003

[GAME LOADED]

left

You navigate your way across the ridiculously designed platform maze, heading for the exit on your left. This part of this strange place, at least, is well-lit: Orange lamps dot the walls, evenly spaced out so their glow doesn’t overlap. Some of the maze looks like it’s crumbled over time, so you avoid those sections. Finally, you’ve made your way across the pit to the entrance on the left. It isn’t lit, so you cautiously grope your way through the darkness, stumbling for a moment as you feel what appears to be a gap in the wall on your left. In the pitch blackness, you feel around some more, and discover that this is actually another tunnel, branching off from the main one. Curious, you enter inside.

The tunnel goes on for quite a ways, and is narrower than what you’re used to. Strangely, you think you hear something skittering about up ahead. Your pace slows even further as you cautiously listen, trying to keep your breath silent. Nervously, you take out the red crystal, recalling your observation that it would make a decent weapon. Strangely, it begins to give off a red glow, softly illuminating the cavern so that you can see. There is a more open area up ahead, with strange dark stones perched on stalactites scattered around the area. Something’s hiding behind one…

You cautiously approach the thing. It doesn’t seem to notice you, despite the red glow cast over it. It seems insectoid, but has… hair. What could it be?

[FIGHT!] [RUN!] [DO NOTHING!] [SPARE] [FLIRT]

flirt

“Hey, sexy, looking for some fun?” you try.

The thing looks up at you, unamused. “Oh, very funny. Seduce the changeling,” it spits, and promptly goes back to ignoring you.

You feel incredibly stupid.

[FIGHT!] [RUN!] [DO NOTHING!] [SPARE] [FLIRT]

run

Unnerved, you make to leave this place, but are quickly tackled from behind. “Surprise…” something hisses in your ear, before viciously biting into your neck.

[FIGHT!] [RUN!] [DO NOTHING!] [SPARE] [FLIRT]

fight

You cry out and jerk away, flailing about wildly with the crystal. To your surprise, it catches the mysterious creature across the chest, leaving a dark, dripping slash. The thing lets go in shock, and you stumble away, clutching your neck. There’s two small spots of blood, but you don’t feel too injured.

[FIGHT!] [RUN!] [DO NOTHING!] [SPARE] [FLIRT]

run

Resolved, you press on, attempting to flee the area. “Not so fast!” the creature hisses, pouncing past you to block the exit. Its eyes begin to glow with a dark aura, and because it’s just outside the range of the glow of your crystal, you can see that they’re actually glowing green. “You serve only me, your Queen. You are worthless,” the thing intones.

[FIGHT!] [RUN!] [DO NOTHING!] [SPARE] [FLIRT]

fight

Strangely, you don’t feel any mind control happening, so you lunge forward. Taken by surprise, the thing jumps out of the way, and you swing around with the crystal, this time accurately enough to score a hit on one of its gossamer wings. There’s a ripping sound, and the creature screams as its wing is torn away from its body. “I’ll murder you for that!” she screeches, pouncing forward with her fangs bared and jaw opened.

[FIGHT!] [RUN!] [DO NOTHING!] [SPARE] [FLIRT]

fight

However, this time you’re ready. You swing the crystal with the point upward, and with flawless timing, it punches right through her neck. Green blood begins to pool on your hand, and she looks up at you in shock. “You – I – I…m… sorry…” she chokes, before going limp, blood dripping from her mouth. Breathing shakily, you step back, pulling out the crystal and wiping it on your pants.

[You won!]

[EXP Gained]

[GAME SAVED]

[LV 2 achieved!]

You slowly make your way out of the cavern, clutching your neck. The crystal’s still glowing, now providing you with a source of light, even if the red is a little strange. As you creep on, it occurs to you that you just committed murder. That thing… it could talk. It could think.

It could’ve killed you.

And… strangely, you feel pretty good about it. You don’t even feel all that hurt, despite taking a bite straight to the jugular. Is that normal? You’re pretty sure it’s not. You’d better seek some medical attention soon.

You enter a large room with a six-pointed star inscribed on a massive opposite door, and an ornate set of handles below, with a large crown insignia inscribed into the lower half of the doors. The cave itself is practically covered in gemstones. Looking around, you see twinkling sapphires, emeralds, rubies, topaz, diamonds… this all would be worth millions. There’s a huge diamond in the center of the room, too, which would probably be worth billions if you could carry it.You feel strangely drawn to the gems, for some reason, and move closer to inspect some. It looks like they’re all pretty close to the surface, and you think you could probably chip one or two off with your crystal before it breaks.

Take a gem?

[Y/N]

y

You attempt to pry a gem from the wall, only to find that it won’t come off. And now you can’t move your hand away from it, either. The room quickly fades to black, and you find yourself in a dark space. Unable to move. You get the feeling something should be happening, but isn’t.

An indeterminate amount of time passes. You attempt to move. You attempt to scream.

You attempt to die.

It works!

[GAME OVER]

[LOAD LAST SAVE][RESET][QUIT]

load last save

[GAME LOADED]

You’re back outside the cavern with the insect-thing, weapon still dripping with its blood. It’s not an accident, anymore: Death holds no meaning for you.

You re-enter the room full of crystals, now wary of the shiny little deceivers. Taking great care not to touch them, you ignore them and examine the door. Walking closer, you find the six points of the star to actually be six slots, looking as though something was meant to be inserted into them. You think you spot an oddly rectangular piece of rock sitting against a far wall, so you walk over and look at that.

It’s got a weirdly jagged edge, almost to where it looks like it was naturally broken off of a larger slab. You can’t make out any other identifying markings about it. Maybe there are six identical keys? You look around for some more keys.

It takes you hours, but you finally find all six. One’s behind a wall of gemstones – you solve this problem by using your sweater as a barrier between the deadly gems and your skin. Another’s hidden under a loose bit of the floor, which you find almost immediately. Two are hidden on opposite sides of a teeter-totter style setup, where picking up one caused the other to swing out of reach. Propping one of them up with the crystal solved that problem. The final key is behind a row of crystalline spikes, through which you reach very carefully. Finally, you have all six keys.

Put a key into a slot?

[Y/N]

y

Throwing caution to the wind, you take a random key and place it into the top left slot. Instantly, the door glows white, and you hear a high-pitched ringing as everything around you goes white in the space of a split second.

[GAME OVER]

[LOAD LAST SAVE][RESET][QUIT]

load last save

[GAME LOADED]

Uuugh, all the way back here again? You frustratedly enter the room and find the keys again, this time going through it in the space of just a few minutes. Once you have all six keys once again assembled, you carefully inspect each one, trying to find what might discern one from the other. You find that each one has a spot on the back which looks like it might have been written on at some point… but whatever was on there was scratched off. Irritated, you begin trying the keys, laying them out in the order you obtained them.

[GAME SAVED]

Nope.

[GAME OVER]

[LOAD LAST SAVE][RESET][QUIT]

load last save

[GAME LOADED]

Not that one.

[GAME OVER]

[LOAD LAST SAVE][RESET][QUIT]

load last save

[GAME LOADED]

Try again…

[GAME OVER]

[LOAD LAST SAVE][RESET][QUIT]

load last save

[GAME LOADED]

So close!

[GAME OVER]

[LOAD LAST SAVE][RESET][QUIT]

load last save

[GAME LOADED]

Sigh.

[GAME OVER]

[LOAD LAST SAVE][RESET][QUIT]

load last save

[GAME LOADED]

How?!

[GAME OVER]

[LOAD LAST SAVE][RESET][QUIT]

load last save

[GAME LOADED]

You’re just doing this on purpose, aren’t you.

[GAME OVER]

[LOAD LAST SAVE][RESET][QUIT]

load last save

[GAME LOADED]

You’ve got to be kidding.

[GAME OVER]

[LOAD LAST SAVE][RESET][QUIT]

load last save

[GAME LOADED]

Finally!

[GAME SAVED]