# Hercules! — 3 of 16

## Leo Weinreb

Release 1

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Chapter 2 - The Nemean Lion

The gun is a tool. The gun is nowhere. Understand "shoot [something] with [gun]" as attacking it with. Understand "revolver" and "toy gun" and "toy" and "handgun" and "firearm" and "black" as the gun.

Shooting is an action applying to one thing. Understand "shoot [something]" as shooting.

Check shooting:

if the noun is the gun and the player carries the gun:

say "[if gun-attacked is false]Shooting randomly at nothing would be a great way to get yourself killed quickly.[else]You already tried to shoot the gun. All it got you was this nifty flag.[line break]" instead;

else:

if the player carries the gun:

try attacking the noun with the gun instead;

else:

say "You're not carrying anything you can shoot with![line break]" instead.

The description of the gun is "[if gun-attacked is true]The toy still looks like a[else]A[end if] simple black revolver, as far as you can tell.[if gun-attacked is true][paragraph break]Clearly you don't really know your firearms.[end if]"

Shooting it at is an action applying to two things.

Understand "shoot [something] at [something]" as shooting it at.

Check shooting it at:

if the noun is not the gun:

say "You can't shoot with that.";

else:

try attacking the second noun with the noun instead.

Lion Preparation is a scene. Lion Preparation begins when the player is in City Palace for the first turn.

When Lion Preparation begins:

say "Your cousin's eyes gleam wickedly as you enter. 'Ho, cousin! Have you started on that list I gave you? Not... too difficult for you, is it?' He gives an evil chuckle and his advisors, invisible behind the massive chair, chuckle sycophantically along with him. 'Well, perhaps I can give you some assistance to get started. You can have my old gun if you like. I should warn you though, it's not very... predictable.' His advisors bellow with laughter. He thrusts a small handgun at your feet. You pick it up.";

now the player carries the gun.

Nemea is north of Tiryns. "The [wild grasslands] of Nemea are a common tourist site for explorers and adventurers alike. Mainly because of the lions. [paragraph break]From here you can go northwest towards the cursed land of Stymphalia, west to the city of Elis, or back to Tiryns to the south.[if the lion is nowhere][else if the lion is in Nemea and lion-bottle is false][paragraph break]Speaking of lions, there's a great mangy [lion] here now, watching you warily and growling softly.[else][paragraph break]Speaking of lions, there's a great mangy [lion] here now, sleeping like a baby and snoring like a power drill.[end if]"

The wild grasslands are a backdrop. The wild grasslands are in Nemea and Elis and Tiryns. The description of the wild grasslands is "[if the player is in Elis]You can only make out a short line of yellow grass, you'll have to go east to see more.[else if the player is in Tiryns]You can only make out a short line of yellow grass, you'll have to go north to see more.[else]Just a large grassland full of yellow grass, almost like a savannah.[end if]"

Instead of taking the wild grasslands:

say "No, you don't think you should be spending your time picking grass right now.".

Understand "grassland" and "grass" and "grasses" and "grass lands" and "grass land" and "yellow" and "yellow grass" and "Nemea" as the wild grasslands.

The lion is a person in Nemea. "A great mangy lion is here,[if lion-bottle is false] watching you warily and growling softly.[else] sleeping like a baby and snoring like a power drill.[end if]". Understand "Nemean lion" as the lion.

The skin is a wearable thing. The fur is a wearable thing. The lion wears the skin. The lion wears the fur. The skin is undescribed. The fur is undescribed. The description of the fur is "The lion sports a long coat of yellow hair.". Understand "coat" and "hair" and "lion's fur" as the fur. The description of the skin is "The lion's skin hangs a bit loose on its torso, but it still looks ferocious.". Understand "lion's skin" and "hide" and "lion's hide" as the skin.

Instead of attacking the skin with the knife:

try shaving the lion with the knife instead.

Instead of attacking the fur with the knife:

try shaving the lion with the knife instead.

Instead of shaving the skin with the knife:

try shaving the lion with the knife instead.

Instead of shaving the fur with the knife:

try shaving the lion with the knife instead.

Check giving anything to the lion:

if lion-bottle is true:

say "Shh! The lion sleeps tonight!" instead;

else:

say "The lion roars a mighty roar of refusal and you quail in fright." instead.

Check telling the lion about anything:

if lion-bottle is true:

say "Shh! The lion sleeps tonight!" instead;

else:

say "The lion roars a mighty roar of understanding and you quail in fright." instead.

Check asking the lion about anything:

if lion-bottle is true:

say "Shh! The lion sleeps tonight!" instead;

else:

say "The lion answers by roaring a mighty roar and you quail in fright." instead.

Check showing anything to the lion:

if lion-bottle is true:

say "Shh! The lion sleeps tonight!" instead;

else:

say "The lion roars a mighty roar of interest and you quail in fright." instead.

The description of the lion is "The Nemean lion is a wild and ferocious beast, capable of striking terror into the heart of the bravest warrior.[if lion-bottle is true] Or it would be capable of that if it were awake, which it's not.[else] And you're not even that.[end if]"

A thing can be sharp or dull. A thing is usually dull.

The knife is a sharp tool in Nemea. "There is also a knife strewn on the ground here, probably a remnant from the last poor soul who tried to defeat this beast."

Understand "plastic" and "plastic knife" as the knife.

The description of the knife is "Plastic. Great."

The flag is a thing. The flag is nowhere. The description of the flag is "A large white flag made of sterilized cloth fabric with the word 'BANG' written on it in zany cartoon letters.[if the score is greater than 5] It looks beaten and bedraggled, like it's seen better days.[end if]".

The flag is wearable.

Lion-bottle is a truth state that varies. Lion-bottle is false.

Instead of giving the bottle of Benadryl to the lion:

if lion-bottle is false:

say "You shake out a few pills and offer them to the lion, who snatches them up with glee and wolfs them down. After a few minutes, the lion yawns, showing his massive teeth, and falls to the ground in a deep slumber.[line break]";

now lion-bottle is true;

now the lion is friendly;

else:

say "From the beast's great snores it seems like he's had enough.".

Gun-attacked is a truth state that varies. Gun-attacked is false.

Instead of attacking anything with the gun:

If the noun is not the gun:

If gun-attacked is false:

say "You pull the trigger of your gun and a large flag with the word 'BANG' written on it in zany cartoon letters pops out and falls to the ground.[if the location is the City Palace][line break]Eurystheus and his advisors are positively howling with laughter. Your cousin nearly falls off the throne as tears of joy stream down his face.[end if]";

now the flag is in the location;

now gun-attacked is true;

else:

say "You already tried to shoot the gun. All it got you was this nifty flag.";

else:

continue the action.

After wearing the flag:

say "You tie the flag behind your ears and wear it like a makeshift mask.".

Check attacking the lion with a tool:

if lion-bottle is false:

say "With these muscles? Hah! That wouldn't do anything except trigger your asthma. Besides, any time you try to wave [the second noun] threateningly at the beast, it gives a mighty roar and you quail with fright." instead;

else:

continue the action.

Instead of shaving the lion with the knife:

if the player wears the flag and lion-bottle is true:

say "You tighten the flag tied behind your ears in preparation and then ready your plastic knife. Scraping it back and forth along the lion's hide while keeping your nose covered with your makeshift mask to prevent you sneezing, you manage to extract the entire fur pelt from the lion's sleeping body. The silly-looking naked lion begins shivering a little in the cold. You take off its claws with the knife as well and attach them to your new garment. It is now sure to prove useful for completing your list items. You give it one last satisfied look and sweep it on. (Fur side out so you don't start sneezing.) At the sweeping sound, the lion wakes slightly, but seeing its own skin bearing down on it, it gives a quick yelp and runs back into the grasslands, never to be seen again. You discard the toy gun and the dull knife, both tools having fulfilled their purpose.[line break][line break][italic type]Author's Note: to attack something while wearing the lion pelt in the future, type 'Attack SOMETHING with the lion pelt' or 'Attack SOMETHING with claws'[Roman type][line break]";

increase the score by 1;

now the lion is nowhere;

now the knife is in the lost-and-found box;

now the gun is in the lost-and-found box;

now the player is wearing the lion pelt;

follow the notify score changes rule;

try requesting the score;

else if lion-bottle is true:

say "You don't have the strength to stab into the beast, but you begin to shave off the sleeping lion's hide with your knife. Suddenly you are overcome with a hurricane of sneezes. It seems you are allergic to the lion's fur! Unless you can find a way to keep its hair from tickling your nose, you'll never be able to skin it.";

else:

continue the action.

Instead of attacking the lion with the knife:

if lion-bottle is false:

continue the action;

else if the player wears the flag:

say "With these muscles? Hah! Even while the beast is sleeping you don't have the strength to stab into the lion with the knife. As you consider it though, you notice that the lion's fur is a bit overgrown and its skin seems to be hanging loose on its torso. It could use a haircut.";

else:

say "With these muscles? Hah! Even while the beast is sleeping you don't have the strength to stab into the lion with the knife. As you consider it though, you notice that the lion's fur is a bit overgrown and its skin seems to be hanging loose on its torso. It could use a haircut.".

The lion pelt is a sharp tool. The lion pelt is wearable. The lion pelt is nowhere. Understand "claws" as the lion pelt. Understand "lion skin" and "skin" and "lion's skin" and "lion's fur" and "fur" and "claw" and "lion fur" and "sweatshirt" and "gloves" as the lion pelt.

The description of the lion pelt is "A thick lion's skin which you've fashioned into a kind of oversized, hooded sweatshirt-glove combo, with the mane being the hood. You've managed to extract the claws too and fastened them to the fingers of the pelt's makeshift gloves.[paragraph break]The garment is a bit hot while being worn and loose hairs makes your nose itch constantly, but you figure its benefits outweigh its costs for the moment."

Instead of attacking something with the lion pelt:

if the player is not wearing the lion pelt:

say "You have to be wearing the lion pelt to attack with it.[line break]";

else:

continue the action.

Instead of pushing something:

if the noun is in Thrace:

if Diomedes is in Thrace:

say "'Hands off,' growls Diomedes, glaring at you with his ugly brown eyes.";

else:

continue the action;

else if the noun is a person:

say "No, that would be very rude indeed. You're not a barbarian!";

else:

say "With these muscles? Hah! That wouldn't do anything except trigger your asthma.".

Instead of pushing the lion:

if lion-bottle is true:

try waking the lion instead;

else:

continue the action.

test lion with "e/ e/ w/ n/ give benadryl to lion/ take knife/ shoot lion/ take flag/ wear flag/ shave lion"

Understand the commands "stroke" and "pet" and "tap" as "touch".