To Save a Village

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The morning light filters in through your window, the warm glow preventing you from being able to fall back asleep. Groggily sitting up, you realize that the day you have been awaiting has finally arrived - the beginning of your journey, which determins the fate of you and your home. You take a moment to think over the [[history of your large village]]. Knowing that you will be setting off towards the Cave of Trials, you think it best to get up and finish packing for the trip. You get up and move to the [[pantry]] to look for food.

For over a century, there has been a curse over your village, which states that every thirty years, an evil will come to wipe out the people of your town unless one is sent to complete a trial within a nearby cave. Despite all of your research, you could not figure out who placed the curse, or who was wronged, and so being the only one of proper age and health, you were chosen to be the next hero. [[Back|Beginning]]

The pantry is generously stocked with several items that you can take with you. You see several rolls of fresh golden-brown bread that the baker's son brought by yesterday, a couple wheels of cheese, a week's worth of dried meat rations, a large container of purified spring water, and a bottle of dark red cherry wine that has been saved for a special occasion. [[Pack light]] - some bread and water will do [[Take it all]]

After a little bit of work, you manage to squeeze a whole wheel of cheese in next to three full loaves of bread and several rations of dried meat. Running out of room for the drinks, you strap both the bottles of wine and water alongside the bag. You take a step back to look at the bulging bag of food and nod in satisfaction. It's time to go to the armory. [[Leave the house|armory full bag]].

An older man greets you as you approach the armory, opening the door for you and leading you to your gear for the trip. Before you are several choices - outfits worn by the heros before you. Your chosen armor is that of heavy plating, worn by the last hero - your father. Though he could not break the curse, he did everything in his power to preserve his armor, should you be able to take his place. He remarks that it is a good, safe choice that should serve you well, and that your father would be proud. He warns that the armor might be a little loud to move in, but it'll keep you safe from most things that want to hurt you. Once you have been fitted with the armor, he asks you to choose a weapon. Moving over to the weapons, several swords and axes glimmer in the early morning light. To the left, bows crafted from an assortment of wood types lie on a counter, and to the right, a variety of shields both metal and wooden are resting upright against a wall. The old man grabs onto the rack of swords and axes, making them clink together slightly before speaking. "That armor of yours will make you too loud to sneak around using a bow. It'll be hard to use them as well. A good, sturdy axe or sword will do you well, though. [[Choose a two handed axe|Cave entrance 2]] [[Choose the one handed sword and shield|Cave entrance 2]]

The pantry, now slightly barren, still has a few goods left in it to be taken. You see two rolls of fresh golden-brown bread still on the shelves, a couple wheels of cheese, a week's worth of dried meat rations, and a bottle of dark red cherry wine that has been saved for a special occasion. [[Take it all]] [[Leave with what you already packed|armory]].

A single roll of bread is now wrapped up alongside a bottle of water and packed away in your [[bag|Bread and Water Bag]]. It's looking rather empty, but you should be able to move around easily with so little to carry. If you're ready to go, you can head over to the armory, or if you want to pack more first, you can go back to the pantry. [[Go back to the pantry|Half Empty Pantry]] [[Leave for the armory|armory]]

You open your bag to find the bread and water just as you left it. [[Back|Pack light]]

An older man greets you as you approach the armory, opening the door for you and leading you to your gear for the trip. Before you are several choices - outfits worn by the heros before you. Your chosen armor is that of heavy plating, worn by the last hero - your father. Though he could not break the curse, he did everything in his power to preserve his armor, should you be able to take his place. He remarks that it is a good, safe choice that should serve you well, and that your father would be proud. He warns that the armor might be a little loud to move in, but it'll keep you safe from most things that want to hurt you. Once you have been fitted with the armor, he asks you to choose a weapon. Moving over to the weapons, several swords and axes glimmer in the early morning light. To the left, bows crafted from an assortment of wood types lie on a counter, and to the right, a variety of shields both metal and wooden are resting upright against a wall. The old man grabs onto the rack of swords and axes, making them clink together slightly before speaking. "That armor of yours will make you too loud to sneak around using a bow. It'll be hard to use them as well. A good, sturdy axe or sword will do you well, though. [[Choose a two handed axe|cave entrance]] [[Choose the one handed sword and shield|cave entrance]]

You walk around the room in the leather padded armor, getting a feel for it. The armor is rather light and easy to move in, but still feels quite protective. You notice that it is also very easy to move quietly in. After walking sever laps around the inside of the armory, the old man asks if you are ready to pick out a weapon or if you would like to try on something else. [[Say that you are happy with the armor|weapons leather armor]] [[Ask to try on something else|return armory full bag]]

[[weapons|cloth armor]] [[back|return armory full bag]]

[[Travel to the cave|cave bow]]

[[leave the armory|outside staff]]

[[staff]] [[dagger]] [[back|return armory full bag]]

[[to the cave|cave staff]]

You thank the old man and make the short trek to the cave, your mind filling with questions about what you will find within. Nothing in your training has explained what lies within, as even those who have come back alive have never spoken of their trial. [[go inside the cave|inside bladed]]

[[go inside the cave|inside bow]] [[check your bag|bag bow]]

[[go inside the cave|inside staff]] [[check your bag|bag staff]]

As you enter the dark cave, you hear shuffling and clicking sounds, like nails against stone. Something heavy seems to be near the entrance of the cave. As your eyes adjust, you see what is making the sound - a rodent of unusual size, or a giant rat to be more specific. This rat looks like it would eat others in a single gulp, but it doesn't seem to have noticed you yet. [[Attack it]] while it's unaware [[Hand it cheese]] in an attempt to pacify it [[Throw some cheese]] to distract it and appease it elsewhere [[Ignore it]] and hope that it doesn't notice you

Double-click this passage to edit it.

You draw your weapon and take a swing at the large rat. Your weapon lodges into it's side with a wet thud, earning you a shriek from the rat as it begins to flail about and swing at you. Thankfully your armor is able to keep you safe from the attack. Blood begins pouring from the wound as you yank your weapon free and swing again, this time landing a blow at the base of the neck and killing it. Looking down at the dead rat, you clean off your weapon and put it away, thinking about what to do next. [[Proceed further into the cave]] [[Harvest the rat]] [[Look around]]

You open up your bag and take out the wheel of cheese, breaking off a large piece. As you step closer, the metalic clanging of your armor alerts the rat and it turns to you, twitching slightly and making loud screeching noises. When you hold out the cheese, it lunges for your hand and bites down, eating the cheese but also clamping down on your hand. If it weren't for your sturdy armor, it would have bitten it clean off, or at least crippled you. [[Kill the rat]] [[Try to shake the rat off]]

You open up your bag and take out the wheel of cheese, breaking off a large piece. While closing the bag, you look around for a place to throw to and notice a small hole in the wall ahead of you. You gently toss the cheese, making it land just in the entrance of the hole. Before the rat has a chance to grab the cheese, something else reaches out and snatches it up. [[Throw more cheese]] [[Throw cheese at the rat]] [[Examine the hole]] [[Attack the rat|Attack it]]

You attempt to ignore the rat, sneaking past it and hoping that it will either not notice you or not care. You are still several times larger than it, after all, so you hope that it will naturally avoid you if possible. You make it several steps past the twitching rodent, it seems to be focused on something else. Then, without warning, it turns to you, snarling angrily and twitching badly as it lunges at you. It clamps down on your arm, which doesn't seem to pierce the armor, thankfully. [[Shake the rat off]]

[[leave the armory|outside dagger]]

Walking further into the cave, you hear a slight rattling sound and a voice can be heard. It sounds like someone is singing in the room ahead. The warm glow of several candles spills out of the room, into the passageway. You notice a few paces from the room that the singing has stopped, likely from being alerted by your loud armor. [[Ready your weapon]] [[Continue walking]]

You begin to hack away at the rat, gaining two large strips of it's hide and three chunks of rat meat. [[Add them to your bag]] [[Examine the items]] [[Decide not to take them with you]]

You notice a small indentation in the wall. It looks like it could be a button. [[Press the button]] [[Turn back to the main passage]]

Nothing seems to happen when you press the button. Perhaps somewhere further inside something has changed. [[Turn back to the main passage]]

You walk back the way you came, stopping at the corpse of the rat you killed. Flies have already moved in, buzzing around the already foul smelling body. There is a liquid oozing out around the creature, which does not mix with the blood. [[Walk back to the indentation|Look around]] [[Walk further into the cave|Proceed further into the cave]]

You wrap up the strips of leather and slide them into a side pocket of your bag, but struggle to find a place for the meat. [[Make a small pouch out of the leather to store the meat]] [[Discard the meat]] [[Stick the meat into the bag where you can find room]]

Deciding it best to leave the questionable meat and leather behind, you toss it back down next to the rat, which has already started attracting flies. You decide it would be best that you get moving, as you'd rather not smell like giant rotting rat for the next month. [[Walk further into the cave|Proceed further into the cave]] [[Look around]]

[[To the cave|cave dagger]]

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Looking more closely at the meat, you find small sacks of yellowish green liquid, signs of sickness within the rat that you were taught about many years ago. Eating tainted meat like this would easily sicken you for days, if not kill you, even if prepared well. You notice that the meat also produces a strangely sweet odor after having held it so closely to yourself. The smell makes you gag a little and you quickly move it away from your face. Looking over at the leather, it seems to be in good condition, but the state of the meat makes the quality of the hide just as questionable. [[Add them to your bag]] [[Discard them]]

Deciding it best to leave the disgusting meat and leather behind, you toss it back down next to the rat, which has already started attracting flies. You decide it would be best that you get moving, as you'd rather not smell like giant rotting rat for the next month. [[Walk further into the cave|Proceed further into the cave]] [[Look around]]

Unable to draw your weapon, you punch the rat in the face a few times until it goes limp and drops to the ground. [[Grab your weapon]] [[Stomp on it's head]]

As you try to shake the rat off, you notice it's growling has attracted... friends. Several more large rats have emerged from a hole in the wall you hadn't noticed before and move in towards you. Within minutes of your struggle, you are overcome by rats, and they drag you into their tunnel. The hero of the village is never heard from again, though it is said that thirty years later, the next adventurer found something shiny peaking out of a hole in the wall. End

You quickly fashion a rather primitive looking pouch from the leather straps and secure it to the side of your bag. It isn't the prettiest, but at least it fits. [[Proceed further into the cave|Proceed pouch]]

Deciding it best to leave the meat behind, rather than force it into the already quite full bag, you toss it back down next to the rat, which has already started attracting flies. It was probably a good idea to leave it behind. You decide it would be best that you get moving, as you'd rather not smell like giant rotting rat for the next month. [[Walk further into the cave|Proceed further into the cave]] [[Look around]]

After a few minutes, you have everything in the bag. Thankfully, the cheese you gave to the rat did open up some space, but the meat still looks crammed in and you think that some is still sticking out of the side a little where you couldn't force it in any more. [[Proceed further into the cave|Proceed meat]]

You quickly grab your weapon and slice the rat nearly in two with a single slash. It twitches badly and shrieks in pain for a few seconds before finally dying in a mess of it's own blood and organs, which have spilled out onto the cold ground. [[Proceed further into the cave]] [[Harvest the rat]] [[Look around]]

Giving it no time to recover, you slam your boot down onto the rat's head, causing a horrid crunching sound to echo through the entrance of the cave. You could feel the skill shattering under your boot, even through the strong and sturdy metal plates. You lift your foot up again, exposing the mostly flattened head. Blood begins to pool around it from where the shards of skull pierced through the unexpectedly thin outer skin. You wipe your boot off on the body of the rat while deciding what to do next. [[Proceed further into the cave]] [[Harvest the rat]] [[Look around]]

You take your weapon out and prepare yourself for the worst as you step into the light. A skeleton suddenly pops out in front of you, arms raised and stepping towards you. It's too close to you for you to draw your weapon. [[Jump back with your weapon out]] [[Swing at it|Swing weapon]]

As you step into the candlelight, a skeleton suddenly pops out in front of you, arms raised and stepping towards you. It's too close to you for you to draw your weapon. [[Jump back]] [[Swing at it]]

You punch the skeleton straight in the jaw, making it's head spin a few times before it stops it with it's hands. You aren't sure if it is angry at you or amused by your attempt to hurt it until it speaks. "Well geez, you're one fiery one, ain't ya? Why don't you just take it easy there, partner, and we can settle this like friends." [[Lower your fists]] [[Attack again]]

The skeleton claps his hands together and asks what he can answer for you. [[Who are you?]] [[Why are you in here?]] [[Can you tell me more about this place?]] [[Say that you are done asking questions|Say that you ought to be on your way]]

As you start to excuse yourelf, the skeleton speaks up again "I don't mean to be a bother, but do you have anything to drink by chance? It sure has been a while since these ol' bones have had a drop of anything." [[Offer your jug of water]] [[Offer your bottle of wine]] [[Apologize, saying that you don't have anything to share]]

You take your weapon out and attack the skeleton while it lowers its guard, managing to make him fall into a loose pile of bones. He yells out in protest, asking what you did that for, but you think it would be better to move on rather than wait for him to reassemble himself and come after you. You make your way down the passage towards the next room. At the end of the hallway, there are two paths. The left path is plain looking, but somewhat clean for a cave, as though it were tidied up and well kept. It is a straight walkway that seems to lead to a large and mostly empty room, from what you can tell. There looks to be a pedestal in the center of the room, but you can't be sure from this distance. The right path is full of cobwebs and crumbling in places. A few paces in, the ceiling drops significantly, so that you'll almost have to crawl through. You cannot see far in this direction. [[Take the left path]] [[Take the right path|Right attack 2]]

The skeleton thanks you heartily as he takes a couple drinks from the container. He starts to hand it back to you, but you politely decline, telling him that he can keep it. He thanks you again and waves farewell as you part ways. You make your way down the passage towards the next room. At the end of the hallway, there are two paths. The left path is plain looking, but somewhat clean for a cave, as though it were tidied up and well kept. It is a straight walkway that seems to lead to a large and mostly empty room, from what you can tell. There looks to be a pedestal in the center of the room, but you can't be sure from this distance. The right path is full of cobwebs and crumbling in places. A few paces in, the ceiling drops significantly, so that you'll almost have to crawl through. You cannot see far in this direction. [[Take the left path]] [[Take the right path|Right No Crown]]

You pull out your bottle of cherry wine and hand it over to the skeleton, who jumps up and sings with glee at the sight of the dark liquid. He pops it open and takes a drink straight from the bottle, causing the liquid to fall right through him. His bones are stained a light pink where the wine landed, but he doesn't seem to notice or mind. After a few more drinks he sets the bottle down on the table and sits down on the chair next to it. "I tell you what, you just made my whole eternity, adventurer. It sure has been a while since I've had anything this good. It reminds me of the cherry tree I used to sit under with the missus back when we were too young to worry about anything else." He turns back to you after a moment and smiles, you think. "You know, I'm just remembering, I have this real shiny crown from a fella who came through here once a long time ago. Why don't you take that with you. It doesn't do me any good here, and it's the least I can do to thank you." He gets up and walks to a little nook in the wall, where he reaches a bony arm in and pulls out a golden crown. It still shines as though it were just polished, and has several rubies and emeralds embedded into it. [[Thank him and take the crown]] [[Decline the gift, saying that it is too much to take]]

"A darn shame" The skeleton says, eyeing your pack but not asking again. After a moment, he seems back to his cheerful self and waves farewell as you part ways. You make your way down the passage towards the next room. At the end of the hallway, there are two paths. The left path is plain looking, but somewhat clean for a cave, as though it were tidied up and well kept. It is a straight walkway that seems to lead to a large and mostly empty room, from what you can tell. There looks to be a pedestal in the center of the room, but you can't be sure from this distance. The right path is full of cobwebs and crumbling in places. A few paces in, the ceiling drops significantly, so that you'll almost have to crawl through. You cannot see far in this direction. [[Take the left path]] [[Take the right path|Right No Crown]]

"Well I'm Boneman Clankums, like I said before. I was a farmer 'round these parts a century or two ago by now I suppose. Used to grow them turnups, I did. Raddishes too, when the mood was right. Ya know, my cabbage used to be the talk of the town, I tell you what. Oh yes, I was just a humble farmer back in those days, married with a family and a sweet ol' dog. Then one day once my children were grown and moved away, I decided it was time for an adventure, something crazy in my life, so I got me a sword and made my way here. I didn't make it very far, of course, but it was a glorious battle that led me to my end. Come back sometime and I'll tell you all about it." [[Ask another question|Say that you'd like to ask a few questions]] [[Say that you ought to be on your way]]

"Well after I died in here, there was one of those wizard folks who came through and did something to me. They said something about serving them or creating a mass army of the dead to destroy the world, but then one of those big ol' rats jumped up bit their arm off and they died right over there after shouting all manner of profanities." He points to a robed skeleton laying next to the wall. It seems to be missing it's arm still. "I've been a free man since then, free to tend to my little home here." [[Ask another question|Say that you'd like to ask a few questions]] [[Say that you ought to be on your way]]

"I'm afraid I don't know too much beyond where I've been, though once in a while I will feel this shakin' that just rattles my bones like nothin' else. Something real big seems to be in the next room, so you be careful when you keep on goin'." He thinks for a moment, "Oh, and don't take a left when you go down the hall there. That there place will kill you right quick and you won't even see it coming." [[Ask another question|Say that you'd like to ask a few questions]] [[Say that you ought to be on your way]]

After you take the crown, you bid the skeleton man farewell before making your way down the passage towards the next room. At the end of the hallway, there are two paths. The left path is plain looking, but somewhat clean for a cave, as though it were tidied up and well kept. It is a straight walkway that seems to lead to a large and mostly empty room, from what you can tell. There looks to be a pedestal in the center of the room, but you can't be sure from this distance. The right path is full of cobwebs and crumbling in places. A few paces in, the ceiling drops significantly, so that you'll almost have to crawl through. You cannot see far in this direction. [[Take the left path]] [[Take the right path]]

You bid the skeleton man farewell before making your way down the passage towards the next room. At the end of the hallway, there are two paths. The left path is plain looking, but somewhat clean for a cave, as though it were tidied up and well kept. It is a straight walkway that seems to lead to a large and mostly empty room, from what you can tell. There looks to be a pedestal in the center of the room, but you can't be sure from this distance. The right path is full of cobwebs and crumbling in places. A few paces in, the ceiling drops significantly, so that you'll almost have to crawl through. You cannot see far in this direction. [[Take the left path]] [[Take the right path|Take the right path no crown]]

You start down the path, squinting at the pedestal and trying to make out what is at the end. When you are about halfway there, a loud crunching noise come from behind you. Just before you turn to look, you see what is in the other room - a mass of bodies in various states of decay, seemingly alive with an unnatural energy. As you turn, you see a clump of flesh and bones moving towards you with sudden jerking motions. It grabs you and all at once you are consumed. Another who will not leave the halls of this wretched cave. End

Starting down the path, you place your hand on the caved ceiling, testing the strength of it before crouching down and peering through the opening. It seems to be clear, though it looks like there is a turn just a few paces along the way, so you can't make out what is waiting for you. You take a deep breath and lower yourself onto your stomach, using your arms to pull you along through the tight tunnel. Minutes of this slow crawl go by, feeling like hours, as every movement causes a cascade of pebbles to drop down onto you. On the ground, you can feel a rumbling that you hadn't noticed before, or perhaps it hadn't been there until now. It seems that the whole cave is alive with energy, humming and buzzing through the air and ground. You finally reach the turn in the tunnel. It is pitch black now, no longer softly lit by the candles in the previous room. There are faint noises of something shifting about in the dark, different from the clicking of the rat. You cannot tell if it is something small nearby, or something large and far away, but you must press on. The turn leads to the left. There is something else to the right, however, a small crack in the wall, by the way it feels. [[Continue through the left tunnel]] [[Reach into the crack]]

As you round the corner, it sounds like many little things skitter away from you, as though they were surprised by your intrusion. You are able to make out a light in the distance, which shines just enough to see that the ceiling is raised back up here. It seems as though whatever was around you is still on the walls, as they are alive with movement and soft tapping noises. [[Stand up]] [[Continue crawling]]

Something maluable oozes around your hand, slowly traveling up your arm before pulling back in an instant as if nothing were there at all. You can't quite tell if it was your imagination, or if something was there. It seems that the hole goes deeper, but it's tight even fitting your arm in there, let alone crawling in that direction. [[Continue through the left tunnel]]

You stand up after what feels like ages of crawling on hard and uneven ground. Your legs feel somewhat asleep from the crawling. It might be a good idea to wait for the feeling to pass. [[Sit until the pain subsides]] [[Lean on the wall for support]] [[Go back to crawling until you reach the end]]

Preferring to be safe, rather than risk something happening, you continue your slow pace towards the next room. After several minutes, you find yourself in the entryway to a large room, filled with treasures of various origin. Entire chests and boxes of gold and jewlery cover the floor of the room, so that there is barely a path to walk. The light that comes from this room is that of torchlight reflecting off of the coins and gems, creating an array of yellows, greens, and reds on the walls and ceilings. As you stand and step through the doorway, something shifts within the large mound of treasure on the right side of the room. An eye peers through a break in the gold, almost invisible due to the deep golden color, save for the dark slit that is immediately fixated on you. You have just walked into the treasure room of a dragon, and it knows that you are there. Slowly, the dragon lifts his head, causing gold to rain down and clatter loudly onto the other pieces. It is looking at you, waiting to see what you do next. [[Draw your weapon]] [[Quickly retreat back through the path you came from]] [[Pull out the crown and present it to the dragon]]

After a handful of minutes, the pain begins to subside, and you are able to get up and continue walking. The last section of the tunnel goes by much faster now and within a minute you find yourself in the entryway to a large room, filled with treasures of various origin. Entire chests and boxes of gold and jewlery cover the floor of the room, so that there is barely a path to walk. The light that comes from this room is that of torchlight reflecting off of the coins and gems, creating an array of yellows, greens, and reds on the walls and ceilings. As you step through the doorway, something shifts within the large mound of treasure on the right side of the room. An eye peers through a break in the gold, almost invisible due to the deep golden color, save for the dark slit that is immediately fixated on you. You have just walked into the treasure room of a dragon, and it knows that you are there. Slowly, the dragon lifts his head, causing gold to rain down and clatter loudly onto the other pieces. It is looking at you, waiting to see what you do next. [[Draw your weapon]] [[Quickly retreat back through the path you came from]] [[Pull out the crown and present it to the dragon]]

As soon as your shoulder touches the wall, the tapping stops. A long moment of complete silence goes by before you feel a surge of movement suddenly on your armor, little legs of unseen assailants spreading from your shoulder to your neck and down your body, covering you. You feel a sharp, searing pain along every part of your body that was left uncovered, and as much as you try to shake off the creatures, more come and hold fast to your flesh, digging into it with the desperation of a starving wild animal. Your legs buckle under you, the stress of the additional weight and the pain of their bites being too much to support yourself, and you fall back to the ground. They welcome you. They devour you. Minutes later, the hero of the village lies on the ground, barely anything more than an armored skeleton. End

Deciding it best to continue moving, instead of waiting in the dark, you continue your slow pace towards the next room. After several minutes, you find yourself in the entryway to a large room, filled with treasures of various origin. Entire chests and boxes of gold and jewlery cover the floor of the room, so that there is barely a path to walk. The light that comes from this room is that of torchlight reflecting off of the coins and gems, creating an array of yellows, greens, and reds on the walls and ceilings. As you stand and step through the doorway, something shifts within the large mound of treasure on the right side of the room. An eye peers through a break in the gold, almost invisible due to the deep golden color, save for the dark slit that is immediately fixated on you. You have just walked into the treasure room of a dragon, and it knows that you are there. Slowly, the dragon lifts his head, causing gold to rain down and clatter loudly onto the other pieces. It is looking at you, waiting to see what you do next. [[Draw your weapon]] [[Quickly retreat back through the path you came from]] [[Pull out the crown and present it to the dragon]]

You take out your weapon, earning what sounds like a scoff from the dragon. They are obviously not impressed by your display of aggression. "It seems like another foolish mortal has tresspassed into my home. You dare to come in here uninvited and raise your weapon against me? Very well, then you can perish, same as the others." The dragon stands, towering over you, and raises it's tail to swipe at you. [[Jump to the left]] [[Jump to the right]] [[Charge at the dragon]]

As soon as you touch the wall, the tapping stops. A long moment of complete silence goes by before you feel a surge of movement suddenly on your armor, little legs of unseen assailants spreading from your shoulders and legs to your neck, covering you. You feel a sharp, searing pain along every part of your body that was left uncovered, and as much as you try to shake off the creatures, more come and hold fast to your flesh, digging into it with the desperation of a starving wild animal. Your legs buckle under you, the stress of the additional weight and the pain of their bites being too much to support yourself, and you fall back to the ground. They welcome you. They devour you. Minutes later, the hero of the village lies on the ground, barely anything more than an armored skeleton. End

The dragon tilts it's head slightly, seemingly not expecting a human to present them with an offering. A low rumbling comes from it's chest before it speaks. "I see there are still those who respect the dragons among the mortals. I am pleased with your gift. Place it down upon the chest there, and I shall have it added to my treasures." [[Place the crown]]

The dragon watches you closely as you gently set the crown onto the chest, which is already overflowing with gemstones and jewlery. When you are finish the dragon nods in a show of satisfaction. "What brings you to my home, mortal? Do you know what it is that exists within these stone walls?" [[Ask what they mean by 'exists within' the cave]] [[State that you are here to save your village from the evil that haunts it]] [[Say that you did not know this was the home of a dragon, as no one had mentioned that in the past]]

The dragon takes a moment to look around before answering your question, giving you a moment to do the same. "This cave is not what it seems. It was originally a temple, dedicated to a god long since forgotten. Over centuries, this once holy land became the breeding ground of corruption, causing the once beloved god to turn their backs on mortals. They decided that they must punish those who were not worthy of the god's protection, and years of famine, drought, and disease took hold of the land. Finally, decades later, the children of those originally punished begged the god to change their mind and to give a new generation a chance to prove themselves. The god agreed, but gave their own set of terms. One must be chosen to enter a cave of trials, where they will be tested. If they succeed, disaster will never again touch their homes and fields, but if they fail to send one, or one fails to pass the tests and leaves with darkness in their hearts, the god will send an evil so great that all in the village will perish. It was on that day that I saw the great cavern we stand in today come into creation. The god wanted none but those worthy to stand in their halls to step foot into their temple. The only remaining entrance to that temple lies just on the other side of this room." There is much information here that you had never heard of, though after so many years and trials, it's likely that certain details were left behind or not written down. [[State that you are here to save your village from the evil that haunts it]]

"So you are, but are you certain that you are ready for what lies ahead? Others have been, but they fell quickly in the face of their so called destiny. What makes you think that you will succeed where they could not?" [[Your ambition]] [[Your purity of heart]] [[Shrug and say that you can only try your best]]

The dragon seems amused by this. "Your village tells no tales of me, for none have gotten this far and survived the trial. Quite honestly, I'm surprised that little village of yours is still there, with the constant threat of destruction. Most would move elsewhere, but your species is a stubborn one." [[Ask what they mean by 'exists within' the cave]] [[State that you are here to save your village from the evil that haunts it]]

The dragon nods, but warns you not to allow your ambition to get the best of you. After all, many in the pursuit of greatness will choose to harm others to get ahead. After a minute, the dragon sits back, keeping an eye on you, but no longer seeming interested in talking. [[Continue|Answer]]

The dragon looks closely at you before speaking. "So you think that you are pure of heart? If that is true, I suppose you have nothing to worry about. I will let you be on your way, adventurer." After a minute, the dragon sits back, keeping an eye on you, but no longer seeming interested in talking. [[Continue|Answer]]

The dragon remarks on your humble nature, stating that there are always those who feel they are pulled into something bigger than they are ready for. After a minute, the dragon sits back, keeping an eye on you, but no longer seeming interested in talking. [[Continue|Answer]]

With the dragon's permission, you walk through the chamber into the next room. As you step through, the way closes behind you and you are momentarily left in the dark once more. The humming in the cave is louder here. After a moment, a small glow comes from the center of the room. [[Examine the room]] [[Walk towards the light]]

It is hard to see in the room, as the glow does not fully light the area. It is a small room, only a few paces wide, and completely clean. The floor and walls here are smooth and level, unlike the rest of the cave, as though it were man made. The direction you came from is completey sealed as well, and you find no indication of a doorway ever existing. [[Walk towards the light]]

You step forward towards the glowing object to find that it is a pedestal holding an amulet with a small, white gemstone in the middle, which seems to be where the glow is coming from. [[Examine the amulet]] [[Examine the pedestal]] [[Take the amulet]]

When looking more closely, you see that there is something inside of the gemstone, causing the glow, rather than the stone itself glowing. It looks like a small white fire flickering within. The gem is set within an engraved socket with a matching a silver chain. [[Examine the pedestal]] [[Take the amulet]]

The top of the pedestal has no sign of a pressure plate or any markings indicating use or wear. The sides, however, have rather intricate markings from what little you can make out. From what you can tell, there are no traps associated with the stand itself. [[Examine the amulet]] [[Take the amulet]]

As your hand touches the amulet, a gentle, ethereal voice echoes within the room. There is no body to this voice, and you can't find where it comes from. "Welcome, adventurer, I have been waiting for you. I know you have come to face the trials within this cave. While you may not have known it, you have already faced three. Your actions towards those you have met within the cave will decide if you are worthy of the power that resides in this amulet. You will be judged" [[Continue|Save Two]]

"Though you have acted honorably to some, you are not able to wield the power of the amulet. Since the good within you outweighs the evil, I will grant you freedom to leave this cave, though you cannot take the amulet, meaning your village's curse will not be broken. In thirty years, another must come to the trials and do what you could not, or there shall be an evil released upon the lands and none shall be spared." A doorway, opposite of where you came in from, opens, and the bright midday light shines into the cave, making you squint. Once your eyes have adjusted, you notice that the amulet, while still there, is no longer shining. [[Take it]] [[Leave the cave]]

As your hand wraps around the amulet, you feel something stir within you. Despite the bright light at the exit, your vision blurs and goes dark. Worried that you will be trapped within the cave, you charge towards the exit and stumble outside, but everything looks wrong. The sky is as dark as night with no stars or moon in the sky. As you look around, everything is dead, including the trees and grass outside of the cave. You stumble towards the village, your head feeling clouded and your limbs becoming slightly numb. The clanking of your armor hits your ears at an odd pitch with every movement. Questions run through your mind - were you too late? What happened? Why does everything feel so wrong? As you step into town, you are filled with dread as you see the bodies of people you knew strewn about and torn apart. Livestock is dead in the field as well, creating an eerie silence that goes unbroken. [[Continue|Stolen Amulet Ending]]

You step away from the amulet, leaving it as you were instructed, and step outside of the cave. As you leave, the exit closes behind you and you are left alone, standing in an empty field with a heavy weight on your heart. You have failed, but there will be no evil coming for your vilalge today. Instead, you decide to tell the others how to succeed during the next set of trials, and begin to hurry back to town. [[Continue|Continue the Cycle Ending]]

As you walk through the town, a strange feeling of familiarity washes over you. You feel as though you have seen this before, despite having just left the cave. As you arrive at your home, you reach for the door and notice that your hand is covered in drying blood. Looking down, you see that you are covered in blood, causing memories to surge through you. You see yourself returning to the town in daylight, you see the amulet in your hand, the one that you took from the cave. You feel hatred within yourself like you had not known before. As you reach the town, you see the mocking smiles of the people you grew up with. They ask if you completed the trials, as though they don't know you failed. After the danger you went through to save them, they dare laugh at you for falling short. You take out your weapon and run in through the nearest one, silencing them. Then you hear the screaming. They want to treat you like the enemy after all you've done for them and after all they forced you to do. One by one you find and slaughter every person in the village, then you move onto the livestock. No one witness is left. No one is left to mock you. You turn and walk back to the exit of the cave. The memories end, leaving you alone once more with the weight of your actions heavy on your shoulders. You remember the words you were taught so long ago: Every thirty years, a great evil is destined to come to this village. Now that evil is you. End

As you step into the village, people rush to greet you, asking what happened and if they were to be safe. You start to speak, but then realize you forgot what you were going to say. You are sure it was something important, but the only words that you can remember are "In thirty years, another must come to the trials." They seem content with your answer, but you still feel as though you have forgotten something. When you reach your home, the feeling goes away, and instead you feel relieved that your job is over - no more training, no more worrying about the cave, you are finally able to live on with your life. End

Something maluable oozes around your hand, slowly traveling up your arm before pulling back in an instant as if nothing were there at all. You can't quite tell if it was your imagination, or if something was there, until you feel something clasped in your hand. It seems that the hole goes deeper, but it's tight even fitting your arm in there, let alone crawling in that direction, so you pull your arm out, revealing something round and hollow in your hands. You will have to wait until it is bright to see what it is. [[Continue through the left tunnel|Unidentified Object]]

As you round the corner, it sounds like many little things skitter away from you, as though they were surprised by your intrusion. You are able to make out a light in the distance, which shines just enough to see that the ceiling is raised back up here and that what you just found was a crown of some type. It seems as though whatever was around you is still on the walls, as they are alive with movement and soft tapping noises. [[Stand up]] [[Continue crawling]]

You stand up after what feels like ages of crawling on hard and uneven ground. Your legs feel somewhat asleep and cramp up from the crawling. It might be a good idea to wait for the feeling to pass. [[Sit until the pain subsides|Sit until the pain subsides no crown]] [[Lean on the wall for support|Lean on the wall for support no crown]] [[Go back to crawling until you reach the end|Go back to crawling until you reach the end no crown]]

The dragon laughs, slow and deep. "Do you think I cannot see you, tiny mortal? Why is it that you come here, to my home? Are you another, searching for answers? Or perhaps you have come to kill me? What will it be? [[Searching for answers]] [[Searching for a new trophy to place upon your wall|Draw your weapon]]

You jump to the left, narrowly avoiding the tail as it swings past you. You notice that you are close to a doorway opposite of where you came in. You could try to make a run for the door or turn back and face the dragon. [[Run to the door]] [[Face the dragon]]

As you jump to the right, the tail impacts you from behind, sending you flying into the wall with a loud crunch. You fall to the ground, with your leg twisted at an unnatural angle, only to be crushed to death by the weight of it's clawed foot pressing down on you. End

As you charge towards the dragon, you see it's tail stop mid swing out of the corner of your eye. Instead, it begins flapping it's large wings, kicking up a whirlwind that catches various coins in it's path. The coins are flung towards you so quickly that they cut deep into your exposed skin and badly damage the metal armor you wear. Had it not been for the armor, you would already be dead. Looking to your left, there is an open doorway opposite of where you came from. You might be able to make it if you make a run for it, or you can attempt to attack the dragon's exposed stomach. [[Make a run for it]] [[Attack the dragon]]

Before you can make it even a couple steps away from where you started, you feel the weight of the swipe hit you from the side, and you are thrown several meters onto the ground. When you try to stand up again, you hear "foolish mortal" from the dragon before being crushed under it's foot. End

You make a quick dash for the dragon, managing to dodge through it's front legs and slash down it's chest to it's stomach, causing it to bellow in pain and stumble back. [[Go for a killing blow]] [[Run for the exit while it is distracted]]

You manage to barely make it through the door before hearing a thud behind you. Laughter is heard from the dragon as the door slowly closes, leaving you alone in the dark. The humming in the cave is louder here. After a moment, a small glow comes from the center of the room. [[Examine the room|Examine the room save 1]] [[Walk towards the light|Walk towards the light save 1]]

You spin to face the dragon, raising your weapon and readying yourself for its next attack. You see the dragon advancing towards you, preparing to swipe at you. [[Run forward]] [[Run to the right]]

You take the opportunity and jam your weapon into the heart of the dragon, killing it almost instantly. As it slumps over, it lets out a laugh with it's dying breath, as though it knows something you do not. You wrench your weapon from the dragon's chest before turning to go into the next room, smiling to yourself at the thought of telling the tale of your fight with a dragon upon returning to town. You leisurely walk into the next room, causing the door to close behind you and plunging you into darkness once more. The humming in the cave is louder here. After a moment, a small glow comes from the center of the room. [[Examine the room|Examine the room save 1]] [[Walk towards the light|Walk towards the light save 1]]

You manage to barely make it through the door before hearing a thud behind you in one last attempt at killing you. The door slowly closes, leaving you alone in the dark once more. The humming in the cave is louder here. After a moment, a small glow comes from the center of the room. [[Examine the room|Examine the room save 1]] [[Walk towards the light|Walk towards the light save 1]]

"Though you have acted honorably to one, you are not able to wield the power of the amulet. The good within you does not outweigh the evil, but there is a glimmer of hope. Because of this, I will grant you freedom to leave this cave, though you cannot take the amulet, meaning your village's curse will not be broken. In thirty years, another must come to the trials and do what you could not, or there shall be an evil released upon the lands and none shall be spared." A doorway, opposite of where you came in from, opens, and the bright midday light shines into the cave, making you squint. Once your eyes have adjusted, you notice that the amulet, while still there, is no longer shining. [[Take it]] [[Leave the cave]]

Something maluable oozes around your hand, slowly traveling up your arm before pulling back in an instant as if nothing were there at all. You can't quite tell if it was your imagination, or if something was there. It seems that the hole goes deeper, but it's tight even fitting your arm in there, let alone crawling in that direction. [[Continue through the left tunnel|Continue No Crown]]

As you continue walking down to path, you suddenly find yourself knocked over onto the ground from behind. It seems that the smell of the meat in your bag caused some other creatures lurking in the dark corners of the entryway to come after you. They first try yanking the bag from you, but after a minute of struggling, decide that if they can't separate the bag from you, you'll be added to their dinner. You are drug off through a small tunnel you hadn't seen before and eaten by the cannibal cave rats. End

As you continue walking down to path, you suddenly find yourself knocked over onto the ground from behind. It seems that the smell of the meat in your bag caused some other creatures lurking in the dark corners of the entryway to come after you. Since the meat is kept in a separate pouch, they snap it off of your bag with ease and scurry off before you finish standing back up. You think it best to keep moving before something more is attracted to you. [[Stand up and keep walking]]

You jump back with a startled shout as the skeleton speaks: "Well hi there, how ya doin'? Been a while since one a ya squishy folks came 'round my place. The name's Boneman Clankums, nice to meet ya! If you got any questions, you just go right on ahead and ask. Just, uh, please put that there shiny one down first please." [[Say that you'd like to ask a few questions]] [[Lower your weapon, say that you ought to be on your way, and hurry past him|Say that you ought to be on your way]] [[Attack the skeleton]]

You hit the skeleton with a solid thud, managing to make him fall into a loose pile of bones. He yells out in protest, asking what you did that for, but you think it would be better to move on rather than wait for him to reassemble himself and come after you. You make your way down the passage towards the next room. At the end of the hallway, there are two paths. The left path is plain looking, but somewhat clean for a cave, as though it were tidied up and well kept. It is a straight walkway that seems to lead to a large and mostly empty room, from what you can tell. There looks to be a pedestal in the center of the room, but you can't be sure from this distance. The right path is full of cobwebs and crumbling in places. A few paces in, the ceiling drops significantly, so that you'll almost have to crawl through. You cannot see far in this direction. [[Take the left path]] [[Take the right path|Right attack 2]]

"That's much better, now isn't it? Let me introduce myself, the name's Boneman Clankums, nice to meet ya! If you got any questions, you just go right on ahead and ask." [[Say that you'd like to ask a few questions]] [[Say that you ought to be on your way]] [[Draw your weapon and attack the skeleton]]

You throw another punch, this time making him fall into a pile of bones. He yells out in protest, asking what you did that for, but you think it would be better to move on rather than wait for him to reassemble himself and come after you. You make your way down the passage towards the next room. At the end of the hallway, there are two paths. The left path is plain looking, but somewhat clean for a cave, as though it were tidied up and well kept. It is a straight walkway that seems to lead to a large and mostly empty room, from what you can tell. There looks to be a pedestal in the center of the room, but you can't be sure from this distance. The right path is full of cobwebs and crumbling in places. A few paces in, the ceiling drops significantly, so that you'll almost have to crawl through. You cannot see far in this direction. [[Take the left path]] [[Take the right path|Right attack 2]]

Something maluable oozes around your hand, slowly traveling up your arm before pulling back in an instant as if nothing were there at all. You can't quite tell if it was your imagination, or if something was there, until you feel something clasped in your hand. It seems that the hole goes deeper, but it's tight even fitting your arm in there, let alone crawling in that direction, so you pull your arm out, revealing something round and hollow in your hands. You will have to wait until it is bright to see what it is. [[Continue through the left tunnel|Unidentified Object k2]]

As you enter the dark cave, you hear shuffling and clicking sounds, like nails against stone. Something heavy seems to be near the entrance of the cave. As your eyes adjust, you see what is making the sound - a rodent of unusual size, or a giant rat to be more specific. This rat looks like it would eat others in a single gulp, but it doesn't seem to have noticed you yet. [[Attack it|Attack no cheese]] while it's unaware [[Ignore it|Ignore no cheese]] and hope that it doesn't notice you

You begin to hack away at the rat, gaining two large strips of it's hide and three chunks of rat meat. [[Add them to your bag|Add no cheese]] [[Examine the items|Examine no cheese]] [[Decide not to take them with you|Discard]]

You notice a small indentation in the wall. It looks like it could be a button. [[Press the button|button no cheese]] [[Turn back to the main passage|Main passage no cheese]]

Nothing seems to happen when you press the button. Perhaps somewhere further inside something has changed. [[Turn back to the main passage|Main passage no cheese]]

You walk back the way you came, stopping at the corpse of the rat you killed. Flies have already moved in, buzzing around the already foul smelling body. There is a liquid oozing out around the creature, which does not mix with the blood. [[Walk back to the indentation|Look around no cheese]] [[Walk further into the cave|Proceed no cheese]]

You wrap up the strips of leather and slide them into a side pocket of your bag and easily fit several large slabs of meat into the main pouch of your bag [[Proceed|Proceed meat no cheese]]

As you round the corner, it sounds like many little things skitter away from you, as though they were surprised by your intrusion. You are able to make out a light in the distance, which shines just enough to see that the ceiling is raised back up here and that what you just found was a crown of some type. It seems as though whatever was around you is still on the walls, as they are alive with movement and soft tapping noises. [[Stand up|Stand up k2]] [[Continue crawling|Continue crawling k2]]

You stand up after what feels like ages of crawling on hard and uneven ground. Your legs feel somewhat asleep and cramped from the crawling. It might be a good idea to wait for the feeling to pass. [[Sit until the pain subsides|Sit until the pain subsides k2]] [[Lean on the wall for support]] [[Go back to crawling until you reach the end|Go back to crawling until you reach the end k2]]

Preferring to be safe, rather than risk something happening, you continue your slow pace towards the next room. After several minutes, you find yourself in the entryway to a large room, filled with treasures of various origin. Entire chests and boxes of gold and jewlery cover the floor of the room, so that there is barely a path to walk. The light that comes from this room is that of torchlight reflecting off of the coins and gems, creating an array of yellows, greens, and reds on the walls and ceilings. As you stand and step through the doorway, something shifts within the large mound of treasure on the right side of the room. An eye peers through a break in the gold, almost invisible due to the deep golden color, save for the dark slit that is immediately fixated on you. You have just walked into the treasure room of a dragon, and it knows that you are there. Slowly, the dragon lifts his head, causing gold to rain down and clatter loudly onto the other pieces. It is looking at you, waiting to see what you do next. [[Draw your weapon|Draw your weapon k2]] [[Quickly retreat back through the path you came from]] [[Pull out the crown and present it to the dragon|Pull out the crown and present it to the dragon k2]]

You stand up after what feels like ages of crawling on hard and uneven ground. Your legs feel somewhat asleep and cramp up from the crawling. It might be a good idea to wait for the feeling to pass. [[Sit until the pain subsides|Sit until the pain subsides no crown k2]] [[Lean on the wall for support|Lean on the wall for support no crown k2]] [[Go back to crawling until you reach the end|Go back to crawling until you reach the end no crown k2]]

Preferring to be safe, rather than risk something happening, you continue your slow pace towards the next room. After several minutes, you find yourself in the entryway to a large room, filled with treasures of various origin. Entire chests and boxes of gold and jewlery cover the floor of the room, so that there is barely a path to walk. The light that comes from this room is that of torchlight reflecting off of the coins and gems, creating an array of yellows, greens, and reds on the walls and ceilings. As you stand and step through the doorway, something shifts within the large mound of treasure on the right side of the room. An eye peers through a break in the gold, almost invisible due to the deep golden color, save for the dark slit that is immediately fixated on you. You have just walked into the treasure room of a dragon, and it knows that you are there. Slowly, the dragon lifts his head, causing gold to rain down and clatter loudly onto the other pieces. It is looking at you, waiting to see what you do next. [[Draw your weapon|Draw your weapon k2]] [[Quickly retreat back through the path you came from]] [[Stand still|Stand still k2]]

After a handful of minutes, the pain begins to subside, and you are able to get up and continue walking. The last section of the tunnel goes by much faster now and within a minute you find yourself in the entryway to a large room, filled with treasures of various origin. Entire chests and boxes of gold and jewlery cover the floor of the room, so that there is barely a path to walk. The light that comes from this room is that of torchlight reflecting off of the coins and gems, creating an array of yellows, greens, and reds on the walls and ceilings. As you step through the doorway, something shifts within the large mound of treasure on the right side of the room. An eye peers through a break in the gold, almost invisible due to the deep golden color, save for the dark slit that is immediately fixated on you. You have just walked into the treasure room of a dragon, and it knows that you are there. Slowly, the dragon lifts his head, causing gold to rain down and clatter loudly onto the other pieces. It is looking at you, waiting to see what you do next. [[Draw your weapon|Draw your weapon k2]] [[Quickly retreat back through the path you came from]] [[Stand still|Stand still k2]]

Deciding it best to continue moving, instead of waiting in the dark, you continue your slow pace towards the next room. After several minutes, you find yourself in the entryway to a large room, filled with treasures of various origin. Entire chests and boxes of gold and jewlery cover the floor of the room, so that there is barely a path to walk. The light that comes from this room is that of torchlight reflecting off of the coins and gems, creating an array of yellows, greens, and reds on the walls and ceilings. As you stand and step through the doorway, something shifts within the large mound of treasure on the right side of the room. An eye peers through a break in the gold, almost invisible due to the deep golden color, save for the dark slit that is immediately fixated on you. You have just walked into the treasure room of a dragon, and it knows that you are there. Slowly, the dragon lifts his head, causing gold to rain down and clatter loudly onto the other pieces. It is looking at you, waiting to see what you do next. [[Draw your weapon|Draw your weapon k2]] [[Quickly retreat back through the path you came from]] [[Stand still|Stand still k2]]

You take out your weapon, earning what sounds like a scoff from the dragon. They are obviously not impressed by your display of aggression. "It seems like another foolish mortal has tresspassed into my home. You dare to come in here uninvited and raise your weapon against me? Very well, then you can perish, same as the others." The dragon stands, towering over you, and raises it's tail to swipe at you [[Jump to the left|Jump to the left 3]] [[Jump to the right|Jump to the right 3]] [[Charge at the dragon|Charge at the dragon 3]]

The dragon laughs, slow and deep. "Do you think I cannot see you, tiny mortal? Why is it that you come here, to my home? Are you another, searching for answers? Or perhaps you have come to kill me? What will it be? [[Searching for answers|Search k2]] [[Searching for a new trophy to place upon your wall|Draw your weapon k2]]

"What questions do you wish to know the answers of? Do you know what it is that exists within these stone walls or why you are here?" [[Ask what they mean by 'exists within' the cave]] [[State that you are here to save your village from the evil that haunts it]] [[Say that you did not know this was the home of a dragon, as no one had mentioned that in the past]]

"What questions do you wish to know the answers of? Do you know what it is that exists within these stone walls or why you are here?" [[Ask what they mean by 'exists within' the cave|Exist 2]] [[State that you are here to save your village from the evil that haunts it|Save 2]] [[Say that you did not know this was the home of a dragon, as no one had mentioned that in the past|Home 2]]

After a handful of minutes, the pain begins to subside, and you are able to get up and continue walking. The last section of the tunnel goes by much faster now and within a minute you find yourself in the entryway to a large room, filled with treasures of various origin. Entire chests and boxes of gold and jewlery cover the floor of the room, so that there is barely a path to walk. The light that comes from this room is that of torchlight reflecting off of the coins and gems, creating an array of yellows, greens, and reds on the walls and ceilings. As you step through the doorway, something shifts within the large mound of treasure on the right side of the room. An eye peers through a break in the gold, almost invisible due to the deep golden color, save for the dark slit that is immediately fixated on you. You have just walked into the treasure room of a dragon, and it knows that you are there. Slowly, the dragon lifts his head, causing gold to rain down and clatter loudly onto the other pieces. It is looking at you, waiting to see what you do next. [[Draw your weapon|Draw your weapon k2]] [[Quickly retreat back through the path you came from]] [[Pull out the crown and present it to the dragon|Pull out the crown and present it to the dragon k2]]

Deciding it best to continue moving, instead of waiting in the dark, you continue your slow pace towards the next room. After several minutes, you find yourself in the entryway to a large room, filled with treasures of various origin. Entire chests and boxes of gold and jewlery cover the floor of the room, so that there is barely a path to walk. The light that comes from this room is that of torchlight reflecting off of the coins and gems, creating an array of yellows, greens, and reds on the walls and ceilings. As you stand and step through the doorway, something shifts within the large mound of treasure on the right side of the room. An eye peers through a break in the gold, almost invisible due to the deep golden color, save for the dark slit that is immediately fixated on you. You have just walked into the treasure room of a dragon, and it knows that you are there. Slowly, the dragon lifts his head, causing gold to rain down and clatter loudly onto the other pieces. It is looking at you, waiting to see what you do next. [[Draw your weapon|Draw your weapon k2]] [[Quickly retreat back through the path you came from]] [[Pull out the crown and present it to the dragon|Pull out the crown and present it to the dragon k2]]

You manage to barely make it through the door before hearing a thud behind you. Laughter is heard from the dragon as the door slowly closes, leaving you alone in the dark. The humming in the cave is louder here. After a moment, a small glow comes from the center of the room. [[Examine the room|Examine the room bad]] [[Walk towards the light|Walk towards the light bad]]

You spin to face the dragon, raising your weapon and readying yourself for its next attack. You see the dragon advancing towards you, preparing to swipe at you. [[Run forward]] [[Run to the right]]

There is a long moment of silence before the voice speaks again. It sounds almost disappointed, perhaps even angry. "You have left a trail of pain and anger behind you, thinking of nothing other than yourself. Whether by your inability to control your actions or your willingness to harm others, you have proven yourself to be dangerous, and I cannot allow you back into the world. The darkness in your heart is too great and will consume you." With that, you are plunged back into darkness. [[Take the amulet|Stolen Amulet bad ending]] [[Sit in the corner and accept your fate]]

As your hand wraps around the amulet, you feel something stir within you. A door opens opposite of you, revealing the outside with the brightness of a mid afternoon. You charge towards the exit, worried that it will seal up again, and stumble outside, but when you emerge on the other side of the cave wall everything looks wrong. The sky is as dark as night with no stars or moon in the sky. As you look around, everything is dead, including the trees and grass outside of the cave. You stumble towards the village, your head feeling clouded and your limbs becoming slightly numb. The clanking of your armor hits your ears at an odd pitch with every movement. Questions run through your mind - were you too late? What happened? Why does everything feel so wrong? As you step into town, you see the bodies of people you knew strewn about and torn apart. Livestock is dead in the field as well, creating an eerie silence that goes unbroken. Rather than feel horrified by this, you are happy. [[Continue|Extra Bad Ending]]

You sit in the darkness, the humming of the cave as the only thing to break the numbing silence. You cannot tell how much time passes, be it minutes, hours, or days, but you do know that you eventually feel so hungry, driving you to ration out the food you have left with you. More time passes and the hunger comes, but there is no food to satisfy yourself with. You cannot tell if it has been a week or just a day. You no longer care. You are just... tired. Thirty years later, as the next adventurer comes into the final room, they see a skeleton sitting in the corner, it's arms, still clad in heavy plated armor, wrapped around an empty bad. End

You take the opportunity and jam your weapon into the heart of the dragon, killing it almost instantly. As it slumps over, it lets out a laugh with it's dying breath, as though it knows something you do not. You wrench your weapon from the dragon's chest before turning to go into the next room, smiling to yourself at the thought of telling the tale of your fight with a dragon upon returning to town. You leisurely walk into the next room, causing the door to close behind you and plunging you into darkness once more. The humming in the cave is louder here. After a moment, a small glow comes from the center of the room. [[Examine the room|Examine the room bad]] [[Walk towards the light|Walk towards the light bad]]

You manage to barely make it through the door before hearing a thud behind you in one last attempt at killing you. The door slowly closes, leaving you alone in the dark once more. The humming in the cave is louder here. After a moment, a small glow comes from the center of the room. [[Examine the room|Examine the room bad]] [[Walk towards the light|Walk towards the light bad]]

The dragon watches you closely as you gently set the crown onto the chest, which is already overflowing with gemstones and jewlery. When you are finish the dragon nods in a show of satisfaction. "What brings you to my home, mortal? Do you know what it is that exists within these stone walls?" [[Ask what they mean by 'exists within' the cave|Exist 2]] [[State that you are here to save your village from the evil that haunts it|Save 2]] [[Say that you did not know this was the home of a dragon, as no one had mentioned that in the past|Home 2]]

"So you are, but are you certain that you are ready for what lies ahead? Others have been, but they fell quickly in the face of their so called destiny. What makes you think that you will succeed where they could not?" [[Your ambition|Amb 2]] [[Your purity of heart|Pure 2]] [[Shrug and say that you can only try your best|Hum 2]]

The dragon seems amused by this. "Your village tells no tales of me, for none have gotten this far and survived the trial. Quite honestly, I'm surprised that little village of yours is still there, with the constant threat of destruction. Most would move elsewhere, but your species is a stubborn one." [[Ask what they mean by 'exists within' the cave|Exist 2]] [[State that you are here to save your village from the evil that haunts it|Save 2]]

While the rat is turned away, you bend over and look into the hole in the wall. At first, it's too dark to see anything, and the hole looks very shallow. Then, what you thought was the back of the hole moves and several pairs of large, beady eyes stare back at you. It seems that a colony of giant rats has moved in, and a colony of hungry rats at that. At least now you know where the cheese went [[Keep looking]] [[Get away from the hole]]

You enter a several minute long staring contest with the large quantity of rats in the hole. Distracted by them, you didn't hear the click clacking of the rat outside of the hole come near you until it lunges for you, toppling you over onto the ground. As soon as you hit the ground, the mass of rats pours out from the hole and drag you back in. The hero of the village is never heard from again, though it is said that thirty years later, the next adventurer found something shiny peaking out of a hole in the wall. End

You stumble back and stand up. Thankfully it seems that they are more content to stay in their hole, and the other rat hasn't noticed you while you were distracted. Back to the issue at hand, that rat is still walking around outside of the hole and right in your way. [[Attack it]] [[Throw cheese at the rat]]

You cut another chunk of cheese off, this time using the blade of your weapon, and hold it for a moment while judging how hard to throw it [[Throw it lightly]] [[Throw it hard]]

You toss the cheese underhand towards the rat, causing it to land relatively close to it. This time, the rat turns to the cheese and devours it. It walks towards the hole, but then stops again. [[Throw another piece]]

You really huck that piece of cheese towards the rat, causing it to hit the side of it with a hard thud. It turns to you with a squeal of protest at the assault and gives you a dirty look before eating the cheese. It seems like the rat is between attack you and leaving for a few long moments, but then it turns and waddles into it's hole, squeaking angrily the whole time. [[Proceed further into the cave|Happy Rat]]

You cut off another piece of cheese and toss it in the same manner, which causes the rat to waddle over to the cheese and eat it again. It's very near to the hole now, and a well thrown piece could cause it to go inside. [[Throw it lightly|Appeased rat]] [[Throw it hard]]

This time, you cut of a significantly larger piece of the cheese and manage to throw it right into the hole again. The rat waddles over to the hole, but the cheese is snatched up in front of it. It lets out an angry screech and dives into the hole after the cheese thief, leaving you a clear path to walk [[Proceed further into the cave|Happy Rat]]

Once more, you slice off some cheese and gently toss it, making it land just in the entrance of the hole. Before the rat has a chance to grab the cheese, something else reaches out and snatches it up. Again. This doesn't seem to be working... [[Throw more cheese|Throw again again]] [[Throw cheese at the rat]] [[Examine the hole]] [[Attack the rat|Attack it]]

Once more, you slice off some cheese and gently toss it, making it land just in the entrance of the hole. Before the rat has a chance to grab the cheese, something else reaches out and snatches it up. Again. You are starting to run low on cheese. It might be better to change your tactics. [[Throw more cheese|Throw again again again]] [[Throw cheese at the rat]] [[Examine the hole]] [[Attack the rat|Attack it]]

Once more, you slice off some cheese and gently toss it, making it land just in the entrance of the hole. Before the rat has a chance to grab the cheese, something else reaches out and snatches it up. Again. You only have enough cheese for one more try. [[Throw more cheese|Throw again again again again]] [[Throw cheese at the rat]] [[Examine the hole]] [[Attack the rat|Attack it]]

Once more, you slice off some cheese and gently toss it, making it land just in the entrance of the hole. Before the rat has a chance to grab the cheese, something else reaches out and snatches it up. Again. You go to grab another chunk of cheese, only to realize that you've run out completely. You could try throwing some meat or bread, but you think it would be better to save that for yourself. [[Examine the hole|Out of cheese]] [[Attack the rat|Attack it]]

While the rat is turned away, you bend over and look into the hole in the wall. At first, it's too dark to see anything, and the hole looks very shallow. Then, what you thought was the back of the hole moves and several pairs of large, beady eyes stare back at you. It seems that a colony of giant rats has moved in, and a colony of still hungry rats at that. That explains where all of the cheese went. [[Keep looking]] [[Get away from the hole|no cheese]]

With no more cheese left to give, you decide that you must be on your way, whether it stands there or not. [[Attack it]] [[Ignore it]]

As you step into the candlelight, a skeleton suddenly pops out in front of you, arms raised and stepping towards you. It's too close to you for you to draw your weapon. [[Jump back|Jump back HR]] [[Swing at it|Swing at it HR]]

You jump back with a startled shout as the skeleton speaks: "Well hi there, how ya doin'? Been a while since one a ya squishy folks came 'round my place. The name's Boneman Clankums, nice to meet ya! If you got any questions, you just go right on ahead and ask. Just, uh, please put that there shiny one down first please." [[Say that you'd like to ask a few questions|Say that you'd like to ask a few questions HRS]] [[Lower your weapon, say that you ought to be on your way, and hurry past him|Say that you ought to be on your way HRS]] [[Attack the skeleton|Attack the skeleton HR]]

As you start to excuse yourelf, the skeleton speaks up again "I don't mean to be a bother, but do you have anything to drink by chance? It sure has been a while since these ol' bones have had a drop of anything." [[Offer your jug of water|Offer your jug of water HRS]] [[Offer your bottle of wine|Offer your bottle of wine HRS]] [[Apologize, saying that you don't have anything to share|Apologize, saying that you don't have anything to share HRS]]

You jump back with a startled shout as the skeleton speaks: "Well hi there, how ya doin'? Been a while since one a ya squishy folks came 'round my place. The name's Boneman Clankums, nice to meet ya! If you got any questions, you just go right on ahead and ask." [[Say that you'd like to ask a few questions|Say that you'd like to ask a few questions HRS]] [[Lower your weapon, say that you ought to be on your way, and hurry past him|Say that you ought to be on your way HRS]] [[Draw your weapon and attack the skeleton|Draw your weapon and attack the skeleton HR]]

Double-click this passage to edit it.

Something maluable oozes around your hand, slowly traveling up your arm before pulling back in an instant as if nothing were there at all. You can't quite tell if it was your imagination, or if something was there, until you feel something clasped in your hand. It seems that the hole goes deeper, but it's tight even fitting your arm in there, let alone crawling in that direction, so you pull your arm out, revealing something round and hollow in your hands. You will have to wait until it is bright to see what it is. [[Continue through the left tunnel|Unidentified Object HR]]

As you round the corner, it sounds like many little things skitter away from you, as though they were surprised by your intrusion. You are able to make out a light in the distance, which shines just enough to see that the ceiling is raised back up here and that what you just found was a crown of some type. It seems as though whatever was around you is still on the walls, as they are alive with movement and soft tapping noises. [[Stand up|Stand up HR]] [[Continue crawling|Continue crawling Crown HR]]

You stand up after what feels like ages of crawling on hard and uneven ground. Your legs feel somewhat asleep and cramped from the crawling. It might be a good idea to wait for the feeling to pass. [[Sit until the pain subsides|Sit until the pain subsides Crown HR ]] [[Lean on the wall for support]] [[Go back to crawling until you reach the end|Go back to crawling until you reach the end Crown HR]]

The dragon watches you closely as you gently set the crown onto the chest, which is already overflowing with gemstones and jewlery. When you are finish the dragon nods in a show of satisfaction. "What brings you to my home, mortal? Do you know what it is that exists within these stone walls?" [[Ask what they mean by 'exists within' the cave|Exist HR]] [[State that you are here to save your village from the evil that haunts it|Save HR]] [[Say that you did not know this was the home of a dragon, as no one had mentioned that in the past|Home HR]]

"So you are, but are you certain that you are ready for what lies ahead? Others have been, but they fell quickly in the face of their so called destiny. What makes you think that you will succeed where they could not?" [[Your ambition|Amb HR]] [[Your purity of heart|Pure HR]] [[Shrug and say that you can only try your best|Hum HR]]

The dragon seems amused by this. "Your village tells no tales of me, for none have gotten this far and survived the trial. Quite honestly, I'm surprised that little village of yours is still there, with the constant threat of destruction. Most would move elsewhere, but your species is a stubborn one." [[Ask what they mean by 'exists within' the cave|Exist HR]] [[State that you are here to save your village from the evil that haunts it|Save HR]]

You stand up after what feels like ages of crawling on hard and uneven ground. Your legs feel somewhat asleep and cramped from the crawling. It might be a good idea to wait for the feeling to pass. [[Sit until the pain subsides|Sit until the pain subsides no Crown HR ]] [[Lean on the wall for support]] [[Go back to crawling until you reach the end|Go back to crawling until you reach the end no Crown HR]]

The dragon laughs, slow and deep. "Do you think I cannot see you, tiny mortal? Why is it that you come here, to my home? Are you another, searching for answers? Or perhaps you have come to kill me? What will it be? [[Searching for answers|Searching for answers HR]] [[Searching for a new trophy to place upon your wall|Draw your weapon]]

"What questions do you wish to know the answers of? Do you know what it is that exists within these stone walls or why you are here?" [[Ask what they mean by 'exists within' the cave|Exist HR]] [[State that you are here to save your village from the evil that haunts it|Save HR]] [[Say that you did not know this was the home of a dragon, as no one had mentioned that in the past|Home HR]]

The skeleton claps his hands together and asks what he can answer for you. [[Who are you?|Who are you? HRS]] [[Why are you in here?|Why are you in here? HRS]] [[Can you tell me more about this place?|Can you tell me more about this place?HRS]] [[Say that you are done asking questions|Say that you ought to be on your way HRS]]

You pull out your bottle of cherry wine and hand it over to the skeleton, who jumps up and sings with glee at the sight of the dark liquid. He pops it open and takes a drink straight from the bottle, causing the liquid to fall right through him. His bones are stained a light pink where the wine landed, but he doesn't seem to notice or mind. After a few more drinks he sets the bottle down on the table and sits down on the chair next to it. "I tell you what, you just made my whole eternity, adventurer. It sure has been a while since I've had anything this good. It reminds me of the cherry tree I used to sit under with the missus back when we were too young to worry about anything else." He turns back to you after a moment and smiles, you think. "You know, I'm just remembering, I have this real shiny crown from a fella who came through here once a long time ago. Why don't you take that with you. It doesn't do me any good here, and it's the least I can do to thank you." He gets up and walks to a little nook in the wall, where he reaches a bony arm in and pulls out a golden crown. It still shines as though it were just polished, and has several rubies and emeralds embedded into it. [[Thank him and take the crown|Thank him and take the crown HRS]] [[Decline the gift, saying that it is too much to take|Decline no crown HRS]]

Something maluable oozes around your hand, slowly traveling up your arm before pulling back in an instant as if nothing were there at all. You can't quite tell if it was your imagination, or if something was there. It seems that the hole goes deeper, but it's tight even fitting your arm in there, let alone crawling in that direction. [[Continue through the left tunnel|Continue No Crown HRS]]

You stand up after what feels like ages of crawling on hard and uneven ground. Your legs feel somewhat asleep from the crawling. It might be a good idea to wait for the feeling to pass. [[Sit until the pain subsides|Sit until the pain subsides no crown HRS]] [[Lean on the wall for support]] [[Go back to crawling until you reach the end|Go back to crawling until you reach the end no crown HRS]]

Preferring to be safe, rather than risk something happening, you continue your slow pace towards the next room. After several minutes, you find yourself in the entryway to a large room, filled with treasures of various origin. Entire chests and boxes of gold and jewlery cover the floor of the room, so that there is barely a path to walk. The light that comes from this room is that of torchlight reflecting off of the coins and gems, creating an array of yellows, greens, and reds on the walls and ceilings. As you stand and step through the doorway, something shifts within the large mound of treasure on the right side of the room. An eye peers through a break in the gold, almost invisible due to the deep golden color, save for the dark slit that is immediately fixated on you. You have just walked into the treasure room of a dragon, and it knows that you are there. Slowly, the dragon lifts his head, causing gold to rain down and clatter loudly onto the other pieces. It is looking at you, waiting to see what you do next. [[Draw your weapon|Draw your weapon HRS]] [[Quickly retreat back through the path you came from]] [[Stand still|Stand still good]]

Something maluable oozes around your hand, slowly traveling up your arm before pulling back in an instant as if nothing were there at all. You can't quite tell if it was your imagination, or if something was there, until you feel something clasped in your hand. It seems that the hole goes deeper, but it's tight even fitting your arm in there, let alone crawling in that direction, so you pull your arm out, revealing something round and hollow in your hands. You will have to wait until it is bright to see what it is. [[Continue through the left tunnel|Unidentified Object HRS]]

As you round the corner, it sounds like many little things skitter away from you, as though they were surprised by your intrusion. You are able to make out a light in the distance, which shines just enough to see that the ceiling is raised back up here and that what you just found was a crown of some type. It seems as though whatever was around you is still on the walls, as they are alive with movement and soft tapping noises. [[Stand up|Stand up crown HRS]] [[Continue crawling|Continue crawling crown HRS]]

You stand up after what feels like ages of crawling on hard and uneven ground. Your legs feel somewhat asleep from the crawling. It might be a good idea to wait for the feeling to pass. [[Sit until the pain subsides|Sit until the pain subsides crown HRS]] [[Lean on the wall for support]] [[Go back to crawling until you reach the end|Go back to crawling until you reach the end crown HRS]]

Preferring to be safe, rather than risk something happening, you continue your slow pace towards the next room. After several minutes, you find yourself in the entryway to a large room, filled with treasures of various origin. Entire chests and boxes of gold and jewlery cover the floor of the room, so that there is barely a path to walk. The light that comes from this room is that of torchlight reflecting off of the coins and gems, creating an array of yellows, greens, and reds on the walls and ceilings. As you stand and step through the doorway, something shifts within the large mound of treasure on the right side of the room. An eye peers through a break in the gold, almost invisible due to the deep golden color, save for the dark slit that is immediately fixated on you. You have just walked into the treasure room of a dragon, and it knows that you are there. Slowly, the dragon lifts his head, causing gold to rain down and clatter loudly onto the other pieces. It is looking at you, waiting to see what you do next. [[Draw your weapon|Draw your weapon HRS]] [[Quickly retreat back through the path you came from]] [[Pull out the crown and present it to the dragon|Pull out the crown and present it to the dragon good]]

After a handful of minutes, the pain begins to subside, and you are able to get up and continue walking. The last section of the tunnel goes by much faster now and within a minute you find yourself in the entryway to a large room, filled with treasures of various origin. Entire chests and boxes of gold and jewlery cover the floor of the room, so that there is barely a path to walk. The light that comes from this room is that of torchlight reflecting off of the coins and gems, creating an array of yellows, greens, and reds on the walls and ceilings. As you step through the doorway, something shifts within the large mound of treasure on the right side of the room. An eye peers through a break in the gold, almost invisible due to the deep golden color, save for the dark slit that is immediately fixated on you. You have just walked into the treasure room of a dragon, and it knows that you are there. Slowly, the dragon lifts his head, causing gold to rain down and clatter loudly onto the other pieces. It is looking at you, waiting to see what you do next. [[Draw your weapon|Draw your weapon HRS]] [[Quickly retreat back through the path you came from]] [[Stand still|Stand still good]]

Preferring to be safe, rather than risk something happening, you continue your slow pace towards the next room. After several minutes, you find yourself in the entryway to a large room, filled with treasures of various origin. Entire chests and boxes of gold and jewlery cover the floor of the room, so that there is barely a path to walk. The light that comes from this room is that of torchlight reflecting off of the coins and gems, creating an array of yellows, greens, and reds on the walls and ceilings. As you stand and step through the doorway, something shifts within the large mound of treasure on the right side of the room. An eye peers through a break in the gold, almost invisible due to the deep golden color, save for the dark slit that is immediately fixated on you. You have just walked into the treasure room of a dragon, and it knows that you are there. Slowly, the dragon lifts his head, causing gold to rain down and clatter loudly onto the other pieces. It is looking at you, waiting to see what you do next. [[Draw your weapon|Draw your weapon HRS]] [[Quickly retreat back through the path you came from]] [[Stand still|Stand still good]]

After a handful of minutes, the pain begins to subside, and you are able to get up and continue walking. The last section of the tunnel goes by much faster now and within a minute you find yourself in the entryway to a large room, filled with treasures of various origin. Entire chests and boxes of gold and jewlery cover the floor of the room, so that there is barely a path to walk. The light that comes from this room is that of torchlight reflecting off of the coins and gems, creating an array of yellows, greens, and reds on the walls and ceilings. As you step through the doorway, something shifts within the large mound of treasure on the right side of the room. An eye peers through a break in the gold, almost invisible due to the deep golden color, save for the dark slit that is immediately fixated on you. You have just walked into the treasure room of a dragon, and it knows that you are there. Slowly, the dragon lifts his head, causing gold to rain down and clatter loudly onto the other pieces. It is looking at you, waiting to see what you do next. [[Draw your weapon|Draw your weapon HRS]] [[Quickly retreat back through the path you came from]] [[Pull out the crown and present it to the dragon|Pull out the crown and present it to the dragon good]]

Preferring to be safe, rather than risk something happening, you continue your slow pace towards the next room. After several minutes, you find yourself in the entryway to a large room, filled with treasures of various origin. Entire chests and boxes of gold and jewlery cover the floor of the room, so that there is barely a path to walk. The light that comes from this room is that of torchlight reflecting off of the coins and gems, creating an array of yellows, greens, and reds on the walls and ceilings. As you stand and step through the doorway, something shifts within the large mound of treasure on the right side of the room. An eye peers through a break in the gold, almost invisible due to the deep golden color, save for the dark slit that is immediately fixated on you. You have just walked into the treasure room of a dragon, and it knows that you are there. Slowly, the dragon lifts his head, causing gold to rain down and clatter loudly onto the other pieces. It is looking at you, waiting to see what you do next. [[Draw your weapon|Draw your weapon HRS]] [[Quickly retreat back through the path you came from]] [[Pull out the crown and present it to the dragon|Pull out the crown and present it to the dragon good]]

The dragon laughs, slow and deep. "Do you think I cannot see you, tiny mortal? Why is it that you come here, to my home? Are you another, searching for answers? Or perhaps you have come to kill me? What will it be? [[Searching for answers|Searching for answers HRS]] [[Searching for a new trophy to place upon your wall|Draw your weapon HRS]]

"What questions do you wish to know the answers of? Do you know what it is that exists within these stone walls or why you are here?" [[Ask what they mean by 'exists within' the cave|Exist HRS]] [[State that you are here to save your village from the evil that haunts it|Save HRS]] [[Say that you did not know this was the home of a dragon, as no one had mentioned that in the past|Home HRS]]

"So you are, but are you certain that you are ready for what lies ahead? Others have been, but they fell quickly in the face of their so called destiny. What makes you think that you will succeed where they could not?" [[Your ambition|Amb HRS]] [[Your purity of heart|Pure HRS]] [[Shrug and say that you can only try your best|Hum HRS]]

The dragon seems amused by this. "Your village tells no tales of me, for none have gotten this far and survived the trial. Quite honestly, I'm surprised that little village of yours is still there, with the constant threat of destruction. Most would move elsewhere, but your species is a stubborn one." [[Ask what they mean by 'exists within' the cave|Exist HRS]] [[State that you are here to save your village from the evil that haunts it|Save HRS]]

Light fills the tunnel as the voice speaks once more, a new enthusiasm in the voice "You are the one who I have been searching for, the one who is pure in good through and through. You, adventurer, are worthy of this amulet. Come, take it, and let us break this curse upon your lands. You have proven to me that there is still good in humanity, so I shall hold my end of my promise. Never again will your village know hunger or fear, for I shall guard you and keep you safe. Let us finish what was started so long ago." [[Take the amulet|Happy ending]] [[Ask what will happen to the others in the cave]]

The dragon watches you closely as you gently set the crown onto the chest, which is already overflowing with gemstones and jewlery. When you are finish the dragon nods in a show of satisfaction. "What brings you to my home, mortal? Do you know what it is that exists within these stone walls?" [[Ask what they mean by 'exists within' the cave|Exist HRS]] [[State that you are here to save your village from the evil that haunts it|Save HRS]] [[Say that you did not know this was the home of a dragon, as no one had mentioned that in the past|Home HRS]]

You take the amulet, feeling it flutter with life and energy through your gloves. The cave around you suddenly dissolves and you feel the afternoon sun shining down on you. Stepping off of the stone floor and onto the grass, you watch as the temple under the cave is lifted back to the surface. The rumbling of such an enormous feat can be felt all the way to the village, as minutes later many of the villagers come running to you, asking what happened. You explain that the curse was broken, and that life will be restored to what it once was, along with the protection of the one who resides within the burried temple. The townspeople cheer with glee and lift you up, carrying you in all of your armor back to the town to feast and celebrate the return of peace to their lands. End

"Do not fear the fate of your newfound allies, for I will ensure they are taken care of as well. I will clean the rats of their sickness and lead them to the woods where they can live among their own kind with ample food. The skeleton will be welcome to reside within my temple, should he desire it, or he will be allowed to pass through the veil into final rest. As for the dragon, there is a mountain not far from here who could use a host, or they could stay and guard their treasure within the temple." [[Take the amulet|Happy ending]]

You jump back with a startled shout as the skeleton speaks: "Well hi there, how ya doin'? Been a while since one a ya squishy folks came 'round my place. The name's Boneman Clankums, nice to meet ya! If you got any questions, you just go right on ahead and ask. Just, uh, please put that there shiny one down first please." [[Say that you'd like to ask a few questions|Say that you'd like to ask a few questions no wine]] [[Lower your weapon, say that you ought to be on your way, and hurry past him|Say that you ought to be on your way no wine]] [[Attack the skeleton]]

The skeleton claps his hands together and asks what he can answer for you. [[Who are you?|Who no wine]] [[Why are you in here?|Why no wine]] [[Can you tell me more about this place?|Info no wine]] [[Say that you are done asking questions|Say that you ought to be on your way no wine]]

You jump back with a startled shout as the skeleton speaks: "Well hi there, how ya doin'? Been a while since one a ya squishy folks came 'round my place. The name's Boneman Clankums, nice to meet ya! If you got any questions, you just go right on ahead and ask." [[Say that you'd like to ask a few questions|Say that you'd like to ask a few questions no wine]] [[Say that you ought to be on your way|Say that you ought to be on your way no wine]] [[Draw your weapon and attack the skeleton]]

"That's much better, now isn't it? Let me introduce myself, the name's Boneman Clankums, nice to meet ya! If you got any questions, you just go right on ahead and ask." [[Say that you'd like to ask a few questions|Say that you'd like to ask a few questions no wine]] [[Say that you ought to be on your way|Say that you ought to be on your way no wine]] [[Draw your weapon and attack the skeleton]]

<center> <h1>To Save a Village </h1> [[Start|Beginning]] </center>

All at once your memories come back to you: <i>You see yourself returning to the town in daylight, you see the amulet in your hand, the one that you took from the cave. The light from within it turns black as you look down at it. You feel hatred within yourself like you had not known before, and put the amulet around your neck. It feels good. You feel powerful. As you reach the town, you see the mocking smiles of the people you grew up with. They ask if you completed the trials, as though they don't know you failed. After the danger you went through to save them, they dare laugh at you for falling short. You are sickened by them. You take out your weapon and run in through the nearest one, silencing them. Then you hear the screaming. They want to treat you like the enemy after all you've done for them and after all they forced you to do. One by one you find and slaughter every person in the village, leaving no man, woman, or child left to tell the tale, then you move onto the livestock. </i> The memories end. No one witness is left. No one is left to mock you. You should feel horrified by what you have done, but instead you are satisfied. You feel a new calling - to cleanse the world of this filth, these people who think of nothing but what they want, forcing others to do their bidding. There are more nearby, farmers who live outside of your village. They will see what was done here and think you to be evil, so you will end them first. You will do what must be done. The only way to stop the plague is to end those who can spread it. End