This interactive story is based off of the Myth of Sisyphus, an ancient Greek myth where the subject (Sisyphus) is subjected to an eternal punishment.
Most events in the story are fictionalized to give you multiple possibilities of what Sisyphus did during his life.
You have the ability to choose the path of Sisyphus. You can steer him away (or towards) that punishment.
[[Start->Story Begin]]You wake up as the mid-morning sun peeks through the windows of your room. It wasn't the best sleep, but you've had worse. Barely. You crawl out of your bed of feathers and put on a robe.
As you move to the window you gaze down upon Corinth; The home of you, your family, and countless other families whom you govern over. The streets are ripe with merchants, horses, and the occasional musician getting an early start.
"Good morning. I hope you got a little bit of sleep; It looks like you had some bad dreams again." You turn around to see Merope looking at you from the door fully dressed and ready to go about her day.
"On a day like this too. At least I got //some// sleep. I don't know if I want to make the journey without being at my best. If tragedy happens, I would be responsible."
"You would be responsible either way. You //are// the king. I'm sure you know what's best."
As Merope turns away to walk downstairs, you turn to her and say:
[["I don't know what would be worse: If something were to happen on their journey, or if I wasn't there to help them."->Take The Journey]]
[["I can't in good faith go with them and risk causing an accident. They already had more people than they need anyways, so they shouldn't miss my company. How about a play?"->Go To Play]]
[["If I went I would be a danger to those around me. My people. That's no behavior for a king. How about we go meet the people out in the countryside?"->To The Countryside]]As you board the ship you notice that it seems to be overloaded with men. Thankfully you have your own private quarters.
The journey is long and arduous. Kingship does not relieve one of duty on a journey like this. Everyone pulls their weight amongst the crew. The captain however, lets you rest for the first days to recover your strength. "Out here so close to shore we shouldn't have a problem. If you're not at your best in the thick of it, then we could have problems. Go rest for a few days."
The water stretches endlessly into the horizon as you have dreams of home. Days turn to weeks. Weeks turn to months. The voyage never ends.
That is until a lookout yells in giddy excitement, "Land! Land! We've finally made it! Thanks the gods!"
As you edge ever closer to the shores you grab a telescope to gaze upon this fated land. Lush green jungles lay near the beaches. Beyond the trees you see ruins of a civilization long past.
You call out, "Captain! The ruins are just over there!"
The captain chirps back, "Ha, looks like we won't have to wait long men! The beast is closer than we'd thought." Turning to you, the captain says, "You said you wanted to fight this thing, right? We'll try our best to protect you, but I'd recommend you stay back a bit if you want to live."
You make for land among 20 other men. After getting ready, the captain asks, "Your highness, since this journey is by your request, I think it only makes sense for you to decide our path. Should we [[go straight through the thick of the jungle->Thick of it]], or [[skirt around the edges to find a less obstructed path?->Play it safe]]""Okay. I know how much you love the arts."
You and Merope go on to the play. It's a tale about 2 star-crossed lovers of separate houses who do everything they can to be together.
Eventually, you and Merope head back home.
Years begin to pass and eventually you find yourself on your deathbed. Merope is next to you holding your hand. You reflect back on your life wishing you had done more, but at least you had your wife. There's nothing wrong with relaxing during your time on the Earth.
You smile as the world fades into darkness.You and Merope travel the countryside. Rolling hills covered with vineyards leave you breathless in their beauty. You stop at houses along the way to greet the people whom you rule. You are graced with tales of farmers defying the odds to survive in a harsh winter, and stories of how one man's mother fought off bandits to protect him as a child.
While on the road, you make your way through a forest. About half an hour in, you come across 2 men on the side of the road with a broken cart bearing the emblem of a neighboring country.
Merope asks you, "Should we help them?"
You turn to her and say:
[["What kind of king would I be if I didn't?"->Help Them]]
[["We have places to go. We can't afford to lose time on foreigners. We'll move around them off of the path."->Avoid Them]]You begin to make your way through the thick jungle brush. With each and every step you grow more weary going through the jungle. After about an hour you come across a large ravine blocking your path.
What would normally be a difficult crossing is made relatively easy by the overgrown forest in this area, allowing you and your crew to climb the trees to get across the ravine. As you make your way across the trees to cross, 4 men accidently fall into the dark depths below. You try to grab for them, but they are just past your grasp.
Just after crossing, you hear a low grumbling noise coming from the bushes to your right. As you are thinking of what might lie behind the bushes, a massive bear leaps out and begins to attack the group. Immediately it slashes 2 men, killing them instantly. It begins to bear down on some more of your crew. What do you do?
[[Lure it into running into the ravine.->Lure Bear]]
[[Use the group of men it's currently running towards as a distraction so you can get a lethal blow.->Lethal Blow Bear]]
[[Play dead.->Play Dead]]Deciding it best to avoid the denser areas of the jungle, you make your way with your crew towards the ruins. Though the path is comparatively easy to travel through, it is not free of it's own challenges.
As you push through the jungle, you come across a ravine so large that it looks as though Hades itself opened up to suck you into its depths. The ravine is flanked by tall trees with long and thick greenish-blue vines that end about 3 feet off the ground.
"Your highness, it would be a damn shame to lose anyone to this ravine. I hate to say it, but I think doubling back to go through the dense parts of the jungle might help. We could climb on trees to get past. Unless you have any other ideas?"
After taking a minute to consider your options, you turn back to the captain and say:
[["You might be right. If we go back through the dense jungle we could find some trees that grow over the pit, and maybe climb over it."->Thick of it]]
[["I think we might be able to make it over if we swing on these vines to the other side. It'll be close, but I think we can manage."->Vines to Beast]]
[["How about we cut down a tree on top of the ravine? We could walk across that way."->Log bridge]]After a half-hour of chopping away at the tree, it's structure finally gives, landing with a resounding crash. It falls easily to the other side of the ravine, giving you and your crew an easy way to cross to the other side.
As you and your crew prepare to go over the bridge, you ponder whether you should go over [[first->Bridge To Beast]] or [[last->Fall off bridge]].You and your crew push into the ruins where the beast lies. The 21 of you find the creature sleeping in its lair. With each breath the creature takes you feel the ground shake, but you came here for a reason: To slay the beast.
The captain whispers to you, "How do you want to do this?"
You turn to everyone and quietly say back:
[["Lets see if we can drop this building on it and kill it quickly."->Collapse The Ruins]]
[["I'm gonna go near it to try to stab it in the heart while it rests. I didn't come here for honor. I came here to kill this damned thing."->Solo Kill The Beast]]The darkness is ended by dim red light in all directions. You look around to see yourself nowhere you've ever seen before. In all directions the landscape is foreign, and you know you've arrived in Hades. No matter who you were in the land of the living, all are the same in Hades. You decide to stop moping around and make the best of it. Maybe Merope will join you one day. You pray to the gods that she won't.
And she doesn't.You and your crew push into the ruins where the beast lies. The 21 of you find the creature sleeping in its lair. With each breath the creature takes you feel the ground shake, but you came here for a reason: To slay the beast.
The captain whispers to you, "How do you want to do this?"
You turn to everyone and quietly say back:
[["Make a circle around it and attack from all angles"->Circle The Beast]]
[["I'm gonna go near it to try to stab it in the heart while it rests. I didn't come here for honor. I came here to kill this damned thing."->Solo Kill The Beast]]You rush to gather a couple of men to stand near the edge of the ravine with you. After the bear tears through 2 more men, you and the 3 men next to you yell to provoke it.
The bear runs toward you at blistering speed. As it draws closer, you are unsure of if you will be able to dodge it.
[[Dodge Early]]
[[Dodge In Unison]]As the bear rushes towards the two men, you order 3 men to help them as you go behind for the kill.
The men in front of the bear scream as you lunge for the bear. You hear 5 bodies hit the ground only feet away from you as you continue to attack the bear. The bear rears up on its feet, as you find a strike to it's heart, ending it's life.
[[You and your crew take some time to recover, and then continue on towards the beast->Bear to Beast]]As you see your men being attacked, you think back to stories of bears leaving people alone if it thinks they are dead. You quickly order, "Everyone, play dead! It will go away!"
After the bear finishes the 2 men, it looks down to see a group of people on the ground, including you, while the rest of your crew runs away.
After a few seconds of inspection the bear crashes down on top of you, and slashes you in the throat with its claws.
[[The world fades into darkness->Entering Hades]]As the monstrosity bears down on you, you realize you've made a grave mistake. While your men stand with you to lure the bear into the ravine, you dash away a second before them. As you look back you see the men scrambling to get out of the way when the bear crashes into them, sending the men and the creature into the ravine to their deaths.
[[You and your men recover and continue on towards the beast->Bear to Beast]]You and your men stand steadfast in the presence of the bear. As it beads down on top of you, you prepare to dodge away. As you attempt to get out of the way, you trip on one of your companions, sending the 4 of you into a tangled knot of bodies. As you all trip into each other, the bear crashes down on you, sending the 4 of you and the bear down into the depths of the ravine.
As you fall, you think of is how things could have been different. How you will never see Merope's face again.
[[The world fades into darkness->Entering Hades]] You and your remaining crew push into the ruins where the beast lies. The 12 of you find the creature sleeping in its lair. With each breath the creature takes you feel the ground shake, but you came here for a reason: To slay the beast.
The captain whispers to you, "How do you want to do this?"
You turn to everyone and quietly say back:
[["Everyone get behind it and attack it in the back before it wakes up."->Attack From Behind]]
[["I'm gonna go near it to try to stab it in the heart while it rests. I didn't come here for honor. I came here to kill this damned thing."->Solo Kill The Beast]]You decide to stay to make sure everyone gets across the bridge safely. ultimately going across last.
As your crew makes their way across you notice that the tree begins to lose its integrity. The last group to cross includes you, and when you are in the middle of the log, it cracks. You are thrown into the depths of the ravine.
[[The world fades into darkness.->Entering Hades]]You all circle the beast and begin to attack. It gnarls its teeth at you all and begins to swipe back, knocking a few of you out and just barely grazing your leg.
For what seems like hours your crew attacks the beast. When all is said and done, it only took a minute. 6 more men died, and everyone was injured in some way or another.
Having completed the mission to kill the beast, you and your crew make your way back to the boat to sail back home to Corinth. What seemed like a year's journey before lasts an eternity in your mind as you think of returning home to Merope.
After returning home, the survivors of the crew tell the story of how you all fought bravely to defeat the beast.
Your life stretches on like the ocean when you departed, until you find yourself laying in your deathbed. Merope is sitting near you, holding your hand as you drift off. You think back on your life wishing you had more time, but in the end you've lived a good life.
You smile as the world fades into darkness.You move forward to kill the beast in its sleep. As you move closer, you hear the beast stir for a moment, prompting some panic from you and your crew. After the beast relaxes again, you make get up next to it to stab it.
You almost feel bad for it as you plunge your sword into its heart, but it needed to die, and you certainly didn't want your crew to be hurt. The beast's eyes flash open for a split second before letting out a yelp and dropping its head to the ground, dead.
Having completed the mission, you and your crew return back to the boat to travel back home to Corinth. What seemed like a year's journey before lasts an eternity in your mind as you think of returning home to Merope.
After returning home, you tell the story of how you bravely defeated the beast. While everyone seems excited in the moment, you grow to realize that no one really believes that you battled the beast in 1-on-1 combat and came out victorious.
Your life stretches on like the ocean when you departed, until you find yourself laying in your deathbed. Merope is sitting near you, preparing to send you off. You think back on your life wishing you had been more courageous, but you can't take back the past.
As you drift into darkness, you feel a cold touch on your shoulder. You open your eyes to see Death himself preparing to bring you to your end.
Do you [[submit]], or do you [[fight him]]?You look death in the eyes and give him a nod.
[[The world fades into darkness.->Entering Hades]]Not feeling ready to go quite yet, you spring up from your bed and wrestle with Death. He seems to be caught off guard, as you pin him to the ground and tie him up.
With Death being tied up, no one can die. You keep Death tied up for a couple of days. After the first day you find Merope and tell her:
[["I feel as though something bad may happen if I keep Death tied up like this. We should let him go. And with him, I."->Let Death go]]
[["Merope, should I die, do not perform the normal rituals of passage on me. I have a plan."->Tell Merope The Plan]]You and your crew get behind the beast to attack it from behind. As you get ready to fight you yell out, "Attack!"
The beast awakes as you and your crew attacks it from behind. To your chagrin, your swords seem to bounce off the back of the beast as if it had some sort of armored exoskeleton.
The beast whips around to you all and begins to attack. After their attacks failing, some of your men flee while you stand strong. One by one your men are slain, until the beast gets to you. It slashes out at you, killing you instantly.
[[The world fades to darkness->Entering Hades]]You and your crew begin to make your way around the ruins, looking for support pillars and whatnot. Eventually you all find something to knock down in hopes of it bringing the building down.
3. 2. 1. You all motion to push, hit, or smash whatever supports you are near. A loud crash echoes throughout the ruins as the ceiling crashes down into the center room on the beast, killing it.
Having completed the mission, you and your crew return back to the boat to travel back home to Corinth. What seemed like a year's journey before lasts an eternity in your mind as you think of returning home to Merope.
After returning home you tell the story of how you all defeated the beast, playing up your teamwork and quick thinking to dispatch of the threat without any casualties.
Your life stretches on like the ocean when you departed, until you find yourself laying in your deathbed. Merope is sitting near you, preparing to send you off. You think back on your life and are thankful that you decided to work together to defeat the beast and get everyone out safe.
You smile as the world fades into darkness.As you approach the men, you call out, "Hello there! It seems you've had an accident. Would you like some help?"
One of the men turns to you and answers, "Oh, hello. It seems we hit a bit rock, and a wheel fell off of our cart. We aren't strong enough to get it back on, but with you we just might be able to. Could you help us?"
"I'd be glad to."
You lift the wheel in unison with the men and place it back on to the cart. As you set the wheel down, 5 men jump out of the trees with knives out. One of them yells, "This is a robbery! Give me all of your money and we might let you go."
You look at them and say:
[["I am the king of this land, and now I know your faces. Let us go or I will have my men hunt you down."->Thieves Kill You]]
[["Please don't hurt us, we'll give you our money."->Thieves Take Money]]
[["You'll have to fight for it!"->Fight Thieves]]You decide to move past the people and continue your travels in the countryside.
Overall, your travels are uneventful. You wished to set out and help the people of your kingdom, but all you really did was listen to people's stories.
You continue your path through life, wishing you had done more for your people, until you lie on your deathbed. You can't help but feel some regret.
[[The world fades into darkness->Entering Hades]]You realize the error in your ways as soon as the words exit your mouth.
"Well then I guess nobody can ever know this happened, huh?" The Thieves run towards you all, cutting you down.
[[The world fades into darkness.->Entering Hades]]After giving the thieves your money they walk off saying, "Thanks for cooperating. I always hate when things get messy."
A few minutes after the thieves leave, you turn to the men you were helping to see them downtrodden. "What are we going to do? We needed that money to build the shop."
You look at Merope, who seems to be listening into the conversation. She asks you, "Should we help them? We have the ability to."
You think for a moment and say:
[["Hey! You two! I'm sorry for the loss of your money, but I happen to be the king. I help you pay for whatever it is you needed your money for."->Pay Their Bills]]
[["I can't believe people would do such a thing. I wish you two the best. Sorry I can't help."->Avoid Them]]You begin to fight the thieves. You knock 2 out before the others kill the men you were helping in the first place. After carefully dodging their attacks, you manage to knock them all out and return home safely with Merope.
As the years pass, you look back on your life and wish you could have saved those men. But now you lie on your deathbed with Merope by your side. As you begin to fall into darkness, you feel a cold touch on your shoulder. You open your eyes to see Death himself preparing to take you into the afterlife.
Do you [[submit]] or do you [[fight him]]?Throughout the years you become close friends with the people you helped. You pay for the construction of their shop, and they live happy lives with their family.
Eventually you lay on your death bed, with Merope next to you to send you off. You think back upon your life and the friends you've made.
You smile as the world fades into darkness.You come to terms with your end and let Death go. At first he is angry, but quickly comes to understand why you did you had.
He swiftly brings you to the afterlife.
[[The world fades to darkness->Entering Hades]]After holding Death hostage for a few days, Ares comes to you to free Death from his bonds. Feeling no desire to disobey the god of war, you let Death go without issue.
After freeing Death, he swiftly takes you to the afterlife.
A week after appearing in Hades, you are told that Merope did not perform the normal rituals to lay you to rest, and task you with returning to the real world to punish her.
After going back to the real world you don't punish Merope. Instead, you stay in the land of the living to live a second life with your wife. Upon dying the second time you appear in Hades again to find Death extremely angry with you.
"For cheating Death I shall punish you with an eternity of labor. Every day for the rest of time you shall roll a boulder up a mountain. It shall be a difficult task, and you shall never gain anything from it. Now begone. Your punishment begins immediately."
You find yourself at the base of a tall mountain with an endless amount of boulders near you. The boulders themselves are enormous, and you can barely move them as is. You begin to push a boulder up the mountain, only to get half way before losing your strength. The boulder rolls down to the bottom of the mountain, leaving you back where you started.
This continues on for months before you get your first boulder to the top. Upon achieving the gargantuan task, you expect some sort of reward, but instead you are tasked with doing it again.
Boulder after boulder you add to the top of the mountain. Eventually you have a pile of them at the top.
You wonder if this existence will ever stop, but you know it won't. For all time you are to push boulders up this mountain. A meaningless task to punish you for cheating Death.
You start to push another one.