The hot desert sands do little to ease the heat of the sun as it floats high in the sky over your head. You brush the sand off of your sweat-drenched brow as you push on across the wasteland.

You wonder how badly mankind had to go wrong to reduce the world to this.

Looking out across the sands, you remember the grasslands of your youth. Now all you see is this wretched desert stretching on for miles upon miles.

Before the world went to ruin you served the military as a soldier. Now with no countries left to fight for, you serve as a hired gun. After all, people need protection from the ravenous bands of maurauders that prowl the lands, looking for easy prey. You pause for a moment to adjust the leather strap that binds your bronze and wood steamrifle to your back and to paw at the steam powered chainsword that hangs at your side. With still nothing but sand on the horizon you decide it best to push on in hopes of excitement or at least a bit of shade.
*page_break
*label FirstChoice
You see something on the horizon.

You can't be sure from this distance, but it appears to be a landship.

*choice
	#I move in for a closer look, after all, the ship could provide me with food and water for my journey. Maybe even a place to spend the night in.
		
		You alter your course to intercept the landship.

		As you grow closer to the landship, the sun is blocked by the massive amalgam of cogs, pipes, and steam. You try your best not to get crushed by the four enormous legs as you revel in the shade.

		You spot a ladder reaching from the sand all the way up the side of the clockwork titan and latch on.
		
		You begin the arduous climb to the top of the massive vessel.
		*page_break
		*label ladder

		Roughly halfway up the ladder, you notice the worn remnants of paint on the side of the ship. It appears to be the name of the vessel.

		The paint has suffered terribly from its time in the desert and is barely legible.
		
		*choice
			#I'm a soldier, not a scholar. Why would I care about the name of the ship? I continue on without stopping.
				Very well. It probably wasn't important anyways.
				*page_break
				*label climb
				
				You continue to make your way up the ladder.
				
				It's taken a while, but you have finally made it to the top.

				As you are unaware of what is happening onboard the vessel, it may be wise to wait a moment and assess the situation before making your presence known.

				What do you plan to do?
				*choice
					#Hesitation shows weakness. I'm confident I can handle whatever is onboard this vessel.
						You clamber up onto the landship and quickly take in the sight of small houses and shops set in a cramped grid fashion.

						You start walking up the street and you see no people, but you hear the familiar commotion of armed combat.

						You quicken your pace to a jog and you draw your steamrifle as the sound grows louder in your ears.
						*page_break
						You come to what you assume to be main street and find yourself caught in the middle of a crossfire. To your left is a group of civilians armed with shoddy rifles and poorly assembled handguns taking cover behind barrels and around buildings. Alternatively, to your right there is a group of men dressed in heavy clothing that obscures their faces firing upon the civilians with military grade rifles, similar to your own.

						"Brigands," you say under your breath. They appear to be taking orders from a large, broad shouldered man covered in metal plating with an utterly massive claymore strapped to his back. The armored man isn't even bothering to take cover, as the civilians bullets are harmlessley deflected by the armor. 

						Neither party has appeared to notice you. What is your course of action?
						*choice
							#I will fire from the alley I am currently situated in.
								You press yourself against the side of the alley and wheel around the corner with your rifle, letting loose several shots towards the brigands. You wheel back around the corner after taking in the satisfying sight of the two thugs hitting the ground. Your rifle lets out a plume of steam as you replace your now depleted clip with a fresh one. A smile crosses your face as you hear a yell of alarm from the man coated in scrap metal plates. 

								*page_break

								"There's another one! Take him out!"

								You lean around the corner and your eyes meet the ends of two steamrifles that are now being aimed in your direction. You fire two hasty shots that go wide and duck back behind the corner before your head aquires a new and frankly unwanted hole. 

								You brace yourself against the wall and wait for a break in the enemies' fire, signifying that they are reloading. Once this break arrives, you return fire.

								Fortunately, you make a satisfying shot on one of the brigands. The other one, however, is missing.
								
								You hear footsteps behind you...
								*page_break
								You wheel around just in time to hear the man behind you fire a shot at close range directly at your body. You feel an impact coupled with a sharp pain. Ignoring it, you easily dispatch the man with one bullet. 

								You look down at your body and, to your surprise, discover no blood.

								You turn back to the battle to see the civilians have dispatched all of the brigands except for one; the man in the metal armor. The townspeoples weapons are having seemingly no affect on the man as he calmly draws his utterly massive claymore.
								*page_break
								*label claymore
								You slide your steamrifle back in the holster on your back before equipping yourself with your chainsword, perhaps one of the more frightening things you've ever wielded against your fellow man. It is essentailly an engine mounted on a long handle with a hairpin trigger that activates the engine. The sword itself is single edged with a blade consisting of razor sharp chain links. It was designed specifically for tearing armored targets to shreds. 

								The massive man grips his claymore with both hands and drops into a ready stance as the two of you stare each other down in the center of the street. Knowing of the deadly battle on the horizon, most of the civilians have fled the scene to attend their injured.

								What is your method of attack?
								*choice
									#Obviously he is the slower opponent. I attack first.
										You pull the trigger on your chainsword, and the engine roars to life. The blades let out a viscious hum that intensifies as they reach a peak speed.

										You let out a cry and leap towards your adversary, swinging the deadly blade at his neck with the intent to kill. He lets go of his claymore with one hand and uses the metal plate on his arm to intercept your blade. Sparks fly as metal crashes against metal. 

										You grit your teeth and force your chainsword to keep sawing at the plate on his arm. After a couple seconds, the shower of sparks changes into a shower of blood. The man grunts in pain from under his helmet and retracts his now torn arm.

										You quickly rear back your sword and bring it down on the top of his head. This time your sword is intercepted by his own. You grit your teeth and push the chainsword further down, causing it to start eroding the claymore's blade. Evidentially the armored man learns quickly. He backhands you across the face with his bloody arm. You stumble back from both surprise and the force of the blow.

										The blood from his arm is now coating your eyes. 
										*page_break
										Your vision is blurred and you struggle to see as you retake your stance.

										You're struck with a both powerful and agonizing force that causes you to stumble back. You feel blood start to drip down your torso. You realize that there is no chance of victory in this condition and you have to even the odds.

										Thinking quickly, you step back and scoop up some dust from the road and throw it through the slit in his helmet. You wipe the blood off of your face with your sleeve.
										
										Time is of the essence now and you lash out at the mans neck before he can regain his composure. The armor gives way in under a second and your chainsword bites into the mans throat.

										You throw yourself backwards onto the road as the man makes a dying swipe at you with his massive blade before he drops with a gurgle and a clatter.

										Though a deadly weapon, the visciousness of the chainsword has been a source of too many of your nightmares.
										*page_break
										*label gratitude
										Immediately, the ship's surgeon approaches you and patches any wounds you may have taken.
										
										Later, after you've cleaned up, you're greeted by grateful townfolk and the owner of the ship's tavern gives you food, drink, and a place to lay your head free of charge.

										While you are eating, you recieve pleasing news that no one on the landship was seriously harmed in the attack. The captain himself approaches you and informs you that you are allowed to stay onboard the U.S.S. Sand Strider for as long as you wish.

										You thank him graciously for his offer and head to the second floor of the tavern for some well-deserved rest.

										A smile crosses your face as you drift off to sleep.
										*page_break Play Again
										*goto_scene welcome
										


									#I prefer a more defensive style of combat. I allow him to make the first strike.
										You take a step back and pull your arms closer to your body in a defensive stance, waiting for your opponent to make the first move. 

										The armored man brings his massive sword back and swings it towards you, using his entire body weight to move the sword. You lift your chain sword to intercept the path of the claymore and brace the back of the blade with your arm. The claymore crashes into your side, nearly sending you airborne. 

										That's going to bruise.
										*page_break
										Though you nearly broke your arm "blocking" that hit, you notice a fatal flaw in your opponent's fighting style. It takes an excessively long time to recover after swinging that massive weapon. Perhaps you can take advantage of this.

										After taking a couple steps back and adopting a more agressive stance, your finger instinctively moves to the trigger of your chainsword. You tighten your finger and smile as the engine ignites. 

										The armored man hefts his sword and steps in to take another bone shattering swipe at you. He swings straight at your throat. You lean back and time seems to slow down. You can barely feel the tip of his sword graze your throat. Chills run down your spine as you realize how close you were to death.

										As he completes his swing, the armored man is left wide open for an attack. You move in and swing your chainsword in an arc at the mans neck. Your blade digs into his armor and sends sparks flying everywhere. You put your weight behind your chainsword and the armor gives way to flesh. The man lets out a cry of agony as the blade rips apart his throat. You retract your sword and step away.

										The brigand drops his claymore and reaches for his neck in an attempt to stop the bleeding, but it is too late. You watch with a certain uneasiness. Using your chainsword is never a pleasant option. But it is a neccisary one nonetheless. 

										He drops to the ground, dead.

										*page_break
										*goto gratitude 
								
							#I will bolt down the street to where the civilians are taking cover.
								You take a deep breath before sprinting down the street in a staggered pattern to avoid gunfire. You reach the small bunker formed at the end of the street and leap over the wall of miscellaneous materials to saftey. Initially the civilians are startled by your sudden appearance and raise their weapons at you, but you quickly insist that you are just a nomad who is here to help. It isn't like their unimpressive assortment of weapons could do much damage to you anyway.
								*page_break
								With an actual soldier now in charge of this ragtag group of men, victory isn't very hard to reach. You employ several tactics and strategies you learned from your life as a mercenary and the brigands steadily drop, one by one. 

								Now that all of the gunmen are out of the way, you order the men under your command to concentrate on the armored brigand. Every shot fired hits home on the large man, but he is unfazed by bullets. Under the hail of lead, he calmly draws his claymore and begins to advance on your position. It quickly becomes apparent to you that there is only one thing that can get to the man underneath the armor.

								You order your men to stop firing.
								*page_break
								*goto claymore
								
						
					#That isn't a half bad idea. I climb to the top of the ladder and peer over the side to get a good look at my surroundings.
						You peer over the side of the landship and take in the sight of small houses and shops set in a cramped grid fashion. 

						Seeing no immediate threat, you climb on to the ship and draw your rifle in case of some sort of unseen adversary. Your heart rate slowly comes to a peak as you move as cautiously as possible towards the sound of a gunfight at the center of town.

						*page_break 
						Eventually, you reach main street and find yourself caught in the middle of a firefight. To your left is a group of civilians armed with shoddy rifles and poorly assembled handguns taking cover behind barrels and around buildings. Alternatively, to your right there is a group of men dressed in heavy clothing that obscures their faces firing upon the civilians with military grade rifles, similar to your own.
						
						"Brigands," you say under your breath. They appear to be taking orders from a large, broad shouldered man covered in metal plating with an utterly massive claymore strapped to his back. The armored man isn't even bothering to take cover, as the civilians bullets are harmlessley deflected by the armor. 
				
						Neither party has noticed you due to your stealthy approach.
						
						How do you deal with these assailants?
						*choice
							#I bunker down in the top floor of the building to my left, taking on a sniper role.
								From your vantage point, you can see the entire street in which the gunfight is taking place. 

								You reach into your satchel and pull out a scope and bipod for your rifle. You attach both to your rifle and take a position in the window. 

								"Crack!" One down and soon the rest follow. The ruffians didn't even have a clue who was shooting at them. You watch the civilains start firing on the man coated in armor, but bullets don't seem to faze him.

								You pack up your equipment and glance out the window one more time just to see the man draw his claymore and advance towards the civilians. You walk out of the building with an idea of how to deal with this final enemy.
								*page_break 
								*goto claymore
							#Recalling an old military tactic, I skirt to the rear of the group of brigands.
								You turn around and jog down another street and couple alleys before finding yourself positioned behind the force of brigands. 

								You take cover around a corner. Fortunately the brigands haven't noticed your approach with all of the commotion. Though shooting people in the back doesn't sit well with you for the next couple of days, you would rather have them die than you.

								The first few brigands drop without knowing what hit them, but then some of them catch on and turn to face their new adversary. The civilians on the other end of the street spot the brigands turning their backs and open fire, killing the remaining thugs before they can even take one shot at you. 
							
								With the gunmen taken care of, the only man who remains is the one clad in heavy armor. You loose some bullets into his back, but they may as well have been flies. He turns towards you while simultaneously drawing his massive claymore.

								This won't be fun.
								*page_break
								*goto claymore
								
							#I utilize the system of alleys in the city to safely join the civilians and aid them in their efforts.
								You turn around and jog down another street and couple alleys before finding yourself in the midst of the civilians. Initially the civilians are startled by your sudden appearance and raise thier weapons at you, but you quickly insist that you are just a nomad who is here to help. It isn't like their unimpressive assortment of weapons could do much damage to you anyway.
								*page_break
								With an actual soldier now in charge of this ragtag group of men, victory isn't very hard to reach. You employ several tactics and strategies you learned from your life as a mercenary and the brigands steadily drop, one by one. 

								Now that all of the gunmen are out of the way, you order the men under your command to concentrate on the armored brigand. Every shot fired hits home on the large man, but he is unfazed by bullets. Under the hail of lead, he calmly draws his claymore and begins to advance on your position. It quickly becomes apparent to you that there is only one thing that can get to the man underneath the armor.

								You order your men to stop firing.
								*page_break
								*goto claymore
								
			#This could offer clues about the ship's inhabitants. I stop a moment to read the name.
				Unfortunately, the size of the ship and the years of neglect have taken their toll on the paint itself.
				
				It takes longer than you had planned, but you finally make out the writing.
				
				It reads "U.S.S. Sand Strider" Good, it's an American vessel, at least you know they speak English.
				*page_break

				Crack!

				You hear the unmistakable sound of a steamrifle firing.

				You instinctively duck your head, those years in the military coming back to you in an instant.

				Everything goes dark...
				*page_break

				You're back in the South American grasslands, driving natives from their ancestral homes. There's a village up ahead. Unfortunately for them, their village sits atop one of the richest veins of coal in the region. Your mission: Set fire to the village temple to cause a distraction. With their place of worship in flames, the rest of your unit will be able to sorround them without them noticing until it is too late.

				This kind of thing makes you sick. This land belongs to the natives, but the coal companies wanted the coal and it was your job to get it for them. You would have gotten out of this line of work a long time ago, but you needed the money.

				You've been given command of the team. What do you plan to do?
				*choice
					#Sneak around back. They won't be watching where they don't think we'll be, now will they?
						Your team consists of ex-military infantrymen, they all know how to move without making a sound.
		
						The trip to the rear of the village is uneventful and quiet. You order your soldiers to make as much noise as possible once the attack begins, the more confusion the faster this will be done with.

						Your team approaches the backside of the temple. You notice that the village is eerily quiet. The hairs on your neck stand on end. Your about to give the order to attack when...
						*page_break
						*label failure
						Failure!

						A shot rings out from within the temple and tears into the ground inches from your foot. Villagers pour out from the temple and surrounding streets forming a blockade of angry shouts and loose gunfire. You're outnumbered three to one. You notice the crowd directly in front of the temple setting up for a volley shot.

						You give the only command viable in this situation: "Take cover!"
						*page_break
						You dive to the side of the street. You see your men do the same. 

						A loud thundering of gunfire erupts from across the street.

						There are several cries of pain as bullets strike your soldiers.

						Pain races through your back. You've been hit, most likely fatally. You cry out in pain and your vision starts to fade out.
						*page_break
						You feel someone shaking you.

						Suddenly your hearing comes back in and you open your eyes.

						You see nothing but chaos. The villagers are attacking and your men are desparetly trying to fight back. 

						You touch your back and are shocked to find that you have no injury.

						On the ground by your feet, you notice two bullets. They've been flattened as if they had struck steel.

						There's no time for gawking! Get moving!
						*page_break
						As the battle rages around you, all you can recall is blood and the screams of dying- your dying soldiers. These screams will haunt your nightmares for the rest of your life.

						Through some sort of miracle you make it out of the mayhem alive, but unfortunately you are the only survivor. Your men, the soldiers who looked up to you so admiringly to lead them to victory, had all perished. The natives had an ambush set up from the start, a factor you so foolishly looked over. 

						Though you greatly fear facing your employer after this crushing defeat, your biggest fear is facing the children and wives of the men who died because of your mistake.

						While you lost many good friends in the battle, you are silently grateful that you did not have to slaughter the innocent.
						*page_break
						You shake your head to rid yourself of these horrid memories and concentrate on the matter at hand.
						*goto climb
						
					#Send two guys to the east side of the village to cause a distraction. With everyone's attention drawn to the east then we'll be able to slip in undetected in the west.
						You maneuver your team into position on the west side of the village and await the signal. A few long moments later you hear a steam-whistle sound across the village. You slowly count to fifty under your breath. 

						"Alright, let's move." You order your soldiers to make as little noise as possible as they make their way to the temple. Apart from the noise being made by your men accross the village, you notice it is eerily quiet. The hairs on your neck stand on end.

						The temple is just ahead. You're just about to give the order to attack when...
						*page_break
						*goto failure
					
					#Have the entire team dash through the village towards the temple. They won't even have time to react.
						Your team sprints across the village without so much as a startled cry. The streets are deserted.

						You expected the streets to be near empty, but nothing like this. This is almost scary.

						There! The temple is just ahead!

				
						You're confident the attack will go as planned.

						"In-n-out! Set the fire and run!" You shout to your soldiers.

						Your team is approaching the temple when...
						*page_break
						*goto failure



	#The landship does not ignite my interest. I press on past it.
		Your present course will take you near the landship, but you feel you're a safe enough distance away. 

		As you draw near the landship,  a startling sound breaches your ears, a sound all too familiar to you: the sound of a gunshot. Immediately you start racing towards the ladder, your instinct to help civilians taking over your body and driving you up the side of the massive vessel composed of pipes and cogs.
		*goto ladder
	
	
	#Landship? I am unfamiliar with the term.
		Perhaps you are more familiar with the term "Moving City." When the world went to ruin, engineers created massive walking communities to solve the problem of scarce water. These landships were based off of the ironclad steam-powered vessels of the time.
		*page_break
		*goto FirstChoice