[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 escape

[Assistant]
As much as you'd like to kill both Kane and Cyrus, you're outnumbered and you can't even be sure if you'd catch them together again in this big fort. Better to escape and come back later better prepared to punish them. Still you're going to need some sort of gear to survive the cold outside of the fort.

"We can't just escape half naked like this. We're going to need some sort of clothing or better yet armor and weapons." You say
"Yeah, there is a small supply room on the way. It isn't the main one, but it shouldn't have any guards by it either. We have to make our way to the kitchen area first, should be relatively empty right now."

It takes some sneaking around, but Edgar's knowledge of the layout gets you there with relative ease. When you do get to the room you find some old battered armor and dull weapons. It will have to do. Edgar mentions that there is a garbage dump chute in the kitchen which leads underground, from there, there's a long tunnel which eventually leads to a dead end with a hidden hatch. He says he's knows it leads into a forest area, but not much more than that since the battle mage zapped him and he was dragged back by that time.

You and Edgar sneak into the kitchen, but it isn't completely empty. The cook and a couple of his assistants are there, you and Edgar make quick work of them before they notice you, though Edgar is a little sloppier than you and the assistant that he cuts down knocks over a bunch of pots as he body hits the floor. The clatter is quite loud and you waste no time in looking for the garbage chute. It's foul and disgusting, but there's no other option. You jump in and slide down quite easy due to the slimy remains of food greasing the chute.

When you reach the bottom a giant pile of garbage cushions you. The smell is almost overpowering, but you have no time to worry about awful smells as you are attacked by larger than normal vermin feasting through the pile. Your boots squish through the disgusting muck as you swing your weapon to drive away or kill the aggressive rats. Edgar comes crashing down from the chute and helps you.

"Ugh, forgot how bad this place smelled." Edgar says kicking a rat.
"Guess you forgot about the giant rats as well?"
"No, but I figured it wouldn't be that big of a surprise for you."

You and Edgar manage to fight your way down the small mountain of trash and make your way down the tunnel until you eventually get to a built in ladder leading up to a hatch.

"Is this it? It seems like a terrible idea to have this at the fort. Anyone could sneak down here and infiltrate." You mention.
"Nah, it's pretty well hidden from the outside, in fact it can only open from the inside. Not like any ogre is bright enough to notice it and a giant certainly couldn't get down here. Plus it locks shut when you get outside. I think it was originally supposed to be an escape tunnel in the first place, but it looks like it got turned into a garbage pit instead. Come on."

Edgar opens up the hatch and holds it open for you as you make your way to the cold outside world. You look around and it is just as Edgar said, a forest area with no major distinguishing markers. You see that the sun is setting and use that as a guide for which general direction you need to go. You figure it'll probably take a few days to get back to Fort Destiny, but you should be able to make it.

You and Edgar walk a good half hour before you realize something is wrong.

"Shhh. You hear that?" you ask.
"Can't be ogres, they would've attacked us by now."
"It probably isn't…find cover!" you exclaim.

Several bolts whiz past you as you duck down rolling around in the snow and run in a zig zag fashion getting behind several trees so as to not get hit. Edgar isn't as quick as you and he is hit by two of the bolts. Not enough to kill him, but if they have that same toxin that you experienced on them he's not going to stay conscious for long.

The Shadow Guard assailants finally show themselves and jump out of the trees. Edgar is feeling the effects of the toxin, but he struggles to stay awake to defend himself. You find yourself fighting three of the shadows that circle around you. One of them attacks and you grab his arm breaking it in one quick move, when another attacks you, you shove his broken arm friend into his blade. They both fall to the ground.

The third one lands a couple of hits on your back; cutting through the poor armor you're wearing. You deliver a hefty back kick to his gut and follow up with a spinning swipe with your sword. Your sword's edge is dull and not sharp enough to cleanly decapitate the shadow, instead it makes a large cruel gash in his neck which spurts blood like a small fountain. The result is still effective and he collapses into the snow. Your other adversary has gotten up off the ground and throws a dagger at you, which you just narrowly avoid. He tries to fight you fairly, but it's clear he is no match for you and you easily dispatch him. You then finish off the shadow with the broken arm and wound in his belly.

Edgar is still fighting the two shadows attacking him. Under normal circumstances, he'd probably easily dispatch them, but the toxin is having its effect and from the front and back their short swords stab him. He falls to the ground when the shadow behind him cuts at his tendons. You strike your blade into the skull of one of the shadows when he only crumples to his knees, you slam the dull blade on his head again splitting it open and revealing the gooey brains within. The last shadow tries to run away, and climb to a nearby tree in the hopes of escaping you, but you manage to jump up and grab hi dangling legs and pull him crashing to the ground. After a small scuffle you wrap your forearms around his neck and break it.

You walk over to Edgar who is still struggling to stay awake, but he's fighting more than just the toxin now, his wounds are quite severe. You kneel down beside him, it seems odd for you given your past history, but you feel a sense of sadness.

"He…hey…did you get him?"
"Yeah, Edgar, I got him."
"That's… good. I'm sorr.."
"It's in the past Edgar. Don't worry about it." You tell him, as you know what he's going to apologize for. He then quietly loses consciousness and stops breathing altogether.

After a few moments of silence, you carry on to Fort Destiny without Edgar. You think about all the things you plan to do to Kane and Cyrus if you manage to get your hands on them the entire time you're traveling back to Fort Destiny.

Eventually you get to a town where you ride the rest of the way to Fort Destiny. Lieutenant Verant is relieved to see you. He says was just about to send someone up to Fort Defiance to see what happened to you. You'd really like to raise your entire force from the fort and march upon Fort Defiance immediately, but you question if you'd be able to take it. Other than the defenses being on full alert now, Kane may have already rallied his ogre and giant allies. It might be best if you report this back to the generals at home. Surely they'll spare you some reinforcements for something like this, not to mention they'll need to be warned anyway due to the Shadow Guard revolt that's already been in planning for quite some time. Still, it could be awhile for you to wait, not to mention they may not send you any at all. All which would be wasted time you could've spent attacking Kane so he doesn't get too dug in.

[User] You wait for reinforcements

[Assistant]
With all the extra allies Kane has, you can't possibly take the fort without heavy losses and with all the problems you've been having with peasants you're still going to need enough troops to keep them in line afterwards. You need at least another army up here. You tell Verant to send a message to the generals back home about the situation and if they can provide reinforcements then to do so right away. In the meantime you're going to build up the defenses on the fort and the towns in the surrounding area.

A week or so passes before you get any sort of reply. You are given orders to hold the area, but that's about it. With this new revelation of the Shadow Guard treachery and dissention within the orc ranks the generals are busily attempting to weed out any more within the home territories as well as having to redistribute regular soldiers where Shadow Guard were keeping the peasants in line. The war with the Felkans is also still going on, so any immediate reinforcements would go to that area first anyway.

In short, you're on your own as usual and reports are already coming in about ogre attacks on the outer villages. It'll only be a matter of time before those are giants or Kane's entire army of orcs. You curse your situation and prepare yourself for a long ongoing war.

Year 26

"Shoot the bastards!" you shout at the catapult crews. They unleash another volley of rocks on the attacking giants. Several of the rocks hit their targets, but it's not like you're not taking a barrage of large boulders either, in fact the orcs have taken to lobbing large balls of dung over the walls and it's already been starting to cause sickness among your troops. Especially after days of ongoing attack, a dwindling food supply and no relief in sight.

The months of battling Kane's traitor brigade has all lead up to this, completely surrounded by them. You did your best to hold them back, but ultimately Kane could replace his losses faster thanks to the brutality of his own troops. After ogres destroyed several of the smaller villages completely along with the mere threat of giants it wasn't long that some of the peasant communities were willing to accept Kane's "rule" more readily than the Empire's, which they were already disgruntled with due to the lack of proper protection among other things.

The Shadow Guard didn't help matters as most of them that had been rooted out in the home territories fled up to the Rask under Cyrus' leadership, along with some of the orcs that had heard about the rebellion. Any towns that hadn't immediately fell under the sway of the direct fear from Kane's army fell to the subversive and terror tactics of the Shadow Guard.

"Get those orcs on the north side! They're climbing up the fucking walls!" you shout.

Boiling oil is thrown over the side of the wall, scalding the orcs on ladders. Some of them fall, others are tougher and maintain their grip. You shove the ladder back, making sure to get the ones that the oil failed to. You look around and see that the orcs have begun to break through the front door. You then have that familiar sense that you've had so many other times over the past few months. You duck down and roll while swinging your sword in front of you. You hit something and uncloak a Shadow Guard that has managed to infiltrate the fort. He isn't the only one though. Several more appear nearby to kill the remaining men you have defending the walls.

You continue to fight valiantly, cutting down many of the Shadow Guard that have managed to get inside the fort. A boulder crashes into the side of the wall destroying it and causing you to fall off the walkway and to the ground within the fort.

You get back up as quickly as you can to see orcs pouring into the front gates and the remainder of your men slaughtered. Griping your sword one last time your only regret is not taking the opportunity to kill Kane and Cyrus a year ago when you were captured at Fort Defiance. Indeed you played everything a bit too cautiously. None of it matters now though, the only thing you can do is go out like a true warrior. If not victory, then you can take comfort in that at least.

"For the Empire!" you shout and charge into the horde.


[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 don't accept the answer

[Assistant]
And with that lie you hear from Johnny, your head drops briefly in despair. With tears in your eyes you look back at Johnny.

"I…don't believe you…and if I don't believe you, I can't trust you. (sob) And if I can't trust you…(sob) I…I…"
"You have to kill me." Johnny says for you.
"I'm sorry…" you say.

Johnny just stares at you and a tear actually comes down his left eye.

"Nobody is ever going to love you like I will Suzy."
"That… I do believe."

You then shoot Johnny. The first shot hits him in the body, causing him to fall backwards, but not enough to kill him, but you soon get over your shock and sorrow not just by remembering that he's killed Julie and Donna, but that eventually he'll kill you as well.

You don't stop pumping rounds into the son of a bitch until the pistol is completely empty.

Johnny's body lies motionless in a bloody mess. His eyes still open, staring at you even in death.

You slump down on the floor crying that it had to be this way, but it was survival.

After a few minutes of releasing your sadness, you realize that you can't just leave Johnny's body down here. The problem is you can't very well carry it up the ladder from the shelter either, at least not in one piece.

You slowly get up and head back to the armory. There you find a good-sized machete that looks very sharp. You also get some garbage bags you saw in one of the supply rooms. You're not sure why Ben had them down here, but it's handy that he did.

You go back to Johnny's body. You think about dragging the body to the shelter's bathtub and doing your grisly work there, but you decide the best thing you can do is just to get it over with. You lay out some of the bags on the floor and roll Johnny's body on to them and get to work.

It's not an easy task for you and you get physically sick more than once, but eventually you get through it. Johnny's limbs, torso and head all get put into bags. You then make several trips up and down the ladder to haul the pieces up to the basement. It's still an exhausting task, even more so after having to go through hacking him up and the emotional drain you feel from it.

You don't go any further than the basement after you've hauled all of Johnny's parts up. You're just not in the mood to deal with more. You look at the blood-drenched fatigues you're wearing and strip them off to throw them into one of the bags.

Leaving the "body bags" by the entrance, you go back to your room to get a spare set of clothes. You also see Kelly's body still lying in a heap there. Just reminds you that you'll have more cleaning up to do tomorrow.

For now though you grab something comfortable from the closet and head back down to the shelter where you take a long hot shower. Afterwards you go to the bedroom and collapse on the bed, completely spent.

Doesn't take long for you to fall asleep, it's a welcome escape from reality.

[User] Next day…

[Assistant]
SATURDAY

You wake up to silence and it's an odd feeling.

You half expect Johnny to be vacuuming or cleaning or just being around, but you know that's not going to happen ever again.

You sit up just thinking about what you're going to do today for a few moments. Everyone you know or close to is gone and you're truly alone now. Granted you've spent most of your life alone, but there was still always someone around to intrude. Most of the time this was unwanted like when Kelly bullied you or when Peter stole your clothes. Other times this was your choice like spending time with Bobby.

Now? There is nobody.

You finally get up and shuffle into the living room which still has a lot of blood on the floor.

"(Sigh) I guess I should clean that up too." You mutter to your self and remind yourself to get some of the cleaning products from upstairs.

After ascending up the ladder you see the same garbage bags you left in a group nearby.

"I'll be back to take care you later Johnny." You say, then you glance your head towards your old room.

"You too bitch." You say and head upstairs.

When you get upstairs to get something to clean with, you notice several bags on the floor in the living room. They're yours or mostly yours anyway. It's all the stuff you brought with you from Julie's house. Johnny must've brought them in from the jeep last night. He always was thoughtful.

As you go to get your bags, a bright flash shines through one of the uncovered windows along with the sound of a large explosion in the distance. You can't help but take a quick glance out the window.

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

"…they finally went and did it." You say.

From the direction it looks like it probably hit the city, but it still had to be a "small" one since you imagine your home still would've suffered a backlash of your windows breaking from the long range impact.

Still who knows which way the wind is blowing and there is no reason to not be extra cautious. So you gather up your bags and a few extra items and head back down to the shelter as quick as possible.

And once again you're locked away from the outside world. This time possibly for a lot longer than average. Sadly, you know it can't be forever.

As you look through your supplies, you think you could probably stay down here for about a decade before you completely ran out of what you needed, which means eventually you'll have to go up to the surface at some point to scavenge or trade or whatever it is that you'll need to do for more supplies.

And if you go up to the surface, you're going to need to be prepared and that unfortunately means a lot of regular use for that exercise room you saw, along with reading all those survivalist books you saw in the library.

Still, this week has already prepared you in some ways. You have a much better mindset to deal with the outside world that you can't hide away from anymore. You even know that you can do unpleasant things if you need to.

It's not going to be easy and it's not going to be fun, but for now you can continue to afford to hide out from reality, if only for a little while longer.

[User] Continue

[Assistant]
Repression of Reality

The Future...

"I'm home!" you shout as you enter the shelter loaded with goodies.

As you unburden yourself of your haul, you hear the end credits of a movie playing on the TV.

"See? I told you I wouldn't be that long. I got here just in time to put on another movie! In fact I got some new ones from that redneck encampment. I know most of them are a bunch of assholes, but they're always up for trading and that Mel guy keeps 'em mostly in line. Plus they got bigger things to worry about now that they're at war with the Cult of Tiamat."

You open up your bag and go through some of the DVDs you picked up in trade. You pick one and exchange it out for the one that was playing.

"I haven't seen this one in a long time. I'm glad we'll be able to watch it together." You say.

As the movie starts playing you return to unloading your bags occasionally looking up to watch the movie playing.

"So speaking of the Cult of Tiamat. I meant to tell you I…uh…ran into Bobby a few days ago."

You unpack some of the canned food you found. Sure you still have tons of food to last for years, but it never hurts to have more.

"See? This is why I didn't tell you! I knew you were going to get mad! I wasn't trying to hide it, I just…well you know how your temper is and I didn't want you getting all jealous and screaming at me.

You finish unpacking the rest of your bags and place most of the items on the table where you plan on going through a complete inventory later, right now though you just want to relax. You strip down to your underwear and sit on the couch to watch the movie playing.

"One of my favorite parts is coming up...(sigh) are you still mad? Look I told you, nothing is going on with Bobby and me! Just because that bitch Diana is dead doesn't mean I'm going to get back with him! Bobby's got other sisters you know? Besides, he's pretty much firmly entrenched in his beliefs now. I only think he's cordial with me, because we once had something. I mean being friendly isn't a crime. I mean it's a good thing. One less person for me to worry about blowing my head off."

You briefly glance over at the TV before returning to your argument.

"Oh that's fucking low. Don't you think I wish it didn't have to happen? I wish every day that things could've been different, but you know what? They weren't, so you need to just fucking deal with it!" you shout and get so angry that you punch the mannequin positioned on the sofa and its head falls off and tumbled to the floor.

"Shit. Oh shit. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Let me help you." You say and scramble to pick up the head.

You reattach the head and inspect it for damage; fortunately you didn't do any save for a minor loss of paint near the ear.

"Hold on…there. Not so bad. Look I'm sorry I got angry, but you shouldn't have said that to me. You know I still feel bad about that. I don't want you throwing that back in my face okay?"

You kiss the mannequin on the cheek and cuddle up next to it while holding one of its hands.

"I accept your apology too. Like I said, you really shouldn't get so jealous. You know you're the only one for me. Let's just finish watching the movie together, then maybe later, who knows?" you say and giggle a bit.

You finish watching the movie as planned, and then afterwards you take your companion to the bedroom where you have an interesting time with certain attachments that you've made to him.

After relieving your tension you roll over next to your companion and turn your head to look at it. You still can't believe how you stumbled upon one that looked a little similar to him.

Sometimes you wonder about your sanity and if one day you'll just completely lose yourself in your made up world, but then you think you never did before no matter how hard you tried. And you certainly won't now, besides what's a little retreat from reality every now and then?

"Goodnight Johnny." You say and kiss him before going to sleep.


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

[User] You intervene to stop Foster killing Salvador

[Assistant] As you step forward to stop William Foster killing Salvador he turns the pistol on you. The first shot hits you in the throat and you fall to the ground, stepping forward Foster fires twice more into your head, his eyes wide with hunger and madness.


[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 attempt to reason with Johnny

[Assistant]
You remember Null is filled with dangerous creatures as well, so you wouldn't be any safer going there by yourself and Johnny's likely to just keep following you no matter where you go. Maybe you can use your "powers" to reason with him.

You turn around begin to try to psychically talk to Johnny. You figure he'll be more receptive that way. You also don't know what you're doing since you've never done this before!

Johnny steadily approaches you as you just stand there concentrating really hard while you attempt this unusual plan. Suddenly something happens, he stops walking and your own mind is flooded with a lot of weird thoughts.

You don't understand all of it, but you get the impression he didn't have a good home life in your own world. He used to "escape" to a fantasy world a lot and presumably that's what attracted the Nightmare Tyrant. You attempt to reason with him, but the link is broken when he verbally shouts out!

"STOP! Get out of my head! Only the Master is allowed! You MUST submit! He makes everything better! Shadows around me always. No pain, no pleasure, just nothingness…"
"Johnny, you're from the same place I am, don't you want to return home too?" you retort.
"…better here than what was at home…at least here I have power…and soon you will too. Isn't that why you came here, to escape the pain?"
"No! The Nightmare Tyrant kidnapped me! I want to go back home, my Mom's probably worried about me!"
"…mine probably forgot about me years ago…yours will too…you need to just submit…the Nightmare Tyrant makes everything better…"
"NO! I will not! In fact I want you to stop following me! I want you to leave me alone altogether! You will NOT prevent me from going home! Johnny, you're nothing but a slave to the Nightmare Tyrant. Is that what you want? Somewhere within you, you must miss something about your home."
"…better than home…but…"

Once again you've managed to stir some sort of emotion in Johnny. Suddenly he slumps to the ground and begins to weep. You're unsure of how to react, but you see the Adventurer staggering back towards you, which at least makes you somewhat relieved.

"Look, you don't have to stay here; you could return back to Earth with me, all we have to do is…"

Johnny looks up with red eyes, but has regained his composure.

"No. I left Earth a long time ago. This is my home now. But I see now that I am still under a cruel…guardian. No more. I want to be free… Arrgh!"

Suddenly Johnny grips his head, and you too feel a pain inside your own. A dark malevolent voice pieces your brain. It's the Nightmare Tyrant, somehow he's managed to speak to the both of you from wherever he is.

"Disobedient children! How dare you defy me Johnny! After all I have given you! Didn't I give meaning to your pathetic life? Didn't I become the parent you needed? If you won't obey me willingly then I'll just have to destroy what little free will I still allowed you to have! And YOU, oh I have special plans for you! Such power cannot be ignored and WILL supplement my own!"

While you and Johnny fall on the ground in pain, the Adventurer scoops you up and proceeds to run with you under his arm towards Null.

"Hang on kid! Keep fighting whatever it is you're fighting, I'll get you to your destination, I haven't failed in a quest yet!" he exclaims.

In the "real world" you fall unconscious, but in your mind you're very much awake. It would seem you're in some sort of dream world. You're standing on top of a rock floating in the void of blackness. You see Johnny in the distance standing on another rock fighting off Shadows which are attempting to drag him over the edge. He's punching them, but his fists are glowing with a white energy.

"I won't follow your evil commands anymore! From now on, I shall fight you with the very power you gave to me and your Shadows can't stop me!" He shouts as he completely destroys two Shadows at the same time with one blow of his fist. While you're watching this the Shadows have become aware of your presence and are climb over the edges of the floating rock.

"Fight them off! Imagine yourself a powerful warrior! Or whatever you wish! The Nightmare Tyrant can't stop you power of your mind if it's strong enough!" Johnny shouts over to you.

You do just that, you imagine yourself in armor with a sword. You feel your strength grow and your reflexes quicken.

"Cool!" you say and strike at the nearest Shadow, destroying it.

This battle continues for some time until it seems that the endless amount of Shadows have become too afraid to attack anymore. You hear the voice of the Nightmare Tyrant again.

"FOOLS! You think you've won? I was just warming up! I will show you the personification of FEAR and of eternal darkness!"
"You always did talk to too much." Johnny says and summons up a bright blinding ball of light completely enveloping the entire area. You hear an unearthly bellow as you shield your eyes from the blinding light. When you open them again, you see Johnny standing before you.

"Is he…"
"Gone forever? No, but he won't be bothering you ever again. Me? He will. But I'll be even more prepared for him for the next time we meet."
"You're still going to stay here?"
"Yes. I meant what I said that this is my home now, and there is nothing for me back on Earth. But now I see that the Nightmare Tyrant just used me for his own purposes, to help him in his ongoing hunt for more power. I need to stay to make things right again. Maybe even destroy him once and for all. I have to try, after all the evil he's caused and lives he's ruined. You should of course go back home, and be thankful for what you have there. Farewell and thank you for opening my eyes."

Suddenly you wake up from a bed and you're in an unusually colorful room. You see a broom sweeping by itself pass you by. Jumping up from seeing such a thing, you notice the Adventurer sitting by a table polishing his sword.

"Now you wake up! You know I had to fight through ten Forsaken trying to eat us, with you under my arm and you didn't even blink! Fortunately I got us here though. So, what happened to you exactly?"

You and the Adventurer swap stories about what you both experienced in your respective journeys and you both think that each of you had the easier time of it! After showing you some of the "cool magical stuff" in his home, you're ready to go back to your own. This entire world is very interesting, but you want to return.

"Well, I can certainly understand that. Like I said, I'm a traveler, but I suppose even I get a longing to return home. Y'know, maybe I'll go visit mine. My real one, not this place. They might even have forgotten all the mischief I used to cause there!" the Adventurer laughs.

The Adventurer shows you the chair he was talking about. You instinctively feel a power coming from it. Not a magical one either, it's the same one you have. Perhaps it was a device to enhance such abilities? Perhaps it was a secret weapon involved in the destruction of this City? You don't know and the Adventurer doesn't either, all you know is you're hoping it will help you get home.

Sitting in the thing does make you a bit nervous as it resembles an electric chair, but you know you need to calm yourself of any sort of fear and doubt if you want to get back home. You bid goodbye to the Adventurer before attempting to concentrate and he mentions he'll stand by to help in case it looks like you're in trouble.

You are suddenly transported through a tunnel of blackness followed by swirling colored lights. It's all so strange and overwhelming to you that you pass out once again.

"Hey! I told you breakfast is ready, are you going to sleep all day?" you hear your Mom call from downstairs as you awaken in surprise.

You quickly look around your room and nothing looks out of place. Your Mom hasn't seemed to notice that you were gone; in fact it doesn't look like you even left.

Was it all a dream?

You shake your head trying to decide if it was, then you notice a coin on the floor next to the toys you set up yesterday. A gold coin and oddly its right next to a sword wielding figure with a peculiar smile on his face.

It wasn't a dream. It was real. Created by the power of your own imagination. You decide you'll keep this information to yourself though, since nobody would ever believe it!

You had an interesting adventure, but you're glad to be home and thankful for what you have in the real world you think as you go downstairs to eat.


[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 memories (Ymir)

[Assistant]
The Beast From Space: Ymir

You don't know too much about Ymir, all you mainly know is he's originally from Venus. He never really fit in with the rest of the monsters mainly due to his height, he wasn't small enough to hang out with the likes of you and Fagula, but he wasn't big enough to hang out with the giants like Kong.

It was because of this, he tried a little harder to prove he could be just as destructive as the bigger giants in movies, but as far as his private life was concerned he didn't cause any mayhem at all.

Most directors loved working with him.


[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]
Your name is Bill Grey and you were born in Missouri in 1840.

When the American Civil War broke out you sided with your friends and family and served on the Southern side, first in the Missouri State Guard and then with Quantrill's Raiders. After both your parents were shot dead by Union soldiers in the Camp Jackson Massacre your vengeance knew no bounds and you served as a guerrilla under such men as Captain Quantrill, Bloody Bill Anderson and Little Archie Clement. You were at the Lawrence Massacre in 1863 where Quantrill's Raiders killed some two hundred Yankee men and boys in Lawrence, Kansas. A year later you took part in the Centralia Massacre where, with the rest of Anderson's band, you helped stop a train, took two dozen unarmed Union soldiers off it and shot them dead - when soldiers were sent out a few hours later your band ambushed them as well and killed more than one hundred. Following Anderson's death in 1864 and Quantrill's in 1865 you and your surviving companions surrendered at the end of the Civil War.

Returning to Missouri you try to rebuild your life as a farmer on your family's lands but it is impossible: though pardoned you and your fellow guerrillas have not been forgiven for your Civil War activities and are threatened and persecuted by pro-Unionist citizens and lawmen. The victorious North controls the banks, railroad and government and in fear of your life and unable to do business with any but your fellow impoverished Southerners by 1866 you have had enough. You learn that your last surviving war-time leader Archie Clement is secretly arranging a meeting of several former-Guerrillas and when he invites you to take part you readily accept. Clement's plan is to rob Yankee banks in Missouri to show the Federal Government that though the war may be over you and your companions are still fighting back. It is this fateful decision that will be your first step down the Outlaw path, a dangerous and lonely road...

In this story your fate will be determined entirely by your choices. The number of Gunfights you take part in, the people you Injure and Kill, the number of Robberies you commit and your Score (your share of the amount of money you steal) will all be recorded. Your main aim is to survive, avoiding both prison and death in order to continue your Outlaw career with a long-term goal of eventually retiring. Be careful: one wrong decision, particularly in a gunfight where any moment can be your last, will signal a sudden and fatal end to your career, prison is less of a final ending but depending on the evidence against you can either be a short term delay to your career or a decisive end to it. Your secondary aim is to build up your Score by taking part in as many successful robberies as possible, if you are part of a ten-man team that rob a bank of $10,000 dollars for example your share will come to $1,000 and this will be added to your Score. When your career ends, whether through peaceful retirement or suddenly and violently, you will be sent to the Performance Table where you can compare your Gunfights, Injured, Killed, Robberies and Score to your fellow Outlaws as an indication of how well you performed - leaving a comment at the end of the story will also enable others to see your Score.

Good luck Reader, your Outlaw story is about to begin.

[User] The First Step

[Assistant]
You and your fellow Outlaws meet at the James Family Farm to plan your first bank robbery. There are seven of you: your youthful leader Little Archie Clement, calm and reserved Frank James, cunning Cole Younger and his reliable brother-in-law John Jarette, the Shepherd brothers George Shepherd and one-eyed Ol Shepherd and finally yourself. You fought alongside each other for years during the War and you know from experience they are all brave and daring. It is your 20 year old leader Little Archie, the youngest and deadliest man present, who arranged this meeting and plans the robbery.

"It's time for us to ride again boys," he declares to you all. "Show those Yankee carpet-baggers that there is still some fight in the South! The town of Liberty, is our target boys, we'll all ride in together. Frank, you and Cole will go in the bank, take the tellers hostage and put all the money you find in the safe into this haversack. The rest of us will wait outside, hold the horses and keep anyone from entering the bank. When you two have finished lock the tellers in the vault, come outside and we'll mount up and ride off. If the alarm is raised boys pull out your pistols and fire them into the air like we used to do in the War when we raided a town - it works wonders for keeping those Yankee shop owners and stable boys off the street! If they start shooting back clear out fast, whether we have the money or not. We'll hit the bank on February 13th, an unlucky day for Yankees but a good day for us!"

On the chosen day you and your companions ride into Liberty early in the morning when there are few people on the street. With winter snow still swirling through the air you and your companions rein in outside the bank while Frank and Cole dismount and enter the bank, giving their horses's reins to the Shepherd brothers to hold. The moments seem to drag by ponderously with no sound coming out of the plain stone building in front of you. A few townsfolk are glancing at you all curiously; you reach into your right pocket and nervously clench your heavy but loaded revolver which you have hidden inside. Suddenly Cole and Frank emerge from the bank, the latter holding a bulging haversack. They walk quickly back to their horses and begin to mount up. It all seems too easy.

Suddenly a voice from inside the bank shouts out "Robbery! They're robbing the bank!" As a few nearby civilians start in alarm you and your companions promptly draw out your pistols and begin shooting them into the air, yelling at people to get off the street. Two youths are standing nearby when the alarm is raised and promptly turn and start running down the street in the direction of a Gun Store. Little Archie spurs his horse after them and fires a shot at them with his pistol, which misses. "Shoot them," he shouts at you, who are closest to him. "Shoot them, they're going for the guns!" Obediently you raise your pistol and point it at one of the fleeing teenager's backs but hesitate about pulling the trigger.

[User] You shoot the boy

[Assistant]
Your shot hits one of the boys in the back, pitching him face-first down to the street with a cry. The other boy takes shelter in a doorway so turning your horse away you and your companions ride out of town. Using routes well-known to you all you ride your horses across the countryside for several hours, completely eluding any pursuit that might have been sent after you. Reaching a safe place you stop to count to your money and to your amazement you find that Frank and Cole have managed to steal $60,000, your share alone comes to $8,500.

Little Archie is pleased but instinctively cautious. "There will be a big noise about this so it is best if we split up for a time," he declares. There is some discussion and then you all make your decisions: Little Archie is going to check into a hotel in the town of Lexington, Missouri and lie low for a while. Frank, John and Cole all decide to hide out at Cole's family farm near the town of Independence while George and Ol are going back to their own Farm near the town of St Joseph. All your companions invite you to go with them and you need to choose who to hide out with.

[User] You go with Little Archie to Lexington

[Assistant]
You and Little Archie travel to Lexington where you rent rooms in a hotel and lie low for the rest of the year, spending your stolen money in bars, restaurants and with sporting ladies. One winter's night in December however Little Archie's notoriety leads to an arrest attempt. You and Archie are sitting in a saloon having a quiet drink when three blue-uniformed soldiers armed with rifles approach your table. "Gentlemen, you are both under arrest," one of the soldiers declares.

You and Archie glance at each other and then Archie springs to his feet, pulling a pistol from his pocket as he does so, and starts firing. The soldiers scatter, one firing back and hitting Archie in the side. You are on your feet, pistol in hand and follow Archie as he dashes across the room, hand clasped to his bleeding side, and the pair of you use the pandemonium of fleeing bar customers to escape out a side door into an alley. Several horses are tied up nearby and untying two you mount up. Archie turns and spurs his horse down the alley towards the main street while in the other direction you can see the alley opens up into a side street. You have a choice of directions.

[User] You follow Little Archie towards the main street

[Assistant] As you both ride out of the alley into the main street a volley of gunshots ring out from a dozen soldiers waiting in a line. Both of you are hit several times and fall from your horses into the dust of the street. You are so badly hurt you are barely able to move, turning your head slightly you see Archie trying to re-cock his pistol with his teeth. As the soldiers approach cautiously, rifles raised, Archie rasps "I've done what I've always said I would do, die before I surrender." You are unable to speak and moments later you and your companion are both dead.

[User] You your Outlaw Career is at an end

[Assistant]
This is the Performance Table where you can compare your Gunfights, Injured, Killed, Robberies, Score and Fate with those of your fellow members of the James Gang to see who is the greatest Outlaw!

1: Jesse James: Gunfights: 11, Killed: 7, Injured: 1, Robberies: 21, Score: $19,900 - Killed.

2: Frank James: Gunfights: 11, Killed: 2, Injured: 1, Robberies: 17, Score: $26,900 - Surrendered.

3: Cole Younger: Gunfights: 6, Killed: 1, Injured: 2, Robberies: 15, Score: $26,800 - Imprisoned.

4: John Younger: Gunfights: 4, Killed: 4, Injured: 0, Robberies: 7, Score: $3,300 - Killed.

5: Bob Younger: Gunfights: 3, Killed: 0, Injured: 2, Robberies: 8, Score: $12,100 - Imprisoned.

6: Clell Miller: Gunfights: 4, Killed: 0, Injured: 0, Robberies: 8, Score: $12,500 - Killed.

7: Jim Younger: Gunfights: 3, Killed: 1, Injured: 1, Robberies: 5, Score: $2,200 - Imprisoned.

8: John Jarette: Gunfights: 3, Killed: 0, Injured: 1, Robberies: 3, Score: $10,600 - Killed.

9: Charlie Pitts: Gunfights: 2, Killed: 0, Injured: 1, Robberies: 5, Score: $3,400 - Killed.

10: Wood Hite: Gunfights: 2, Killed: 0, Injured: 1, Robberies: 4, Score: $2,400 - Killed.

11: Bill Chadwell: Gunfights: 1, Killed: 0, Injured: 0, Robberies: 5, Stolen: $3,400 - Killed.

12: Dick Liddil: Gunfights: 2, Killed: 0, Injured: 0, Robberies: 4, Stolen: $1,200 - Surrendered.

13: Ol Shepherd: Gunfights: 3, Killed: 0, Injured: 0, Robberies: 2, Stolen: $10,200 - Killed.

14: Little Archie Clement: Gunfights: 2, Killed: 1, Injured: 0, Robberies: 1, Stolen: $8,500 - Killed.

15: George Shepherd: Gunfights: 2, Killed: 0, Injured: 0, Robberies: 2, Stolen: $102,00 - Imprisoned.

16: Bill Ryan: Gunfights: 0, Killed: 0, Injured: 0, Robberies: 4, Stolen: $2,800 - Imprisoned.

17: Charlie Ford: Gunfights: 2, Killed: 0, Injured: 0, Robberies: 1, Stolen: $100 - Surrendered.

18: Clarence Hite: Gunfights: 1, Killed: 0, Injured: 0, Robberies: 2, Stolen: $200 - Imprisoned.

19: Bud McDaniels: Gunfights: 1, Killed: 0, Injured: 0, Robberies: 1, Stolen: $7,800 - Killed.

20: Tom McDaniels: Gunfights: 2, Killed: 0, Injured: 0, Robberies: 1, Stolen: $2,000 - Killed.

21: Tom Webb: Gunfights: 1, Killed: 0, Injured: 0, Robberies: 1, Stolen: $2,000 - Imprisoned.

22: Ed Miller: Gunfights: 1, Killed: 0, Injured: 0, Robberies: 1, Stolen: $1,000 - Killed.

23: Tucker Bassham: Gunfights: 0, Killed: 0, Injured: 0, Robberies: 1, Stolen: $1,000 - Imprisoned.

24: Hoobs Kerry: Gunfights: 0, Killed: 0, Injured: 0, Robberies: 1, Stolen: $1,600 - Imprisoned.

25: Robert Ford: Gunfights: 3, Killed: 2, Injured: 0, Robberies: 0, Stolen: $0 - Killed.

Most Prolific Gunfighter: 1: Frank James / Jesse James (11 Gunfights), 2: Cole Younger (6 Gunfights).

Most Lethal Hurter: 1: Bob Younger / Cole Younger (2 Injured).

Most Deadly Killer: 1: Jesse James (7 Killed), 2: John Younger (4 Killed), 3: Frank James (2 Killed).

Most Enthusiastic Robber: 1: Jesse James (21 Robberies), 2: Frank James (17 Robberies), 3: Cole Younger (15 Robberies).

Most Successful Bandit: 1: Frank James ($26,900), 2: Cole Younger ($26,800), 3: Jesse James ($19,900).

Overall Best Outlaw: 1: Jesse James, 2: Frank James, 3: Cole Younger, 4: John Younger, 5: Bob Younger.

As always thank you for taking the time to read my story, please rate and if you would like others to see your score please leave a comment. Have a good day!


[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 stay put

[Assistant]
The door suddenly opens and the deputy who brought you in steps through. "Looks like you two have come a long way. How in the world did the two of you manage to get more than eighty miles from your home?"

Jane doesn't respond and you only shrug your shoulders slightly.

"I guess it doesn't matter. There'll be someone here shortly to drive you back. And I'm sure there will be a lot of questions for you two."

A couple of hours later, you are back to your town. It was a long, quiet ride and neither you nor Jane gave more than a yes or no answer to the man that drove you. You only looked at each other attempting to communicate with only your eyes. All that she—and you, no doubt—could convey was sadness and a sense of hopelessness of the situation.

You sit slumped—craning your neck to peek through the patrol car's rear window—and watch as the officer who ran you and Jane out of the abandoned house a couple nights ago turns away from Jane and her mother, and walks back to the car. No sooner than his back is turned does she turn and shove Jane inside the house, slamming the door shut behind her.

The officer throws a glance over his shoulder, but doesn't break stride as he continues on his way.

After he closes his car door, you say "Is she gonna hit Jane?"

He turns sideways in his seat and looks back at you. "I wouldn't be surprised if she's not able to sit down for a week after pulling a stunt like this. Do you understand how dangerous it was for the two of you out there all alone? We're lucky that we found you before something bad happened to you. You don't know what some people are capable of doing to children."

"She hates Jane. I don't want her to hit her anymore."

"No mother hates her own child. She's just having a rough time raising her on her own—being a single mother and all."

"You don't know."

"Listen. I'll swing back by after I drop you off and look in on her, okay?" He starts the engine and pulls it into gear. "Everything will be back to normal as soon as this mess blows over."

As you pull into the drive, the door opens and your mom steps out on the porch. She rushes over to the patrol car and snatches you by the arm—dragging you out and pulling you close—as soon as the policeman opens the rear door.

"Here he is, safe and sound. No one knows how those two managed to make it so far away on their own."

"He's always been a handful. I can barely keep up with him most of the time. An' with this new job, I'll have to work extra hard at it, I guess," she says, flashing her eyes at you over a wan smile. "I'm just glad he's home."

"That's why we're here, ma'am. Glad to be of service."

He walks with you to the door of the garage and watches as the two of you step inside.

"Thanks again, Officer," your mom says, ushering you in and closing the door.

"You're quite welcome," he says, turning around and walking back the way he came.

She lifts the corner of the vinyl curtain to watch him get into his patrol car and pull out of the driveway. When she turns around to you, her face is a deep shade of red and skewed beyond all recognition.

"If things are so bad here that you felt the need to run away, then why didn't you just stay gone!?"

You don't have an answer. You take a step to the rear as she lifts the solid metal rod from the window and yanks it free of the curtain.

She is on you before you even know it—whipping you side to side like a terrier does a rat by a handful of hair in one hand while she whacks at your butt and the back of your legs with the curtain rod in the other. Every so often, an errant strike lands in the small of your back and your vision momentarily goes black. You can feel it cut deep and glance off bone with each blow.

"Why can't you do anything right? Why do you always have to go out of your way to make me mad?"

You try to lessen the blows by deflecting them with your palms, but it only forces her to swing harder. The flesh on the underside of your hands soon feels tight and swollen, and you no longer have control enough to maneuver them into a position of any benefit at all.

All you can do is grit your teeth and bear the pain. If you make even the slightest sound of whimpering, she'll "give you something to really cry about".

The stinging pain finally lessens as your vision fades and grows more and more distant as the world goes dark around you.

You don't know how long you've been lying here in the darkness. Your whole body throbs from one end to the other and you want nothing more than to return to sleep.

What about Jane? She was right. You and she need to just run away together and find her Gramma or else somebody nice to take care of the two of you. You don't have a choice anymore. You know that now. Your mom will end up killing you if you don't get away.

You slowly open your eyes. You drag your arms under you and shove yourself to your knees.

You see no sign of your mom and can only guess that she has gone back to the party in Honey's house.

You pick yourself up off the floor. You can't straighten your legs and your back is in an uncontrollable hunch, but you manage to maintain your balance and not topple over despite the impossible angle you are leaning.

One determined step after another, you make your way to the door.

The curtain is now back in its place over the window. You look at it for what seems like a long time debating whether or not to do something about that impromptu weapon. It would do absolutely no good, though, because she'd just grab something else to use on you the next time.

You reach out and grip the knob with all the strength you can muster. It doesn't give easily, but you manage to turn it enough that the latch lets go. You hobble on one foot through the open doorway into the bright afternoon sun and pull the door closed behind you.

You can hear music coming from Honey's house, but don't see any movement through the windows. You limp around the garage and through the back yard to the alley.

It's about mid-afternoon by the time you reach Jane's house. The place looks closed up tight. After calling into the "secret place" and getting no response, you amble up to the front door and rap on it several times with the same result.

Where could she be?


[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 go with Bob and Cole to Texas

[Assistant]
You and your two friends go to Tom McDaniels's house where you lie low together with another friend of Tom's and a fellow war veteran called Tom Webb. You read in the papers that Bud McDaniels was recognized as a train robber in Kansas City and killed while trying to escape arrest. Bud is very sad to hear about the death of his brother. You are all soon joined by Frank, Jesse and Clell who have fled Missouri after killing two men including a Pinkerton Agent.

You, Cole and the two Tom's have developed a plan to rob a bank in West Virginia which is far from your usual hunting areas and hopefully not as well protected. You explain the plan to the others but only Frank is keen, unusually Jesse, Bob and Clell think it is better that you lie low for the rest of the year and start robbing targets again next year. Finally only Frank, Cole, Tom McDaniels and Tom Webb agree to the idea while Jesse, Bob and Clell announce they are going to hide out in Missouri.


[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 attempt to lie

[Assistant]
Quickly remembering the lie you thought up on the way, you sputter it out with some stress.

"I…I was captured by a vampire! A really fucking sadistic one! He killed my scouting party and took me to say he was going to drain me slowly for fun! He took me to some cave in the hills and it was only by luck that I managed to kill him and escape! I would've made my way back sooner, but their were large groups of marauding orc raiders and demons escaping the ruins of the former Tulan Kingdom, so I was extra cautious and…"

At this point the Captain bashes you in the head with the hilt of her sword. You fall off the chair and onto the floor.

"LIAR! You expect me to believe this horse shit? I've had patrols going all through this area and there aren't any orcs in the damn area. They all fled further north long ago and the remaining demons mostly ran to the west! Not to mention the closest hills have no caves! You obviously think so low of me that you thought you could fool me OR you're just a complete idiot as well as a coward! Either way you haven't convinced me, and you're fit only for execution! You're a deserter at best and a spy at worst!"

"No…wait…" are your last words before the Captain severs your head from your body.


[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 shoot it by the stomach

[Assistant] The shot hits the floor, and you feel really crappy, but remember you still have other guns. So there has to be one gun that fit's your style.


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

[User] You stay independent

[Assistant]
Staying with the Crimson Talons, just seems like a bunch of trouble waiting to happen. They're disorganized, their new leader is some guy that YOU had to rescue, they're obviously on the hit list of the authorities here and you aren't getting the impression that they're going to be your style.

"So… Tom I appreciate the offer, but I think I'm going to stay on my own." You say.
"I figured. Can't really blame you, though I am disappointed since I think not only would you be an asset, but I think you might have learned a few things yourself. It might not seem like it, but some of the folks here are pretty good at their craft."
"Yeah, well maybe another time…so we're good I trust?"
"Yeah we're good…actually here's something for your rescue effort. It would be more, but well as you can see, a bit down on fortune at the moment." Tom says handing you a few gold coins from a pouch.

Tom at this point walks with you to entrance back to the sewer where he gives you directions to the next closest exit to the city streets from there. He then mentions a few cheap inns in the area you should end up in.

"Now I don't think I need to tell you, that I'd like to keep our hideout a secret." Tom says.
"Sure, secret's safe with me. Not like I got anyone to tell anyway."
"Good, because I'm sure you realize that it would be bad for you if you did rat on us to anyone." Tom says in a tone that's slightly more hostile than he's been towards you.
"Hey, I ain't no rat." You proclaim.
"Of course not. Well good luck kid, wherever your endeavors take you." Tom says and with that you exit the hideout and the door slams behind you leaving you back in the sewers.

"(Sigh) Back in the shit. Well at least I'm a little richer this time. Okay, I think he said this way…"

And so begins your life in Klyton...

[User] You time passes...

[Assistant]
Chapter 2B: The More Things Change

Year 17

"Yeah, yeah, here's the rent." You say handing over a few silvers to Trobart.

The innkeeper takes the silver and gives you a scornful look.

"Bout fucking time! You're always late! And don't think I don't know how you get this!" Trobart says.
"Of course you know how I get this, but it doesn't stop you from taking the money anyway, you mean old bastard." You answer.
"Watch yer, fuckin' tongue! One word from me, and the militia would take your ass in quick!"
"Pfft, yeah right. You call the militia and they'd probably shut this whole place down. You're selling booze without a license in the basement and one of your rooms is being used by an unlicensed whore."
"Fuck you cunt face!" Trobart shouts and stomps off. You just shake your head at the old man's misplaced anger.

You head to your room with no more distractions, and then wearily sit on your shitty straw mattress and count what's left of your ill-gotten loot. Enough to eat for a few days.

Granted this hasn't been the best month, but you swear you thought you'd be doing a lot better than this by now. This city unfortunately though is proving a lot more vigilant than you'd like. You certainly aren't in Teckleville anymore.

What's really not helping is the Crimson Talons running around carelessly committing clumsy burglaries and heists and bringing the militia down even harder on everything.

You're sort of glad you didn't join up with them now, because at this rate, the militia is probably going to track them down and execute the lot of them.

Still, that doesn't solve your current problem.

Part of you wonders if maybe you should just move on from this city, but you really loathe the idea of travelling again and you aren't sure where you'd go. Hessla maybe?

While you're pondering your possible future here, you get a knock on the door.

"Heeeeey youngster! (hic!) You got any spare….coppers fer the faith?"

Great, it's that drunken priest that has a room across from you. You thought the men of Joachim were supposed to be into purity and restraint. If you didn't know any better, you'd think Joachim was the god of alcohol and hopeless drunks based on this guy's behavior and actions.

"No and I told you to stop bothering me Virgil! Don't you have a collection box you can pilfer booze money from?" you shout.
"Yeah…but no…but I got some (hic) news…" Virgil answers.
"Yeah, I already know about Joachim's blessed light. You tried to tell me about it the first time I came here and you nearly threw up on me in the process."
"I did? Geez, sorry son…but this is different! (hic) Some…somebody…"
"Somebody what?"
"Somebody was lookin' fer ya."

Well that peaked your interest.

"Oh?" you answer.
"Yeah…(hic)."
"Hold on." You say and go answer the door.

No sooner have you opened the door when the odor of Virgil hits you full force. You immediately cover your nose and mouth.

"Shit, Virgil. When the hell was the last time you washed? You fucking smell worse than a troll's ass. Granted I've never smelled a troll's ass, but I think it's a safe bet you smell worse than one." You say.
"Guess again. Hahahahahahaha! (hic) So can ya spare a copper?"
"Maybe, so what's all this about someone looking for me?"
"Oh, that. Yeah, this big guy. I mean not like ogre big, but just human big ya know? Old guy too. (hic) I mean not as old as that asshole who own this place, but probably around my age."
"Well that's still fucking old then, aren't you like seventy?"
"Fuck you. I'll have you know I'm in my forties…I think…yeah…"
"Okay, so big guy in his forties was looking for me. What did he want?"

Of course NOW Virgil decides to be uncooperative.

"No! No! Fuck you, I'm not tellin' you shit now. (hic) Who…who…what do you think I am some kinda asshole fer you to abuse? Callin' me seventy fuckin' years old. I oughta kick yer ass in the name of Joachim! Yer lucky I'm a man of faith…(hic)"

At this point Virgil mumbles and stumbles away, bumps into the door to his room and then after a few tries he finally gets it open and slams it behind him.

You suppose you could always ask him again later when he's feeling less feisty. He will have likely forgotten all about your so-called insult later, of course he probably will have forgotten about the guy looking for you too.

You close the door and think on who he could have been talking about. Your dad? Dad's not a big guy though and you honestly doubt if he would bother to come look for you.

Maybe it was Tom from the Crimson Talons? You can't imagine what he'd want to see you directly for though. You'd imagine if he were trying to recruit you again he'd send an underling to invite you to see him. Tom wasn't a huge guy either; of course given that Virgil is on the short and scrawny side, he probably thinks you're a big guy too.

Other than those two, you're drawing a blank. It's a little concerning that some big guy is looking for you though.

You hear another knock on the door.

"Virgil?" you ask.
"No, it's Randi. I got some information that you might want to know." A woman's voice says

Randi is the red headed whore that lives down the hall. Unusual that she'd seek you out, since she's snotty with you at the best of times. You guess it's because you turned down her overly aggressive offer the first time you stepped into this inn.

You answer the door and she's as scuzzy as ever. You feel like you're catching something just by standing this close to her.

"Okay, so what's this information? Because if it's some big guy that was looking for me, I already know because Virgil told me." You say.
"Oh? Well did he tell you what this big guy wanted too?" Randi asks.
"No."
"You'll want to know then."
"…Well?"
"Well what?"
"(Sigh) I know you're not used to hearing this, but spit it out! Tell me what this guy wanted."
"I'm not your fucking secretary. You want to know, you need to pay, ten silvers."
"Ten fucking silvers? You don't charge that much for a blowjob!"
"Yeah well if you want a blowjob, then you can pay half that price, but if you want to know what that guy wanted, it's ten silvers."

While you're wondering who this guy is and why he's looking for you, you're not exactly keen on giving away most of your hard earned money to some whore who you're not even fucking.

"Yeah well go find two dicks to suck then, because you're not getting ten silver from me." You say and shut the door on Randi who shouts some obscenities at you from the hallway.

You'll just remain alert and keep an eye out this guy looking for you. Remain on your guard too, since you still don't know if this man means you harm or not. Hopefully Virgil can tell you something later. You might have to offer a couple coppers, but it's far cry from ten silvers.

For now though you decide to get some sleep after your long night of thievery. As your lids get heavier, you think on where you could ply your trade with a little more ease and a lot more loot. The rich areas are well patrolled, the government district is well patrolled, the merchant district is well patrolled, and the poor areas are…still patrolled and the folks don't have shit.

It suddenly occurs to you that you've never really tried the university district of the city. Might be worth a look, after all it should be filled with stupid rich kids not aware of their surroundings and the Talons don't seem to go running around there, so there might be less heat.

Later…

You wake up midday. After getting yourself ready for today's endeavors, you knock on Virgil's door, but there is no answer. He's either still asleep or he's out collecting donations for Joachim. Probably the latter considering you didn't contribute to his booze fund.

You leave the Welcome Mat Inn, though a little more cautiously than usual. Nobody seems to be approaching or giving you suspicious looks though. Still, wishing to keep a low profile, you stick to the back streets as much as possible and eventually when you get to the better part of town, you catch a coach for your remaining trip to the university. By the time you arrive, the day is beginning to end, but you soon find that the university is still fairly active.

After a few hours of just scouting and walking around, it's much like you figured. A lot of scholarly types with their noses in books and rich kids that do a lot of partying. The dorms have security, but oddly not as much as one might think.

You find that despite being dressed in your lower class clothing, nobody is really giving you a second glance. It might be due to your youth though; you probably just look like a struggling student. Wasn't like your dad was exactly rich when he attended this place either.

It occurs to you how strange it is to be at the university at all. You never thought you'd ever "attend" your dad's old place of higher learning. You're sure at one time he had hopes you would, but it probably wasn't under these circumstances.

Out of curiosity you pay a visit to the section to where the medical school is located. Seems weird that your father spent so much money and time putting himself through the place while you're here basically casing it.

You're not that well versed in the value of medical supplies and drugs, but you figure the Crimson Talons could be willing to fence whatever you bring. Hell, you probably could just sell the stuff yourself. You know more than enough folks in your area that bitch about not being able to afford shit from the local apothecary, let alone proper medicine.

Of course since this is your first time here, you're still getting used to all the twisting corridors that this university seems to favor. You end up stepping into a class in session a couple times, before stumbling upon an unattended supply room where you pilfer various bottles of pills and liquids.

When you attempt to leave the facility, you go in the direction where you think you came from, but soon find that you made a wrong turn somewhere.

Somehow you manage to find yourself in what you think must be an office area since you see various doors with names on them. (All of them with "Dr." in front) As you're passing one, the door opens and you find yourself face to face with an older woman with gray hair.

"Hey. You here about the job?" the woman asks.
"Huh? What?" you answer.
"I put out several announcements around campus for an escort job. Hmmm….you don't look like a warrior and you're a little young. You one of those students over from the magic college?"
"Um, no actually, I just got lost. I'm trying to find my way out of this place."
"Lost? What were you doing here in the first place?"
"Well my father used to go here and I…"
"Wait a minute…you do you look a little familiar. What's your father's name?"

You tell this woman your father's name and she instantly lights up.

"Hah! I knew it. You look a lot like your father. He was in my microbiology class when I used to teach it. Did very well too. How he doing?" the woman asks.
"Oh he's doing fine uh Miss…umm…" you reply
"Oh I go by Dr. Gossey and nowadays I focus purely on zoology and the biology of the creatures and animals that live in our fascinating world! So are you a student here too and trying to follow in your dad's footsteps?"
"Something like that I suppose. I'm actually just checking out my options right now. You know, to see what I might be interested in."
"Good. Good. Glad to see a young person thinking about their future. Hey, would you consider yourself to be an adventurous spirit?"
"I suppose in some ways I am."
"Well I've got a job that needs doing and I don't have time to do it myself and I'd rather not send my assistant there by herself. You familiar with qweepas?"
"Aren't they some really ugly oversized rats?"
"In simple terms basically, but they're much more than that. They're actually much more intelligent than the average rat. They aren't even native to the continent, but a lot of them over the years have undoubtedly snuck aboard Hessla pirate ships and now they're slowly starting to gain a foothold as a pest on the coast. One can only imagine how far they will have spread in another ten years."
"So what is it that you need exactly?"
"I need someone to go into Hessla or around that area with my assistant and get me some live specimens. About ten should do. Like I said, I'd send my assistant alone, but I know how dangerous Hessla is especially for a single female, so it would be better if someone went with her."
"So, am I just to be there as hired muscle?"
"Yes, though as I noticed before, you don't seem to be a physical type…not to say you aren't well proportioned for a young man your age, it's just I was hoping to get a taker from the gladiator team or someone of similar intimidating size. I only mentioned this at all to you because for one, I haven't had anyone else come in as strange as that may be. And two I knew your father. I figured it wouldn't be polite to not offer his son a chance to earn some money towards his education goals, whatever they may be. You could even get a jump start on potential class credits."

This is getting a little strange, but you might as well ask.

"So what's this job pay then?" you ask.
"Thirty gold pieces upon completion." Dr. Gossey replies.
"And all I have to do is escort your assistant?"
"Yes, and make sure the qweepa specimens get here alive. Those are very important to my research. My assistant will have everything else required for this job and the trip will essentially be completely paid for."
"Do you need a decision now?"
"Well it would be nice, but I understand if you need to think on it. Hessla isn't a safe place and knowing your father, I'm sure he wanted better for you and you grew up in a protected environment and are probably less familiar with handling folks with a more criminal mentality."

Dr. Gossey's assessment of you nearly makes you laugh.

While this is technically a "real" job, you can't say you aren't totally unopposed to performing it. Thirty gold is certainly better than what you've done in most weeks since your time here and it would give you a chance to go to Hessla for free. Maybe see if things are potentially more lucrative over there.

[User] You take the job

[Assistant]
What the hell, it might make for an interesting change of pace.

"I'll take the job." You say.
"You will? Are you sure?" Dr. Gossey asks.
"Yes, and you don't need to worry about me. I'm not unfamiliar with the seedier elements of life."
"Hmm, yes I suppose there is no way of completely distancing yourself from such things. I'm glad you're worldlier than you appear since I fear my assistant is a bit sheltered. Well, I suppose sheltered isn't quite the right word, more like disconnected from reality on these matters. Elana's a good student, but as I said, I fear if she went to Hessla by herself, she'd say something to the wrong person and soon find herself sold into sex slavery or something similar. Anyway, just make sure you get those Qweepas safe and sound here."
"Is there some sort of place that sells them or something in Hessla?"
"I don't know, I just know that they are common enough there to be a problem. Whether that means you buy them or catch them, makes no difference. As I said, that's going to be Elana's primary concern, but obviously if you can help in that matter too, it would be greatly appreciated."
"Okay, so when does this job begin?"
"Well since you agreed to it already, say in three days? You'll meet Elana at the carriage station in the morning. You'll recognize her by her tan skin, long curly brown hair, a large pack for the trip no doubt and she'll probably be a bit too well dressed for the occasion."
"Okay, hope I don't miss her."
"I'll be sure to give her your description as well and insist that she not leave until she finds you."
"Sounds good to me. I'll meet your assistant then."

Dr. Gossey goes on to thank you and exclaim that she's glad you came along when you did and hopes you have a safe and productive trip. She also gives you directions of how to get out of the medical school, since you were lost in the first place.

When you exit the medical school, you decide to call it a night and head home since you figure if you need to get up in the morning in three days, then you're going to have "fix" your internal clock again so you don't over sleep.

When you finally get back to the neighborhood, you revert back your cautious ways until you finally enter the Welcome Mat and your room. You manage to make it without being accosted by any of its denizens this time.

You spend tomorrow mostly "taking the day off." You go get something to eat a few times, but that's about it. You still don't see Virgil, but you do have a vague feeling that someone is watching you every time you leave the damn inn.

On the second day of one these food trips, one of the local food merchants who doesn't normally make much small talk, breaks that habit when you're looking over the fruit cart.

"Hey, some big guy was looking for you yesterday." The merchant remarks.
"So I've heard. Got a better description than that?" you ask.
"Uh, sort of a bushy beard, but the rest of his face was obviously pretty weathered. Shaved head. Probably in his forties or fifties, but still pretty fit. Carried a pack with him, but no weapons. Well at least none out in the open. Said to tell you that he'd carrying an important message for you from your family and that it's very urgent that you meet him at the Raggedy Man Inn."
"Hmmm, and that's it?"
"As far as I know."
"Thanks. I'll just be taking these today." You say and pay the merchant for your food before leaving.

Well that was way more productive than asking Virgil. It's all a little sinister now that you have a little more information though. Why the hell wouldn't a simple courier just meet you at the inn you're staying at? You suppose it's possible he doesn't know, but if he's already spoken to Randi or Virgil, one of them has no doubt blabbed already. At least Randi probably did.

You don't know much about the Raggedy Man inn except it's in an even worse part of Klyton than you already stay at. Klyton might have militia patrols marching all over the place, but they're still lax in certain areas. Makes you a bit wary that a large man wants to meet you there. You can't imagine your father or mother would send someone like that, let alone want him to meet you under HIS conditions. Your sister maybe? Possible you suppose, but you're skeptical.

In any case, you're not meeting this guy unless he comes directly to you and when that happens. You're going to be…

"Heeeeeeey! Youngster! You got some coppers fer the (hic!) faith?" Virgil suddenly says as you step into the Welcome Mat.

He's obviously forgotten his outrage at you. Fortunately he may have even remembered to take your advice about washing last time since he smells half way decent this time.

"Actually I do Virgil, but I need a favor from you." You say.
"Sure…sure! I've always liked ya son! (hic!) You need Joachim's blessin?"
"No, no, nothing like that. I just need you to relay a message. Remember that big guy looking for me?"
"….Oh YEAH! Yeah! I remember him! Hey he was lookin' fer you…yesterday…said he wants you to…" Virgil starts to say before you interrupt.
"Good, good, I want you to tell him, the next time he sees you that I left for Holgard."
"Huh? You're movin?"
"Something like that, but I want you to tell him okay? Don't forget." you say and hand Virgil a few coppers.
"K…well Jochim's blessin' on ya if yer leaving then. You always were one of da (hic!) good ones."

Virgil pats you on the back and then stumbles off.

You return to your room and as an added pre-caution, you put a chair against the door. You have no idea how you're going to get a good night's sleep for tomorrow, but you're going to try…

And you fail.

You get a couple hours in before you wake up and can't go back to sleep. Seeing as you aren't going to get any more sleep, you pack your stuff and decide to leave your room in the middle of night and just head to the carriage station early. You don't really know when Elana is going to show up there anyway, so you might not even have to wait that long.

On your way there, you half think you're being followed the entire time, so you do a lot of back tracking and take side streets until you reach your destination.

You've never been to the carriage station before, but it's mostly empty right now. Still, it's well lit and there are a few militiamen stomping around. You never thought you'd be happy about that!

You find a bench and wait. Soon, you start to get a little sleepy again despite your attempts at still trying to stay awake. You also start to wonder if it wouldn't be better to just stay in Hessla when you get there.

"I oughta just go meet this guy and stab him in the face like I did with Klint…" you mutter to yourself.

Later…

"Hey! Wake up! We have to get a move on! (Sigh) I told Dr. Gossey I didn't need an escort." You hear a voice exclaim while some hands shove your shoulders a few times.

You groggily open your eyes and realize you're in a much more horizontal position from when you first closed your eyes. After getting the blurriness out, you see a finely dressed woman with tan skin and long curly hair before you.

"Elana?" you ask.
"Yes! And you're the escort Dr. Gossey hired I presume. You ARE aren't you? I'd hate to think I just woke up some random sleeping bum." Elana answers.
"Yes, the doctor hired me. How long have I been asleep?"
"How should I know? All I do know is I had to load this carriage up myself. I thought YOU would be helping! Anyway, we have to get going, hurry up!"
"Okay, okay, I'm ready, let's get in the carriage."
"Wait. YOU are not going in the carriage."
"What? Then where the hell am I supposed to be?"
"You ride up top with the driver. I have some studying to do on the way and I don't want you disturbing me. Besides, if you're supposed to keeping an eye out for danger, you'll do it better from there anyway."

It's too damn early in the morning to deal with this, so you decide not to and just go over to the carriage and climb up to where the driver is. He nods and greets you.

"So are we ready to go?" the driver asks you.
"Come on let's go!" Elana shouts from inside the carriage.
"Well you heard the lady." You say.

And with that, you're on your way out of Klyton and on the road to Hessla. Right now though you're just trying to adjust your eyes to all the damn sunlight. It's been awhile since you've been up this early.

You watch the countryside pass by as the horses travel at a good pace. So far no trouble yet. You look behind you and see the supplies on the roof of the carriage and something you didn't notice right behind you and the driver. A blunderbuss.

"Guess that's for when bandits attack?" you ask the driver.
"Huh? Oh that? I suppose so. Honestly though, haven't had any problems in all the years I've driven this route. Still, I keep it loaded just in case." The driver replies.
"Never?"
"Nope. Never even had any problems in Hessla, despite its reputation. A lot of people think its some anarchic pirate paradise, but the place is probably just as orderly as Klyton. The Governor of Hessla has his own personal security force called the Headsmen to patrol the place. They're a lot more draconian than the militia too. Usually they just execute offenders on the spot without trial."
"Really?"
"Sure. I mean yeah without them then the place might be a little more lawless like it was in the past, but nowadays? You're just as safe from getting mugged there as you would in Klyton. Hell, maybe even more so given that Klyton has the Crimson Talons running around."
"Hmm, yeah."

Well this sucks. Already you're finding out that Hessla isn't the place you imagined it was. It's kind of why you took most of your important belongings with you just in case you decided to ditch the job and just stay in Hessla.

"Driver! Slow down! The ride is too bumpy and I can't focus on my reading!" Elana shouts while banging inside the carriage.

A few moments later…

"Driver! Speed up! I'd like to get Hessla sometime this month! And YOU up there, I hope you're doing your job and keeping a look out!"

Then again, Hessla might not be that bad, if you already had a bit of coin to throw around while you assessed the opportunities there. You think that there is probably a good amount of supplies here on the carriage you could sell. Let alone the horses and carriage themselves. The driver doesn't exactly look like a fighter and might even have a few coins to his name.

And most importantly, Elana probably is carrying a purse full of coin for this trip.

Wouldn't take much to just grab the blunderbuss and hijack this whole carriage.

[User] You hijack the carriage

[Assistant]
Yeah, you're done with Klyton, and this whole job attempt…

You reach for the blunderbuss and upon grasping it, the carriage hits a bump in the road, which temporarily causes you to teeter and sway. Unfortunately this is enough time to allow the driver to realize what you're attempting to do.

He doesn't even say anything he just lets go of the horse reins and elbows you in the face though it isn't enough to drop the firearm. He then attempts to take his blunderbuss back.

You struggle with the driver until he realizes he isn't strong enough to take it from you. Just as you're about to yank it completely away, the driver lets go and you pull so hard you lose balance. The driver then takes advantage of this by pushing you off the carriage.

You fall off the carriage with the blunderbuss still in hand, and land hard on your back, but luckily still out of the way of the carriage wheels. However, upon you impact with the ground, your hand was around the trigger of the blunderbuss, which you accidently pulled.

The shrapnel hits back wheel of the carriage and shatters a portion of it. The carriage manages to continue for a second before the back wheel's structure is completely destroyed and soon the carriage tips over on its side. The horses drag the carriage a bit longer, before the harness breaks and they're free of the wreck.

Meanwhile you're partially watching from the distance and still wincing in pain from falling. You didn't break anything, but your back hurts like hell. As quick as you can walk, you make your way over to the tipped over carriage.

You're fairly certain the driver had to have fallen off. If he didn't die, you're going to finish the job. You aren't sure about Elana, chances are she's alive and still in the carriage, but if she insists on getting mouthy like she's been with you before, you'll teach her a lesson too.

When you finally get within the area of the carriage you see some of the supplies scattered all over the road and the body of the driver. He's face down and not moving. You go over to check by prodding him with the blunderbuss and he's still not moving. Looks like he probably broke his neck.

While you're inspecting the driver, you hear rustling in the carriage, along with some groans. Looks like Elana lived. If she wants to continue living, she better comply.

You go over to the sideways carriage, climb on top it and open the door. Looking downward, you see that Elana is still in a semi-prone position opposite of you.

Elana may have a bossy upper class way about her, but she wasn't completely unwise in the ways of being in potential danger.

Already dazed and scared from the crash, upon seeing you standing menacingly over her with a blunderbuss in hand she reacts without even thinking that you MIGHT potentially be helping her rather than robbing her. (Though that was a correct assumption on her part because you totally were going to rob her)

"Okay, you…shit!" you say before you're interrupted by Elana pulling a small ornate pistol and firing.

The bullet isn't even very big, but they don't need to be when they hit something vital.

You clutch at your throat and fall backwards off the carriage. You don't even die right away, you gag, cough blood and convulse a bit. You even manage an attempt to get back up, but by the time Elana drags herself out of the carriage, you're a corpse.


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

[User] You can lie about it and just say it was a cut. You arenÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã¢â€žÂ¢t showing any other signs to make them suspicious after all

[Assistant]
You lie about it and claim you cut it climbing the debris in the alleyways, no point in telling them about the infected biting you. "When I was climbing through the alleyways back there I lost my footing and injured it on some old broken pipe. So I bound it up, as you can see I can still talk normally and show no symptoms! I've taken the vaccine after all!"

They quietly confer and lower their guns slightly, so far so good. "Alright, the rest of your skins clear and the right color and you can talk normally. The vaccine doesn't always protect from direct exposure so can't be too careful. Just show the wound then we can let you inside."

You pause and try and think of a way out of showing it but there isn't much option here. You slip your shirt back on and roll the sleeve up before taking the bandage off. You try and think quickly about what to say if they challenge your story but you are suddenly stopped short.

You hear the loud crack at the same moment as you feel your clavicle disintegrate as if hit by a professional boxer, unfortunately you feel the damage continuing inside, finding when you try to breath, blood comes out of your mouth instead.

You collapse back and vaguely hear the man arguing before everything turns black.

"He lied; it's a bite, look at it!"

"He has no symptoms you idiot, he's probably immune and was just wor…"


[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 stay and inform your squad of the situation

[Assistant]
If the information that the vampire said was true, you think it might be better to inform your superiors of it so that something can be done now. It won't do any good to run off with this vital info and let them find out when it's too late and your "freedom" won't mean anything as death takes over the world.

You meet up with the rest of your men who are calling out your name. They ask if you're okay and you reply you are, but you need to inform the captain of the new info you learned.

When you return, you tell Captain Eckard exactly what happened, but instead of stopping to assess this new info or taking it immediately to his superior, he dismisses it! He said the vampire was probably just fucking around with you.

"That vampire was probably toying with you like a cat would a mouse. He probably has your scent now, so he'll hunt and attack you later. The stories he's told you are probably just to keep your mind occupied with nonsense as well as to give us misinformation. Hell, he's fucking undead! He's probably WORKING with the Lich Lord!"
"But…but it was an agent of the Zalan Empire. Agent Warnov. He…"
"NO! He LOOKED like Warnov. Vampire can change their form you know! And even if it was the real Warnov, he's undead now and working for the enemy!"
"Well if that's the case shouldn't we still inform head quarters immediately? He probably had lots of vital information that…"
"Look, the only thing we need to do is take the territory of the former Tulan Kingdom before the undead do! THAT'S our primary concern! So I'll have no more discussion about it sergeant! Get ready to march tomorrow! We're heading for the former capitol!"

You leave Eckard's tent and shake your head at his stupidity, but there's not much you can do about it now. You do decide that you're going to inform another high ranking officer when you can though.

Soon the company is on the move to its destination. It gets more dangerous the closer you get though. You're getting ambushed by demon bands of them all the time. Not enough to destroy you of course, but certainly enough to whittle your numbers down. Captain Eckard gives you more troops to supply your losses, but by the time you get to the capitol, the whole company has lost at least a third of its original strength.

Things don't get any better at the capital. Most of the citizens there have been so corrupted or beat down by the demons at this point that they've either sold their own souls to Hell or gone completely mad. You're attacked by them and a few of the demon hold outs.

By the time you subdue and hold the territory, you're down to half of the company's original strength.

Then after a few days the undead arrive.

Captain Eckard's rather inept handling of things don't get any better. Instead of shoring up the defenses of the capital's gates and walls and waiting for reinforcements which were going to arrive soon, he orders an open attack on the battlefield!

You are very reluctant to do this, but again you don't have any choice now. You fight and barely survive long enough to fallback when Captain Eckard calls for a retreat after finally realizing he's hopelessly outmatched. Unfortunately he's just provided more troops for the undead army, as the necromancers in charge raise the recent dead. They also start raising the dead citizens IN the city which haven't been cleared out!

It's an ignoble death as you're eventually surrounded, overwhelmed and cut down by zombies and skeletons. You join their ranks soon afterwards.


[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 leave and head to the den

[Assistant]
You quickly turn, and leave the cave. You don't want to deal with whatever horrors remain here. You reach the mouth of the cave and head down the mountain, skidding down the mud and rocks, but by the time you actually reach the bottom and walk any reasonable distance, Rose races up to you with a gleeful "Found you!".

"Ah, rats!" you say.

"You didn't even hide!" she smiles.

"I didn't have time to!" you say, before looking up at the sun as it falls through the sky. "It's late. I need to get home soon."

"Oh come on! I didn't even get to hide yet!" Rose complains, pouting in an exaggerated fashion.

"Neither did I," you smile. "Don't worry. You can hide first time," you say.

"Fine," Rose says. "Come on, let's get you home."


[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 volunteer to stay behind and help the remaining survivors

[Assistant]
Staying with George Donner, his wife Tamzene, their daughters Georgia, Frances and Eliza as well as Jacob Donner's widow Elizabeth and her sons Lewis and Samuel you help Nicholas Clark and Jean Baptiste look after them. Clark, like you, is a fellow rescuer and in good health but Baptiste is weakening. The whole party are in desperate danger, in one day both Elizabeth and her son Lewis die and to your horror pieces of flesh are cut off them and eaten by the starving children and adults.

Fortunately days later a third rescue party arrives led by William Eddy and William Foster. They inform you just three people remain alive up at the Truckee Lake camp and they have come to help those who can walk leave. Though Mrs Donner is in good health George Donner is bed-ridden with an infected hand and Tamzene refuses to leave him. Instead she asks the group to take her three daughters to safety. Jean Baptiste and Nicholas Clark take this opportunity to leave too, the latter carrying a backpack of goods purloined from the Donner's. A fourth child, Simon Murphy, complete your little party (Samuel Donner is too weak to be carried down) and you set off. The last thing you hear is Tamzene Donner calling out to you to make sure her children reach safety.

[User] You to safety...

[Assistant]
You join the Relief and exhausted and weary you stumble down through the mountains with the relief party, relieved to have survived for such a long time in the mountains. The snow is melting all around you and it takes just a week to make it to Johnson's Ranch, the start of civilization in California. There you find most of the other survivors of the Donner Party and rest and recover your strength for a few weeks. At the start of April William Foster begins organising a final rescue mission to go into the mountains and try to bring down those five people: George Donner, his wife Tamzene, their nephew Samuel, Lavaniah Jackson and Louis Keseberg. You are not keen to return to the mountains so soon after escaping but if you are willing you can join the expedition or remain at Johnson's Ranch.

What do you do?


[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 don't care about any of this anymore.

[Assistant]
Sorrow, anger, and pain still thunder just beyond the edge of your conscious thought. In your eyes, the major failing of the saboteur now was in not blowing this entire station to cosmic dust and sparing you from this brink of madness. You were content in your role before, happy to tirelessly devote yourself to the Order's interests, and now? You no longer care about what was done here or why. Let someone else figure that out, or not. What difference does it make?

You return to the central complex, making sure not to stare into the abyss this time as you cross it.

"I'm fine," you say in answer to Hinsman's look when you enter, brushing past him. Except for the monitors in the main computer room turned command center, the station is once again dark. Somehow this environment seems to magnify the echo of footsteps. Peering around the curve of a corridor, you see another oasis of light washing against a wall; the nursing station where Matti is resting.

You busy yourself the next several hours, putting equipment away, helping Karoff calibrate this or that and keeping watch while he and Hinsman sleep. In the end the power situation means the three of you will only able to get partial shielding up around the non vital sections, which are essentially everything but the docking bay and central complex. Hopefully that will be enough.

Hinsman has already seen to Matti and he and Karoff are having a quick breakfast and complaining about the coffee substitute when the moment arrives. An alert from the computer indicates something just emerged from underspace. The three of you gather in the command center and Karoff quickly locates the ship.

"No affiliation and armed to the teeth. Yep, we got a pirate."

Hinsman drains his faux coffee and sets the cup aside. "Just one? Shouldn't be too hard to handle."

"Yeah, there's...dammit! You jinxed us. Now there's two, three...eight on approach. And they're hard to track."

"Sensors didn't pick them up?" you ask.

"The first ship was a carrier. It's how you disguise the size of your force if for instance, you think someone may have an alert set for anyone exiting underspace."