split between five people, for another two days, and that's assuming the fuel thing goes smoothly, which you can guess it won't.

"We're gonna have to touch ground again," says Matthias. Nobody wants to admit it, but yes, you'll have to be at the same level as the dead once more. "Lower us down," Matthias says to Ozzy. "We need to run some errands."

Food is definitely easier to come across than helicopter fuel, but you're still worried. There's been plenty of time for every store and market to be emptied of all its goods. When the helicopter sets down and the engine dies down, you scan for a sign of food. The only promise is a road sign telling you fast food places nearby, and there isn't much opportunity there.

"Bingo," Conway suddenly says. He's spotted a farmhouse through the trees. "That's where we'll find what we're looking for." The group slowly goes to follow, but Roger stops.

"Wait. We need someone to stand at the helicopter and guard it," he says.

"I can do it," says Matthias. "Unless, anyone else would rather take the spot."

[User] You volunteer to watch the helicopter while the others leave

[Assistant]
"I'll do it," you say. Matthias nods. The other soldiers go over a plan for the farmhouse, while you take a defensive position behind the helicopter door. You figure that it's extremely unlikely you'll see anybody, you still want to remain vigilant. You sit up straight and try your hardest to stay awake.

The others have been gone for a worryingly long amount of time, and you decide to go check on them. You get out of your seat, and go look at the farmhouse. From where you are, you can't see any fighting or danger, and you haven't heard any gunshots. You assume they're just doing a thorough search, and cross your fingers for some fresh bread.

As you turn to get back in the helicopter, you are met with a bow and arrow pointed at your face. Its user is a man with long blonde hair that covers his eyes.

"Water," he says, in a parched voice. "Give it to me." Shaking, you slowly nod. You climb into the helicopter, and fumble around for the pack with the bottled water in it. You find the pack, but then you remember your gun.

[User] You shoot him

[Assistant]
As quick as you can, you turn to shoot the attacker. Your bullet goes over his shoulder. He shouts, and releases an arrow into your chest. You cry out, and the man yanks the water pack from your hands.

"See ya," he says, and slams the helicopter door shut. He gives a little wave before leaving.

You struggle to get the arrow free from your skin. That arrow had a lot of power behind it, and you end up staining the seats of the helicopter with your blood, and doing all kinds of irreversible damage to your chest. When the soldiers come back, you're barely alive. Your final moments are of being shaken back and forth by Conway, who is trying to get you to sit up.


[System] You are the narrator of a dark fantasy text adventure. Describe the world and its consequences with unflinching detail. The player's choices shape the story — for better or worse.

[User] You send another shadow back instead

[Assistant]
Knowing Dendrin, he's probably warned you after something bad has already happened at Gloom and is toying with you just to see what you'll do. You're just hoping Talia is all right, but you can't go back just for one woman and your actions here are more important to the cause right now. If some major tragedy already has happened, then you probably won't be able to do anything about it.

While you're a necessity here, that doesn't mean you can't send another in your place to check on Gloom. You call to speak to one of your fellow shadows that you believe to be the most skilled.

"Sister Yvette, I need you to go back to Gloom and check on things there."
"What? But brother, we are to assault a supply caravan to Roldan's camp soon. You know it'll be heavily guarded and it would be best to utilize all the strength we have on it."
"I know. That's why I will have these people here and the cell we have in the Guf Hills to help. Don't worry about it."
"Brother, my place is here to fight along side you against the Empire. We are not due to check in at Gloom anytime soon and Master Ebon is performing the important ceremony there. I don't understand why you would want me to disturb that for no reason."

You didn't really want to get into this because it's likely to bring forth more questions, but Yvette is proving to be unmoving on this request.

"Sister Yvette I have reason to believe Gloom may be in danger. Call it instinct, call it a premonition or call it the will of Dendrin, I don't care, but I REALLY feel someone needs to check in on Gloom. I'd do it myself, but seeing as my mission here takes priority it would be irresponsible for me to leave my command. So I'm sending you. Now I hope you will obey my orders and if everything is in fact okay there you can make a complaint to Master Ebon at his earliest convenience. If not, well I believe we'll have bigger problems."

Your explanation still doesn't tell her much and you can sense that she's very hesistant about just following through on your order based on a hunch, but given that it's Gloom then it's still worth checking out even if nothing is going on there. It also helps that you've been a very effective cell leader. Sister Yvette has certainly been a shadow longer than you, but your skills and leadership have established your dominance. Despite how everyone is supposed to be equal in the shadows there will always be those who are leaders and those who are followers.

"Very well…I will go. What should I do if there is trouble?" she asks.
"Help in any way you can then return to me as soon as possible unless you bump into Master Ebon and he has different order for you. As I said I will be meeting with the cell in the Guf Hills and we will probably be making that a temporary base of operations."
"Okay, I'll take my leave as soon as possible. My Dendrin watch over you and guide you to success on the next mission…and I hope you're wrong about Gloom, brother."
"Me too."

The next day you make your way to the Guf Hills, thinking not only about Gloom, but Dendrin as well. You briefly wonder if there might be a way of telling the shadows about Dendrin, but you quickly dismiss the idea. None of them would believe you and it wouldn't do much good right now any way. The Empire is still the major threat and until that enemy is defeated only then will you even have the time to worry about the shadows's sham of a religion.

When you try to make contact with Brother Theo in the Guf Hills, it isn't a straightforward process. Naturally there is always a little caution, but those under his command are a suspicious violent lot even before the rebellion broke out. The rebels he's been directing primarily consist of criminals or ignorant peasants that have always made their homes in these hills and most of them are both. Many of them make racial slurs at the elves in your own company and if you had to guess there's evidence of some inbreeding going on with some of these hill peasants.

After a short stand off, Brother Theo comes out and admonishes all of them for their behavior towards you. Most of them grumble and go back to doing what they were doing. You tell your own people to find a spot and keep away from the others while you and Brother Theo talk to each other.

"Glad you're here brother and with a couple of fellow shadows I see. That's good, because we could use more disciplined types here!"
"Brother Theo, what is going on here? I mean I know we're using anyone who has a grudge against the Empire, but these people have to be some of the lowest dregs of humanity."
"You'll get no argument from me brother. It is truly Dendrin testing my patience with these people, but I will pass that test and besides after this is all said and done, the Empire will fall and that's the major goal right now."
"True, but are these people actually any good in a fight?"
"Hah! That's all these people practically know. These folks might be unruly, but they know these hills better than anyone else, so we manage to stay hidden from Empire search teams for long periods of time. And if we can't, then we stay one step ahead of them before we're discovered. Having had to listen to their stories over and over, the families around this region have chaffed living under the Empire rule for almost as long as the shadows. Apparently they've been planning and building up supplies for a very long time. Pity we didn't know about them sooner, but as you can tell they aren't very trusting of anyone who isn't family."
"I'm sort of surprised the Empire didn't stomp them out of the hills given their problem with authority figures."
"Eh, they might seem like idiots, but they're smarter than they look and can obviously play the waiting game. Also I guess when the Empire discovered there weren't even any minerals worth mining in these hills, they took less notice of the place and basically just left the Guf people to their own devices as long as they paid their taxes on time. Most were wise enough to at least obey that one law and even those that didn't pay knew the hills so well it simply wasn't worth the Empire's time to track down an evader. Oh sure every once in awhile the Empire would sometimes send a few dark elven mercs to track down the more serious criminals, but that had mixed success and at the time the Empire was always more concerned with either conquest or territory that was actually worth something. Probably never believed that these hill folk could ever be a legitimate threat to them either. A bit short sighted of them, but then that's the Empire for you."

You nod and agree. As fascinating as all this is, your mind is still on Gloom. Of course you're not going to mention any of that to Brother Theo, so you ask him what the plan is to assault Captain Roldan's supply caravan. He tells you it's a simple plan, the caravan is going to be passing through a nearby area that leads into a valley in a couple of days and in that time you'll be setting an ambush from both sides as well.

"Actually I'm glad you've brought some elves with you, we could use more archers." Theo remarks.
"Yeah, well don't believe all the myths. They aren't all expert marksmen, but the ones with me are still good enough for this ambush." You reply. "Still, something about this seems a bit too easy. The Empire has to know that running a supply line through that valley is an all too tempting target especially with a known enemy making their home nearby."
"That supply caravan is going straight to Captain Roldan, it's going to be very heavily guarded. Chances are they're just arrogant enough to believe that any possible attack isn't going to succeed. This is the Empire after all."
"Hmm, maybe…"

After Brother Theo reassures you of the success of the plan you head back to your own people who thankfully haven't gotten into any fights with the hill folk. Fortunately the next two days of preparation also pass without too much incident. Some the elves get a few more slurs thrown their way, but nothing that they haven't been called before. One the hill folk actually speaks to you at great length asking you questions and such. You get the impression he was trying to get a feel of not only who you are, but the shadows in general. He wasn't hostile towards you though, they apparently know better than to anger shadows too much.

In the back of your mind during all this is still Gloom. Yvette wouldn't be back yet even if she hadn't found anything, but you still fear the worst. Makes you wonder if you shouldn't have gone yourself. It's too late now though and you need to focus on the task at hand.

The day finally comes and the supply caravan enters the valley. You on one side with your group and Brother Theo with his group on the other. He also has people ready to cut the supply caravan off from the front and from retreat as well.

The large group of wagons and carriages are heavily guarded as expected. Several soldiers of the elite variety and you see an Empire battle mage as well. You wait for Brother Theo's signal…

But before that can happen, the supply wagons suddenly stop and the battle mage suddenly casts a faint blue barrier over the entire supply caravan. Brother Theo orders his people to fire arrows at them, but they bounce harmlessly off the barrier. You shake your head cursing because you knew this was going to be too easy.

"Rebellious fools, did you really think you were smart enough to ambush the Empire so easily? Flee now and enjoy your worthless lives for a little while longer or face your death with a smidgeon of honor by coming down into this valley!" the soldier in charge of the caravan shouts.

"Looks like we're going to have to do this the hard way." You say to yourself.

You've still got them outnumbered and surrounded even if you can't rain a bunch of arrows on them, not to mention your own combat skills are more than a match for most Empire soldiers.

Still there's no reason to be foolish, you don't tell your people to charge down the valley, you let the Gufians do that, since they seem eager to do that sort of thing. Even the ones directly under Brother Theo's command are rushing past him. As for the empire troops, they seem content on waiting for you inside the safety of their barrier. Unfortunately some of them have bows too and theirs work perfectly well from inside the barrier.

You, Theo and the other shadows easily dodge such attacks thanks to your shadow magic ability to speed yourself up to quickly close the gap. Most of the non-shadows aren't as lucky. The numbers are evened up a bit more by the time the major close combat occurs.

The Empire battle mage releases the barrier and then casts some sort of speed spell on his own people. Again, this merely matches the shadows, but it's a severe advantage against the non-shadows. You need to eliminate that mage quick.

[User] You fire a bolt at the mage

[Assistant]
You try to get a clear shot at the mage with your armbow. Despite the chaos your aim is true and the bolt flies directly at the mage's head…only for an Empire soldier to step in the way and get killed instead.

Another shadow tries to follow your lead by firing at the mage as well, but at this point he's put up his own personal barrier. Realizing he's in danger, he raises his hand up and a large arc of electricity emanates from it hitting several of your allies as well as Empire soldiers. Fortunately you were far enough away and quickly cloak yourself to avoid being targeted more directly.

You run around one of the wagons and see the mage is still focused on frying his victims. You quickly load up another bolt and fire again, this time you don't miss this time as the bolt enters his temple killing him instantly. With the mage dispatched the Empire soldiers suddenly slow down to their normal speed and the battle swings in your favor once again. Still after it's all said and done, this was more costly than it should've been. Brother Theo's lost more than half of his "hill folk" and you've suffered some losses as well and you've still got Gloom to worry about.

You can't take the waiting anymore and you decide after a short rest period, you're heading back to Gloom with the remaining shadows under your command. You get some questions, but you simply tell them that Dendrin himself told you go back and much like Yvette they back down and fall in line.

You half expect an encampment of Empire troops surrounding the entrance of Gloom, but instead what you find is worse. The rock that acted as the concealed entrance to Gloom is gone, or rather reduced to rubble.

You and the rest of the shadows with you dig in the rubble for quite a while, but you don't even reach where the stairs would be, its just more debris. It's apparent that the entire entryway has been collapsed from beneath; possibly even all of Gloom has been buried. There's no sign of Yvette either, but you can assume since she never reported back to you, she must've entered Gloom before whatever happened here.

While the rest of shadows start lamenting what might've become of Master Ebon and the rest, you on the other hand mourn quietly for Talia. You also silently curse yourself for not going back to Gloom immediately, if you had maybe you could've done something.

With this destruction of Gloom, the shadows have been dealt a crippling blow. Possibly one they can't come back from. You're going to have to try to regroup what cells you can and try to alter a strategy plan. The main problem with that plan isn't so much the sheer impossibility of it, so much as with Talia gone you don't know if your heart going to be completely in the "cause" anymore. Really she was one of your main motivations, and now that Dendrin has flat out told you how he doesn't give a damn about the shadows, you sort of have inside information on how this rebellion is likely to turn out.

Only time will tell you suppose…

Year 30

"Has nobody been able to contact Cyrus up in Rask?" you ask.
"Minimal contact brother. As I said, last time we did it was two years ago and he said he couldn't spare anyone. Reports also said he lost his orc allies up there." Brother Theo remarks.
"Wonderful, the Empire is closing in on us and we can't even count on the bare minimum support."
"We shouldn't give up hope brother. Dendrin has preserved us this long."

You ignore Theo's remarks since you don't feel like spending what will probably your last moments in life, on a religious debate. Suffice to say, the few shadows that remain with you know full well of your feelings on Dendrin. If you weren't such a desperate situation, you'd be correct in believing that they'd kill you as a heretic. However, when someone has kept you alive for five years in a grim situation, people tend to overlook certain things they find spiritually offensive. And that's what you've been trying your best to do on sheer determination and revenge, but in the end the numbers have always been against you, and the Empire has finally managed to focus on eliminating the shadows. Stopping their war with the Felkan Kingdom helped, but the efforts of Captain Roldan have probably been the most damaging to the shadows in recent years (Along with Captain Kane in Rask).

You briefly wonder why you stayed to fight seeing as you had no faith in Dendrin and Talia was gone, but ultimately it was always your desire for battle that kept you around. Maybe it always was leading you to do the things you did.

And now here you are hold up in a cave in the Guf Hills where you were five years ago. The Empire has soldiers and dark elven mercs sweeping the hills looking for you. It'll only be a matter of time. You just hope Captain Roldan himself will be the one to find you. You'd like to at least face the man who's been hunting you for years in combat before you die.

When the cave is swarmed with enemies, you don't get your wish. Still, you give a fight that satisfies you when sheer numbers finally bring you down.

The best thing is, you never have to worry Dendrin ever speaking to you again.


[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 "What's your name?"

[Assistant]
You flash the young girl a warm smile

"Hello there, what's your name?"

The girl stammers out an answer

"L-lynette, milord"

You nod solemnly

"A very pretty name. Who gave it to you?"

While you spoke, Lynette had slipped on her threadbare tunic, in her panic she has managed to entangle the fabric around her face, and the cloth muffles her voice

"My mother works in the kitchen, milord"

"And the father?"

You inquire

"I don't know, milord"

She replies quietly, having finally wrestled her tunic into its proper position. With her attention switched from her tunic back to you, her embarrassment returns

"If milord will excuse me, I should be getting back to the kitchens"

"Of course"

Blushing profusely, the young servant girl scurries towards the door, executing a clumsy curtsy as she passes you. Your son stares after her longingly, he sighs, and you nod knowingly

"Is she a favorite of yours?"

Your son looks shocked

"I love her, father"


[System] You are the narrator of a dark fantasy text adventure. Describe the world and its consequences with unflinching detail. The player's choices shape the story — for better or worse.

[User] Continue

[Assistant]
You're in this now and you can't stop just because it's looking tough. You got your family to think about. You're staying.

However you do, do something slightly out of character, you spend what little money you have on a whore for the night, mainly because you're a lot less sure if you're going to come back from this mission.

The next day you're on the job. The march to the dwarven lands is mostly uneventful, though the fighting between the Zalan Empire and the Tulan Kingdom is still going on their borders which even skirting around, still manages to find your company. The Boss takes advantage of straggling Tulan soldiers that have fled battle. The butchery isn't uncommon, after all, nobody will know and the Zalan Empire will just be blamed anyway.

Arrival in the Dwarven lands is met with caution, the Dwarves obviously know of the Chimera Company's reputation and a small group of them motion the Boss to just talk to him directly. A deal seems to be made and the Dwarves leave to go back to their underground home.

The Captain now addresses all of you.

"Alright, apparently there HAVE been demons running all up and down and through the area. The Dwarves are preparing defenses in case they try to invade underground; apparently they consider their underground city takes precedence so their main force is there. However they still have plenty of mines above ground and not nearly enough dwarves to defend them all. Now its been said the demons have been heading toward the Tulan Kingdom, but a lot of them still have been fucking around here and generally wrecking shit for the fun of it. Collapsing even the sturdy mines of the dwarves on their heads seems to be amusing to them. So our goal is to make things bothersome enough for them that they'll leave the dwarves alone and go elsewhere."

The Captain spits on the ground before continuing.

"We're going to split up for this assignment and take different mines in the area. Watch your fucking ass. I don't think any of you eunuchs have fought any demons before, but I have and they're utterly fucking ruthless. Forget all that shit about some of them being civilized. They're about as civilized as damn Quillar, but a lot more intelligent. The chaos that is in their hearts is always there and these ones are the complete embodiment of it. And for fuck's sake DON'T stay near any explosives! The dwarves are always using shit like that in their mines and demons have a tendency to have fire throwing abilities. It's probably the reason for all the easy mine collapses."

The Captain takes out a map.

"One more thing. While I know the common thing to do on our assignments is to take advantage of things. We need to play this one completely fucking straight! Do NOT fucking do anything that's going to piss off the dwarves! If you do, we don't get paid. We don't get paid. I'm going to get pissed, because we're getting a lot for this one. And assuming the dwarves don't kill you, I certainly fucking will. Alright now I'm going to assign you according to this map."

You and a few others (Including Dimitri) are assigned to the Karzac Mines where you make your way to after some climbing which fortunately isn't too far off ground level. The dwarves there regard you with suspicion immediately.

"Oh great they're here. Alright, let's set the ground rules. I'm head miner Morri and I'm in charge of this place! Don't even think about trying to steal some loose bars of silver that you might find lying around. You do it, and your skull meets an axe or mining pick! Got me?"
"Stand up when you speak to me." Dimitri laughs.
"Yeah, make yer jokes human, we'll see if the demons will appreciate that humor when you're meeting them face to face."
"Demon, pah! Just one more thing for me to kill, people make a big deal about them. I've seen how they fall in line and become law abiding citizens just like anyone else when beaten down."
"Yeah and those same civilized ones will kill you when they get the chance. Didn't you hear the Captain?" you say.
"Yeah well he's got a tendency to be over dramatic; he probably picked that up from that fine ass elven bitch he's married to. Besides who DOESN'T try to kill you when they get the chance? They aren't anything special. Their race just has a tendency to have assholiness come natural to them."

Morri interrupts the pair of you.

"Hey if you two morons are finished, I'm about to tell you the fun part of this job. There are demons already in this mine."
"What?!"
"Oh yeah, bunch of those fuckers as we speak. Seems we got the fortune of one sneaking in here and decided to have her spawn in the deep reaches of this mine. The only good thing is these types don't seem to be interested in collapsing the mine, however they're trying to turn this place into some sort of fucking demon hive or something. We've been trying to eliminate them, but of course it's slow going. We need to get them before they start breeding more though. So we're splitting up…"
"Here we go again…" Dimitri says.

Morri assigns at least a few dwarves with each mercenary. You, Morri and Dimitri make up the last one.

The demon hunting in the mines is actually a very "mundane" job. They certainly are horrible looking creatures and very vicious, but after the first few times, you get used to it. These particular demons have an insect like appearance so maybe that's why these behave the way they do. They aren't very tough in the scheme of things, but like Morri said there do seem to be a lot. You can't use your bow like you want to either due to the cramped mine conditions.

Demons aren't really the problem though, the problem is Dimitri.

After one of the harder battles, Morri is attempting to catch his breath. Dimitri notices the very large silver deposit you're next to and the silver that's just there for the taking. He quietly whispers to you that you and he should waylay Morri and take some of the silver. Leave his body to be munched on by a wandering demon. Who's going to know?

You're not really for this plan and you say no, but Dimitri begins to argue and Morri notices the both of you.

"I'm not doing it! The Captain said…" you exclaim.
"Fuckin' pussy!" Dimitri says pushing you.
"Hey hey hey! Not doing what? What are you two on abo…"

Dimitri takes the opportunity of distraction and hits Morri in the face with silver bar that he lifted off the ground earlier.

" Ugh! Bastard dog you'll pay for this treachery!" Morri utters falling to the ground.
"Come on, this is your last chance to be a man and help me pig farmer!" Dimitri says as he goes to finish off Morri.

[User] You help Morri

[Assistant]
You've had enough. You're not going to help OR stand by for another immoral act performed by your "co-workers". It's bad enough that it goes on, but that doesn't mean you need to let it, if you can do something about it.

You run Dimitri through the back with your sword, he yells out in pain, but still manages to swing his armored fist to strike you in the face. You fall to the ground.

"Fuck…lute boy…goin…down…pig fucker…" he wheezes as he attempts to step towards you only to fall to his knees. At this point Morri has recovered and cleaves Dimitri's skull in with his axe.

"Bastard." Morri then looks at you. "Heh, I guess you must be one of the few with a conscious in the company eh?"
"I guess so." You reply.
"Or perhaps you knew it would be better if I lived so you could find your way out this maze?"
"…Actually I hadn't even thought about that. I just…just couldn't let him kill and rob you like that. Seen it too many times."
"That a fact? Well tell me son, why the hell are you hooked up with these bunch for then?"
"Money to help the family…besides it's not that bad."
"Okay, if you say so. However, this little incident is going to cost your company. We warned your captain that if any evidence of treachery occurred, we weren't paying him shit and this deal was off!"
"But can't we just keep this secret? I mean…"
"Secret? Fuck no! Look, you're not a bad person, but you're hanging out with bad people. The only reason why we hired you in the first place is because you ARE effective and you're about the only mercenary company insane enough to do a job like this. But a deal's a deal. You captain apparently doesn't have control over his men like he thinks, because I'm sure he warned you all."
"Yeah, but everyone will probably blame me and my life will be in danger!"
"…well…I'm sorry about that, but that's the price you pay for the company you keep…look I'll tell you what, because you helped me, I'll take you back to the entrance and you can leave. Should at least give you a head start. Hell, maybe I'll even tell them you died before this happened. You could then just hide out and stay out of sight without even anyone looking for you."

Not knowing what to say next you just agree and ponder your possible future.

The way back to the entrance is uneventful as far as demon attacks are concerned. You don't know what you're going to do. You'll have to go on the run or at least relocate regardless of what Morri tells everyone. And if he mentions the truth, then your family may well be in danger. You imagine that if the Boss couldn't get to you, he may very well take it out on your family.

You feel sick and upset. You wish you hadn't chosen this path. All you ever really wanted to do was play your lute, not fight demons or anything else really.

You follow behind Morri in a daze. You're surprised that he doesn't insist that you walk in front of him, but then that's probably because he trusts that you're not a murderer. You also realize you recognize this part of the mine and could probably find your way back from here…

You shake your head and take a deep breath.

"Hey Morri."
"Wha…glagh!

An arrow goes right through Morri's mouth and out the other side of his head. He gurgles obscenities while trying to raise his axe towards you. Another arrow goes through his eye. He ceases his struggle.

While you solved the problem of Morri telling anyone, now you have to cover your own tracks, then you hear a sound you never thought you'd be glad to hear. The chittering of those insect demons and a bunch of them are coming right behind you.

You pull the arrows out and run as quickly as you can to the entrance leaving the demons to feed upon Morri's body. The thought crosses your mind to just leave anyway. Maybe they'd think all three of you got eaten. However, you run into another group during your dash to the mine entrance.

"Where the hell are you running off to?" a mercenary asks. It's Cal. You come up with a lie quick.

"(pant) Shit! We got fucking ambushed! (pant) Barely fucking escaped! (pant) Dimitri and Morri are dead! Probably eaten! And the rest of those demon fuckers are heading this way!"
"What?! You cowardly fucker, you just let Morri die?" one the dwarves says angrily.
"It wasn't my idea! I tried to help him and Dimitri, but they just came in force, I don't even know how I escaped!"

Your story is a little suspicious, but thanks to the demons, you're covered. They didn't leave much for the dwarves to find. However, you're not looked favorably on by the rest of the dwarves for the rest of the mission. Your fellow mercenaries don't really care one way or another. It's part of the job and Dimitri wasn't well liked so they could care less if he died or lived.

You on the other hand are still not feeling so great about yourself. The longer you're part of this company the more you're starting to think or be more like them. You hate it and you'll be glad when this job is over.

A few months pass and the contract is over. The "problem" isn't completely gone, in fact there's reports of some undead wandering in the area now, but the Dwarves are growing more weary of your presence, hand over your payment and tell you to leave. They say they can handle anything else themselves.

It's quite a lot this time. Best job you've had. Upon your return to the Zalan Empire you buy yourself a new lute. It's your "reward". The rest of it goes to your family who of course are eager to hear about your tales as usual. You don't tell them that many this time. You just try to take your mind off your "job" by asking them more questions this time around. When you're alone you play your new lute, trying to emulate a couple of the songs you overheard the Dwarves engage in when you were there. You never knew they were musically inclined; it's a shame you had to kill one to protect your future. You're still debating on whether or not to give up the mercenary life, but you see how much it's helping the family out, so you decide to stay and put up with it.

After your "break is over" you go back to the job as usual.

Three years pass…

Four years have passed since the "Nuro Incident" and things have gotten much worse in the world. The Necromancer Lord conquered the Brot Kingdom, A demon lord called Velzix conquered the Tulan Kingdom, both are expanding and a so called Grand Alliance of nations doesn't seem to be doing much good against either of them.

The Chimera Company was recently hired by the Zalan government. Due to your past battles with demons, they decided you would be good to put on Tulan Border which is still a bloodbath, but instead of fighting the Tulan Kingdom, the Zalan Empire is fighting Velzix's hordes.

It's not an easy assignment or very pleasant, in fact it's got to be the worst job you've been on. You company is assigned to make commando raids and sabotage shit to keep the demons fairly unfocused, while the Zalan Empire's real armies try to make progress into Velzix's realm. Currently you're making your "camp" in small abandoned village in enemy territory where you have to fight the occasional demon patrols.

Why the Captain took this job on for the company is beyond you. Nobody really knows why. The company in general has been taking more dangerous jobs in recent years. Ever since the Nuro Incident actually. While it's always been known he's not a man to shy away from danger and has a love of battle, there's a lot of talk within ranks that he's got a death wish.

The only "good thing" about this assignment, is that the chance for usual Chimera Company wicked acts are much lower. There's not many "innocents" in a demon realm.

As you think about things, strumming your lute in an abandoned general store by yourself. You hear someone speak.

"Pretty good playing. Wish my kind appreciated some of the more subtle things in life sometimes."

You turn your head and see a demon! He's not very tall and is "dressed up". He must be one of the "civilized" demons who realigned themselves with their demonic natures and flocked to Velzix when he took over the Tulan Kingdom. He doesn't seem hostile, but you drop your lute and draw your weapon, before you can yell a warning, he speaks again.

"Wait! Before you go warning your friends, I should warn you that there is a very large group of my fellow kin surrounding this village. You kill me and they'll attack and quite frankly I don't fancy your chances. However I got a deal for you that can be worth your while. What can it hurt to listen to me? You can always kill me afterwards."

[User] You listen to the demon

[Assistant]
You aren't sure about this, but you let him speak.

"Speak demon, but make it quick!" you demand.
"Ah, glad you're willing to be reasonable. Name's Big Red by the way."
"Get on with it!"
"Very well. Your company and everyone in it is doomed to the infernal planes when they die I'm afraid. You captain's deeds alone make him one of the most sought after souls in Hell. He used to be much worse before he got married, but ah well; women often make men weak like that."
"Yeah? Well not me."
"Heh, yeah you too. I understand that you're probably the most moral person in it, but this whole company has been targeted by Hell and Hell gets what it wants."
"Well Velzix isn't…"
"Velzix? I'm not talking about Velzix! Velzix is just another demon with big dick complex. If I trust my judgment he's not going to last another year in his current status, he'll probably either be dead by one of you mortals or that little Necromancer. (Sigh) Wish I'd known about him sooner, things could've been a lot…different."

Big Red sees that you're getting antsy so he gets to the point again.

"Anyway, seeing as you're all doomed to Hell, I figured it would be nice if I got direct credit for bringing you there. Bringing in evil souls yourself is one of the few things makes Hell all worth it. You get all sorts of perks. However, if I just call in the reinforcements now to have you guys get ripped from limb to limb, I won't get direct credit. The souls will just be gathered wily nily and then I gotta argue with the fucking collectors and lawyers and all that other shit about who killed who and who gets credit which will probably just result in nobody getting credit and doesn't help me out at all."
"Barring that you're saying that I'm doomed in any case, I fail to see why I should help you."
"Well that's why I'm coming to you with a deal. I can see you're not a bad person, you just serve a bad master, and he's the one I really want direct credit for. The rest of you are just a bonus and you in particular aren't even worth that much given your tendency towards good."
"So what is it you want from me exactly?"
"I want you to take out the sentries and distract your fellows for as long as possible while my boys sneak up on this village and strike with as little resistance as possible. To sweeten this deal, I'll try to tell my boys to not target you while you try to escape the mayhem. I'm not making any promises though, killing rampages among my kind encourage indiscriminate killing. You'll be on your own; however it gives you a small chance for survival and by agreeing to this plan it gives me direct credit as the mastermind of this cunning plan. Getting other demons to kill isn't any kind of feat, but employing a mortal to help is looked upon as more favorable. So do we have a deal?"

Big Red offers his hand…

[User] You make the deal

[Assistant]
It sounds like your only chance for survival, slim though it may be. In some ways you'd like to be out of this company and who are you really betraying? From what you've seen the company is little better than the demons. You're sick of all of this, the fighting, the demons, the company, all of it.

"It's a deal, but make a damn good effort for your kin NOT to target me, AND not to go chasing me either!"
"Okay! Sheesh, you're mistrustful. You just make sure you do your part." Big Red says and shakes your hand.

You both exit the abandoned store and you look for where most of your fellows are located. The village square of course. You know there are look outs in each of "corners" of the village. You sneak about the village like an assassin and ready your bow.

You take out each sentry in relative silence with your skillful bow shots and drag their bodies into a nearby house. Now nobody will raise an alarm too soon. You then head to the village square and begin interacting with some of them. They find it odd since you're usually keeping to yourself, but they enjoy your playing so they don't mind it when you do that.

Your Captain on the other hand comes out from the house he's set up in and is wondering what all the commotion is. He gets angry.

"What the fuck are you idiots doing? We're fucking deep in demon territory and you're all making enough noise to attract a damn army of them."
"What difference does it make? They got patrols that have come across our location before, so they know where we're at." You remark."
"The difference is that I want you fuckers to be alert and focused if we get attacked, not getting drunk and dancing to music like some fucking sissy elf!"
"Aren't you married to an elf?" you say still playing and backing away from the Captain's reach. He's almost in shock that you'd speak to him in such manner especially since you never usually speak too much in the first place.

"You, pig farmer are really pushing my patience tonight. If I didn't need all the people I can get for this job, I'd kill you myself!"
"Shhh! I think you better shut the fuck up lute boy." One of the other mercenaries whispers.
"Why? We're already in fucking Hell, who gives a shit how much noise we make?"

You defiance gets worse and finally the Captain draws his weapon to shut you up. At this point you call him a pile of orc shit and run. This causes the rest of the mercenaries to get out his way as he charges at you. Some of them also give chase, but most just stay out of it.

Fortunately at this point the demons have finally gotten into position and strike. Most of the company is so bewildered by what has occurred between you and the Captain that they're unprepared. Your Captain immediately stops his pursuit of you when a particularly large demon jumps on top of him from one of the rooftops. He fights it off with the help of some of his men, but you see more coming and continue to make your escape.

As you run away from the village, a few demons pass you by and don't attack, looks like Big Red kept his word.

To a point.

Big Red suddenly appears in front of you.

"Thanks friend, now for your reward!" he says and then puts his fist through your chest which kills you instantly.

You don't know how much time has passed, but you eventually hear Big Red speaking to you.

"Get up, I need your word."
"Huh?" you say in a daze.
"Did I not get you to distract the Chimera Company in an effort to collect all their souls?"
"Huh? Yeah…" you continue to say in a daze.

You start shaking the cobwebs and see that you're in a completely different place. A very bad place. Big Red and another much bigger demon are talking. You see the rest of your Company in the distance, naked and in chains. The entire landscape is very barren, has a reddish hue and its uncomfortably hot.

"Okay, you'll get credit for all these souls."
"Hang on, I want to keep this one, he has certain talents and he did allow all this to happen." Big Red says pointing to you.
"Very well…that's your right. Just sign there, and there, okay. Let's load these sorry souls up!"

Big Red looks pleased with himself as the souls are taken away.

"Come on, I'm going to take a break."

You feel compelled to join him, but you still have questions obviously.

"What the fuck man?! I'm in Hell!"
"Got it in one. Excellent detective work."
"But…But the deal! You broke the fucking deal! I don't belong here!"
"No I didn't. I said my fellows wouldn't harm you, not that I wouldn't. Besides YOU made a deal with me, which damned you in the first place. You definitely belong here."

The reality of this situation has now caused a massive amount of fear within you. You're in Hell and there's no escape from it! You can't even attack Big Red, he's got a permanent magical hold on you from causing him any sort of harm, though you probably wouldn't be a match for him anyway. You collapse on the ground and feel defeated. Big Red stops, but he doesn't get angry.

"Now what is your problem? I just saved YOUR soul from being eternally tormented by my superiors. They'll probably be eating them and shitting them out only to eat them again for who knows how long. Not a pleasant process."
"But…but what are you going to do to me?" you ask.
"You? You're going to play for me at my home in the Blood Hills. Trust me, its not nearly as bloody as the name makes out."
"Play?"
"Sure. I said you played pretty well, and I do appreciate such things. Music is one of my hobbies other than the whole soul collection thing of course. I've got sheets of music from lots of places; I can't play worth a shit though. The claws don't help either. Now come on let's go."

You are finding this very odd, but you don't feel as bad now. You're Big Red's slave, but given where you're at, things could be a lot worse. You'll at least get to do something you've always wanted to do. Play music without hindrance. You wonder about your family, but there's little that you can do for them now. You just hope things work out for them in the living world.

Big Red's home isn't some giant castle, but a moderate sized house. The inside is decorated with grisly trophies, which you guess can only be considered demonic art.

"Sinthinia! I know you're here! I can smell your scent!" he calls out.

A sexy female demon comes out of one of the rooms. You can't help but stare, she barely acknowledges you at all though.

"I've been waiting for you Big Red, so did the deal go down well?"
"Well, it could've gone better, but it was still a good haul. So how is it really going with Velzix?"
"(Sigh) He's probably going to lose as predicted. I can sense it, anyone with half a brain can. That whole world is going to eventually become a graveyard, I know it. And the undead are no fun. That's why I've come back here."
"Well my house is your house. Let's put some music on shall we?" Big Red points to you. "You, go pick up that mandolin over there and start playing that something on those music sheets I got set up. Sit over there and continue playing until I say stop which won't be anytime soon."

Once again you feel the need to comply. You do exactly as Big Red commands as he and Sinthinia head to a bedroom. He then stops to turn to you.

"Oh, I don't know if you realized it at the soul market, but your Captain was NOT there. You know why? Because he somehow managed to fucking escape death! Now I could blame the idiots that were working for me for allowing him to escape, but I figured since I got you anyway, it would be more fun to blame you. Enjoy playing music for all eternity!" he says as Sinthinia giggles and they close the door.

You don't quite understand that remark until you begin playing the mandolin. You begin to feel excruciating pain all over. Your mind is tormented with negative emotions causing you great distress as well.

Big Red has made it so your greatest love which is music causes you pain.

And you can never stop playing.

All you can do is suffer.


[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 chase them down, then slaughter the others as well, they killed your new pet

[Assistant]
You Rush after them "They die for killing my pet!" You snarl in your mind as you rush towards them, covering the ground inhumanly fast. You quickly catch the man and backhand him aside then lunge after the one he called 'Briar' she was the one who shot your pet. You even imagine how good your revenge will feel as you snuff her life out.

Sadly though you never consider that when you move with inhuman speed in front of humans with guns currently fighting infected that they will assume you are indeed inhuman.

The first bullet misses but the second catches you cleanly in the side of your chest right before you reach Briar and it knocks you off your stride. You stumble to your knee, feeling the internal bleeding start, you've been shot twice now and you are definitely reaching your limit even with your regenerative capabilities.

You sense a movement and looking up you see Briar turn to you and raise her gun "You killed claw!" She says as she is about to fire, but she killed your pet and is standing close to you. You lunge upwards as she fires, her bullet tearing through your chest but you have momentum and manage to punch her in the throat before you collapse.

You can feel the blood draining from you now and know you wont get up again but you are also looking right at Briars face. You both know you killed the other as you see her choke to death and she watches you bleed out.


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

[User] Continue

[Assistant]
"Haygarth, what happened?"

"He came for my head! Yelled at me and made me dance and work for him, the little cunt!" Haygarth says.

"We need to get out of here. There…"

"Is… is Count Grey truly dead?"

"Yes," you reply.

"I never thought I'd see the day," Haygarth says. "And the rest of what the vampire knight said was true? Vampires and werewolves have taken the castle?"

 "The area's fucked, werewolves had surrounded the castle, the there's still two other incredibly hostile vampires here."

"Where is Masters Lucas and Mikhail?"

"They're in the medical bay. We don't need to think about them. We need to think about escape. They're fine."

"Haygarth, is it? Dasha asks. "

"Yes," Haygarth says, frowning. "You're one of the sacrifices."

"I have a name. It's Dasha."

"So be it," Haygarth says.

"Are there any secret passages that could get us out of here?" Dasha asks.

"No, we wouldn't have anything like that. The main gate's the only way out, unless you're willing to dive off the wall and pray your legs are all that ends up broken. Count Grey has become too paranoid, always thinking a Vampire Hunter would find there way in."

"So what can we do?" you ask.

"The coach," Haygarth says. "We need to get out of here. We board it up heavily, and just make a run for it."

"It's suicide!" you say.

"Is it the only option?" Dasha asks.

"Yes," Haygarth says.

"There's werewolves out there! They'll easily wipe us out," you say.

"We need to leave soon, before the werewolves find a way inside or the other two vampires find us. Are you willing to come?" Haygarth asks.

[User] You refuse

[Assistant]
"I'm not going!" you say.

"So be it," Haygarth says. "If you're not leaving the castle, we need your help."

"What?" you ask.

"You need to ring the castle's alarm bell at the North-East tower. If you can ring that, you can distract the werewolves and draw them towards the North-Eastern area, so we have a chance."

"Fuck, fine. I'll get it done," you say.

"Thank you, thank you!" Haygarth says. "I must find the Twins, if they're still alive. I'll be sure to be back before you can make the journey to the bell."

"Fan-fucking-tastic," you say. "Best of luck, Haygarth. I hope we meet on the other side."

"Same to you, Samuel."

You turn, walking away from the room. You enter the hallways again, and move quickly. You can hear the roars of the beasts outside, and you wince as you hear the scraping of sharp claws on the stones outside. You take a deep breath of air, trying not to let terror cloud your judgment. Suddenly, you pause. You see the massive, wretched body of a werewolf slowly move forward through the hallway, heading perpendicular to you. Tufts of black fur cover its body, as its deformed snout looks like a pale imitation of a true wolf's, this one looking like a poor soul has had her face bashed in to create the appearance of one. It creeps along the hallways, sniffing the air.

You step back slowly, taking a sharp breath. You shouldn't be surprised that they've got in. The doors are thick, reinforced with steel and silver alike, but the werewolves were bound to get in some time. Not if the portcullis had been closed, but once they entered the courtyard, they were bound to get in.

The beast shakes its head violently as if spasming, before sniffing the air once more. It lets out a growl, and you know it's caught your scent. There's a rotten chifferobe to your side that you could foreseeably hide in. There's also the silver-loaded gun in your hands, if you want to take it more bluntly, as well as the silver dagger you have hidden in your boot. for a quiet tactic.

[User] You hide

[Assistant] You grab the chifferobe, opening it and stepping inside. You close the door, quieting your breathing as you wait. You hear the loud, clawed footsteps of the beast towards you, as you wait patiently for it to pass by. This is a beast, lacking all the stealth of the true wolf, or even its stronger Wulven kin. Still, it has the nose of one, which soon becomes apparent as its wet sniffling leans to it pausing outside your room. You wait slowly, holding your breath, for the wolf to pass. It doesn't seem to know you're there... yet.

[User] You strike

[Assistant]
You smash open the door, smacking the wooden door and hitting the werewolf in the head. You grab the werewolf. You stab the werewolf in the throat as you knock its snouth upwards, impaling its jaw. Blood spurts out, running down its jaw as the werewolf lets out a pitiful whimper, before collapsing on the ground.

Well, you dispatched it. Quietly, as well. Not bad. Time to continue, though.

[User] You continue to the North-East corner

[Assistant]
You continue moving along the hallways, but thankfully wherever the werewolf's entry point is, it's not close enough to you to have an issue. You don't know where Alexa or Mihrab are, but they're not here, so that's enough. Soon, you find yourself climbing the tight, spiraling staircase towards the bell tower. You push open the wooden door once you reach the top, and find yourself faced with a massive, cast iron bell. You look out at the courtyard from the lookout of the bell tower at the dozens of fur-covered beasts scattered around the area. Shit, there's more than you thought.

You take a deep breath, leaning your head against the bell, taking a deep breath. The walk was fairly long, and the werewolf took some of your time. If Haygarth's still alive, he's back at the coach. You grab the bell pull, before pulling it down as hard as you can. The bell clangs loudly as you put your hand over your ears. The werewolves began to panic and howl, instantly growing frantic and charging towards the doors of the castle. You wait a moment, staring out at the courtyard, before you see the coach burst free from the castle and smashing towards the gates. The Coach smashes the Viceroy's coach out of the way, as it flies on past the trees towards the nearby village. Well, they've escaped. Lucky bastards.

You turn, and begin walking down the stairs, before seeing the tanned skin and black cloak of Viceroy Mihrab.

"You're still alive, are you?" he asks. "I had thought one of the stupider werewolves had gotten inside and smacked its head into the bell by accident. It's an interesting choice to ring it for whatever reason you have."

Mihrab walks slowly towards you, as you back up, slipping on the staircase. You quickly crawl your way up the stairs and get to the bell once more, looking down as he approaches you slowly with cool indifference.

"You've taken me away from my work. At least you'll provide a refreshing meal."

You hold your rifle out, aiming. You look over the edge of the bell tower. You could jump, bouncing off one of the tiled roofs and into the courtyard. The werewolves are inside, so you might be able to escape. Your other, as shitty option, is fighting.

[User] You jump

[Assistant]
You sigh, looking out at the tiled roof. A long drop to that and then into the courtyard, then you can leg it out of there. If the first fall doesn't break your bones. Or the werewolves here you and tear you apart. You climb over the bell tower wall, and jump. There's a brief second of the air rushing as your fall, adrenaline rushing into you. Then, you hit the tiled roof. Pain surges through your as you yell in pain.

Unfortunately, you don't smack into it and roll off into the courtyard. Instead, you just go straight through the tiled roof. You smash through, into the room beneath you. The world goes dark and hazy, as you lie there atop the broken tiles in desperate pain. You groan, taking a deep breath. You need to get moving. Otherwise, the werewolves will find you, if not Mihrab.

You grab the side of the table, slowly pulling yourself up. You put weight on your legs, and grunt in pain. It hurts like a bitch, but they're not broken. You're able to walk. You stand, taking a deep breath, and stumble forward. You're not going to be able fight Mihrab like this, and you highly doubt your chances of being able to leg it back to the nearest village. You need to think.

You could head to the castle armory. There's a large amount of explosives there, as well as other fun and interesting weapons that could be turned to wiping out the werewolves and killing Mihrab as well.

You could head to Count Grey's personal chambers. Knowing how paranoid and prepared he was, you have no doubt that the place is insanely secured and prepared for a situation like this. It's too late for him to use it, but you still might.

There's also the chance of negotiation. You could talk to Mihrab, and attempt to convince him to spare you. Through offering up Count Grey's secrets and perhaps even offering your services in the future, he can be convinced to spare you, and even have you join him.

If you're feeling courageous, you could attempt to negotiate with the werewolves. Whilst they're beasts, they still do have human souls and consciousnesses. They can probably negotiate. If you find the Alpha, you can most likely negotiate with it.

[User] You head to the armory

[Assistant] You grab your gun from the broken tiles, and stumble forward. You hear a howl resonate down the halls. You sigh as you realize they're getting louder. You luck at a nearby door along the hallway, before looking at the gun in your hands.

[User] You fight

[Assistant] You raise your gun and take a deep breath, before you see the werewolf coming towards you. Unlike the one you killed earlier, this one is tall, stronger and muscular, covered with brown, blood-stained fur. It snarls as it spots you, bounding towards you. You fire your gun as the werewolf roars in pain, your silver bullet slicing through the werewolf's hind leg. It slides along the hall before stumbling forward and smashing into you. Its claws and fangs tear through you, sending spurts of blood and tearing through your flesh.


[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 just call through the disc's holes and hope to hear an answer.

[Assistant]
Using divine intuition, you lean in close to the holes on the lid and yell as loudly (and awkwardly) as you can, "HELLO THERE, WE'RE LOOKING FOR THE WOLVES."

Your ghoul snickers. You vaguely hear the echo of your voice trail off into the buried well. Hopefully somebody down there heard your dopey exclamation, even if it came out dumb sounding. You certainly wouldn't want to go through it again. You hear some heavy foot-steps from the well, and try your best to peer through it. Alas, it is too dark. Still, you hear a voice in response.

"Who are yeh?" The voice progressively gets closer. It's gruff, but calm.

"Uh, I'm not a hundred-percent sure! But we're related."

"Related eh? You'd have to explain that one to me." You can hear a sharp thud, and the lid on top of the well turn from a flat 180-degrees to a wedged 90. A hairy, clawed hand withdraws. You hear another thump, probably the Wolf down there falling back to the floor.

You shrug, and smile at your Ghoul, and then proceed to look down the brick-well...

It's dark, for one thing, and you can't make out anything but two figures looking up at you. Overcome with nervousness, you loudly blurt out, "We come in peace!"

Several dark figures appear from the bottom of the well, after several glances upwards at you and whispering, one of them waves you down. Shivering, you make sure to slowly go down, using the metal foot-holds protruding from the side of the cylindrical, brick well. The dark figures eye you carefully, taking a while to speak. One with dark gray hair and scruffy facial hair as well as a slouching hunchback of a surprisingly muscular body, points at your armor, "If you're a Zealot, I'd turn back right now."

His voice isn't too threatening, but his body language and thick-eyebrows suggest otherwise. He's clad in tight cloth shirt and pants, bulging with muscles, and is surrounded in an intimidating aura. The other one is completely cloaked, though watches your Ghoul with suspicion. "I'm not of the Church," you start, trying to make a good first impression, "and neither is he. Not anymore at least."

"Then what are you?" The gruff man calls out, his eyes narrowing.

"Well, I'm glad you asked. I'm a... A Creation, just like you. This is my Ghou--" By the time you uttered the word, 'Creation' he had already put you in a headlock. The cloaked one has already put your ghoul to sleep, though hopefully not forever...

The man continues, "What do you want from us, fangs-boy? I thought the rest of your clan died."

Clans? "No!" You exclaim, struggling out of his hold. You actually manage to surprise him with your strength and are able to push him off of you. "I honestly have no idea what you're talking about. But you're part of the Wolves, right? My associate and I want to join your strong hold."

He spits back at you, "We don't need any joiners."

"Why not?" You argue, your body tensing. "The Zealots are planning to raid this place soon, and I figure you could use as much help as possible."

The old man growls back you, "What are you, some sort of message-boy for the Professor?" Well, at least that means they aren't working for him. Probably. "The Church means no harm to us at this point. It'd be stupid for them to attack us. If you're trying to make a powerful group do something out of desperation, then oh boy, have you come to a bad place, vampy. I'd go back to the sun, where the pain is relatively quick." He cracks his knuckles. If you weren't so confident in your abilities, you might have been intimidated by this Neanderthal.

"Then perhaps you should ask my Ghoul, David. He was a Zealot before I brought him to the darkness." You point at the slumped body on the floor.

"He's dead now, too late." The brute says with a cruel grin, "Snapped his neck, Ragnor did."

You laugh, "I don't think he'd die from that." You take several steps toward your slave, waving the cloaked man aside, you grab David by the cuff of his armor and pick him up, then bring your hand to his neck and snap it back.

David glumly states, "Hi."

The Wolf grits his teeth, "Didn't know Vampires could use their powers like that."

"Then you'll be learning a whole lot more during my stay here. What was that you were saying about being the last of my clan?"

He smiles back, surprisingly, "Oh? So you don't know. You're the last of the Vampire Creations, as the rest died in this desert planet. I'm surprised you made it this long since the last Facility was destroyed. But if you don't remember that, then do you even remember your name?"

"I'm afraid not. Can you at least tell me yours?"

The Wolf laughs, "Call me Gideon. The cloaked figure on the side is Ragnor, our residential assassin, even if fighting has little place anymore." He brings out a hairy, clawed hand to shakes yours.

You accept it. "So I'm in?"

"I'm still suspicious of your reasons for coming here, and your story about the Zealots needs some checking."

"Is it really that surprising?"

"Less that and more that we don't want to fight them." What? Seeing your confused expression, Gideon continues, "Listen here Vampy, I'd rather die and let humanity survive than not. And most of us here are ready for that. If the Zealots come to our turf then we'll wipe them out easy, but we're definitely not going to seek conflict, even if me and the boys can take those choir-boys out in an instant."

"Why not? They want to kill us all?"

He shakes his head, his face now grim, "The Church may believe that we're demons, but they also value the sanctity of life, so I doubt they'd come here. Regardless, they aren't all that wrong about us. The things we've done... The innocents we've massacred in our wake. It doesn't mean that we're bad now, per se, but what we've done is inexcusable. The World has gone to waste, and I'm alright if we don't survive to see it rebuild itself.

You stand in silence for a little while, realizing that you've joined ranks with the modern equivalent of the hippies.

Gideon grins again, "But don't worry about that now, let's close the lid on top of our well and then introduce you to the rest of the gang."


[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 ram him with the luggage cart.

[Assistant] You grab one--uh-oh. They're the kind you have to put coins into in order to make the brakes unlatch. It does almost nothing. The goblin leaps onto the cart and bites your head off.