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You wake and find yourself laying on soft, blue grass in the clearing of a strange forest.
The large, foreboding trees circling you have a dark green bark that looks to be oozing a strange liquid. The twisted branches with their blue leaves create a canopy over you, blocking your view of the sky.
A sense of dread sweeps over you. You feel as if you are being watched by something evil. You stay completely still, trying desperately to listen for any hint of whatever is watching you, but all you could hear was the distant call of wildlife and the leaves ruslting around you. Eventually, the feeling of being watched passes.
You slowly sit up; wincing at the sharp, throbbing pain pulsing from the back of your head. You reach back and feel the large lump. Your hair is slightly matted with dried blood and it's still tender, but you think you'll be fine. You hope so, at least.
What should you do?
Look for your bagExploreYou wake and find yourself laying on soft, blue grass in the clearing of a strange forest.
The large, foreboding trees circling you have a dark green bark that looks to be oozing a strange liquid. The twisted branches with their blue leaves create a canopy over you, blocking your view of the sky.
A sense of dread sweeps over you. You feel as if you are being watched by something evil. You stay completely still, trying desperately to listen for any hint of whatever is watching you, but all you could hear was the distant call of wildlife and the leaves ruslting around you. Eventually, the feeling of being watched passes.
You slowly sit up; wincing at the sharp, throbbing pain pulsing from the back of your head. You reach back and feel the large lump. Your hair is slightly matted with dried blood and it's still tender, but you think you'll be fine. You hope so, at least.
What should you do?
[[Look for your bag]]
[[Explore]]
Your memory is hazy. Did you have a bag before?
You sigh, looking around your immediate area, before spotting the shredded remains of your bag half hidden in a thorned bush nearby.
You stand, slowly hobble over to it, and gently tug your bag free. It rips completely, and you're left with a half-eaten chocolate bar and, thankfully, a bottle of water.
You realise now how hungry and thirsty you are as you slowly chew at the chocolate after drinking some water.
It seems like more of your stuff is still hidden within the bush, though. You look at the large claw marks on your bag in worry before examining the strange plant, noting a similar excretion as the trees coming from its thorns as well as what looks like blood and fur.
Would it be worth the trouble trying to retrieve whatever else was in your bag?
[[Yes]]
[[No]]\
\
<<addToInv "Bottle of water">>
<<set $water to 1>>
You walk towards the only exit from the clearing: a thin, winding path surrounded by dead trees.
As you follow the beaten path, the feeling you had before of being watched returned. You shudder, and quicken your pace - shooting a few cautious glances over your shoulder as you go.
Panic set into your mind and you swear you can hear thousands of footsteps all around you. The trees seem to be pressing in on you; their roots suddenly hooking your feet to trip you and the branches making desperate grabs at you.
Your ears are ringing with the sounds of moaning and whispering as you are suddenly grabbed by a branch and tugged back slightly. You desperately struggle until you are free and start running.
You begin to feel as if you're suffocating. You can see light faintly ahead of you and whatever you feel watching you is definitely a lot worse than it was before. Maybe you could reach the light if you pushed yourself.
What do you do?
[[Continue on]]
[[Pause to catch your breath|Game Over]]
You wrap the ripped fabric of your bag around your arm - you're not stupid enough to just stick your arm in without protection, afterall - and carefully reach inside.
For a fleeting moment, you thought you felt something alive within the bush, but it passed as quickly as it came. All you could feel was the press of the branches and thorns against the thick fabric of your ruined bag.
After a little while of fiddling around, you manage to pull out the rest of your bag and with it, the rest of your stuff.
You find your keys, wallet and phone.
You felt a buzz of excitment as you unlocked your phone, but that quickly passed as you noticed you had no signal. At least you have a flashlight. You place your new items in your pocket.
You find nothing else in the clearing. You stare at the only exit and feel your stomach twisting into knots. [[There's only one thing left to do now.|Explore]]\
\
<<addToInv Keys>>\
<<addToInv Wallet>>\
<<addToInv Phone>>\
\
<<set $keys to 1>>\
<<set $wallet to 1>>\
<<set $phone to 1>>\
You shake your head, no way are you putting your hand in there. Who knows what those thorns could do or what might be hiding in there. If whatever tore your bag apart got it's claws on you... you shudder at the thought.
You quickly turn away and spot a path. It seems like you have no choice but to press [[forward.|Explore]]
[[Inventory]]
[[About]]
[[Credits]]
<<if $inventory.length == 0>>You are not carrying anything.<<else>>You are carrying:
<<invWithLinks>> <<endif>>
<<back>>
<<initInv>>
<<set $romance to "">>
<<set $relationship to "">>
<<set $water to "">>
<<set $keys to "">>
<<set $wallet to "">>
<<set $phone to "">>
<<set $kelpie to "">>
<<set $spiderName to "Jane">>
A simple plastic bottle with some water in it. Nothing special.
<<back>>
Your house and car keys, with a keyring of your favourite character hanging from it. It's a bit beaten up due to being carried around in your bag and pockets, but it's still just as adorable as when you first got it. Even if it's missing an eye.
<<back>>
Just your wallet. Has your ID, cards and a few spare coins and notes in it. Nothing that could be of use in this strange world you're stuck in.
<<back>>
Your phone. Thankfully, it's still got almost all of its charge, and a flashlight app.
<<back>>
You steel yourself and sprint for the exit ahead of you as fast as your exhausted and panicked body would carry you.
You feel your heart hammering against your chest, adrenaline the only thing fueling you as you run at a now desperate pace down the path.
The trees and something else are trying to grab at you; you trip as something large and warm grabs your ankle. You screamed and kicked, feeling your foot connect with something hard. Whatever it was yelled out and let your ankle go and you immediately pushed yourself back to your feet.
As the moans and whispers begin turning into yelling, then screaming, then //shrieking//, you finally break out of the path and into a large clearing; similar to the one you woke up in.
You stop and turn; wanting to be sure whatever was trying to get you is gone but... the path has disappeared. The trees are frozen in place and clumped together, reaching out to grab you. You gasp and pant as you stare at the frozen horrors. The trees had faces and hands, albeit distorted ones. Was that what had grabbed you?
You shake your head to clear your mind, turning your back to the missing path - taking a few steps forward just to be safe.
The area you are in is considerably brighter that where you woke due to the strange floating lights all around. You try to touch one, but no matter how much you try, they stay just out of reach.
Ignoring the lights, you notice that there is a clear, sparkling pond of pale blue water nearby, surrounded by dead flowers. Next to it is a large, dead tree covered in webbing.
You decide to examine the [[pond]] first.
You stop and lean against a tree, gasping in mouthfuls of air that seem to be doing nothing. You feel dizzy, and only barely register the slick, heavy feeling of the trees ooze encompassing your body, trapping you against it's rough bark.
You attempt to struggle against it, but you're too weak. Eventually, it closes your legs and arms in a hardened shell and you are unable to move.
It continues its slow, agonizing journey; your body temporarily cold and wet, but then hard and unmovable.
It's not until the ooze covers your nose and mouth that everything finally goes black.
''Game over.''
[[Begin your adventure again.|Beginning]]\
\
<<emptyInv>>
You cautiously approach the tree. The closer you get, the clearer you can see how thick the webbing is. A single strand seems to be as thick as your thighs. You shudder at the idea of the spider that made these.
You notice that even the floating lights are giving the tree a lot of space. They brush up against other trees, but not this one. You don't know how to feel about this.
You can't hear or see anything moving around the tree right now, but you're still not sure if it would be wise to touch the webbing. If you got stuck and something is in the tree, you could easily become its dinner.
What should you do?
[[Touch the web anyway.|Touch the web]]
[[Say... something?]]
You reached out and gingerly touched the web. You realise you've made a terrible mistake when you can't remove your hand from it. As you desperately struggle, you hear a loud and angry hiss as the webs tremble beneath your hand.
You look up, feeling your heart hammering violently in your throat as a creature emerged from the hollow of the tree. At first, you thought it was a giant woman, but as the rest of her climbed from the tree, you realised you were very, very wrong.
The woman had a human looking upper body but from the hips down, she had the hairy brown and black body of a tarantula. She clambered down the web, shaking your entire body as each of her eight legs caused the webbing to tremble violently.
She reached you, leaning close to your face; her multiple brown eyes filled with anger as she stared at you. Her breath smelt of blood and death and her voice hissed with rage as she spoke, "Why are you touching my home?"
Your legs and lips trembled in fear as you desperately tried to find the words you needed, but all that came out was a pathetic whimper, "[[Where am I?]]"\
\
\
<<set $relationship to "Cautious">>\
You take a deep breath and look up. "H... hello?" You say meekly, silently praying that you won't get a response.
Despite your desires, the tree and webs tremble with the movement of something big. You take a few steps back and stare at the top of the tree, watching as... a woman? emerged from it.
No. That's not a woman. Defintely not a woman.
As the creature came out of the hollowed tree, it became evident that from her hips down she had the hairy brown and black body of a tarantula.
She slowly climbed down her web, smiling broady. As she got closer, you could clearly see that her skin - despite being significantly less hairy than her spider half - is a deep ebony and the six eyes on her face a deep brown. Her black, impossibly long hair brushed against you first before she was finally face to face with you.
You don't know if you find her beautiful or horrifying, and you freeze as she leans close to you - making you realise that her entire human half is much taller than you are - her breath tickling your face; it smelt strongly of blood and death.
"Hello there, little fly," she said; her voice clicked and purred as she spoke, "how did you get here?"
You trembled as you gazed into her eyes, and eventually stammered out, "[[Where am I?]]"\
\
<<set $relationship to "Friendly">>
<<if $relationship == "Cautious">>She hissed at you once more, violently swinging her arm and cutting you loose. You stumbled back quickly and fell back, staring helplessly up at the giant creature.
"You didn't answer my question. Why did you touch my home?"
You winced, "I... I didn't know it was your home! I'm sorry; I just don't know where I am and everything's trying to kill me and-"
She interrupted you with a sharp laugh, "So, everything's trying to kill you and you decide to touch this?" She gestured to the webs and her tree with a wide swipe of her long arms, still glaring at you.
You nod sheepishly, and she shakes her head, turning to leave. You quickly jump up, "[[Can you help me?|Quest Given]]" You tried to steady your shaking limbs as she slowly turned to look at you once more. \
\
<<else>>"Well, little fly," she sighed, and used her long fingers to draw two parallel lines in the sand, "you're here."
You look down, confused, at the dot she had put in the middle of the lines. "What do you mean?"
She smiled, "Exactly what you think it means," she said, tapping the dot, "we're //in-between//. This line is your world, the other is another world, and where we are is between them. This world can fit in both worlds but not at the same time; so we're nestled in-between."
"But..." You began, looking up at her, "how?" She shrugged, wiping away the lines and sighing.
"'Tis a mystery, little fly. I definitely didn't sense your prescence until you said hello. Which is odd, since I usually sense all new arrivals."
She fell quiet, continuing to doodle shapes in the sand absentmindedly. Eventually, you could'nt bare the silence any more. "[[Can you help me?|Quest Given]]"<</if>>
You approach the pond and look at it. The water is still and clear and you can easily see the bottom of it. Out of everything you've seen so far, it's the most normal thing.
<<if $water == 1>>You decide to leave the pond alone for now, since you already have some water.\
\
<<else>>You kneel down and cup some water in your hands. It feels cool on your skin, and you gladly drink a few handfuls. At least you know where you can get some water now.<<endif>>
You don't feel comfortable approaching the tree, but after finding nothing else in the small clearing, it seems it's the only thing you can [[investigate.|Investigate]]
<<if $relationship == "Cautious">>"Why should I help you, insect?"
You gulped, "If you help me, I can go home and... you won't ever see me again. I promise."
She paused, sizing you up thoughtfully. "Fine. I'll help you." She came close to you once more, looming over your tiny figure. She pointed a long, sharp finger into your face, "You will retrieve three things for me: a kelpie, the sealskin of a selkie and a mushroom from a fairy ring."
A rustling of trees made you whirl around as three paths opened up, "Those three paths will take you to the locations you need to go to: the swamp for the kelpie, the beach for the sealskin and the glens for the mushroom. Here's a fair warning," you slowly looked up at her again, "If you don't bring me back a live kelpie, I will kill and eat you. Slowly."
You tried to ask her how you would bring her back a live kelpie, but decided not to as she glared at you once more. At least the other two are easier. Hopefully.
It seems like you'd be best just [[picking a path.|Pick a Path]] But... you could always try [[talking|Talk]] to her and see if you can find out something new?\
<<else>>She jumped slightly. It seems she forgot you were there. She giggled to play it off before saying, "Of course I can! I'll just need you to retrieve a few things for me." You stared at her blankly and she smiled, "I can't leave to get them myself. I've never tried, but trust me when I say I can't. So, you get a thing for me and I can send you home. Deal?"
As much as the idea of making a deal with a giant half-spider creautre sends shivers down your spine, it seems like you don't have any choice. She's hasn't tried to kill you yet and she seems like she's willing to actually help you. You nodded and she grinned. Her teeth are a lot sharper than you imagined.
"Good! As I said, I need a few things to send you home. Three things, specifically. A kelpie, preferably alive, the sealskin of a selkie and a mushroom from a fairy ring."
You shook your head in disbelief, she was... something else entirely. "So... how do I catch a kelpie?"
She smiled and waved her hand, and you turned at the sound of trees moving to reveal three new pathways. "Those paths will take you to the beach, where you'll find selkies, a swamp where you'll find a kelpie and the glens where the fairies live. Wait just a second" - she quickly hurried into her tree and threw a strange cube out at you, which landed with a gentle //thud// at your feet - "just get some water on that. It's magic; it'll grow in size and float back with you when you get the keplie inside it. Everything else you can carry pretty easily on your own. Just be careful not to wear the sealskin, I don't know what could happen."
You sighed, picking the cube up and put it in your pocket. You could either [[start your quest|Pick a Path]] or [[stay and talk|Talk]] to the spider girl and see if she'll tell you anything else. <<addToInv "Small Cube">><<endif>>
<<back>>
A small cube <<if visited ("Name Given")>><<print $spiderName>> gave you. You can feel it vibrating slightly in your pocket, mostly likely due to its magical properties. It feels strangely rhythmic... almost like a heartbeat.
<<back>>\
<<else>>the spider woman gave you. You can feel it vibrating slightly in your pocket, mostly likely due to its magical property. It feels strangely rhythmic... almost like a heartbeat.
<<back>><<endif>>
<<if $relationship == "Cautious">>You stood awkwardly before her, your mouth opening and closing as you tried - and failed - to find something to talk to her about.
She seems to have caught on to your terrible attempt at starting a conversation and squints at you, obviously suspicious, 'What do you want?'<<endif>>\
\
\
<<if $relationship == "Friendly">>You stood awkwardly before her, your mouth opening and closing as you tried - and failed - to find something to talk to her about.
She seems to have caught on to your terrible attempt at starting a conversation and smiled at you softly, 'Do you have something to ask, little fly?'
You fumbled with your hands, trying to decide what you want to talk about.<<endif>>\
<<if visited ("Queen Info")>>\
<<actions [[What else can you tell me about this place?|Realm Info]] [[Kelpies?|Kelpie Info]] [[Why a fairy ring mushroom?|Fairy Info]] [[Selkie Info]]>>\
\
<<else>>\
<<actions [["Can you tell me about yourself?"|Queen Info]] [["What else can you tell me about this place?"|Realm Info]] [["Kelpies?"|Kelpie Info]] [[Why a fairy ring mushroom?|Fairy Info]] [[Selkie Info]]>><<endif>>\
\
<<if visited ("Queen Info", "Realm Info", "Kelpie Info", "Fairy Info", "Selkie Info")>>\
You feel like you've ran out of things to talk about. [[You should probably just continue the quest.|Pick a Path]]<<endif>>\
\
<<if $relationship == "Cautious" and visited ("Queen Info", "Realm Info", "Kelpie Info", "Fairy Info", "Selkie Info")>><<set $relationship to "Curious">><<endif>>\
<<if $relationship == "Friendly" and visited ("Queen Info", "Realm Info", "Kelpie Info", "Fairy Info", "Selkie Info")>><<set $relationship to "Crush">><<endif>>
<<if $relationship == "Cautious">>She sighed, "Why should I tell you anything about myself?"
Anger bubbled inside you, "Is it really that terrible of me to want to know someone I'm going to risk my life for?"
She examined you thoughtfully, "What do you want to know?"<<endif>>\
\
<<if $relationship == "Friendly">>"You want to know about me?"\<<endif>>\
<<actions [[What's your name?|Queen Name]] [[What are you?|Queen Species]]>>\
\
<<if visited ("Queen Name", "Queen Species")>>You don't have anything else to ask her about herself. You could ask her [[something else|Talk]] or [[begin your quest|Pick a Path]]<<endif>>\
<<if $relationship == "Cautious">>wip
<<endif>>\
\
<<if $relationship == "Friendly">>wip
<<endif>>\
\
<<actions [[What about the other realm?|Alt Realm]]>>\
<<if $relationship == "Cautious">>She eyed you with a blank stare, and you fidgeted under her judgmental and cold gaze. "I just... I just want to know more about kelpies."
"You really don't know anything, do you?"
You winced and stared at your feet; how was she able to make you feel so terrible from just a few words?
"Fine," she continued, sighing, "I'll explain. Kelpies are murderous beasts. They disguise themselves as horses mostly, but also in forms similar to your own. They lure fools such as yourself to them with their innocent appearance, then they kill you. And eat you. Happy?"
You weren't particularly happy, but she looks annoyed. <<return [[You should ask something else.|Talk]]>>\
<<endif>>\
\
<<if $relationship == "Friendly" and visited ("Name Given")>>"Kelpies?" <<print $spiderName>> parroted back at you, grinning.
You laughed, "Sorry; could you tell me more about kelpies? I don't remember much about them, sadly. I really should read up on mythological creatures again."
She looked at you quizically, "They aren't mythological creatures here remember. They're very real and very dangerous."
You nodded, feeling as if she just scolded you. "Well... what do I need to know?"
<<print $spiderName>> smiled and began carefully explaining, "Keplies are creatures that usually take the form of a horse, but occasionally as a human. They are found near bodies of water, and lure people to them due to their disguises. As soon as their prey touches them, they get stuck due to the kelpies due to their sticky hides.
After the prey is stuck, the kelpie drags them deep into the water to drown and kill them, and then they feast upon them. That's why I need you to be very careful; be sure you use something to stun and capture the creature from a distance so that you aren't in danger. Until a kelpie is trapped in that box I gave you, you will not be safe.
That's... all the information I can give you. Was that good enough?"
You nodded, "You're very thourough, <<print $spiderName>>. Thank you."
<<print $spiderName>> smiled at you and nodded, clearly pleased she could be helpful. <<return [[You should ask something else.|Talk]]>><<endif>>\
\
<<if $relationship == "Friendly">>\
"Kelpies?" She parroted back at you, grinning.
You laughed, "Sorry; could you tell me more about kelpies? I don't remember much about them, sadly. I really should read up on mythological creatures again."
She looked at you quizically, "They aren't mythological creatures here remember. They're very real and very dangerous."
You nodded, feeling as if she just scolded you. "Well... what do I need to know?"
The woman smiled and began carefully explaining, "Keplies are creatures that usually take the form of a horse, but occasionally as a human. They are found near bodies of water, and lure people to them due to their disguises. As soon as their prey touches them, they get stuck due to the kelpies due to their sticky hides.
After the prey is stuck, the kelpie drags them deep into the water to drown and kill them, and then they feast upon them. That's why I need you to be very careful; be sure you use something to stun and capture the creature from a distance so that you aren't in danger. Until the kelpie is trapped in that box I gave you, you will not be safe.
That's... all the information I can give you. Was that good enough?"
You nodded, "You're very thorough. Thank you."
She smiled at you and nodded, clearly pleased she could be helpful. <<return [[You should ask something else.|Talk]]>>
<<endif>>\
<<if $relationship == "Cautious">>"Why should I give my name to an insect like yourself?" she snarled, crossing her arms.
You flinched, "I just don't want to call you 'Spider' all the time."
She shook her head, "Call me whatever you like. I don't care."<<endif>>\
\
<<if $relationship == "Friendly">>She frowned slightly, "I don't really have a name."
Your eyes widened in suprise, "Really?"
"Well... there's not much use for names here. I don't really have anything to talk to. I just... kind of appeared here when this realm came into being?"
You felt kind of sorry for her; it seems as if she has been completely alone here for a very long time. You smiled up at her, "I'll give you a name!"
"Really?" Her many eyes lit up as she looked at you, and you nodded enthusiastically.<<endif>>
What will you call her?
<<textbox "$spiderName" $spiderName>> \
<<button "Confirm">>\
<<set $spiderName to $spiderName.trim()>>\
<<if $spiderName is "">>\
<<replace "#name-error">>Please enter a name!<</replace>>\
<<else>>\
<<goto [[Name Given]]>>\
<</if>>\
<</button>> \
<span id="name-error"></span>
<<if $relationship == "Cautious">>wip
<<return [[You should ask something else.|Queen Info]]>>\
<<endif>>\
\
<<if $relationship == "Friendly">>\
"What do you mean?" She asked, her head tilted to one side.
You racked your brain, trying to find a better way to word the question. "I mean, like... you're kind of a person and kind of a spider... and you're magic? I'm just...' you sighed, 'what //are// you?"
She hummed thoughtfully, idly twirling her hair around her long fingers. "I'm a God, I suppose."
You stared at her, taken aback. She declared herself a God as easily as you would talk about the weather. "What exactly do you mean when you say you //suppose// you're a God?"
"Exactly what I mean." She said, crossing her arms, "When this realm came into existence, I appeared with it. I have the power to open paths into the other realms. Those are God-like abilities, are they not?"
You nodded slightly; what she could do was definitely something only a God should be able to do. "How strong is your magic exactly? And are you, like, omnipotent?"
"I am powerful, but I don't think I'm omnipotent," she began slowly; clearly figuring out how to word it as she was talking, "I know when there's new life within this realm and when something dies, but I don't have any effect on any of it. It just happens and I'm like: 'Oh! That just happened!' and move on.'
"So... you can't make life?" She shook her head, "What else can your magic do, then?"
"I can't make or destroy anything, but I can manipulate things present here already for a time." She used her magic on a small area of the dead flowers to show you; the air rippling and sparkling around the dead plants as they suddenly bloomed and came to life, bright and beautiful amidst the dark landscape. She stopped, and the plants died once more along with her magic.
You touched the patch she had used her power on, still feeling the vibration of her magic within the dead stems. You looked up at her in wonder and she smiled.
"Then... if you're basically a God, why do you look like that?"
You gestured to all of her vaguely as you spoke and she laughed, "I think I'm a mix of the creatures from both realms. I'm partly like you and partly like the others."
"Wait. Wait. Are you saying that the other realm has //giant spiders//? Giant //sentient// spiders?"
"Yes! They're quite nice; one stumbled into my realm before - much like yourself - and we had a lovely chat before I returned them to their home."
Your jaw dropped open and your skin crawled slightly at the idea of a world like yours. Except filled with giant, sentient spiders. <<return [[You kind of want to move on from this subject now.|Queen Info]]>>\
<<endif>>
<<if $relationship == "Cautious">>"<<print $spiderName>>? That's a terrible name."
You frowned at her; you think <<print $spiderName>> suits her. It doesn't seem like she wants to linger on this subject for long, though. <<return [[You should continue asking her about herself.|Queen Info]]>><<endif>>\
\
<<if $relationship == "Friendly">>"<<print $spiderName>>..." she murmured, then giggled excitedly, "I love it! Thank you!"
You laughed along with her, glad you could make her happy. "I'm glad I could give you a name, <<print $spiderName>>."
<<print $spiderName>> grinned as you used her new name, fidgeting slightly on her webs due to her excitement. You feel as if you should try to use it as often as possible.
For now, though, <<return [[you should ask something else.|Queen Info]]>><<endif>>
<<return [[You should ask something else.|Talk]]>>
End of demo! Please finish the survey <a href="https://goo.gl/forms/xrpqg02UA0pJmjA92">here!</a>
<<back>>
<<back>>
wip <<return>>
wip
<<return>>
<<back>>
<<back>>