You arrive at the museum early. You take a deep, reluctant breath. You're not sure if it's here, but you don't really seem to know where else it could be. You hope that the heist goes alright, even if the rumors about this place are true.
[[Continue->Continue]]You nervously adjust your sleek stealth suit as you begin towards the museum. You're not really certain you can do this job, since you were unable to find out where the artifact is. This is a very, very expensive museum, one that's privately owned, and they only give a map of the floorplan online. They don't actually tell people what artifacts are in the place. Why they would do this is anyones guess, but it's probably to push thieves that want to break in away from the building, since no one who wants to take something from a museum would be dumb enough to do so if they don't know what the potential payout is. Even if they wanted to break into this place, not knowing what the artifacts are would be tricky for any museum thief, because they wouldn't be able to bring the proper equipment to secure older artifacts that would break if they were obtained by normal means. Additionally, the place has a security system that, while not being cutting-edge, is still better than that of most other museums. It's part of the reason why the place has been nicknamed the "Hall of Unstealable Artifacts." You honestly think the only reason why there's a floor map in the first place is so that the people that are rich enough to make it into this place know that it'll have to have a lot to look at, given how huge this place is, and as such, will know that the place is worth the price of admission.
[["Come in, Agent 1."->Respond]]You're snapped out of your line of thought. You respond to your mysterious benefactor who has given you some special tools to aid you in this assignment. He agreed to let you use these devices, but only for tonight, and in exchange, he gets to record everything that you do for "data collection purposes."
"Uh. Agent 1 reporting in."
"Oh, cool! The microphone actually works! I can see clearly through the contact lens cameras you have in your eyes. Just doing a mic check. Don't forget: The sun comes up in three hours. We picked this time because this is when the guards change shifts, and as such, they're less numerous, according to the information that I've gathered. We did this because, even though this suit will make the camera's freeze and be unable to see you whenever you go near one, this suit has nothing inside of it to help you with combat situations. Remember, I didn't give you any combat tools because I won't tolerate you attacking someone if it won't help you get the treasure. I also won't tolerate you stealing something that isn't what we agreed to."
"Yes, I'm aware of this." you say, a bit annoyed that your mysterious benefactor thinks that you've forgotten this.
"Cool, just wanted to refresh your memory. So, where do you want to go to try and find what you came to get?"
[[Storage Building.->Storage Building.]]
[[Main building.->Main building.]]You see two guards in front of the main building.
[[Sneak through the back door.->Sneak through the back door]]
[[Fight them.->Fight them.]]You edge along the perimeter, waiting to find the back door. After finding one that isn't listed "Emergency Escape", you pull out a small electronic lockpick, which instantly picks the lock for you. How did your mysterious benefactor get their hands on this type of stuff, anyways? Anyways, you enter the building through the back door. The inside of this place is somehow even bigger on the inside than it looks on the outside. Regardless of this places girth, you look around and see some signs. There's two places the lost piece of your families birthright could be, judging by the signs that are hanging on the ceiling. The artifact will either be found in the Fossil's section or the Ancient Egypt portion of the museum.
[[Ancient Egypt->Ancient Egypt]]
[[Fossils->Fossils]]You walk up to the buff guards. You punch one of them in the face. They immediately dog pile you and get you arrested.
END.You decide that you want to check out the smaller but still big storage building. The storage room has less people guarding it, after all, and there's less of a chance that you'll miss it if it's in this building, due to its compact nature.
You edge your way towards the storage room, shrouded by the night and your matching suit. The storage facility, while being tinier than the museum, is still bigger than your house! Maybe "compact" wasn't the right word to use when describing it.
You look around. You could either enter via the air ducts, or enter through a back window.
[[Back Window->Back Window]]
[[Vent->Vent]]You edge along the perimeter, waiting to find a window. After coming across one, you pull out a small electronic lockpick, which instantly picks the lock for you. You'll have to thank your mysterious benefactor later.
As you enter the building, you take in your surroundings. It's a fairly standard janitor's room. Maybe there's something that could give you a better idea of what you're going to be looking for? But, there's not exactly a lot of time to search for something to use , either.
[[Press Forward.->Press Forward.]]
[[Take a look around.->Take a look around.]]You climb into the vents. Surprisingly, they're easy to get into, as they do not have any bolts to keep them closed.
As soon as you enter the vent, the vent slams shut. As you try to open it, it says "Keycard needed" as it remains shut.
It would appear that this place has a trap or two for people that try to enter it. Good to know!
THE END.You move onwards. Inside the storage facility, you find a room full of boxes, one that eats up almost all of the space of this large building. You gulp as you peek around the room, unsure of what to do next.
[[Go to the main building, after all.->Go to the main building, after all.]]
[[Look at the boxes closest to you, and work your way down.->Look at the boxes closest to you, and work your way down.]]You take a quick look around the room. Upon further inspection, you find a map!
[[Map->Map]]You go over to the ancient egyptian exhibit. It's one of the largest wings of the museum, probably because of how popular Ancient Egypt exhibits are.
You see some pretty typical Egyptian artifacts throughout the place. Ankhs, organ jars, staffs that used to belong to ancient Egyptian kings, stuff like that. You quickly, but carefully, scan the room for what you need. You don't see anything that would be particularly useful for you in this quest.
"Gee, where do I have to go to get some guidance? It would sure be helpful........."
"THEN LET ME GIVE IT TO YOU, HUMAN."
You turn around. There's a sarcophogas with glowing blue eyes yelling at you.
"You'll help me?" you ask. A part of you wishes that you had a camera on you, to prove that the rumors of this place containing magical objects were true.
"YES, HUMAN. I SHALL ANSWER THREE OF YOUR QUESTIONS. I AM THE ALL KNOWING THOTH. I CAN GIVE YOU THE INFORMATION THAT YOU NEED."
"Nice! Three questions should be more than enough to-"
"YOU ALREADY ASKED ME TWO QUESTIONS. YOU ARE DOWN TO ONE."
You think back for a moment. You realize that you did indeed ask two questions to this all knowing box. Which means that you have only one question left. You'd better make it a good one.........
[["I want a tool to help me get what I seek!"->Tool.]]
[["Where is the artifact that I wish to obtain?"->Location, location.]]
[["Where can I find happiness?->Q-Bone.]]You sneak towards the Fossil department. This department is actually made of five smaller sub-halls, like Dinosaurs, Ancient Humans, Evolutionary Line, Fossilized Feces, and Wood. The only one that really matters is the Ancient Humans section.
You head into the back of the department. You see what you've been looking for: The sacred hip bone of your ancester, Toadfucian the Wise. It's sitting in a clear case, guarded by an array of lasers. It's said that the elixir this fossil produces can grant someone immortality if they regularly drink it. And they weren't just talking about the "never age" type of immortality: It can even stave off the effects of disease and temporarily close wounds. If modern medicine got their hands on this, most doctors would be out of business, and whatever pharmaceutical company owned the patent would not only be the top business on the planet, but they'd also be the only pharmaceutical company that would still be in business.
It's guarded by a long array of lasers, connected to a small power box. You'll need to disable it. But with what?
[[Wire cutters.]]
[[Long copper wire.]]After quickly scanning the room with your eyes, you see a small piece of paper. It's a map! And not just of the floor plan, either. It's one that actually tells you what's in each portion of the museum!
Looking at this map, you can see what you're looking for is in the Fossil department of the museum. However, you can see that something much more interesting is in the storage building, in one of the boxes farthest from you.
[[Go back to the main building to get what you came for->Main building.]]
[[Find the more interesting object->Press Forward.]]You start with the first set of boxes. Most of these say things like "utensils" or "frog dung." Not exactly what you want.
[[Keep looking->Keep looking.]]
[[Look inside the boxes.->Look inside the boxes.]]You press on. Glancing through the next few sets of boxes doesn't do you much good, until you see that two of them say "Ancient Symbols" and "Human Bones." Maybe one of these has what you're trying to find? Either way, you're running low on time. You should hurry up.
[[Peek inside->Peek inside.]]
[[Go further down the hall->Go further down the hall.]]Ew! The labels were right! There's nothing in these but fossilized frog dung and ancient used silverware!
[[Put them back->Put them back.]]
[[Steal a spoon for good luck and money.->Steal a spoon for good luck and money.]]You put the boxes back.
[[Press onwards.->Look at the boxes closest to you, and work your way down.]]You take a spoon out of the box randomly. If these things are so ancient, they've gotta be worth something, right?
You take a look at it. It says "cursed spoon."
You feel some boils grow underneath your skin. The last thing you think is "I shouldn't have taken something that wasn't mine!
ENDYou decide that a quick glance through these boxes couldn't hurt. You open both boxes.
Neither box has what you've come to find. All you find in the ancient symbols box are your typical ankhs, crosses, stars of David and pharaoh chin pieces. The Dead People box only has typical skeletons in it.
Although, come to think of it, you DID come all this way, and if you can't find what you came to get, you might as well make a killing with some Egyptian gold, right?
[[Steal some.->Steal some.]]
[[Keep looking->Go further down the hall.]]You continue down the hall. You see more crates full of ancient artifacts. The only ones that sound they could contain what you need are two boxes labeled "Strangely shaped bones" and "Pieces of the body from Egypt."
Hey! That sounds like those are two boxes that could contain what you need!
[[Crack them open->Crack them open.]]
[[Go to the end of the hall.->Go to the end of the hall.]]You reach out and use all five of your fingers to grab as many of the golden ankhs as you can.
As you're about to pocket them, you hear a voice, coming from your communicator.
"Hey, you're not gonna steal that, are you? That's not what we agreed to. You said you were after that bone."
[[Back out and lie.->Lie.]]
[[Take it anyways.->Take it anyways.]]"What? No, I've just never touched real gold before. Sorry."
"Oh, I see. Yeah, I had a cousin who was the same way. That's alright, but please refrain from interacting with things that you don't need to touch in the future. While the suit will stop most traces of your DNA from being left behind, you must remember that any successful stealth mission relies heavily on being careful when it comes to leaving clues behind."
You sigh, and put the gold back. Maybe next time.
[[Go further down the hall.->Go further down the hall.]]"You can't stop me from taking this." You say, as you put some of the goods inside of your pocket.
"Yes, I can. I'm a member of the federal government. I have all of this recorded, and you're going to jail for a long time for this."
END.You open both of the crates. No luck here, either, but you see something interesting in the Pieces of the body crate. It looks like a heart, but it's black. It looks fresh, like it was removed from the body of someone who just died.
There's also a bone that's in the shape of a Q in the other crate. That's pretty unexpected.
[[Touch the heart.->Touch the heart.]]
[[Touch the bone.->Touch the bone.]]
[[Continue onwards.->Go to the end of the hall.]]You see two boxes that could contain what you're looking for. One says "Fossils". The other says "Ancient Egypt." There's absolutely no way you won't find what you need in these boxes.
[[Search through them.->Search through them.]]
[[Thoroughly search every other box in the hall, to ensure that you didn't miss it earlier.->Critical failure.]]You touch the heart.
You feel cold. Like winter has come, but only for you.
Everything gets dark. You feel the urge to find someone else.
[[You must leave.........->You must leave.........]]Wow! This has been a once in a lifetime opportunity!
"That bone is cool and all, but can you please get back to finding what you came to seek?"
You put the bone back, feeling moved by the experience, and decide to continue down the hallway.
[[Go to the end of the hall.->Go to the end of the hall.]]All you can see is darkness. You feel your body move on it's own, going somewhere. You don't know where it's headed, though.
The only thing that you can see is a person. It's like they're standing under a street light, as they're illuminated by some faint light that isn't shining underneath anything else.
"Hey, this is private property! You can't-"
You expell a large quantity of black ooze on the person in front of you. Their eyeballs turn black, and the light around them fades.
You hear a voice. It's your mysterious benefactor.
"All agents, the existance of magical items has been confirmed. Set up a quarantine around the test subject. Over."
END.You find something that's worth the look. It isn't why you were here originally, but it contains something that might be more worthwhile.
Inside the Fossil box that you were searching through, you find a differnt box altogether. It's labeled "Shakespeare's Bones."
"Wow, wait a minute. Shakespeare's Bone's? The ones that went missing all those years ago? The ones that are said to be cursed? They're here? And they've been turned into fossils? What's going on?"
Your awe is cut short by your mysterious benefactor.
[[Take the cursed bones.->Take the cursed bones.]]
[[Leave.->Leave.]]You go back a few steps, looking through all the boxes, in case one of them was labelled incorrectly. You search through "Wooden Sculptures", "Prophecy Scrolls", and "Mesopotamian Weapons." None of these have what you're looking for.
[[Next Section->Next Section]]The next set of boxes are labeled "Instruments of Torture", "Fashion of the Ancients", and "Bermuda Triangle Shipwrecks."
You plunge through each one once more, trying to find what you need. Again, it was all fruitless.
[[Continue the search->Continue the Search.]]Yet again, you go through a set of boxes, scouring each one like they contained the secret to eternal life. Again, you find boxes that couldn't possibly contain what you need to find, each labeled things like "Stop Signs from the 70's", "Pictures of Snakes", and "Underwear of the Ancients", yet you search through them anyways. As per usual, you come across nothing.
[[Once more, into the Breach.->Once more, into the Breach.]]Again, you look through the boxes, picking through each one like it's the first one you've ever opened. These ones are labeled "Ancient Cribs", "Extinct Rodents", and "Party Supplies", but you didn't even read those as you shoved your head into each one, trying to find their contents.
[[It's morning.->It's morning.]]You hear a voice behind you, as you look through the "Buried copies of E.T. for the Atari" box.
"Hey, who the heck are you? You're not supposed to be here!"
You can tell there's more than one guard behind you, as there's the sound of several feet in every direction. You keep searching through the box.
"Hey, I'm talkin' to you!" the guard shouts, as he grabs your arm and gets ready to take you away.
Without taking your eyes away from the big, beautiful box, you shove him away. He lands in a different box, which you then run over to search through, not even bothering to get him out of it first.
You feel a prick in your back, and then you shake as electricity courses through your veins.
[["Wake up!->"Wake up!]]"Son, wake up!"
You wake up to the voice of an elderly man. Oh, hey! It's the museum's owner, Benedict Imasu!
"Hello, son. I've heard a lot about your big adventure today. Sounds like you had quite the night! I'm not gonna arrest you: Rather, I'd like to give you a job. How would you like to check our inventory for us? I'd pay you six figures."
You hardly listen. You're too mesmerized by the search through Benedict's pencil box to care about the words that are currently coming out of his mouth.
"Uh, I'll take that as a yes. Start tomorrow night! We'll have a uniform for you sent to your home address."
[[New job->New Job.]]Your new job is very nice. All you do is search through boxes, and telling other people what you found in each one. Some people think that you're a freak for only caring about what's in each box, but you're too busy searching through boxes to care.
You don't know what happened to your mysterious benefactor, though. Maybe they asked you to stop what you were doing on that fateful night, but you were too preoccupied with searching through each box to really care or even listen to what they were saying.
Who cares? If they don't want to talk to you, then why waste the energy searching for them, right?
Unless, of course, they were in a box.
BOX END.You reach out to take these prized artifacts.
"I know this isn't what we agreed to, but this is too good of an opportunity to pass up. You should examine these a bit more closely. Don't forget, it's almost daytime, so whatever you're going to do, make it quick", your mysterious benefactor says as you reach down to take some of the bones. You've heard about this curse before, and as such, you're curious as to whether or not you can get what you want from these
[[Use the bones on the owner of the museum->Use the bones on the owner of the museum.]]
[[Don't touch them, after all.->Don't touch them, after all.]]You put the artifacts back.
"Hey, what's the problem? Aren't you curious about what we've discovered?" your mysterious benefactor asks, as you put the bones back into the case.
"Nope. They're not what I came here for. I shouldn't have touched them." you respond, as you turn away.
"Alright. Well, I hope you realize that morning is in fifteen minutes, and you don't have enough time to get what you wanted."
He's right. Those are the last words you ever hear from your mysterious benefactor. You never get the treasure you came to find.
END.You realize that these bones will give you the chance you need to get what you came here for.
"Hey, benefactor. Would you be willing to extend the contract a little bit if I give you some more juicy footage?"
There's a pause. You're unsure if your mysterious benefactor will go for this.
"Yeah, sure. Go ahead. What do you have in mind?"
[[Something ghoulish.->"Something ghoulish."]]You do what you wanted to, and you wait in the bathroom for hours on end. Daylight comes, and the museum's doors are open to the public. You're unsure of how many people have come into the museum during the time that you've been waiting, but that hardly matters to you. Your plan cannot go wrong. As you wait around, you hear some of the guards run towards the curators office.
You put one of Shakespere's bones inside the curator's desk drawer. He touched it with his ungloved hand, meaning that he's dead now.
As all the guards rush towards the curator's office, you walk freely towards the old bone piece that belonged to your ancienct ancestor. You take it with zero resistance, as all the other security systems were no match for the plethora of gadgets you have at your disposal.
"Well, I won't lie. That data will help out immensely. I sure hope that this was worth the price you just paid, kiddo."
With that, the comm link goes dead. You take the bone home, and within a few days, the suit you used for this mission mysteriously vanishes.
You still don't know how to answer the mysterious benefactors question, even years after they asked it.
END.You decide that, even if your mysterious benefactor is alright with you taking the bones, you shouldn't. You came here for one thing and one thing only, and it would be foolish to take anything else. You're not a common theif, you just want what belongs to you.
You slide the lid of the box back on, and turn around. It's almost daytime. You lost your chance to find what you were looking for. You won't get another chance, because your benefactor made it clear that you only get one night to take this before he "reaquires" his suit.
You never live your mistakes down.
END."YOU SHALL FIND AN AMAZING TOOL, NOT UNLIKE WHAT YOU WISH TO FIND, THAT CAN AID YOU IN YOUR QUEST IN A PLACE WHERE VALUABLES ARE KEPT."
You squint as you think about this response. A tool to help you get what you want is in the storage room? What could they possibly have in there that could help you?
[[Ask for an elaboration->Elaborate.]]
[[Head for storage->Head for storage.]]
[[Go to the fossil wing.->Go to the fossil wing.]]"WHAT YOU SEEK IS IN THE PLACE WHERE THE FOSSIL'S LIE. BE WARNED: YOU MIGHT FIND IT HARDER TO OBTAIN THAN YOU MIGHT EXPECT."
You nod your head. You realize that what you're looking for would probably be a more natural selection for the fossil section of this establishment, upon further reflection.
[[Ask him another question->Another question.]]
[[Go to the fossil wing->Go to the fossil wing.]]
[[Go to the storage room.->Head for storage.]]"JUST BEFORE YOU FIND A FANTASTIC TOOL, YOU WILL FIND A LETTER, CONTAINING ALL YOU NEED TO TRULY BE HAPPY."
You pause. A letter? Where would those be? This museum doesn't have a gift shop. Where would there be an exhibit containing a letter? And how would a letter make you happy? Could it be related to what you came to find here?
[[Ask for more details->Nice death.]]
[[Go to the fossil wing->Go to the fossil wing.]]
[[Go to the storage room.->Head for storage.]]"Hey, could you maybe tell me a bit more about-"
"YOU DO NOT NEED ANYMORE, MORTAL. I HAVE GIVEN YOU THE TOOLS YOU NEED. YOUR GREED HAS COSTED YOU YOUR LIFE."
In an instant, the box lets light bathe your body. After doing so, you collapse, dead.
Before your life leaves your body, you hear the microphone say "Not a total success, but we've acquired some decent data."
END.You go out the way you came, heading towards the storage room.
"Hey, do you think that if I were to come back to that statue later, I could ask it some more questions?"
"Hm? Maybe. Do you remember where it was in the exhibit?" the mysterious benefactor asks, only half interested in what you're saying.
You stop.
"No? Can't you just use your recordings to help me out?" you ask, in a tone that's maybe a bit too desperate for it's own good.
"Nope. Sorry. That's not really possible, with the way the camera is currently set up. I'd have to stop recording, which would be bad."
"Oh, darn it. I'm gonna have to ask where it is every time, won't I?
[[You will.->Storage Building.]]You go out the way you came, heading towards the Fossils wing.
"That was kind of weird. Hey, do you think that if I were to come back to that statue later, I could ask it some more questions?"
"Hm? Maybe. That sounds a bit risky, though. Do you even remember where it was in the exhibit?" the mysterious benefactor asks, only half interested in what you're saying.
You stop.
"No? Can't you just use your recordings to help me out?" you ask, in a tone that's maybe a bit too desperate for it's own good.
"Nope. Sorry. That's not really possible, with the way the camera is currently set up. I'd have to stop recording, which would be bad."
"Oh, darn it. I'm gonna have to ask where it is every time, won't I?
[[You sure will.->Fossils]]"Thanks. Hey, while I'm here, could you maybe tell me where-."
"I TELL YOU WHERE IT IS WHAT YOU'RE SEARCHING FOR IS, AND YOU STILL GREEDILY ASK FOR QUESTIONS? IT'S MY TURN TO TAKE-TAKE YOUR LIFE, THAT IS!"
In an instant, the box lets light bathe your body. After doing so, you collapse, dead.
Before your life leaves your body, you hear the microphone say "Not really what we wanted, but we've acquired some decent data."
END."What do you mean, a let-"
"I GIVE YOU ALL THAT YOU NEED TO BE HAPPY, AND YOU STILL TAKE? BEGONE!"
In an instant, the box lets light bathe your body. After doing so, you collapse, dead.
Before your life leaves your body, you hear the microphone say "Oh, man. Now I really want to know what the key to happiness was!"
END.You go back towards the main building.
"Hey, partner? Hate to break it to you, but going back and forth between the two buildings frequently probably won't get you much results."
[[Main building.]] You carefully cut most of the wires. You're lucky that none of the ones that you cut were connected to some sort of alarm system. You walk up to the fossil, ready for whatever comes next.
Behind you, you hear a voice.
"Hey, pal. Need some help?"
[[Ignore it.]]
[[Turn around.]]You jam a long copper wire inside the box.
Before you can even think, one million volts course through your body, killing you.
END.You turn to the side a little bit and try to ignore the man, taking a few steps forward.
"Come on, don't you want to say hi to your old pal?"
[[Continue to shun.]]
[[Turn around.->Turn around.]]You turn and face the familiar voice behind you. It's the museum curator, Benedict Imasu.
"Hey there. Long time, no see, huh? I was hoping that you'd be here tonight. Why haven't you called me, or visited before now?" Benedict asks, in a playful manner. As if he didn't know already.
He's a bit older than you remember him. It's interesting to note that the elixir doesn't actually stop aging, just death by getting older. Regardless, the question cuts deep.
You blankly stare at him.
[[We both know why.]]
[[Attack him.]]You take another few steps to the glass case.
"Son, I wouldn't do that if I were you. Come on, let's talk this out."
[[Continue to ignore him.]]
[[Turn around.->Turn around.]]"I think we both know the answer to that, thief."
Benedict keeps his smile. Though, now, it looks a little bit pained to you. You're unsure if you care.
"Listen, son. You don't know the full story."
[["Yes, I do."]]
[["Then tell me the full story, thief."]]In your blind fury, you turn around and attack the man you once considered a friend. You scream as you kick him to the ground.
"Hey! What did I say about attacking people who aren't in your way?" the mysterious benefactor says, as you hear a click on the other line.
You feel your body shake, as electricity flows through your body. Did your suit have a function that would stop you from being violent? Anyways, you black out. You faintly hear a "You're under arrest" on the communication comm before you are fully knocked out.
END."Son, I'm warning you-Don't continue onwards. I'm being serious! Don't do it!"
[[Take what you came for->Take what you came for.]]
[[Turn around.->Turn around.]]How could this man tell you what to do?
After everything that happened, he thinks he can just tell you what to do? After he befriended your uncle and stole your birthright?
It's too much to handle. You close your eyes and reach out towards the clear case the bone is in.
This proves to be your undoing. As you touch the clear container, electricity shoots through your body, killing you.
Maybe you should've listened to the man who's trying to have a friendly conversation with you.........
END."Don't I? You met my uncle in a archeology class. You became close friends, even going so far as to calling each other brothers. A few years ago, when you and my uncle went to consult some experts on the relic, to potentially learn the origins of the magical elixir it produces, one of the experts tried to steal the relic. In the struggle, my uncle died, and you stole it in the confusion."
Benedict looks at you, solemly.
"Alright. You know more about this than I thought. But, as I said, that is not the full story."
[[Full Story.]]"A few years ago, when you and my uncle went to consult some experts on the relic, to potentially learn the origins of the magical elixir it produces, one of the experts tried to steal the relic. In the struggle, your uncle died. There was nothing I could do, because the relic had been tossed to the other side of the room. As such, there wasn't enough time to get to it before he passed away, as the bullet was too close to his heart. His final act was giving me the relic to keep, on account of my horrible illness. I knew you wouldn't talk with me under normal circumstances, so I asked one of my government pals to let you be a test dummy for their newest secret project, so that I could meet you here tonight."
You're a bit thrown off by this.
"Hey, you knew about this? You're with the government?" you ask, a bit shook.
"Listen, while I am with the government, I was simply told by one of my superiors to let you, a regular civilian, try out the newest gear to prove that it could even turn the most untrained average person into a top spy. I was also told to get footage proving that magic exists, as well as the rest of the agreement. Nobody said anything about what this guy is saying. Come to think of it, maybe the rules were given to me like this so that nobody would suspect this was done for a friend."
[["Why would you want to talk to me?"->"Why would you want to talk to me?"]]"Yes. It's true that, in the struggle, your uncle died. There was nothing I could do, because the relic had been tossed to the other side of the room. As such, there wasn't enough time to get to it before he passed away, as the bullet was too close to his heart. His final act was giving me the relic to keep, on account of my horrible illness. I knew you wouldn't talk with me under normal circumstances, so I asked one of my government pals to let you be a test dummy for their newest secret project, so that I could meet you here tonight."
You're a bit thrown off by this.
"Hey, you knew about this? You're with the government?" you ask, a bit shook.
"Listen, while I am with the government, I was simply told by one of my superiors to let you, a regular civilian, try out the newest gear to prove that it could even turn the most untrained average person into a top spy. I was also told to get footage proving that magic exists, as well as the rest of the agreement. Nobody said anything about what this guy is saying. Come to think of it, maybe the rules were given to me like this so that nobody would suspect this was done for a friend."
[["Why would you want to talk to me?"]]"Your uncle wanted me to have this. Can't you accept his final wishes, son?"
[["It's my birthright."]]
[["He gave it to me in his will."]]"This bone has been in my family for generations. What right do you have to take it? What right does my uncle have to give it to you, someone who isn't even a member of my family?" You say, a touch hurt at all the deception.
[["If that's how you feel........."]]"Legally, this bone is mine. You can't just take it, based on something that nobody can say they were the witness to." You say, hurt by all the deception. You feel like you were played like a damn fiddle.
[["If that's how you feel........."->"If that's how you feel........."]]..........then take it."
Benedict walks past you, puts his finger up to an electronic keypad, and the clear case opens.
"If taking this will make you happy again, then take it."
[[Take it.]]
[[Forgive.]]You take what you came for, and leave.
A few weeks later, you read about Benedict's death in the local paper. It's cruel, but you're glad that you've obtained what you set out for.
That's what matters. Right.........?
END.You can't do it.
You turn around, and slowly leave.
You're not sure if you made the right decision, that day. Your family certainly doesn't. But, the postcards you get in the mail from Benedict every now and again certainly make you think you did. You're certainly glad that you didn't have to commit theft, regardless.
TRUE END.