text: "No," you say.
  
  "Oh, pathetic," Lucifer asks. "You've wasted my time here."
  
  Silence consumes you, and you wait patiently. After a few minutes, you open your eyes. The deer skull sits there, the same as ever. You stand, turning and walking out of the cave. You clamber down the hill, and start walking towards Rose. After a few minutes, you find her.
  
  "Jacob! I told you to leave!" she says.
  
  "I tried to talk to your father, but..."
  
  "Jacob! No! Please, please don't take any of his awful deals! Just go! Leave, Jacob!"
  
  > Head to talk to her mother
  "I need to go," you say.
  
  "Yeah," Rose nods. "Thanks."
  
  "I'll be back," you reply.
  
  "No, Jacob! Go to the town! Please!"
  
  You walk away from Rose, heading towards the burnt out cottage. She doesn't seem to have the strength to follow, or doesn't realize where you're going. None the less, you walk away.
  
  It's only a few minutes before you reach the burnt out cottage. You stand in the ash, waiting. You know it won't be long before the creature finds you. It's not. After only a few minutes, you see the creature emerging from the wounds. It snarls, walking forward. It walks up to you, close enough that you can smell it's disgusting breath. It holds it's claw inches away from, letting out a low growl.
  
  "Why are you still here?" it, or more accurately you realize, she growls.
  
  "I love your daughter. I love everything about her."
  
  The creature roars, flecks of mucus and spit hitting you as she does so.
  
  "She... she sold her soul to protect me. I need to get it back for her. Please, I need your help..."
  
  "Do you think I want to help you?" the creature cackles.
  
  "Do you think I want to be here?" you shout. "You killed my father, you killed my mother and you killed my mother! I want to stab you to death and set you alight! But I'm here for Rose!"
  
  "Do you know what I am? Do you know what she truly is?"
  
  "She told me," you say.
  
  "She's the spawn of Satan. Do you truly think she loves you? I can tell you this: A child like her is incapable of love. She doesn't love you. Its the nature of her type to find a man at that age. We ensnare a man when we're young, then when the men, you for example, put down all your protections, we kill you, we give your soul to Lucifer and our transformation takes place. That's what I did. That's what she'll do to you."
  
  "I don't believe you," you say.
  
  "Proof it. I'll make you a deal, little one. If you want, I can remove your protections. Your crucifix, your blessing, your innocence. I can make it so as soon as she sees you, she'll be able to tear out your through like I did my first lover. If you truly love her, if you truly trust her, you'll let me. But if not, then you don't, and you best leave this place and horror it shows. I wasn't ready for my daughter to usurp my as the transformed predator of this place, but if you're truly so brainwashed and infatuated by her that you're still willing, she's earned it. So, shall I remove your protections?"
  
  > Agree
  "I agree," you say softly, as the creature snarls.
  
  "So be it," she says. "Remove any religious artifacts you have."
  
  You take out your crucifix, casting it aside. The creature laughs, slowly circling you.
  
  "Remove your sheath," she demands.
  
  You pull your top off, before pulling off your paths and boots, standing in front of her. She drags her claws along your skin, before pausing in front of you.
  
  "Say "I consent", understood?" she asks.
  
  "I consent," you reply.
  
  Instantly, she slashes your chest with her claw. You step back as she slashes you again and again with her claw. After a few more slashes, you collapse onto the ground.
  
  "Voila," she says.
  
  You stare down at your chest, and see that she's carved a pentagram into your chest.
  
  "Your protection is broken," she says. "Follow me."
  
  You stand slowly, your chest on fire with pain. You begin to follow her, before she lets out a hissing sound that you realize is a sigh.
  
  "Your clothes. Fetch them," she says.
  
  You nod, getting dressed as you stare at her. Despite the fact that you should hate her, you only pity such a horrible creature. Still, you follow her along towards the cave. After a few minutes of walking, you reach the cave. The creature turns on her mangled legs to stare at you.
  
  "Stay here," she says.
  
  With that, she climbs up the mountain and disappears down into the cave. You stand there waiting for what seems like hours. Eventually though, she appears again, walking down from the mountain. She holds out her clawed hand, and at the center of black, gnarled hand is Rose's wooden ring.
  
  "Take it and return this to her. Make sure she wears it," she says.
  
  "Is this...?"
  
  "That ring contains her soul," she says.
  
  "How... what did you have to give to get this?" you ask.
  
  "Never mind. That's a deal between me and him. It doesn't involve you, and it doesn't involve Rose. Now go. And... don't say I didn't warn you."
  
  She stares at you with her eyes of pure hatred, before she sprints off into the trees, leaving you alone.
  
  > find Rose
  You quickly find Rose sitting by the river. She looks incredibly sickly and broken. She looks up at you, anger flooding through her.
  
  "Jacob! You need to go! You can't help me!" Rose says.
  
  "I can!" you reply, offering her the ring. "Put it on."
  
  Rose stares at the ring, sliding it on slowly, before staring at you in shock.
  
  "How... how did you get this?" she asks.
  
  "I talked to your mother," you admit.
  
  "You idiot! Did she hurt you? Are you OK?" Rose says, worried.
  
  "Yes, I'm fine," you say.
  
  "You're bleeding," she says, peeling your shirt up.
  
  "I'm fine," you say, as Rose stares at your chest.
  
  "Did... did she do this to you?" Rose asks.
  
  "Yes," you say.
  
  "And you consented to it?" she asks.
  
  "Yes," you say again.
  
  "Did she tell you... anything I might do?" Rose asks nervously.
  
  "She told me you could... do something to become like her if I did this."
  
  Rose hugs you tightly, kissing you on the lips. The warmth of her lips flood through your face, and you feel whole again.
  
  "I'd never do that, Jacob. I'll never be like her."
  
  "I know," you say.
  
  She kisses you again, and this time she kisses back. You melt it one another, before she pulls back.
  
  "Come on, we can do this later," she says. "You're hurt. We need to get you some bandages."
  
  "Yeah, let's get the hell out of this godforsaken woods."
  
  You stand with Rose, who puts her arm around you. Then, the two of you walk to the edge of the forest and out of the trees, walking away and never looking back.
  
  > Continue
  You sit in the carriage alongside Rose, staring at the road ahead. With father's savings taken from the ruins, you managed to have the old coach refitted with horses and stocked with everything worth taking. Now, you sit in the carriage, heading off to parts unknown.
  
  "This is nice," Rose says, staring off into the horizon.
  
  "Yeah, it is," you say, leaning in and kissing her on the cheek.
  
  Rose slides off her wooden ring, tossing it to you. You fumble through the air to catch it, as Rose laughs.
  
  "Rose! Keep this safe, would you?" you say nervously.
  
  "I trust you with it. You hold the keys to my heart, why not the ring to my soul?" she asks.
  
  "Poetic," you remark, as she hugs you.
  
  Rose holds out her finger, and you gently put the ring on.
  
  "Do you have anything to ask me?" Rose asks.
  
  You pause for a second, for deciding.
  
  "Rose, will you marry me?"
  
  "I'd be glad to, Jacob."
  
  With those words, you ride off towards the horizon.