The Colour Pink
Robert Street
adaptive hints built-in hints desktop IF Competition 2005 IFComp Game science fiction walkthrough
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You are on an abandoned planet again. Not content with almost killing you the last time, the Captain has delegated you again to investigate another out-of-contact colony. Apparently you impressed him with your survival instincts, by evading thousands of insect-like creatures before the ship finally sent down enough people to wipe them out. Maybe your job description should just be renamed as the Expendable Explorer. Unfortunately, you have no choice but to obey the Captain's orders.

An hour ago you were sent down into a thick jungle. When you made contact with the ship you found out that they had missed the clearing where you were supposed to land. The intervening hour was spent cutting through the energetic plant-life until you finally reached your destination.

It is time to start your investigation. One strange fact that you have already noticed is that there was no sign of any animals in the jungle.

This clearing used to be the site of a house, where a team of scientists, who were studying the planet, lived. This is no longer the case, as the house has burned down. The fire is probably the reason for the colony being out of contact, but you are not sure it is the whole reason, as something does not feel right here. The ashes from the house cover the ground, along with various twisted metal pieces. Weeds are popping up everywhere, as the jungle reclaims the area. The clearing, and ruins, continues to the north and west.
About you
You look good in your new black all-purpose uniform. It's not surprising, as you always look good in your opinion. And as you keep telling yourself, your opinion is the only opinion that matters.
You check your inventory
You are carrying:
a backpack (being worn and closed)
You open backpack
You open the backpack, revealing five rations, a communicator and an utility tool.
You look at the tool
This thin cylinder can turn into several useful tools by turning the dial on the end.
You examine dial
This dial changes the form of the utility tool.
You turn the dial
(first taking the utility tool)
You turn the dial and the utility tool turns into a shovel.
Keep going
You turn the dial and the shovel turns into a scythe.
Keep going
You turn the dial and the scythe turns into a utility tool.
You continue
You turn the dial and the utility tool turns into a shovel.
You examine the house
The remains of the house litter the area.
You examine ashes
The ashes from the burned down house are all over the ground in this clearing.
You examine weeds
There are weeds all around the area, growing in the remains of the house and clearing.
You go north
The ashes from the house only cover a small segment of this corner. Weeds and dirt patches cover most of the ground instead, with what looks like the remains of a garden. There is nothing left to tell what was growing here before the fire, as any crops have completely disappeared. Maybe the scientists were not very good gardeners, and there were no crops. However, you think that this is unlikely, as the crops they use on new colonies are virtually unkillable. The clearing, and ruins, continues to the south and west.

An abandoned metal table on wheels in the garden looks in poor condition, but still useable.
You examine table
This metal table is not in good condition, as the top looks heavily dented and one of the wheels is missing. However, it has survived far more intact than anything else. It even looks like it can still be pushed around.
You look at the garden
The dirt patches look like they used to be a garden before the weeds took over.
You turn the dial
You turn the dial and the utility tool turns into a shovel.
You go to the west
A large tree dominates this section of the clearing, with a low hanging, yet out of reach, branch above where the house used to be. It would have been just above the roof of a one-storey section of the house. However, it is now only above ashes. This tree must be tough and strong to have survived the chemical process used to create a clearing. The chemicals are supposed to clear everything in preparation for the houses and gardens of any colonists. The clearing, and ruins, continues to the south and east.

On the branch you see a nest. This is the first sign of any animal life that you have seen. You wonder if it is empty like everywhere else.
You examine the nest
There must have been a bird here at some stage, but not anymore. It is at least a sign of animal life and maybe the nest is not empty.
You examine the tree
This tree is separate from the jungle at the moment, but will probably be integrated back in soon. A thick branch hangs over where the house used to be.
You look at the branch
This thick low hanging branch is right over where the house used to be. There is a nest on the branch.
Go east
The ashes from the house only cover a small segment of this corner. Weeds and dirt patches cover most of the ground instead, with what looks like the remains of a garden. There is nothing left to tell what was growing here before the fire, as any crops have completely disappeared. Maybe the scientists were not very good gardeners, and there were no crops. However, you think that this is unlikely, as the crops they use on new colonies are virtually unkillable. The clearing, and ruins, continues to the south and west.

An abandoned metal table on wheels in the garden looks in poor condition, but still useable.
You get on the table
You get onto the table.
Go upward
But you're already on the table.
You jump
You jump on the spot, fruitlessly.
You examine the house
The remains of the house litter the area.
Down
You get off the table.

A large tree dominates this section of the clearing, with a low hanging, yet out of reach, branch above where the house used to be. It would have been just above the roof of a one-storey section of the house. However, it is now only above ashes. This tree must be tough and strong to have survived the chemical process used to create a clearing. The chemicals are supposed to clear everything in preparation for the houses and gardens of any colonists. The clearing, and ruins, continues to the south and east.

A metal table on wheels is here.

On the branch you see a nest.
You hit the nest with the shovel
You push the nest off the branch with the shovel. It quickly falls down and smashes onto the ground. You get off the table and look inside the remains to find a pink egg, which you take. As you look at the egg, for some reason, you feel an overwhelming hunger coming over you.
You examine the egg
This is a delicious looking bright pink egg.
You go south
The ruins continue in this corner of the clearing. A puddle of leaking water has formed in a hole. It is probably where the water storage for the kitchen and bathroom was located. It has been policy for water to be brought in from off-planet, since an unfortunate incident with an alien species that mainly consisted of water. The wetness of the area seems to have protected the wood a little better here than in the other corners, with a few portions lying on the ground. The clearing, and ruins, continues to the north and east.

In the remains you see a surprisingly whole piece of wood.
You look at the wood
(the piece of wood)
This piece of wood is damp, but it has a decent size and weight behind it. It is several feet long and almost looks like a shelf.
You take it
Taken.

You cannot stop your sudden urge to eat the egg for much longer.
You examine the hole
The pool of water in the hole is almost black from the ashes that have been washed into it.
You eat egg
You break open the egg and quickly eat its contents. You are not sure what just possessed you, but you somehow knew that you had to eat the egg. Suddenly you feel strange and fall to the ground.

When you finally wake up the world looks different. You soon realise what has happened, but not how.

YOU HAVE BEEN INFECTED BY PINKNESS!

The world has gone pink. Absolutely everything is coloured with varying shades of pink. Looking down this even includes yourself. This cannot be good.

(Please type "about" for further information about the game.)

In this corner, a puddle of leaking water has formed in a hole. Despite ashes from the ruins having been washed in, the water almost looks drinkable when it is coloured pink. However, it is probably only the colour that is different, so it is not a good idea to try. A few small portions of wood are lying in the pink ashes next to the pool. The clearing, and ruins, continues to the north and east.
About yourself
You look strange, as you are now pink like everything else around here. Pink does not look good on you. It doesn't look good on anything else either to be honest. However, you don't appear to have a choice.
Inventory
You are carrying:
a piece of wood
a shovel
a backpack (being worn and open)
five rations
a communicator
You go to the north
In this new world state the large tree is still the main feature of this corner, although it is now pink. So is the low hanging branch that the nest was previously on. With the tree being the same colour as the ground, it is difficult to tell where one starts and the other ends. It is the same for the jungle and the edge of the clearing. If you concentrate, you can see the difference in shading, but if you don't, it looks like the jungle has already swallowed up this area. The clearing, and ruins, continues to the south and east.

A metal table on wheels is here.
You stand
You get off the table.

In this new world state the large tree is still the main feature of this corner, although it is now pink. So is the low hanging branch that the nest was previously on. With the tree being the same colour as the ground, it is difficult to tell where one starts and the other ends. It is the same for the jungle and the edge of the clearing. If you concentrate, you can see the difference in shading, but if you don't, it looks like the jungle has already swallowed up this area. The clearing, and ruins, continues to the south and east.

A metal table on wheels is here.
Go southeast
There is more to this location than before you ate the egg. It is not just that the ashes, ground, jungle and everywhere else is now coloured pink. It is the fact that there is a tunnel sloping downwards. You are sure that it wasn't there previously. You don't know where it came from, but tunnels do not just appear out of nowhere. However, there used to be more than one colour in the world, so you guess anything is possible here. The clearing, and ruins, continues to the north and west.
Go downwards
As you walk down, the world shimmers and returns to normal colours.

You are standing at the entrance to a laboratory. It looks like it has been regularly used, although not in the last few weeks. The laboratory has not escaped the destruction from above. The floor is cracked, with a long, thin hole leading deep into the earth. The crack extends to the north, but can be easily stepped over. A tunnel slopes upward back towards the surface. The laboratory continues to the north and west.
You examine the hole
Which do you mean, the crack or the tunnel?
Crack
(the all-purpose uniform)
Violence isn't the answer to this one.
You examine the tunnel
The tunnel entrance leads upwards.
Go north
A large, rectangular machine takes up most of the space in this corner of the laboratory. It looks like it could be used to mix ingredients and make evil concoctions, or not-so-evil depending on the mood. There is a control panel on the machine's side, with a closed compartment on top. Unfortunately, there are no helpful labels to describe any functions. A crack in the floor extends to the south. The laboratory continues to the south and west.
You look at the machine
A closed compartment is visible on top of the mixing machine. The machine can be controlled by either a pink or yellow button situated on a control panel.
You go west
This corner of the laboratory looks more like the mad scientist's lair that you were expecting from a hidden laboratory. There is a workbench, which is covered by various papers and unusual coloured potions. You can just imagine a mad scientist cackling as he or she mixed together potions in crazy experiments throughout the night. A strange device is attached to the workbench, and it has a cable sticking out of it. This corner is less damaged than the rest of the laboratory, which continues to the south and east.
You look at device
This small electronic device is attached to the workbench. There is a screen on the top, with a red button sitting next to it. A cable sticks out of the back of the machine.
You examine the screen
The screen is blank at present.
Examine button
(the communicator's button)
This button activates the X7ACIO87 communication unit.
You examine red button
The red button is on the device attached to the workbench.
You examine the cable
The cable sticks out from the device on the workbench. The other end is loose.
You examine the workbench
The top of the workbench is a mess, but unlike the rest of the laboratory, it probably is how it was left rather than being caused by the disaster. Within the mess are papers, scattered from one end of the workbench to the other, interspersed with the occasional potion. There is also an unusual device, which is built into the workbench.
You examine papers
The papers on the workbench contain information on many different formulae, but none that explain your situation. However, you do notice references to other papers that you cannot find on the workbench.
You examine the potions
There is a range of brightly coloured liquids, kept in flasks, lying on the workbench. You have no idea what any of them contain, so they will probably not be much use.
Password
The device beeps twice, with a message of "NO CONNECTION" flashing up on the screen.
You examine the screen
The screen is blank at present.
You go south
It looks like the laboratory's owner is more of a reader than you, as there is a very large bookcase in this corner. The bookcase is currently empty, but the library is still here, with a high pile of books sitting on the floor in front of the bookcase. The books look like they could be hiding something. Either the owner was careless, or the disaster caused the books to be knocked off the shelves. The titles mainly suggest that the contents of the pile are too technical to be interesting. You suppose finding fictional books would be too much to ask for in a laboratory. The laboratory continues to the north and east.
Examine books
The pile of books almost look like they are covering something. In this pile are scientific texts and research mainly concentrating on the areas of psychology, biology and chemistry. You do not have time to place these books back in the shelves, so they are going to have to stay on the floor for now.
You search the books
You move the books slightly to reveal a heavy metal chest.
You look at the chest
The metal chest looks very heavy and secure. It is closed, with no obvious way to open it, apart from a socket on the lid.
You examine the socket
This socket is on the lid of the chest.
You take the cable
Taken.
You put the cable in the socket
You plug the cable into the socket.
Pink
The device beeps once, with a message of "INVALID PASSWORD" flashing up on the screen.
You examine communicator
There is a button on the X7ACIO87 communication unit, so you can talk to the ship via the communicator.
Go south
It looks like the laboratory's owner is more of a reader than you, as there is a very large bookcase in this corner. The bookcase is currently empty, but the library is still here, with a high pile of books sitting on the floor in front of the bookcase. Either the owner was careless, or the disaster caused the books to be knocked off the shelves. The titles mainly suggest that the contents of the pile are too technical to be interesting. You suppose finding fictional books would be too much to ask for in a laboratory. The laboratory continues to the north and east.
You move the bookcase
The bookcase is too heavy to move.
You look at it
The bookcase is now empty of the books previously shelved in it. It covers most of the western wall in this corner.
You read the books
You pick up a book and read the title; "Not Neurological". You do not have time to read it, so you put it back down.
You keep going
You pick up a book and read the title; "The Chemistry of Elements". You do not have time to read it, so you put it back down.
Continue
You pick up a book and read the title; "Easy Personality Profiling". You do not have time to read it, so you put it back down.
Go east
You are standing at the entrance to a laboratory. It looks like it has been regularly used, although not in the last few weeks. The laboratory has not escaped the destruction from above. The floor is cracked, with a long, thin hole leading deep into the earth. The crack extends to the north, but can be easily stepped over. A tunnel slopes upward back towards the surface. The laboratory continues to the north and west.
Go upwards
As you walk back up, the world shimmers and returns to being all pink.

There is more to this location than before you ate the egg. It is not just that the ashes, ground, jungle and everywhere else is now coloured pink. It is the fact that there is a tunnel sloping downwards. You are sure that it wasn't there previously. You don't know where it came from, but tunnels do not just appear out of nowhere. However, there used to be more than one colour in the world, so you guess anything is possible here. The clearing, and ruins, continues to the north and west.
Go north
It looks like a garden should fill most of this corner, but there are only weeds where there should be crops. However, you have to look carefully to notice this, as the weeds are more indistinguishable from whatever should be in the garden when they are coloured pink. Everything is actually a lot more indistinguishable to be honest. It is difficult to tell the ashes from the dirt patches, with the clearing looking a lot less damaged when in pink. The clearing, and ruins, continues to the south and west.

A diary is lying on the ground.
You take the diary
Taken.
You examine it
This diary is bound within a pink cover and belongs to one of the scientists. Luckily, the text is in a dark shade of pink when compared to the background.
You read the diary
The diary belonged to one of the scientists, Dr. Mark Simmons. Most of the entries are filled with jargon and scientific data, which may be interesting to people back at the ship, but not to you. However, the last entry, which is dated several weeks ago, is different:

...I don't know why, but the world has suddenly become crazy. Everything was fine yesterday (apart from my usual complaint that with the increasing periods of absence for James, I have been forced away from my studies too much). However, today everyone and everything seems to have gone insane. At the moment I am hiding in the jungle away from the madness. I think I will go back soon though. No, I won't. Maybe. The only thing stopping me is this writing. I have to keep writing to stop the temptation. The need. No, it is not a need. I am stronger than this. Maybe if I write what I know, then it will satisfy the craving. Maybe I shouldn't though, as I need to forget. No, I can't forget or think of anything else. I need to figure out what is going on.

What I know, my diary, is that it all started this morning. It started with Jane. She has been acting strangely in recent days, almost paranoid whenever anyone approaches her. I have been avoiding the issue, as this is not my specialty. If James had been there, he would have known what to do. He is always good with the psychological aspects. He couldn't have helped this morning. I have never seen anything like it before. Jane was coloured bright pink. Yes, bright pink. Maybe she was infected with some local disease. I don't know. It seems likely though, as I cannot think of any other explanation. She looked strange, but she looked beautiful, irresistible even. She has always been attractive, but even more so today. Right now, I can't explain how this is true. I only know that it is. She seemed in a daze, mumbling something about how the "PSYCHE" was the key. The key to what, I don't know.

What happened next? I was walking over to treat her condition. Yes, treat her condition. That's why, I think. Anyway, one of the junior scientists, Simon, reached her first. He kissed her. He actually kissed her. And she did not just slap and reject him. I don't understand. Why wasn't it me? I saw Simon change before my eyes. There were ripples in the air, almost like the air was as thick as water. But it isn't. But it was. Simon turned pink as well. I saw ecstasy in his eyes. Or was it just a love of life. I don't know. I didn't stay. I'm ashamed to say that I ran. I shouldn't be too ashamed though, as it is the only reason I am here.

I admit that I have gone back once. I saw everyone standing in a circle holding hands. They were all pink. All of them except me. And maybe James. I didn't see him there. They then just disappeared. They vanished and I don't know where. I noticed that the house was burning. Someone must have left something on. It was too late. It is still too late. Everyone is gone, and the pinkness has not disappeared. I noticed in the garden that the fruit had gone pink as well. There were pink native flies, which have blighted our crops, but now it did not seem to matter. Animals were moving in from all directions to eat. I feel no better than those animals at the moment.

I can't go back, but I need food. And that food is the only food I know. Maybe it will be all right by now. I hope so. I'll just have a quick look...
You go to the south
There is more to this location than before you ate the egg. It is not just that the ashes, ground, jungle and everywhere else is now coloured pink. It is the fact that there is a tunnel sloping downwards. You are sure that it wasn't there previously. You don't know where it came from, but tunnels do not just appear out of nowhere. However, there used to be more than one colour in the world, so you guess anything is possible here. The clearing, and ruins, continues to the north and west.
Go downwards
As you walk down, the world shimmers and returns to normal colours.

You are standing at the entrance to a laboratory. It looks like it has been regularly used, although not in the last few weeks. The laboratory has not escaped the destruction from above. The floor is cracked, with a long, thin hole leading deep into the earth. The crack extends to the north, but can be easily stepped over. A tunnel slopes upward back towards the surface. The laboratory continues to the north and west.
Go northwest
This corner of the laboratory looks more like the mad scientist's lair that you were expecting from a hidden laboratory. There is a workbench, which is covered by various papers and unusual coloured potions. You can just imagine a mad scientist cackling as he or she mixed together potions in crazy experiments throughout the night. A strange device is attached to the workbench, and it has a cable sticking out of it. This corner is less damaged than the rest of the laboratory, which continues to the south and east.

You can see a heavy metal chest (which is closed) here.
Psyche
"ACCEPTED" flashes up on the screen. The chest then pops open, with the cable being pulled out by the lid's movement. Inside the chest you find some notes, a gold watch, a silver bracelet, a black potion and an iron nail. You take all of these items and glance through the notes.

Reading through the notes, a few comments stick out:

...She doesn't like me. I don't understand why, but she doesn't like me. That has never happened to me before, and I will not allow it to happen now...

...I have developed a new project called "Eros". No one else knows about it and I need someplace secret so no one will find out about it in the future. Funding is not an issue, as being the leader of this settlement makes it easy to divert funds. The aim of this project is to shift reality. If Jane will not like me in this reality maybe I can shift us slightly to a reality where she will...

...With my previous research and a native substance called Kahrz, I have developed the love potion. It has some strange effects that I have discovered by trying it out on myself. The new reality looks strangely pink, but I don't need the new reality to be perfect, I only need it to work. Love does not seem to be the only emotion amplified. The perception of reality changes on any strong emotions. One advantage from having a shifted reality is that it has provided an excellent hiding spot for a laboratory to develop the potion without any distractions...

...I now have a machine to develop both the potion and the antidote. To generate the antidote I need to firstly add silver, iron, Vitamin X, Vitamin Y, Vitamin Z and Kahrz. The machine will remove any impurities from the mixture. After pressing the pink button again to mix the ingredients I open the machine for a second time with the yellow button and add some gold...

...The potion is still not perfect, but I am running out of time before I have no more Kahrz. I have decided to start the next stage. I administered the potion to Jane's drink this morning, and took some myself. She has to meet me very soon now, and I will see the results. I will make a new batch of the antidote and administer it after we are finished...

...I have a problem. I have collected some of the ingredients in my chest, but I cannot complete the recipe. I have been using the vitamin supplements from upstairs for the antidotes, but I just found out that native animals raided our supply last night and ate them all. There won't be any more until the next ship arrives. I guess I am now going to find out what happens when there is long exposure to the potion...

...Jane is gone who knows where and I've almost left this reality several times. This laboratory is breaking up around me. I think this is the end of my time here. It is too late to get any help. Too late...
Examine ration
Each standard ration contains every vitamin, mineral and whatever else you need to stay healthy. Obviously taste is not a necessary component of healthiness though.
Inventory
You are carrying:
a silver bracelet
a flask of Kahrz
an iron nail
a gold watch
some notes
a diary
a communicator
a piece of wood
a scythe
a backpack (being worn and open)
five rations
You examine flask
(the flask of Kahrz)
This black potion is known as Kahrz according to the notes. It is a substance taken from one of the native animals on this planet.
Go east
A large, rectangular machine takes up most of the space in this corner of the laboratory. It looks like it could be used to mix ingredients and make evil concoctions, or not-so-evil depending on the mood. There is a control panel on the machine's side, with an open compartment on top. Unfortunately, there are no helpful labels to describe any functions. A crack in the floor extends to the south. The laboratory continues to the south and west.
You put the silver in the machine
You put the silver bracelet into the compartment.
You put the iron in the machine
You put the iron nail into the compartment.
You put the ration in the machine
(the ration in the mixing machine)
You put the ration into the compartment.
You put Kahrz in machine
You put the flask of Kahrz into the compartment.
You put the gold in the machine
You begin to put the gold watch in the machine, but suddenly the ground rumbles beneath you. You drop the gold watch in surprise and it slips down the crack. You can see it hanging off a ledge, almost within arm's reach. Unfortunately the crack is not wide enough though.
You examine the gold
The watch no longer seems to be working, with the date stopped several weeks back. It has a gold case and strap. The strap is missing a few links and is no longer wearable.
You turn the dial
You turn the dial and the scythe turns into a utility tool.
You continue
You turn the dial and the utility tool turns into a shovel.
You dig the crack with the shovel
You dig with the shovel to widen the crack, so you can reach in and grab the gold watch. However, when you do try to reach in, it does not go as planned. The ground suddenly rumbles again, and knocks you off balance to send you tumbling into the deep hole.

You fall and fall until you smack into the ground. The impact knocks you unconscious.

When you wake up, lying on the ground, everything has changed again. You are on a new world, which is almost cartoonish. The sky is pink and you wonder if you are dreaming. It is probably the continuing effects of the potion though. As you look around, you suddenly notice that you are no longer carrying anything.

The base of the Red Tower (on the ground)
To the south a very tall tower reaches up into the pink sky, with the man-made structure providing a counterpoint to the surrounding forest and mountains. Near the top of the tower you can see an open window. The tower must be dark and airless, as the only other visible opening is a large set of closed wooden doors, which block the entrance into the tower. A path leads to the north.
You examine the gargoyle
On first glance the gargoyle looks monstrous, with a fierce facial expression and large wings, but when you notice that he is wearing glasses, he looks less intimidating. You think that he is made of stone, but he is clearly alive, so you are not sure. The gargoyle has not stopped staring at you since you first appeared.
You ask the gargoyle about Tower
To talk to someone or something, please type TALK TO OBJECT.
You talk to the gargoyle
What would you like to say?
(1) "Who are you?"
(2) "Where am I?"
(3) "Why won't you let me in the tower?"
(4) "Who was the golden-haired lady?"
(5) "Isn't guard duty boring?"
(6) "Would you accept any bribes?"
(7) "Why do you need glasses?"
(8) "Goodbye."
1
"All you need to know about me is that it is my duty to stop anyone from entering this tower. You don't even need to know my name, as I gave it up long ago to dedicate myself to this job. I am very diligent in my duty."

What would you like to say?
(1) "Where am I?"
(2) "Why won't you let me in the tower?"
(3) "Who was the golden-haired lady?"
(4) "Isn't guard duty boring?"
(5) "Would you accept any bribes?"
(6) "Why do you need glasses?"
(7) "Goodbye."
1
"You are standing in front of the Red Tower. If you want to know in more general terms, you are here in this province. It is not named, it just is."

What would you like to say?
(1) "Why won't you let me in the tower?"
(2) "Who was the golden-haired lady?"
(3) "Isn't guard duty boring?"
(4) "Would you accept any bribes?"
(5) "Why do you need glasses?"
(6) "Goodbye."
1
"The Red Tower is not a place for mortals to walk through. It is a cursed place, as reality is thinner inside. People who enter rarely come out the same. I think I entered a long time ago, but I do not remember fully. I would never enter now, and no one else will either."

What would you like to say?
(1) "Who was the golden-haired lady?"
(2) "Isn't guard duty boring?"
(3) "Would you accept any bribes?"
(4) "Why do you need glasses?"
(5) "Goodbye."
1
"You mean the inhabitant of the tower. I do not know anything about her. It is not my business to know. It is only my business to be the guard of this tower. Other concerns are for other people."

What would you like to say?
(1) "Isn't guard duty boring?"
(2) "Would you accept any bribes?"
(3) "Why do you need glasses?"
(4) "Goodbye."
1
"No, I find it rewarding. I have become used to maintaining my concentration. I like being successful, and I always spot people like you who are thinking of entering."

What would you like to say?
(1) "Would you accept any bribes?"
(2) "Why do you need glasses?"
(3) "Goodbye."
1
"No! I am dedicated to this job. I will admit though that I really like how that Amulet of Air worn by the shopkeeper looks."

What would you like to say?
(1) "Why do you need glasses?"
(2) "What do you know about the Amulet of Air?"
(3) "Goodbye."
1
"Why do you think? My eyesight is not as good as I would like it to be. You don't think I am wearing them for fun, do you?"

What would you like to say?
(1) "What do you know about the Amulet of Air?"
(2) "Goodbye."
1
"I don't know much. I just saw it once and really liked it. You should go ask the shopkeeper, if you want to know more, as he's the one who owns it."

What would you like to say?
(1) "Goodbye."
You look at Tower
This is a very tall tower, with only a window near the top and a door next to you, breaking up the solid red walls.

The gargoyle's unwavering stare is beginning to unsettle you.
You look at the glasses
The gargoyle is surprisingly wearing glasses. You did not know that stone creatures could have trouble with their eyesight.
You examine doors
The two closed doors are the entrance to the tower. The doors are large and much taller than your height.
You go north
The boulder, at the base of a hill
You are standing at the base of a hill, which you can climb to the north. The undulating, grassy Arcadia almost makes you feel poetic, although your favoured style of limericks does not really fit the mold. A boulder, sitting in the middle of the path leading from the south, diverts the path around it and the hill to the northeast and northwest.

You suddenly remember that you were searching for a gold watch, and you have just seen a golden-haired Princess. Are they the same, although does it even matter if they are? This is a new reality, you think. You hope it isn't a hallucination.

Sticking out of the boulder is a sword hilt.
You examine hilt
This is a simple, unadorned hilt. You vaguely remember legends of magical swords in stones, but not clearly. You wonder if your subconscious is shaping this world or not.
You take it
You pull on the sword and it slides out easily. As the sword is withdrawn from the rock, you hear a strange melody, which builds to a crescendo when the sword is finally out. The hole in the boulder closes up again, after the sword is removed. That was very strange, but at least you have the sword now.
You look at the sword
The sword does not look very effective. The blade is blunt and the overall design is much more simple than you expected from your knowledge about legendary swords in stones.
You look at the boulder
The large boulder is the most distinctive feature of this location, sitting in the centre of the three diverging parts of the path. There do not appear to be many other rocks around, so you are not sure why the boulder is here. You don't think it is a natural occurrence, but who put it here?
Go northwest
The lake, at the end of the river
The river from the north reaches its final destination in the lake that you are standing next to. The lake is clean and sparkling in the daylight. The reflected pink sky gives it an unusual colouration. A pump is whirring next to the lake, moving water into a pipe, which leads northwest underground. Unfortunately the pipe is leaking heavily at the moment and most of the water is instead rolling back into the lake. The lake is slowly expanding due to the pump not working adequately and the river flowing aggressively. The river's speed means that it is impossible for you to swim north. Next to the pump is a closed chest. A path curves around the lake from the northwest to the southeast. A hill can be seen to the northeast.

A dolphin appears from beneath the lake's surface. He looks at you and almost beckons you to follow, as he dives back underneath.
You examine the chest
A chest is sitting next to the pump and it is currently closed.
You open it
You open the chest, revealing an oxygen tank and a hose.
You look at tank
The oxygen tank is useful for when you need to breathe in places with no air. It has a tube, which can be attached to a helmet.
You look at the hose
The hose could be attached to a tap to direct the water's movement.
You examine the pump
The machinery of the pump removes water from the lake, and pumps it through the pipe.

A dolphin appears from beneath the lake's surface. He looks at you and almost beckons you to follow, as he dives back underneath.
You examine the pipe
The pipe travels from the machine to underground. Above the ground a joint on the pipe is loose and lots of water is leaking out.
You go to the northwest
A steep cliff marks the start of the mountain range to the west. The mountains continue to the north and south, with no path through above ground in sight. There is a cave in the west cliff wall that may provide a path underground. The cave does not look too dark, as a faint light emanates inside, although you cannot make out any details. You are glad that you are not claustrophobic, although you are not fond of dark holes ever since you had to hide in one on your last mission. A path curves around a water tank, passing from the northeast to the southeast. The water tank has a tap on one side, with a sign above it saying "Area Water Storage".

On close inspection the cave entrance unfortunately reminds you more and more of the cave from your last mission.
You look at the tank
The tank is labeled "Area Water Storage" and it has pipes sticking out of it. The pipes head underground in both the northeast and southeast directions. You guess that the creatures around here get their water via the lake.
You turn the tap
You turn the tap on, but no water comes out. The tank must be empty.
You turn tap off
The tap is already off.
You look at the cave
You can see that the cave heads deep into the mountains. Inside the entrance are some rock formations such as stalagmites and stalactites. The way the cave is situated within the cliff and the shape of the entrance reminds you of a cave from your last mission. Walking into that cave when you were retreating temporarily, you were almost burned alive by a fire trap set for the bugs. Luckily you were the wrong shape and avoided most of the damage. Once behind the trap you had a chance to rest up and formulate a strategy that you used to defeat several swarms. However, staying inside the cramped darkness for a long period was an experience you would not like to repeat.
Go northeast
The bridge, over the river
A river flows from the mountains in the north to a lake in the south. The water is clear and rushes swiftly underneath the wooden bridge that you are standing on. The speed of the water means that without the bridge you would not be able to get across. A path from the northeast to the southwest travels over the bridge. A hill is to the southeast. Next to the bridge on the river's western side, a fruit tree is surrounded by a pile of sharp rocks. There is no fruit left in the tree, but the remains of the past fruit can be found stuck on the rocks.

A small bird lands and attempts to get the fruit, but it is immediately forced into the air by the sharpness of the rocks underneath it. You feel sorry for the bird and think that there is something odd about the situation.
You look at the tree
You can tell that this is a fruit tree by the fruit lying underneath it, but it is difficult for you to tell what kind of fruit it is. The fruit is orange and purple, and you have never seen it before. You wish one of the colonists were here to help identify the fruit.
You examine the rocks
The pile of sharp rocks surrounds the base of the fruit tree. The remains of some fruit from the tree are stuck to the pile.
Examine remains
The remains of the fruit are on the sharp rocks below the tree.
You take the remains
You do not need the fruit.

Another small bird, trying to get the fruit, lands on the rocks. The bird takes off straight after landing, as the rocks are too sharp underneath it.
You move the rocks
You can pick up rocks, but moving the whole pile is too difficult.
You look at what you're carrying with you
You are carrying:
a small sharp rock
a sword
You examine the river
The river is moving swiftly from the north to the south under the bridge. Unlike many rivers you have seen on other planets, the relative primitiveness here has meant that the river has been left far cleaner and more attractive to look at.
You look at the lake
You can see that the river heads to a lake to the south.
You examine bridge
This is a sturdy wooden bridge, which crosses over the river.

Another small bird, trying to get the fruit, lands on the rocks. The bird takes off straight after landing, as the rocks are too sharp underneath it.
You examine the bridge
This is a sturdy wooden bridge, which crosses over the river.
You examine the hill
A hill rises to the southeast of your location.
You go to the southeast
The top of this hill, is a good vantage point, as you can see everywhere from here. Luckily, as you do not want to walk too far, the area surrounding the hill is not that large. It is enclosed by a forest, which you cannot see the end of, to the east, and a mountain range, which you cannot see over, to the west. The two extremes meet at the north and south points of the area. In between you can see a farm to the east, a cave to the west, the Red Tower to the south and a shop to the north. A blanket of grass covers the whole hill, although the grass at the top does look a little flattened.

The white rabbit is hopping around the area.

The white rabbit bounds up to you and asks, "Who are you? Come on, you can tell me. Are you from nearby? Are you rich? Are you hungry? Give me some answers now!"

What would you like to say?
(1) "I am an explorer from a spaceship, who somehow made it to here." (2) "I am a rich royal from another land."
(3) "It is none of your business!"
(4) "Yes, I am hungry."
1
"So, you are an alien. You do look funny. Where are your long ears? Are you going to experiment on me? You don't want to. Are you really an alien? I'm not sure. You don't look funny enough. Shouldn't you be green or something."

The rabbit becomes distracted, and begins hopping around the area again.
You examine the rabbit
The white rabbit is very exuberant and is hopping crazily in strange patterns around the area. He looks very hyperactive, as he cannot seem to stop moving. Just watching him begins to give you a headache.

The white rabbit is wearing a four leaf clover.
You talk to the rabbit
You call the rabbit over to you.

What would you like to say?
(1) "Who are you?"
(2) "Where am I?"
(3) "Do you want to take a break?"
2
"Look around. You can see everything from here. Not everything in this province, but everything in this area. I have not left for a while, so I cannot say what else is around. You should look for yourself."

The rabbit becomes distracted, and begins hopping around the area again.
You talk to the rabbit
You call the rabbit over to you.

What would you like to say?
(1) "Who are you?"
(2) "Where did you get the four leaf clover?"
(3) "Do you want to take a break?"
2
"This clover was a present. It was given to me when I was young. That was a while ago. I was happier back then. The clover reminds me of when I was happier. Now I just feel lost. Hopefully, the clover will bring good luck, so I can find my way."

The rabbit becomes distracted, and begins hopping around the area again.
You talk to the rabbit
You call the rabbit over to you.

What would you like to say?
(1) "Who are you?"
(2) "Do you want to take a break?"
(3) "Go away!"
1
"I'm not sure anymore. I just don't know. I know I'm in a hurry. I'm a white rabbit now, but was I always this way. I must have been."

The rabbit becomes distracted, and begins hopping around the area again.
You talk to the rabbit
You call the rabbit over to you.

What would you like to say?
(1) "Why are you hopping around here?"
(2) "Do you want to take a break?"
(3) "Go away!"
1
"I'm looking for something. Or someone. Or somewhere. I don't know, but I think it is here. I hope. Maybe I can see it from here. I used to be able to focus, but not anymore. Ever since the War, I just cannot think straight."

The rabbit becomes distracted, and begins hopping around the area again.
You talk to the rabbit
You call the rabbit over to you.

What would you like to say?
(1) "Do you want to take a break?"
(2) "What happened in the War?"
(3) "Go away!"
2
"I don't know. I don't remember. I don't want to remember."

The rabbit becomes distracted, and begins hopping around the area again.

The white rabbit bounds up to you again, in order to start a conversation.

What would you like to say?
(1) "Do you want to take a break?"
(2) "Go away!"
1
"I could use a break, but not yet. I am not that tired. A snack might be nice though. Not that I have any food to eat. The carrots in the shop look nice though."

The rabbit becomes distracted, and begins hopping around the area again.
Go north
The shop entrance, at the base of a hill
The paths from the southeast and southwest intersect at a shop. A sign hangs over the shop's entrance to the north, proclaiming it as "Stegosaurus Supplies". You can climb the hill to the south, after walking past a sculpture. The sculpture is labeled as "Man on Bird", and it is life-size in scale. At least the man is life-size, and you did not know that birds could be that big. The man is armed with a lance and a shield, although he looks very close to dropping the shield. A regular ear-splitting screech emanating from the bird is threatening to give you a headache. A flash of light catches your attention from under the bird.
You look at the light
There is a small closed door, which is coloured gold and sits on the underside of the bird.
You open the gold door
It seems to be locked.
You take the shield
(first climbing the ladder that is attached to the side of the sculpture)
You pull the shield loose from the man's grasp. You then climb back down to the ground.
You look at the shield
This shield looks very effective and solid. It might even be possible to use it as an actual shield.
You examine the sculpture
A label at the base of the statue says "Man on Bird", which is an accurate description of what you are seeing. The man is armed with a lance, and he looks ready for battle on the giant bird. You wonder whom he was battling. That is, of course, if this is a historically motivated rather than an artistically motivated sculpture. It is difficult to tell when you have not been in this land for long. On close inspection you notice a ladder built into the side of the bird.
You go north
This shop is almost empty. Business looks to have been very bad, as the heavy and undisturbed layer of dust means that no stock has been sold here for too long. On the eastern side are shelves, which only contain a few books and a tin of blue paint. On the western side is a table of food, on which small piles of carrots, mulberry tree leaves and steak sit. The glass counter looks a bit more full and houses some shiny objects, with the most eye-catching being a gold key, a silver wrench and a bronze diving helmet. A sign is next to these objects. The only exit is back to the south.

The Stegosaurus is standing behind the counter. He is wearing the Amulet of Air.
You read the sign
What would a store be without exciting looking items at the counter to catch your attention for last-minute purchases? The shininess works well here in attracting your attention to a gold key, a silver wrench and a bronze diving helmet. A sign next to the items says "Special Lucky Offer Available Now!".
You look at the stegosaur
It is lucky that there is plenty of room behind this counter, as otherwise the Stegosaurus would not fit. In fact it looks like there is more store behind than in front of the counter. Despite his large size, the Stegosaurus does look helpful, although a little worried, which is probably due to the lack of business at this store. He is wearing the Amulet of Air.
You examine Amulet
The Amulet of Air is made of pumice. The head of the Princess you saw earlier is carved into the shape of the amulet. A cord allows the amulet to be worn around someone's neck.
You talk to the stegosaur
What would you like to say?
(1) "Who are you?"
(2) "Where am I?"
(3) "How is the business going?"
(4) "What is the special lucky offer?"
(5) "Can I have the Amulet of Air?"
(6) "What are the Amulets?"
(7) "Goodbye."
1
"I am the owner of this store and, in case you can't figure it out, I am a dinosaur. I am unique around here, as dinosaurs are extinct. I must have been so lucky in surviving that I have only been unlucky since."

What would you like to say?
(1) "Where am I?"
(2) "How is the business going?"
(3) "What is the special lucky offer?"
(4) "Can I have the Amulet of Air?"
(5) "What are the Amulets?"
(6) "Goodbye."
1
"You are standing in my store, so hopefully you are a customer. There aren't that many other customers left around here, as this region has been abandoned by many creatures in recent times."

What would you like to say?
(1) "How is the business going?"
(2) "What is the special lucky offer?"
(3) "Can I have the Amulet of Air?"
(4) "What are the Amulets?"
(5) "Goodbye."
1
"Business has been poor since the War. The strange thing is that no one can really remember what happened during or before the War. I don't even know whether we won or lost, apart from that I think everyone lost. There was too much magic and it has had strange effects on everything. The only thing I remember is that the Princess became locked in the Red Tower late in the War. The Red Tower has been affected most by the magic and is not a safe place to enter. No one dares go there to let the Princess out. This shop used to house a lot more products, so there have to have been more creatures, but I guess too many creatures died or left this area."

What would you like to say?
(1) "What is the special lucky offer?"
(2) "Can I have the Amulet of Air?"
(3) "What are the Amulets?"
(4) "Goodbye."
1
"The special lucky offer is that I am willing to trade any of these items in this counter for a lucky item. Dinosaurs became extinct a long while ago, yet here I am. I don't know how, but I do know I must have used up all my luck in surviving, as this shop has been a disaster. So, if you give me a four leaf clover, horseshoe, rabbit's foot, or so on, then you can have one of these items. That is not all though, as I will swap whatever you take for any of the items remaining, if you later change your mind."

What would you like to say?
(1) "Can I have the Amulet of Air?"
(2) "What are the Amulets?"
(3) "Goodbye."
1
"No! This Amulet is mine, and I like it. I am not going to give it away. Not cheaply anyway. I am not willing to trade it for one of the other Amulets, but if you give me two of them, then I will consider it. I think most of the other residents in this area have found an Amulet at some stage."

What would you like to say?
(1) "What are the Amulets?"
(2) "Goodbye."
1
"There are four Amulets for Air, Earth, Fire and Water. I don't know how, but they appeared at the end of the War, and I think they are related to the Princess in some way. They are made in her image, so that is a fairly safe assumption. I don't think there is any magic in them, but it could be just that I cannot access it. I'm told that the Amulets appeal most to creatures with affinities to the elements. I couldn't tell you for sure though."

What would you like to say?
(1) "Goodbye."
You take the carrot
When you reach for the food, the shopkeeper says, "You would need money to pay for that, and I do not think that you have any. We do have a special lucky offer on the items in the counter though."

The shopkeeper tells you, "Take your time in looking around."
You look at the carrot
There is not much of a range of food here, but what is here does look new. At least these items look like they sell more regularly. The few items piled on the table include carrots, mulberry tree leaves and steak.
You look at helmet
The bronze helmet could be used for diving underwater, if it is attached to an oxygen tank.
You look at key
This small key is golden coloured.
You examine the wrench
The silver wrench looks a useful tool for tightening or loosening objects.
Go south
The shop entrance, at the base of a hill
The paths from the southeast and southwest intersect at a shop. A sign hangs over the shop's entrance to the north, proclaiming it as "Stegosaurus Supplies". You can climb the hill to the south, after walking past a sculpture. The sculpture is labeled as "Man on Bird", and it is life-size in scale. At least the man is life-size, and you did not know that birds could be that big. The man is armed with a lance. A regular ear-splitting screech emanating from the bird is threatening to give you a headache. There is a small gold door in the underside of the bird.
Go southeast
The field, on the farm
This section of the farm has a fenced off field, which is full of carrot plants. There is no access to the field, but there is a mechanical dog inside in the northeast corner. The metal on the dog is no longer shiny, and is in fact a little rusty. Next to the southwest corner is a machine with a funnel on top and a control panel on its side. A pipe leads from the machine to the southern wall. There is an open door in the wall as well. A path leads from the southeast to the northwest. A hill can be climbed to the southwest.
You examine the dog
You can see that the mechanical dog has the name Rover written on its side. You wonder why it has a name, when no one else seems to. The dog is made of metal, although this metal is no longer new and shiny. It has been neglected and is rusty in places. There is a basket on the dog's back. The dog is standing still, waiting for its next command. It is currently in the northeast corner of the field.
You examine basket
The basket on the dog's back is empty.
You look at the plants
The carrot plants in the field can presumably be harvested to get carrots.
You look at the machine
There is a machine attached to the fence in the southwest corner of the field. The machine has a funnel on top and a control panel on one side. The panel has two buttons and a dial on it. A pipe leads from the machine to the southern wall.
You examine the panel
The control panel has two buttons, one labeled dig and the other labeled empty. There is also a dial. The dial is currently centred, and can be turned to CL1 or CL2 on one side, and CCL1 or CCL2 on the other side.
You look at the pipe
One end of the pipe is attached to the machine. The pipe then progresses until it enters the wall to the south.
You examine the wall
The wall to the south contains a door and is part of a shelter.
You look at the door
This door allows access from the field for the farm to the shelter. It is currently open.
You go to the east
A forest blocks your progress in that direction.
Go south
The shelter, on the farm
You are standing under a shelter, with the roof and northern wall protecting a pile of carrots. The end of a pipe is on the wall above the pile. Strangely there is also a container under the shelter labeled poison, which has a green liquid bubbling out of it. It does not seem to fit the mood of the place, and almost blurs out of your vision occasionally. There is an open door in the northern wall, with a path also progressing from the southwest to the northeast. The hill can be climbed to the northwest.
You examine the liquid
You can tell that the poison is out of place, but you are not really sure why. You wonder if you are fully happy with this reality, or if your doubts are changing it. Whatever the reason for the poison, it definitely looks deadly.
You look at the carrots
This is a huge pile of carrots under the shelter. It must be the main vegetable produced on the farm. In fact it looks like the only product.
Smell the carrot
(the pile of carrots)
You smell nothing unexpected.
Go southwest
The boulder, at the base of a hill
You are standing at the base of a hill, which you can climb to the north. The undulating, grassy Arcadia almost makes you feel poetic, although your favoured style of limericks does not really fit the mold. A boulder, sitting in the middle of the path leading from the south, diverts the path around it and the hill to the northeast and northwest.
Go northeast
The shelter, on the farm
You are standing under a shelter, with the roof and northern wall protecting a pile of carrots. The end of a pipe is on the wall above the pile. Strangely there is also a container under the shelter labeled poison, which has a green liquid bubbling out of it. It does not seem to fit the mood of the place, and almost blurs out of your vision occasionally. There is an open door in the northern wall, with a path also progressing from the southwest to the northeast. The hill can be climbed to the northwest.
You go to the west
The lake, at the end of the river
The river from the north reaches its final destination in the lake that you are standing next to. The lake is clean and sparkling in the daylight. The reflected pink sky gives it an unusual colouration. A pump is whirring next to the lake, moving water into a pipe, which leads northwest underground. Unfortunately the pipe is leaking heavily at the moment and most of the water is instead rolling back into the lake. The lake is slowly expanding due to the pump not working adequately and the river flowing aggressively. The river's speed means that it is impossible for you to swim north. Next to the pump is an open chest. A path curves around the lake from the northwest to the southeast. A hill can be seen to the northeast.
Go northeast
The top of this hill, is a good vantage point, as you can see everywhere from here. Luckily, as you do not want to walk too far, the area surrounding the hill is not that large. It is enclosed by a forest, which you cannot see the end of, to the east, and a mountain range, which you cannot see over, to the west. The two extremes meet at the north and south points of the area. In between you can see a farm to the east, a cave to the west, the Red Tower to the south and a shop to the north. A blanket of grass covers the whole hill, although the grass at the top does look a little flattened.

The white rabbit is hopping around the area.

The white rabbit bounds up to you again, in order to start a conversation.

What would you like to say?
(1) "Why don't you just take the carrots from the shop?"
(2) "Go away!"
1
"I have no money. That would be stealing. I'm not a bad rabbit. I'm a good rabbit. Don't even suggest that."

The rabbit becomes distracted, and begins hopping around the area again.
You give the carrot to the rabbit
The white rabbit looks surprised at your offering, but he gratefully takes it. The rabbit quickly eats all of the carrot, but immediately afterwards he yawns widely. He thanks you and gives you his lucky four leaf clover as a reward, before lying down on the ground and going to sleep. It is the first time that you have seen him peaceful, and you hope that he can get some good rest.
You take the rabbit
The rabbit looks tired, so you decide to let him sleep.
You go north
The shop entrance, at the base of a hill
The paths from the southeast and southwest intersect at a shop. A sign hangs over the shop's entrance to the north, proclaiming it as "Stegosaurus Supplies". You can climb the hill to the south, after walking past a sculpture. The sculpture is labeled as "Man on Bird", and it is life-size in scale. At least the man is life-size, and you did not know that birds could be that big. The man is armed with a lance. A regular ear-splitting screech emanating from the bird is threatening to give you a headache. There is a small gold door in the underside of the bird.
You go north
This shop is almost empty. Business looks to have been very bad, as the heavy and undisturbed layer of dust means that no stock has been sold here for too long. On the eastern side are shelves, which only contain a few books and a tin of blue paint. On the western side is a table of food, on which small piles of carrots, mulberry tree leaves and steak sit. The glass counter looks a bit more full and houses some shiny objects, with the most eye-catching being a gold key, a silver wrench and a bronze diving helmet. A sign is next to these objects. The only exit is back to the south.

The Stegosaurus is standing behind the counter. He is wearing the Amulet of Air.
You give the clover to Stegosaurus
The shopkeeper gratefully accepts your gift and puts it behind the counter. He says "You can take any of the items in the counter if you wish, and remember that you can always trade the item back later, if you want a different one."
You take the key
The shopkeeper gives you the gold key.
You unlock the gold door with the key
(first unlocking the door with the gold key)
You open the gold compartment, revealing a sound box.
Examine box
This box looks like it is the source of the screeching. It is currently switched on.
You turn off the box
You turn off the box.
You check what you're carrying
You are carrying:
a sound box
a gold key
a shield
a small sharp rock
a sword
Go north
This shop is almost empty. Business looks to have been very bad, as the heavy and undisturbed layer of dust means that no stock has been sold here for too long. On the eastern side are shelves, which only contain a few books and a tin of blue paint. On the western side is a table of food, on which small piles of carrots, mulberry tree leaves and steak sit. The glass counter looks a bit more full and houses some shiny objects, with the most eye-catching being a silver wrench and a bronze diving helmet. A sign is next to these objects. The only exit is back to the south.

The Stegosaurus is standing behind the counter. He is wearing the Amulet of Air.
You give the key to Stegosaurus
The shopkeeper puts the gold key back into the counter and tells you that you can take any of the items in there.
You take the wrench
The shopkeeper gives you the silver wrench.
Go south
The shop entrance, at the base of a hill
The paths from the southeast and southwest intersect at a shop. A sign hangs over the shop's entrance to the north, proclaiming it as "Stegosaurus Supplies". You can climb the hill to the south, after walking past a sculpture. The sculpture is labeled as "Man on Bird", and it is life-size in scale. At least the man is life-size, and you did not know that birds could be that big. The man is armed with a lance. There is a small gold door in the underside of the bird.
You go southwest
The bridge, over the river
A river flows from the mountains in the north to a lake in the south. The water is clear and rushes swiftly underneath the wooden bridge that you are standing on. The speed of the water means that without the bridge you would not be able to get across. A path from the northeast to the southwest travels over the bridge. A hill is to the southeast. Next to the bridge on the river's western side, a fruit tree is surrounded by a pile of sharp rocks. There is no fruit left in the tree, but the remains of the past fruit can be found stuck on the rocks.
You go southwest
A steep cliff marks the start of the mountain range to the west. The mountains continue to the north and south, with no path through above ground in sight. There is a cave in the west cliff wall that may provide a path underground. The cave does not look too dark, as a faint light emanates inside, although you cannot make out any details. You are glad that you are not claustrophobic, although you are not fond of dark holes ever since you had to hide in one on your last mission. A path curves around a water tank, passing from the northeast to the southeast. The water tank has a tap on one side, with a sign above it saying "Area Water Storage".
Go south
A mountain range blocks your progress in that direction.
You fix the pipe
You tighten the pipe as best you can with the silver wrench. Soon the water has almost stopped leaking. Your quick fix isn't completely successful, but the slight drip left will, you hope, not have much effect.
You turn the tap
You turn the tap on, and water starts dripping on the ground under it. There seems little need to waste water, so you turn the tap back off.
You go to the northeast
The bridge, over the river
A river flows from the mountains in the north to a lake in the south. The water is clear and rushes swiftly underneath the wooden bridge that you are standing on. The speed of the water means that without the bridge you would not be able to get across. A path from the northeast to the southwest travels over the bridge. A hill is to the southeast. Next to the bridge on the river's western side, a fruit tree is surrounded by a pile of sharp rocks. There is no fruit left in the tree, but the remains of the past fruit can be found stuck on the rocks.
Go northeast
The shop entrance, at the base of a hill
The paths from the southeast and southwest intersect at a shop. A sign hangs over the shop's entrance to the north, proclaiming it as "Stegosaurus Supplies". You can climb the hill to the south, after walking past a sculpture. The sculpture is labeled as "Man on Bird", and it is life-size in scale. At least the man is life-size, and you did not know that birds could be that big. The man is armed with a lance. There is a small gold door in the underside of the bird.
You go north
This shop is almost empty. Business looks to have been very bad, as the heavy and undisturbed layer of dust means that no stock has been sold here for too long. On the eastern side are shelves, which only contain a few books and a tin of blue paint. On the western side is a table of food, on which small piles of carrots, mulberry tree leaves and steak sit. The glass counter looks a bit more full and houses some shiny objects, with the most eye-catching being a gold key and a bronze diving helmet. A sign is next to these objects. The only exit is back to the south.

The Stegosaurus is standing behind the counter. He is wearing the Amulet of Air.
You give the wrench to Stegosaurus
The shopkeeper puts the silver wrench back into the counter and tells you that you can take any of the items in there.
You take the helmet
The shopkeeper gives you the bronze diving helmet.
You go southeast
The lake, at the end of the river
The river from the north reaches its final destination in the lake that you are standing next to. The lake is clean and sparkling in the daylight. The reflected pink sky gives it an unusual colouration. A pump is whirring next to the lake, moving water into a pipe, which leads northwest underground. The pump is now removing water at a similar rate to the river rushing towards the lake. The river's speed means that it is impossible for you to swim north. Next to the pump is an open chest. A path curves around the lake from the northwest to the southeast. A hill can be seen to the northeast.
You connect the tank to the helmet
You attach the oxygen tank to the diving helmet.
Wear helmet
You put on the bronze diving helmet (with oxygen tank attached).
You look at what you're carrying with you
You are carrying:
a bronze diving helmet (with oxygen tank attached) (being worn)
a sound box
a shield
a small sharp rock
a sword
You descend
You dive into the lake and swim out to the middle.

The bottom of the lake, southwest corner
As you swim around, you notice an old treasure chest lies on the floor in the southwest corner of the lake. It is closed and its base has become embedded in the ground beneath it. You wonder who left their treasure in the lake long ago, and why it was abandoned. Maybe it was too difficult to retrieve, or maybe it was lost not hidden. Whatever happened, it's ancient history now. The lake continues to the east and north, but you could also return back up to the surface.

The dolphin swims up to you and says, "I need your help. I can't get into my home. I'm sure that you can think of something, and I would be very grateful."

The dolphin is currently swimming in the area.
Open chest
When you open the treasure chest you do not find the gold, jewels or amulets that you were hoping for. In fact you do not find anything at all. It is completely empty.
Close chest
You close the treasure chest.
You talk to the dolphin
What would you like to say?
(1) "Who are you?"
(2) "Where am I?"
(3) "What are you doing?"
(4) "How did your home get blocked off?"
(5) "Have you noticed the treasure chest?"
(6) "Goodbye."
1
"I can't tell you that much about myself, as I was separated from any other dolphins a long while ago. In fact I cannot even remember any others. All I remember is waking up in here. I wonder if I was kidnapped, but I have found no kidnappers. Still, it doesn't really matter, and it is better not to dwell on the past."

What would you like to say?
(1) "Where am I?"
(2) "What are you doing?"
(3) "How did your home get blocked off?"
(4) "Have you noticed the treasure chest?"
(5) "Goodbye."
1
"This lake is where I live now. I had an accident, I think, a while back, and I have lost a lot of my memory. To be honest, I do not know how I got here. I have tried exploring up the river, but it does not lead to the sea. I would like a little more space. However, the only thing left to do, is to make the best of the situation and live here."

What would you like to say?
(1) "What are you doing?"
(2) "How did your home get blocked off?"
(3) "Have you noticed the treasure chest?"
(4) "Goodbye."
1
"I am swimming around the area. I like swimming around in nice loops down here, as it is good exercise. I need to keep in shape, as you never know when an opportunity to leave will arise. I want to be ready to fit in wherever I go. I have some secret ambitions, but I am too nervous to discuss them yet. I know everything will work out, if I just do my best."

What would you like to say?
(1) "How did your home get blocked off?"
(2) "Have you noticed the treasure chest?"
(3) "Goodbye."
1
"I'm not sure, as I wasn't there when it happened. I am grateful that I wasn't there inside to become stuck inside my home. The construction on the tunnel has not been as well done, as I would have liked. There were a few cracks in the ceiling above the entrance, and I guess that the roof just collapsed whilst I was away."

What would you like to say?
(1) "Have you noticed the treasure chest?"
(2) "Goodbye."
1
"Yes, I noticed it fairly quickly. It is easy to spot, as I'm sure you have found. The chest was originally full of jewels, but I sold them off. They paid for the construction of my nice home, and allowed me to help a few other people around the area."

What would you like to say?
(1) "Goodbye."
Go north
The bottom of the lake, northwest corner
The northwest corner has some unusual underwater plant life, with what looks like a tree growing out of the lake floor. It is surprising, as you would expect a tree like that to be growing on land, but maybe this tree is lost. You can see to the east a steep underwater cliff that almost reaches the surface. The water's shallowness separates the northeast corner from the rest of the lake. There is a tunnel in the cliff that you can swim into to the east. You can also swim through the lake to the south, or back up to the surface.

The dolphin is currently swimming in the area.
You examine the tree
You have not heard of underwater trees like this one, but there is a lot about this land that is new to you. The unusual seems to happen regularly here. The tree has leaves, branches and everything you would expect, but you still keep thinking that you must be wrong somehow.
You climb the tree
You could just swim back up to the surface.
Go upwards
You swim back up to the surface of the lake at the edge. You pull yourself out of the water and return to dry land.

The lake, at the end of the river
The river from the north reaches its final destination in the lake that you are standing next to. The lake is clean and sparkling in the daylight. The reflected pink sky gives it an unusual colouration. A pump is whirring next to the lake, moving water into a pipe, which leads northwest underground. The pump is now removing water at a similar rate to the river rushing towards the lake. The river's speed means that it is impossible for you to swim north. Next to the pump is an open chest. A path curves around the lake from the northwest to the southeast. A hill can be seen to the northeast.
You examine the tunnel
The tunnel does not look like a natural hole in the cliff. It looks like someone has drilled through the cliff at some stage to create it.

The dolphin swims off to the south.
You go east
The tunnel, west end
The tunnel has been carved into the rock, curving around from the south to the west. It slopes downwards in each direction. Unfortunately you can only see a little of the tunnel to the south as the boulder from the roof falling down is blocking the tunnel at its highest point. There is a crack that you can see slightly through. The boulder also appears to be blocking the entrance to a room. At the moment you can only exit to the west.
You examine the crack
You can see the other side of the tunnel through the crack.
You look at the boulder
This large chunk of rock came from the roof of the tunnel, but you have no idea why it fell down. Maybe the tunnel was not very well made. The chunk is fairly round and could roll.
Go west
The bottom of the lake, northwest corner
The northwest corner has some unusual underwater plant life, with what looks like a tree growing out of the lake floor. It is surprising, as you would expect a tree like that to be growing on land, but maybe this tree is lost. You can see to the east a steep underwater cliff that almost reaches the surface. The water's shallowness separates the northeast corner from the rest of the lake. There is a tunnel in the cliff that you can swim into to the east. You can also swim through the lake to the south, or back up to the surface.
Go southeast
The bottom of the lake, southeast corner
Whilst swimming around the southeast corner of the lake, the most noticeable object is a sunken rowboat. The reason for the sinking you would guess has something to do with the crack along the boat's bottom, which probably would not have kept out the water very well. It does not look like the boat was well maintained, although being abandoned at the bottom of the lake wouldn't have helped. You can see to the north a steep underwater cliff that almost reaches the surface. The water's shallowness separates the northeast corner from the rest of the lake. There is a tunnel in the cliff that you can swim into to the north. You can also swim through the lake to the west, or back up to the surface.
You look at the oar
The long wooden oar could once be used to row a boat. However, you do not have a boat, and the oar is not in good condition anymore. It is still a reasonably strong piece of wood though.
You look at the boat
The rowboat has deteriorated sitting on the bottom of the lake, although it probably wasn't in great condition before then. There is a crack in the bottom, and the lake floor has begun to come through it to start burying the boat in the ground. The boat is not large and could not have held more than a few passengers.
You go to the north
The tunnel, south end
The tunnel has been carved into the rock, curving around from the south to the west. It slopes downwards in each direction. Unfortunately you can only see a little of the tunnel to the west as the boulder from the roof falling down is blocking the tunnel at its highest point. There is a crack that you can see slightly through. The boulder also appears to be blocking the entrance to a room. At the moment you can only exit to the south.
You check what you're carrying
You are carrying:
an oar
a bronze diving helmet (with oxygen tank attached) (being worn)
a sound box
a shield
a small sharp rock
a sword
Go west
The bottom of the lake, southwest corner
As you swim around, you notice an old treasure chest lies on the floor in the southwest corner of the lake. It is closed and its base has become embedded in the ground beneath it. You wonder who left their treasure in the lake long ago, and why it was abandoned. Maybe it was too difficult to retrieve, or maybe it was lost not hidden. Whatever happened, it's ancient history now. The lake continues to the east and north, but you could also return back up to the surface.

The dolphin is currently swimming in the area.
You go north
The bottom of the lake, northwest corner
The northwest corner has some unusual underwater plant life, with what looks like a tree growing out of the lake floor. It is surprising, as you would expect a tree like that to be growing on land, but maybe this tree is lost. You can see to the east a steep underwater cliff that almost reaches the surface. The water's shallowness separates the northeast corner from the rest of the lake. There is a tunnel in the cliff that you can swim into to the east. You can also swim through the lake to the south, or back up to the surface.
You go east
The tunnel, west end
The tunnel has been carved into the rock, curving around from the south to the west. It slopes downwards in each direction. Unfortunately you can only see a little of the tunnel to the south as the boulder from the roof falling down is blocking the tunnel at its highest point. There is a crack that you can see slightly through. The boulder also appears to be blocking the entrance to a room. At the moment you can only exit to the west.
You stay
To talk to someone or something, please type TALK TO OBJECT.

The dolphin swims off to the west.
You go to the north
The tunnel, south end
The tunnel has been carved into the rock, curving around from the south to the west. It slopes downwards in each direction. Unfortunately you can only see a little of the tunnel to the west as the boulder from the roof falling down is blocking the tunnel at its highest point. There is a crack that you can see slightly through. The boulder also appears to be blocking the entrance to a room. At the moment you can only exit to the south.
You examine the chest
The chest is on the floor near the bed. It is closed.
Open chest
You open the chest, revealing the Amulet of Water.
You examine Amulet
The Amulet of Water is made of seashell. The head of the Princess you saw earlier is carved into the shape of the amulet. A cord allows the amulet to be worn around someone's neck.
Close chest
You close the chest.
You go to the west
The bottom of the lake, northwest corner
The northwest corner has some unusual underwater plant life, with what looks like a tree growing out of the lake floor. It is surprising, as you would expect a tree like that to be growing on land, but maybe this tree is lost. You can see to the east a steep underwater cliff that almost reaches the surface. The water's shallowness separates the northeast corner from the rest of the lake. There is a tunnel in the cliff that you can swim into to the east. You can also swim through the lake to the south, or back up to the surface.

The boulder from the tunnel is on the ground here.

The dolphin is currently swimming in the area.
Go east
This room is jovial in mood, with a hoop and rubber ball abandoned on the floor next to a bed. The bed's covers are adorned with images of a circus, including clowns and acrobats performing in the picture of the show. When you were young, you wanted to be in the circus, until you found out how little it paid compared to your current job. It would have helped if you had been a little more agile as well. There is also a closed chest in the room. Tunnels head to the south and west. A chunk is missing from the ceiling near the entrance of the room.

The dolphin swims in from the west.
You take Amulet
Taken.
You examine the bed
The circus pictures on the covers of the bed, along with the ball and hoop on the floor, lead you to believe that the dolphin is interested in show business. Whether he has any talent is another matter, which you don't know the answer to.
You look at the ball
The rubber ball is about the size of your diving helmet. It has been abandoned on the floor, along with the hoop.

The dolphin swims off to the south.
Go west
The bottom of the lake, northwest corner
The northwest corner has some unusual underwater plant life, with what looks like a tree growing out of the lake floor. It is surprising, as you would expect a tree like that to be growing on land, but maybe this tree is lost. You can see to the east a steep underwater cliff that almost reaches the surface. The water's shallowness separates the northeast corner from the rest of the lake. There is a tunnel in the cliff that you can swim into to the east. You can also swim through the lake to the south, or back up to the surface.

The boulder from the tunnel is on the ground here.
Go upwards
You swim back up to the surface of the lake at the edge. You pull yourself out of the water and return to dry land.

The lake, at the end of the river
The river from the north reaches its final destination in the lake that you are standing next to. The lake is clean and sparkling in the daylight. The reflected pink sky gives it an unusual colouration. A pump is whirring next to the lake, moving water into a pipe, which leads northwest underground. The pump is now removing water at a similar rate to the river rushing towards the lake. The river's speed means that it is impossible for you to swim north. Next to the pump is an open chest. A path curves around the lake from the northwest to the southeast. A hill can be seen to the northeast.
You remove the helmet
You take off the bronze diving helmet (with oxygen tank attached).
You put the helmet in the chest
You put the bronze diving helmet (with oxygen tank attached) into the chest.
Go west
You try to walk into the cave, but you stop when a gust of fire is blown out. A voice apologises from inside, "Sorry about that. I'm a dragon, and I have been having a little trouble with my fire breathing recently. Ok, a lot of trouble. That's why I'm hiding in here, and don't want to see anyone. We can talk, but don't come in, without something to protect you from the flames. I just can't stop at the moment."

You lift your shield and try again to enter. This time the shield deflects the flames. You slowly step inside the cave and walk towards the lit area you see inside.

There is not much left in this cave apart from ashes scattered around the area. It looks like the dragon's uncontrollable fire breathing problems have not been healthy for the furniture. All that is left is one table and a bed. You could guess that they were lucky, but looking at their pristine condition, a better guess might be that they are brand new. Sunlight is coming in from a hole in the ceiling of the cave that penetrates through to outside the mountain. The cave continues further to the west, but it is too dark to continue. The exit back outside is to the east.

The dragon is lying on his stomach on the bed, facing towards you.
You examine dragon
The green dragon is not looking well and is lying on the bed. He looks very nervous, and his fire breathing problems are obviously affecting him. He looks uncomfortable and is regularly shifting around in the bed, almost as if there was something hidden in the small gap between the dragon and the bed. The dragon's wings and tail are tightly curled around him, as he looks to be trying to hide from the world.
You look at the bed
This is a long bed, which is close to the floor. It is not much better than just being a mattress.
You examine table
The table is the only piece of furniture in here apart from the bed. It is not that large and sits next to the bed.
You talk to the dragon
What would you like to say?
(1) "Who are you?"
(2) "Where am I?"
(3) "Do you have any amulets?"
(4) "Is there any way I can help you?"
(5) "Goodbye."
1
"I am the dragon, who is stuck inside this cave. It started several months ago, when I accidentally set a table on fire in here. It has only become worse since, and I cannot control the fire coming out of my mouth. I just seem to be on fire inside. I'm scared to leave this cave. I may hurt someone, and I don't want to hurt anyone. I need the fire inside me to be put out!"

What would you like to say?
(1) "Where am I?"
(2) "Do you have any amulets?"
(3) "Is there any way I can help you?"
(4) "Goodbye."
1
"You are standing inside my home in this cave. I like having the company, but I am afraid of hurting you with my flames, so it might be a good time for you to leave. Not that you have to, but I think it would be a good idea. Sorry, maybe you can wander around other more interesting places."

What would you like to say?
(1) "Do you have any amulets?"
(2) "Is there any way I can help you?"
(3) "Goodbye."
1
"Yes I do actually. I have one somewhere on this bed, but at the moment I don't feel healthy enough to get up and let you look for it. Maybe another time."

What would you like to say?
(1) "Is there any way I can help you?"
(2) "Goodbye."
1
"I don't know. If I knew a way to help myself, I would have done it already. I just feel like I'm burning up inside and the fire keeps spilling out to the outside of me. I wish I knew other dragons who had survived the same condition, but I only know a few and none of them have a clue."

What would you like to say?
(1) "Goodbye."
Wear Amulet
You put on the Amulet of Water.

The dragon accidentally blows out some fire, which you deflect with the shield.
Go east
You stumble back until you find your way out of the cave.

A steep cliff marks the start of the mountain range to the west. The mountains continue to the north and south, with no path through above ground in sight. There is a cave in the west cliff wall that may provide a path underground. The cave does not look too dark, as a faint light emanates inside, although you cannot make out any details. You are glad that you are not claustrophobic, although you are not fond of dark holes ever since you had to hide in one on your last mission. A path curves around a water tank, passing from the northeast to the southeast. The water tank has a tap on one side, with a sign above it saying "Area Water Storage".
You go southeast
The lake, at the end of the river
The river from the north reaches its final destination in the lake that you are standing next to. The lake is clean and sparkling in the daylight. The reflected pink sky gives it an unusual colouration. A pump is whirring next to the lake, moving water into a pipe, which leads northwest underground. The pump is now removing water at a similar rate to the river rushing towards the lake. The river's speed means that it is impossible for you to swim north. Next to the pump is an open chest. A path curves around the lake from the northwest to the southeast. A hill can be seen to the northeast.
You attach the hose to the tank
You attach the hose to the tap.
You turn on the tap
You turn the tap on, and the water soon starts spraying out of the end of the hose on the ground. You pick up the hose and aim it into the cave. A burst of fire comes out, but the water cuts through and dissipates it. Soon you can see steam coming from inside the cave, as the water continues to be fired in. You continue for a long while, until eventually when the steam stops, you wait for a few more seconds to make sure, and then turn off the tap.

The dragon emerges from the cave, and says, "Thank you so much. I feel a lot better now. I think I can even go see some friends that I haven't seen for ages. There are a few other dragons in this world, although not many outside this region, as there are mainly people elsewhere. Take something from my cave as a reward. I've got to go now."

After saying this, the dragon takes off and flies in a northerly direction.
Go west
When you walk inside, you see a lit area, which you stumble in the dark towards.

There is not much left in this cave apart from ashes scattered around the area. It looks like the dragon's uncontrollable fire breathing problems have not been healthy for the furniture. All that is left is one table and a bed. You could guess that they were lucky, but looking at their pristine condition, a better guess might be that they are brand new. Sunlight is coming in from a hole in the ceiling of the cave that penetrates through to outside the mountain. The cave continues further to the west, but it is too dark to continue. The exit back outside is to the east.

On the bed is the Amulet of Fire.
You take Amulet
(the Amulet of Water)
You already have that.
You take Fire
Taken.
You examine it
The Amulet of Fire is made of obsidian. The head of the Princess you saw earlier is carved into the shape of the amulet. A cord allows the amulet to be worn around someone's neck.
You wear it
You put on the Amulet of Fire.
Inventory
You are carrying:
the Amulet of Fire (being worn)
the Amulet of Water (being worn)
an oar
a sound box
a shield
a small sharp rock
a sword
Go east
You stumble back until you find your way out of the cave.

A steep cliff marks the start of the mountain range to the west. The mountains continue to the north and south, with no path through above ground in sight. There is a cave in the west cliff wall that may provide a path underground. The cave does not look too dark, as a faint light emanates inside, although you cannot make out any details. You are glad that you are not claustrophobic, although you are not fond of dark holes ever since you had to hide in one on your last mission. A path curves around a water tank, passing from the northeast to the southeast. The water tank has a tap on one side, with a sign above it saying "Area Water Storage".

A hose is attached to the tap.
You hit the fruit with the oar
Which do you mean, the fruit tree or the fruit remains?
You go north
This shop is almost empty. Business looks to have been very bad, as the heavy and undisturbed layer of dust means that no stock has been sold here for too long. On the eastern side are shelves, which only contain a few books and a tin of blue paint. On the western side is a table of food, on which small piles of carrots, mulberry tree leaves and steak sit. The glass counter looks a bit more full and houses some shiny objects, with the most eye-catching being a silver wrench and a gold key. A sign is next to these objects. The only exit is back to the south.

The Stegosaurus is standing behind the counter. He is wearing the Amulet of Air.
You give Fire to the stegoaurus
You can only do that to something animate.
You give Fire to Stegosaurus
The shopkeeper accepts the Amulet of Fire, and puts it around his neck. He then tells you that you have one more Amulet to go, before he will give you the Amulet of Air.
You give Water to him
The shopkeeper accepts the Amulet of Water, and puts it around his neck. After staring at his new possession for a few seconds, he sighs and says "I suppose you can have this now."

The shopkeeper then takes off the Amulet of Air, and gives it to you. You are glad to have finally obtained the Amulet of Air. However, something is bothering you about the situation you are in. Solving puzzles, carrying out tasks, it all reminds you of something, but you cannot quite place it. You almost wonder if your subconscious is shaping this world from past experiences.
You go south
The top of this hill, is a good vantage point, as you can see everywhere from here. Luckily, as you do not want to walk too far, the area surrounding the hill is not that large. It is enclosed by a forest, which you cannot see the end of, to the east, and a mountain range, which you cannot see over, to the west. The two extremes meet at the north and south points of the area. In between you can see a farm to the east, a cave to the west, the Red Tower to the south and a shop to the north. A blanket of grass covers the whole hill, although the grass at the top does look a little flattened.

The white rabbit is lying asleep on the ground.
Go south
The boulder, at the base of a hill
You are standing at the base of a hill, which you can climb to the north. The undulating, grassy Arcadia almost makes you feel poetic, although your favoured style of limericks does not really fit the mold. A boulder, sitting in the middle of the path leading from the south, diverts the path around it and the hill to the northeast and northwest.
You go to the south
To the south a very tall tower reaches up into the pink sky, with the man-made structure providing a counterpoint to the surrounding forest and mountains. Near the top of the tower you can see an open window. That window was where you saw the blonde Princess, and where you consequently want to go. The tower must be dark and airless, as the only other visible opening is a large set of closed wooden doors, which block the entrance into the tower. A path leads to the north.

The gargoyle is standing in front of the tower's entrance, looking at you.
You give Amulet to the gargoyle
When you show the Amulet of Air to the gargoyle, you can see a momentary greedy expression in his gaze, but it is soon replaced by a masked look of indifference. The gargoyle says, "That is a very nice looking Amulet you have there. I have wanted one just like that for a long, long while. I think it would look good on me. Don't you? Of course you do, and you look like a generous kind of person. Not that I am asking for it. I would never do that."

You smile, as you twirl the Amulet around your hand. Suddenly you toss the Amulet up in the air above the gargoyle. He takes off quickly and grabs it in mid-air. You see him look down at the Amulet, then continue flying upwards. The gargoyle lands on the roof of the Red Tower and disappears from sight.
You open the doors
You open the doors.
You go south
There is not much on the inside of this tower. Only stairs are visible, curling upwards around the walls. The amount of stairs does make up for the absence of anything else though. You cannot even see the top of the stairs in this dim light. The light is strange, as it looks artificial and coming from far above, but you have not seen any artificial light in this world. Apart from walking up the stairs, you could always return back outside to the north.
You look at the stairs
There is an impressive quantity of stairs heading upwards. It would be even more impressive to have an elevator instead, but it looks like there aren't any in this place.
You go upward
You climb up and up until you are almost exhausted. When you finally reach the top you take a short break to catch your breath. For a second in your exhaustion, you almost think that you are on a small ledge in a cave, with walls all around you and a faint light coming from near above you. However, when you look around more carefully you see none of this.

You cannot believe that you have climbed all of the stairs you can see descending into the near-bottomless dark depths below. You are standing on a small ledge, which connects the stairs with a door to the north. The door is closed, with a piece of wood placed across it to prevent anyone opening it from the other side. There is a dim light here, but you cannot figure out where it is coming from, as you cannot see a light on the ceiling. You estimate that you have about reached the level of the window where you saw the Princess earlier. You hope that you can finally reassure yourself that she is real. Or that she is not real. You do not know what you really want.

You can see a stone dart here.
You move the wood
You take the wood off the door and place it on the floor.
You examine the wood
The piece of wood is lying next to the door.
You open the door
You open the door.
Go north
With a four poster bed, an elegant bedside cabinet and an armoire, this is a beautifully attired room, but it is still not nearly as beautiful as the Princess. She is looking at herself in a full-length mirror hanging on the wall, fixing her long golden hair. You glance into the mirror, but to your surprise you see something that has to be completely different to what she is seeing. You can see a rocky darkness, with a faint light shining from above.

The Princess glances away from the mirror at the noise of the door opening. She smiles at you, and says, "Hi, my name is Princess Circe. I have been waiting a long while for someone to come through that door. The last trap that nasty wizard set was triggered a long while ago but no one has come since. Until you, my hero. Now that I am free, I can reclaim my kingdom, but I can't do it alone. Will you help? Will you stay here with me?"

What would you like to say?
(1) "Yes, I'd like to stay."
(2) "No, I don't want to stay."
(3) "No, I don't believe you exist."
3
You see a quizzical look start to emerge on the face of the Princess, but you close your eyes to ignore her reaction. You focus inwards, willing yourself to see the real world, not this fake dream. Suddenly you feel yourself falling, and you grab out wildly. Unlike earlier when this whole mess started, you manage to grab hold of something. As your eyes adjust to the darkness you can see that you are in a hole, with the laboratory above you. You haul yourself upwards to a ledge, where you find the gold watch you lost earlier. You pick up the watch and continue to climb upwards until you escape.

Back in the laboratory you place the gold watch in the machine and turn it on. A strange gold liquid remains after it is all mixed together. You find an empty flask and fill it with the liquid. You suddenly realise that you are actually holding your missing communicator. You will need it to get back in contact with the ship. You ensure that you are outside the laboratory before drinking all of the gold liquid.

Everything begins to change around you...

You are finally back in the real world, with everything looking normal again. You have never been as relieved in your life to be finally free of the nightmare. All you have to do is to report back to the ship and get out of here. As you press the button on the communicator and ask for the Captain, you wonder what you should conclude in your report.

What would you like to say?
(1) There is nothing seriously wrong here.
(2) There are a few problems, but they should be resolved in a few years.
(3) This place is not safe to be colonised.
3
Unfortunately, there is no way of knowing when this planet will be safe. You have the bad feeling that the pinkness is going to spread, not disappear. You cannot allow the planet to be colonised in this condition. It needs to be quarantined, so the pinkness does not spread off-planet. Having made this decision, you gather up your evidence, and report back to the ship.

When you talk to the Captain, you tell him about all your adventures. He is skeptical, but he eventually accepts your point of view that the planet is too dangerous to colonise, and he endorses your recommendations. Your stories are put on record with the other evidence. Whilst you may have convinced the Captain, other reviewers of the file feel it is more likely that you hallucinated from a local disease. That disease may make the planet more dangerous, but it may also have left a permanent effect on your health.

In future years, whenever you try for a promotion, you find yourself rebuffed, as you are too risky. You wonder if you made the right decision. You hope you did, as there is no way you can change it now.
Notes
Thank you for playing my IF competition entry. I hope you enjoyed it. If you did, then I advise you to try some of my other games, which are listed in the "about" section that can be accessed during the game. There are seven possible endings. The one you received, plus four others, can still be easily reached by typing "undo" and choosing a different option. However, the other two endings can only be reached by acting differently in the fantasy land.

There are two paths in the game; the Path of Daedalus (a great inventor from Greek myth) and the Path of Diomedes (a great warrior from Greek myth). These paths correspond to solving puzzles with inventive/helpful solutions or violent solutions. The game starts on the Path of Daedalus, but it is possible to completely change the nature of everything to the differently themed parallel world of the Path of Diomedes. Each world better suits the respective method of puzzle solving.

The first change to the Path of Diomedes is triggered by the decision to persevere with violent solutions to puzzles, rather than helpful solutions. The game will seek to dissuade you from this course of action, but if you persevere then you will succeed, and receive the consequences. The opposite is true in returning the world to the Path of Daedalus. There are a number of points where you can switch, and depending on which path you reach the end on, there will be differences to some of the possible endings.

Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, UNDO your last move, give the FULL score for that game, read the author's NOTES or QUIT?
1
As the happy smile of the Princess lights up the room, you notice that the darkness in the mirror fades, until it is replaced by the reflection of the room. You walk out of the tower together, as you accept this world as your own.

As the months pass, you become friends with the Princess. You soon realise that she is not as perfect as she appears. She regrets some actions that she took to protect herself against the evil wizard. Her trap killed the wizard soon after he sealed her in the tower, but it changed some of the other locals in various ways. You reassure her, and soon there is a general feeling of forgiveness and joy, as she retakes her throne to become Queen.

This is not quite the end of your story though. Your cleverness soon wins you a position of power, which you use to make sure that the land is governed fairly. With all of her jewels stolen and lost long ago, her reign is hard work at the beginning, but you do not mind. Your friendship with the Queen endures and eventually blossoms into more. Two years after you first met, you are married in front of all the inhabitants of the land. You occasionally wonder what is happening in the world you left long ago, but you have no way of finding out.
2
The Princess looks disappointed at your reply. She asks, "Why?".

You answer that you want to go home. The Princess looks sympathetic to your plight, then she brightens up and tells you that she knows a way. She walks over and searches around in her cabinet until she finally pulls out a potion. She gives it to you and says, "Drink this, and you will be home."

You look at the unmarked potion and hope that it can do what she says. It is worth a try. You drink down the potion in one gulp. As it begins to take effect, you find your mind is going blank, and all your memories are fading.

You wake with no idea of who you are. All you know is that you are stuck in some room, and you want to get outside where there is more space. As you stretch your four legs, you hear a squeal behind you, as a blonde woman says, "I always wanted a pony."
1
You think to yourself that none of what you saw could be real. Even if it was, then no one would believe you. You carefully destroy any evidence to the contrary of this position. The evidence was probably only significant in your imagination anyway. It was all due to eating a tainted native egg, which caused an adverse reaction. You can't remember why you wanted to eat it in the first place.

You report back to the ship that there was a fire, with no survivors. On your return you promise yourself that you will try to avoid strange places in the future. The ship soon returns to your home planet, and you decide to take a long-deserved holiday in the familiar surroundings. You need a break to relax and catch up on all the latest computer games that have been released during your time at work. It is lucky that you are out of contact when the news filters through of disappearances all over a newly colonised planet. That would really not look good on your record, and negligence is not looked upon kindly.
2
The planet is clearly not safe to be colonised in the short term, but you figure that if everything that is touched by the pinkness soon passes from this world, the problems will soon be resolved. This is the recommendation you pass back to the ship, along with the evidence that you have accumulated. You avoid talking about your own exploits, as the Captain is a very serious person, who you think will only believe evidence he sees for himself.

The Captain is doubtful about the truthfulness of the documents you bring back, but on your advice, he agrees that it is not worth taking a chance. He reluctantly passes your recommendation through the hierarchy, and this planet is taken off the colonisation agenda for the next twenty years.

Over the next few years you continue your rapid rise up the ranks, with sterling performances in both the physical and mental aspects of your roles. Eventually you are placed into training for a top position, and on completion you win a role as a Captain of your own ship. It is only a small ship, but you are finally in charge. You barely notice when the twenty year mark is passed, having long put your earlier adventures out of mind.

At least your adventures are forgotten until one day you are called in by your commanding officer. He shows you a report of disappearances on a newly colonised planet, along with your recommendation for the planet. He tells you that he is very disappointed in you, and he cannot support you continuing in your current role. Your exemplary service will save you from being stripped of your rank, but you have been re-assigned to the planetside division.
You throw the dart
Dropped.
3
Unfortunately, there is no way of knowing when this planet will be safe. You have the bad feeling that the pinkness is going to spread, not disappear. You cannot allow the planet to be colonised in this condition. It needs to be quarantined, so the pinkness does not spread off-planet. Having made this decision, you gather up your evidence, and report back to the ship.

When you talk to the Captain, you tell him about all your adventures. He is skeptical, but he eventually accepts your point of view that the planet is too dangerous to colonise, and he endorses your recommendations. Your stories are put on record with the other evidence. Whilst you may have convinced the Captain, other reviewers of the file feel it is more likely that you hallucinated from a local disease. That disease may make the planet more dangerous, but it may also have left a permanent effect on your health.

In future years, whenever you try for a promotion, you find yourself rebuffed, as you are too risky. You wonder if you made the right decision. You hope you did, as there is no way you can change it now.
You turn on the box
You turn on the box briefly, and a loud screech echoes around the area. Nothing happens, so you decide to shut down the noise before it starts again.
Go down
There is not much on the inside of this tower. Only stairs are visible, curling upwards around the walls. The amount of stairs does make up for the absence of anything else though. You cannot even see the top of the stairs in this dim light. The light is strange, as it looks artificial and coming from far above, but you have not seen any artificial light in this world. Apart from walking up the stairs, you could always return back outside to the north.
You go to the north
To the south a very tall tower reaches up into the pink sky, with the man-made structure providing a counterpoint to the surrounding forest and mountains. Near the top of the tower you can see an open window. That window was where you saw the blonde Princess, and where you consequently want to go. The tower must be dark and airless, as the only other visible opening is a large set of open wooden doors. A path leads to the north.
You go west
A mountain range blocks your progress in that direction.
You throw the dart at the Bird
Futile.
Go southwest
A steep cliff marks the start of the mountain range to the west. The mountains continue to the north and south, with no path through above ground in sight. There is a cave in the west cliff wall that may provide a path underground. The cave does not look too dark, as a faint light emanates inside, although you cannot make out any details. You are glad that you are not claustrophobic, although you are not fond of dark holes ever since you had to hide in one on your last mission. A path curves around a water tank, passing from the northeast to the southeast. The water tank has a tap on one side, with a sign above it saying "Area Water Storage".

A hose is attached to the tap.
You go west
When you walk inside, you see a lit area, which you stumble in the dark towards.

There is not much left in this cave apart from ashes scattered around the area. It looks like the dragon's uncontrollable fire breathing problems have not been healthy for the furniture. All that is left is one table and a bed. You could guess that they were lucky, but looking at their pristine condition, a better guess might be that they are brand new. Sunlight is coming in from a hole in the ceiling of the cave that penetrates through to outside the mountain. The cave continues further to the west, but it is too dark to continue. The exit back outside is to the east.