You approach the swamp, bag hung heavily over your shoulder. You're a bit nervous, as you're still unsure if this was the right decision. You heard rumors that there is a mysterious treasure in this swamp, guarded by a legion of dangerous guardians. You're unsure if this is true, but you're currently broke and out of options.
"Come on, man. Those rumors are probably fake! Let's get out of here. I have a family get together in three hours." Your friend, David, says as he catches up to you.
"How can you say that? Everything that we've been told is right so far. We went three miles south of Milwaukee, went past a tree with a golden handprint, and here we are! An uncharted swamp. How can you say that this is fake?"
"Whatever, man. I just think that if you need money, it's probably a better idea to ask for more shifts at work than to start chasing fairy tales."
[[Go further into the swamp.->Further In]]You step further into the swamp. You hear two distinct voices about 18 meters to your right. You hide behind the nearest tree. Sure, it could be some fellow treasure hunters, but it could also be the guardians of the treasure you’ve heard rumors about. Additionally, you’re unsure if they’d take kindly to you, even if they were treasure hunters. However, you could use some help.
[[Talk to them->Near the people]]
[[Walk away from them->Walk away]]You head towards the voices. You quickly see that the talking you heard was simply the mutterings of two strange statues, both of which seem like a strange mix of Egyptian and Mayan in nature, so you hide behind a nearby tree to decide what to do.
[[Talk to them->Discussion]]
[[Walk away->Walk away]]You decide that risking your life this early in your quest would be foolish, so you quietly head down the opposite direction of where you heard the voices.
As you go down a short, narrow path, you come across an ancient temple.
[[Enter the temple->Enter the temple]]
[[Back out and leave->Chicken out]]You walk up to them, but before you can say anything, they yell “INTRUDER” as their eyes begin to glow! Before you know it, you’re dead from their laser eyes.
David pokes his head out from behind the tree.
"Huh. Maybe this isn't fake."
ENDYou enter the temple.
As you approach the center of the loud, stone, dark, moist temple, you hear a voice coming from a giant statue in the shape of an elderly man.
"If you wish to find the treasure, you must first sacrifice blood."
David is unimpressed. "Nice special effects. I bet it's just some type of abandoned amusement park. Man, just give it water or something. Don't actually hurt yourself."
[[Give it water.->Death]]
[[Give it juice you have in your thermos.->Death]]
[[Give it a hair.->Close]]
[[Give it blood.->Treasure]]
[[Ask if it means that literally.->Death]]
[[Leave->Go to the enterance]]You leave the swamp, certain that you've made the right choice. You'll make money some other way, right?
END"INCORRECT!" The statue shouts, his voice so loud, the temple shakes. Before you know it, he shoots lasers from his eyes and kills you and Dave instantly, as you both become dust.
ENDYou take out a small pocket knife and prick your thumb. A drop of blood vanishes from the wound just as fast as it appears.
"THANK YOU. PROCEED."
The statue opens you up a small door, which you walk down.
"Uh........." Dave murmers.
"Dave, if this was an amusement park, where were all the signs?"
[[Go on->Next step]]In the next room, you find some small copper coins. Probably not worth much, but given how poor you are right now, you won't complain. You quickly snatch the coins up.
"Hey, why don't I get a coin?" Dave asks, with a tone that's a touch too whiney for your liking.
"Because you didn't give any blood, so as such, you didn't earn it.
[[Proceed->Second trial]]
[[Leave the temple while you're ahead->Chicken out]] You walk up to a new room. It's a much cleaner room, one that has a sold silver ceiling. You're unsure, bu you think you might hear a machine making noise in the background.
In front of you, there's a statue that looks like the ones on Easter Island.
"IF YOU WISH TO PROCEED, YOU MUST GIVE US BLOOD THAT IS SIMILAR TO YOURS."
A small panel in the shape of a square pops out.
[[Put a picture of your family in.->Proceed]]
[[Ask Dave to put a picture of his family in.->Selfish Death]]
[[Try to back out.->Death]]The room rumbles.
"SATISFACTORY. PROCEED."
As you walk down the newly appeared hall, you get a call.
After taking it, Dave asks you what that was about.
"It's my family. They're dead."
[[Oh no.........->New treasure.]]As Dave puts the picture down, the statue's eyes light up bright, red and sinister.
"TOO DIFFERENT! INCORRECT!"
The ceiling slams down, crushing you both.
END.You're starting to have second thoughts.
[[Proceed->Walk away]] Dave silently walks alongside you.
Near the end of the hallway, you find a small collection of silver coins. They look like they're almost as old as the Bible itself. Upon closer inspection, you recognize them as coins that ancient Israelites used. Just one of these would sell for a million dollars. It isn't enough, though.
You begin to put the jewlery into your bag.
You notice that Dave is putting his hand out towards it.
"Okay, really?" You're gonna try this again, after what just happened to my family?"
"I mean........."
"...........I'd argue you don't deserve it BECAUSE of what you just did to your family." Dave mutters.
[[Shove him.->Fight]]
[[Shoot him an angry look.->Glare]]
[[Ignore it.->Gather]]You're not gonna let Dave get away with that.
You push him. Hard.
He pushes back. You forgot how buff he was.
You hit your head.
[[You come to Lord knows how much later.->Prisoner]]You shoot Dave a glare.
"Uh, just kidding?" he says.
[[Continue gathering.->Gather]]
[[Don't believe him->Refuse to back down]]You gather up all of the silver and put them in your bag, trying to ignore what just happened.
[[Onto the Next Room->Next Room]]When you come to, you're bound by some rope that Dave must've stolen from your bag. In front of you is another one of those weird statues.
[["Dave, what's happening?->Get an answer.]]
[[Use a knife to escape.->Escape the ropes.]]"Do you wanna start something, Dave?"
"No." Dave says, nervously.
[[Start something yourself->Yell]]
[[Gather->Gather]]"All you've done this whole time is disbelieve this whole situation and complain that you aren't awarded for it. Either help, or leave."
"Okay!" Dave responds.
[[Proceed without Dave.->Final trial.]]A statue in the shape of the Greek God Ares is in front of you in a golden room.
"FOR THE FINAL TREASURE, YOU MUST GIVE ME THE BLOOD OF YOUR CLOSEST COMPANION."
You don't have it, and the door behind you closed without you realizing it.
You starve to death, waiting for Dave to come back.
END."Did you think that you were the only person that needs money?" Dave answers, as he shoves you to the statue.
You don't feel anything, other than the black abyss of death itself.
END.Silence weighs heavy in the air as you continue down the corridor. You're not sure if it was always this dark, or if you're somehow heading downward, towards a place with no light.
[[Continue.->Continue.]]As you continue onwards, you begin to slow down. You don't want to rush ahead. Things have escalated pretty quickly these last few hours. You wait to see if there's another statue.
[[Sure enough.->Sure Enough]]You see a large statue that looks like the Greek God of War, Ares.
You gulp. That's probably not a very good sign.
However, the room is golden. If the pattern you've noticed so far remains true, you should be able to make a lot of money.
[[Get the money.->Go ahead.]]You walk into the room.
"FOR THE FINAL TREASURE, YOU MUST GIVE ME THE BLOOD OF YOUR CLOSEST COMPANION."
Dave snorts.
"Yeah, right. We'd never turn on each other, you stupid hunk of minerals."
[[Agree->So Close.]]
[[Get what you came here for->Sorry.]]"Yeah, I mean, I didn't think I was actually sacrificing my family. You can't......... you shouldn't be able to sacrifice others via just giving someone a photo! We won't do it!"
The statue doesn't respond. You and Dave turn around to leave, but there's nothing behind you. The passage closed.
You and Dave never leave.
END."Oh, Dave." you say.
"Uh......... Pal? I don't like that look on your face." Dave says, stepping back.
"If I was willing to sacrifice my family, what makes you think you were safe?" you say, moving closer to him.
"C-Come on, man. I know you blew your money on booze, but the debt can't be that-"
"I blew my money on gambling, Dave. I owe a lot of dangerous people a lot of money. I'm sorry. You weren't really contributing too much to society, anyways."
[["Goodbye."->Death of a friend.]]You push Dave towards the statue. It's easy, since his back was to the statue in the first place.
"GOOD. YOU HAVE PASSED."
[[Go ahead. One last time.->Victory.]]You find a solid gold Anubis statue at the end of the corridor. While you were expecting something bigger, an artifact like this is sure to clear up you money problems with absolutely zero issues.
GOOD END...?"THIS IS NOT WHAT I ASKED YOU. IT IS CLOSE, HOWEVER."
[[Try something else.->Enter the temple]]Luckily, despite the fact that Dave stole your bag, you keep a pocket knife in your pocket. You start to cut.
[[Apologize sincerely.->Converse.]]
[[Distract him with your words.->Tell some lies.]]"Dave, let's think about this. I don't think either of us would benefit from what you're about to do." You say this as you begin to cut the rope. Your knife is sharper than one might expect. It should be able to cut through that rope very quickly.
"That's blatantly false. You seem to have benefitted quite well from what you did to your family."
[[Continue talking out your problems.->Tell him that you haven't benefitted from what happened.]]
[[Stop playing nice.->Double down.]]"Hey, Dave. Aren't you a bit late to that family get together? You won't be able to go back without me. Remember, you never got your liscense! I'm your only way back." You say, as you begin to cut the rope. Your knife is sharper than one might expect. It should be able to cut through that rope very quickly.
Dave blinks for a second. "We live in an age where cars are literally a button press away on our phones. I never needed you to get here." Dave says, with his back towards you.
[[Try being honest.->Converse.]]
[[Continue lying.->Double down.]]"Come on, Dave. You know better than this. The statue didn't even say that you should kill me. Murder won't do anything but weigh down heavily on you conscience."
"Yes, it did! It told me to sacrifice someone for money just before you woke up. I waited because I wanted to see if you planned on apologizing to me."
As Dave starts to get visibly more upset, you feel the ropes loosen behind you. Yes! You cut them off!
[[Draw Dave closer->Taunt him.]]
[[Sneak attack.->Sneak attack.]]
[[Appeal to his sense of right.->Renew your friendship.]]"Oh, please. The real reason you tied me up is because you never could do anything that stained your precious little hands. You always had to make me do it for you, while you tried to leech off of my rewards. You've been doing this the whole trip. You've being doing this our whole lives. You won't kill me, because unlike me, you don't have the guts."
Dave doesn't say anything. He's furious. He charges at you, head on.
You pull out your pocket knife and thrust it forward.
Your friend lumbers back after it reaches his body. He falls into the statue, as his body disappears.
"GOOD. YOU HAVE PASSED."
[[Get what you came for.->Victory.]]You run at the man with your knife.
Dave dodges to the right.
You run into the statue head on. Instead of hitting stone, your body starts to disappear.
And it doesn't stop.
END."Dave, listen. I'm sorry."
"No, no. You aren't. If you really were sorry, those would've been the first words out of your mouth. Aside from maybe a "where am I?" You're just trying to tell me what I want to hear so that you'll keep your life."
"Wait. Dave. I'm legitimately sorry. I was so focused on the money, I forgot what mattered. I mean, for God's sake, I murdered my family for some silver coins. Let's discuss this!"
"Well, why should I? How do I know that you won't kill me for some cash that you don't even need all that much? Just because you spent too much cash on booze, that doesn't mean-"
"DAVE, I LOST MY MONEY GAMBLING. I OWE THE MOB MORE THAN I COULD EVER MAKE AT WORK, AND THE DEADLINE IS TOMORROW. PLEASE DON'T DO THIS."
[["Wait, what?->Empty your heart.]]"Please, Dave. I'll die if I don't get the money. Please. Let me go."
"Why didn't you say that earlier, man?" Dave asks, as his expression softens.
"I wanted to keep you out of it. I-I know that might strange, given what I did to grab the coins, but that was a mistake. I was just scared. I won't do that again. Please."
Dave walks towards you. He seems less agressive.
"And this isn't to get me to untie you?"
You show him that your hands are untied.
[[Finish the quest.->Finish the quest.]]Dave gives you a hug.
"Listen, man. We'll make this right. If there's still twenty-four hours, then we can do something else to get the money."
You cry. You should've done this in the first place.
Your tear hits the ground.
The statue speaks.
"NEITHER OF YOU ARE CAPABLE OF THIS TRIAL ANYMORE. YOU MAY LEAVE."
All of the previous passages reopen. Both you and Dave leave.
The sunlight outside looks dimmer than you remember, almost as if a new day had begun. One that's a bit darker than the last. You somberly bathe in it as you consider your life decisions. You're not sure that getting Dave involved was the right decision, but you can't go back after what happened.
With Dave at your side, you're sure you'll be able to get the money you need.
.........Right?
END."Do you think that my conscience is clear? My familty is dead. You think that money just negates the pain I just inflicted on myself? You're all I have left. Let's talk about this, please."
"I think we said it all back there. You can cry all the crocodile tears you want, but that won't change the world you created with your own two hands."
You cut a bit more. As you do so, you feel the ropes loosen behind you. Yes! You cut them off! Now to get Dave to believe you!
[[Renew your friendship->Accept your death.]]"Alright." You say, as tears begin to well up in your eyes.
"Alright, what?" Dave asks, mildly puzzled.
"You win. I didn't really feel like living with my families death, anyway."
You get up, and you walk towards the statue.
"W-wait, how did you-NEVERMIND! Stop with this! I-I wasn't REALLY gonna throw you in, I just wanted-"
"No, Dave. You're still innocent. Stay that way. Use the money to live how you want to."
Dave grabs your hand.
[["What is it?"->What is it?]]"Come on, pal. We can get through this. One little fight shouldn't change who we are." Dave says, as he clenches onto your hand.
All of a sudden, you think you can keep going. You realize that you can still fix things with Dave.
The only thing on your mind is how you're gonna pay off everything that you owe. Because you most certainly haven't saved your life. Maybe if you were capable of making tougher decisions, you would have been able to do that.
END.