Project Dreamscape

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Project Dreamscape By: Caelin Watson Please enter your <<textbox "$name" "name.">> //(Keep in mind you might need to scroll down to see everything on a page!)// //(Please only use the options presented to prevent any unnessesary issues!)// ''[[START]]'' <<set $level to 1>> <<set $weapon to "hunting knife">>  <<set $maxHealth to 6>> <<set $health to $maxHealth>> <<set $str to 3>> <<set $def to 2>> <<set $hit to 7>>  <<set $run to 1>> <<set $expLevel to 100>> <<set $exp to 0>> <<set $progress to 1>>

<img src="dream1.png"> You open your eyes to a tortured landscape around you with towns burning. You can hear distant yelling as explosions go off in the distance. The sky is filled with smoke and smog and red with the fire below reaching up into it. The smoke surrounding you is filling your lungs as you find it harder and harder to breathe. [[Run toward the destruction.|Panic.]] [[Run away from the destruction.|Panic.]] [[Stand shocked at your surroundings.|Panic.]]

<<if $level is 1>> You look around the desert outside the settlement for something to hunt... Out of the corner of your eye you spot a small desert mouse! <<set $enemy to "desert mouse">>\ <<endif>> \ <<if $level is 2>> As you pace yourself toward the eye-sore that is the city surrounded by desert sand, you are ambushed by a vulture crow! <<set $enemy to "vulture crow">>\ <<endif>> \ <<if $level is 3>> You quickly move on the path away from the main city streets. Suddenly you get caught by a security drone! <<set $enemy to "security drone">>\ <<endif>> \ <<if $level is 4>> As you are making your way toward the throne you, you come across a battle-ready palace guard! <<set $enemy to "palace guard">>\ <<endif>> \ You encounter a $enemy! //COMBAT STARTS// [[Prepare to fight!]]

You decide to collect yourself and begrudgingly get up from your bed. You put on your all-terrain suit your dad gifted you long ago to help you survive. You also strap on your trusty hunting knife and put your supply pack on. You can hear your mom calling for you from the kitchen. [[Go to kitchen]]

''Current Stats'' Name: $name Level: $level Health: $health / $maxHealth Weapon: $weapon \ Health: $health Strength: $str Defense: $def Hit: $hit \ Experience: $exp / $expLevel <<back>>

[[Ready yourself.]] \ \ <<if $enemy is "desert mouse">> <<set $enemyMaxHealth to random(3, 4)>>\ <<set $enemyHealth to $enemyMaxHealth>>\ <<set $enemyStr to 3>>\ <<set $enemyDef to 1>>\ <<set $enemyHit to 3>>\ <<set $enemyExp to 40>>\ <<endif>> \ <<if $enemy is "vulture crow">> <<set $enemyMaxHealth to random(7, 9)>>\ <<set $enemyHealth to $enemyMaxHealth>>\ <<set $enemyStr to 5>>\ <<set $enemyDef to 2>>\ <<set $enemyHit to 5>>\ <<set $enemyExp to 60>>\ <<endif>> \ <<if $enemy is "guardian entity">> <<set $enemyMaxHealth to 20>>\ <<set $enemyHealth to $enemyMaxHealth>>\ <<set $enemyStr to 7>>\ <<set $enemyDef to 3>>\ <<set $enemyHit to 6>>\ <<set $enemyExp to 200>>\ <<endif>> \ <<if $enemy is "security drone">> <<set $enemyMaxHealth to random(13, 17)>>\ <<set $enemyHealth to $enemyMaxHealth>>\ <<set $enemyStr to 6>>\ <<set $enemyDef to 4>>\ <<set $enemyHit to 6>>\ <<set $enemyExp to 90>>\ <<endif>> \ <<if $enemy is "palace guard">> <<set $enemyMaxHealth to random(16, 20)>>\ <<set $enemyHealth to $enemyMaxHealth>>\ <<set $enemyStr to 7>>\ <<set $enemyDef to 4>>\ <<set $enemyHit to 6>>\ <<set $enemyExp to 130>>\ <<endif>> \ <<if $enemy is "the ambition of the lord">> <<set $enemyMaxHealth to 30>>\ <<set $enemyHealth to $enemyMaxHealth>>\ <<set $enemyStr to 10>>\ <<set $enemyDef to 5>>\ <<set $enemyHit to 7>>\ <<set $enemyExp to 300>>\ <<endif>> \ \ \ <<set $enemyDamage to $enemyStr -= $def>>\ \ <<if $enemyDamage <= 0>> <<set $enemyDamage to 0>>\ <<endif>> \ \ \ <<if $weapon is "hunting knife">> <<set $damage to $str += 1>>\ <<endif>> \ <<if $weapon is "ebony blade">> <<set $damage to $str += 2>>\ <<endif>>

<<if $enemy is "desert mouse">> <img src="mouse1.png"> <<endif>> <<if $enemy is "vulture crow">> <img src="vulture1.png"> <<endif>> <<if $enemy is "guardian entity">> <img src="guardian1.png"> <<endif>> \ <<if $enemyHealth gt 0>> You stand before $enemy! \ $enemy: $enemyHealth / $enemyMaxHealth \ $name: $health / $maxHealth [[Attack!]] <<else>> <<set $enemyHealth to 0>> $enemy became tame! You gained $enemyExp experience points! \ [[Step back.]] <<set $exp += $enemyExp>> <<endif>> \ <<if $exp >= 100 and $level isnot 2 and $level isnot 3 and $level isnot 4 and $level isnot 5>> <<set $level to 2>> <<set $maxHealth to 10>> <<set $health to $maxHealth>> <<set $str to 4>> <<set $def to 3>> <<set $expLevel to 300>> You became level $level! <<endif>> \ <<if $exp >= 300 and $level isnot 1 and $level isnot 3 and $level isnot 4 and $level isnot 5>> <<set $level to 3>> <<set $maxHealth to 15>> <<set $health to $maxHealth>> <<set $str to 5>> <<set $def to 4>> <<set $expLevel to 600>> You became level $level! <<endif>> \ <<if $exp >= 700 and $level isnot 1 and $level isnot 2 and $level isnot 4 and $level isnot 5>> <<set $level to 4>> <<set $maxHealth to 21>> <<set $health to $maxHealth>> <<set $str to 6>> <<set $def to 5>> <<set $expLevel to 1100>> You became level $level! <<endif>> \ <<if $exp >= 1000 and $level isnot 1 and $level isnot 2 and $level isnot 3 and $level isnot 5>> <<set $level to 5>>\ <<set $maxHealth to 28>>\ <<set $health to $maxHealth>>\ <<set $str to 7>>\ <<set $def to 6>>\ <<set $expLevel to 1700>>\ You became level $level! <<endif>>

<<if $level is 1 and $progress is 1>> You gather your hunt and continue onward. <<set $str to 3>>\ [[Continue onward.|Head outside.]] <<endif>> \ <<if $level is 2 and $progress is 1>> You gather the last of the rations you need and turn back toward your house. <<set $str to 4>>\ [[Continue onward.|Head outside.]] <<endif>> \ <<if $level is 2 and $progress is 2>> You step back from the scavenger vulture crow and continue on your way. <<set $str to 4>>\ [[Continue onward.|Head toward the city.]] <<endif>> \ <<if $level is 3 and $progress is 2>> The magnificently massive eye-sore that is the Capitol is now in full view. You have arrived at your destination. <<set $str to 5>>\ [[Continue onward.|Head toward the city.]] <<endif>> \ <<if $enemy is "guardian entity" and $progress is 3>> You barely manage to break the guardian entity's balance, causing them to fall to their knees, causing them to concede. <<set $str to 5>>\ [[Talk to the guardian entity.]] <<endif>> \ <<if $level is 3 and $progress is 4>> You destroy the city drone and remove yourself from the scene before any guards show up to investigate. <<set $str to 5>>\ [[Keep moving toward the palace.|Move toward the palace.]] <<endif>> \ <<if $level is 4 and $progress is 4>> You somehow managed to move through the Capitol's central sector and made it to the palace sector. <<set $str to 6>>\ [[Walk up to the palace.|Move toward the palace.]] <<endif>> \ <<if $level is 4 and $progress is 5>> You defeat the palace guard and keep moving toward the throne room. <<set $str to 6>>\ [[Keep moving toward the throne room.|Navigate the palace.]] <<endif>> \ <<if $level is 5 and $progress is 5>> Finally, after navigating this impossibly large structure, you find the throne room. <<set $str to 7>>\ [[Step toward the throne room doors.|Navigate the palace.]] <<endif>> \ <<if $enemy is "the ambition of the lord" and $progress is 6>> You have done it. You finally defeated the Capitol's leader... <<set $str to 7>>\ [[Collapse to your knees.]] <<endif>>

The $enemy wildly attacks you! <<if $enemyHit >= random(1, 10)>> The $enemy strikes you directly! <<set $health -= $enemyDamage>>\ <<else>> The $enemy misses you... <<endif>> <<if $enemyDamage <= 0>> Their attack is ineffective... <<endif>> You use your $weapon to strike the $enemy! <<if $hit >= random(1, 10)>> Your attack strikes the foe! <<set $enemyHealth -= $damage>>\ <<else>> Your attack misses... <<endif>> <<if $health <= 0>> You have been defeated by $enemy, life is over... [[GAME OVER|CodeReference]] <<else>> [[Resume the fight!|Ready yourself.]] <<endif>>

<img src="room1.png"> <<if $level is 1>> You decide that falling back to your home and collecting yourself is the best course of action for now. You head back in from the desert plains to your humble abode. You notice your mom is gone at work already. It doesn't look like you have enough rations to call it a day quite yet. You decide to rest a short while while you're here. <<set $health to $maxHealth>>\ //[You heal your life.}// [[Head outside.]] <<else>> As you go into your home you set your hunted rations on the table for when your mom gets back from her job and decide to head back to your room to give yourself a rest after a job well done. <<set $health to $maxHealth>> //[You heal your life.]// <<set $progress to 2>>\ [[Drift asleep.]] <<endif>>

<img src="dream1.png"> You find that no matter what you do you are unable to move, save for the impulse to cough as the black air moves into your body. The smokey air fills your lungs, causing you to collapse to the ground while fruitlessly coughing. Your vision goes hazy and slowly, inevitably everything disappears around you. [[This is the end for you.]]

<img src="room1.png"> You lay quietly in your bed as you contemplate your nightmares and slowly muster the motivation to get up. While laying on your bed you feel the ever-present warmth from outside. This warmth has never helped improve your lack of motivation but is hardly the cause of it, and even if the planet you live on didn't have this kind of hellish weather you still feel like you'd have a hard time getting out of bed in the morning. Your thought process breaks as your stomach kindly reminds you that food is necessary for survival. [[Get out of bed.]]

<img src="room1.png"> Your eyes suddenly jolt open, you find yourself momentarily lost and confused about where you are before you quickly look around and see your surroundings, realizing the horrific scene you were in was simply a wierdly vivid dream. The wind howls outside your window as the fabric covering your window flutters, sunlight streaming through. You have been enduring these kinds of nightmares for as long as you can remember and have yet to find an effective way to quell them. [[Lay in bed.]]

<img src="desert1.png"> <<if $level is 1>> The sun pelts your body with rays of hot death outside. You can't believe people manage to survive in this weather, but you have a job to do and complaining won't get you anywhere. [[Time to hunt.|Look for a fight!]] [[Go home.]] <<else>> After a long day of hunting you think what you have to be enough for now. You deserve a break. [[Go home.]] <<set $progress to 2>> <<endif>> [[Check stats.]]

You exit your bedroom through the dusty doorway and start heading toward the kitchen. Your house may be as small as it's ever been, but you're just glad you have a room to yourself. As you enter the kitchen your mom greets you in a bittersweet fashion. "Good morning, sleeping beauty. I'm glad you're finally awake, I just finished making the last of our breakfast. You really shouldn't slack on hunting for food, you know. It's bad enough we have to live in this heat and barely manage to keep this place livable, the least you can do is keep our food supplies stocked." You roll your eyes and sit down to eat, your stomach is thankful. [[Eat breakfast.]]

<img src="house1.png"> You take a bite of the meager ration you can barely call a meal. Though it is better than nothing and you extend your thanks to your mom for cooking it up. The two of you have been struggling like this for as long as you can remember and somehow have managed to make a meager living out here in the desert despite your less than ideal living conditions. You can't help but feel envy for those that live in the city, spoiled that they are. Your mom has been doing odd jobs around the encampment for years now to do her part helping the outskirts community get by. She mostly works as a teacher to the kids in the area. The kids usually end up either being orphans or have parents too busy working as soldiers that keep them from being able to teach the kids themselves. Maybe someday you two can end up living the good life in the city eventually if you're able to get the right paperwork or prove yourself somehow. [[Finish breakfast.]]

You set your fork down and get up from your seat as you assure your mom you'll get some more rations for you two before the day is out. She smiles, "Well I'm glad you've managed to get some sense of responsibility, I wonder how long that will last..." She laughs to herself, "I hope you haven't forgotten how to use your all-terrain suit to check your vitals or how to hunt for rations..." She quits teasing as she picks up the dishes and begins cleaning them. "See you later then, honey." No doubt she is going to head off to work soon, you should too. [[Head outside.]] [[Check stats.]]

Dazed and confused, you wake up to loud explosions and the smell of smoke outside. For some reason this seems familiar to you. [[Go to the front door.]]

You quickly shuffle toward the front door, drowsy from being suddenly woken up. You start to open the door when suddenly a blast sends you flying backward and you collpase to the ground. You slam against the wall behind you as smoke pours into your house from the door and windows. [[Get up off of the floor.]]

Your eyes get heavy as you find yourself slowly drifting back to sleep. In the darkness you start to hear a soft yet firm voice speak out to you. "I have been watching you for quite a while now, $name. Needless to say I have found you lacking. I sense enormous potential in you. There is no more time we can afford to waste. Reality will crash down on you sooner than you think. You must prove yourself." They sound oddly desperate for some reason. In all of the dreams you've had, you've never heard this entity before. "Come! Wake up and prove yourself to me!" [[Wake up.|Quit resting.]]

You pick yourself up off of the ground and collect yourself. The all-terrain suit you're wearing luckily absorbed most of the force and still seems to be in working order, despite this you still find your hands shaking. You hear yelling outside, some gunfire going off, and shadows moving in the distance. Bracing yourself for the worst you ready yourself and head outside into the chaos. [[Head into the chaos.]] [[Check stats.]]

<img src="dream1.png"> You move out of what's left of the front door and suddenly the noises around you get louder as you see your humble community brought down to ashes all around you. The only people who could do this kind of damage are soliders from the city. There surely isn't any reason they would needlessly wreck this kind of havoc... The desert air is thick with sand and smoke as a squad of machines and soliders move around you through the thick of it. There doesn't seem to be anything left but death surrounding you. You fall to your knees. [[Force yourself to move.]]

<img src="dream1.png"> You know you can't stay here. The people who are doing this would undeniably notice you if you stuck around long enough. Your only choices you have are to get caught by the soldiers, die in the deep desert, or head toward the city. Ironically, the city is the best option you have for survival, hopefully you can find out why they would destroy everything in the process. You look around and gauge your surroundings as you sneak out of the chaos and head north toward the city. [[Head north.]]

The sky is black with smoke, even with you now miles north from the remains of your community. Luckily you seem to be out of the thick of the danger of getting caught by the city for now, but the dangers of the desert still await. [[Head toward the city.]] [[Check stats.]]

<<if $level is 2 and $progress is 2>> <img src="desert1.png"> You head toward the city. It'll be a long journey but nothing insurmountable. This isn't the first time you've gone toward the city, but you still ready yourself in case trouble rears its ugly head. [[Make progress toward the city.|Look for a fight!]] [[Rest a while.]] <<endif>> <<if $level is 3 and $progress is 2>> You finally made your way to the city border crossing. Guards line the gates of the threshold. The top of the walls all lined with enough barbed wire to slice up anyone that might try to climb over. You think about what to do next." [[Hide behind a rock and think.]] <<set $progress to 3>>\ <<endif>> [[Check stats.]]

The trek to the city is as tiring as it always has been. You decide to take a moment to rest your legs in the desert sun as you think about recent events. You feel a confusion as to why the Capitol would do such a thing, vengeance growing inside you grows as you desperately seek answers. Time escapes you a bit, you have to keep moving. <<set $health to $maxHealth>> //[You heal your life.]// [[Keep moving.|Head toward the city.]]

<img src="threshold1.png"> The land closer to the city's border crossing is much more firm and steady, like solid bedrock, counter to the loose sand of the desert behind you. You imagine that the garish megalopolis probably wouldn't be able to keep itself stood up if it didn't settle itself on this bedrock. The sun is slowly setting, darkness will soon envelope the area. Normally this would be a terrifying position to be in but just might prove advantageous for you. [[Observe your surroundings.]] [[Check stats.]]

You see a small group of refugees and traders from various other encampments moving toward the main gate of the threshold. The trader guilds are known for moving in and out of the city to do business with any of the countless denizens of the megalopolis under a strict and watchful eye by the city guard. In fact you have also gone to the city before on previous business, though this was many years ago. You see a couple of potential opportunities to get through the border threshold. [[Sneak in with the trader guilds.]] [[Try to exploit a fault in the wall of the threshold.]]

Given how overtly defended the entry into the city is, you determine the option that guarantees survival would be to try to blend in with the people who are already moving into the city. Though you dont have the right passports or paperwork you would normally need to get in, you think you'll figure something out. [[Pull out cloak from supply pack.]]

You observe the guards patrolling the wall and make a break for it when their backs are turned. Doing your best to shift among the shadows, avoiding spotlights and guard drones, you find yourself against the wall of the threshold away from the main gates. This is an exremely vulnerable position to be in, whatever you are going to do you might want to do it quickly before a guard or drone notices you. [[Use your all-terrain suit to climb up the wall.]]

You somehow manage to stick to the wall with your suit's hand augmentations, slowly shifting your way upward. The thought crosses your mind of how grateful you are that your suit allows for such maneuvers. Typically this function is built for steep rocky inclines or other obstacles such as that. A 90 degree wall also works, apparently. [[Use your hunting knife to cut through the barbed wire.]]

You pull out your razor sharp hunting knife and slowly make progress cutting through the thick barbed wire. This may not be the purpose this trusty knife was built for but almost surprisingly you are able to slowly cut your way through. Hopefully you can get through enough of it fast enough. [[Cut through faster...]]

You look around as you slowly cut through all the wires. The guard posts handling the spotlights along the wall are all aimed out of sight of you, but you see some figures moving back in your direction. Just as the patrol you snuck past is about to turn their lights around toward you to continue their patrol in your direction, you shuffle up and over the wall. [[Fall onto the other side.]]

Gravity yanks you down after you cut the last of the barbed wire you needed to sneak in. You strike the ground, thankfully your suit absorbed the force of the fall. You quickly get up and start moving toward the edge of the city center out of sight of the border guards. You have officially entered the megalopolis that is the Capitol. [[Remember your objective.]]

You pull the cloak from your supply pack over your body. This kind of cloak is commonly used by people to be able to pass through the desert in the daytime without gettin heatstroke due to its ability to shade the body. Luckily with your all-terrain suit you normally don't need this kind of thing as the suit itself is build to keep your body temperature normalized no matter what kind of weather you're in. Despite this, it should help you blend in more with the other people moving into the city as most people don't have access to the kind of technology you're wearing. [[Follow behind the closest group of trader guild members.]]

You make your way from the shadows and into the nearest group you find that are making their way in without them noticing. You keep pace with this group of trader guild members as they come up to the guards blocking the threshold into the city. [[Remain quiet.]]

The leader of the group hands one of the guards their paperwork that allow them entry into the city to do their business. You remain hidden between a couple traders who luckily haven't noticed you don't belong with them. There are a couple guards who walk up and down the length of the trader caravan as the guard with the paperwork talks with the trader's leader. [[Hold your breath.]]

You do everything you can to remain as inconspicuous as possible. Despite there not being any reason to think you look suspicious, you can't but feel a wave of anxiety being surrounded by the enemy. The guards start the move away as the caravan is waved inside. You keep pace with the traders as the you pass through the gate and make your way to the other side. The traders start moving in one direction as you start to move away from the group toward the edge of the city center when you get out of sight of the border guards. You have officially entered the megalopolis that is the Capitol. [[Remember your objective.]]

You completed your first goal of making it to the city, however you're not completely sure what to do next. All you know is your settlement was completely obliterated by soldiers from the city and you need to find out why. Though because you lack the proper citizen, trader guild, or visitor paperwork, it might be harder than you think to accomplish this. [[Wait, what's that sound?]]

"Well, look who managed to make it into the great Capitol unharmed... You surprised me when you took this inititive, and now you somehow broke into what most deem the most impregnable fortress of a city this planet has." A familiar voice greets you from the shadow of a nearby tall staircase. The entity from your dream stands before you, tall and confident. They can clearly see that you recognize them. "No point in small talk. Come, there is something I wish to discuss with you, $name." [[No choice but to follow.]]

<img src="alcove1.png"> The two of you move to a hidden alcove in a wall away from prying eyes. "I understand it's your goal to find out why the city moved against your settlement so aggresively. I know why. However all I'm willing to impart upon you is a mere push in the right direction to find out the full truth. I will not give this away for free, however." The entity pulls a massive sword out of thin air as they enter a battle-ready stance. "I am the Guardian Entity. Now prove yourself to me!" [[Prove yourself!|Prepare to fight!]] [[Check stats.]] <<set $enemy to "guardian entity">>

<img src="guardian2.png"> "..." There is a brief silence as you catch your breath. "You're pretty good. Better than I anticipated. Very well, I shall tell you the reason that the Capitol moved against the place you called home." [[Listen.]] [[Check stats.]]

The guardian entity stands back up, towering over you as they were before. "As I mentioned before, I shall only give you enough to point you in the right direction. This is your journey to make, not for me to spell out to you. The Lord of the Capitol is simply seeking to eradicate all opposition to their power. Your home happened to one of their targets. If you seek justice for the wrongs against you, you must seek and destroy them." The guardian entity dispels their blade and turns away from you. "Move past the city center toward the palace to seek your goal. Your retribution is within your grasp should you only make the move to take it. Now go, I expect great things of you." The guardian entity disappears in a flash. On the ground you see a shimmer on the ground where they disappeared. [[Pick up the item.]]

You take a closer look and find that the thing on the ground is some kind of long, black blade. Perhaps this is a parting gift for proving yourself to the guardian entity. //[You equip the ebony blade]// <<set $weapon to "ebony blade">>\ <<set $progress to 4>>\ [[Continue on your way.]]

You leave the alcove after gathering yourself and head up the stairs toward the city center doing what you can to avoid the Capitol's guards. [[Move toward the city center.]]

You manage to make it to the city center without any real issue. You guess it's because of lighter security in the city proper. You can't help but laugh to yourself a little at their smug confidence in their border security when you managed to sneak through. You look around for the Capitol palace, which might have been harder if it wasn't for the fact that that even though all the buildings in the Capitol are massive skyscrapers, the palace itself is the biggest of them all, decorated and standing out amongst the crowd. You expect the security to become tighter the closer to the palace you go. [[Move toward the palace.]]

<<if $level is 3 and $progress is 4>> You head ever onwards toward the palace sector of the Capitol, where your answers and retribution await. Skyscrapers surround you like a massive metal, plastic, and ceramic forest. [[Move closer to the palace.|Look for a fight!]] [[Move to an alleyway to rest up.]] [[Check stats.]] <<endif>> <<if $level is 4 and $progress is 4>> You hide behind a building as you notice palace guards surrounding the area, with numerous security drones littering the sky around the whole sector. Your suspicions were definitely right about security being much tighter in this area of the Capitol. After thinking about what to do next for a brief moment, you see a sewer grate not too far away from you and think you can sneak in if you're quick enough. [[Open sewer grate and enter.]] <<set $progress to 5>>\ [[Check stats.]] <<endif>>

You hide in a nearby alleyway briefly to get your energy back before heading back out. You notice that the alleyways in the Capitol are strangely clean and well-kept, like the rest of the city. This makes you feel like you aren't safe here for too long as they likely patrol this area regularly. Time escapes you a bit as you rest, you have to keep moving. <<set $health to $maxHealth>> //[You heal your life.]// [[Move toward the palace.]]

You swiftly rush over to the nearby sewer grate and rip the lid off using your all-terrain suit's strength augmentation. After taking the lid off, you climb down the ladder, but replace the sewer grate overhead before continuing farther. [[Climb down ladder.]]

You finish climbing down into the Capitol sewer system. This notoriously labyrinthian infrastrature of the city has prevented plenty of break-ins to the palace due to how impossible to navigate it is. The only reason people even attempt to break-in to the palace at all is due to the wide-spread rumor of some way into the palace being present in this system of tunnels. You vaguely remember hearing about some rebel groups trying to exploit this supposed security weakness in the past. [[Start moving in the direction of the palace.]]

You follow the path along the edge of the sewer walls in the direction the palace was in but not too long after making your way, you find yourself at a split in the road. This was inevitable given this place's reputation. [[Move left.|Move through the sewer.]] [[Move right.|Move through the sewer.]]

You move forward after making your decision and keep to the edge of the sewer wall. The last thing you want is to fall into the busy liquid running down the middle of each sewer tunnel. After a while of moving through the sewer system you come across another split in the tunnels. [[Move left.|Keep moving through the sewer.]] [[Move right.|Keep moving through the sewer.]]

It feels like an eternity has passed as you keep moving ever onward through this endless series of tunnels. How does the Capitol manage to keep this infrastructure in check? You feel this system is impossible to manage by any normal person. Despite this confounding architecture you keep moving forward. Onward... Onward... [[Onward...]]

After what feels like an eternity, you collapse against the sewer walls and hold your ebony blade between your legs. Strangely, you hear some whispering from the blade. You press the hilt of the blade against your forehead as you try to listen to what the whispers are saying. [[Listen to the whispers.]]

You get a strange feeling in your head, you think you hear the guardian entity's voice speak to you. You can barely make out the words, "$name... Know the way..." [[Know the way.]]

Your eyes jolt open as you feel a burning sensation in a round shape on your forehead. When you get up from the ground you find yourself somehow embedded with the knowledge of how to navigate the Capitol's impossible space. With haste you rush in the correct direction of the secret entrance to the palace. [[Find the secret entrance.]]

You blaze through the sewer with newfound gusto, somehow empowered by the ebony blade. It doesn't take too long for the secret entrance to be nearby after some time rushing through the area. You step toward the spot you know the secret entrance is supposed to be, but all you see in front of you is the same sewer wall you've been looking at for who knows how long now. [[Tap the blade to the wall.]]

With your newfound clairvoyance telling you how to open the secret entrance to the palace, you take the ebony blade and tap it against the sewer wall. This seems to dispel some kind of illusion as after you move the blade back toward your body the wall in front of you flashes in a white light and a doorway suddenly shows itself. The doorway hosts a heavy, metal door that seems to need a good push to open. [[Give it a good push.]]

You shove the door open with all your might, utilizing your all-terrain suit's strength augmentations to their limit, before the secret metal door give in and slowly inches open. Somehow, you manage to barely squeeze through the opening you created. [[Enter the palace.]]

You successfully entered the palace through the fabled secret entrance, already proving yourself more capable than any of the rebel groups that have tried and failed to come in this way. You only take a few steps forward before you find yourself in some kind of study. As you examine the area, you hear the door behind you slam shut and a noise chime, possibly indicating that the illusion got reenabled in the sewer. You probably shouldn't stick around for long. [[Navigate the palace.]]

<<if $level is 4 and $progress is 5>> The palace feels so impossibly large, not unlike the sewer system you had to suffer through. Though thanks to the blessing of clairvoyance given by the ebony blade, you feel you know the way. The pathways through are tight and feel like they weren't designed with any normal body in mind. [[Move toward the throne room.|Look for a fight!]] [[Take a needed respite.]] [[Check stats.]] <<endif>> \ <<if $level is 5 and $progress is 5>> After so long you have finally reached your goal. The place where you will finally have your answers for the Capitol's cruelty. All you have to do is enter those doors and face the leader of this godforsaken society. [[Enter the throne room.]] <<set $progress to 6>>\ [[Check stats.]] <<endif>>

You almost struggle to push open the massive, ornate doors to the throne room. Much like the secret entrance, however, utilizing all your strength your suit allows you to just barely shove these doors open. You slide through the opening you created and step inside the throne room proper. The room is initially pitch black, shrouded in darkness. After a few moments some small lights blink on in the shape of a pathway toward the throne itself. After another few moments the larger room lights turn on and you gasp to yourself as your eyes widen at what you see. [[Witness the Lord.]]

You can't help but feel exhausted in this place. There is an eerie aura of fatigue surrounding this place. Between that and the guards blocking your path to the throne room, you certainly are putting in a fair amount of struggle to reach your goal. You somehow manage to find a spot off the main path of the palace that allows you a moment's rest. Time escapes you a bit as you rest, you have to keep moving. <<set $health to $maxHealth>> //[You heal your life.]// [[Continue toward the throne room.|Navigate the palace.]]

You aren't quite sure what you see at first but after your eyes adjust to the lights it's as clear as a desert day. The Lord of the Capitol is not quite what you were expecting, but then again you weren't sure what to expect. A body connected by a plethora of cables and tubes on a throne of steel wearing a strange crown. You grip your blade, grit your teeth, and step toward the throne. [[Step toward the throne.]]

When you're within 10 feet of the throne, a voice booms in your ears, but the body on the throne remains still. "HOW DARE YOU INVADE MY SANCTUARY, FILTH." You aren't sure how to respond. "YOU VERMIN MUST BE WIPED OFF THIS FORSAKEN ROCK." You suddenly feel an intense presence coming from the body on the throne. This is the real lord of the Capitol, you're sure. "PREPARE YOURSELF, FOOL." [[This is it.|Prepare to fight!]] [[Check stats.]] <<set $enemy to "the ambition of the lord">>

You can't help but feel overwhelmed by the overwhelming magnitude of the fight. You breath heavily toward the ground trying your best to catch your breath. Suddenly you notice something... The presence isn't gone. [[Bring your face up.]]

"..." You somehow manage to catch your balance again and stand up, ready to draw your blade if the need arises. "YOU SURPRISE ME. FOR ONE SUCH AS YOU TO SURPASS MY AMBITION..." You ease up your grip on your blade. "JUST KNOW THAT WITHOUT ME, THE PEOPLE WILL SUFFER MORE, FOOL... I HAD TO PUT A STOP TO THE PATHETIC REBELLIONS YOU THAT LIVED ON THE OUTSKIRTS KEPT ATTEMPTING... WITHOUT ME THIS PLANET IS NOTHING... FOOL..." The presence slowly fades away. [[Step toward the body on the throne.]]

With another breath taken and another day you get to live, you step toward the body on the throne of steel, connected to the countless cables and tubles behind it. Cold... Perhaps the presence fed off of this body, or maybe the body had been dead for a while now, it's hard to tell. You think about what the so-called "Ambition" mentioned. Was your home one of countless attacks by the capitol in an attempt to quell rebellion that threatened its influence? In the middle of mulling over what you learned, you noticed a secret room behind the throne, behind all of the tubes and cables. [[Enter secret room.]]

As you peek your head into the room, lights automatically flash on and illuminate a massive hanger bay. There is a monstrously-sized starship in the center, supplies littered about, and a control room you notice. [[Enter control room.]]

You enter the control room to find countless notes all over the control panels and walls. Taking a look at them makes it clear that your planet isn't the only planet that is threatened by unknown forces. After all that has happened you can't bring yourself to allow other people to suffer like your settlement did. You find a bundle of notes that appear to be instructions on how to properly launch and fly the starship in the hanger bay. [[Take starship notes and head off into the night sky.]]

You follow the instructions given to the letter. You open the hanger bay's doors and set the starship on a course for one of the planets you saw mentioned in the control room notes. You have to save someone in danger. There has to be someone you can save. Somewhere out there. [[The end.]]

//The end!// Thanks for playing Project Dreamscape. Created by: Caelin Watson [[Return to start.|CodeReference]]