text: > Go downward
  GUNWAR says, "That steep PIT'S no good for me peg-leg, friend, but I'll wait here for ye."
  
  Sa-ho! By Huron's irrepressible appetites, this is a party! Here in this GRAVEL PIT, a collection of rowdies and jackanapes have made an outlaw camp, with drink and music and fighting galore! The center of attention seems to be a GLADIATOR'S RING.
  
  An OPULENT TENT has been erected nearby, in which the MASTER GLADIATOR can repose and hold court (you are certain you would be welcome to go IN as you please).
  
  You see a nearby CHALLENGE POST, and a PARTY OF ROGUES stands by, engaged in revels and high jinks.
  
  > Go inside
  This small tent has all the comforts a TENT can offer, including beautifully muted light provided by the black fabric walls.
  
  The MASTER GLADIATOR is here, in repose from his revels.
  
  > Parley with GLADIATOR
  The MASTER GLADIATOR welcomes your company, and you while away the hours discussing great battles and campaigns, terrible monsters, alluring wenches, and tales of great treasures. You speak also of the SLAVER KING, and of this the MASTER GLADIATOR sayeth:
  
  "Know ye this, mighty barbarian, we have watchmen observing the CASTLE at all times, and when there is sign of mischief or battle there, we will arrive to aid you against the SLAVER KING. Thanks be to you for this hope of freedom in a realm that knoweth only servitude, and thanks be to you for making all of us better Warriors than once we were! You will reap the rewards of your deeds, barbarian, and I have faith that you will reap the sorry SKULL of the wretched SLAVER KING."
  
  > use ARM on GLADIATOR
  The MASTER GLADIATOR smiles at your request "Sa-ho! Indeed, I am a LIMB TRADER MUTANT, and I see that you are, too! If it will serve the cause, barbarian, then I will gladly trade my strong CYABORG ARM for your own able limb. But I do want to trade back, when the SLAVER KING is dead, eh?"
  
  With that, he tugs his CYABORG ARM free, and trades with you. He attaches YOUR OWN ARM with a wet THWICK sound and a metallic hum, and flexes it experimentally. "You must definitely SEIZE the BLACK BANNER at some point soon, barbarian. It would be most amusing for us to do battle with one another's limbs attached!"
  
  again, and with all that you have fought and achieved in this realm, you will soon be MORE than you once were! Sa-ho!
  
  Now, this vile SLAVER KING no longer faces a broken-down thrall, beaten and starved into weakness, but a man of METTLE, a barbarian Warrior of vengeful MIGHT! The SLAVER KING now faces his DOOM!
  
  > Prowess
  You wield only your bare, callused FIST. Adjusting for your abilities and experience, you do from 15 to 20 points of damage with each successful blow. Your odds of striking true are 94% (burdened somewhat by your load). Your armor is the SUIT OF IMPERVIUM PLATE-MAIL ARMOR, which increases your Hit Points by 245%. You are versed in the useful lore of SULDUKU BREATHING. Finally, you wear the fabled AMULET of SCIENCE, which increases your Hit Points by 135%. You are uninjured, with your full complement of 857 Hit Points. A mighty Warrior, indeed!
  
  > check what you're carrying
  You bear the following (both on your person and stashed in your trusty THESKIAN DUFFEL BAG): a CYABORG ARM (sitting un-attached in the DUFFEL), a TWO-HANDED SWORD (currently un-used), an AMULET of SCIENCE (being worn), a CRIMSON POTION, a SUIT OF BURLAP ARMOR (currently un-used), a SUIT OF CHAINMAIL ARMOR (currently un-used), a SUIT OF KLENGON MAIL (currently un-used), a FLASHLIGHT, a SUIT OF IMPERVIUM PLATE-MAIL ARMOR (being worn) and a DELICATELY-OILED CLOTH.
  
  > use CYABORG ARM
  With a wet, nauseating CLICK, you shove the CYABORG ARM into its socket. You give a few flexes, to make sure it's properly attached.
  
  > Prowess
  You wield only your bare, callused FIST. Adjusting for your abilities and experience (and further enhanced by your mighty CYABORG ARM), you do from 29 to 34 points of damage with each successful blow. Your odds of striking true are 94% (burdened somewhat by your load). Your armor is the SUIT OF IMPERVIUM PLATE-MAIL ARMOR, which increases your Hit Points by 245%. You are versed in the useful lore of SULDUKU BREATHING. Finally, you wear the fabled AMULET of SCIENCE, which increases your Hit Points by 135%. You are uninjured, with your full complement of 857 Hit Points. A mighty Warrior, indeed!
  
  > leave
  Sa-ho! By Huron's unseemly advances, this is a party! Here in this GRAVEL PIT, a collection of rowdies and jackanapes have made an outlaw camp, with drink and music and fighting galore! The center of attention seems to be a GLADIATOR'S RING.
  
  An OPULENT TENT has been erected nearby, in which the MASTER GLADIATOR can repose and hold court (you are certain you would be welcome to go IN as you please).
  
  You see a nearby CHALLENGE POST, and a PARTY OF ROGUES stands by, engaged in revels and high jinks.
  
  > seize BLACK
  As you pluck the BLACK BANNER from the CHALLENGE POST, the assembled rowdies cheer as they've never cheered before! You are ushered into the gladiator's ring, where you stand face-to-face with the imposing MASTER GLADIATOR!
  
  You take a moment to REGARD your opponent ... The MASTER GLADIATOR was once human, but now he is plainly both a MUTANT and a CYABORG, with several portions of his body replaced by ROBODROID parts, glittering with the lights of SCIENCE! His right ARM is quite familiar - it was once your own! His weapons are twin GRAVITY WHIPS. He smiles an easy, confident smile as he REGARDS you in return.
  
  "Let us begin" he says.
  
  > Assail GLADIATOR
  A skillful attack if you do say so yourself! You scored 29 points
  of damage!
  
  face! You have suffered 23 hits of damage!
  
  > Assail GLADIATOR
  You hit hard, snarling with rage! You scored 30 points of
  damage!
  
  The MASTER GLADIATOR attacks! You have suffered 19 hits of
  damage!
  
  > Assail GLADIATOR
  Sa-ho! A mighty attack! You scored 30 points of damage!
  
  The MASTER GLADIATOR attacks with both GRAVITY WHIPS at once, crossing their paths and creating a deadly SONIC BOOM! You have suffered 15 hits of damage!
  
  > Assail GLADIATOR
  Your foe is astonished by your speed as you strike hard! You
  scored 34 points of damage!
  
  The MASTER GLADIATOR attacks! You have suffered 22 hits of
  damage!
  
  > Assail GLADIATOR
  By Huron's inscrutable Bridge partners, a fine hit! You scored 32 points of damage!
  
  One GRAVITY WHIP pulls you momentarily from your feet, while the second scars your flesh! You have suffered 14 hits of damage!
  
  > Assail GLADIATOR
  Curses! A miss!
  
  The MASTER GLADIATOR misses! He chuckles. "You are quick, barbarian, to avoid the sting of my GRAVITY WHIPS!"
  
  > Assail GLADIATOR
  You attack with all your might! You scored 34 points of
  damage!
  
  face! You have suffered 21 hits of damage!
  
  > Assail GLADIATOR
  By Huron's truculent toe-demon, you strike hard and true! You
  scored 32 points of damage!
  
  With an agile leap high into the air, the MASTER GLADIATOR strikes from on high! You have suffered 16 hits of damage!
  
  > Assail GLADIATOR
  By Huron's unsurvivable singing voice, a blow to be remembered!
  You scored 33 points of damage!
  
  With a snarl of enthusiasm, the MASTER GLADIATOR employs the LAWS OF SCIENCE in his attack! You have suffered 14 hits of damage!
  
  > Assail GLADIATOR
  You lash out with the rage of your barbarian ancestors! You scored
  34 points of damage, leaving the MASTER GLADIATOR at your mercy!
  
  The MASTER GLADIATOR is defeated!
  
  With your final blow, The MASTER GLADIATOR flies backward, sliding across the gravel, the lights on his body dimmed in defeat!
  
  The crowd erupts in cheers, and you accept their ale and accolades. Extending the hand of fellowship to your foe, you help The MASTER GLADIATOR to his feet, and he accepts gratefully. "A true pleasure, my esteemed foe. It is rare that I am treated to a genuine workout, let alone such a beating."
  
  The crowd cheers again, and you nod in silent assent. The MASTER GLADIATOR nods, too, and wanders away to repair and heal. The crowd returns to their revels.
  
  Sa-ho! By Huron's nubile seamstresses, this is a party! Here in this GRAVEL PIT, a collection of rowdies and jackanapes have made an outlaw camp, with drink and music and fighting galore! The center of attention seems to be a GLADIATOR'S RING.
  
  An OPULENT TENT has been erected nearby, in which the MASTER GLADIATOR can repose and hold court (you are certain you would be welcome to go IN as you please).
  
  You see a nearby CHALLENGE POST, and a PARTY OF ROGUES stands by, engaged in revels and high jinks.
  
  > Up
  This vast pit stands in the shadow of the snow-capped mountains to the east. It was here that the great stones were quarried to build the CASTLE of the SLAVER KING, and the walls of the nearby harbor town. The site is long-abandoned, or so it's told ... But you hear a riotous and happy din DOWN in the GRAVEL PIT.
  
  GUNWAR stands close at hand, scratching a phantom itch on his peg-leg.
  
  > Go south
  The pine trees have the first dustings of winter, here, and you espy much more snow to the east, in the FROSTED UPLANDS. The runoff feeds a briskly-flowing stream, which flows west toward the CASTLE. Marshier country lay to the south.
  
  GUN follows along, puffing on his pipe.
  
  > Go south
  The forest here is mucky and warm, surrounding a sinkhole filled with iridescent, gently glowing water. Some huge PIPES lead from here into the ground, and they drip with a similar strange water. There is a foul electric odor here, and your vision swims. You can feel your body being overtaken by weakness!
  
  The BLUE END OF THE CABLE is here, sparking quietly with excess electrophasic power.
  
  The RED END OF THE CABLE is here, suspended securely in the glowing water of the SUMP.
  
  You are weakening so quickly ... Your barbarian instinct is to get far from here ...
  
  GUN trails along.
  
  > Go south
  The forest here is mucky and warm, surrounding a sinkhole filled with iridescent, gently glowing water. Some huge PIPES lead from here into the ground, and they drip with a similar strange water. There is a foul electric odor here, and your vision swims. You can feel your body being overtaken by weakness!
  
  The BLUE END OF THE CABLE is here, sparking quietly with excess electrophasic power.
  
  The RED END OF THE CABLE is here, suspended securely in the glowing water of the SUMP.
  
  You are weakening so quickly ... Your barbarian instinct is to get far from here ...
  
  GUNWAR the PEG-LEG DWARF trails along.
  
  > Go south
  A high WATERFALL cascades down from a mountain ridge above, foaming and roaring into a broad POOL of clean water. The result is a brilliant PRISMATIC SPRAY. The setting is very peaceful.
  
  GUNWAR follows you.
  
  You spot a school of deadly SKY PIRANHA approaching on high, and take cover for a moment, until they fly past.
  
  > Go west
  This is the edge of a great cliff, looking over a vast CHASM to the south. The mists are so heavy within that you can barely detect a raging river far, far below.
  
  A tiny TREE clings tenaciously to the edge of the cliff.
  
  GUNWAR totters along beside you.
  
  > seize the tree
  It clings quite tenaciously. Besides, you have no use for it.
  
  > go to the west
  Cracked remnants of walls and a stretch of weed-grown cobblestones tell of an old temple or abbey ... perhaps even a village. Whatever it was, it now lies in ROCKY RUIN. Poking through the remnants, you notice a shadowy archway leading IN to one small structure that remains intact.
  
  You can see a TELEPHONE POLE here.
  
  GUN limps along at your side.
  
  > Prowess
  You wield only your bare, callused FIST. Adjusting for your abilities and experience (and further enhanced by your mighty CYABORG ARM), you do from 29 to 34 points of damage with each successful blow. Your odds of striking true are 94% (burdened somewhat by your load). Your armor is the SUIT OF IMPERVIUM PLATE-MAIL ARMOR, which increases your Hit Points by 245%. You are versed in the useful lore of SULDUKU BREATHING. Finally, you wear the fabled AMULET of SCIENCE, which increases your Hit Points by 135%. You are uninjured, with your full complement of 867 Hit Points. A mighty Warrior, indeed!
  
  > use POLE
  You heft the TELEPHONE POLE in your mighty hand, prepared for battle!
  
  > Prowess
  You wield the TELEPHONE POLE. Adjusting for your abilities and experience (and further enhanced by your mighty CYABORG ARM), you do from 30 to 68 points of damage with each successful blow. Your odds of striking true are 94% (burdened somewhat by your load). Your armor is the SUIT OF IMPERVIUM PLATE-MAIL ARMOR, which increases your Hit Points by 245%. You are versed in the useful lore of SULDUKU BREATHING. Finally, you wear the fabled AMULET of SCIENCE, which increases your Hit Points by 135%. You are uninjured, with your full complement of 867 Hit Points. A mighty Warrior, indeed!
  
  > check your inventory
  You bear the following (both on your person and stashed in your trusty THESKIAN DUFFEL BAG): a TELEPHONE POLE (held at the ready), a CYABORG ARM (attached to you), a TWO-HANDED SWORD (currently un-used), an AMULET of SCIENCE (being worn), a CRIMSON POTION, a SUIT OF BURLAP ARMOR (currently un-used), a SUIT OF CHAINMAIL ARMOR (currently un-used), a SUIT OF KLENGON MAIL (currently un-used), a FLASHLIGHT, a SUIT OF IMPERVIUM PLATE-MAIL ARMOR (being worn) and a DELICATELY-OILED CLOTH.
  
  > Go north
  Forest surrounds this hill on all sides, but there are no trees at the top - only grass and a few sad flowers, bending toward the setting sun. You see farmland to the north, and the CASTLE of the SLAVER KING looming high above. To the west is the harbor TOWN, but there's no good path from here.
  
  GUNWAR the PEG-LEG DWARF follows along.
  
  > go north
  A humble WELL provides a centerpiece for this quiet place, surrounded by farmland providing food for the port town to the west. To the north, the shadow of the SLAVER KING'S CASTLE blots out part of the evening sky, but there's no path there from here.
  
  GUN trails along.
  
  > go north
  This ancient bridge crosses a stream running down from the uplands to the east, and disappearing into a small CULVERT leading IN at the base of a cliff. This cliff, and the SLAVER KING'S CASTLE atop it, casts an icy shadow over the bridge. There is no path to the CASTLE from here, but the ROYAL ROAD lies to the north.
  
  GUNWAR sticks close, keeping an eye out for danger.
  
  > enter CULVERT
  GUNWAR says, "I'd never be able to swim in there with me peg-leg, but I'll try to find another way in to meet ye."
  
  SLAVE PENS (ON CATWALK)
  As the DOXY foretold, deep into the CULVERT there is a stone platform, and a ladderwell leading into a vast underground chamber ... a chamber of torture and woe! For here, from a high CATWALK, strewn with discarded metal junk, you can see hundreds of the SLAVER KING'S captured workers: Humans, Vulkins, Frankensteins, Robodroids and more!
  
  Some are shattering rocks with hammers, some are providing motive power for large wooden wheels, some are being whipped or burned by the many burly GUARDS. You cannot be seen from your current vantage point, but if you were to venture into the PENS you would once again be a slave, yourself.
  
  The path to the surface leads UP, but a CRAWLWAY beckons further IN from here, barely visible in the shadows.
  
  > Go inside
  You stand in a central hall of the CASTLE of the SLAVER KING, surrounded by opulent FURNISHINGS of every description. You notice people moving in the distance, but this place is so huge that your own arrival seems to have gone unnoticed by the non-GARGOYLE denizens. Just to be sure, you stick to the shadows (fortunately, there are many). An enormous flight of MARBLE STAIRS leads upward, to the THRONE ROOM.
  
  > wait awhile
  You pause in manly contemplation.
  
  GUNWAR arrives, grinning pleasantly.
  
  > use GUNWAR
  With a sweep of your mighty CYABORG ARM, you lift GUNWAR into the air. "Sa-ho!" he cries, happily. "The next best thing to being a Warrior (of perhaps half your Level) is being a WEAPON!"
  
  You hang the TELEPHONE POLE at your side, and grasp instead the RUNE-CARVED PEG-LEG DWARF, prepared for battle!
  
  The stillness and heaviness of the indoor air is unpleasant to breathe.
  
  > Prowess
  You wield the RUNE-CARVED PEG-LEG DWARF. Adjusting for your abilities and experience (and further enhanced by your mighty CYABORG ARM), you do from 34 to 64 points of damage with each successful blow. Your odds of striking true are 89% (burdened somewhat by your load). Your armor is the SUIT OF IMPERVIUM PLATE-MAIL ARMOR, which increases your Hit Points by 245%. You are versed in the useful lore of SULDUKU BREATHING. Finally, you wear the fabled AMULET of SCIENCE, which increases your Hit Points by 135%. You are uninjured, with your full complement of 867 Hit Points. A mighty Warrior, indeed!
  
  > Up
  You stand before and beneath the THRONE of the realm. Peering
  upward, your eyes can barely espy the room's loftiest reaches, high in the smoky darkness.
  
  Seated on the THRONE, and glaring down at you from a great height, is the figure of the SLAVER KING himself, a monarch few outside his court have seen and lived. As he leans forward from the shadows to REGARD you, you see why so few have lived!
  
  Long have your people told tales of the GIANT ATOMIC DINOSAURS that roam in the wilder reaches of VANTH. Even great and savage HURON, the GOD OF BEING A VERY MIGHTY GOD, was devoured by such a beast, earning their race the name of "ZILLA" - meaning "EATER" in the ancient GODLY TONGUE.
  
  Even the great FOOT-CLAWS of this GOD-EATER rise beyond your reach, and as the SLAVER KING stands from his THRONE, you see that his TAIL is so vast it could flatten the city MARKETPLACE. Long have you wondered why the CASTLE was so very tall, thinking it only the hubris of royalty.
  
  With a great inhuman roar, like a hundred SEA-MONSTERS having their scales scraped off with noisy metal scrap, the SLAVER KING raises a drum-loaded TOMMYGUN in his right claw, the barrel gleaming cold and black in the smoky half-darkness.
  
  With his left claw, he grasps a CYLINDER ... like a giant FLASHLIGHT fashioned of steel. Pressing a button along its edge, he unleashes a BLADE OF PURE ENERGY, and turns it this way and that, with each swish sounding an unpleasant HUM. It is none other than a PHASIC PRISMATIC SWORD, a sword-without-blade!
  
  He roars again, and PHASIC HELLFIRE rises from his nostrils. He stands proudly, as if daring you to strike.
  
  > Assail godzilla
  By Huron's laudable lechery! A mighty blow! You scored 42 points
  of damage!
  
  GUNWAR shouts "Aye, taste my wicked RUNE-CARVINGS, SLAVER KING!"
  
  The SLAVER KING attacks, tearing at you with his mighty
  foot-claws! You have suffered 69 hits of damage!
  
  > Assail godzilla
  By Huron's capricious cat-cravings, a fine hit! You scored 36
  points of damage!
  
  GUNWAR laughs "That'll larn ye, SLAVER KING!"
  
  With a spray of DEMONIC LEAD from his TOMMYGUN and a swat from his mighty TAIL, the SLAVER KING attacks! You have suffered 42 hits of damage!
  
  > Assail godzilla
  By Huron's boundless eyebrow, your RUNE-CARVED PEG-LEG DWARF lands home! You scored 44 points of damage!
  
  "Teamwork, me hearty! 'Tis a glory to behold!" cries GUNWAR, twirling his BLACK HOLE METAL AXE to counterbalance your swing.
  
  The SLAVER KING slings you across the THRONE ROOM, and you hear stone CRACK as you slam into the cold stone wall! You have suffered 34
  hits of damage!
  
  > use POLE
  You set GUNWAR down, and grasp instead the TELEPHONE POLE, prepared for battle!
  
  With a mighty THRUM and a deadly HUM, the SLAVER KING carves into you with his PHASIC BLADE of pure, annihilating light! You have
  suffered 68 hits of damage!
  
  GUNWAR regains his footing and dusts himself off. "It's good to stretch me good leg a bit" he says, "but if you ever need to wield me again, lad, I don't mind at all!"
  
  The SLAVER KING eyes GUNWAR with a contemptuous growl, and inhales deeply. Before you can warn your DWARF companion, the great ATOMIC DINOSAUR unleashes a BLAST OF PHASIC RADIATION from his maw.
  You dodge the blast in the stonework ... but GUNWAR, screaming and attempting to run with an old peg-leg, is overtaken, killed in one painful instant.
  
  All that survives of GUNWAR is his most prized possession ... the BLACK HOLE METAL AXE, which skitters across the smooth flagstones and lands at your feet, black smoke coiling from its demonic surfaces. You pick it up, and the SLAVER KING chuckles, a cruel and bestial sound.
  
  > Assail godzilla
  You attack! You scored 58 points of damage!
  
  "Sa-ho!" cries GUNWAR, gleefully.
  
  The SLAVER KING inhales, and releases a BLAST OF PHASIC
  RADIATION from his maw! ... but you are un-harmed, for the the
  AMULET of SCIENCE unleashes a PRISMATIC BUBBLE WALL BARRIER of ANTI-PHASIC RESISTANCE, spraying scientific force back in the
  face of the SLAVER KING! The SLAVER KING suffers from his own
  PHASIC onslaught!
  
  > Assail godzilla
  Your foe is astonished by your speed as you strike hard! You
  scored 47 points of damage!
  
  "Ouch! Lead with me PEG-LEG, boy! Me PEG-LEG!"
  
  With a mighty THRUM and a deadly HUM, the SLAVER KING carves into you with his PHASIC BLADE of pure, annihilating light! You have
  suffered 27 hits of damage!
  
  > Assail godzilla
  You attack with all your might! You scored 54 points of
  damage!
  
  "That's what a RUNE-CARVED DWARF feels like, ye maggoty SLAVER KING!"
  
  The SLAVER KING sweeps the entire THRONE ROOM with his TAIL, and you are sent flying! You have suffered 64 hits of damage!
  
  > Assail godzilla
  You hit hard, snarling with rage! You scored 63 points of
  damage!
  
  "Woofta!" says GUNWAR.
  
  The SLAVER KING pauses to regard you, glaring at you with eyes like phasic hellfire and stomping in agitation.
  
  > Assail godzilla
  You could have sworn your aim was true, but your quarry was already elsewhere! A miss!
  
  The SLAVER KING puts his foot down ... with you beneath it! You
  have suffered 70 hits of damage!
  
  > Assail godzilla
  Your attack is too hasty, and it fails!
  
  The SLAVER KING takes aim with his TOMMYGUN, and empties a DRUM in your direction! You have suffered 38 hits of damage!
  
  > Assail godzilla
  A skillful attack if you do say so yourself! You scored 63 points
  of damage!
  
  "I haven't had this much fun in ages!" says GUNWAR.
  
  The SLAVER KING pauses to regard you, glaring at you with eyes like phasic hellfire and stomping in agitation.
  
  > Assail godzilla
  By Huron's rudimentary spore-pustules, you strike hard and true!
  You scored 37 points of damage!
  
  GUNWAR cries "Avast ye, scurvy SLAVER KING!"
  
  The SLAVER KING inhales, and releases a BLAST OF PHASIC
  RADIATION from his maw! ... but you are un-harmed, for the the
  AMULET of SCIENCE unleashes a PRISMATIC BUBBLE WALL BARRIER of ANTI-PHASIC RESISTANCE, spraying scientific force back in the
  face of the SLAVER KING! The SLAVER KING suffers from his own
  PHASIC onslaught!
  
  > Assail godzilla
  You lunge deep, and strike! You scored 45 points of damage!
  
  "Owie!"
  
  There is a FLASH OF DEATH from the SLAVER KING'S bright PHASIC BLADE, and then another! You have suffered 69 hits of damage!
  
  > Assail godzilla
  Sa-ho! You give the SLAVER KING a sampling of your RUNE-CARVED PEG-LEG DWARF, but good! You scored 62 points of damage!
  
  "Oh, I really FELT that one!" says GUNWAR, happily.
  
  The SLAVER KING inhales, and releases a BLAST OF PHASIC
  RADIATION from his maw! ... but you are un-harmed, for the the
  AMULET of SCIENCE unleashes a PRISMATIC BUBBLE WALL BARRIER of ANTI-PHASIC RESISTANCE, spraying scientific force back in the
  face of the SLAVER KING! The SLAVER KING suffers from his own
  PHASIC onslaught!
  
  > Assail godzilla
  By Huron's seven sonic saprophytes, a blow to be remembered! You scored 52 points of damage!
  
  GUNWAR shouts "That's it, lad! Give 'em what-for!"
  
  The SLAVER KING pauses to regard you, glaring at you with eyes like phasic hellfire and stomping in agitation.
  
  > Assail godzilla
  You lash out with the rage of your barbarian ancestors! You scored
  40 points of damage!
  
  "Way to KEEL-HAUL that blackguard SLAVER KING, lad!"
  
  The SLAVER KING inhales, and releases a BLAST OF PHASIC
  RADIATION from his maw! ... but you are un-harmed, for the the
  AMULET of SCIENCE unleashes a PRISMATIC BUBBLE WALL BARRIER of ANTI-PHASIC RESISTANCE, spraying scientific force back in the
  face of the SLAVER KING! The SLAVER KING suffers from his own
  PHASIC onslaught!
  
  > Assail godzilla
  By Huron's indefensible tirades! Thine aim hath failed thee!
  
  The SLAVER KING inhales, and releases a BLAST OF PHASIC
  RADIATION from his maw! ... but you are un-harmed, for the the
  AMULET of SCIENCE unleashes a PRISMATIC BUBBLE WALL BARRIER of ANTI-PHASIC RESISTANCE, spraying scientific force back in the
  face of the SLAVER KING! The SLAVER KING suffers from his own
  PHASIC onslaught!
  
  > Assail godzilla
  You leap, and strike! You scored 60 points of damage!
  
  "BREATHE, ye great atomic moron! We LIKES it when ye BREATHE!"
  
  The SLAVER KING pauses to regard you, glaring at you with eyes like phasic hellfire and stomping in agitation.
  
  > Assail godzilla
  Taste barbarian rage, SLAVER KING! You scored 35 points of
  damage!
  
  GUNWAR roars with laughter "Oh, it's GOOD to be in a fray once more!"
  
  With a spray of DEMONIC LEAD from his TOMMYGUN and a swat from his mighty TAIL, the SLAVER KING attacks! You have suffered 63 hits of damage!
  
  > Assail godzilla
  Sa-ho! A mighty attack! You scored 61 points of damage!
  
  "Atta boy, lad! ATTA BOY!"
  
  The SLAVER KING sweeps the entire THRONE ROOM with his TAIL, and you are sent flying! You have suffered 29 hits of damage!
  
  > Assail godzilla
  A thousand curses on these foolish percentile dice! A miss!
  
  The SLAVER KING takes aim with his TOMMYGUN, and empties a DRUM in your direction! You have suffered 73 hits of damage!
  
  > Assail godzilla
  By Huron's nictitating hindbrain, a fine hit! You scored 39 points
  of damage!
  
  "Sa-ho! SA-VERY-MERRY-HO!"
  
  The SLAVER KING pauses to regard you, glaring at you with eyes like phasic hellfire and stomping in agitation.
  
  > Assail godzilla
  You hit hard, snarling with rage! You scored 52 points of
  damage!
  
  "Sa-ho! SA-VERY-MERRY-HO!"
  
  The SLAVER KING pauses to regard you, glaring at you with eyes like phasic hellfire and stomping in agitation.
  
  > Assail godzilla
  Sa-ho! A mighty attack! You scored 43 points of damage!
  
  "Ouch! Lead with me PEG-LEG, boy! Me PEG-LEG!"
  
  The SLAVER KING puts his foot down ... with you beneath it! You
  have suffered 89 hits of damage!
  
  > Assail godzilla
  By Huron's sacred codpiece! A mighty blow! You scored 47 points of damage!
  
  GUNWAR shouts "Aye, taste my wicked RUNE-CARVINGS, SLAVER KING!"
  
  The SLAVER KING inhales, and releases a BLAST OF PHASIC
  RADIATION from his maw! ... but you are un-harmed, for the the
  AMULET of SCIENCE unleashes a PRISMATIC BUBBLE WALL BARRIER of ANTI-PHASIC RESISTANCE, spraying scientific force back in the
  face of the SLAVER KING! The SLAVER KING suffers from his own
  PHASIC onslaught!
  
  > Assail godzilla
  Your foe is astonished by your speed as you strike hard! You
  scored 39 points of damage!
  
  "Atta boy, lad! ATTA BOY!"
  
  The SLAVER KING inhales, and releases a BLAST OF PHASIC
  RADIATION from his maw! ... but you are un-harmed, for the the
  AMULET of SCIENCE unleashes a PRISMATIC BUBBLE WALL BARRIER of ANTI-PHASIC RESISTANCE, spraying scientific force back in the
  face of the SLAVER KING! The SLAVER KING suffers from his own
  PHASIC onslaught!
  
  > Assail godzilla
  You lunge deep, and strike! You scored 35 points of damage!
  
  "Sa-ho!" cries GUNWAR, gleefully.
  
  The SLAVER KING pauses to regard you, glaring at you with eyes like phasic hellfire and stomping in agitation.
  
  > Assail godzilla
  By Huron's Paphian parables, you strike hard and true! You scored
  52 points of damage!
  
  "BREATHE, ye great atomic moron! We LIKES it when ye BREATHE!"
  
  The SLAVER KING inhales, and releases a BLAST OF PHASIC
  RADIATION from his maw! ... but you are un-harmed, for the the
  AMULET of SCIENCE unleashes a PRISMATIC BUBBLE WALL BARRIER of ANTI-PHASIC RESISTANCE, spraying scientific force back in the
  face of the SLAVER KING! The SLAVER KING suffers from his own
  PHASIC onslaught!
  
  > Assail godzilla
  By Huron's propitiatory pustules, your RUNE-CARVED PEG-LEG DWARF lands home! You scored 49 points of damage!
  
  GUNWAR laughs "That'll larn ye, SLAVER KING!"
  
  There is a FLASH OF DEATH from the SLAVER KING'S bright PHASIC BLADE, and then another! You have suffered 74 hits of damage!
  
  > Assail godzilla
  You lash out with the rage of your barbarian ancestors! You scored
  58 points of damage!
  
  "Oh, I really FELT that one!" says GUNWAR, happily.
  
  With a mighty THRUM and a deadly HUM, the SLAVER KING carves into you with his PHASIC BLADE of pure, annihilating light! You have
  suffered 52 hits of damage!
  
  > use the potion
  You consume the CRIMSON POTION, and feel an immediate sense of well-being.
  
  The SLAVER KING slings you across the THRONE ROOM, and you hear stone CRACK as you slam into the cold stone wall! You have suffered 53
  hits of damage!
  
  > Assail godzilla
  You attack with all your might! You scored 35 points of
  damage!
  
  "That's what a RUNE-CARVED DWARF feels like, ye maggoty SLAVER KING!"
  
  The SLAVER KING attacks, tearing at you with his mighty
  foot-claws! You have suffered 66 hits of damage!
  
  > Assail godzilla
  You attack! You scored 51 points of damage!
  
  "I haven't had this much fun in ages!" says GUNWAR.
  
  The SLAVER KING inhales, and releases a BLAST OF PHASIC
  RADIATION from his maw! ... but you are un-harmed, for the the
  AMULET of SCIENCE unleashes a PRISMATIC BUBBLE WALL BARRIER of ANTI-PHASIC RESISTANCE, spraying scientific force back in the
  face of the SLAVER KING! The SLAVER KING suffers from his own
  PHASIC onslaught!
  
  > Assail godzilla
  Sa-ho! You give the SLAVER KING a sampling of your RUNE-CARVED PEG-LEG DWARF, but good! You scored 52 points of damage!
  
  GUNWAR shouts "That's it, lad! Give 'em what-for!"
  
  ... and then there is roaring noise from the CASTLE chambers below, and the doors to the THRONE ROOM fly open! The noise of the BATTLE has brought the entire REALM, it seems, to witness the outcome.
  
  Your friend the ROBODROID arrives, leading a rag-tag company of his fellow mechanical men, each armed with weapons they've fashioned from found scrap, and from each others' bodies!
  
  "There," says the ROBODROID calmly, pointing toward HIS MAJESTY. "Kill it." While his manner is cold, you think you can almost sense the inner rage of the VOLTAIC WRAITH which crackles in his robotic heart.
  
  With your mechanical ally in the lead, the ROBODROIDS begin to ASSAIL the SLAVER KING with a terrifying hail of gunfire, lances of energy, loosed ROCKETS, even a few volleys of STEEL ARROWS. The mighty ATOMIC DINOSAUR is bloodied and battered by the assault, but sweeps the ROBODROIDS aside with a lashing of his tail, and fuses them into slag with his RADIO-PHASIC BREATH FIRE.
  
  You are pleasantly surprised to see the ACOLYTE OF TRAGA stride forward from the crowd, with GINA THE VIRGIN SACRIFICE at his side (still naked and gleaming with ANOINTING OIL, but now armed with a pair of BROOMHANDLE MAUSERS holstered in her only "clothing" - a low-slung leather GUN-BELT).
  
  Raising the GLADIUS SWORD you gave him high, the ACOLYTE hails you. "Greetings, barbarian! With the SLAVER KING doomed to die, I no longer need to sacrifice GINA, and we can now prepare to be married, instead!" GINA blushes prettily (all over, you notice) and opens fire on the SLAVER KING, as her beloved ACOLYTE charges to engage in melee.
  
  Sadly, the SLAVER KING vanquishes them both, knocking GINA into the side of a stone pillar with an unpleasant cracking noise, and carving into the ACOLYTE with his light blade. The blade must have destroyed the TRAGA PRIEST utterly, because only his empty robes flutter to the floor.
  
  Crying "for the GLADIATORS!" and waving all three arms madly, VON DARTH THE SLY charges out of the throng, carving into the SLAVER KING'S foot repeatedly with his machete. The SLAVER KING crushes him into a wet balloon of blood and flesh with the other foot.
  
  There is a great FLUTTERING from the air and a great SLITHERING upon the ground, as deadly BEASTS enter the fray ... OWLS and EAGLES and PTERANODONS striking from the air, mighty SERPENTS and SPIDERS on the ground, and leading their charge, your beast-friend ADAM the GRIZZLY, roaring with a ferocity he never displayed to you in the wild. Most of the animals are slain quickly by the SLAVER KING, but the flood continues for some time before he can CRUSH or BURN them all. ADAM himself fights to the last, until he too, is left still and bloody on the cold flagstone floor.
  
  The mighty THRANG strides in, and lands several good blows before he is fried to a column of pure ASH by the ATOMIC EXHALE of the
  SLAVER KING. The ash whips into the breeze like a solemn dust-devil in epitaph, and you resolve to later sprinkle some of the ashes at the GRAVEYARD where his KLENGON ancestors rest.
  
  There is a fresh roar as a surge of SLAVES charges into the room, obviously released by FOUL EMMA the GLADIATOR FRANKENSTEIN. She leads the charge with tears in her eyes, and two other FRANKENSTEINS - unmistakably her own MOTHER and FATHER - charge with her. The wave of angry SLAVES and the thumping ire of FRANKENSTEIN STRENGTH is enough to topple the SLAVER KING, who falls backward into his own THRONE, crushing it into a forest of splinters! He rights himself with difficulty as weapons pelt him from all directions, but ultimately sweeps all the SLAVES aside, and knocks the FRANKENSTEINS into the shadowy corners of the room, where you hear the unpleasant crunch of bone and flesh against stone. Emma's faint voices reaches your ears: "Me ... love you, barbarian ..." and then there is only silence.
  
  There is a RESOUNDING SCREAM, echoing the battle glory of the APE SULTANS, as the great prince XAKANDA THE APE swings down from the shadows on a chandelier rope! The SLAVER KING bellows with hate as the mighty PLANETARY APE Warrior lands on his neck, and begins flailing deadly force with his TRIPLE-BLUTARCH! The ATOMIC DINOSAUR puts his claws to the side of his head, trying to grasp his assailant, and thrashes across the THRONE ROOM in rage! Finally there is an almost-imperceptible squish ... and the SLAVER KING returns
  to his proud stance, relieved like a normal man who hath crushed a mosquito.
  
  The SLAVER KING has little time to repose in his glory, however, as a lance of powerful ENERGIES suddenly wracks his gigantic rubbery form! There is grim laughter from the shadows, where a collection of glowing orange lights and silhouette resolves itself into the form of the MASTER GLADIATOR, unleashing his OWN BODY'S ENERGIES through his GRAVITY WHIPS.
  
  The MASTER GLADIATOR regards you quietly with a respectful nod, and then shouts to the SLAVER KING: "Know this, foul ATOMIC MONARCH! We of your realm are no longer your subjects! We of your realm are no longer your machines! We of your realm follow this barbarian to freedom! And our freedom is your DEATH ... and mine."
  
  With that, the eyes of the MASTER GLADIATOR glow like twin suns, and the lights on his CYABORG BODY coruscate rapidly, and then there is a heavy wave of EXPLOSIVE FORCE and a flood of blinding light, as the MASTER GLADIATOR unleashes the core of his own LIFE-FORCE in terrifying explosive power.
  
  The SLAVER KING bellows in pain, and flies into the air, crashing against the far wall in a shower of cracking masonry and dust. The entire THRONE ROOM begins to shudder, and great blocks of STONE fall from the shadowy heights, many of them impacting the SKULL of the SLAVER KING.
  
  ... who, slowly and with obvious annoyance, rises to his feet once more.
  
  In the aftermath of the carnage, the SLAVER KING stumbles, the corpses of your ALLIES crunching beneath his clawed feet. Bloodied and diminished, and quaking with obvious RADIOACTIVE RAGE, he returns his attention to you ...
  
  You stand before and beneath the THRONE of the realm. Peering
  upward, your eyes can barely espy the room's loftiest reaches, high in the smoky darkness.
  
  The SLAVER KING is here, snarling with ATOMIC FURY!
  
  The SLAVER KING sweeps the entire THRONE ROOM with his TAIL, and you are sent flying! You have suffered 72 hits of damage!
  
  > Assail godzilla
  A skillful attack if you do say so yourself! You scored 41 points
  of damage!
  
  "Owie!"
  
  The SLAVER KING inhales, and releases a BLAST OF PHASIC
  RADIATION from his maw! ... but you are un-harmed, for the the
  AMULET of SCIENCE unleashes a PRISMATIC BUBBLE WALL BARRIER of ANTI-PHASIC RESISTANCE, spraying scientific force back in the
  face of the SLAVER KING! The SLAVER KING suffers from his own
  PHASIC onslaught!
  
  > Assail godzilla
  You leap, and strike! You scored 61 points of damage!
  
  GUNWAR cries "Avast ye, scurvy SLAVER KING!"
  
  There is a FLASH OF DEATH from the SLAVER KING'S bright PHASIC BLADE, and then another! You have suffered 57 hits of damage!
  
  > Assail godzilla
  Taste barbarian rage, SLAVER KING! You scored 52 points of
  damage!
  
  "Woofta!" says GUNWAR.
  
  With a mighty THRUM and a deadly HUM, the SLAVER KING carves into you with his PHASIC BLADE of pure, annihilating light! You have
  suffered 67 hits of damage!
  
  > Assail godzilla
  By Huron's tonsured tongue-fur, a blow to be remembered! You
  scored 59 points of damage!
  
  "Way to KEEL-HAUL that blackguard SLAVER KING, lad!"
  
  The SLAVER KING takes aim with his TOMMYGUN, and empties a DRUM in your direction! You have suffered 62 hits of damage!
  
  > Assail godzilla
  A skillful attack if you do say so yourself! You scored 41 points
  of damage!
  
  GUNWAR roars with laughter "Oh, it's GOOD to be in a fray once more!"
  
  The SLAVER KING attacks, tearing at you with his mighty
  foot-claws! You have suffered 61 hits of damage!
  
  > Assail godzilla
  By Huron's thrice-blessed loincloth, you strike hard and true! You scored 46 points of damage!
  
  "Teamwork, me hearty! 'Tis a glory to behold!" cries GUNWAR, twirling his BLACK HOLE METAL AXE to counterbalance your swing.
  
  With a spray of DEMONIC LEAD from his TOMMYGUN and a swat from his mighty TAIL, the SLAVER KING attacks! You have suffered 44 hits of damage!
  
  > Assail godzilla
  You lunge deep, and strike! You scored 35 points of damage,
  leaving the SLAVER KING at your mercy!
  
  "Atta boy, lad! ATTA BOY!"
  
  The SLAVER KING is defeated!
  
  Time passes.
  
  ... Probably not a lot of time, because you're still in the THRONE ROOM, surrounded by (it seems like) half the realm. Slaves are pouring in, tearing into the great carcass of the SLAVER KING. Courtiers are discarding their fine raiment and dancing half-naked in pools of blood. GUARDS are arriving, swords in hand, and then just stopping, because they're not sure what to do, or who they serve anymore.
  
  You see it all through a fading haze of BLOOD LUST, and even the sounds of shouting and revels and anger and confusion are muted, as through a maze of veils.
  
  Amid the growing chaos, you stand next to the great face of the SLAVER KING, dead upon the stones of his hall. His vast eyes, once aglow with ATOMIC HATE, are empty. His vast maw hangeth open, tongue lolling, with no more phasic hellfire to offer.
  
  Somewhere in the distance, a petty lord tries to claim power immediately. A competitor does the same, and they fall to fist-fighting when none of the GUARDS rally to them. They end up slipping to the floor, wrestling like petulant children. The SLAVES begin piling the wood from the throne for a bonfire.
  
  You find yourself surrounded by girls - a CIRCLE of young PSI-WITCHES. They dance around you for a moment, and the air sparkles with their power. Then they bow and withdraw, but one lingers long enough to hand you an ancient, crumbling scroll.
  
  You nod, so as not to seem ungracious. You cannot read the writing, but you notice that the style of the hand-writing is both beautiful and familiar. Artful penmanship. You let it slip to the floor, and stride on.
  
  You don't recall setting GUNWAR down, but you find him dancing and shouting. He is bloodied and bruised, and his PEG-LEG is half splintered, but he glows with naught but triumph and joy. Men are showering him with ale, women are tending his hurts, and everyone is singing, a raucous, distant song ...
  
  So many brave souls came to your aid, fighting and suffering for your vengeance ... and for vengeance of their own, you suppose. You don't know how many of them are dead, and how many are among those being tended by the HEALERS hurrying about with poultices and rags.
  
  Waves of people come up to hail you. Some throw flowers, some offer handshakes, some kneel and offer fealty.
  
  Are you a KING now? You're not sure if you want that, not yet. A KING sits on a throne and waits for someone else to come and kill him. You long to wander free, to taste the fresh wind and feel the grasses brushing your sandaled feet.
  
  You feel a gentle hand brush your arm. It is VESSA, the DELICATE DOXY, garbed in translucent fabrics and glittering jewels, dressed for courtly performances. She smiles at you, and gestures briefly with her eyes, to an open doorway, to a balcony.
  
  ... As the bonfire grows, the revelers have taken to their ale, and it's no matter at all to slip away from the THRONE ROOM for a while, to be alone with VESSA, the sullen night sky, and the great vista of a realm no longer a SLAVER'S KINGDOM.
  
  Time passes.
  
  ... Probably a lot of time, because you stand on a wind-swept hill, weapon in hand, PEG-LEG DWARF at your side, and DUFFEL BAG slung at the ready. The sun rises in the distance, and an ANCIENT ROAD beckons.
  
  GUNWAR smiles. "It's good to have won."
  
  You nod.
  
  He glances over his shoulder at the realm once ruled by a SLAVER KING. "And we've won the finest prize, lad." GUNWAR tamps some fresh leaf into his pipe, and takes his time lighting it. "The best thing we can have, while the wind still blows and we have a few limbs left ..."
  
  You raise a questioning eyebrow.
  
  GUNWAR smiles, and points the damp end of his pipe toward the ROAD, extending deep into the last morning mist. Neither you nor he knows where it leads.
  
  And the sun riseth higher, and you see ships upon the distant SEA, and riders on the distant PLAIN, and the fluttering of monstrous wings above distant MOUNTAINS.
  
  Then, in the VALLEY behind you, you spot the small form of VESSA, waving to you, running, with a SWORD in her hand, and her very own DUFFEL at her side. She is laughing, and her eyes are eager and bright.
  
  And you nod, and you smile. For you are well pleased.