Sugarcane

"I wonder if your honesty arises out of confidence or self-doubt," says the fox, sniffing you. "In either case, you must be Vagrant. What a poor, pitiful being."\n\n- "What is [[a Vagrant|wc1]]?"

You finally undo the seat belt and rush out of your seat to <<if $dock>>the dock to watch metallic sea creatures swim under moonlight making circles and propelling propelling propelling<<endif>><<if $underwater>>the bottom of the ocean to find metallic rings and splinters and rings and splinters<<endif>> like a scared [[little rabbit]]--

The metal planet is glowing crimson red. A thin white crack has appeared on its surface, periodically emitting a bright flash.\n"This planet is reaching its end," the sentinel says, turning its head upwards. "I recognize now my consort had sent you to prevent me from joining it. Perhaps you will allow me to pass peacefully if you can empathize with me."\n\nThe sentinel's arms move as if individual sentient beings, ticking and turning in a rythmic motion as it [[speaks|pok]].

Your spaceship is [[ready to launch]]. \nYou will be leaving everybody behind. \nAre you [[ready|Launch]]?\n<<set $foxqo = 0>>

white tables. you pass by a black stone [[arch|g1a]] and finally begin to catch up to the [[cicada|q4]]

A muffled, undulating buzz emanates from the yellow formation when you touch it. Inside the crystal is a glow the same colour as your hand. \n<<set $yellow = false>><<set $gemt = $gemt + 1>>\n[[Back|gems1]]

//You remembered your body now. As you remembered, your flesh transformed into a shaped fiberglass chasis, metallic bones, tiny motors in your joints. \nBut nothing changed. \n\nYou walked slowly through this room and examined each formation of light, every streak of distant burning comet. \nIn becoming insignificant you found solace in the titans of the stars. \n\nIn time, you projected your desire to enter the [[next|the nothing2]] room. But only briefly. //

<<if $gemt lt 5>>\nAmong the crystals, a few in particular catch your eye.\n<<if $blue>> \n- [[Blue|blue]]<<endif>>\n<<if $red>> \n- [[Red|red]]<<endif>>\n<<if $green>> \n- [[Green|green]]<<endif>>\n<<if $black>> \n- [[Transluscent black|black]]<<endif>>\n<<if $yellow>> \n- [[Yellow|yellow]]<<endif>>\n\n<<else>>\n\nThe combined sound of the crystals is a vaguely melodic, barely audible humming sensation. You feel it more than you hear it.\n\nIn the center of the formation you notice the orb is no longer clear. Instead, blue, red, green, black and yellow mist swirls inside like a mix between gas and liquid. You reach out to [[touch|gems2]] it.\n\n<<endif>>

You open your eyes and sit up on hexagonal rock plates covered in moss. \nFog obscures your vision. \nYou smell dead leaves and [[something wet]].\nYour head pounds. You are thirsty. \n[[Something breathes|hi]].

The floor briefly shakes before beginning a smooth descent into the ground. Everything becomes dark and you're not sure if you're moving at all until a door in front of you opens. \n\nYou step out and find yourself in a hallway of bronze. Gears and devices of many sizes churn and whirr together on the walls, creaking with age but still running due to unknown engineering. At the end of the hall is a large bronze sentinel. Its six arms are perfectly symmetrical and frozen in prayer. It has a strikingly humanoid shape, aside from the extra limbs. Beyond the sentinel is a massive city that appears to be made of bronze. \n\nWhen you approach the sentinel, it shifts to life with the sound of grinding metal. It turns its head down to your face, and speaks with a hollow voice.\n\n"You may only enter the bronze city if you best me in combat... You shall therefore not pass."\n\n- "[[Why not?|yo]]"

[[...]] \n<<set $rested5 = true>>

//You felt ocean water surround and engulf your body. In the blackness you heard no sounds except for the churning of something great in the distance. You were no longer a part of the world, but floating in a vast and welcoming void. Millennia passed, side by side. You opened your eyes underwater to look at him. His eyes remained closed, but a faint smile played across his lips that broke into a wide grin. With a rush of waves he rose again, returning to the world above. You decided to [[follow|wake1]].//\n<<set $rested1 = true>>

The sentinel replies: "The Cosmos has a will. You must learn to listen to it so you may better follow the path laid before all of us. The story of the Dreamer is imperative to understanding that will. \n\n"...I do not know completely what directive the Cosmos has for you. I however am gifted with the knowledge that the Cosmos wills of you in this location. You are not to enter this city unless you can defeat me in combat. And since you cannot defeat me in combat you will not enter. Will you concede and leave?"\n\n- "What if I want to follow [[my own path|you1]] instead of the Will of the Cosmos?"\n- "Yes, I will [[take my leave|golem]]."\n- "No, I still wish to [[fight|true1]]."

//You followed her through leaves and thick branches into a clearing where an abandoned barn stood beside a fallen tree. You paused to catch a breath of fresh air as she checked her pockets for cigarettes. "It’s [[cold|dream3a]] out here," she said.\n\nYou responded with a grim nod. "Are you sure you want to do this?" \n\n"I guess." She paused. "Yeah, I'm sure."//

Shifting its arms in a rhythmical dance, the sentinel continues: "Many years ago, there was a Dreamer. When she was awake, she absorbed each trial and triumph she came across. She took in the best and the worst of each experience that existed in the universe.\nWhen she slept, she brought home new knowledge of her own limitations, her capabilities, her aspirations, and her experiences... and when she dreamed, they merged together to create a universe -- different from the one she spent her waking hours suffering in. \nIn her dreams, her universe was not merely based on her experiences. This new universe //was// her.

You lie down on your bed and [[close your eyes.|dream3]]

<<if $rested5>>Your calibrate your ship to fly to the crystal planet. Your display indicates your jump will cause an erratic number of years to elapse, potentially millions or billions of years, depending on space/time turbulence at this part of the universe.\n\nHowever, your jump has been calculated to take you far outside the dimensions of the star or the event horizon of the black hole should it form. From there you should be able to safely fly over to the crystal planet.\n\n[[Launch|launch6]] \n[[Back|chill5]] \n\n<<else>>You need to rest and allow your nanorepair system to heal you before you die.\n\n[[Back|chill5]]\n<<endif>>

and the light lands far away as if waiting for you but your path is blocked by a wall of [[white tiles|g1]]. So you send your fist through them, scattering them into the fog, and you break into a run [[ignoring|q3a]] rows and rows of saplings on

From the orb, cracks of light spread through the ground like roots or veins or the synapses of a neuron. The orb grows in heat and you cannot pull your hand away. You look around for the fox but she has disappeared. The burning sensation spreads into your hand, up your arm, into your chest, radiating through your body. The heat is overwhelming. Your body feels filled with a thousand stars.\n\n...Your vision [[goes.|gems3q]]

and now the gold light is distant once again. The cicada has flown to the top of a [[mountain|g3]]. You climb up to it and <<if $stay>>drag yourself up the side, <<endif>><<if $go>>methodically climb the tree and prepare to jump to the next, <<endif>><<if $hasty>>hastily pull yourself up the tree to leap to the next, <<endif>>gritting your teeth, even as dark things wave at you and [[reach|q6]] for your legs.

who is resting on smouldering [[ruins|g2]] so you break into a dash to catch up but it darts away again and leaves you surrounded by fog. One foot lands outside your hexagonal stone path and the screaming pierces your ears and eyes and you stumble trying to [[keep up|q5]]

<<if $rested4>> You can search for the crystal planet the sentinel spoke of with your star map. \n[[Launch|launch4]] \n[[Back|chill4]]\n<<else>> You should sleep before you launch.\n[[Back|chill4]] \n<<endif>>

The rest of your jumps go much smoother than the first. By the time you reach the final tree the slope has leveled out enough to crawl up. Your injuries, while incredibly painful, are non-lethal. The air around you had also grown considerably colder at some point.\n\nAfter a few minutes more of climbing, once again using your [[tools|tool3]] to aid you, the ground finally levels out. A small plateau shaped in grey rock awaits you, populated with various stone formations. You have reached the summit.\n\nLeaping ahead of you, the fox says, "Well now, [[what do we have here|summit1]]?" \n

[[...|wake3]]

You pick up the organisms as delicately as possible and drop them back into the water where they propel themselves around in a tight circle. \n\nAs you drop the final organism back into the water you notice a wave building up far away. A large dark shape is heading directly for your [[ship|but1]].

//She tossed the match onto the dusty hay bales below. They ignited quickly and soon filled the air with a rough and thick smoke. Your eyes met hers. The floor groaned. She took her [[backpack|dream3ba]] off. You took a drag.\n\n“It’s hot in here,” she said. You climbed down the creaking ladder and [[stood|dream3c]] just outside the door of the barn. //

//You crawled inside the barn and found a room with dry hay and [[not much else|dream3aa]]. The two of you climbed all the way to the top before she pulled out her box of matches.\n\n“Care for a smoke?” she asked, and you happily accepted. She took a moment to examine the lit match while you turned your cell phone [[off|dream3b]].//

With a whirring and clicking of gears, you calibrate your ship to launch. \nThere is a brief pause where everything is perfectly, absolutely silent -- then, with an explosion, your ship blasts forward into the [[light|end]].

A muted light emits from the tall crystal when you touch it, accompanied by the gentle sound of something whirring.\n<<set $black = false>><<set $gemt = $gemt + 1>>\n[[Back|gems1]]

You are surrounded by darkness. You cannot feel your body, though you do feel a voice.\n\n//Greetings.//\n\n- "[[Where am I|x1a]]?"\n- "[[Am I dead|x1a]]?"

Lucid

You are suddenly filled with an overwhelming exhaustion. You simply do not have the energy to stand. The humming sound diminishes as you [[collapse|dream2]]. \n<<set $halla = true>>

"Very well." Steam hisses from the Sentinel's joints as it flexes its fingers and enters a fighting stance. "If fighting is the only way to understand your limitations then I shall oblige."\n\nThe Sentinel appears to be waiting for you to strike. You could [[maneuver behind|behind1]] it and search for a weak point or try to [[strike one of its knee joints|join1]] to topple it over. You have no weapons, but your fists are reinforced and will not be injured striking bronze.

The creature is large and flat with many fins protruding from its back. As it cuts through the water, organisms at the surface are directed by the currents of its fins into a large maw at its back. \n\nA few of the tiny squid-like creatures misfire their propulsion and jump out of the water. They land on your dock and flutter hopelessly. They do not appear harmful to touch.\n\nYou can take [[one of the creatures|take the creature]] with you or [[return them|return it]] to the ocean.

As soon as your fingers touch the cube, even through your heat-redistribution suit, you are filled with a sudden spark of energy, a yearning to explore. You hear the distant echo of a beep from your ship, meaning the SCD has charged. Cradling the cube in your hands, you run back to the ship, excited to see what world awaits you next. You barely remember to remove your heat-redistribution suit in your excitement.\n<<set $cube = true>>\nOnly when your ship [[leaves|chill2]] the planet's atmosphere do you realize the black cube had gone missing. It is nowhere to be found.

The density of trees does not change on the mountain except for the [[peak|q5]] where a rocky plateau juts out from the mess of green.

<<if $rested3>>Sitting down in your cockpit, you turn on your map and navigate the star system for the wire-planet the fox had spoken of. After some searching you find it: a large planet covered in what appears to be layers of metal. \n[[Launch|metal planet]] \n[[Back|chill3]] \n<<else>>You should sleep before launching.\n[[Back|chill3]] \n<<endif>>

The sentinel speaks slowly. "You do not understand. You are simply incapable of defeating me. The Will of the Cosmos requires that I only allow those who can defeat me to pass."\n\n- "What is the [[Will of the Cosmos|end1]]?"\n- "I would still like to [[fight|true1]]."

The last few people important to you are displayed on your monitor. They wave to you, trying to smile. \n\nYour rocket's engines are deafening. Your spaceship lifts from the earth, shaking, moving faster each second. Clouds rush by your port window as the sky turns from light blue to dark. The monitor goes blank.\n\nWith a final tremor, your ship bursts forward into space. The world outside your window is black and speckled with billions of stars. You are finally alone.\n \n...It is time to [[move on|l2]].\n

[Potential spoilers]: \n- Mortality\n- Space\n- Black holes\n- Hallucinations\n- Fire\n- Implied suicide\n- Tattooing\n- Nothingness\n- Apocalyptic events\n\n[[Back|Start]]

As you reach your hand out to peel the stone away, a tremor reverberates through the cave. You jump back in time for the stone to shake off and crumble on the ground. The ceiling above the chiseled hallway collapses as well, closing it off.\n\nWith the stone gone, the glow is revealed to be an ornate spiral pattern tracing the shape of an arch. Beyond the arch is a tiny room with slick black stone walls. In the middle of the room is a small cube, made of the same stone as the walls. Bending down to fit inside, you shuffle your way over to pick up the [[cube]]. You sense a subtly melodic and deep humming sound around you as you approach it.

Towers of stacked rock are scattered throughout the plateau, obsidian-black <<if $obelisk>>like obelisks, massive and unmoving despite gales constantly rushing by. They look solid enough to [[touch|touch1]].<<endif>><<if $hall>>and smooth like walls. Howling gales at your back could allow you to run between the towers rather quickly [[if you wished|touch3]].<<endif>><<if $cube>>and somehow reminiscent of something you've lost. Your pikes might be able to [[dislodge|touch2]] a piece for you to bring back to your ship.<<endif>>\n\nFrom your vantage-point on the mountain you can see trees spreading out to the horizon in every direction, carpeting every mountain and valley in green save for a few lakes and ponds in the valleys. Clouds drift by above and below you. \n

It is a shimmering blue mass with gigantic white clouds coalescing and dispersing across the sky. A single moon orbits from a distance. This planet rotates relatively quickly, with days and nights lasting a few hours at a time. The rapid changes in temperature normally cause a high number of dangerous water cyclones to spawn, but if you land somewhere at night you should have a bit of time to explore before the temperature changes again. \n\n[[Back|Are you]]

You step out onto the dock. <<set $dock = true>>\n\nYour ship undulates rhythmically on gentle tides from a distant moon. The horizon is an unbroken line of waves that shimmer in the silver of moonlight. You sit at the edge of your dock for a while and watch waves. The ocean smells of salt. The sliver of dark blue at the horizon grows brighter.\n\nActivity in the water increases over time: tiny chromatic life forms start darting beneath the surface, converging into large schools and swimming in patterns before dispersing again. They resemble squid-like palm trees in shape, shrinking inward before opening their 'leaves' to propel forwards.\n\nIn the distance a large dark form cuts across the waves. You stand up for a better [[look|zoom in]].

"You were doing just fine without a purpose minutes ago," the fox replies. "Let us not play the game of ignorance, Vagrant." \nShe stretches, yawning. "...Are you going to get moving?"\n\nYou take a deep breath and wordlessly [[resume|climb1]] your hike up the slope.

"Of course! That cave tells the story of the Dreamer. It lets you feel a small part of her wonder. I don't expect you to understand."\n\nShe sniffs you. "I suppose it is time for you to leave, little rabbit. How about you pay my consort a visit? I've been very merciful in letting you live, and it's the least you could do to repay my wonderful companionship."\n\n<<if $sen>> - "Is this the [[consort]] you spoke of before?"\n- "Why can't you visit them [[yourself|vis]]?"\n<<else>>- "Who is your [[consort]]?"\n- "Why can't you visit them [[yourself|vis]]?"\n<<endif>>

Dunes of sand stretch out unbroken except by the shadows of mountains. Some distance away, a faint shimmer is barely visible in the air. Your footsteps make a light patter on the silky dunes as you approach the [[gleam]]. \n

The first thing you notice upon stepping onto the moon is the gravity, which nearly reflects your own planet. \n\nThe second thing you notice is the presence of air. This moon may in fact be a grey rock planet that had been knocked or pulled into the metal planet's orbit at some point in the past.\n\nYou walk towards the construct in the distance. It is standing frozen with its arms locked in what looks like prayer, a few feet taller than you are. As you get [[closer|land4b]] you pass by a large archway made of black rock.

The further you go down the hall, the brighter your surroundings seem to become despite the lack of visible light sources. \n\nThe hall seems to be gently sloping down and up, curving both left and right. You begin to hear a very deep and vaguely melodic humming sound as you walk. The humming sound shakes something in your core, invigorating you, sending you into a sprint. Your run through the twisting hall does not tire you at all. \n\nAfter some time, you begin to see flashing images before your eyes: An 8-limbed bronze sentinel resting in prayer. A white fox, covered in flame, grinning. A golden cicada. A metallic ring. An image of you, of who you [[used to be]]. \n

It spreads its arms. "Most races in the universe are capable of hearing the Voice of the Cosmos on their own. These races spend their existence living in the manner requested of them by the Cosmos in order to carry out the perfect plan for the universe. \n\n"However... There are some races who cannot hear the Voice of the Cosmos. These are Vagrants. We theorize because of this deafness they... likely have no purpose to fulfil at all."\n\n- "What does it matter if [[I have no purpose|you1]]?"\n- "How can you be [[sure|listen1]] I have no purpose?"

"Yes, I am rather curious about Vagrants and so I will grace you with my presence. My consort is rubbing off on me, I fear." The fox growls at you. "But I am not your guide, little rabbit."\n\n- "Who is your [[consort|con]]?"

"I will be the judge of that," the fox replies, snapping her teeth at you with eyes [[glowing|ydk1]].

"They tell the story of the Dreamer. They let you feel a small part of her wonder... I still don't expect you to understand."\n\nShe sniffs you. "I suppose it is time for you to leave, little rabbit. How about you pay my consort a visit? I've been very merciful in letting you live, and it's the least you could do to repay my wonderful companionship."\n\n<<if $sen>> - "Is this the [[consort]] you spoke of before?"\n- "Why can't you visit them [[yourself|vis]]?"\n<<else>>- "Who is your [[consort]]?"\n- "Why can't you visit them [[yourself|vis]]?"\n<<endif>>

You stand in the hallway of your ship as it orbits the forest planet.\nFrom here you can go to the [[restroom|rest3]], your [[bedroom|bed3]], the [[biocontainment room|br3]] and the [[cockpit|ck3]].

You step into the cave, following the faint glow a few paces in. It smells musty.\n\nThe jade-green glow, as you come closer, appears to be shining from behind years of encrusted rock. If you [[clear away the crust|clear the rock]] you may be able to see the full object in detail. However, in the glow you can see a chiseled hallway to your right. You could go [[down the hall]] instead of peeling the encrustment.

The construct's face is an androgynous bronze mold attached to a complex system of gears and mechanical devices that make up its body. The gears begin to churn once you are within speaking range of it. Steam hisses from its joints as it breaks its position of prayer and flexes its joints experimentally. It turns its head down to face you and speaks: "You bear the presence of my consort. She has sent you to me."\n\n- "Are you the [[sentinel|sen]]?"\n- "How did you know the [[fox|fox9]] sent me?"

"There are better things I could have done to you," the fox replies.\n<<set $didYouDoThis = true>>\n[[Back|shoot1]] \n<<set $foxqo = $foxqo + 1>>

Regardless, there is little reason to avoid following the sentinel's directions. You have no obligations in space.\n<<set $free = true>>\nYour ship [[launches|chill4]] into orbit without incident.

'\n- each planet is a different step in finding your identity? or a different facet of your identity to explore?\n\n- the story of the dreamer is a bit of a myth: everybody is actually a dreamer, and has their own universe inside themselves that makes up their identity\n\nYou, as a humanoid, are one of the few races that the Cosmos has no will for. Aimless, purposeless. That's the theory, anyway. Maybe they just haven't heard the Voice yet. \nThe fox/sentinel directs you to a location very far away. You can't jump that far in one go, so you go to other planets where you finish your identity.\nFinally, at the location, you get there but realize there's nothing but blackness. Suddenly your sensors pick up the fact that it's not nothingness but a black hole so large its scanners couldn't pick it up. It physically shouldn't be able to exist. You try to leave but by the time you realize it was a black hole it was too late. YOu got to the location only to find it was empty.\nThen in the darkness somewhere you hear a deep and wonderfully melodic humming. a voice says hello, you beautiful creature.\nyou ask if it is the voice of the cosmos, and you feel like you could stretch your arms out and touch the ends of the still-expanding universe, like you could breathe in all the stardust in the galaxy and hold it in your infinite lungs. \nyou ask, so? does the cosmos have a will for us after all? or are we just aimless, pointless creatures, only flaws in the ultimate plan of the universe?\n\nno, the fox/sentinel was right. there is no designation for humanoids. but... that is not to say they are pointless.\n\nthe story of the dreamer is a myth, but only partially so.\n\nevery second, across the cosmos, there are dreamers. when they go through life, if they are in the right place, with proper motivation, they begin to develop, transform. they learn of their weaknesses and strengths. defined by both their experiences and aspirations. they foster their own growth and development, as unique and wonderful as the universe itself. \n\nand once they do so, through whichever journey is required of them, when they realize they are as special and powerful as the universe, is when they also realize the will of //their// cosmos. their own will. their own purpose.\nand so, for the unhearing, they may not follow the perfect physics and plan of the cosmos. but, once they have discovered their own internal universe, they can create their own purpose, as big or small or simple or extravagant as they need. \nand so, my wonderful dreamer, what will you do?\n

Your screen flickers on to display an expansive star system. Scanning the map in search of a planet, you choose one relatively close by to make sure your ship is properly functional. This planet is entirely covered in water.\n\nYour [[Spacial Collapsing Device|SCD]] is ready.\n\n[[Launch|Are you]]

Seconds? Minutes? [[Hours|n5a]]? Days?

The fox cackles in response, her flames briefly growing brighter.\n<<set $canYouHelpMe = true>>\n[[Back|shoot1]] \n<<set $foxqo = $foxqo + 1>>

You launch yourself without hesitation, preparing to latch onto the trunk. While your jump is far enough to reach the next tree, your grip is not strong enough to prevent you from sliding down the trunk in painful scrapes before you finally find purchase on the bottom of the angled trunk.\n<<set $hasty = true>>\nA sharp gust rushes past as you press yourself against your [[new tree|climb5]]. If you had waited at the top of the other tree, you would very likely have fallen. \n

There is a brief period of silence before the Sentinel speaks: "...Of course. You must be Vagrant. My apologies. The Will of the Cosmos is the perfect plan for the Universe that is the duty of most races to fulfil as best they can. Understand I am preventing you from entering the Bronze City through this will. So if you wish you pass, you must fight."\n\n- "What is a [[Vagrant?|their own will]]"\n- "The Cosmos [[has no will|has no will]]."

[[...|endcred]]

You roll your shoulders and stretch your arms, standing up against the tree trunk. The trees don't branch out until higher up, so you have to use your hooks to shimmy up the trunk until you can get to the branches. You wrap your arms and legs around the tree and begin to shuffle your way up.\n\n"Delightful!" says the fox, walking up the trunk ahead of you. "Adaptation requires intellect to be successful. Who knew a [[Vagrant|climb3a]] would have such strategy!"

Your progress becomes exceptionally slow without the electronic assistance of your tools. Your picks barely embed into the cliffside and threaten to dislodge with each pull. Before long you have to make your way over to a slanted tree trunk to rest. The fox continues swirling in the air, watching.\n\nThe trees are still relatively close together and tall enough for the top of one to reach the trunk of another higher up. You could [[climb the trees|climb3]] instead, and jump up the mountain from tree to tree. It would be very dangerous, and require a lot of dexterity, but would likely be faster than your current method. \n\nYou sigh. It would be difficult and slow and painful, but you could also stick to [[what you've been doing already|climb4]] and make it to the top eventually.

As soon as your fingers make contact with the stone, a deep and vaguely melodic hum fills the air. The sound is almost too low to be audible, and waves of vibration go through your body. An indescribable feeling of self-purpose and emotional strength wells up from somewhere inside of you. \n\nAfter some time, the humming of the obelisk and the stone arches becomes silent. The stone fades away too, and when you reach your hand out to touch it, there is only air where a shimmer of something greater had once been. \n\nThere is nothing more for you here. You walk back to your ship and climb inside, shrugging off your heat-redistribution suit.\n\nYour ship whirs to life and accelerates upwards into space. You [[leave|chill2]] the planet behind and surround yourself with stars again.\n<<set $obelisk = true>>

"Humanoids are really quite ugly, aren't they?"\n\n[[And|human2]]

"Adaptation requires courage as well," says the fox, leaping weightlessly to your new tree. "I am intrigued by your willpower to live despite having no discernable purpose. I like you." \n\nShe glances down the mountain and grins. "I wonder how soon you would have died if you had missed."\n\nYou scale the new tree, prepared to repeat the pattern. As you near the top you realize you are closer to the summit than anticipated. After several more cycles of climbing and jumping the slope should be gentle enough to [[crawl up|crawl]] the rest of the way.

You take a deep breath, grab onto your scaling tools, and resume your climb with clenched teeth.\n\nThe fox grins. "Excellent! Tenacity requires strength to work. I am delighted that a Vagrant could be capable of such feats!"\n\nThe tools barely dig into the mountain, and strong gusts threaten to dislodge you entirely. As you continue your slow scaling of the mountain, your arms grow stiff and your lungs are burning. Despite the nearly overwhelming pain, you continue to [[push on|flashback1]]. \n<<set $hesitant = true>> <<set $stay = true>>

You lie on your bed and [[close your eyes|dream5a]].

Probably writhing squirming drenched in moisture hiding somewhere beyond your vision in the [[fog|little rabbit]].

//Black, [[emblazoned|dream3b]] with a fox on the front.//

You take electronic [[phyllic/phobic|pp]] scaling tools from your ship's equipment room and set soli/aero hooks onto them. Clipping them onto your waist buckle, you step out of your ship and into the forest. \n\nConsidering the expansive size of the forest, very little wildlife can be found. The [[few sentient beings|sent1]] you come across regard you with blank curiosity. The gigantic trees don't branch out until higher up, allowing you to weave [[quickly|foxtime]] around the thick trunks.

- Your body is not what you are born with but rather what you make for yourself.\n\n- Cicada larvae sleep for 17-year cycles before emerging as transformed adults.\n\n\n[[Back|Start]]

"Delightful!" The fox walks around you in a circle, flames trailing along behind her. "...And what would that purpose be?"\n\n"I am [[exploring|po9]] space."\n"...I'm [[not sure|ok1]] yet."

//The room at the end of the hallway was made of the same tiles. A white table was situated in the center of this room with a glass case on top. A single sapling grew in the case, bathed in one bright light from the ceiling.\n\nA faint and familiar humming sound coursed through you. You placed a hand on a wall [[tile|tiles2]].\n//

The large stone releases a soft and calming light upon touching it. You hear a faint, slightly grating ringing.\n<<set $blue = false>><<set $gemt = $gemt + 1>>\n[[Back|gems1]]

//The creases around the tile glowed a deep yellow with your touch. You removed your hand and the tile bobbed as though floating in water.\n\nYou could feel the pulse of electricity. You felt the curvature of the cables and wires behind the tiles like your own veins. Somewhere between the circuitbones and flickering switches you felt at [[home|room02]].//

As soon as you begin to step down the hall, a massive tremor sends the ceiling crashing down behind you. With the way back blocked, you decide to go deeper down the [[hall]].\n\n

You lie down on your bed and [[close your eyes.|dream1]]

"A mission?" The fox tilts her head, eyes glowing. "What exactly is the [[purpose|ydk1]] of your mission?"

<<if $rested3>>You step up to your diagnostics machine. After a brief scan of your body, the display reads:\n//\n}{ power: ▒9% [augmentations detected]\n}{ health: 75% [augmentations detected]\n}{ you are SLIGHTLY DAMAGED. cracks detected in external shell along rib area and R. forearm. \n}{ nanorepair already dispatched. \n}{ estimated time until full repair....\n}{ 10 hours.\n}{ rest suggested.\n//\n\n[[Back|chill3]] \n<<else>>You step up to your diagnostics machine. After a brief scan of your body, the display reads:\n//\n}{ power: ▒4% [augmentations detected]\n}{ health: 45% [augmentations detected]\n}{ you are DAMAGED. cracks detected in external shell along rib area and R. forearm. \n}{ internal wiring frayed in chest cavity. \n}{ cooling system dysfunctional. \n}{ nanorepair already dispatched. \n}{ estimated time until full repair....\n}{ 18 hours.\n}{ sleep heavily recommended to accelerate nanorepair system.\n//\n\n[[Back|chill3]] \n<<endif>>

The Spacial Collapsing Device, or SCD, is humanity's secret to interstellar travel. By exploiting recently discovered laws of physics you are able to scan for distant planets and leap to them.\n\nScanning star systems is instantaneous. However, actually jumping to a planet using the SCD causes a temporal displacement anywhere between 500-75000 years. Planets may change drastically within this time so jumping directly into atmospheres is not advised. \n\nScanners predict orbit to allow for relatively accurate and safe jumps.\n\nUnfortunately using the SCD drains considerable energy. The SCD has a slow recharge time lasting between 12 to 24 hours.\n\n[[Back|l2]]

<<if $rested1>>You do not have formal need of a restroom but the diagnostics machine can be useful. After a brief scan of your body, the display on the diagnostics machine reads:\n//\n}{ power: 99% \n}{ health: 95% \n}{ you are STABLE.\n}{ mental stimulation suggested.\n//\n\n[[Back|chill1]] \n<<else>>You do not have formal need of a restroom but the diagnostics machine can be useful. After a brief scan of your body, the display on the diagnostics machine reads:\n//\n}{ power: 70% \n}{ health: 95% \n}{ you are STABLE.\n}{ sleep suggested prior to expeditions longer than 72 hours.\n//\n[[Back|chill1]]\n<<endif>>

You wake up [[fully charged|bed2]].

<<if $rested5>>You step up to your diagnostics machine. After a brief scan of your body, the display reads:\n//\n}{ power: ▒▒% [augmentations detected]\n}{ health:▒▒% [augmentations detected]\n}{ you are DAMAGED. brain chemistry slightly imbalanced.\n}{ air filtration system weak. \n}{ slashes detected in arms. reduced functionality.\n}{ nanorepair already dispatched. \n}{ estimated time until full repair....\n}{ 12 hours.\n}{ failure to rest will result in significantly reduced energy capacity.\n//\n\n[[Back|chill5]] \n<<else>>You step up to your diagnostics machine. After a brief scan of your body, the display reads:\n//\n}{ power: ▒% [augmentations detected]\n}{ health: ▒% [augmentations detected]\n}{ you are SEVERELY DAMAGED. brain chemistry heavily imbalanced.\n}{ air filtration system dysfunctional.\n}{ puncture marks detected in L.arm.\n}{ slashes detected in arms. little functionality. \n}{ nanorepair already dispatched. \n}{ estimated time until full repair....\n}{ 72 hours.\n}{ failure to rest will result in mortality.\n//\n\n[[Back|chill5]]\n<<endif>>

<<if $rested4>>You step up to your diagnostics machine. After a brief scan of your body, the display reads:\n//\n}{ power: ▒▒% [augmentations detected]\n}{ health: 7▒% [augmentations detected]\n}{ you are DAMAGED. internal circuitry compromised. cracked chest cover.\n}{ cooling system at reduced functionality. \n}{ nanorepair already dispatched. \n}{ estimated time until full repair....\n}{ 28 hours.\n}{ rest suggested.\n//\n\n[[Back|chill4]] \n<<else>>You step up to your diagnostics machine. After a brief scan of your body, the display reads:\n//\n}{ power: ▒▒% [augmentations detected]\n}{ health: 3▒% [augmentations detected]\n}{ you are HEAVILY DAMAGED. internal circuitry compromised.\n}{ chest cover cracked.\n}{ cooling system compromised. \n}{ internal energy transitor leaking.\n}{ nanorepair already dispatched. \n}{ estimated time until full repair....\n}{ 48 hours.\n}{ sleep heavily suggested.\n//\n\n[[Back|chill4]]\n<<endif>>

The crowd around the shield of fire increases. Luckily, only some dare pass through the flame and even fewer survive.\n\nYou circle around the fox, fists raised, fighting back any that survive the fire. They move with deceptive speed despite their injuries and slash unpredictably. Sparks erupt from your accumulating wounds. \n\nThe fox shakes her head and growls. She breaks into a dash around the circle, helping you fight. Silver blood oozes from her accumulating [[wounds|f4]].

<<if $rested4>>Your room is comfortable.\n\n[[Back|chill4]] \n<<else>>Your room is comfortable, your bed just the right size. You can sleep and [[dream|dream4o]] here.\n\n[[Back|chill4]] \n<<endif>>

A result of an experimentational program to modify the human body without modifying the human brain. As a result, many human functions are retained to ensure the mind may follow familiar patterns.\n\nBreathing is used to synthesise air molecules into energy. You require oxygen to maintain your human brain's function, but your systems allow you to store excess oxygen in the event of air loss for up to 2 hours. \n\nYour breathing filtration system allows you to breathe in most atmospheres except for a very small few. While breathing does generate energy for your body, the system does not replace sleeping-- it only aids to counteract your immense energy consumption.\n\nSleeping is recommended for defragmentation and cooling down vitals. Resting on appropriate pads allows for energy generation to remain alive.\n\nThe sensations of touch, pain, and muscle strain are essential to preventing damage to the body, which is purposely designed to reflect the strength of the average human.\n\nIntellectual, emotional and perceptive traits remain unaltered.\n\n\n\n[[Back|land1]]

You walk to your ship's hallway as it floats in distant orbit of the water planet. \nFrom here you can go to the [[restroom|rest1]], your [[bedroom|bed1]], the [[biocontainment room|br1]] and the [[cockpit|ck1]].

You walk to your ship's hallway as it floats in distant orbit of the desert planet. \nFrom here you can go to the [[restroom|rest2]], your [[bedroom|bed2]], the [[biocontainment room|br2]] and the [[cockpit|ck2]].\n\n

//You huddled together against a winter storm, sharing heat and body-space. Her fingers slid against your skin and rested at your carotid while you listened to her breathing. She mapped your neck and followed it with her ink as you pressed together in your hole. Your skin burned with her art and your lips quivered whenever the wind blew. Her breathing got louder as she [[quickened her pace|dream2a]].//

She replies, softly, her tail flickering back and forth: "My duty binds me here for the next several millenia. I cannot come and go as I please, as you can. \n\n"...There is a doomed civilization on that planet. I know the sentinel is going to try and die with it, so I wish you to stop it from making rash decisions. If it bests you in logic or combat, however, their resolve will be proven and you will let them go. Do you [[understand|leave3]]?"

You stand in the hallway of your ship, alone.\n\nFrom here you can go to the [[restroom|rest5]], your [[bedroom|bed5]], the [[biocontainment room|br5]] and the [[cockpit|ck5]].

The red gem unleashes a piercing, resolute light upon your touch. A low, quiet rumbling sound echoes from it. \n<<set $red = false>><<set $gemt = $gemt + 1>>\n[[Back|gems1]]

You lie down on your bed and [[close your eyes.|digression]]

You are suddenly reminded of the sand planet-- <<if $obelisk>>The melodic humming in the desert, the massive relic that filled you with such purpose, how it faded as quickly as it had appeared. That sound fills you once again as you increase your pace up the mountain, empowered.<<endif>> <<if $hall>>The dark and endless hallway, the deep and melodic sound surrounding you as you ran, invigorating you, filling you with images. As you remember, you are once again filled with the same energy and tirelessly continue up the mountain. <<endif>> <<if $cube>>The cube beyond the arch in that cave, and the deep humming sound that bestowed you with immense energy. The cube had vanished, but as you recall it you are once again filled with the same energy as before. Your pace up the mountain increases considerably. <<endif>> \n\nYou notice the air around you had at some point become considerably colder. There are no longer any trees growing around you, and the cliff itself is leveling out to a gentle slope again. Looking up, you see stone formations up ahead. You have reached the [[summit|summit1]]. \n\nThe fox says, "Tenacity requires the ability to draw resolve from within yourself. You are quite interesting, especially for a Vagrant."\n\nShe cackles, leaping up ahead to level ground. "Well," she shouts, "Let us see what awaits you up ahead!"\n<<set $tenacious = true>>

The fox snarls and you feel a brief but intense wave of heat blast through your body. "Don't be so arrogant," she says. "If the Cosmos had no will, I would not exist at all. Now allow me to perform my duty before your idiocy causes me to cook you more than I would prefer."\n\n- "[[What is your duty?|you2]]"

Your hooks must have regained functionality again and turned on by themselves. You turn them off.\n<<set $soli = true>>\n[[Back|gems3]]

Several hours pass until your ship finally approaches the planet's orbit. This planet is covered in cloud so thick you cannot see the surface.\n\nBy the time you enter the atmosphere the world outside your porthole looks like dusk despite your monitor's indication of daytime. Heavy fog and clouds obscure the sun completely. This planet, while apparently having the same temperature of your ship, looks too dangerous to [[explore|land5]]. \n\nYour ship descends slowly.

"I wonder what animal you think I am."\n\n[[Back|climb1]]

"I am perplexed as to why you Vagrants bother doing anything without a purpose."\n\n[[And|human3]]

Your search for the crystal planet takes hours, navigating through countless star systems until you finally locate an isolated system at the absolute edge of your sensor range. The diamond planet is in distant orbit of a gigantic dying star. There is nothing else in a wide range except for one solar system situated at the halfway point.\n\nYour SCD will not be able to jump all the way there, but you can stop at the halfway point and recharge before launching again.\n\nYou calibrate your ship and prepare to jump.\n\n[[Launch|launch4a]]

//Sunlight spilling through cracks in the roof and illuminating a [[platform|dream3a]] at the top of a wooden ladder.//

You approach the gold light and notice it is a cicada the size of your thumb. Its light is strong enough to push back the fog a little, allowing you see more of your surroundings. \n\nWhile your filtration system prevents the toxic fog from outright destroying your brain, some oxygen-based molecules must be bypassing the filtration and causing adverse effects. \n\nYour spare oxygen reserves are unfortunately depleted. How long were you sleeping?\n\nThe cicada abruptly shoots away from you, surrounding you in the fog's darkness again and becoming a tiny gold light in the distance and you must run after and [[catch up|q3]]

The fox says, "I don't expect you to."\nShe circles back to the ground, landing at your side. "The story of the Dreamer is a myth, but the Voice states it paramount to our existence even if you cannot understand its mystery.\n\n"Now, I'd like to see you try to climb that mountain up ahead. I've decided not to eat you because I am a wonderful and benevolent being, and I'd also like to see how far you get."\n\nYou wordlessly continue your hike as the ground ahead begins to slope [[upwards|climb1]].

Your beacon indicates your ship is much closer than anticipated, only a couple of miles away from your current location. As you walk, waves of heat periodically resonate from your body as if still connected to the orb.\n\nAfter some time you finally arrive at the clearing where your ship resides. As you approach your ship you notice a white streak of flame hurtling down from the sky. It impacts the ground in front of you with a tremor. \n\nThe fox grins up at you from the point of impact, fire licking her body. "Well?" she says. "How did you like the cave?"\n\n- "What did those crystals [[do?|crp]]"\n- "Did you [[know|know]] that would happen?"

Your body was no longer weak and small and purposeless. But //you// still were. \n\n\ny9

You delicately place all but one of the squid-like beings back into the water, cupping the last one in your hands. It is incredibly heavy. You take a final look at the world of water before climbing back into your ship.\n\nWhen you get to the [[biocontainment system|biocontainment2]] and prepare to insert the creature into the holding cell you find in place of the creature is a smooth metallic ring. The creature likely changed form while carrying it. The biocontainment scanner indicates it is still alive despite appearing inanimate.\n\nYou place the ring-creature inside a biocontainment cell which fills with water and lowers a shield to block out light. You return to your seat and prepare to launch into space. \n\nThe dock folds up as your ship [[ascends|chill1]].\n\nOnce you are in space you unstrap yourself and head to the hallway.

After some time hiking, something white rushes past your peripherals. It moves too quickly for your eyes to track. You run faster, and the faster you run, the quicker the streak flies across your vision. \n\nSo you stop. The white streak pauses as well, revealing itself to be a fox-like creature. You vaguely recognize this fox to be female. She emanates a white flame which coalesces and swirls around her body. \n\nHer grin is unnaturally wide and her teeth impressively sharp. The fox speaks with a voice both silky and wild: "Hello, there. Why shouldn't I eat you?" \n\n- "You could if you [[wanted|eatme1]] to."\n- "I have a greater [[purpose|pu1]] than to be eaten."

You are stronger than this, you are faster you have grown you are better now. You outpace the dark things in the fog and reach the summit with the cicada who has been waiting.\n\nIts illumination pierces through the fog, allowing you to see the stone formations around the summit and the puddle in the middle. All around the mountain, hands grasp the edge, pulling up darkened faceless figures.\n\nThey absorb the light of even the cicada and herald more fog wrapping tighter around you and [[pulling]] you

Biocontainment systems are made of many 'cells'. Each 'cell' is a minature ecosystem that is constantly updated and modified to create a simulated version of whichever environment would benefit the organism[s] most. While biocontainment cells can only contain relatively small creatures, they have the distinct advantage of being able to create environments without requiring prior knowledge of the creature it is containing. This is particularly advantageous when discovering new species.\n\n[[Back|bio1]]

//[[You couldn’t hear the storm anymore|dream2b]].//

//[[She was so warm.|dream2c]]//

Biocontainment systems are made of many cells. Each cell is a minature ecosystem, constantly updated and modified to create a simulated version of whichever environment would benefit the organism[s] most. \n\nBiocontainment cells can only contain relatively small creatures but have the advantage of being able to create environments without requiring prior knowledge of the creature it is containing. This is particularly advantageous when discovering new species.\n\n[[Back|take the creature]]

Regardless, there is little reason to avoid following the sentinel's directions. You have no obligations in space.\n<<set $safe = true>>\nYour ship [[launches|chill4]] into orbit without incident.

With a whirring and a clicking of gears, a swirling distortion in space appears before your ship. There is a brief pause where everything is perfectly, absolutely silent -- then, with the sound of an explosion, your ship blasts forward into the wormhole.\n\nYour ship emerges in orbit of the metal planet. You are not sure what the actual surface of the planet is composed of because of the multitude of mile-thick wires wrapped around the surface like a spool.\n\nYour ship lands on the top of one of the wires. Only when you step outside do you realize the ground is warm with running electricity. You sense yourself being scanned and attempt to find the source, fruitlessly. While looking around you find that an elevator-like device had risen from the ground. You are able to comfortably walk into it, and inside you notice a panel with one [[button|gear-shaped]].

<<if $o0o>>She continues floating, silently gazing at you.\n\n- "I don't believe the Voice of the Cosmos [[exists|exist1]] at all."\n- "What does the Cosmos want from [[you|you2]]?"\n<<else>>"We call them Vagrants," she continues, grinning. "While the Voice has requested we abstain from researching them too often, we theorize they cannot hear the Voice because they quite simply have no purpose at all."\n\nHer body, which had been slowly lifting from the earth, begins weaving through the air as she speaks:\n\n“I do not know why the Cosmos created fragile Vagrants, or allowed the evolution of post-humans like yourself. But I suppose as Vagrants you fester unshaped by purpose."\n\nShe continues floating, silently gazing at you.\n\n- "I don't believe the Voice of the Cosmos [[exists|exist1]] at all."\n- "What does the Cosmos want from [[you|you2]]?"\n- "Why do you [[dislike|o0o]] Vagrants so much?"<<endif>>

When your senses return you find yourself in the dark, lying on smooth rock. The fox's flames illuminate jagged walls in shifting patterns. You sense you are underground, though the ceiling is too high up to be visible.\n\nLarge coloured gemstones jut out of the floor in a formation around a smooth clear orb. This formation reflects the towers of stacked rock from the mountain summit, albiet in the form of brilliant crystals.\n\nThe fox turns to you, licking her teeth. "Do you dare [[touch|gems1]] them?"\n<<set $blue = true>>\n<<set $red = true>>\n<<set $yellow = true>>\n<<set $black = true>>\n<<set $green = true>>\n<<set $gemt = 0>>

She replies, "That is a story for another time." <<set $sen = true>>\n\nThe fox stares at you unblinking until you decide to [[resume|climb1]] your hike.

<<if $rested1>>\nYou navigate through the star system on your monitor and find yourself drawn to another planet. It is a barren desert with dark red mountains rising up out of the sand in various locations. The planet orbits two suns.\n\nYour SCD is [[ready]].\n\n<<else>>\nYou should sleep before launching to another planet.\n[[Back|chill1]] \n<<endif>>

[[You wake fully charged|bed4]].

//She glanced down at the flames, then back to you. "Hey... is it OK to change my mind? Can I do that?"\n\nYou threw down your cigarette and ran back into the barn, coughing, holding the ladder while she scrambled down. It was hard to see in the smoke, but you caught a glimpse of a smile as you ran out of the barn hand in hand.\n\nThe two of you barely made it out the door when the roof [[gave way|dream3d]]. //\n<<set $rested3 = true>>

"Floating you up would be rather easy to do. But I'd like to see how you handle this, which is exactly why you're going to keep climbing instead, little rabbit."\n<<set $teachMe = true>>\n[[Back|shoot1]]\n<<set $foxqo = $foxqo + 1>>

"My duty binds me here for the next several millenia. I cannot come and go as I please, as you can. The sentinel resides on a planet of spun bronze and iron wire. I trust you will find it without incident..." \n\nHer tail flickers back and forth. \n\n"...There is a doomed civilization on that planet. I know the sentinel is going to try and die with it, so I wish you to stop it from making rash decisions. If it bests you in logic or combat, however, their resolve will be proven and you will let them go. Do you understand?"\n\n- [["Yes."|leave3]]

You gaze at the behemoth approaching your ship. The creature slows as it gets closer and lifts its back out of the water. On its back is a hole the size of your head.\n\nA geyser explodes from the hole, mist obfuscating most of your vision. Moments later a small metal ring lands by your foot with a loud clatter.\n\nYou bend down to pick up the ring and find it surprisingly heavy. You look back to the sea creature but it is already swimming away, a gigantic shadow cutting beneath the waves.\n\nA soft beep from your ship confirms its SCD is ready. Over the horizon cyclones form above the waves with the sunrise. You decide to leave before your ship gets sucked into one. \n\nThe dock folds up as you [[ascend|bio1]], ring in hand.

A small gold light appears in the distance. The fox follows your gaze. "...A cicada?" \n\nHer eyes widen, turning her head to you. "I see now... you are a Vagrant, yes, but I..."\n\nThe humanoids, sensing the fox's distraction, immediately launch through the ring of flame. Most are charred but a few survive and climb over the corpses of the fallen. One reaches the fox and slashes open her skin before your kick sends it back into the [[fire|f3s]].

"Many millenia ago, the Vagrants on this planet predicted their eventual destruction from its own molten core. However, the denizens loved their world too much to leave it behind. Instead of leaving their planet, they remained in their city of bronze beneath the surface. \n\n"Here they experimented with planet creation technologies in a vain attempt to engineer a replica of the planet they would soon be losing... but their technology stagnated, and they never got past the prototype stage of their own [[planet|break2]]."

Leathery green creatures the size of your head. They have various slots in their body and small, beady eyes. They move around with dozens of tentacle-like appendages.\n\n[[Back|uf1]]

"Do not think my distaste unfounded. Forgiveness simply comes slower to me than others. I will not speak more of [[this|at all]]."<<set $o0o = true>>

The fox says, "I don't believe you do, but that's fine. Now, don't you have a mountain to climb?"\n\nShe lands back on the ground and walks to your side, sniffing your feet. "I change my mind about eating you. Your wires will just get stuck in my teeth, and I'd also like to see how far you get."\n\n- "Are you going to [[follow me|guide1]]?"\n- "What's the point if I [[don't have a purpose|mut1]]?"

Phyllic/phobic scaling tools are sharp pikes attached to sticks and are similar in appearance to pickaxes.\n\nA common attunement for phyllic/phobic scaling tools is with soli/aero hooks. When the current configuration of the hook is soliphyllic and aerophobic, the attraction to metals digs the hook deep into the cliff while the repulsion to air prevents it from slipping out.\n\nPressing a button on the tool slightly reverses the phyllic/phobic properties of the hook, causing it to gain a minor repulsion to earthen substances and attraction to air. This allows it to easily be ejected from its embedded surface for repositioning. \n\nPhyllic/phobic scaling tools are typically paired with weight redistribution wires to allow the stress of climbing to be spread throughout the body. Your ship is unfortunately not equipped with such wires.\n\n[[Back|uf1]]

Your seat belt won't unbuckle. [[Fog pools at your legs.|heh]]\n<<set $breach = true>>

''Lucid''\nA space exploration game\nby AC Atienza.\n\n[[Begin|Start1]] \n\n// ( [[Content/Trigger Warnings|Content Warnings]] )\n\n( [[Fragments]] ) //

You step past a small rock embedded in the sand and the shimmer twists into massive opaque forms. A giant stone obelisk stands before you, flanked by smaller arches made of the same unidentifiable black rock. These constructions are made of a different type of stone from the rock mountains that dot the landscape. \nYou step forward to [[touch the obelisk]], acting on a sudden instinct.

In the center of the rock tower formation is a puddle of a metallic liquid. The puddle is circular in shape.\n\nAs you approach it the fox walks up to your side. "Well?" she says, licking her teeth. "What are you waiting for?"\n\n<<if $hasty>>There is no reason to hesitate. You grit your teeth, following your instinct, and jump. When your feet touch the top of the puddle, your senses immediately [[fade away|cave1]].<<endif>><<if $hesitant>>There is no reason to be hasty. You squat down and examine the puddle closer: The liquid is not entirely opaque, and you see a warped image of a cave interior beneath. \n"Touch it!" the fox says, nudging you forward with unanticipated strength. Off-balance, your finger accidentally grazes the top of the puddle and your senses immediately [[fade away|cave1]].<<endif>>\n

The cicada lifts from your ship and flies closer. The glowing, golden insect silently approaches your body. It pauses briefly, as if hesitating, before it shoots towards your forehead. \n\nIts incorpreal form passes into you and disappears. You are left with a deep and somehow melodic humming sensation.\n\nA chorus of piercing screams rings through the air as you climb into your ship and [[ascend|chill5]].

//You stepped out of the elevator. The hall before you was blank and covered in nondescript white tiles from floor to wall to ceiling. The source of light was unclear. There was a room at the end of the [[hall|hall22]].\n//\n

you rush up to the sentinel and focus in on its knee joint. as soon as you step forward the sentinel swings one of its arms with unnatural speed. you try and duck down, but too slowly— the impact sends you skidding down the hall, but you stand up and rush back in full force. this time when the sentinel swings, you aim your own punch at its elbow joint. hitting the joint freezes the arm’s momentum and the sentinel is briefly thrown off-balance. you aim a second punch at its knee joint to topple it over. and five arms push into you at once. the force this time sends you flying across the hall and crashing into the grate of the elevator. even with your reinforced body you can feel something inside you crackling.\n\none more. you stagger back to your feet. \n\n"do not approach. please concede. i do not wish to harm you any further."\n\none of the sentinel’s arms, the one you hit, remains frozen. if you can only hit the other five you can win. you sprint towards the sentinel for one last attempt, swinging your fist as hard as you can. the sentinel forms a fist and swings as well.\n\nyour arm falls far too short to connect. the sentinel jams into your stomach and you crumble to the ground. your vitals are in critical condition. everything around you is so bright. you close your eyes. much better. the ringing in your ears is replaced by a deep and vaguely melodic humming as you slip away from consciousness.\n\n«if $cube = true» a black cube rests behind a hidden stone wall and green arch markings. smooth and ethereal. the sun doesn’t reach this place. you are safe. you are strong. you feel energy returning to you. invigorating you. \n\nyou open your eyes and find yourself on the floor in a bronze hallway. a tall sentinel kneels before you, face passive as ever. it does not speak.\n\nThe sentinel is correct: you have no chance. You’re unsure why you are alive at all. You pull yourself up to your feet and test your limbs. They are surprisingly limber. your internal diagnostics reports a perfectly healthy body.\n\nthe sentinel says: “There is equal value between accepting your weaknesses and knowing your strengths. Walk the line between both.”\n\nyou stand. the sentinel stands as well, and nods at you. it brings its arms back into a position of prayer and remains still.\n\nyou turn and head back to the elevator.\n\nthe circle-shaped button is now lit. you press it.\nPublish

About 5m x 5m in size. Outfitted with a small biocontainment room, charging bed and restroom with a diagnostics machine. Solar-powered, and uses kinetic magnetism to simulate consistent gravity regardless of location. \n\n[[Back|ready to launch]]

body \n\n{\nbackground-image: linear-gradient(to bottom, #0A122A, black);\nbackground-attachment: fixed;\n /* Vertical centering */\n height: 100%;\n}\n{\nbackground-color:#0A122A;\n}\nh1\n\np\n{\nfont-family:"Arial";\nfont-size:20px;\n}\n\n.passage {\n width: 400px !important}\n\n

"I am the sentinel. I trust my consort sent you here on account of my interest in Vagrants. Regardless of your feelings on your deafness to the Voice my information may interest you." \n\nThe sentinel lifts two of its palms before continuing. "The Voice of the Cosmos has informed me it has a centralized origin. It has furthermore provided me with its location. What this means is as one who does not have duties binding them. You are theoretically free to visit it."\n\n- "Wouldn't I be unable to [[hear|hear0]] the Voice even if I find its source?"\n- "If I visit can I then [[learn|see0]] my purpose?"

Humanoid, with several differences from actual humans.\n\nThe bronze construct appears entirely mechanical and has six arms. You could examine it with more detail if you were closer.\n\n[[Back|land4]]

You usually remember your dreams but here your mind draws a [[blank|ship]].

With a whirring and clicking of gears, a swirling distortion in space appears before your ship. There is a brief pause where everything is perfectly, absolutely silent -- then, with an explosion, your ship blasts forward into the wormhole.\n\nYou emerge surrounded by a whirl of purple and indigo wavelengths of light, your ship speeding towards the massive black circle in front of you. \n\nHad your ship's calibration malfunctioned further, even with overcompensation? Your approach to the event horizon is nigh. You know your ship will be unable to pull away.\n\n...You [[close your eyes]].

//Along with the evolution of our universe comes many races of creatures. All creatures begin and end their lives along single, winding lines. However, while most races follow a role placed before them to fulfil the plan of the universe, there are some who are given no audible role at all.\n\nNo creature can escape their beginning and end. But Dreamers, through their decisions and actions, can craft [[their own paths|x3]] to them.//

You fumble with the release. The fog is [[cold|ha]] on your arms and makes your hands shake.

Over time your stride becomes a march, which becomes a crawl. Eventually you are unable to find purchase in the slope so you take out your soli/aero hooks. They are warm in your hands and work surprisingly well, doing most of the embedding and releasing work themselves. Trees somehow continue to grow as tall as ever despite the extreme angle of the ground, bending outward before curving up to the sky and branching out.\n\nThe fox trots vertically beside you with a toothy grin occassionally making [[remarks|humans]] as you climb. While mildly insulting, the fox's chatter does help distract you from the task of dragging yourself up the cliff and nagivating around the tree trunks. While the planet's smaller size enhances your climbing ability due to the lesser gravity, the advantage is neatly countered by the difficulty of scaling a near-vertical mountainside.\n\nYou have been climbing in relative silence for a while when the fox suddenly jumps from the cliff and floats closer to you. "Ah," she says, eyes glowing. "This is [[interesting|shoot1]]."

The tools are powered by kinetic energy and are supposedly self-sufficient. Pulling onto an angled tree trunk to support yourself, you give your tools some experimental swings to power them up again. Nothing happens. \n\n[[Back|shoot1]]

A high pitched tone wakes you and indicates imminent descent. You strap yourself into the cockpit and prepare the autopilot to land. \n\nYour ship unfolds a large square base as it descends. It lands in moonlit water with a shudder before taking on the rocking of gentle waves. \n\nThe atmosphere of most planets is harmless for a body of [[your design|rb]], so you can sit outside on the [[dock]] of your ship while you wait for your SCD to recharge.\n\nYou could also [[submerge|Submerge]] and explore the bottom of the ocean.\n

''Lucid''\n\nA space exploration game\nby AC Atienza.\n

You open your eyes and find yourself incredibly well-rested. You climb out of your bed and only when you reach the ship's cockpit do you remember you had not fallen asleep in your ship's charging station/bed, but the middle of a hallway. \n\nAccording to your sensors, no life forms have been detected around your vicinity since your visit to the biocontainment room. Your heat-redistribution suit is no longer on your body, but back in the equipment room.\n\nThe light on your SCD indicator is lit, so you distract yourself by strapping in and ascending, leaving the desert planet [[behind|chill2]]. <<set $hall = true>><<set $rested2 = true>>

"Exploration? Is this truly the extent of your purpose? My delicious friend. Are you, by any chance, a Vagrant?"\n\n"What is a [[Vagrant|wc1]]?"

With a whirring and clicking of gears, a swirling distortion in space appears before your ship. There is a brief pause where everything is perfectly, absolutely silent -- then, with an explosion, your ship blasts forward into the wormhole.\n\nYour ship emerges on a direct collision course with a large moon. The residual velocity from your jump hurtles you towards the surface with alarming speed. You reach for your throttles, but luckily autopilot has already activated full reverse to brake your ship. You stabilize relatively quickly, safe from impact. \n\nHowever, your ship must finish landing and recalibrate itself before launching again. You take a deep breath as your ship completes its controlled [[landing|land4]].

Your biocontainment cell has three metallic rings resting on the bottom of the tank. Tiny splinters are forming from each of them. <<if $look>>The metallic creatures are gone.<<endif>>\n\n[[Back|chill5]]

The only specimen in your biocontainment room is the metallic ring.\n\nTiny chromatic life forms swim around in the cell. They resemble squid-like palm trees in shape, shrinking inward before opening their 'leaves' to propel forwards. The metal ring rests on the bottom of the cell, smooth and free of splinters.\n<<set $look = true>>\n[[Back|chill4]]

Your metallic ring is the only specimen in the biocontainment room.\nThe ring's splinters had formed new, smaller rings, which gently sway in the water. \n\n[[Back|chill3]]

The only specimen in your biocontainment room is the metallic ring. \nYour ring rests at the bottom of the tank, currently visible through the glass. Your ring had begun to splinter at the edges, sharply curving away from it. \n[[Back|chill2]]

The only specimen in your biocontainment room is the metallic ring. \nThe cell containing it is filled with water and walled away from light. \nThere is nothing to look at except the wall of the cell.\n<<set $br1 = true>>\n[[Back|chill1]]

[[struggle|~]] \n[[relax and float|pulling]]

Your monitor blinks with an update to your surroundings as you near the bottom of the ocean: Massive metallic rings line the ocean floor, with impossibly smooth designs spiraling upwards from the rings like slivers. The splinters twist and break apart into smaller rings, where even smaller splinters rise outward to form new tiny rings.\n\nYour ship glides across the bottom of the ocean. Ring / splinter patterns continue everywhere you go. After some time there is a bang against the side of your ship. Apparently one of the smaller rings had broken off from the larger ones and was now resting just outside your ship. You decide to pull it into the airlock of your ship for [[retrieval]].\n

You lie down on your bed and [[close your eyes.|dream2]]

A space exploration game.

[[You wake fully charged|bed5]].

[[again|@]]\n[[this time|!]]

<<if $foxqo eq 3>>\nYou look up the mountain. You've got [[some climbing|climb2]] left to do.\n<<else>>\n\nThe scaling tools in your hand suddenly grow cold. You press the reversal button to disengage the pike from the cliff. Nothing happens. For whatever reason, your scaling tools have lost all [[power|power1]].\n\n\nYou look over to the fox. \n<<if not $canYouHelpMe>>\n- "Can you [[help|help1]] me?"\n<<endif>>\n<<if not $didYouDoThis>>\n- "Did you [[do this|dothis]]?"\n<<endif>>\n<<if not $teachMe>>\n- "Can you teach me to [[float like you|float]]?"\n<<endif>>\n<<endif>>

You wake up [[fully charged|bed1]].

<<if $soli>>You are standing in a forest of trees as tall as cliffs. The setting sun throws its final rays of light across the forest floor, and between distant tree leaves above is a soft sky gradient of orange and indigo. \n\nThere are no other points of interest here. Your beacon should be able to lead you [[back to your ship|launch3]].\n<<else>>You are now standing in a forest of trees as tall as cliffs. The setting sun throws its final rays of light across the forest floor, and between distant tree leaves above is a soft sky gradient of orange and indigo. \n\nSomething on your waist buckle is [[humming.|soli]] \n\nThere are no other points of interest here. Your beacon should be able to lead you [[back to your ship|launch3]].\n<<endif>>

The fox drifted closer, still twisting in the air. \n\n"Now, this is important: \nThe universe was not merely created //by// her. \nThis universe //was// her. \nAnd it will always be inside her.\nDo you understand her importance?"\n\n"Yes, I [[understand|under1]]."\n"I don't know what this has to do with the [[Will of the Cosmos|cos1]]."\n

Still broken, unfortunately. Luckily with a gentler slope they can still be of use. \n\n[[Back|crawl]]

"I am a guardian and storyteller. I do not guard Vagrants, and the day I do shall be the day I die. But the Cosmos tells me many stories, and there is one legend even Vagrants like you should know -- of the most reverent role one could be asked to fulfil. So listen well, little rabbit."\n\nThe fox continues floating as she speaks, her ethereal flames cycling through a spectrum of colours.\n\n"A long time ago, there was a girl called the Dreamer. When she was awake, she absorbed everything, good or bad, that happened around her. She took in the victories and defeats of the world, internalizing every experience in her own way. \nWhen she fell asleep, she brought those experiences home.\nAnd when she dreamed, her experiences, unique to her, mixed and swirled together into an entirely different [[universe|uni1]]."

"Then there is nothing for you."\n\n- "I [[understand now|golem]]."\n- "I wish to [[fight|true1]] you regardless."

//We love you so much. And we are so, so proud of you.// \n\nAn immensely deep and melodic sensation courses through your body. A cosmos of experiences and aspirations and strengths and setbacks, ancient and new and invigorating, swirls together within you. You climb into your ship and strap yourself [[into the cockpit|start2]].

<<if $sen>>"Indeed! It is the sentinel.<<else>>"It is the sentinel.<<endif>> It resides on a planet spun with thick iron and bronze wires, and it has an obsession with Vagrants. I trust you'll find it without incident."\n\nThe flames surrounding the fox grow dimmer. "Well?" she says. "You better leave before I get hungry."\n\n- [["Goodbye."|leave3]]\n- [["You don't want to come with me?"|come1]]

You wait a moment to collect yourself before jumping, and realize if you pull out your hooks you can have a better chance of latching onto the next tree.\n<<set $hesitant = true>> <<set $go = true>>\nAs you grab your hooks a strong gust rushes past. Your tree bends, beginning to snap under your weight. You launch to the next tree with as much force as you can, but the gust causes you to miscalculate your angle. Your tools allow you to find purchase in the [[tree|climb5]] but the rest of your body crashes into the trunk with a painful crack.

The hexagonal plates on the ground are arranged in paths. For a moment your foot steps off the plates onto the moss and screaming fills your ears and you cover them and it does nothing. Then something flutters in the distance. It is bright and [[gold|q2]].

Once your ship finishes ascending you place the ring into your [[biocontainment system|biocontainment1]]. After a few moments of scanning, the cell fills with water and lowers a wall to block out light. There's not much else to look at [[here|chill1]].

"If you do have a purpose you would learn it by visiting. I theorize your deafness is merely an inability to hear the Voice at a distance. This may have been purposely implemented by the Voice of the Cosmos so only those who choose to pursue their meaning may hear it. Should you attempt to visit you can ascertain whether or not you have purpose for existing."\n\nYour conversation is interrupted by a flash of light from the [[metal|break1]] planet above you.

The fox swishes her tail, saying, "Oh, you're no fun."\n\n- "I taste [[awful|awful1]]."\n- "I'm on a [[mission|mission1]]."\n- "I just [[don't want to die|die1]]."

<<if $rested5>>Your bed is imprinted with your body shape.\n\n[[Back|chill5]] \n<<else>>Your bed is waiting. You can [[dream|dream5]] here.\n\n[[Back|chill5]] \n<<endif>> \n

A streak of flame plummets from the sky above you and crashes into the ground with a tremor. The mountain scene shatters into a plain of hexagonal stone pathways surrounded by black foamy moss. A white fox enrobed in flame leaps at the figure grasping on your leg, biting its arm clean off. It releases its shrill scream but is cut short due to its immolation by [[the fox|f1]].

//The next room was hot, even for you. You averted your gaze from the center of the room because of the intense light there. It was a tiny [[sun|the beginning2]].//

"Hello, there." the fox says. "My millenia of service had passed, so I was granted leave to visit my consort until my next task arose." \n\nShe generates a large ring of flame around the two of you as she speaks. "Of course, that was't possible... though I forgive you. The sentinel was always a stubborn one. But that is why I sought you out instead. Out of curiosity, of course, to see just how far one Vagrant's luck could hold out. How interesting that we should meet on this planet, though! I have unfinished business here myself."\n\nYou get to your feet. Outside the ring of fire is a building crowd of the figures, the long-fingered creatures of [[humanoid form|f2]].

<<if $o0o>>"These are not hallucinations," the fox says with a snarl. "We shared this planet once, until we one day spoke with these Vagrants and informed them of their deafness to the Voice. They fell into a rage and slaughtered my weaker bretheren before we could escape. They still attempt to kill us even now whenever we try to return home. Do you now understand my distaste for Vagrants? If not for the influence of my consort, I would have slain you the moment we met."<<else>>"These are not hallucinations," the fox says with a snarl. "We shared this planet once, until we one day spoke with these Vagrants and informed them of their deafness to the Voice. They fell into a rage and slaughtered my weaker bretheren before we could escape. They still attempt to kill us even now whenever we try to return home."<<endif>>\n\nThe crowd grows. A heavy [[blizzard|g4]] rushes through the fog, and though you recognize it to be a hallucination you still [[feel|f3]] a chill.

//Your body was small and weak and filled with flimsy organs and covered in fragile layers of flesh. \nYou were fodder. \nYou were [[nothing|circle-shaped2]].//

Whenever she floats out of reach, the figures turn their attention back to you until she descends into their range again.\n\n"If they believe they can kill me," the fox says, "they will care not about you."\n\nShe leaps towards you with [[jaws agape|fb]]. Her mouth closes around your arm before she launches upwards and over the mass of figures, lifting you with her. She drops you outside the circle before turning back to the crowd. "I would accompany you but that would draw them to your ship. Follow the cicada, Dreamer!"\n\nYou turn away and dash to the light. From back in the fog, you hear the fox shouting as you run: "Farewell, little rabbit! May we meet again on the [[other side|f5]]!"

Your legs are numb and in the dark of the fog your thoughts begin to blur once again and <<if $obelisk>>black obelisks twist into existence in your path with a grating scraping sound. You pass through the obelisks as if incorporeal.<<endif>><<if $hallway>>you're running through a black hallway again and looking at the bronze sentinel, the white fox, the metallic ring. An image of who you used to be. You concentrate on the cicada and push forward.<<endif>><<if $cube>>your path starts to glow green with intricate patterns and you nearly trip over a hundred black cubes strewn about the path even though they aren't there.<<endif>>\n\nYour path turns to [[water|f6]]

and you are battered with ocean tides as you push forward to the cicada. It is perched on the patched metal hull of your ship, which rests against the splinter of a large metal ring. \n\nThe splinter must have been responsible for the hull breach from when you first [[landed|f7]]. Your ship's nanorepair bots have fixed the breach while you were gone.

//You wished to see more. A set of tiles across the room obliged and shifted to make a door for you.\n\nA cloud covered the ceiling in this room. Light mist descended from the cloud and coalesced in puddles. You were being [[observed|explore8]].//

The flames surrounding the fox undulate in size, swishing as if blown by an ethereal breeze. "Do you have something against [[death|ydk1]], little rabbit? What makes you think it such an awful thing?"

//There is so much more than this room.\nIn response to your whim, several wall tiles glowed deep yellow before shifting out of your way. They created a hole to the next room for you to walk through.\n\nThe tiles arranged themselves back to their original positions when you stepped through.\n\nA tank of water rested in the middle of the room. Bubbles rose from a group of tiny black creatures darting around [[underwater|explore0]].

Your surroundings gradually become lighter as you rise, turning back to shades of blue. By the time you reach the surface, the waves are shimmering with blinding brightness in the rising sun. Your ship pauses briefly to reconfigure its engines, then with a tremor, blasts out of the water and upwards into [[space|chill1]].

//The next room had several rocks sitting in a pile. You felt a gravity or magnetism lifting your arm, pulling your hand closer. You recoiled from the [[rocks|explore7]]. //

You stand [[together|f2]] against the winter storm.

[[somewhere dark|@]]\n[[somewhere bright|!]]

"I am the sentinel."\n\n- "How did you know the [[fox|fox0]] sent me?"

With a whirring and clicking of gears, a swirling distortion in space appears before your ship. There is a brief pause where everything is perfectly, absolutely silent -- then, with the sound of an explosion, your ship blasts forward into the wormhole.\n\nYou emerge in orbit of the sand planet. The rare dual sun system places this planet in near-constant daylight. Rocky mountains break up the expansive tides of sand that cover the world. \n\nYour ship glides smoothly to the ground and lands without incident at the base of a rock mountain. Your monitor cites that the natural temperature of the planet is far too deadly for biological beings, even enhanced ones such as yourself, so you don your heat-redistribution suit before stepping outside.\n\nThere is a cave system beside where your ship had landed. You can see something [[glowing|Enter the cave]] inside. Towards the desert, in the distance, you can see a faint [[shimmer|Enter the desert]] in the air.

Something in your ship's planetary detection system must have been malfunctioning to cause you to emerge from your jump on collision course with the metal planet's moon. \n\nFrom your port window you see a bronze [[construct|bronze]] some distance away. Your ship needs some time to recalibrate, especially with its failing system, so you step outside onto the moon to [[examine|land4a]] the construct.

"The truly brave, however, were those who understood they would never succeed in their quest to build their replica yet chose to remain with their planet to the end. They crafted a bronze construct to serve as their guardian and to allow them to follow through with their fate. This construct, by miracle of the Cosmos, had heard the Voice. It lived for a long time following its directives. But its purpose has passed."\n\nThe sentinel's arms stop moving. "My life ends here. You may mourn the death of this civilization or you may leave."\n\nYou have a duty to fulfil to the fox. You do not have a choice.\n\n- [["I will not let you die."|n1]]

<<if $halla>>[[...|collapse]]<<else>>[[...|wake2]] <<set $rested2 = true>><<endif>>

Nanorepair should fix your ship right up if you can find it you can't have walked far you must have fallen asleep and walked through your [[dreams|dreams9]].\n\nYou do not see shapes of tall things in the fog and you don't hear shuffling sounds of anything approaching you are //fine// you are fine.\n\nYou [[run|q]].

While descending you hear a loud scraping sound against the hull of your ship. You scramble for your ship's controls to stop its movement, but there only appeared to be a slight miscalculation of landing positioning due to the fog and the ship soon resumes its regular landing procedure.\n\nHowever, a loud hissing rings from somewhere in the ship. Whatever scraped the hull was sharp and forceful enough to breach it. Fog rushes into the ship and begins to fill it.\n\nYou can head for the [[equipment room|haha]] to find a mask or the [[breach itself|heheh]] to try and seal it.

You place a hand on one of the rocks. It is smooth and cold. \nNothing else happens. \nYou remove your hand and [[the stones remain|summit2]].

"You radiate her aura. Your perception of her as a fox is intriguing."\n\n- "Are you the [[sentinel?|sen1]]"

As you reach for your pikes the fox says, "Trying to replace something you've lost? Do you truly need physical evidence for everything?"\n\nYou put your pikes away, leaving the rocks [[untouched|summit2]].

//[[...Have good dreams.|end2]]//

The creases around the tile glow a deep black with your touch. You remove your hand and the tile bobs as though [[floating|q3]] in water.

[[...|gems3]]

The ghost of swirling distortion hangs in the stone archway, displaying a roiling mass of hot metal on the other side. Shadows of humanoid shapes [[rush by|q3a]].

<<if $rested3>>Your room's nondescript nature is calming. Your bed looks inviting.\n\n[[Back|chill3]] \n<<else>>Your bed looks inviting. You are [[tired|dream3o]].\n\n[[Back|chill3]] \n<<endif>>

<<if $rested2>>Your room could use some decorating. \n\n[[Back|chill2]] \n<<else>>Your room could use some decorating.\nYou can [[sleep|dream2o]] here.\n\n[[Back|chill2]] \n<<endif>>

<<if $rested1>>Your bedroom is sparsely furnished, most of the space dominated by your charging bed. \n\n[[Back|chill1]] \n<<else>>Your bedroom is sparsely furnished, most of the space dominated by your charging bed. You can [[sleep|dream1o]] here.\n\n[[Back|chill1]] \n<<endif>>

The cockpit, like the rest of the ship, is furnished only with practical necessities. There is a monitor displaying a star system, your cockpit, and several manual piloting tools alongside autopilot commands. \n\nYou can [[search|new planet]] for another planet or [[return|chill1]] to the hallway.

Your ship whirs briefly before pulling in its dock and sinking beneath the waves. <<set $underwater = true>>\n\nFiltered moonlight from the port window grows darker as you descend. The world around you eventually turns black, with the only light coming from the [[dim screen]] before you.

<<if $rested2>>You turn on your screen and navigate to the starmap, one planet in particular catching your eye. It has a mostly oceanic surface with one large green continent. \n\n[[Launch|Familiar planet]] \n[[Back|chill2]]\n<<else>>You should sleep before launching.\n[[Back|chill2]] \n<<endif>>

You reach the first lower branches of the tree, pull yourself up and put away your hooks. Climbing the tree is much faster than phyllo/phobic tools, though as you near the top wind sways you back and forth. Your weight will likely cause the tree to snap if you go any higher.\n\nThe next tree trunk is a fair jump away. If you miscalculate, or the wind blows unexpectedly, you will miss and fall down the mountain.\n\nYou take a deep breath. Should you jump as [[soon as possible|jumpnow]] before you overthink it? Or [[wait|jumplater]] for the right moment?

When you touch the green gem you hear a soft whistle from somewhere in the cave, like wind across reeds. The large stone radiates an energizing light. \n<<set $green = false>><<set $gemt = $gemt + 1>>\n[[Back|gems1]]

AC Atienza

[[...|dream5b]]

[[...|dream6]]

[[...|wake4a]]

You've been thinking of going to space for a while. Earth is old and tired, and some part of you feels like you're already drifting in space, stealing light like a black hole. At any rate, there are few people left who are important to you.\n\nLuckily, technology has advanced enough to allow, after some saving up, for your own [[personal exploration vessel]]. \n\n[[Back|Start1]]

[[...|wake1a]]

The sentinel remains still as it speaks: "I theorize your deafness is merely an inability to hear the Voice at a distance. This may have been purposely implemented by the Voice of the Cosmos so only those who choose to pursue their meaning may hear it. Should you attempt to visit you can ascertain whether or not you have purpose for existing."\n\nYour conversation is interrupted by a burst of light from the [[metal|break1]] planet above you.

You wake up [[fully charged|bed3]].

"I do not know why the Cosmos has asked me to prevent you from entering the bronze city. Perhaps the bronze city would distract you from your path. Perhaps a great peril awaits you there. Perhaps this is merely a lesson in learning to accept your limitations. I am only a Sentinel. I am not a being of worth outside this planet. But you do have a greater purpose. Do not forget this. Acknowledge and accept your limitations so you may continue living."

Your seat belt won't unbuckle. [[Fog pools at your legs|heh]].\n<<set $equip = true>>

You try to speak but you have no mouth. \n\n<<if $free>>//We are touched you appreciate your freedom of purpose. We have no intention of alienating you when we allow your evolution. //<<else>>//We are touched you revere the roles and guidelines we set upon other races of the universe. Please understand we have no intention of alienating you when we allow your evolution.//<<endif>>\n\n//We recognize you hear this story in your past. However, you only hear the abridged tale. So listen well, [[little cicada|x2]].//

You take a lap around the plateau and find yourself winded [[sooner than expected|summit2]]. You sense your body is inhibiting your energy expedenture in response to the thinner air in the event of a prolonged stay.

A dot of white light appears from somewhere in the darkness.\n\n//Once they have a safe space and the empowerment to do so, they begin to recognize both their strengths and their shortcomings. Mixed with the experiences of their lives, within each Dreamer begins to coalesce their own [[universe|x4]].//

//<<set $rested4 = true>>\nTiles spread apart for you as you walked. The walls of the next hallway were made of [[bronze|wake4]].//

Her [[grin|f4]] is unnaturally wide and her teeth impressively sharp.

"I am bound to accept the will of Vagrants who best me in combat. I recommend allowing me to pass rather than sustaining combat injury prior to allowing my passage. Accept your limitations."\n\nYou have no choice.\n\n- [["I will fight you."|n2]]

//You did not need to see the far wall to know tiles had opened to the next room. An overwhelming sucking force tore your body from the floor and sent you hurtling through the air towards the other side. You closed your desire and the sucking stopped. You crashed on the floor.\n\nThe next room was filled with nothing but empty space. \n\nYou stood up. Sensing your decision, a square-shaped speck of light materialized some distance away from you. It was long [[way back|back22]].//

The sentinel says, "Admittedly... we cannot be certain. Little research has been done on Vagrants because the Cosmos has seldom willed us so.\n\nRegardless. You will not learn of your place relative to the Cosmos by entering the bronze city. Will you concede?"\n\n- "Yes, I will [[leave|golem]]."\n- "No, I wish to [[fight|true1]] you for the opportunity to visit this city."

The debris of an abandoned barn [[lies|q4]] beside a fallen tree.

...[[Time passes|t]]. The lights roaring and flickering through your eyelids eventually grow dark. Then, from somewhere in the distance, you feel a faint sigh like a held breath finally released. \n\nYou open your eyes and scan for any trace of the planet, but there is [[nothing|n6]].

The fox says, "There is... something grand somewhere, beyond the scope of our senses. It speaks to us, and we call it the Voice of the Cosmos. It gives us purpose with its directives. We all-- well, //most of us//-- work together to fulfil that perfect plan for the universe." The fox squints at you. "But for reasons we cannot discern, there are some races that cannot hear the Voice [[at all]]."

The white light grows larger, and as it does so, you look down to find your body reconstructing itself. Wires spin into place beneath fiberglass and sheets of metal into your arms, your legs, your hands.\n\n//As a "Vagrant" you are not provided with purpose. But because of this, because you are your own universe, you need not follow any Voice but your own. You define your own significance.// \n\nTo your side your spaceship begins to reconstruct itself as well. Panels and wires and tanks unravel from fragments of shooting light and form together [[whole|x5]] again.

The sentinel's voice becomes abruptly sharp. "I will not permit you to deny my existence."\n\nYou hear the sound of a grate sliding down behind you, presumably locking the elevator shaft. You now have no choice but to [[fight|true1]].

You stand in silence, thinking of a reply.\n\nThe fox's ears twitch. "You really don't know what you're doing," she says, "do you?"\n\nAfter a brief pause, she says, "Ah, you must be a Vagrant. How disappointing."\n\n- "What is [[that|wc1]]?"

The flames surrounding the fox become brighter, obscuring more of her form as she speaks: "Perhaps if you return, I can tell you more wonderful stories! I expect we will meet again." \n\nThe fox abruptly turns away from you, leaping into the air and flying away through the trees in a blinding streak of fire. \n\nYou nod in the fox's direction, and after a final glance at the planet's tall trees and green mountains, you enter your ship and [[ascend|chill3]].

You feel a burning in your stomach. You shut your eyes against the blinding pulses of the imploding planet and curl up to [[stop yourself|n5a]] from shaking.

//You hesitated at the entrance of the next room. It was the largest you had encountered, unlit and empty. You couldn't see the ceiling or the other three walls.\n\nAs you stepped forward the reforming tiles behind you shut out all light.\n\nWhen your eyes adjusted to the darkness you found you were mistaken: the room was not entirely empty. Tiny lights far away streaked around the room, sometimes exploding into even smaller pieces of light. Closer to the ceiling [[you could see|y9]] distant and vast formations of nebulae.

Your spaceship is ready to launch.\nAre you [[ready|ready2]]?

The breathing sound comes from your mouth as your mechanical lungs compress and decompress air through heavy filtration systems which came online to combat toxic fog. This fog interferes with coherent thought and perception and causes erratic behaviour in excess and you need to find your [[ship]].

While your ship prepares to land on the planet of trees you note an arrangement of stones atop one of the mountains. Unfortunately, your ship is unable to land on the mountain due to size restraints. Because of the thick density of trees and sloped ground everywhere else, the closest area for landing is several miles away from the mountain at the edge of a cliff.\n\nAside from your location at the cliff, the entire landscape is either a mountain or valley. The trees are nearly as tall as cliffs, somehow unbreaking despite their considerable height. The density of trees does not seem to change, even on the mountains, except for the highest peak you noticed earlier where a rocky plateau juts out from the carpet of green.\n\nShould you attempt to climb the mountain, you could see what is at the top where the [[trees no longer grow|uf1]].\n\n

You stand in your ship's hallway.\n\nFrom here you can go to the [[restroom|rest4]], your [[bedroom|bed4]], the [[biocontainment room|br4]] and the [[cockpit|ck4]].

<<if $rested2>>You step up to your diagnostics machine. After a brief scan of your body, the display reads:\n//\n}{ power: 99% \n}{ health: 125% [augmentations detected]\n}{ you are EMPOWERED. \n}{ physical exertion recommended.\n//\n\n[[Back|chill2]] \n<<else>>You step up to your diagnostics machine. After a brief scan of your body, the display reads:\n//\n}{ power: 55% \n}{ health: 125% [augmentations detected]\n}{ you are on LOW-POWER MODE. \n}{ sleep heavily suggested.\n//\n[[Back|chill2]] \n<<endif>>

"You radiate her aura. Your perception of her as a fox is intriguing...\n\n"I trust my consort sent you here on account of my interest in Vagrants. Regardless of your feelings on your deafness to the Voice my information may interest you." \n\nThe sentinel lifts two of its palms before continuing. "The Voice of the Cosmos has informed me it has a centralized origin. It has furthermore provided me with its location. What this means is as one who does not have duties binding them. You are theoretically free to visit it."\n\n- "Wouldn't I be unable to [[hear|hear0]] the Voice even if I find its source?"\n- "If I visit can I then [[learn|see0]] my purpose?"

Steam hisses from the sentinel's joints as it enters a fighting stance. "I apologize."\n\nCrippling its joints may allow you to gain an advantage. You dash towards its knee joint to deliver a strike, but the sentinel responds with blurred speed. It delivers a swift smack that sends you flying back and crashing at the foot of the black stone arch. [[Something cracks|n3]].

You stagger to your feet and run back to the sentinel, who had been stepping closer to the arch. You dodge the first two arms before another slams you to the ground. The sentinel remains unscathed.\n\nAs you try to stand, fighting to stay conscious, an overwhelming wave of energy emanates from the planet above and knocks you down [[again|n4]]. Even the sentinel's metallic form rattles in the force.

You crawl back over to the sentinel but collapse at its side. A swirling distortion appears in the stone archway, displaying a roiling mass of hot metal on the other side. Shadows of humanoid shapes rush by.\n\nWhen it reaches the arch, the sentinel says, "The Voice of the Cosmos is located at a crystal planet orbiting a dying star. You will know when you find it. Your ship is unable to jump to such a distant location however and must recharge on another planet in the meantime." Its gears pause momentarily, as though glitching. "...If you meet my consort again. Tell her I will meet her on the [[other side|n5]]."\n\nThe sentinel steps through the arch, and the portal dissipates shortly thereafter.

Your ship scans the object after being sucked into the airlock. Internal scanners indicate the metallic rings are not poisonous or harmful and are in fact a type of creature/plant hybrid. It proves to be remarkably heavy when you try to pick it up.\n\nYou finally manage to haul the organism into the [[biocontainment system|bio3]] on your ship, which finishes absorbing it right as your ship emits a soft beep. The beep means your SCD has recharged, so you return to your seat as your ship ascends back to the water's [[surface]].

You pull yourself up and stagger back to your ship. \n\nBy reaching the Voice of the Cosmos, you can determine whether you have a designated purpose or not. \n\nWithout a purpose, you are [[free|f]] to do anything you desire. \nWith a purpose, you can have [[solace|s]] in knowing you have value.\nWould one be preferable over the other?