{(set: $bullets to 0)(set: $Churchvisit to 0)(set: $CougarDefeated to 0)(set: $shopvisit to 0)(set: $DrunkLife to 0)(set: $DemonQuest to 0)(set: $conversation to 0)(set: $look to 0)(set: $Quest1 to 0)(set: $Salesman to custom.load())}(unless: (passage:)'s tags contains 'no-header')[<div id="first-passage">{|BigKill>[<img src = "images/gun.png" alt= "Big Kill" height = "75" width = "150">] (click: ?BigKill)[(if: $GoldenGun is not 1)[(if: $bullets is >0)[<script> A.t['bigiron'].loop(false).play(); </script>(set: $bullets to it - 1)(go-to:$choice)]](if: $GoldenGun is 1)[{<script> A.t['bigiron'].loop(false).play(); </script>}(set: $bullets to it)(go-to:$choice)] (else:)[<script> A.t['dryfire'].loop(false).play(); </script>]] (replace: "BANG")[<img src = "images/bullet.png" height = "100" width = "100">](if: $bullets is >6)[(replace: "BANG")[<img src = "images/bullet.png" height = "40" width = "20">]BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG (css: "font-size: 200%;")[+]] (if: $bullets is 6)[(replace: "BANG")[<img src = "images/bullet.png" height = "40" width = "20">]BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG] (if:$bullets is 5)[(replace: "BANG")[<img src = "images/bullet.png" height = "40" width = "20">]BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG] (if:$bullets is 4)[(replace: "BANG")[<img src = "images/bullet.png" height = "40" width = "20">]BANG BANG BANG BANG] (if:$bullets is 3)[(replace: "BANG")[<img src = "images/bullet.png" height = "40" width = "20">]BANG BANG BANG] (if:$bullets is 2)[(replace: "BANG")[<img src = "images/bullet.png" height = "40" width = "20">]BANG BANG] (if:$bullets is 1)[(replace: "BANG")[<img src = "images/bullet.png" height = "40" width = "20">]BANG] (if:$bullets is 0)[] (if: not ((passage:)'s tags contains "menu"))[(set: $lastPassage to (passage:)'s name)]} </div>] Slate City.(replace: ?BigKill)[] <script> A.t['menu'].fade(1.0, 0.0, 2000); </script><script> A.t['windloop'].loop(true).play(); A.t['windloop'].volume(.9); </script> You haven't been here in ages. Years, in fact. Not since you left to... to... what was it you did again? (color: #8B0000)[**`[Prospector]`**] [["I went to make my fortune out west."]] (color: #8B0000)[**`[Bandit]`**] [["I made my living as a bandit."->"I set out across the land, robbing carriages, banks, the works."]] (color: #8B0000)[**`[Soldier]`**] [["I left to join the army."]] (color: #8B0000)[**`[Drifter]`**] [["I drifted from town to town."->"Ain't your business."]] (if: $Salesman is true)[(color: #8B0000)[**`[Peddler]`**] [["I learned the art of the traveling entrepreneur. Care to buy some foot powder?"->Salesman]]]<div id= "nofoot"> (css: "font-size: 130%;")[<span class="menu">(link: "Main Menu")[(reload:)]</span><tw-link name='mute' onclick='A.c.mute(this)'>Mute</tw-link><script> var $mute = $('tw-link[name=mute]'); if (A.c.isMuted && $mute[0] && !$mute.hasClass('muted')) { $mute.addClass('muted'); } </script>](set: $choice to "Ded Horse")(if: $buckshot is 1)[You unload another round into (if: $backstory is 1)[Buck](if: $backstory is 2)[Robin](if: $backstory is 3)[Cortez](if: $backstory is 4)[Lupe]'s body. A burst of blood stains your riding slacks. Jesus Christ, you're cold.(set: $buckshot to 2)](else-if: $buckshot is 0)[You blow a hole right through (if: $backstory is 1)[Buck](if: $backstory is 2)[Robin](if: $backstory is 3)[Cortez](if: $backstory is 4)[Lupe]. (if: $backstory is 1 or $backstory is 3)[He](if: $backstory is 2 or $backstory is 4)[She] collapses in the dry dirt, blood streaming through a wide hole in (if: $backstory is 1 or $backstory is 3)[him](if: $backstory is 2 or $backstory is 4)[her] chest. After a few moments of convulsing, (if: $backstory is 1 or $backstory is 3)[he](if: $backstory is 2 or $backstory is 4)[she] lies still. Now why'd you go and do that?(set: $buckshot to 1)](else-if: $buckshot is 2)[You shoot your dead horse again. It seems like you really have some unresolved issues with the poor thing. More blood spatters your duster. You're beginning to look like you wandered through a slaughterhouse.(set: $buckshot to it + 1)](else-if: $buckshot < 5)[You shoot (if: $backstory is 1)[Buck](if: $backstory is 2)[Robin](if: $backstory is 3)[Cortez](if: $backstory is 4)[Lupe]'s body with your pistol. There's no reaction from the dead animal, but the corpse is looking less and less like it was ever once a horse. Are you familiar with the word "overkill"? Just checking. (set: $buckshot to it + 1)](else-if: $buckshot is 5)[What - again? Jesus Christ. I don't even know why I'm surprised anymore. Your bullet rips through a pile of gore, splattering it across the dirt. The horse's body is hardly recognizable as having once belonged to a living creature; it is little more than clumps of hair and shattered bone and bloodstained meat. Are you happy now?] (if: $conversation is 0)[[["Don't question me."->TheVoice]]](if: $conversation is 1)[[["Don't question me."->Town]]](set: $backstory to 1)Ah, yes. Thank you. (replace: ?BigKill)[](set: $horse to "Buck") The life of back-breaking labor as a farmer or craftsperson never seemed ideal for someone like you. When you heard talk of the discovery of gold ore a few hundred miles up the state line, you took what few belongings you had, signed up with a wagon train, and were gone within the day. Times out west were tough, tougher than you ever would have guessed. You never found the one gold vein, the vein that would bring everything together, the vein that would win you your dreams. But what you did find, in a local bar, was a gorgeous lover. And that made the long trek, the constant drain of money, the perpetual labor, all worth it. At least until the bastard, Edward Green, re-entered your life. An old rival of yours, in days past, or perhaps a friend turned foe. Whether out of jealousy or rage or hatred he shot your beloved in the back while you were out at your dig site. You returned to a house bathed in blood turned cold and swore your revenge. Taking only your gun, your horse, and your trusty (text-color: "indigo")[shovel], you spent the next six years tracking him. Your travels have led you to the town of your childhood. He's here. There's nowhere else for him to go. [["He'll get his."->Continue]] [["Hold up, that don't sound like me. Let me try again."->Who?]]<div id= "nofoot"> (css: "font-size: 130%;")[<div id= "stop"><span class="menu">(link: "Main Menu")[(reload:)]</span><tw-link name='mute' onclick='A.c.mute(this)'>Mute</tw-link><script> var $mute = $('tw-link[name=mute]'); if (A.c.isMuted && $mute[0] && !$mute.hasClass('muted')) { $mute.addClass('muted'); } </script></div>](set: $backstory to 2)(set: $lockpick to 1)Ah, yes. Thank you. (set: $horse to "Robin") Even when you were young, you knew the life of honesty work wasn't for you. It started when you pilfered a loaf of bread from the general store, quickly snowballing until you were running with your own outlaw syndicate. (replace: ?BigKill)[] As the years passed, you soured on your life of crime. Every penny of the "easy" money that had seemed so tantalizing in your younger years turned out to be won in gallons of blood. After a near-death encounter with a sheriff and over a dozen of his deputies, you decided to turn the enterprise over to your second-in-command and retired to a small cabin in Nevada with your beloved. But it wasn't to be. Edward Green, a man you once trusted or perhaps just a faceless member of your gang of outlaws, tracked you down. Lured by false talk of a bounty on your head, he came to your home and fired blindly into it. You were out gathering firewood and escaped unscathed. Your beloved was shot in the chest. When you returned to the house now bereft of life and love you swore to do exactly to Green what he had done to you. Taking only your horse, your gun, and a single (text-color: "indigo")[lockpick], you spent the next six years tracking him. Your travels have led you back to the town of your childhood. He's here. There's nowhere else for him to go. [["He'll get his."->Continue]] [["Hold up, that don't sound like me. Let me try again."->Who?]]<div id= "nofoot"> (css: "font-size: 130%;")[<div id= "stop"><span class="menu">(link: "Main Menu")[(reload:)]</span><tw-link name='mute' onclick='A.c.mute(this)'>Mute</tw-link><script> var $mute = $('tw-link[name=mute]'); if (A.c.isMuted && $mute[0] && !$mute.hasClass('muted')) { $mute.addClass('muted'); } </script></div>](set: $backstory to 3)Ah, yes. Thank you. (set: $horse to "Cortez") You always admired the smart jackets and stern discipline that could be found in the armed forces and joined the moment you were of age. (replace: ?BigKill)[] Though you quickly proved to be a crack shot with anything that had a barrel, you soon found that life in the military wasn't quite what it seemed to be. The food was bad and the troops were worse, positively delighting in any opportunity to disregard any semblance of honor or discipline — especially when it came to civilian populations. The horrors that you've seen could fill a dozen books and still leave you with enough to keep you from sleeping for years to come. After the massacre in Pawnee County, the final straw, you mustered the guts to slip away from your unit. Setting fire to an ammunition wagon, you deserted in the ensuing chaos. A friend from your youth sheltered you from the military police as they raked the countryside, looking for you. Before long friendship turned to romance. You thought, for a moment, that you finally had someone you could rely on. It wasn't to be. Edward Green, a man you once fought alongside, tracked you down. Lured by the potential of a bounty on your head, he set fire to your hideout. You managed to escape, but your lover died of exposure. As you wept in the ashes of what little solace you had once had, you swore to find Green and make him pay. Taking only your gun, your horse, a (text-color: "indigo")[$50 gold coin], and a single extra (text-color: "indigo")[bullet] - the last memory from your days of battle - you spent the next six years tracking him. Your travels have led you to the town of your childhood. He's here. There's nowhere else for him to go. [["He'll get his."->Continue]] [["Hold up, that don't sound like me. Let me try again."->Who?]]<div id= "nofoot"> (css: "font-size: 130%;")[<div id= "stop"><span class="menu">(link: "Main Menu")[(reload:)]</span><tw-link name='mute' onclick='A.c.mute(this)'>Mute</tw-link><script> var $mute = $('tw-link[name=mute]'); if (A.c.isMuted && $mute[0] && !$mute.hasClass('muted')) { $mute.addClass('muted'); } </script></div>](set: $backstory to 4)(replace: ?BigKill)[]Ah, yes. Thank you. (set: $horse to "Lupe")(set: $matches to 1) You wandered from town to town once you left Slate City, never staying anywhere for long. Nothing ever seemed to click with you - no place, no profession. That is, nothing but the gun, though that was hardly a choice. People on this side of the country aren't much fond of strangers, and that lack of fondness manifested itself in violence more times than you can count. It took ages and dozens of gunfights, but you eventually settled down in a small forest community a few miles west of the Mississippi. A romance bloomed between you and a local prostitute, and, for a brief time, you were content. But it was brief for a reason. An old acquaintance from your youth, Edward Green, tracked you down. Whether out of jealousy or rage or hatred he shot your beloved through the back. You returned to a house bathed in blood turned cold and swore your revenge. Taking only your horse, your gun, a (text-color: "indigo")[book of matches], and your trusty (text-color: "indigo")[walking stick], you spent the next six years tracking him. Your travels have led you back to the town of your childhood. He's here. There's nowhere else for him to go. [["He'll get his."->Continue]] [["Hold up, that don't sound like me. Let me try again."->Who?]]<div id= "nofoot"> (css: "font-size: 130%;")[<span class="menu">(link: "Main Menu")[(reload:)]</span><tw-link name='mute' onclick='A.c.mute(this)'>Mute</tw-link><script> var $mute = $('tw-link[name=mute]'); if (A.c.isMuted && $mute[0] && !$mute.hasClass('muted')) { $mute.addClass('muted'); } </script>](set: $choice to "Outside")(set: $buckshot to 0)You dismount (if: $backstory is 1)[Buck](if: $backstory is 2)[Robin](if: $backstory is 3)[Cortez](if: $backstory is 4)[Lupe], your horse, on the edge of town. Patting (if: $backstory is 1 or $backstory is 3)[him](if: $backstory is 2 or $backstory is 4)[her] once, you tie (if: $backstory is 1 or $backstory is 3)[him](if: $backstory is 2 or $backstory is 4)[her] to a stake behind the general store. (set: $bullets to 6)(replace: ?BigKill)[] From one of (if: $backstory is 1 or $backstory is 3)[his](if: $backstory is 2 or $backstory is 4)[her] saddlebags you draw your revolver. It's loaded. Six bullets. You'll have to save at least one for Green. It might be better to be careful; the old sheriff's office is gone, as is the old sheriff. If you get into any disputes, you'll likely be settling them with your gun hand. (if: $backstory is 3)[(set: $bullets to it+1)(set: $Gold to it + 50)] [["Guess we'll see."->TownPreface]]<div id= "nofoot"> (css: "font-size: 130%;")[<span class="menu">(link: "Main Menu")[(reload:)]</span><tw-link name='mute' onclick='A.c.mute(this)'>Mute</tw-link><script> var $mute = $('tw-link[name=mute]'); if (A.c.isMuted && $mute[0] && !$mute.hasClass('muted')) { $mute.addClass('muted'); } </script>]The Frayed Noose. When you were younger your ma and pa only really spoke of the place in hushed whispers. Fights broke out every night, culminating in a shootout or death every other. (display: "walkcode") (if: $backstory is 1)[Places like these litter towns all across the country. After hours upon hours of back-breaking labor, folks need a place to unwind. And the bottle beats the hell out of murder or suicide - when the two don't overlap, anyhow. ](if: $backstory is 2)[Places like this were your home, once. Drinking halls don't quite have the scrutiny that churches, schoolhouses, and stores do. The local constables usually give them a wide berth, only springing into action after somebody's already been shot in the head. If the barman's amicable, he can generally be slipped some coin to look the other way whenever there's shady dealing to be done. ](if: $backstory is 3)[Places like this always make your trigger finger itch. Something about the feeling of pent-up anger and frustration being loosed after a long, hard day in a series of long, hard days. It could be battle instincts; the place reeks with danger. But somewhere in your gut you fear it may have more to do with a kinship with such people. You do have your own stresses to relieve, after all. ](if: $backstory is 4)[Places like this are familiar enough; you've passed through more than a handful of boozehouses on your travels. Most are the same - whether pleasant or nice on the outside, all reek of desperation, sorrow, and dreams snapped like dry sticks. This bar doesn't seem any different. ] The bar's clumsily erected wooden facade stands before you. [["Might be able to get some info on where Green's gone."->Bar Interior]] [["On second thought, maybe it's better to stay out."->Town]]St. Antonio's Sixth Church of Christ. The oldest building in town, and the most stable. When you were a child you and your family took shelter here during the worst dust storm of the century. After the squall had ended you left to find most of the town's wood-and-nail buildings razed like matchbox buildings. Yet the church was unscathed. (display: "walkcode") Though the white stucco walls are now brown-yellow with age, and though cracks run up the foundation, it still stands taller than any of the other buildings in town. (set: $choice to "Outside") [["Time to seek some answers."->Nave]] [["On second thought, I can make my peace later."->Town]]**Romanov's General Goods** isn't much of a building; in fact, if it weren't for the fresh coat of paint and the sign that flops lazily above the front door whenever there's a gust of wind, it wouldn't look any different from any other house in town. (display: "walkcode") You never engaged much with Papil Romanov, the owner back in the day, but you did tend to engage with his son, Gregovich. As you remember it, the lad was husky, strong-willed, and more than a bit of an asshole. This is the first time you've thought of him in some time; you wonder where he is now. Prison, probably. Despite the fresh paint, a lot of the woodwork looks especially weather-beaten and ramshackle — apparently the current owner isn't too keen on maintenance. A rogue steer could probably level the entire structure just by blundering into it. [["Guess I'll see who's in."->Gregovich]] [["Not much point visiting. Don't want to get tricked out of my soul, or something."->Town]] (set: $choice to "Outside")Your gunshot explodes through the silent town. (either: "Aimed at nothing in particular, your bullet sails into the sky. You never see it again.", "Your bullet strikes a wooden sign dangling from a storefront. The sign spins on its metal rungs before gradually swaying back into place, a fresh hole through one of the letters.", "Your shot is hilariously wide of whatever you were trying to hit. The dirt explodes a few feet away.", "Your bullet strikes the wooden support of a storefront. Surprisingly, it does not buckle from the force of the impact, effectively nullifying what little effect your improperly aimed bullet could have had.", "The bullet explodes in mid-air, striking nothing but showering Main Street with shrapnel. You've never quite seen anything like it.", "As you didn't aim at anything in particular, the bullet bites into the nearest target, which happens to be a vulture feeding on the corpse of a rabbit. Her left wing is torn nearly in two. The course of this vulture's life has been permanently changed for the worse. It will have no bearing on your quest.", "Your bullet strikes an innocent rabbit as it hops across Main Street. The varmint explodes in a burst of blood and gore, spraying the dirt with a fine mist of pureed bunny. Someone in one of the houses screams and begins to weep.", "Your bullet tears across Main Street and out of sight. In a town fifteen miles away, an outlaw stands above the wounded town sheriff, readying to finish him off. But just as the outlaw works the bolt of his rifle, your bullet strikes him in his upper spine. The shocked fiend crumples to the ground, dead. The town rejoices, but neither they nor you ever have any idea what truly transpired.", "Your bullet hits nothing, or if it did hit something you can't see it.", "Your bullet puts a fist-sized hole in the town water tower. If there were any water still in it you'd sure be in trouble.", "Your bullet strikes a gravestone behind the church, splitting it cleanly in two. That was one hell of a shot. Shame you didn't use it on anything useful.", "Your bullet punches a small hole in the skull of an ox. Cheerfully, the ox had already died some years ago, and all your bullet did was break a few fragments from the dry skull lying in the dirt.") Next time pick a target. [["What a waste."->Town]] [["Just making sure it worked."->Town]]You cross behind the general store, approaching the place where you tied (if: $backstory is 1)[Buck](if: $backstory is 2)[Robin](if: $backstory is 3)[Cortez](if: $backstory is 4)[Lupe].(if: $Quest2 is 2)[ As you pass behind the back of the store, you notice that some of the wooden planks making up the exterior have been crudely nailed on.] (set: $choice to "Ded Horse")(if: $buckshot is 0)[Obviously pleased to see you, (if: $backstory is 1)[Buck](if: $backstory is 2)[Robin](if: $backstory is 3)[Cortez](if: $backstory is 4)[Lupe] snorts and paws the ground. <script> A.t['horse'].loop(false).play(); A.t['horse'].volume(.3); </script> [["Take it easy, $horse."->Town]]](if: $buckshot is >0)[The body of your horse, which you shot, lies on the ground in a pool of blood. Its staring eye regards you judgmentally. [["Quit looking at me like that."->Town]]] (if: $Quest2 is 2)[[["Lemme take a look at those boards."->Boards]]](display: "walkcode")From here you can see the church, the general store, and the town bar.{<script> A.t['debugmusic'].fade(1.0, 0.0, 1000); </script> (live: 1s)[<script> A.t['debugmusic'].stop(); </script>(stop:)] <script> A.t['torch'].fade(1.0, 0.0, 1000); </script>(live: 1s)[<script> A.t['torch'].stop(); </script>(stop:)] (if: (A.t['windloop'].playing()) is not true)[<script> A.t['windloop'].loop(true).play(); A.t['windloop'].volume(.9); </script>]<script> A.t['barambient'].fade(1,0,1000); </script>(live: 1s)[<script> A.t['barambient'].stop(); </script>(stop:)]<script> A.t['church'].fade(1,0,1000); </script>(live: 1s)[<script> A.t['church'].stop(); </script>(stop:)]<script> A.t['store'].fade(1,0,1000); </script>(live: 1s)[<script> A.t['store'].stop(); </script>(stop:)]<script> A.t['piano'].fade(.1,0,1000); </script>(live: 1s)[<script> A.t['piano'].stop(); </script>(stop:)]} (set: $choice to "Outside") (either: "A lone tumbleweed twirls through Main Street.", "A crow shrieks in the distance.", "A fly buzzes about your head. You slap at it, but it drunkenly manages to evade your hands.", "A woman, whistling quietly, strolls through main street. She vanishes down a side street before you can say or do anything.", "A gunshot pops in the distance.", "You roll your shoulders.", "You spin the cylinder of your pistol.", "You adjust your pistol in its holster.", "You crack your knuckles.", "A horse whinnies in the distance.", "A building beside you creaks menacingly.", "You uselessly attempt to scrub some of the dirt from your boot.", "You flex your fists.", "Overhead, a vulture circles.", "A drunken fight breaks out, briefly, in front of the bar. The two men exchange awkward punches for a few moments before clasping in an embrace and stumbling back into the building.", "A lizard scampers over your boot.", "You wipe a smudge from your revolver with your sleeve.", "You see something moving on the edge of the horizon. It's too far away to make out for sure.") (if: $finale is 1)[[["It's time to end this. I'm going to the graveyard."->Graveyard]] ](if: $finale is 2)[[["It's time to end this. I'm going to the graveyard."->Graveyard]] ](if: $barvisit is not 1 and $DemonQuest is not >1)[[["Can never drink too much, right?"->Bar]] ](if: $barvisit is 1 and $DemonQuest is not >1)[[["Maybe I'll try heading back to the bar."->Bar2]] ](if: $matches is 1 and $DemonQuest is >0)[[["I'll go to the bar, but maybe it'd be better if I went 'round the back..."->BarExterior]] ](if: $QuestAlt1 is 1)[[["Guess I'll see the drunk again."->DrunkHub]] ](if: $Churchvisit is 0)[[["Think I'll head to the church."->Church]] ](if: $Churchvisit is 1)[[["Time to go on back to the church."->Nave]] ](if: $Churchvisit is 5)[[["Time to go on back to the church."->Nave]] ](if: $shopvisit is 0)[[["I feel like perusing some dry, dusty goods."->Store]] ](if: $shopvisit is 1 or $shopvisit is 2)[[["Think I'll head back to the general store."->Store2]] ](if: $Quest1 is >1 or $QuestAlt1 is >0 or $MainQuestHideout is >0)[(if: $JunkVisit is 0 and $DemonQuest is not 2 or $JunkVisit is 1 and $DemonQuest is not 2)[[["We're headed to the Junk Heap!"->Junk]] ](else-if: $JunkVisit is 2 or $JunkVisit is 3 or $JunkVisit is 5 and $DemonQuest is not 2)[[["Time to head back to the Junk Heap."->JunkVisit2]] ]](if: $DemonQuest is 2)[[["I better go after that barmaid."->JunkChase]] ][["Maybe I'll go check on $horse."->Horse]]As you pass through the saloon doors the reek of sawdust, cigar smoke and cheap liquor strikes you like a fist. {<script> A.t['windloop'].fade(1.0,0.0,4000); </script><script> A.t['creak'].play(); A.t['creak'].volume(.6); </script><script> A.t['barambient'].fade(0,1,3000); A.t['barambient'].loop(true).play(); A.t['barambient'].volume(1); </script>} Yellow light filters across rough-hewn wooden stools and poker tables. Men and women cluster in loose groups, talking softly or mumbling as their drinks slosh in their mugs. In the far corner an old man sits in front of a silent player piano. To your left an old woman stands behind a wide, stained counter. Nobody so much as glances at you as you stand in the doorway. (set: $choice to "BarInt")(set: $barvisit to 1) [["The old man seems like he could use someone to talk to."->Piano]] [["I for one fancy a drink."->Barmaid]] [["On second thought, maybe I made a wrong turn."->Town]](if: $Quest1 is 5)["Thanks again for all your help, pardner," the old-timer says, smiling up at you. He looks relieved. "You ever need a ditty, old Ted'd be happy to oblige you." [["Any time."->Bar2]] [["Oh, I'll be sure to ask you to play your *one* song."->Bar2]]](if: $visit is 2)["Hey there," says Ted, looking notably more cheerful. "Any luck?" (if: $Quest1 is 2)[[["I chatted with Gregovich. He told me to head to some place called the 'Junk Heap'. Familiar?"->PianoQuestHeap]]](if: $Quest1 is 3 or $cylinder is 1)[[["You're about to be a very happy old man."->PianoQuestFinish]]] [["Still looking. Sorry."->PianoQuest]]](if: $visit is 1)[The old-timer looks just as distraught as he had earlier. The piano does not play. (if: $pianointerest is 1)[[["Mind if I take a look at that piano?"->PianoFix]]](else:)[[["You all right there, pal?"->Piano2]] [["Howdy, partner. Feel like putting on a tune?"->Piano2]] [["Say, old-timer — anybody by the name of Ed Green come through town?"->Piano2]] (link: `"You know, you look a little like my pa."`)[(set: $dad to 1)(go-to: "Piano2")] [["Hold that thought, I'm going to need to be more drunk before I talk to you."->Bar2]]] ](if: $visit is 0)[(set: $visit to 1)This player piano has seen better days. The fine oak is riddled with at least a dozen bullet holes, and several of the keys are missing. Whether that actually matters in a player piano is difficult for you to gauge. What's certain is that the old man looking at the piano sure looks distraught. He's wearing a faded, wrinkled tux, and his considerable beard almost seems to droop as you look at him. [["You all right there, bud?"->Piano2]] [["Howdy, partner. Feel like putting on a tune?"->Piano2]] [["Say, old-timer — anybody by the name of Ed Green come through town?"->Piano2]] (link: `"You know, you look a little like my pa."`)[(set: $dad to 1)(go-to: "Piano2")] [["Hold that thought, I'm going to need to be more drunk before I talk to you."->Bar2]]] (if: $BarVisit is 2)["Guess I was wrong about you after all. You're all right here any time - unless you start making trouble." [["Thank you, ma'am."->Bar2]] [["I do what I like."->Bar2]]](if: $Quest1 is 5 and $BarVisit is not 2)[The woman nods to you as you approach. A small half-smile is on her lips. "So if the music's to be believed, you really *did* help Ted. I think if I had to pick 'tween that happening or the earth cracking wide and swallowin' up the whole town, I woulda said the latter was more likely." She shakes her head, but her smile widens. "Never seen that man so happy." "You probably want your information on that man of yours. I ain't got much, but I do have this. She hands you a crinkled letter. It's stained here and there with booze. (set: $BarVisit to 2)(set: $MainQuestNote to 1) (link: `"Let me just open this up..."`)["Maria, My love for ______ could ______. Please, if you ___ ___, find ____ way to tell me. _____ _____ arrives, send ______ to ___ hideout. It's beneath ___ __________ car __ ___ Junk ____. ______ need a key if you ____ to get in, which can be found hidden beneath the pulpit in the church. Be careful. The ____ after me. -Ed" It looks like there's something for you to pick up in the church. [["Thank you, ma'am. You've been a big help."->Bar2]] [["Better'n nothing. Bye, lady."->Bar2]]]](if: $BarVisit is 1)[(either: "The woman behind the counter watches you with eyes like black needles.", "The barmaid polishes a glass with a damp rag. Her eyes do not leave you.", '"Yeah?" the barmaid grunts, squinting at you.', '"There something you want?"') (if: $BarBackstory is not 1)[[["Any reason you're looking at me like I just killed your dog?"->Barmaid2]] ][["I'll take a whiskey. Sour."->Drink]](if: $Looking is not 1)[ [["I'm looking for somebody, if you'd be so willing to help."->Green]]](if: $sad is 1)[ [["What's with the old fella, in the corner? Looks like he and his piano have both seen better days."->Player]]](if: $Quest1 is 1)[ [["Hey, I agreed to help the man in the corner. Will you tell me where Green went, now?"->Quest1Maid2]]] [["Never mind."->Bar2]]](if: $BarVisit is 0)[(set: $BarVisit to 1)The woman behind the counter looks about sixty. Her grey hair is drawn back in a ponytail. She stands with her palms flat against the counter, staring at you as you approach. She does not speak as you stop before her. [["What's with the dirty look?"->Barmaid2]] [["Howdy. I'll take a whiskey. Sour."->Drink]] [["Evenin', ma'am. I'm looking for somebody, if you'd be so willing to help."->Green]](if: $sad is 1)[ [["Hey, what's with the old fella, in the corner? Looks like he and his piano have both seen better days."->Player]]] [["Uh... never mind."->Bar2]]]Without glancing up, the old man sighs. It's all he does. If you couldn't see the slight movements of his thin frame, it'd be difficult to tell if he were alive. (set: $sad to 1) [["Pal?"->Piano3]](if: $dad is 1)[ [["Pa?"->Piano3]]] [["Screw it. You're no help."->Bar2]](if: $lastPassage is "Town")[<script> A.t['creak'].play(); A.t['creak'].volume(.6); </script>](if: $Maidenrage is not 2)[You stand in The Frayed Noose. (if: $Quest1 is not 5)[In the far corner an old man sits in front of a silent player piano.](if: $Quest1 is 5)[The old man is still at his piano, clapping along as the machine chirps out a jaunty tune.] To your left a barmaid stands behind a wide, stained counter. (set: $choice to "BarInt")<script> A.t['windloop'].fade(1.0,0.0,4000) A.t['windloop'].stop(); </script>(if: (A.t['barambient'].playing()) is not true)[<script> A.t['barambient'].fade(0,1,3000); A.t['barambient'].loop(true).play(); A.t['barambient'].volume(1); </script>](if: $Quest1 is 5)[(if: (A.t['piano'].playing()) is not true)[<script> A.t['piano'].fade(0,1,3000); A.t['piano'].loop(true).play(); A.t['piano'].volume(.1); </script>]] [["Think I'll chat up the barmaid."->Barmaid]] [["Maybe I'll check in on the old man."->Piano]] [["I'm outta here."->Town]]](if: $Maidenrage is 2)[Hardly have you passed through the saloon doors before multiple pairs of rough hands grab you by the arms. "I told you to stay the hell out!" you hear the barmaid shout. In another instant you are ejected into the street, landing hard on your ass. Looks like they're still mad about you shooting up the place. [["Dammit. I was sure that would work."->Town]]]There's no response from the old man. [["Never mind, I guess."->Bar2]](if: $backstory is 1)[(color: #8B0000)[**`[Prospector]`**] "You reek of desperation," the woman says, frowning. "You seem the type that's found your way to the edge of squalor, and there ain't much beyond squalor save starvation. And since you know the dangers of failure, you tend to take more risks if your hide's on the line. Risks that can have collateral damage."](if: $backstory is 2)[(color: #8B0000)[**`[Bandit]`**] She laughs without humor. "What, you have to ask? Friend, I saw your sorry mug plastered across more wanted posters than I could count over the last dozen years. Either you've got an evil twin or I should'a had you shot when you came in the door."](if: $backstory is 3)[(color: #8B0000)[**`[Soldier]`**] "They say there's nobody more trustworthy than a fella in uniform." The woman scratches her chin. "I say the opposite. Soldiers use their uniforms like spiders use dark spots 'neath rocks." "Before you start, yes, I know you're not wearing the stars and bars anymore. But just 'cause you ain't don't mean you've sworn off the life of war. Soldiers and ex-soldiers only ever bring trouble."](if: $backstory is 4)[(color: #8B0000)[**`[Drifter]`**] The barmaid rolls her eyes. "Christ, I dunno. It must be because you're *so mysterious*. What could lurk within the shrouded halls of your dark past?" She snaps her fingers. "Say, I have a guess. Somebody caught you buggering a cow, and you had to go on the run. You 'wandering' types are always compensating for something."] [["You don't know me."]]"Would you, now?" She leans back, visibly amused. "And, pray tell — how would you be intendin' to pay for such a drink?" (if: $Gold is > 49)[(set: $response to 5)[["With... money? How do you pay for *your* drinks?"->Drink2]]](if: $Gold is < 50)[As it so happens, you only thought to bring your revolver and (print: $bullets) (if: $bullets is >1)[bullets](if: $bullets is 1)[bullet](if: $bullets is 0)[bullets]. How did she guess? (link: `"I... er... don't suppose I can pay you back later?"`)[(set: $response to 1)(go-to: "Drink2")] (link: `"Well, I *do* have a gun..."`)[(set: $response to 2)(go-to: "Drink2")] (link: `"How much is a winning personality worth?"`)[(set: $response to 3)(go-to: "Drink2")] (link: `"That's funny, I must have left my wallet in my other... horse."`)[(set: $response to 4)(go-to: "Drink2")]]To your surprise, the barmaid's expression softens. Her eyes flick to the player piano and its attendant. "Ted's piano is older than sin, but it's never gone out on him. Couple of nights ago the thing clammed up. Couldn't say why." (link: `"'Couldn't say why?' Lady, I've never *seen* so many bullet holes in one object."`)[(set: $Pianoresponse to 1)(go-to: "Player2")] (link: `"I see. Maybe I can take a look at it."`)[(set: $Pianoresponse to 2)(go-to: "Player2")](if: $dad is 1)[ [["You know, Ted looks a little like my dad."->Dad?]]] [["Tough break. Hope the guy gets the thing fixed."->Bar2]](if: $response is 1)["You think I was born yesterday?" The woman curls her lip at you. ](else-if: $response is 2)["That has to be the most half-assed hold-up attempt I have ever heard in my entire life. But you're more than welcome to try something." The woman's eyes narrow. ](else-if: $response is 3)["It'd be worth quite a bit in a place like this. Too bad nobody here has one." She glares pointedly at you. ](else-if: $response is 4)["I'll bet." ](else-if: $response is 5)[She blinks at you. After a few moments of caustic silence, she produces a bottle of something murky and brown. "This is all we have." [["I'll take it."->Drink3]] [["Never mind."->Barmaid]]] (if: $response is not 5)[(if: $sad is 1)[[["Changing the subject. What's with the old fella in the corner? He looks like his best friend just died."->Player]] ][["Fine, fine. Point taken."->Barmaid]]]"Yeah? Got any specifics?" The woman's expression is hard, but she still seems to entertain your question. (set: $Looking to 1) [["Sure. He's about a foot taller than me. Irish. Has this big curly mustache. Goes by the name 'Ed Green,' or maybe just "Green" depending on who he's talking to. You seen him?"->Green2]] [["Might. Fat, short guy with pale skin. Has this big curly mustache. Name's Ed Green. You seen him?"->Green2]] [["Just his name. Ed Green. You run into anyone going by such a moniker?"->Green2]]"You're looking for the out-of-towner," the woman says simply, nodding. "Ain't hard to guess that. Trouble was written on that fella's back in bright red paint. Or maybe it was blood." She smiles mirthlessly. (link: `"Great. Where is he?"`)["I ain't saying." (link: `"What? Why the hell not?"`)["Because I can see the same trouble written all over you. If you want my information, prove that you're good for something other than bloodshed. Then maybe we'll talk." [["I think you're part donkey, lady, but I'll see what I can do."->Bar2]] [["Whatever."->Bar2]]]]She gives a thin-lipped smile. "I'm sure I don't." (set: $BarBackstory to 1) [["Anyway..."->Barmaid]](if: $Pianoresponse is 1)["If you think the piano looks bad, you should have seen the rest of the place that last New Year's Eve. The undertaker had one hell of a field day." She shakes her head, as if willing the memory to disperse. "No, them bullets ain't new. I think there's another issue, though I doubt you'll be able to figure it out. Your type never is much good with problems that can't be shot."](else-if: $Pianoresponse is 2)[The barmaid doesn't seem impressed by your offer. "You're welcome to try, but better folks than you have promised much less and still failed."] (set: $pianointerest to 1)(set: $sad to 0) [["I'll prove you wrong, lady. You watch."->Barmaid]] [["Enough with the browbeating. I get the picture."->Barmaid]] [["I guess we'll just have to see."->Barmaid]]The barmaid frowns at you. "Is he your dad?" (link: `"Yes."`)[(go-to: "Dad?2")] <!-- Added functionality for variables here, but not sure if it will ever come into play. --> (link: `"No."`) [(go-to:"Dad?2")] (link: `"I never knew my father."`)[(go-to: "Dad?2")]"Then why the hell are you telling me?" (link: `"I thought you'd... I mean... I guess I don't know."`)[The barmaid squints at you. (link: `"Right. Anyway, might be able to look at that piano."`)[(set: $Pianoresponse to 2)(go-to: "Player2")] [["Point taken. Forget I said anything about the piano."->Barmaid]]]He waves at you dismissively. (set: $pianointerest to 3) (link: `"Is that... a yes?"`)[He waves again, still without moving the rest of his body. A touch awkwardly, you lean past him to take the cover off the keys. As you do so, your face comes close to the wax cylinder that the piano reads its songs from. There's a massive bullet hole in the center of the cylinder. The wax has deformed and melted in the shell's wake, caking the player's innards. If you had to guess, this would be the machine's problem. [["Hey old-timer, I think I found your problem."->PianoFix2]]]"The cylinder's screwed." He looks down at his hands and sighs despondently into his beard. (link: `"Well, Christ, if you already knew why didn't you just tell me?"`)["Wasn't much point. Not another cylinder like it in the whole town." Ted hangs his head. (if: $cylinder is 1)[[["Are you sure? Because I kinda have one here."->PianoQuestFinish]] ][["So there's no way to get a replacement? Can't send for another?"->PianoFix3]] [["Thinkin' up a solution's better'n sitting here and moping. Got any ideas?"->PianoFix3]]]Ted sighs and runs a hand through his hair. "There's Gregovich, the general goods trader, but I..." he trails off. "We don't quite see eye-to-eye. He blames me for his wife leaving." He looks pointedly at the barmaid for just a moment too long. (set: $visit to 2) When he looks back his hangdog, depressed expression remains - but only for a moment. Then he jerks up in his seat. "But you - he might help you! Partner, if you could procure a replacement cylinder for my piano I'd be indebted to you. And, by extension, so would M- the woman at the bar." He clears his throat. (link: `"I'll do what I can. Got a song preference?"`)[(set: $PianoFix3 to 1)(go-to: "QuestGet1")] (link: `"No promises."`)[(set: $PianoFix3 to 2)(go-to: "QuestGet1")](set: $Quest1 to 1)(if: $PianoFix3 is 1)["A preference? Ha!" The man's laughter is surprisingly deep for his small frame. "I get the feeling we're not going to get much of a choice, considering the fact that there aren't any cylinders within the city limits. So I suppose it doesn't matter." ](if: $PianoFix3 is 2)[Ted nods. "I follow you. Don't worry." Despite your uncertain response, the piano man looks anything but displeased.] [["Why do you care so much about a player piano, anyway? It's just a machine, ain't it?"->PianoExplained]] [["All right. Guess I'll be seeing you."->Bar2]]"I like the music." He shrugs. (link: `"So it's not some... family heirloom?"`)["Nope." (link: `"Is it rare, as far as player pianos go?"`)["No, not particularly. (link: `"Can you even play the piano?"`)[The piano man gives you a sheepish grin. ]]] [["All right, then."->Bar2]]{<script> A.t['creak'].play(); A.t['creak'].volume(.6); </script>(if: $PriestDed is not 1)[<script> A.t['church'].playing(); A.t['church'].loop(true).play(); A.t['church'].volume(.4); A.t['church'].fade(0,1,2000); </script>]}(if: $Churchvisit is 5)[Father Gabriel still stands in the nave. As you approach, he turns to you. Though he does not smile, something like satisfaction radiates from him. <script> A.t['windloop'].fade(1.0,0.0,4000); A.t['windloop'].stop(); </script>(set: $choice to "PriestShot") **"Thank you, child. I fear my mind will not remain whole for long - but I deeply appreciate what you did for me. God smiles upon you."** (if: $MainQuestNote is 1 and $KeyGot is not 1)[[["Don't mind me, Father. Just got a note - going to check under the pulpit real quick."->PulpitSearch]] ][["Don't sweat it, Father. I'll see you later."->Town]] [["May have done it for you, but it wasn't *for* you..."->Town]]](if: $PriestDed is 1)[(go-to: "DemonHub")](if: $Churchvisit is 1)[The church is as vacant as it was when you first entered. The cold, silent interior is a far cry from the sweltering heat outside.<script> A.t['windloop'].fade(1.0,0.0,4000); A.t['windloop'].stop(); </script> (set: $choice to "EmptyChurch")(if: $MainQuestNote is 1)[ [["That note said there was something beneath the pulpit, right? I think I'll investigate."->PulpitSearch]]] [["Father Gabriel?"->GabrielMeeting2]] [["This is too spooky, I'm out of here."->Town]]](if: $Churchvisit is 0)[The church is empty, as far as you can tell. On either side of you stand hard wooden benches in neat rows. Overhead, the soft light of a dusty, steel chandelier flickers. <script> A.t['windloop'].fade(1.0,0.0,4000); A.t['windloop'].stop(); </script> Usually the church isn't this quiet. But it's been a long time. (set: $choice to "EmptyChurch")(if: $MainQuestNote is 1)[ [["That note said there was something beneath the pulpit, right? I think I'll investigate."->PulpitSearch]]] [["Father Gabriel?"->Priest]] [["This is too spooky, I'm out of here."->Town]]]**"Hang on! Hang on! I'm coming!"** (set: $choice to "PriestShot")(set: $Churchvisit to 1) The voice bursts like a stick of dynamite, echoing around the church's high walls. You fight the urge to cover your ears. Eventually a small, shriveled figure appears on the other end of the room. **"Approach me, child!"** You wince. That's Father Gabriel's voice, all right, though it seems that the years haven't been kind to his hearing. [["Howdy, Father."->Priest2]] [["Jesus Christ. Could you be any louder?"->Priest2]] Father Gabriel is a good deal shorter than you remember. His robes bunch around his legs, and his back is severely sloped. He looks up at you with glasses so thick they look more like binoculars, and in his right hand he holds a brass ear trumpet. **"Who the hell are you?"** he shouts. As you open your mouth to respond, he waves you off. **"Never mind, I know you. You're that heretic."** [["Heretic? What are you talking about?"->Heretic]] [["I don't have time for this, old man. I'm looking for somebody, goes by the name of Green. Have you seen him?"->Heretic]] [["Oh, hell. You're insane, aren't you."->Heretic]]Father Gabriel either doesn't hear you or doesn't care enough to listen. **"Far as I see it, you're all sinners! But I know you."** He wags a crooked finger in your general direction. (if: $backstory is 1)[(color: #8B0000)[**`[Prospector?]`**] **"You live to kill, whether or not you'll admit it to yourself. That was why you joined up with the military, and just because you realized your mistake doesn't change why you tried to join. Hell, it's probably why you're here now."** [["Actually, I didn't join the army. I went looking for gold in California. I think you're confused."->Confusion]]](if: $backstory is 2)[(color: #8B0000)[**`[Bandit?]`**] **"You thought you could run from God by fleeing across the countryside, drifting through towns like a wayward leaf. Solitude won't protect you from God's shrewd eye — if anything, it just makes you an easier target! You have lost the path in your wandering! Repent!"** [["You kiddin'? I was the meanest sumbitch this side of the Mississippi, not some half-assed drifter."->Confusion]]](if: $backstory is 3)[(color: #8B0000)[**`[Soldier?]`**] **"Your greed will be the end of you if the bullet isn't first! You couldn't find your riches out west, and you won't here! Repent!"** [["What are you *talking* about, old man? I joined the army when I left home."->Confusion]]](if: $backstory is 4)[(color: #8B0000)[**`[Drifter?]`**] **"Were it up to me, people like you would all be strung up! You're lucky God can forgive any sin - for the crimes you wrought upon your fellow countrymen stand on their own like black marks on your skin! Seek penance, sinner!"** [["I think you're mistaken, Father. I'm no criminal. Wandering ain't a crime."->Confusion]]] **"What... are you... sure? Really?"** The old man squints at you, shaken. **"No... no, that shouldn't be...right..."** He looks away, trailing off. (link: `"Look, Father: I just want information on Ed Green. Just tell me what you know about him and I'll be on my way."`)[**"What did you say? Green? There's nothing green in Slate City except perhaps tombstone moss, and even that isn't green so much as it is a kind of off-blue."** He scratches his hairless chin. **"Thought I knew somebody named Green, once. But my mind isn't... isn't what it used to be."** The aged priest seems to be telling the truth, but he's clearly confused. Maybe there's something you can do to get his mind back on track, or maybe you could try talking to him again later to see if anything changes. [["I'll see you later, old timer."->Leaving]]]The old man grumbles something and disappears into a back room. (set: $choice to "EmptyChurch") [["Guess I'll see what I can do for him."->Town]] [["Glad he's gone. Priests make me uncomfortable."->Town]]**"What? What is it?"** Gabriel steps out of the back room. As he sees you, his eyebrows knit together. **"Oh, it's just you, Gregovich. I hope business is well!"** (set: $choice to "PriestShot") (link: `"What? No, you don't understand. It's-"`)[**"No, you lousy git. I wasn't serious. And before you ask, yes, I'm still furious with you. Why you thought you could just come back here after what you forced me to do..."** He shakes his head, his tremendous glasses giving him the appearance of a particularly irritable owl. **"You should be ashamed of yourself."** [["I'm not Gregovich!"->GabrielMeeting3]](if: $Quest2 is 3)[ [["I think I've got something for you, Father."->GabrielBook]]] [["You're nuts."->GabrielMeeting3]] [["Believe me, I always am."->GabrielMeeting3]]]<script> A.t['windloop'].fade(1.0,0.0,4000); A.t['windloop'].stop(); </script>A rusty bell tinkles above the front door as you enter. (set: $shopvisit to 1)(set: $choice to "StoreShot") "Welcome!" a husky voice calls, billowing from the back of the room like a gust of hot air. {<script> A.t['creak'].play(); A.t['creak'].volume(.6); </script>(live: 1s)[<script> A.t['bell'].loop(false).play(); A.t['bell'].volume(.8); </script>(stop:)]<script> A.t['store'].playing(); A.t['store'].loop(true).play(); A.t['store'].volume(1); A.t['store'].fade(0,1,2000); </script> } Rickety wooden shelves fill the store. About half are empty and filled with dust; the rest contain an assortment of goods that could charitably be described as 'meager'. You can see ancient tinned meats, bags of oats, a few lengths of rope, some twine, a single horseshoe. (if: $backstory is 3)[On one sawdust-sprinkled shelf you spy what looks to be a cavalry officer's sword. While the hilt is genuine the blade has been replaced with a piece of carved plywood.] Through what few gaps there are in the clumsily arranged shelves you can see snatches of the back counter and part of the storeowner's considerable frame. A dusty rack of yellowed dime novels stands off to your left. [["Guess I'll go talk to the storekeep..."->Gregovich2]] [["I fancy some reading."->Paperbacks]] [["On second thought, my pocketbook's feeling a little light. I'll come back some other time."->Town]]You approach the rack of paperbacks and pick up a book. //"(either: "The ", "")(either: "Curse", "Dream", "Monster", "Gunfighter", "Murder", "Cowpoke", "Dream", "Death", "Hope", "First", "Finale", "Sheep", "Horse", "Mule", "Hero", "Life", "Dance", "End", "Sound", "Quest", "Heartache") (either: "and", "of") the (either: "Last", "Fighter's", "Farmer's", "Steamboat's", "First", "Soldier's", "Red", "Black", "Green", "Yellow", "Purple", "Blue", "Coldest", "Hopeless", "Wicked", "Undying", "Living", "Hottest", "Oldest", "Final", "Noble", "Horrid", "Terrible", "", "", "Clean", "Cowardly", "Strange", "Fearsome") (either: "Sailor", "Meadow", "Old Man", "Widow", "Husband", "Father", "Mother", "Snake Oil Salesman", "Gringo", "House", "Sheriff", "Vagabond", "Headsman", "Gunman", "Executioner", "Hell", "Soldier", "Hangman", "Knight")"// You place the book back on the shelf. (if: $JunkVisit is 2)[ Though you didn't notice it before, there appears to be a children's book on the bottom-most rack. You thumb through it. It's about a horse that desperately wants to walk on two legs like a man. Throughout the story the other horses mock it. Eventually, the horse learns that it cannot walk like a man and accepts its lot in life. Not the most optimistic of stories but calming in a way. Maybe the kid in the Junk Heap'll like it. (set: $JunkVisit to 3)] [["How 'bout another?"->Paperbacks]] (if: $Gregovichdead is not 1)[[["Think I've had enough of this. Time to see the shopkeep."->Gregovich2]] ][["On second thought, I think it's time to leave."->Town]](if: $shopvisit is 2)["You are here still, I see." Gregovich drums his fingers on the counter. "Come on, now. What are you buy?" (if: $DemonQuest is not 1)[(set: $choice to "GregovichShot")](else:)[(set: $choice to "GregovichAltShot")] [["Greg? Don't you recognize me?"->Gregovich3]] [["What are I buy?"->Gregovich2.5]](if: $Quest1 is 1)[ [["I'm looking for a wax cylinder. The type you might find for a player piano?"->GregovichQuest1]]](if: $Quest2 is 1)[ [["I talked to Father Gabriel and he said you had something of his. I'm interested in getting it back."->GregovichQuest2]]](if: $Quest2 is 2)[ [["Mind if I take another look at the priest's book?"->Priest'sBook]]](if: $DemonQuest is 1 and $matches is not 1)[ [["I need matches."->GregovichBurn]]] [["I'm looking for somebody named Green. You familiar?"->GregovichGreen]] [["Er... Nothing, I guess."->Kicked]]](if: $shopvisit is 1)[A silver nametag emblazoned with crude writing identifies the shopkeep as none other than Gregovich himself. He grins at you as you approach the counter; there are gaps in his teeth. He was big as a boy and he's big now, perhaps a head taller and twice as wide as you are. (if: $DemonQuest is not 1)[(set: $choice to "GregovichShot")](else:)[(set: $choice to "GregovichAltShot")] "Welcome! What are you buy?" (set: $shopvisit to 2) [["Greg? Don't you recognize me?"->Gregovich3]] [["What are I buy?"->Gregovich2.5]](if: $Quest1 is 1)[ [["I'm looking for a wax cylinder. The type you might find for a player piano."->GregovichQuest1]]](if: $Quest2 is 1)[ [["I talked to Father Gabriel and he said you had something of his. I'm interested in getting it back."->GregovichQuest2]]](if: $Quest2 is 2)[[["Mind if I take another look at the priest's book?"->Priest'sBook]]](if: $DemonQuest is 1 and $matches is not 1)[ [["I need matches."->GregovichBurn]]] [["I'm looking for somebody named Green. You familiar?"->GregovichGreen]] [["Er... Nothing, I guess."->Kicked]]]{<script> A.t['bell'].loop(false).play(); </script> <script> A.t['windloop'].fade(1.0,0.0,4000); A.t['windloop'].stop(); </script><script> A.t['store'].playing(); A.t['store'].loop(true).play(); A.t['store'].volume(1); A.t['store'].fade(0,1,2000); </script>}(if: $Gregovichdead is 1)[The store is vacant. No one has been here since you shot Gregovich. (set: $choice to "emptyshot") [["I guess that makes sense."->Town]] [["Doubt many people came here even before I shot him."->Town]] [["Murder don't need to keep a fella from reading. I want to look at that book rack."->Paperbacks]] (if: $matches is not 1)[[["Think I'll poke around a little, see if I can't find anything here."->AltShot2]]]](if: $Gregovichdead is not 1)[The store is just as dusty and just as desolate as it was earlier. The rack of dime novels hasn't moved, and neither has (if: $shopvisit is < 2)[the shopkeep.](else:)[Gregovich.] (set: $choice to "StoreShot") "Hello!" he calls from the back. "Come in from rain!" It isn't raining, and you were already inside. (if: $shopvisit is < 2)[[["Guess I'll chat up the shopkeep."->Gregovich2]]](else:)[[["I'll make some chit-chat with Gregovich... if I have to..."->Gregovich2]]] [["Think I'll take a look at those books."->Paperbacks]] [["Maybe I don't want to buy anything after all."->Town]]]Gregovich frowns at you. His eyes are glassy. (link: `"We used to play together? As kids?"`)[He scratches his arm. (link: `"You hit me with a rock on my seventh birthday? Doc Mitchell had to sow my scalp back onto my head?"`)[His wide lips break into a wide grin. "Da! Yes! This I remember. These were good times, yes? You cry for six hours!" (link: `"Actually, I was unconscious..."`)["Six hour! What baby!" He gives a deep baritone laugh. "Anyhow, what you want? You are buy, da?" (if: $Quest1 is 1)[ [["I'm looking for a wax cylinder. The type you might find for a player piano."->GregovichQuest1]]](if: $Quest2 is 1)[ [["I talked to Father Gabriel and he said you had something of his. I'm interested in getting it back."->GregovichQuest2]]](if: $Quest2 is 2)[[["Mind if I take another look at the priest's book?"->Priest'sBook]]] [["I'm looking for somebody named Green. You familiar?"->GregovichGreen]] [["Well... no. I just wanted to say howdy."->Kicked]]]]]"Da, yes! Buy! Always buy!" Gregovich's wide head bobs vigorously on his thick neck. In your recollection, Gregovich's father spoke English pretty well. You have no idea why Gregovich, who was born in Slate City, has such a pronounced accent. Perhaps it has something to do with all the blows to the head he suffered as a child. If memory serves you right, you administered a few dozen of those. [["Greg? Don't you recognize me?"->Gregovich3]](if: $Quest1 is 1)[ [["I'm looking for a wax cylinder. The type you might find for a player piano."->GregovichQuest1]]](if: $Quest2 is 1)[ [["I talked to Father Gabriel and he said you had something of his. I'm interested in getting it back."->GregovichQuest2]]](if: $Quest2 is 2)[[["Mind if I take another look at the priest's book?"->Priest'sBook]]](if: $DemonQuest is 1 and $matches is not 1)[ [["I need matches."->GregovichBurn]]] [["I'm looking for somebody named Green. You familiar?"->GregovichGreen]] [["Uh, right. Yeah. I was... just browsing?"->Kicked]](if: $bought is 1)["Yes. Thank you. Come back someday." Gregovich waves dismissively. [["We'll see."->Town]] [["Yeah, yeah, you bastard..."->Town]]](if: $bought is not 1)[Gregovich's considerable eyebrows knit into a single line across his forehead. He bares his teeth. "No buy! Get out!" He looks like he's about to hop over the counter and punch you. [["Fine, fine. I was just leaving anyway."->Town]] [["This store's a pigsty anyhow."->Town]]]"Wax... cylinder?" He frowns. "Wax like candle? Why do you need this?" (link: `"It's for a friend's piano. He's from another town, though, not this one. In fact, it's in Canada."`)[Gregovich nods. "I see. Piano cylinder I once had, but do not now. Idiot Ted wanted it for his idiot piano. I throw it out. Send to Jump Heap." He looks up. "You could check Jump Heap. Is big garbage dump, twenty mile south of town. I get many merchandise there." (set: $Quest1 to 2) (link: `"Excellent. Thanks, Greg."`)[Gregovich squints at you. "So... you buy?" (if: $Quest2 is 1)[[["Maybe. I talked to Father Gabriel and he said you had something of his. I'm interested in getting it back."->GregovichQuest2]] ](if: $Quest2 is 2)[[["Might be. Can I take another look at the priest's book?"->Priest'sBook]] ](if: $DemonQuest is 1 and $matches is not 1)[[["I need matches."->GregovichBurn]] ][["Uh, I guess not."->Kicked]] ]]"Ah, that's all right. Just let me know if you find it." [["Sure, pardner."->Bar2]]After several hours of (if: $buckshot is >0)[walking](if: $buckshot is 0)[riding], you finally reach what must be the edge of the Junk Heap. It's easily identifiable by the wide chicken-wire fence, the incredible odor, and the gigantic piles of refuse standing so high above you they cast cool shadows against the sun-parched dirt. Some few feet ahead you can see a gap in the chicken wire. A wooden shack, a little smaller than a house, stands next to the gap. (set: $choice to "HeapOutsideShot") When you were younger you never really visited this place. (if: $buckshot is >0)[The trip would have been a lot faster on horseback.](else:)[You dismount (if: $backstory is 1)[Buck](if: $backstory is 2)[Robin](if: $backstory is 3)[Cortez](if: $backstory is 4)[Lupe] and tie (if: $backstory is 1 or $backstory is 3)[him](if: $backstory is 2 or $backstory is 4)[her] to a post.] [["Time to do some junk pickin'."->Junk2]] [["Oh, I think I forgot my hat. Back to town it is!"->Travel]](if: $Maidenrage is 1)[You raise your gun to fire, but before you can take aim a woman darts out of her seat at a nearby poker table and grabs your arm. The pistol goes off in your hand, firing into the ceiling. (set: $choice to "Outside") "Some people just never learn." The barmaid snaps her fingers. In a lightning instant four burly patrons encircle you. <script> A.t['barambient'].stop(); </script> Before you can aim your weapon or fight back or even really figure out what's happening they grab your limbs and hurl you out into the street. You land on your face. Doesn't look like you'll be heading back into the bar for a long damn time. (set: $Maidenrage to 2) [["Damn, that smarts..."->Drunk]]](if: $Maidenrage is 0)[(set: $choice to "BarInt")Your bullet sails from your gun, narrowly missing the barmaid and shattering (either: "a bottle of vodka on the shelf", "a bottle of Beam on the shelf", "a bottle of moonshine on the shelf", "a bottle of rum on the shelf", "a whiskey bottle on the shelf", "the mirror") behind her.<script> A.t['barambient'].stop(); </script> (set: $Maidenrage to 1) There's a flurry of movement from every corner of the bar. In the next instant you count at least sixteen guns, all of different shapes, sizes, and makes training on the fleshy parts of your body. You swallow. "Listen real careful, pardner," the barmaid says, her voice deadly soft. "You're gonna behave yourself in my bar from this moment forward, and that ain't a request. Only reason you ain't out on your ass already is because you look like you're real goddamn stupid. You feel like wisin' up?" (if: $DemonQuest is 1)[ Looks like a frontal assault isn't going to work. You might need to ask the demon for advice. ][ (link: `"Yes, ma'am."`)[The barmaid narrows her eyes at you. "Good." The guns trained on you gradually lower, though most remain on tables or in their owners' hands. (replace: `"Whatever, lady."`)[](replace: `"Honestly, ma'am, I'd rather stay stupid."`)[] [["Now that that's done..."->Bar2]]]]<response1|[ (link: `"Whatever, lady."`)["You really know how to test a gal's patience, don't you," the barmaid hisses. "You've been warned." (replace: `"Honestly, ma'am, I'd rather stay stupid."`)[](replace: ?response1)[] [["Anyways..."->Bar2]]]]<response2| (link: `"Honestly, ma'am, I'd rather stay stupid."`)["Honestly, pal, I'd rather you get the hell out of my bar." The barmaid snaps her fingers. In a lightning instant four burly patrons surround you. Before you can draw your weapon or fight back or even fully figure out what's happening, they grab your limbs and hurl you out into the street. Doesn't look like you'll be heading back into the Noose for a long damn time. (set: $choice to "Outside")(set: $Maidenrage to 2)(set: $choice to "Outside")(replace: ?response1)[{}](replace: ?response2)[{}] [["Damn, that smarts..."->Drunk]]]](if: $Quest1 is not 5)[As you turn away from the bar someone takes hold of your sleeve. You whip around. (set: $choice to "DrunkShot")(set: $DrunkLife to 1) An old man stands before you. He's unsteady on his feet and reeks strongly of booze. A wide, stained beard swings from his chin. His clothes are ragged; you can see an array of bottles on his belt in small leather holsters that look as if they were made by an extreme amateur. "Hey..." he mutters, "hey. You're lookin' for that guy. That Green guy. I seen 'im." (link: `"How the hell did you know that?"`)[He taps his cheekbone. "Nobody pays much attention to ush drunksh. You can learn all shortsha informashun from folksh who ain't sheen ya." [["Uh... all right, then. Tell me what you know about Green."->DrunkCont]]]](if: $Quest1 is 5)[(go-to: "Town")]The silent stone walls amplify your gunshot a thousand times. The noise, like a multiple-kiloton explosion, doesn't dissipate for several seconds. The silence returns for a few brief moments. Then someone calls from the back of the church: **"What's that? Is someone there? You're going to have to speak up! My hearing isn't what it used to be!"** [["Uh... Father Gabriel?"->Priest]] [["Don't know if I should be impressed or worried."->Priest]](replace: ?BigKill)[]It's not unlike shooting a wooden cutout of a priest, for all the fight he puts up. Gabriel crumples like a sheaf of ancient paper and collapses into a huddled mass of cloth. (set: $PriestDed to 1)<script> A.t['church'].fade(1,0,2000); </script>(live: 2s)[<script> A.t['church'].stop(); </script>(stop:)] It's likely that this won't have great implications for your immortal soul, especially as the weak candlelight within the room begins to flicker and die. As the darkness swallows the room you find, to your sudden, abject horror, that you are paralyzed. (set: $conversation to 1) [["Uh oh."->Satan!]]As you approach the gap in the chicken wire, a squeaky voice calls out: "Where do you think *you're* going?" (set: $choice to "A Fucking Cougar") It seems to be coming from within the wooden shack. As you peer at it you notice a wide, glassless window cut out of the side, much like a serving counter. (link: `"Hello?"`)[A pair of small black eyes fix you from over the lip of the window. "You can't get in for free." You lean forward and stand on the tips of your toes. At this angle you're able to discern that the person behind the counter is an older, albeit mangy, child. Her narrow eyes continue to watch you unflinchingly. [(link: `"You're going to charge me to get into a literal dump?"`)["Yes." The eyes do not blink. ] ]<Angry|(link: `"Jesus Christ... all right. What's the price?"`)[(replace: ?Angry)[]"Tell me a story." [["What?"->JunkChild]]]] (if: $CougarDefeated is 1)[The Junk Child's shack is vacant; she's nowhere to be found. [["Works for me."->JunkHeapMain]]](if: (history:) contains "JunkStory 2" and $CougarDefeated is not 1)[The Junk Child still slumbers peacefully in her wooden hut. You move quietly as not to wake her. [["I'll keep it down."->JunkHeapMain]] [["Sweet dreams, kid."->JunkHeapMain]]](if: not ((history:) contains "JunkStory 2"))[(if: $JunkVisit is 2 or $JunkVisit is 3)[The Junk Child is still at her post. She stares at you with small, unblinking eyes. "(if: $behave is 1)[You better behave yourself this time. ]If you still want to get in, I still want a story." (set: $choice to "A Fucking Cougar") [["I'll give it a try."->JunkStory1]] [["You run this place by yourself, kid?"->JunkExposition]] [["Shut up, kid. You bug me."->Kid'sPissed]] [["I'm not much good at improv. Why don't I come back later?"->JunkGoodbye]]] (if: $JunkVisit is 0)["Tell me a story! Tell me a story! or I won't... let you in!" the Junk Child sings. The words don't seem to match the expression radiated by her eyes, which is shrewd and uncompromising. (set: $choice to "A Fucking Cougar")(set: $JunkVisit to 2) [["I mean, may as well give it a try."->JunkStory1]] [["You run this place by yourself, kid?"->JunkExposition]] [["Shut up, kid. You bug me."->Kid'sPissed]] [["I'm not much good at improv. Why don't I come back later?"->JunkGoodbye]]]] **"Get the hell out."** He points a craggy finger at the door. **"Don't come back unless you're returning what you took from me."** (if: $Quest2 is <1)[(set: $Quest2 to 1)] [["All right, all right, I'm going."->Town]]"You better be nice," the Junk Child says, her voice suddenly soft. "Else I'm gonna have to let my friend out and she ain't as nice to strangers as I am." [["Ominous. Maybe I will try that story thing out instead."->JunkChild]] [["Well gee, kid, I'm so scared my spurs are spinning on their own! Are you going to let me the hell in or am I going to have to shoot you?"->A Fucking Cougar]] The Junk Child's eyes widen, and she goes silent. It seems like she's not even breathing as she waits for you to begin your story. (if: $backstory is 1)[(color: #8B0000)[**`[Prospector]`**] [["Well, there was this old story a few of my mining buddies would tell, back in the day. It's about this guy whose ship sinks as he's traveling to England. Instead of dying, though, he finds the lost city of Atlantis, and rooms upon rooms of treasure. But as he continues to explore it..."->JunkStory 2]] ](if: $JunkVisit is 3)[[["There was once a horse named Gregor. Gregor lived on a ranch and would always watch as the people came by to visit his brothers and sisters. Eventually he realized that the people walked on two legs and began to wonder if he could..."->JunkStory 2]] ][["Uh, let me think. There was this... lady... and she's really mean all the time... but eventually she... stops. Let me in?"->StoryFail]] [["Once upon a time there was a little girl who wouldn't let an angry cowpoke into a stupid junk heap. The cowpoke shot her."->Kid'sPissed]] [["I've got a story. It's by Swiss & Wesson and goes something like this: 'Bang.' You wanna let me in before I have my friend here tell it to you?"->Kid'sPissed]] [["I've got stage fright. I'll come back later."->Travel]]"Buh-bye! Come back soon!" shouts the Junk Child. Could be that you'd find a story if you took another look around town. [["What a weird day this is turning out to be."->Travel]]"Sure. My mama killed my pa and then went out west to mine gold. Ne'er heard from her again." (if: $backstory is 1)[It's hardly a unique story. You ran into more than your share of folks who risked everything for that one big score. Most never found it. ] (link: `"Sorry to hear that."`)["It's ok. Only real shame is that I don't get to hear many stories." [["I see."->JunkChild]]]The Junk Child vanishes behind the counter in a lightning instant. You try to peer over the side to see where she's gone, but another sound grabs your attention. (set: $choice to "CougarShot")(set: $behave to 1) It's the nearby clanking of a large metal chain being pulled through some sort of mechanism. As you listen, something catches your eye: A cage, open at the bottom, is being lifted into the air. It's no more than a couple hundred yards away from your current position. You hear a low growl coming from behind you that is quickly growing closer. You turn. Is that... a mountain lion? [["Oh my god."->A Fucking Cougar!]] (if: $backstory is 3)[(color: #8B0000)[**`[Soldier]`**] [["And here I was thinking I'd never have a use for cougar defense training. Come here, you beast!"->SoldierCase]]]The feline looks lean and mean and only has eyes for you. Her teeth are bared. The growl becomes a throaty roar. You better decide on a course of action real fast, pardner, because that cat isn't going to wait to chew you to pieces. [["Uh... nice kitty?"->Run for it!]] (if: $backstory is 3)[(color: #8B0000)[**`[Soldier]`**] [["And here I was thinking I'd never have a use for cougar defense training. Come here, you bastard!"->SoldierCase]]]The cougar charges you. You run, the creature's breath hot on your tail. (if: $buckshot is 0)[$horse takes one look at the beast chasing you and breaks (if: $backstory is 1 or $backstory is 3)[his](if: $backstory is 2 or $backstory is 4)[her] reigns, tearing away toward Slate City. ]You have no choice but to hoof it. (set: $choice to "Outside") After a certain point the mountain lion gives up the chase, but your fear is so pronounced that you run all the way back to Slate City. [["I... hate... lions... so much..."->Town]]You take aim at the mountain lion's head and pull the trigger. (set: $choice to "EdgeCase")(set: $CougarDefeated to 1)(set: $JunkVisit to 5) For a moment it looks like the creature might dodge out of the way, but it's moments too slow. The bullet lodges itself in the unfortunate feline's neck, and the beast goes down snarling. After a few moments it goes still. [["Harsh but necessary. Sorry, kitty."->JunkHeapMain]] [["I hate cats."->JunkHeapMain]](display: "walkcode")(if: $intersection is 1)[You stand just within the entrance of the Junk Heap. Tremendous metal heaps groan all around you. From here you can either re-enter the Junk Heap or head back to town. [["In we go."->JunkHeapPath1]] [["I've dealt with enough goddamn trash today."->Travel]]] (if: $intersection is not 1)[As you pass into the Junk Heap the acrid reek of rusting metal and trash and rotten produce strikes you like a million fists. You reel. (set: $choice to "HeapInsideShot") Through watering eyes you can make out great mounds of steel stretching before you. It'll be difficult to find anything certain in a place as huge and as cluttered as this, but maybe you'll get lucky. [["Let's go."->JunkHeapPath1]]]"Yes. Many years back Gabriel have drinking problem. Never money for booze. Woman who run bar... Maria..." He trails off, his eyes suddenly faraway and filled with something dangerously close to emotion. Then he shakes his head, and the flicker of humanity leaves his eyes. "Woman who run bar no longer give him booze on credit. He pawn book off to Gregovich." (set: $Quest2 to 2) Gregovich stoops down behind the counter and pulls out a black leather-bound tome about as wide as your wrist. The pages are yellowed. [["What is it?"->GregovichQuest2cont]]"Green? Yes. I see." (link: `"You've seen him? Where is he?"`)["Da, yes, is over there." He points to a shelf of tin cans. (link: `"That's a shelf of tin cans."`)["You ask for green, yes? Green beans right over there." (link: `"Not green beans, you louse. A man. By the name of Ed Green. I'm asking if you've seen him."`)["Oh, man?" Gregovich scratches his neck. "Gregovich is man..." You sigh. "Anyway, you buy now?" (if: $Quest1 is 1)[ [["I'm looking for a wax cylinder. The type you might find for a player piano."->GregovichQuest1]] ](if: $Quest2 is 1)[[["I talked to Father Gabriel and he said you had something of his. I'm interested in getting it back."->GregovichQuest2]] ](if: $DemonQuest is 1 and $matches is not 1)[[["I need matches."->GregovichBurn]] ][["Well... no. I just wanted to say howdy."->Kicked]]]]](if: $DrunkLife is not 2)[The drunk sits against the bar. His head lolls up as you approach. (set: $choice to "DrunkShot") "Hooowdy, pardner. You get my Elixir?" (if: $bottle is 1)[ [["You're in luck, pal."->QuestAlt1 Complete]]](if: $boozehound is 1)[ [["I think I've got something better. This is some mighty fine booze..."->DrunkAlt]]] [["No, not yet."->DrunkHub2"]]](if: $DrunkLife is 2)[The corpse of the drunk lies in the blood-soaked dirt. His lifeless eyes stare judgmentally at you. [["Sorry about the murder, pardner."->Town]]]"Then I can't imagine we got much to dishcush." He uncorks a bottle and tips it back. A few drops of booze drip from the lip, landing around his mouth, soaking his beard. The drunk frowns. [["Guess I'll see you when I see you."->Town]] [["Take it easy, pal."->Town]]The priest's scrapbook sits on the counter. Gregovich stands directly above it, watching you like a tremendous hawk. (if: $backstory is 2)[(color: #8B0000)[**`[Bandit]`**] [[`(Lie)` "Hey Gregovich - I saw some damn kids mucking around behind your store. Looked like they were set to vandalize the place. You just gonna take that?"->Priest'sBookGet]] ](if: $Gold is > 49)[[["This enough money?"->Bookbought]] ][["Sorry. This is a little too steep for my blood."->Hint]]You finish your story at length. To your surprise, there is no response from the Junk Child. As you peer over you see that there is a tiny bedroll beneath the counter, and the girl has fallen asleep. Hopefully this means you can proceed. [["Sweet dreams, kid."->JunkHeapMain]]The Junk Child's eyes narrow. "That story was plumb awful. Try again." If you don't have any good stories, you should look around in town for a spell. You might be able to find one somewhere. [["Damn. Guess I'll try another tale."->JunkChild]] [["Let me in, you little bastard!"->Kid'sPissed]] [["Maybe I'll head back to town for the time being. See you around, kid."->Travel]]After hours of (if: $buckshot is 0)[riding](if: $buckshot is >0)[walking], you arrive back at the Junk Heap. (if: $buckshot is 0)[You dismount and tie (if: $backstory is 1)[Buck](if: $backstory is 2)[Robin](if: $backstory is 3)[Cortez](if: $backstory is 4)[Lupe] to a post.](if: $buckshot is >0)[Your legs ache, your feet hurt, and your back is soaked with sweat.] (set: $choice to "HeapOutsideShot") [["Guess I'll see what I can see."->JunkChild]]Gregovich watches disinterestedly while you draw your pistol. As you straighten your arm to aim it, he suddenly darts forward and belts you in the stomach with a tremendous, meaty fist. It's like being hit by a miniature freight train. Recoiling in pain, you stagger forward. Your arm drops and you reflexively clench your hand, shooting a small hole in the floor and narrowly missing your foot. As you wheeze, trying to catch your breath, you look up at Gregovich's face through watering eyes. He's smiling. "Gregovich was not born yesterday." [["Not as... dumb... as you look..."->Gregovich2]] [["Son... of a... bitch..."->Gregovich2]]You shoot a hole in the ceiling. (if: $shopvisit is 2)["Stop that!" Gregovich yells. He glares at you for nearly five seconds before becoming immensely interested in his hands, which he stares down at with a slack-jawed expression.](if: $shopvisit is 1)["Stop wasting bullet! No, wait. Stop shooting store!" the husky voice growls from the back.] [["That wasn't too useful. S'pose I can still do some talking, though."->Gregovich2]] [["Screw it, I'm outta here."->Town]]"What! Bastards!" Gregovich bares his teeth and vanishes into the back room. You reach forward to grab the priest's scrapbook. As your hand touches the edge of the cover you suddenly see Gregovich's silhouette in the back room. He holds a double-barreled shotgun in his gigantic hands. It's leveled. You freeze. Gregovich steps forward... (set: $choice to "emptystore") and stomps by you, grumbling about "damn kids." He steps out the front door without acknowledging you further. <script> A.t['get'].play(); </script> Releasing a pent-up sigh, you slip the book into your duster. With luck you'll be able to get this back to Father Gabriel without Gregovich realizing and blowing you in two. (color: "indigo")[**You get: a Frayed Scrapbook**.] (set: $Quest2 to 3) [["Time to skedaddle."->Town]](if: $DrunkLife is 2)[You shoot the drunkard's corpse. Blood sprays you like a fine mist. Nothing else happens. You sociopath. [["No one is safe. Not even you. Anyway, going to check his body now."->DrunkSearch]]](if: $DrunkLife is 1)[You take aim and fire at the drunk. (set: $DrunkLife to 2) The bullet strikes him in the chest. The man goes down in a burst of blood and mumbled profanities. You've gone and murdered your only lead. I'm sure that if the sheriff were alive he'd have a thing or two to say about this, but at the moment the repercussions purely stand with your quest for vengeance. Which, I might add, has stalled. [["If you're finished lecturing me, I'm going to go ahead and search his body."->DrunkSearch]] [["Hey, trigger fingers get itchy. You know how it is."->DrunkSearch]]](if: $DrunkLife is 0)[You take aim and fire at the drunk. (set: $DrunkLife to 1) The whiskey bottle in his hands explodes, leaving him holding only the severed neck. He glares at you. "You're lucky I need yer shorry ash." [["You're lucky I missed."->Town]]] (display: "walkcode")You stand within the Junk Heap. Mounds of scrap-metal tower above you. You can see a path snaking east and a path snaking west. [["Good adventurers go east."->JunkHeapPathEast1]] [["Good adventurers go west."->JunkHeapPathWest1]] [["Good adventurers go home."->Travel]](display: "walkcode")(if: $intersection is 1)[You return to the T-intersection surrounding the half-buried minecart. You can see one path that goes north, one path that goes south, and a different path that would lead you back toward the entrance of the Junk Heap.(if: $backstory is 4 and $CartLooted is not 1)[Your wanderer senses tingle. Something's in that cart.] [["I'll head north."->JunkHeapPathNorth1]] [["South it is."->JunkHeapPathSouth1]] [["Think I'd rather get outta here."->JunkHeapMain]] (if: $backstory is 4 and $CartLooted is not 1)[[["What's in that cart?"->Cart]]]](if: $intersection is not 1)[You pad down the divet, treading further east. (set: $intersection to 1) Though you know you are in the virtual equivalent of a burning refuse heap, it's hard for you to come to terms with just how foul the place is. It smells like rotten eggs crossed with something like cordite crossed with the blood taste of iron, all compounded to such a degree that it permeates the air like smoke from cigarettes. The path widens ahead, and you find yourself at a T-intersection. In its center a half-buried minecart extends vertically from the earth. (if: $backstory is 1)[The sight of it reminds you of caverns long past. You brush a wayward tear from your eye.](if: $backstory is 4 and $CartLooted is not 1)[Your wanderer senses tingle. Something's in that cart.] [["I'll head north."->JunkHeapPathNorth1]] [["South it is."->JunkHeapPathSouth1]] [["Think I'd rather retrace my steps."->JunkHeapMain]] (if: $backstory is 4 and $CartLooted is not 1)[[["What's in that cart?"->Cart]]]](display: "walkcode")The steel mounds swell around you as you turn west. Before you have gone more than a few yards you realize that the path ahead holds a tremendous, rusted train car. The roof has split open like a bloated corpse, displaying the passenger car's innards. If there were seats in it once they've long since been scavenged, shredded, or both. You can see a few rusted steel frames bolted to the floor but that's about it. There doesn't seem to be much else about the train car, and there's nothing more of interest down this path.(if: $MainQuestHideout is 1)[ At least, that's what you *would* think, if you hadn't already known to come here.](if: $backstory is 4)[ (color: #8B0000)[**`[Drifter]`**] A faint fluttering sound catches your attention. You suspect there is something on what remains of the train's roof.] (if: $MainQuestHideout is 1)[[["Let's look under the lid."->HideoutEntrance]] ](if: $backstory is 4)[[["What's that on the roof?"->TrainRoof]] ][["Maybe good adventurers don't go west after all."->JunkHeapPath1]](display: "walkcode")The path is surprisingly straight. You can see disused railroad stakes, broken pick-heads, bent shovels, snapped pitchforks, worn horseshoes, rusted axels, twisted wheels, and, at one point, an ornamental sword that would be in good condition were it not for the broken tip and crude drawings etched in the side of the blade. The metal mountains around you creak. [["Let's keep going north."->JunkHeapNorth2]] [["This path is a bust. I'm heading back."->JunkHeapPathEast1]](display: "walkcode")(if: (A.t['windloop'].playing()) is not true)[<script> A.t['windloop'].loop(true).play(); A.t['windloop'].volume(.9); </script>]<script> A.t['store'].fade(1,0,2000); </script>(live: 2s)[<script> A.t['store'].stop(); </script>(stop:)](if: $back is 1)[You stand at the edge of the Junk Heap. From here you can see a decrepit building, a ruined carriage, and the distant hulk of a beached boat. [["That building looks interesting."->JunkHeapBuilding]] [["I like the look of that carriage."->JunkHeapCarriage]] (if: $shipopen is not 1 and $altshot is not 1)[[["Is that... a fishing boat? I'm going to find out just what the hell it's doing here."->JunkHeapBoat]]](if: $shipopen is 1 or $altshot is 1)[[["Gonna head back to that shipwreck."->JunkHeapBoat]]] [["Screw it. I'm going back to town."->Travel]]](if: $back is not 1)[The steel refuse piles around you shorten somewhat as you travel farther south. Where before there were mountains there are now only hills, then small piles. The transition is as sudden as it is surprising. (if:$backstory is 3)[It's also more than a little anxiety-inducing. Your captain always warned you that flat, unprotected ground attracts snipers like corpses attract flies. You shake your head, repressing a shudder. Those days are long gone.] (set: $choice to "HeapInsideShot") Though the landscape is somewhat more open than it was before, it's hardly more pleasant. Trash is piled almost randomly throughout the brown plateau that stretches before you. It seems amazing that any one town could emit so much refuse. (set: $back to 1) A few places stand out to you amongst the flat dirt and garbage piles. You see what looks like a ruined building a few hundred yards ahead. Off to the right sits an upturned, broken carriage. Finally, in the far distance, sits what must be a grounded ship. It's so far inland that you cannot possibly fathom just how it arrived here. [["That building seems interesting."->JunkHeapBuilding]] [["I like the look of that carriage."->JunkHeapCarriage]] [["Is that a... fishing boat? What the hell is it doing here?"->JunkHeapBoat]] [["Screw it. I'm going back to town."->Travel]]](display: "walkcode")There's just enough space between the steel heaps to form a single, clean line extending forward like the shaft of an arrow. It looks like there's still a good distance to cover. [["Onward!"->JunkHeapNorth3]] [["My dogs are barking. I'm heading back."->JunkHeapPathEast1]](display: "walkcode")Somewhere, a wolf howls. [["Onward, I say!"->JunkHeapNorth4]] [["My dogs are barking. I'm heading back."->JunkHeapPathEast1]](display: "walkcode")You wonder if you could scrounge around for any bullets in the mountainous heaps on either side of you. Probably not. Casings, maybe, but bullets are small, and the steep walls of the path are anything but. The road ahead continues, unabating. [["There's gotta be something at the end of all this."->JunkHeapNorth5]] [["I'm going back."->JunkHeapPathEast1]](display: "walkcode")A tin can falls from one of the junk heaps beside you, bounces off your foot, and rolls away. The label says, "Boston Baked Beans". Reading it is about a dozen times more interesting than the idea of more monotonous walking. (if: $backstory is 1)[(if: $dughere is not 1)[ (color: #8B0000)[**`[Prospector]`**] You notice a patch of disturbed ground beneath the bottle. It looks like you could dig here.](else:)[ The shallow hole where you found the gold coin remains where you left it.]] [["Going to keep walking!"->JunkHeapNorth6]](if: $backstory is 1 and $dughere is not 1)[ [["Time to try some digging."->NorthDig]]] [["I consider myself stopped. I'm going back."->JunkHeapPathEast1]]You continue to walk. (display: "walkcode") You hope that Green isn't using the time you're wasting to skip town. [["It'll be fine. Let's keep moving."->JunkHeapNorth7]] [["Screw this."->JunkHeapPathEast1]]You sneeze. The path stretches ahead. (display: "walkcode") [["God dammit, I *will* reach the end of this path!"->JunkHeapNorth8]] [["I'm going back."->JunkHeapPathEast1]]You can't believe just how large this place is. By all rights you should have either reached the end of the yard by now, or the whole damn place must stretch into Idaho. (display: "walkcode") And there's still farther to go. [["You... can't... stop... me!"->JunkHeapNorth9]] [["It's a long walk back, but it beats the hell out of staying here."->JunkHeapPathEast1]]Your legs ache. Every step you take is slower than the one before it. You wonder how much longer you can keep this up. (display: "walkcode") [["As... long as it takes!"->JunkHeapNorth10]] [["No longer. I'm going back."->JunkHeapPathEast1]]Your vision is growing dark. Your body aches. Your right shoe is filled with blood and you can't tell if it's yours. (display: "walkcode") [["Must... go... on..."->JunkHeapNorth11]] [["Must...go...back..."->JunkHeapPathEast1]]Is that the end of the path ahead? Or just a trick of the light? (display: "walkcode") [["Guess I'm... going to... find out..."->NotAReference]] [["Guess I'm... not going to... find out..."->JunkHeapPathEast1]](display: "walkcode")You come into a clearing. The junk mountains around you are old, rusty. They seem so tall and so long-neglected that it is only by their too-thin spires that you can discern that they are not true mountains. Vines creep up and down the piles of old scrap-metal and rusty nails and broken blades. You hear birdsong. You've reached what must be the oldest part of the Junk Heap. Though your body is soaked with warm sweat and your legs ache and you're pretty sure that one of your toes may have come off with the strain it all must have been worth it. As far as junk heaps go, this seems to be the equivalent of a forgotten Mayan temple. The clearing is surprisingly clean. In fact, there is only one thing that seems out of place within its dusty, ancient boundaries. (link: `"Yes?! What is it?!"`)[A steel sign. A hand giving you a crude gesture is painted sloppily on it. [["Oh, god damn it."->JunkHeapPathEast1]]]Christ, you're cold. All right. (set: $choice to "Outside") You lean over the cooling body of the drunk. If it weren't for the small pool of blood around him and the look of shocked anger on his face, he'd seem almost peaceful. You search his pockets. After a few uncomfortable, blood-soaked moments, you realize that the man had almost nothing of value on him, or if there is anything it's impossibly hidden. Just a few scraps of cloth and a torn part of a postcard, which is now soaked with blood. On the front side of the postcard you can see the torso and left arm of a woman. On the back, an untidy scrawl in black ink. Some of the blood has stained the letter, but you can still pick pieces out. It reads: "Vern, I ____ you once but __ ___ as ___ conc_____ we're square. _ don't ____ to _____ ____ or anybody else anymore - I'm _________. All I can say is that if you really, *really* got _________, there's a ___ beneath the pulpit in the church. With it you ________ the hideout. But you better not bring any lawmen with you! -Ed" Seems that Green had some kind of connection with the drunk, and that there's something you can get in the church. Hopefully his murder was worth it. (set: $MainQuestNote to 1) (if: $conversation is 0)[[["Yeah. I hope so, too."->TheVoice]] [["Don't try to foist your morals on me."->TheVoice]]](if: $conversation is 1)[[["Yeah. I hope so, too."->Town]] [["Don't try to foist your morals on me."->Town]]](replace: ?BigKill)[]The darkness breaks, but not for the better. The walls of the church begin to glow red. Where before the tremendous stone cross stood before you on the far wall, now, as you watch, it begins to slowly upend. The candles light. The stone pews grind toward the walls, as if fleeing from whatever sacrilege is about to manifest. Overhead the chandelier sways dangerously. In the now-empty center of the church a circle begins to glow. Flames, ignited by no visible hand, flourish into the shape of a star within it. It's a burning pentagram. As you watch, helpless, the flames begin to coalesce, flickering up from the ground, slowly forming into a shape. Into a human shape. The flames begin to cool. Oh, God! [["Oh, God!"->Satan?]] As the flames die away, you're able to make out who - or what - they have formed. Your heart tenses in your chest as the smoke curls back. (set: $choice to "RudeShot") It's a traveling salesman. He's wearing a frayed suit and a crumpled top hat. The corners of his sizeable mustache smolder. <script> A.t['debugmusic'].play(); A.t['debugmusic'].fade(0.0, 1.0, 10000); A.t['debugmusic'].loop(true); </script> He makes a show of brushing the dust from his lapel before turning to you with a close-mouthed smile. "Why, hello! I suppose you're the one that summoned me!" The reek of brimstone fills the air. Your paralysis subsides. [["Are you... Satan?"->Demon]]"Oh, nothing of the sort!" the salesman says, waving his hand. You breathe a sigh of relief. "I'm simply a greater demon. Murdering a priest isn't cause enough to summon the big man himself!" He gives a prim chuckle. "If you'd burned down a convent or two then maybe the two of you could chat, but that's neither here nor there." (link: `"Oh."`)["Oh, don't look so down!" the demon chuckles. Something metal flashes between his fingers. "Look - I even have a present for you. Something more valuable than any amount of money. Here." You catch the object as he tosses it at you. <script> A.t['get'].play(); </script> It's a single bullet. It's faintly warm. (set: $bullets to it +1) (color: "indigo")[**You gained a bullet!**] [["Uh... thanks? I... guess."->Demon2]] [["Hang on. What's this gonna cost me?"->DemonCost]]]"Now - before we continue, I have something else for you." The demon pulls a sheaf of paper from his coat pocket, clears his throat, and begins to read. (set: $MainQuestHideout to 1)(set: $choice to "DemonShot") "The - oh, god, his handwriting is so *terrible* - the hideout is on the far side of some place called the "Junk Heap." If you go... what does this... test? No, it's *west*. Good hell, this is horrendous... yes, if you go west after entering the Junk Heap there should be a secret tunnel beneath the front side of a dilapidated train car. You won't be able to get in without the key, though." The paper ignites in his hands and turns to ash. "Mortals have such quaint problems. Anyhoo, I have a proposal to make." [["I may as well hear you out."->DemonProposal]] [["Uh, now that I think about it, I left my... horse... on. I need to go make sure it's all right."->DemonEscape]]"Cost? Friend, you've already done me quite the favor!" The demon points at the mass of fabric that once was Father Gabriel. "That old coot just would *not* die. Did you know he had tuberculosis twice? *Twice!* It was almost like he was protected by a higher power... at least until you shot him." The demon smiles broadly, revealing a row of razor-sharp teeth. [["Uhhh... all right, then."->Demon2]]"Superb! Since you're already... somewhat inclined towards violence," the demon chuckles, gesturing dismissively at the corpse, "I wanted to ask if you might not be willing to... place a few other souls in my possession." The demon stops at length, slipping a cigar from within his pocket into his mouth. As he touches it to his lips, it bursts into flame. Unperturbed, he reaches for another. "There are a handful of rather annoying individuals who stand in the way of my dominion over this town. Two, specifically. If they were to be removed, I would be quite pleased. So pleased, in fact, that you would be rewarded with quite an impressive power." He looks into your eyes. You feel your heart *twitch*. "Do we have a deal?" [["Sure. Not like I'm selling you my soul, right?"->DemonLike]] [["I don't... know about this..."->DemonEscape]]"Oh, please," the demon grumbles, adjusting his hat. "You're worrying about your immortal soul *now*? You already shot the priest, friend. You've got a life of repentance ahead of you and that's just if you want to end up in *Purgatory* at the end of the day. I for one don't fancy those odds." The demon sits down on a pew, which promptly bursts into flames. You didn't think stone was flammable [["Point taken. Go on."->DemonProposal]] [["Just... real worried about my horse. I'll be sure to come back later."->DemonLeaving]] [["I'm just going to go."->DemonLeaving]]"You'll be back. They always come back." The demon's sharp-toothed grin remains set on you as you back out the front door. <script> A.t['debugmusic'].fade(1.0,0.0,4000); </script> [["I sure hope you're wrong, pardner."->Town]] [["If you say so."->Town]]"I take it you need something?" The demon still stands in the middle of the church. (live: 1s)[<script> A.t['debugmusic'].fade(0.0, 1.0, 4000); A.t['debugmusic'].loop(true).play(); </script>(stop:)]<script> A.t['windloop'].fade(1.0,0.0,4000); A.t['windloop'].stop(); </script>(set: $choice to "DemonShot") (if: $DemonQuest is 2 and $bm is not 1)[[["I burned down the bar, but the barmaid made it out alive."->DemonMad]] ](if: $Gregovichdead is 1 and $gdead is not 1)[[["I've killed Gregovich. It was... a lot easier than I thought it would be."->GregovichDemon]] ](if: $MaidenRage is >0 and $DemonQuest is 1)[[["I tried to kill the barmaid, but the bar's locked down than the state pen - how am I supposed to accomplish anything without getting chewed to pieces?"->DemonBar]] ](if: $DemonQuest is 0)[[["Say, can I hear that proposal of yours again?"->DemonProposal]] ](if: $MainQuestNote is 1)[[["Don't mind me, just going to look under the pulpit."->PulpitSearch]] ][["Nope, see you 'round."->Town]](display: "walkcode")(if: $LunaticShot is 2)[The vacant jailhouse stands before you. Somewhere within is the corpse of the man you shot. (set: $choice to "BuildingShot") [["Well, he's getting a visitor."->Jail]] [["Never mind, I'm out."->JunkHeapPathSouth1]]](if: $LunaticShot is 1)[The vacant jailhouse stands before you. (set: $choice to "BuildingShot") [["Think I'll give it another once-over."->Jail]] [["Never mind, I'm out."->JunkHeapPathSouth1]]](if: $LunaticShot is 0)[Perhaps you were charitable when you referred to the structure before you, especially seeing how it is only a few fallen supports away from becoming a "ruin." The single-story mud building is mired with a wide variety of structural cracks, and the facade has split in several places to reveal the wooden framework beneath. A few bars stand in one of the two windows; the other is empty. The doorway yawns vacantly, its door long since rotted, broken to pieces, or stolen. (set: $choice to "BuildingShot") As you approach the building, a creeping sense of familiarity overtakes you. You feel as if you've been here before but can't quite place it... (link: `"Hmmm..."`)[It strikes you like an arrow to the head. This is the old sheriff's office. But as far as you remember the place is supposed to be about five miles closer to Main Street. What the hell is it doing out all this way? [["May as well see if anything useful remains."->Jail]] [["I think I'll head back to the edge of the Junk Heap."->JunkHeapPathSouth1]]]](display: "walkcode")You approach the destroyed carriage. Based on the fine pine woodwork of the decayed cabin, you gauge this was once a rather upscale little cart, perhaps belonging to one of the "safer" transport companies. Of course, "safe" is a relative term this side of the country, especially if all the dried bloodstains on the cracked woodwork are to be believed. [["Think this merits a closer examination."->Carriage2]] [["I'm gonna look at the other wrecks 'round here."->JunkHeapPathSouth1]](display: "walkcode")(if: $altshot is 1)[The *Dustmite* sits, beached, in the dirt. The hole you widened remains where you left it. [["I'm going in."->BoatInterior]] [["Nope, still not interested in checking out any ghost ships."->JunkHeapPathSouth1]]](if: $backstory is 3)[(if: $shipopen is 1 and $altshot is 0)[The *Dustmite* sits, beached, in the dirt. The hole in its side gapes at you like a vacant eye. [["I'm going in."->BoatInterior]] [["Nope, still not interested in checking out any ghost ships."->JunkHeapPathSouth1]]](if: $shipopen is not 1 and $altshot is 0)[(color: #8B0000)[**`[Soldier]`**] As you approach the boat you are jolted with a sudden realization. It's the **USS Dustmite**, one of the country's first ironclad schooners. Seeing it so far from not just any military port, but from any free-standing water at *all*, is bizarre; the nearest river is a good two hundred miles to the east. Maybe more. (set: $choice to "BoatShot") For it to be sent to a junkyard the *Dustmite* must have either been badly damaged or exceedingly flawed in design. With your combat knowledge you might be able to find out what sank the ship. [["Happy to oblige."->BoatSoldier]] [["I'm no lover of ships. No thanks."->JunkHeapPathSouth1]]]](if: $backstory is not 3 and $altshot is not 1)[It's a boat, all right, but this is the first one you've seen so far from a port. In fact, you have no idea where the nearest body of water could possibly be. A good two hundred miles east, at least. (set: $choice to "BoatShot") The boat, which you initially mistook for a fishing vessel, actually seems like it'd be better suited for combat. At least, if it weren't rusting away in a junk heap. There are steel plates bolted to the ship's wooden hull and the black mouth of a cracked cannon peers from one of the gun ports. You can see embossed lettering on the starboard side: *Dustmite*. A rather fitting name. [["Oh you bet I'm going to examine this thing."->Boat2]] [["I'm not impressed."->JunkHeapPathSouth1]]]**"What is this?"** the priest growls, glancing from you to the book in your hands. He snatches it as you hold it out to him and snaps it open. His bespectacled eyes narrow - and then widen. **"...what..."** He trails off, forgetting your presence. You can almost feel the emotion radiating from him. [["I'll give you some time to yourself."->GabrielQuestEnd]]When you return some time later it's clear that a marked change has come about the priest. His expression, though not quite serene, is no longer charged with confused anger. He's almost smiling as he looks down at the book in his hands. **"Ah, yes,"** he says, nodding as you approach. **"You did me quite the favor, youngster. Daresay I'm in your debt."** (link: `"All I need is info. You said you knew a man named Green?"`)[The priest nods. **"An odd one, that man. Left town for many years, only to come back like something out of hell. He... came to me, once. For Confession."** Father Gabriel rubs his wrinkled brow. **"He was conflicted. Said someone was looking for him, and he needed to hide. That he could be found in a hideout within the Junk Heap if I ever needed to see him. Specifically beneath a train car. I don't know where that would be or why he decided to tell me, but..."** he trails off, as if remembering your presence. His eyes drift toward your holstered pistol. **"Perhaps I've said too much."** (set: $MainQuestHideout to 1)(set: $Quest2 to 5)(set: $Churchvisit to 5) [["You've been plenty helpful, Father. Thank you."->Town]] [["Oh, don't worry, Father. I won't do anything to Green that he hasn't already done to me."->Town]] [["Probably, but I was going to shoot him whether or not you told me where he was. It's quicker this way."->Town]]]<script> A.t['windloop'].fade(1,0,4000); </script>(live: 2s)[<script> A.t['windloop'].stop(); </script>(stop:)](if: (A.t['store'].playing()) is not true)[<script> A.t['store'].loop(true).play(); A.t['store'].volume(1); A.t['store'].fade(0,1,2000); </script>](if: (history:) contains "Jail")[You're back in the abandoned jailhouse. You see an ancient desk and a row of cells. (if: $Lunaticshot is 2)[Aside from a brown bloodstain stretching across the floor, you see no sign of the man you murdered.] (set: $choice to "JailShot") [["Think I'll mosey over to that there desk."->Desk]] [["Those cells need inspectin'."->Cells]] [["It's stuffy in here. I'm gone."->JunkHeapPathSouth1]]](if: not ((history:) contains "Jail"))[You step into the vacant jailhouse. A cloud of musty air envelops you. Your eyes moisten with the strength of the odor. (set: $choice to "JailShot") The room before you has seen much, *much* better days. Cobwebs droop from disused corners, broken floorboards jut from below, and dust covers nearly every surface you can see. In one corner sits a desk that has broken nearly in two; behind it you can see an iron safe that looks surprisingly unscathed by the elements. A row of cells lines the right side of the building. Their open doors and rusty bars look to you like forlorn teeth in an infected mouth. You note that one cell is still closed and, presumably, locked. [["Think I'll give that desk a look-see."->Desk]] [["Those cells need inspectin'."->Cells]] [["It's too damn stuffy in here. I'm gone."->JunkHeapPathSouth1]]](if: $bottlepicked is 1)[You case the wreck for close to twenty minutes but find nothing of value. [["Shucks."->JunkHeapPathSouth1]]](if: $bottlepicked is not 1)[It looks like the carriage wasn't exactly ruined of natural causes. You notice a score of bullet holes in the back of the main house, and more than a few deep gashes in the woodwork. Everything's coated in old blood. You get the sense that whoever was riding in this thing had pissed off a lot of people. (if: $backstory is 4)[It's more than a bit of a shame; if it weren't for the huge holes in the cabin, this'd make a fine shelter from the elements. Christ knows you've slept in worse places.] You pick through the scattered, termite-riddled remains of the carriage for some time. Eventually you manage to find is a small glass bottle filled with a yellow liquid. [["I'm readin' this here label."->Bottle]] [["I don't see why I'd need this. Back I go."->JunkHeapPathSouth1]]]You hold the bottle closer to your face. The label reads: "Dr. Pete Manner's Miracle Elixir" in broad black letters. You turn it over only to see a pool of text on the back: "Fatigued? Addicted? Down on your luck? Take a swig of Pete's Elixir and your luck will change for the better - or half your money back! It's a deal you can't afford to miss, pardner!" (if: $QuestAlt1 is 1)[This must be the bottle the old man wanted. You place it gently in your duster.](else:)[Though you've never placed much stock in "miracle" elixirs, you figure that this one might be useful somehow. You set it in your duster.] <script> A.t['get'].play(); </script> (color: "indigo")[**You get: a Bottle of Snake Oil**.] (set: $bottle to 1)(set: $bottlepicked to 1)[["Neat stuff. I'll take a step back."->JunkHeapPathSouth1]]You examine the desk. It looks like it was once finely-burnished oak, but now it's little more than firewood. There's a wicked lightning-bolt crack down the middle of its surface; though it somehow has managed to keep together, you reckon that it wouldn't take more than the force of a couple pounds to split the desk clean in two. A few yellow papers sit atop its surface, but most are too worn to make out. (if: $backstory is 2)[ (color: #8B0000)[**`[Bandit]`**] There's one exception. The top-most paper reads "WANTED" in wide lettering. You can see a faded picture of your face beneath it. You quickly pick the paper up and shred it. The bounty might have been rescinded, but you don't want anybody getting the wrong idea.] [["I'll look through these drawers."->Drawers]] [["You know I didn't care about the desk. I'm interested in that safe over there."->Safe]] [["I'm gonna take a step back here."->Jail]](if: $Salesmandoom is 1)[The only cell of importance still hangs open. [["I want to read the note."->TheSalesman2]] [["Never mind"->Jail]]](if: $Salesmandoom is not 1)[You approach the row of cells. Though the rest of the jail looks ancient and disheveled, the cell bars seem to have held up remarkably well. Though they're still filthy and scratched from years of neglect, they still don't look like they could be easily damaged. You can make out no weaknesses in any of the cells. Of the three, only one seems to have anything of note in it: a skeleton dressed in black rags. You can't tell from here if there's anything of interest on it from here. It also looks like this cell has held up worse than the others; the lock on the door is badly deformed and rusted. Though the mechanism might be unscathed, you won't be able to fit a key into this. You'd need something long and slender. (if: $lockpick is 1)[ [["Good day to have a lockpick."->Cells2]]] [["I'll worry about this later."->Jail]]]The drawers are mostly empty - a few scraps of ancient, yellowed parchment are in the bottom-most one, but as you try to pick one up it flakes to dust in your hands. The ink is much too faded to read(if: $backstory is 3)[ though you recognize the vellum paper as the kind that might be found in a military release]. There's a spiderweb in the other drawer but no spider. [["How... interesting... gonna go ahead and check that safe now..."->Safe]](if: $safe is 1)[The safe that you raided sits on the floor, vacant. [["It sure is."->Jail]]](if: $safe is not 1)[The safe is mostly intact, though it looks a little more thrashed than you initially figured. Its sides are tinged with streaks of rust, and there are a number of crooked dents in its side, as if someone, or perhaps many someones, tried to force their way into it. Seems like there isn't much reason - the door's ajar. [["May as well open it, right?"->Safe2]] [["Oh, no way am I touching that. This is definitely a trap."->Jail]]]It takes a considerable effort to force the safe's door further open. You can feel the screeching of the long-disused hinges deep in your molars. (set: $choice to "JailTransition") After a few minutes there's just enough of an opening for you to peer inside. <script> A.t['mcreak'].play(); </script> A wax cylinder sits in the safe's hollow. Beside it lies a single .44 round that still appears to be in firing condition. (if: $Quest1 is 1 or $Quest1 is 2)[(set: $Quest1 to 3)](if: $Quest1 is <1)[(set: $cylinder to 1)] You grab both. (set: $bullets to it + 1)(set: $safe to 1)(live: 2s)[<script> A.t['get'].play(); </script>(stop:)] (color: "indigo")[**You get: a Wax Cylinder**.] (color: "indigo")[**You gained a bullet!**] [["Looks like my day's finally looking up!"->Nutter]](set: $choice to "NutterShot")No sooner have you (if: $Quest1 is 3)[slid the wax cylinder into your duster and] (if: $bullets is <7)[slipped the bullet into your revolver](if: $bullets is 7)[pocketed the bullet] than a noise at the mouth of the jail catches your attention. You turn away from the safe, a wary hand on your revolver. An old man stands in the doorway. He's tall and lanky with a pair of sweat-stained overalls stretching over his shoulders. No other articles of clothing gird his body - aside from the steel saucepan resting on his head like a knight's helmet. His bare chest is scored in cuts and bruises. He stands in the doorway like a wiry tree, unmoving, silent. [["Uh... howdy?"->NutterJail]] [["Don't suppose this was your safe, eh, pal?"->NutterJail]] [["Oh, don't mind me. I was just leaving."->NutterJail]](if: $LunaticShot is 2)[You shoot the dead man's corpse. I don't know what this fella did to you, but you sure seem like you have some unresolved issues. (if: $conversation is 0)[[["About to have some unresolved issues with *you* if you don't step off."->TheVoice (junk)]]](if: $conversation is 1)[[["About to have some unresolved issues with *you* if you don't step off."->JunkHeapPathSouth1]]]](if: $LunaticShot is 1)[You shoot the lunatic again. (set: $LunaticShot to 2) The bullet cuts through the man's jugular like a molten scalpel. He manages a gargled curse before collapsing in a spray of blood. Jesus, that was cold. (if: $conversation is 0)[[["What's it to you?"->TheVoice (junk)]]](if: $conversation is 1)[[["What's it to you?"->JunkHeapPathSouth1]]]](if: $LunaticShot is 0)[Your shot strikes the unfortunate lunatic in the side of his head. If he weren't wearing that saucepan on his head he'd likely be minus about 25% of his skull.<script> A.t['clang'].play(); </script> (set: $LunaticShot to 1) However, he is most certainly wearing a saucepan on his head, and that makes just enough difference to save his life. The side of the pan dents heavily with a sound like a gong, and your bullet ricochets into the ceiling. The man places both hands on the sides of his head and begins to yell, collapsing to his knees. He might not be dead, but it looks like your bullet may have served its purpose after all. [["I'm out of here!"->JunkHeapPathSouth1]]]"Yer one of them thar outlaws aint'cha," the old man says. He seems to speak without punctuation, his words tumbling in a gatling-gun-spray. "Come here to take my jail here well you sure can't have it no sir it's my jail." His voice falls and he begins to mutter to himself, but his eyes are fixed firmly on you. [["You're... worried I'm going to take your jail?"->NutterExplanation]] [["How 'bout you just step out of the doorway and let me leave? I don't want no trouble."->NutterStays]] [["If you think I wouldn't shoot an unarmed man you're hilariously wrong."->NutterCharge]]"Bandits took the place a long time back ain't gonna let it happen again no sir no ma'am ya'll better stay there and come quietly 'for I hafta take you by the scruff 'n drown you in the creek." [["But that's lunacy. I'm not strong enough to move a jail. Least, not on my own. Maybe if I had some help..."->NutterCharge]] [["I don't think there are any creeks around here."->NutterCharge]] [["I'm just gonna leave. How's that sound?"->NutterCharge]]"Ain't movin' with somebody like you hangin' around here you got some nerve fella yer lucky I ain't got my pistol ya'll woulda been hangin' from the rafters an hour ago." The man doesn't move. [["You're up the wall, fella. This doesn't have to end in violence. Just let me on out."->NutterCharge]] [["What exactly are you worried about me doing?"->NutterExplanation]] [["Screw this. You're going to move or I'm going to bust your goddamn head."->NutterCharge]]Without a word, the man drops his head and charges you. His speed is remarkable; the distance between you closes to a matter of feet in seconds. [["Oh, shit!"->Takedown]] [["Maybe I can stop him with this desk?"->NutterDesk]](if: $backstory is 4)[ (color: #8B0000)[**`[Drifter]`**] [["Just like a chargin' bull. Somebody's about to be tripped."->NutterStopped]]] [["I'll bust your goddamn head open!"->NutterPunch]](set: $bullets to it - 1)You hardly glimpse the old man's craggy fist as it zeroes in on your face. The single image that you glimpse in your remaining moment of consciousness is that of a silver tea kettle coming very, very close to your face. (set: $choice to "TooLate") It slams into your skull. Your legs go out from under you. [["..."->Consciousness]] You dart behind the desk. Putting your shoulder into the desk and knock it into the lunatic's path. The old man closes the distance and, with one swift heel-kick, smashes it cleanly in two. [["Oh, shit!"->Takedown]] [["Hang on, can't we talk about this?"->Takedown]](if: $backstory is 4)[ (color: #8B0000)[**`[Drifter]`**] [["Looks like I'm going to have to trip you."->NutterStopped]]]You sidestep at the last moment, jamming your walking stick between the lunatic's shins. The man's right leg slams against the pole; as he attempts to catch his balance with his other foot, you sweep his legs out. His helmeted head slams into the corner of the desk with a tremendous *bang*, and his body slumps to the floor. After a few moments you hear soft, wisplike snores issuing from under his severely dented pan-helmet. He's out cold. [["Sweet dreams, buddy."->JunkHeapPathSouth1]] [["I oughta shoot you, but it ain't worth the bullet."->JunkHeapPathSouth1]]As the old man comes close, you ready a haymaker. Once he's no more than a foot away, you take a Herculean swing at his head. <script> A.t['clang'].play(); </script> Or, more aptly, at the saucepan on his head. Your hand strikes the metal with a horrible *clang-ang-angggg*. Pain shoots up your entire arm. The old man seems jarred for all of one moment. Then his focus is back on you. There's no longer any space. He's inches away. [["Oh, shit!"->Takedown]] [["Hang on, can't we discuss this?"->Takedown]]You awaken some time later. (set: $LunaticShot to 1) Your head thrums with a fantastic headache, and you feel something sticky - probably blood - staining the crown of your head. (link: `"God damn it, that *hurt*."`)[While teaching the old-timer a lesson in civility would brighten your day, you find, as you sit up in one of the cells, that he's no longer here. (live: 2s)[<script> A.t['mcreak'].play(); </script>(stop:)] On the plus side, he seems to have failed to realize that this particular cell has no door. You step out as you gingerly as you can, though the spectacular pain in your skull continues to pound mercilessly. As you step forward, something clinks at your side. You realize that your revolver's cylinder isn't locked. Panic strikes you, and you peer into the chambers to find that one of your bullets has been removed. It's nowhere to be found. [["Just my damn luck. A lunatic and a kleptomaniac. I guess I'm glad I still have my pants."->JunkHeapPathSouth1]] [["I knew it was a god damn trap."->JunkHeapPathSouth1]]]"The Junk Heap?" The piano man frowns. "I know of it, but I can't say I've ever been. Bit too old to go out on twenty-mile horseback rides whenever I feel like it." [["All right. See you around, then."->Bar2]]You produce the wax cylinder from your duster. It's a little dusty and worn in a few places, but for something found in a place called the "Junk Heap" you figure it's in pretty good condition. The old man apparently thinks the same - his eyes widen as you hold the cylinder toward him. "What... You really did it?" His teeth flash in a wide grin, and he takes the cylinder as gingerly from you as if it were a newborn babe. With trembling hands he clears some of the wax out of the piano and sets the cylinder into place. With nervous fingers he flicks the player switch. [["Cheers, pal."->PianoQuestDone]]Music spills into the smoky air of the bar. A few heads turn, but most patrons seem to take no interest. "Thank you so much!" Bulbous tears stand in the old man's eyes. He brushes them away with a sleeve. "You don't know how much this means to me." "I don't know much about your quest, or the man you're looking for. If you talk to Maria at the bar she might have more information. But I'm not the type to leave you empty-handed." He reaches into a pocket and produces a gold coin that's about the size of half your open palm. He presses it into your hand. <script> A.t['get'].play(); </script><script> A.t['piano'].fade(0,1,2000); A.t['piano'].loop(true).play(); A.t['piano'].volume(.1); </script>] "It's worth about fifty dollars. Make good use of it, my friend."(set: $Quest1 to 5)(set: $visit to 3)(set: $Gold to it + 50)(set: $cylinder to 0) (color: "indigo")[**You get: a $50 Gold Piece**.] [["Much obliged, pardner."->Bar2]]"Finish helping Ted and then maybe we can talk." [["It was worth a try."->Barmaid]]You look around, making sure you're alone, and cross the floor into the center of the room. <script> A.t['debugmusic'].fade(1.0,0.0,4000); </script> The church pulpit doesn't match the rest of the building; where everything else is ancient, scoured stonework, this looks as if it is merely *painted* to look old. Upon inspection you find it incredibly light, which serves to confirm your suspicions. The changes are just detailed enough to fool parishioners at a distance and the aging priest at zero range. Just clever enough. (link:`"I'm moving this."`)[(replace: `"I'll come back later."`)[]You lift the pulpit off the ground and shift it to the side as easily as if it were an empty sack. On the ground you can make out a tiny object, hardly the length of a needle, hardly as wide as your thumb. <script> A.t['get'].play(); </script> It's a tiny bronze key. Someone has crudely sketched a skull into the flat metal of the bow. (if: $MainQuestHideout is not 1)[Now you just need to find out where to use it.](if: $MainQuestHideout is 1)[ Your heart thrums in your chest with near-forgotten excitement. A ride to the Junk Heap and then Green will be within your reach.] (set: $KeyGot to 1) (color: "indigo")[**You get: a Hideout Key**.] [["Excellent."->Town]]] [["I'll come back later."->Town]]It takes you a few minutes, but you eventually manage to glimpse the hole beneath the train car's front coupling. It's an ingenious hiding place; though it is big enough to crawl through, the train car's wide frame renders it all but invisible even to someone directly overhead. (if: $backstory is 2 or $backstory is 4)[You mentally note the location - after you kill Green, this'd make a fine place to hide from the elements. Or the local authorities.] [["In we go."->HideoutDoor]] [["Hang on, I'm not ready yet."->TrainTransition]](display: "walkcode")You clamber down the hole as smoothly and as easily as you can, which is to say not very. The terrain crumbles with each movement you make, and the train car above you is difficult to maneuver around. But eventually you manage. (set: $choice to "HideoutDoorShot") The hole opens into a small dirt tunnel, which you progress down. It isn't long before your path is impeded again, however. A solid wall of wood blocks the remainder of the path; in the murky darkness of the tunnel it's difficult to make out much about it, though it seems too sturdy to break apart with your gun. There also appears to be a door in its center. Upon closer, narrow-eyed inspection, you see that it's locked. A brass keyhole sits above the doorknob. (if: $lockpick is 1)[[["I think I've got just the lockpick for this one."->HideoutLockpick]] ](if: $KeyGot is 1)[[["Good thing I already grabbed the key."->Hideout]] ](else:)[[["Damn it. Guess I've gotta head back outside."->TrainTransition]] [["Damn it. Guess I've gotta head back to town."->Travel]]]You open the door slowly, your other hand gripping your holstered heat. At any moment you'll see Green leering at you, his fat face grinning with joy at the murder he committed all those years ago. You feel one of your knuckles pop with the strain. (set: $choice to "HideoutShot") The door opens... and... <script> A.t['creak'].play(); A.t['creak'].volume(.6); </script><script> A.t['windloop'].fade(1,0,4000); </script>(live: 2s)[<script> A.t['windloop'].stop(); </script>(stop:)] [["Out with it, damn it!"->HideoutInt]]The room before you is suffused with the weak light of a barrel fire on the left side of the room. By the off-yellow flickering you can barely make out round dirt walls, a scratched wooden table, a dart board on the far wall, and a vague, hunched shape on the other end of the room. Your throat tightens. You draw your pistol. (set: $choice to "Granshot") [["Time's up, Green."->HideoutGran]] [["Any last words, you son of a bitch?"->HideoutGran]] [["I've been waiting for this for a *long* time."->HideoutGran]]"Hm? Is someone there?" Your gun hand falters. The voice is not only female but aged. The figure on the end of the room shifts; you hear the rustling of fabric, as if she's draped in a layer of blankets. "Edward?" (link: `"No, ma'am. I'm just a... friend of his."`)["A friend? I didn't know Edward had any of those. How did the two of you meet?" (if: $backstory is 1)[(color: #8B0000)[**`[Prospector]`**] (link:`"To be honest, I don't fully recall. I think he was a miner in a plot near mine."`)[(go-to: "Met")]](if: $backstory is 2)[(color: #8B0000)[**`[Bandit]`**] (link:`"Think he ran with my folks a long time back. But I'm not quite sure..."`)[(go-to: "Met")]](if: $backstory is 3)[(color: #8B0000)[**`[Soldier]`**] (link:`"I think he was another soldier in my platoon. Don't remember much about him then."`)[(go-to: "Met")]](if: $backstory is 4)[(color: #8B0000)[**`[Drifter]`**] (link:`"I think we ran into one another in some town somewhere. Happened a few times, I think."`)[(go-to: "Met")]] (link:`"Don't recall. Let's just say the two of us have a score to settle and leave it at that."`)[(go-to: "Met")]]In the near-darkness you see the old woman nod. "Oh. So you're the one he always talked about." She stands with difficulty. You notice a small bag in her hands, which she dumps unceremoniously into the flames. The fire roars into a swelling pillar, and for a few long moments the entire hideout is bathed in light. [["What the hell..."->Pictures]]The room is positively wallpapered with images of... *you*. Some are photographs of you at various ages - you recognize a family photograph that you sat for when you were twelve, a wedding photo, a picture of you (if: $backstory is 1)[proudly brandishing a shovel beside your plot of land](if: $backstory is 2)[standing amongst the old crew, your horses amassed in the background](if: $backstory is 3)[with your old regiment in full battle regalia](if: $backstory is 4)[sitting alone in an old bar]. The other pictures vary; some are photographs of you at strange angles, as if the photographer could only catch you for a short moment. Most of these are blurry. There's one of you standing next to Gregovich when you were both little, and a few sketches taken from newspaper clippings (if: $backstory is 2)[and wanted posters]. (if: $backstory is 1)[You notice that most of the pictures are defaced in some way. A few have parts, usually your face, torn off; some are sliced up. One has a bullet hole clean through your forehead. The word "LIAR" is written under several, and "CHEAT" under several more.](if: $backstory is 2)[You notice one particularly shredded picture on the far wall; it's scored with knife slashes and bullet holes and is only barely recognizable as a profile of you. There are a few stray marks on the edges of the wall, but for the most part it looks as if someone has been training to aim for your face.](if: $backstory is 3)[There is a particular prevalence of pictures of you while you were in the military, you notice. Most are rumpled or torn, as if they've been crushed repeatedly by anxious or furious hands. As you look around you notice a single copper medal of valor nailed, alone, to the far wall.](if: $backstory is 4)[The rest are drawings. Some are profiles, others full portraits. You're nude, or barely clothed, in all of them.] (if: $backstory is 1)[[["Looks like somebody has some issues to get over."->Explanation]] [["What the hell?"->Explanation]]](if: $backstory is 2)[[["This could bode better."->Explanation]] [["All of a sudden my trigger finger's itchy."->Explanation]] [["Looks like somebody's got it out for me."->Explanation]]](if: $backstory is 3)[[["What the hell's going on here?"->Explanation]] [["I get the funny feeling one of my old 'war buddies' is around here..."->Explanation]]](if: $backstory is 4)[[["Guess I never wanted to sleep again anyway."->Explanation]] [["This'd almost be flattering if it weren't the creepiest thing I've ever seen."->Explanation]] [["I don't think this place'd be clean if it were bathed in fire for a year straight."->Explanation]]] [["..."->Explanation]]The fire (mercifully) dies down, leaving you in the darkness with your thoughts. The old woman cuts the silence with her dry, ragged voice. (if: $backstory is 1)["Edward always had trouble holding down a job, both when he was little and when he got older. That gold boom happened out of town and he was one of the first people who booked it out of Slate City - he grew up here, you know." She nods. "But it turned out that the gold weren't as plentiful as they said it would be. Edward came back more bitter than he had been going out, which I hadn't thought possible. He said someone had cheated him. Always got the sense that he was blaming someone else for his problems." You can feel her eyes as they look you up and down.](if: $backstory is 2)["Edward was a bit of a... wild boy. Always had a tendency to get into trouble with the sheriff, sneaking into the bar, vandalizing houses, trying to nick things from Papil, who told him off kindly enough, and eventually Gregovich, who nearly beat his head in." She rubs her chin and sighs. "I really did try to raise that boy right, but he took off with a band of outlaws some time back. When I saw him next he seemed more stable, but like he had some... chip on his shoulder. Said he'd turned over a new leaf and to prove it he was going after his old boss." She looks at you.](if: $backstory is 3)["Money was always tight when Edward was younger. I tried to provide, but as I got older..." She shakes her head. "Edward joined the military, which I thought was a good choice at the time. Gave a man without much going for him some stability, some discipline. But next time I saw him he had nothing - just that badge over there," she points at the medal, "and a chip on his shoulder. Apparently one of his fellows had left the army. Apparently he thought that was cowardice."](if: $backstory is 4)["Edward was never a particularly healthy child. When I brought him up in Slate City he was so sickly that he could almost never go out." The old woman returns to the chair in the corner, sitting down with a chorus of flickering fabric and creaking bones. "But whenever he went out, he'd see you playing. Whether there were other kids or not, he'd always be so interested in whatever it was you were doing. I always wished he could go out to be with you, but even when his health improved, even when he began to mature, he never went beyond the threshold or introduced himself. Figured he was just shy... but I get the sense he got over himself with a vengeance."] (link: `"Take it that's why he murdered my lover?"`)["Edward did... *what?*" You can hear the shock in the elderly woman's voice. But in the next moment it's gone, replaced by a note of solemn resignation. "I suppose I'm... hardly surprised. My grandson was never quite right, and as the years went on..." She rubs her temples. "When he came back to town and squirreled me away in this cave he said it was for my safety. But I suppose the authorities must be out looking for him." The old woman sighs. [["I think you know that things can't continue like this."->Resignation]] [["You should tell me where he went. Nothing'll happen, the two of us just need to... talk."->Resignation]] [["This is past the point where it can end peacefully."->Resignation]]]"I wish beyond anything that you were wrong. But you aren't." The old woman gives another ragged sigh. "He's waiting for you in the graveyard behind the church. Has been for a few days now. I don't know what he's up to, but I suspect he knows your intentions, youngster. Be careful." (set: $finale to 1) [["I will. Thank you."->Travel]](if: $finale is 2)[You shoot the old woman again. She's still dead. (if: $conversation is 0)[[["Yup."->TheVoice]]](if: $conversation is 1)[[["Yup."->Town]]]](if: $finale is not 2)[You blow a hole somewhere in the center of the old woman, and she collapses like a marionette. A blood-stained note flutters to the dirt floor before you. You stoop to pick it up. *"Gran, please leave a basket of bread in the graveyard after midnight, I'm starving here! Love, Edward."* (set: $finale to 2) Green won't like this, but you don't like Green. (if: $conversation is 0)[[["I sure don't."->TheVoice]]](if: $conversation is 1)[[["I sure don't."->Town]]]]You enter the Slate City Cemetery. (display: "walkcode") It was never the cheeriest of places. Gray, sun-bleached headstones dot a bloated hill; patches of weeds grow between sections of a broken picket fence. It comes scratching at the back of your mind like a wild animal: Somewhere beneath your feet lie your ma and pa. (if: $DemonQuest is > 0)[(set: $choice to "Paralyzed")](else:)[(set: $choice to "dishonorable")] But there isn't much time to stand and reminisce. Green steps out from behind an ornate cross, slashing your mind through with a blade of anger. A crooked grin is on his face, and a pistol is on his hip. "So. You came." (if: $finale is 1)[[["Hell yes, I 'came.' I've been hunting you for the last seven years. It's the end of the road."->Graveyard2]] [["Green. I've been waiting for this."->Graveyard2]]](if: $finale is 2)[[["Sure did. I think I shot your grandmother on the way here, by the by."->AltFinale]]]"One way or another, both of us ain't walking out of this graveyard," he growls. His smile, you notice, is strained. (if: $backstory is 1)[[["Before I kill you, I want answers. Why did you murder my lover?"->GraveyardTalk1]]](if: $backstory is 2)[[["Before I kill you, I want answers. Why did you murder my lover?"->GraveyardTalk2]]](if: $backstory is 3)[[["Before I kill you, I want answers. Why did you murder my lover?"->GraveyardTalk3]]](if: $backstory is 4)[[["Before I kill you, I want answers. Why did you murder my lover?"->GraveyardTalk4]]] [["All right. Let's do this."->Showdown]] [["All right. Let's do this, you son of a bitch."->Showdown]](color: #8B0000)[**`[Drifter]`**] "I didn't like being supplanted in your affections. They had to go." (link: `"So it was intentional, after all. And here I thought you were after me."`)["I was. Least, I used to be. But eventually I realized something." There's a wicked glint in his eye. "You'd never have me. And even if you did, it wouldn't be long before somebody else took your fickle heart. Again. No, no - as far as I'm concerned, you're too beautiful for any one person to have. And I'd rather you die like this than ever have another." [["All of a sudden, I wish I hadn't asked. Let's finish this."->Showdown]] [["Christ, that's a bit much, ain't it? Why don't we talk this over?"->GraveyardTalkMain]]](if: $DemonQuest is > 0)[(go-to: "Paralyzed")](if: $DemonQuest is < 1)[Green stands some sixteen feet before you, his eyes locked with yours, his hand over his pistol. You wiggle your fingers over your own holster. (set: $choice to "honorable") A soft breeze blows between you. The sun beats overhead. A bead of sweat drips down your neck. Somewhere, a wolf howls. (live: 1s)[<script> A.t['sd'].loop(false).play(); A.t['sd'].volume(.8); </script>(stop:)] Green goes for his gun. (live: 10s)[(go-to: "Bad End")] (if: $bullets is 0)[Uhh... looks like you came to this fight without any ammunition. Guess you can always... throw your gun... [["Jesus Christ... here goes nothing."->The Throw]]]]Green's eyes narrow. "I don't think you'd pursue me for all these years just to end it with a nice chat over tea." [["Good point. Draw, you snake."->Showdown]] [["You're wrong. I'm willing to put our pasts behind us, if you are."->Peace?]]You draw and fire without warning. Green, taken by surprise, isn't ready by a long shot. The bullet strikes him in (either: "the sternum", "the chest", "the neck", "his stomach", "the gut", "the throat"). Blood sprays from the open wound. (set: $choice to "corpseshot") As the life leaves his body, Green opens his mouth as if to curse you, his eyes narrow and filled with hatred. But it only lasts for a second. The man you've sought after for all these years slides to the ground against a black gravestone, the blood pooling around him. After a few seconds, he lies still. (set: $honor to 0) [["See you in hell, you son of a bitch."->The End]] [["About damn time you paid for what you did."->The End]] [["That's that, I reckon."->The End]] You draw first. (set: $honor to 1)(set: $choice to "ExecutionShot") Green's eyes go wide as the gunshot echoes through the silent graveyard; they widen even further as the bullet finds its mark. "Damn," he mutters, swaying on the spot, a hand on the quickly widening patch of red in the center of his chest. He slides to the ground, his back to a gravestone, a trail of dark red in his wake. "You... got me." (if: $backstory is 1)["Can't believe that... after everything... you'd take my life from me, too..." (link: `"You know, I don't think I ever played you in cards."`)[Green's half-lidded eyes widen. "What?" (link: `"I'm more of a dice player."`)["Oh." Green begins to chuckle, quietly, as he sinks to the ground. After a few moments he lies motionless. (set: $choice to "corpseshot") [["See you in hell, you son of a bitch."->The End]] [["About damn time you paid for what you did."->The End]] [["That's that, I reckon."->The End]]]]](if: $backstory is 2)[(link: `"Guess you won't be seeing that reward, huh?"`)["Honestly... it wasn't about... the reward. The old gang's dead and gone, 'cept for you and me. I didn't like... the idea of being the... last member in the band." Green spits up blood. (link: `"I'm surprised it mattered that much to you."`)["Guess I just never... had nobody else..." Green trails off. After a few moments, his body goes slack. (set: $choice to "corpseshot") [["Goodbye."->The End]] [["This don't change anything. You were still a son-of-a-bitch, far as I was concerned."->The End]] [["That's that, I reckon."->The End]]]]](if: $backstory is 3)["You... coward... can't even take a...bullet... (link: `"Looks like you can't, neither."`)[Green tries to spit blood at you, but it only dribbles down the front of his mouth. After a few minutes his body goes slack. (set: $choice to "corpseshot") [["Guess I wasn't too much of a coward to defend myself."->The End]] [["See you in hell."->The End]] [["That's that, I reckon."->The End]]]](if: $backstory is 4)["You were... so beautiful... I'm glad I... got a chance to... know you..." [(link: `"Creep."`)[(replace: `"Uh, thanks, I guess."`)[]Green gurgles something at you. Blood issues from his mouth. After a few moments, his body goes limp. (set: $choice to "corpseshot") [["I feel like I need to take a bath. At least that's over."->The End]] [["What a poor, sick bastard."->The End]] [["That's that, I reckon."->The End]]] ]<Creep|(link: `"Uh, thanks, I guess."`)[(replace: ?Creep)[]Green gurgles something at you. Blood issues from his mouth. After a few moments, his body goes limp. (set: $choice to "corpseshot") [["I feel like I need to take a bath. At least that's over."->The End]] [["What a poor, sick bastard."->The End]] [["That's that, I reckon."->The End]]]]Whether out of hesitation, a lack of bullets, or plain old lethargy, you're slow to draw. Green is not. (replace: ?BigKill)[] The bullet strikes you in the sternum; you feel muscle rend like cloth and bones split like hairs. <script> A.t['bigiron'].loop(false).play(); </script> You hear soft words as your consciousness dies: (if: $backstory is 1)["At least in hell you'll get to be with the other cheats and liars."](if: $backstory is 2)["Maybe I'll buy myself a horse. No, a farm. A mine. Two mines...?"](if: $backstory is 3)["Guess they were wrong - looks like a coward only dies *one* death. Shame."](if: $backstory is 4)["Now you'll be mine forever."] Not quite a glamorous ending. Maybe you'd like to try from the beginning. Start over?(click: "Start over?")[(reload:)]You trudge onto Main Street. Judging by the ramshackle nature of the houses around you, the unpaved dirt roads snaking through town, and the empty bottles littering the sides of the road, the town's seen better days. A few places in town still look inhabited, however. The church at one end of the L-shaped Main Street is, if not well-kept, then at least standing. The general store, which you stand before, has recently been painted. And, of course, there's the bar at the corner of town. You can hear drunken voices and the occasional clatter of glasses from within. The sun hovers on the horizon. [["Bar's always a good place to start."->Bar]] [["Maybe I'll go check on the church. See if Father Gabriel's still kicking."->Church]] [["I don't have much to buy, but maybe I'll take a gander at the store anyhow."->Store]] [["Think I'll go see $horse."->Horse]]"Yes!" Gregovich places the coin in his mouth and clamps down on so hard you think you can hear a tooth crack. But as he opens his mouth again his gap-toothed grin is wicked. "The book is yours! Thank!" (set: $Gold to it - 50)(set: $bought to 1) You slip the tattered book into your duster. {<script> A.t['get'].play(); </script>} (set: $Quest2 to 3) (color: "indigo")[**You get: a Frayed Scrapbook**.] [["I hope this was worth it."->Gregovich2]]<div id= "noheader"><div id= "nofoot"><div id="title"><img src="images/logo2.png" height= "300" width= "500"> (replace: ?BigKill)[] (if: $start is not 1)[(link: "START")[[[New Game->Into Town]] (if: (saved-games:) contains "Slot A")[{[ (link: "Continue")[<script> A.t['menu'].fade(1.0, 0.0, 2000); </script>(load-game:"Slot A")] ]} ][[How To Play]] [[Enter Code]] [[Credits]] <script> A.t['menu'].play(); A.t['menu'].loop(true); </script></div></div></div> (set: $start to 1) (css: "font-size: 130%;")[<div id= "stop"><tw-link name='mute' onclick='A.c.mute(this)'>Mute</tw-link><script> var $mute = $('tw-link[name=mute]'); if (A.c.isMuted && $mute[0] && !$mute.hasClass('muted')) { $mute.addClass('muted'); } </script></div>]]](else:)[[[New Game->Into Town]] (if: (saved-games:) contains "Slot A")[{[ (link: "Continue")[<script> A.t['menu'].fade(1.0, 0.0, 2000); </script>(load-game:"Slot A")] ]} ][[How To Play]] [[Enter Code]] [[Credits]] </div></div> (set: $start to 1) (css: "font-size: 130%;")[<div id= "stop"><tw-link name='mute' onclick='A.c.mute(this)'>Mute</tw-link><script> var $mute = $('tw-link[name=mute]'); if (A.c.isMuted && $mute[0] && !$mute.hasClass('muted')) { $mute.addClass('muted'); } </script></div>]] {<div id="first-passage"> {(if: $bottle is 1)[<img src="images/oil.png" alt= "Elixir" height= "100" width= "100">](if: $lockpick is 1)[<img src="images/pick.png" alt= "Lockpick" height= "100" width= "100">] (if: $Quest1 is 3 or $cylinder is 1)[<img src= "images/recording.png" height = "100" width= "100">] (if: $Gold is > 49)[<img src= "images/coin.png" height = "100" width = "100">] (if: $Gold is > 99)[<img src= "images/coin.png" height = "100" width = "100">] (if: $Quest2 is 3)[<img src= "images/book.png" height = "100" width = "100">] (if: $KeyGot is 1)[<img src= "images/key.png" height = "100" width = "100">] (if: $boozehound is 1)[<img src= "images/bottle.png" height = "100" width = "100">] (if: $backstory is 1)[<img src= "images/shovel.png" height = "100" width = "100">] (if: $backstory is 4)[<img src= "images/stick.png" height = "100" width = "100">] (if: $paper is 1)[<img src= "images/list.png" height = "100" width = "100">] (if: $matches is 1)[<img src= "images/matches.png" height = "100" width = "100">] (if: $shiv is 1)[<img src= "images/shank.png" height = "100" width = "100">]} </div> (if: not ((passage:)'s tags contains "menu"))[(set: $lastPassage to (passage:)'s name)]} {(css: "font-size: 130%;")[<span class="menu">(link: "Main Menu")[(reload:)]</span>(if: $savehide is not 1)[(set: $saved to "Save") <span class="save">|savebtn>[(display: "savecode")]</span>] <tw-link name='mute' onclick='A.c.mute(this)'>Mute</tw-link><script> var $mute = $('tw-link[name=mute]'); if (A.c.isMuted && $mute[0] && !$mute.hasClass('muted')) { $mute.addClass('muted'); } </script>]}(set: $QuestAlt1 to 5)"Well, I'll be." The drunk's mouth splits into a wide grin, displaying brown teeth. "Can' believe you'd come through fer an old drunk like meself. Thanksh, pal." He pops the cork on the bottle and, after briefly giving you a mock-salute, tips it toward his mouth. A brownish liquid pours into his gullet. After a few moments he stops, his brow furrowing. He tips the bottle up and cranes his neck at it. (link: `"Everything all right?"`)["Partner, I think... I think thish ish jusht shwill. Cheap shwill." (link: `"Oh."`)["You win shome, you loshe shome." The old drunk staggers toward you, a tattered, ripped paper in his hand. "Here. For yer time." He pushes it into your palm without another word and toddles off, mumbling. [["Ok, then."->QuestAlt1Cont]] [["Talk about a waste."->QuestAlt1Cont]]]]You realize that, in addition to the paper, the drunk has pushed a bullet into your hand. Where he got it or why you can't possibly fathom, but now you're a bullet up. (set: $bullets to it + 1)(set: $bottle to 0) (color: "indigo")[**You gained a bullet!**] You put the bullet away and turn to read the note. <script> A.t['get'].play(); </script> "Vern, I ____ you once but __ ___ as ___ conc_____ we're square. _ don't ____ to _____ ____ or anybody else anymore - I'm _________. All I can say is that if you really, *really* got _________, there's a ___ beneath the pulpit in the church. With it you ________ the hideout. But you better not bring any lawmen with you! -Ed" Seems that Green had some kind of connection with the drunk, and that there's something you can get in the church. Hopefully all this work was worth it. (set: $MainQuestNote to 1) [["I hope so, too."->Town]] [["If it puts Green in the ground, anything's worth it."->Town]]You circle around the boat four times without finding the slightest means of entry. The gunwale is too high for you to grab, and the armor plates have absorbed a tremendous amount of heat from the constant rays of sunlight; they're blistering to the touch. You probably wouldn't be able to climb them even if they weren't. There aren't any ladders or garbage piles you can use for leverage, no visible holes in the ship's port or starboard that you can clamber in through, no doorways or portholes or other places of entry. It doesn't look like squatters have found much purchase either; the ship is like a gigantic steel golem, unmolested by the chisels of man. I don't think there's anything you can do here. [["You have to be joking."->Boat3]] [["Fine. I didn't want to look at that stupid ship anyway."->JunkHeapPathSouth1]] It's not a joke - the boat's solid as hell. It'd take at least a whole box of dynamite to open her up, and it ain't likely that you're going to find one here. Or anywhere. [["So there's really nothing I can do?"->BoatRIP]]I know it's hard to accept. But in time you'll move on. [["I hate you."->JunkHeapPathSouth1]] [["This is a crime against everything I know and love."->JunkHeapPathSouth1]] [["I didn't care that much anyway."->JunkHeapPathSouth1]](either: "Aiming at nothing in particular, you lift your pistol and fire into the distance. The bullet vanishes in an eye-blink.", "You fire into one of the massive trash piles beside you. A metal gun safe, long since rusted shut, absorbs the bullet impact and showers you with sparks and dust.", "You fire into one of the massive trash piles beside you. Your bullet lodges itself in the side of a massive ebony piano that appears to have been shorn in half. You've no idea what would cause this kind of damage to a piano of this size, but it's a moot point at the moment.", "You fire into the dirt. There's no visible effect aside from a small cloud of dust.") (link-goto: `"Back I go, I guess."`, $lastPassage)(either: "Aiming at nothing in particular, you lift your pistol and fire into the distance. The bullet vanishes in an eye-blink.", "You fire into one of the massive trash piles beside you. A metal gun safe, long since rusted shut, absorbs the bullet impact and showers you with sparks and dust.", "You fire into one of the massive trash piles beside you. Your bullet lodges itself in the side of a massive ebony piano that appears to have been shorn in half. You've no idea what would cause this kind of damage to a piano of this size, but it's a moot point at the moment.", "You fire into the dirt. There's no visible effect aside from a small cloud of dust.") (link-goto: `"Back I go, I guess."`, $lastPassage)You fire somewhat pointlessly into the building's facade. The bullet glances off a stone slab without breaking or dislodging it and vanishes somewhere in the distance. Nice shooting. [["Shut up."->JunkHeapBuilding]] [["Don't mess with me. I have a gun!"->JunkHeapBuilding]]Your bullet strikes the door, forcing it open. Seeing how you had already unlocked the door, there wasn't much point in trying that. [["Never hurts to be safe."->HideoutInt]]"Fine," Gregovich grumbles. He snaps the book closed and takes it into the back room. As he leaves you realize you can see snatches of $horse through the now-empty doorway. There are considerable slits in the back wall's woodwork; the boards holding it together look mighty flimsy. Gregovich returns to the counter. [["Anyway..."->Gregovich2]]With your work in Slate City done, it's time to move on. (replace: ?BigKill)[] No one stands to send you off as you as you (if: $buckshot is 0)[mount (if: $backstory is 1)[Buck](if: $backstory is 2)[Robin](if: $backstory is 3)[Cortez](if: $backstory is 4)[Lupe] on the edge of Main Street.](else:)[stand on the edge of Main Street.] (if: $honor is 0)[Angry eyes and hateful murmurs follow you on your way out of town. Shooting Green sure isn't going to net you any friends. If you'd fought him honorably and given him a chance to draw it's possible that you could stick around for a little while, but you get the sense that if you stay for much longer a lynch mob is going to form. Best to get moving.](if: $honor is 1)[You gave Green a proper chance to duel you, which is especially honorable considering everything he did. Though no one has expressly mentioned it on your way out of town, you suspect that the few townspeople of Slate City admire you for what you've done, and, if you'd decided to stay, would happily welcome you into the community. But you have places to be.] (if: $Quest1 is 5)[Not much changes at the Frayed Noose. The place is a little livelier with the music from the player piano, though. After some time the piano-man, with the help of the barmaid, amasses enough funds to purchase a newer, less gunshot-prone model of piano.](else:)[The Frayed Noose remains silent, save for drunken murmuring, rowdy fights, and the occasional gunshot.](if: $QuestAlt1 is 5 and $DrunkLife is not 2)[ The drunk that you helped goes on to be the mayor of Slate City. He's still a drunk, of course, and little changes for the city at large.](if: $DrunkLife is 2)[ No one notices the body of the drunk.](if: $QuestAlt1 is 4 and $DrunkLife is not 2)[ The drunk continues his drinking, neither particularly helped nor hampered by your interference in his life.] (if: $PriestDed is not 1)[You helped Father Gabriel regain some semblance of his lost memories. Though the old man might not be wholly sound of mind, you managed to give him a last bit of hope to get him through the autumn years of his life.](if: $PriestDed is 1)[No one ever solves Father Gabriel's murder, though it wouldn't take much to realize it had something to do with the lone drifter that came through town. With the only real spiritual head of the town decapitated, the church quickly falls to ruin. Soon all that passes through the wide stone halls are rats.] Gregovich continues to run the general store, and nobody can really do much about that. (if: $CougarDefeated is not 1)[The Junk Child continues to harass, bother, and otherwise annoy would-be scavengers and vagabonds, preventing them from entering the Junk Heap. With time the dump is no longer frequented by anyone at all, becoming a veritable monument of refuse.](if: $CougarDefeated is 1)[With the Junk Child's disappearance, the Junk Heap becomes a bustling hub of vagabonds and drifters. The looming scrap-metal spires are quickly cut down to size, and what was once the town waste problem is now nothing more than a wide, empty field.] (if: $finale is 1)[Green's death puts one of the last specters of your past to rest. He will be mourned only by his grandmother, and even then, only a little.](if: $finale is 2)[Green's death puts one of the last specters of your past to rest. No one remains alive to mourn him which is, perhaps, for the best.] With your business finally concluded, you begin your lonely (if: $buckshot is 0)[ride](else:)[walk] into the wilderness. It isn't long until Slate City is a tiny speck on the endless brown horizon. Part of you wonders if things might have been different if you were to do things over. But maybe you can try again...(click: "try again...")[(reload:)](color: #8B0000)[**`[Soldier]`**] "Your lover was tainted by your cowardice. I didn't mean to shoot them, but their number was up the moment they picked somebody like you." "You're gutless. You left the armed forces because you couldn't hack it. People like you," he taps his pistol, "need to be made an example of." (link: `"I didn't realize the infantry was a life-service position."`)["That's not what this is about!" Green shrieks. Spittle flies from his mouth. "You abandoned your platoon! You abandoned all of us! You're an embarrassment as a soldier and as a human being!" [["Are you here to spit accusations, or here to fight? It's time to put an end to this, one way or another."->Showdown]] [["I'm no coward. Just somebody who doesn't see eye-to-eye with you. Can't we talk things over?"->GraveyardTalkMain]]](color: #8B0000)[**`[Bandit]`**] "Sorry, boss, but I just can't let things go. We did some terrible things, you and I. Things you can't just walk away from." (link: `"Oh, shove it. Before the shootout with the Feds we only hit those who could take it. Bank owners, politicians, whoever. Only time anybody died was when Easy Johnny flew off the handle, and we let him go after that. You can't look me in the face and tell me this is some god damn morality play."`)[Green's harsh features slide into a sheepish grin. "No, I guess you ain't wrong. Honestly... a couple grand for your head won't hurt nobody." (link: `"It's been years, Green. The bounty was rescinded."`)["Oh, that's convenient." Green pats his sidearm. "Still, I get the feeling the Feds'd appreciate what I did for them. Criminal's a criminal, pal." [["We'll see about that. Get ready to draw, you yellow dog!"->Showdown]] [["Maybe we can still talk about this."->GraveyardTalkMain]]]](color: #8B0000)[**`[Prospector]`**] Green shrugs a meaty shoulder. "Collateral damage. I was going for you but if somebody got caught between us than they had to die. Simple as that." "If you're wondering about yourself, it's 'cuz you cheated me. Funny for you to forget." (link: `"I never cheated anybody, you son of a bitch."`)["So you're a liar, too. That's fine. Won't keep me from shootin' you either way." "You beat me at cards both times we played. Your plot of land snaked my gold. You had all the luck, while all I got was pain and sufferin'. You took everything from me whenever you could, without thinking. Even if you thought you didn't, you did." [["You're nuts, pal. Let's just get this over with."->Showdown]] [["Hang on - I don't think you're in your right mind. How the hell would my plot of land taken from yours? They weren't even next to each other. We can talk about this."->GraveyardTalkMain]]]You fire into the lock. The material must be stronger than it looks; your bullet glances off the metal, scouring it heavily, but doesn't seem to deal much damage to the mechanism. The door itself doesn't budge when you try to shoulder it open. [["Damn it."->HideoutDoor]] [["They're making these better than they used to."->HideoutDoor]]Green's smile melts like snow on a burning day. "You... you did what?" [(link: `"She got in my way. I hope she wasn't anybody *important* to you, Green..."`)[(replace: `"Well gee, Green. It don't feel too good to lose somebody you love, does it?"`)[][Green's mouth contorts, a grimace of utter rage. "You... you..." He chokes up, unable to speak. [["I think we should end this."->Showdown]]] ] ]<replace|(link: `"Well gee, Green. It don't feel too good to lose somebody you love, does it?"`)[(replace: ?replace)[][Green's mouth contorts, a grimace of utter rage. "You... you..." He chokes up, unable to speak. [["I think we should end this."->Showdown]]]]Knowing you have no other options, you draw your revolver and hurl it at Green. (set: $trueflight to (either: "1","2","3","4","5","6","7","8","9","10"))(if: $trueflight is "3")[Through some miraculous chain of events, your aim is true. The revolver slams Green in the temple with a sickening *crunch*. For a few moments he stands, swaying, his mouth open in a wide O of baffled uncertainty, his hand on the now-bleeding part of his skull. Then he collapses. [["I can't believe that worked."->The End]]](else:)[You miss. [["Uh oh."->Bad End]]](if: (A.t['windloop'].playing()) is not true)[<script> A.t['windloop'].loop(true).play(); A.t['windloop'].volume(.9); </script>](if: $backstory is 1)[The cracked, woodless landscape stretches into the distance. The sun beats down upon you. (set: $choice to "TravelShot") (color: #8B0000)[**`[Prospector]`**] As you travel through the empty wilderness your keen eyes, sharpened by years of studying empty, flat piles of dirt, make out a patch of disturbed ground between the Junk Heap and town. [ [["Well, that looks interesting."->HoleOfNote]]]<Dig| (link: `"Nope, I'm keeping on my way. Dirt piles are bad luck."`)[(replace: ?Dig)[]After a few more hours of (if: $buckshot is 0)[riding](if: $buckshot is >0)[walking] you reach town. [["Whew. Glad to be back."->Town]]]](else:)[The cracked, woodless landscape stretches into the distance. The sun beats down upon you. (set: $choice to "TravelShot") After a few hours of (if: $buckshot is 0)[riding](if: $buckshot is >0)[walking] you reach town. [["Whew. Glad to be back."->Town]]]Your lockpick clinks in the door. After a few moments and a few deft turns of your wrist, the lock *clicks* open. <script> A.t['lockpick'].play(); </script> Shame Green didn't accommodate for your lockpicking skill. [["Sure didn't."->Hideout]] [["Bastard didn't accommodate for a lot."->Hideout]]You insert the pointed end of your lockpick into the narrow, corroded mouth of the lock. It only takes you two tries and about thirty second before the lock *clicks* open, and the rusty door creaks wide. <script> A.t['lockpick'].play(); </script>(live: 8s)[<script> A.t['mcreak'].play(); </script>(stop:)] [["Nothing to it."->Cells3]]What is your past? (replace: ?BigKill)[] (set: $Gold to 0)(set: $lockpick to 0)(set: $matches to 0) (color: #8B0000)[**`[Prospector]`**] [["I went to make my fortune out west."]] (color: #8B0000)[**`[Bandit]`**] [["I decided to make my living as a bandit."->"I set out across the land, robbing carriages, banks, the works."]] (color: #8B0000)[**`[Soldier]`**] [["I left to join the army."]] (color: #8B0000)[**`[Drifter]`**] [["I drifted from town to town."->"Ain't your business."]] (if: $Salesman is true)[(color: #8B0000)[**`[Peddler]`**] [["I became a traveling entrepreneur. Care to buy some foot powder?"->Salesman]]]<div id= "nofoot"> (css: "font-size: 130%;")[<div id= "stop"><span class="menu">(link: "Main Menu")[(reload:)]</span><tw-link name='mute' onclick='A.c.mute(this)'>Mute</tw-link><script> var $mute = $('tw-link[name=mute]'); if (A.c.isMuted && $mute[0] && !$mute.hasClass('muted')) { $mute.addClass('muted'); } </script></div>]<div id="title">**Design/Writing** Conor Walsh **Icons/Background** <img src= "images/omnilogo.png" height = "100" width = "250"> (link-repeat: "Omniscape Site")[(open-url: "http://omniscape.co/")] **Menu/Bar/Devil Music** Vivian Scott **Special Thanks** My folks for supporting me during development, StealthyMoose, the fine folks at Obsidian Entertainment, my testers, and the exceedingly patient denizens of the Twine Discord **Powered by** Twine Howler for Harlowe by Chapel [[Back->Opening Credits]]</div><div id= "nofoot"> (css: "font-size: 130%;")[<div id= "stop"><tw-link name='mute' onclick='A.c.mute(this)'>Mute</tw-link><script> var $mute = $('tw-link[name=mute]'); if (A.c.isMuted && $mute[0] && !$mute.hasClass('muted')) { $mute.addClass('muted'); } </script></div>]You place your money on the table. The barmaid scowls as you take the bottle but says nothing more.<script> A.t['get'].play(); </script> (set: $boozehound to 1)(set: $Gold to it - 50) (color: "indigo")[**You get: a Bottle of Booze**.] (if: $sad is 1)[ [["Moving on. What's with the old fella in the corner? He looks like his best friend just died."->Player]]] [["Thanks, lady."->Barmaid]]"You've got a funny way of tryin' to get a feller shober, pally." His eyes focus on the bottle hungrily. You feel a bit like you're waving a drumstick in front of a starving dog. [["Trade you. This bottle for your information."->DrunkAlt2]] [["Never mind, I don't like that look in your eyes."->DrunkDisappointed]]The drunk gives a heavy, wracking sigh. "God, forgive me fer thish." He snatches the bottle from your hand and, in one fluid motion, pops the lid, setting it in his mouth. (set: $QuestAlt1 to 4) Gulping hungrily from the bottle, the drunk does not speak as he thrusts a tattered note into your arms with his free hand. Without so much as a note of acknowledgement, he wanders away. (link: `"You're welcome, buddy."`)[The drunk gone, you look down at the note in your hands. It reads: "Vern, I ____ you once but __ ___ as ___ conc_____ we're square. _ don't ____ to _____ ____ or anybody else anymore - I'm _________. All I can say is that if you really, *really* got _________, there's a ___ beneath the pulpit in the church. With it you ________ the hideout. But you better not bring any lawmen with you! -Ed" Seems that Green had some kind of connection with the drunk, and that there's something you can get in the church. (set: $MainQuestNote to 1) [["Hope it's something I can shoot."->Town]] [["Interesting."->Town]]]The drunk's eyes narrow, brimming with heated rage. "You've got a weird shensh of humor, pardner. Ya'll should count yer lucky shtarsh that I ain't a violent type." [["Sorry, don't like fueling addictions. I'll be back."->Town]] [["Quaking in my boots, here. Bye."->Town]](either: 'The demon quirks an eyebrow at you.', 'The demon chuckles. "Quaint."', '"Ah, yes, bullets. Entirely lethal to creatures from beyond the realm of time and space. How *did* you guess it?" The demon rolls his eyes.', 'The demon snorts.', 'The hand of the demon flickers, becoming a reddish blur. When next your eyes focus on it, you see that the demon holds your still-smoking bullet in his pointed fingers. "I think it imprudent to waste these." He tosses it away.') [["Uh... anyway..."->DemonHub]]You step closer to the backside of **Romanov's General Goods.** (set: $choice to "Boardshot") It looks like the boards that originally made up the back wall of the building were eroded away, whether by weather or termites, forming a small hole. Someone, probably Gregovich, has attempted to repair the damage by nailing boards across the hole. Someone, probably Gregovich, did an exceedingly poor job. You can see the black leather book that Gregovich showed you earlier through some of the spaces between boards. [["Maybe I can reach it."->You can't]] [["Screw it, I'll come back later."->Town]]You try to force a hand between the boards, but the space is too small for you to slip more than part of your hand through. You stop after a little while; the last thing you want is for Gregovich to see your fingers and tear them off. Pulling at the boards won't accomplish much, either. You'll have to try something else. [["Dammit."->Town]]You take aim at the boards and fire. (set: $choice to "Outside")(set: $bullets to it + 1)(set: $Quest2 to 3) The wood fares *very* poorly against your .44, exploding into microscopic splinters. The resulting blast leaves very little of Gregovich's crude repair job. Leaning forward, you can see that Gabriel's book is largely unscathed, save for a few chips and scratches from flying shards of wood. There doesn't appear to be much else in the back room - save for a lone bullet sitting next to the book. It looks like it's the same caliber your revolver uses. (link: `"Christmas is coming early."`)[You grab the bullet and the book. <script> A.t['get'].play(); </script> With nothing else to grab, you leave. The last thing you want is to be caught by Gregovich now. (color: "indigo")[**You get: a Frayed Scrapbook**.] (color: "indigo")[**You gained a bullet!**] [["Looks like it was a pretty lucrative day."->Town]]]You shoot the dead cougar again. Really not a cat person, are you? (set: $choice to "EdgeCase") [["Nope."->JunkHeapMain]] [["Just wanted to make sure. These things have nine lives..."->JunkHeapMain]]Your gunshot echoes through the silent jailhouse. Nothing you shoot, unfortunately, is much affected. You take a step back to resurvey your surroundings. (set: $choice to "JailShot") [["If you say so."->Jail]] [["Least they can't arrest me."->Jail]]You fire your .44. (set: _Temp to (either: "1", "2"))(if: _Temp is "1")[Somehow, your unaimed, randomly fired bullets hits its mark. An old man wearing a saucepan on his head was just about to enter the building but was struck by your bullet. He's not dead; the shot glanced off his saucepan and though it didn't hurt him he appears to be stunned. It might be a good thing; he doesn't look particularly sane. (set: $choice to "NutterShot")(set: $LunaticShot to 1) [["Uh... howdy, partner. Sorry about the bullet."->NutterJail]] [["Oh, I don't like this - I'm out of here!"->JunkHeapPathSouth1]]](if: _Temp is "2")[Your bullet vanishes in a puff of dust as it embeds itself in the far wall. Though you didn't know anyone was coming, it appears your instincts were warning you - a figure wearing a saucepan on his head stands in the doorway, blocking your exit. He does not address you. (set: $choice to "NutterShot") [["Uh... howdy, pardner."->NutterJail]] [["You gonna talk, or you just gonna stand there and look stupid?"->NutterJail]]]You fire into the steel hull of the boat. (set: $choice to "BoatShot2") I can't say I'm much sure of what you were thinking. The ship's an ironclad; it is *designed* to shrug off grapeshot like drops of rain. Your .44 hardly puts a dent in the reinforced steel plating, and now you've wasted a bullet. [["It was worth a try."->JunkHeapPathSouth1]] [["Hey, you never know."->JunkHeapPathSouth1]] [["You're lucky I need to save these - I'm tempted to shoot it again, just to spite you."->JunkHeapPathSouth1]](set: $choice to "BoatShot3")Apparently unperturbed by your earlier failure, you again draw your revolver and again fire into the boat's steel shell. Apparently you missed what I said earlier - the boat is *wrapped in steel*. Unless you're firing bullets filled with molten acid there's no way in hell you're going to make anything more than a small dent in this thing. Why are you even trying? [["Because I could, I guess."->JunkHeapPathSouth1]] [["I ain't gotta explain myself to you."->JunkHeapPathSouth1]](set: $choice to "BoatShot4")You're... you're still trying this? Fine. The bullet pings off the steel without scratching it. Did you read a little too much Don Quixote as a kid? You don't have a chance in hell of getting into this boat. Quit it. You're pissing me off. [["All right, all right. You don't hafta be rude."->JunkHeapPathSouth1]] [["I'll fight you. I'll fight anyone."->JunkHeapPathSouth1]](set: $choice to "BoatShotCont")I... what? I can't believe this. (set: $altshot to 1) Somehow, your bullet managed to find a chink in the boat's armor. A string of armor plates burst off the port-side of the boat, revealing a large hole in the wood beneath. Apparently... apparently it wasn't quite as stable as it looked. (link: `"Oh, this is rich."`)[Shut up. Just... shut up. Go in the damn boat and stop bothering me. [["I think I will."->BoatInterior]] [["Nah, not that interested right now. I'll come back later."->JunkHeapPathSouth1]]]You step into the battered ironclad. The reek of rot and mildew assails you instantly. Years on the open sea followed by what was likely an immediate, lengthy sinking haven't been kind to the *Dustmite's* innards. Something skitters in the darkness; your muscles tense. After a few moments a small rat skitters over your right foot and out into the sunlight. Up ahead you can only see darkness. [["Gotta be something good in a ship like this, right?"->BoatInterior2]] [["Oh, no way. I'm outta here."->JunkHeapPathSouth1]]You shoot the side of the boat. Would you quit rubbing it in? The boat's already open. You can go in or leave but shooting it more isn't going to do much - and I'm certain of that this time. [["Guess I'll go in."->BoatInterior]] [["Not that interested in checking out ghost ships right now. I'll come back later."->JunkHeapPathSouth1]]The cell is barren but for the desiccated skeleton within. You stoop down to take a closer look at it. (set: $Salesmandoom to 1) It appears that this man - at least, you presume it was once a man - was fairly well-to-do. What you earlier identified as black rags are the distant remains of a tailored suit, and about the white-bleached crown of the skeleton still sits the rotten rim of what was once a top hat. You notice a strip of yellowed paper sticking out of the ex-jacket's shirt-pocket. [["Think I'll give that a look."->TheSalesman2]] [["Skeletons are scary. I'll pass."->Jail]]//Diary of a Salesman You would not **believe** how thick-headed the people in this town are. I came in early Sunday morning, hoping to sell my wares to the congregation as they left church. I'd hardly said the words "If God isn't helping with what ails you, perhaps a good ol' dollop of snake oil can!" before a horde of these... bumpkins had surrounded my cart. In a minute they had overturned it; in another they had grabbed me. I fear my neck would have been stretched a few inches longer had not the town sheriff intervened in time. Yet instead of setting me free, he had me thrown in jail, claiming I had not the proper permits to sell wares in town! The **nerve!** Once my cousin arrives from out of town, and once I'm freed, I'll see that that yokel has a stern talking-to!// You see some markings on the bottom of the paper. Neither the handwriting nor the ink color matches the rest of the note. //`_ O _ _`// It's hard for you to discern exactly what this means. Perhaps in another life, or another three, you could gain more insight. [["Hmm."->Jail]]You approach the dirt patch that caught your eye(if: $buckshot is 0)[ and dismount (if: $backstory is 1)[Buck](if: $backstory is 2)[Robin](if: $backstory is 3)[Cortez](if: $backstory is 4)[Lupe].] (set: $choice to "PreDigShoot") It appears that your instincts were correct - the soil here is pointedly different from the earth across the rest of the desolate landscape. Where most of the ground is so dry that it's cracked, the earth here looks freshly tilled. You get a feeling that something's buried beneath you. And if it's been buried this far into the middle of nowhere, it can't be anything good. [["Don't matter. It's time to dig."->Digging]] [["On second thought... I think I'm going to head to town after all."->Town]](if: $buckshot is >0)[You raise your pistol and fire. Nothing happens. (if: $backstory is 1)[[["That was... fun, I guess. May as well check out the dirt pile now."->HoleOfNote]] ][["Guess I might as well keep going to town."->Town]]](if: $buckshot is 0)[You lift your arm to the skies and fire. You don't see where the bullet lands. (set: $choice to "Outside") (if: $backstory is 1)[Buck](if: $backstory is 2)[Robin](if: $backstory is 3)[Cortez](if: $backstory is 4)[Lupe], panicked by the shooting, sprints into a gallop. You don't manage to calm (if: $backstory is 1 or $backstory is 3)[him](if: $backstory is 2 or $backstory is 4)[her] down until you reach town. [["Damn horse..."->Town]]]You grab your shovel and begin to dig. (set: $choice to "PostDigShoot")<script> A.t['dig'].loop(false).play(); </script> After no more than ten minutes the tip of your spade strikes something hard. You stoop in the dirt, brushing away to reveal what lies beneath. It doesn't take long, though part of you wishes it had. A skeletal hand, still clasping a faded paper, sticks out of the dirt at an awkward angle. The decaying sleeve of a tailored suit is the only other part that you can see - or care to see - of the arm's owner. Everything else is buried beneath you. This doesn't seem like a natural burial. Your hair stands on end. [["Let's take a look at that note."->TheSalesman1]]//Diary of a Salesman Saul disappeared some time ago on visit to this town. Father sent me to look for him and thus, here I am. Father is a fool. We all know what happened to Saul. He was always the dumbest out of the four of us, always the bluntest - I'd be willing to bet he did something particularly foolish within minutes of arriving here. Burst into the middle of church during Mass, tried to sell his wares to the preacher. Thinking about it makes me smile despite myself. Whatever the case, I will succeed where he failed. I do believe that the heathens in the town watering hole could use some enlightenment - I will enter and remain until I have sold my entire stock of Bibles. It shan't be difficult, I suspect. After all, I was always the most charismatic brother.// You see some markings on the bottom of the paper. Neither the handwriting nor the ink color matches the rest of the note. //`D _ _ _`// It's hard for you to discern exactly what this means. Perhaps in another life, or another three, you could gain more insight. [["Hmm. Guess I'll keep moving, then."->Town]]You shoot the dirt patch. Your bullet vanishes into the dirt, but you're no closer to digging the pile up. [["Guess I'll... just use my shovel."->Digging]] [["On second thought... I think I'm going to head to town after all."->Town]]You fire at the skeletal hand but miss. Maybe you need some glasses, or something. The paper remains where it was. [["I think I'll give the note a read."->TheSalesman1]] [["Brain's full of enough info, thanks. Time to move on."->Town]]You shoot Green in the face, cutting his last words off with a thunderous explosion and a splatter of viscera. (set: $choice to "corpseshot") [["What, you thought I was gonna listen to that bastard?"->The End]] [["Wanted to make sure he wouldn't get up."->The End]] [["See you in hell, you son of a bitch."->The End]]After a few minutes of digging, you unearth something.<script> A.t['dig'].loop(false).play(); </script> (link: `"Well? What the hell is it?"`)[<script> A.t['get'].play(); </script> It's a single gold coin. It looks valuable. (color: "indigo")[**You get: a $50 Gold Piece**.] (set: $Gold to it + 50)(set: $dughere to 1) [["Neat. There's gotta be something at the end of all this, though - onward!"->JunkHeapNorth5]] [["That's good enough luck for one day. Time to head back."->JunkHeapPathEast1]]]It takes barely half a minute for you to find the ship's mortal wound. (set: $shipopen to 1) One of the *Dustmite's* many armor plates has been fitted over a hole the size and width of a carriage. Someone without knowledge of what combat damage looks like might not have noticed the telltale signs of splintered wood around the edge of the steel plate, but you did. It seems almost as if someone has *intentionally* set the plate up here, as if to make it seem like the ship can't be entered from any side. But with a bit of elbow grease you manage to force the plate far enough out of the way to reveal an opening just wide enough to slip through. [["In we go."->BoatInterior]] [["Hell if I'm going in there. Find some other chump."->JunkHeapPathSouth1]]The boards beneath your feet creak like casketwood. Your teeth chatter. Something about the darkness feels icy, which shouldn't make any sense. But whether or not it's rational, it's still present. As you turn a corner in the derelict cruiser the darkness splits so suddenly that you start. The room up ahead is illuminated by dusty light filtering through a crack in the ceiling. What you had earlier recognized as a rotten odor has intensified. You quickly see why. The ray issuing from the ceiling focuses on the black hull of a cannon, which lies on its side in the center of the room. Draped over the cannon is a skeletonized corpse. [["I mean, how can I *not* take a look at the body?"->Totally dead]] [["Oh, hell no. I know what happens next, I'm out of here."->JunkHeapPathSouth1]]You turn the skeleton over as gingerly as you can. No scraps of humanity remain on the body, thankfully; it's as dead as dead can be. You wonder how long it's been here. Perhaps the original owner of this skeleton was a stowaway on the *Dustmite.* Maybe he died when the ship sank and no one thought to move the body. But judging by the scraps of once-fine clothes wrapped around the skeletal frame, it might be more fitting to wager that the ship came first. A scrap of paper is sticking out of what remains of the skeleton's shirt pocket. [["Let's give this a look..."->TheSalesman3]]//Diary of a Salesman Townspeople burned my cart. Needed a place to rest. I think I might die.// The rest of the paper is soaked with blood. Looks like this fella predicted right, unluckily for him. You see some markings on the bottom of the paper. Neither the handwriting nor the ink color matches the rest of the note. //`_ _ S _`// It's hard for you to discern exactly what this means. Perhaps in another life, or another three, you could gain more insight. [["Hmm."->JunkHeapPathSouth1]]<div id= "nofoot">(replace: ?BigKill)[]Transition through slides by clicking the blue links. Click the icon of the gun (top right) to fire your pistol. Some situations can't be solved with your gun, whereas others might require two or more shots. You only have six bullets, so being discerning's a good idea - but feel free to experiment. You might have a chance to replenish your bullets if you make a mistake. Have fun, pardner! [[Back->Opening Credits]] (css: "font-size: 130%;")[<div id= "stop"><tw-link name='mute' onclick='A.c.mute(this)'>Mute</tw-link><script> var $mute = $('tw-link[name=mute]'); if (A.c.isMuted && $mute[0] && !$mute.hasClass('muted')) { $mute.addClass('muted'); } </script></div>]"You some kind of mental defective?" Green tweaks his mustache. "Track a man for six long years, chase him halfway across the country, and finally corner him with a pistol at your side just to say, 'Don't sweat it, we're square' at the last moment?" "That ain't how things are gonna go. This has to end with one of us in the dirt." [["Let's do this, then."->Showdown]] [["I ain't gonna stoop to your level. I'm gone."->Nah]]Green stares blankly at you. "You sure are." As you turn around and begin to walk away, you hear the sound of a pistol being unholstered, of the click of a hammer. [["He wouldn't shoot an unarmed man in the back."->Wrong]]You hear the roar of the gunshot barely a moment before the bullet zips through your torso. (replace: ?BigKill)[] You feel it tear straight into the middle of your spine, shredding it like a tissue before exiting through your sternum. You don't even manage to take another step before you collapse like a broken mannequin. As your consciousness dies, you hear gruff words: (if: $backstory is 1)["At least in hell you'll get to be with the other cheats and liars."](if: $backstory is 2)["Maybe I'll buy myself a horse. No, a farm. Maybe a mine..."](if: $backstory is 3)["Guess they were wrong - looks like a coward only dies *one* death. Shame."](if: $backstory is 4)["Now you'll be mine forever."] Not quite a glamorous ending. Maybe you'd like to try from the beginning. Start over?(click: "Start over?")[(reload:)]As you regain consciousness, you immediately sit up and fire your pistol. Unfortunately, nobody's there. Your bullet is wasted on the wall in front of you. (link: `"God damn it, that *hurt*."`)[While teaching the old-timer a lesson in civility would brighten your day, you find, as you sit up in one of the cells, that he's no longer in the jailhouse. At least he seems to have failed to realize that this particular cell has no door. You push yourself to your feet and step out. As you do, you notice that your revolver's cylinder isn't locked. Panic strikes you, and you peer into the chambers to find that in addition to the bullet you fired, one of your bullets has been removed. It's nowhere to be found. [["God damn it."->JunkHeapPathSouth1]]]You shoot Green's body. He sure is dead all right. [["Great."->The End]] [["Wish I could hurt him worse, for what he did to me."->The End]]You approach the train car. You can hear the fluttering of fabric in the breeze, and can see the edge of something tattered and black every so often as you look up. Had you not spent years on the road, with nothing to rely on but your instincts, you would never have noticed it. You should be able to reach it with your walking stick. [["Might as well, hmm."->TrainRoof2]] [["Perhaps I will take a look later."->TrainTransition]]You swing the hooked end of your stick overhead. It takes a few tries, but eventually the stick catches. You pull. (link: `"Hope this is something good."`)[A skeleton topples off the roof. [["AAAGH!"->TrainRoof3]]]You stand before the ruined train. (if: $MainQuestHideout is 1)[Below, you believe, is Green's hideout.] (if: $backstory is 4 and $skootal is not 1)[ Something is on the train's roof. ] (if: $MainQuestHideout is 1)[[["Think I'll check under the train."->HideoutEntrance]] ](if: $backstory is 4 and $skootal is not 1)[[["What's that on the roof?"->TrainRoof]] ][["I'm gonna retrace my steps through the Heap."->JunkHeapPath1]]You jerk back as the dry skeleton collapses before you. As your heart rate slows to normal, you step closer to better examine the unfortunate dead fellow. He - you figure it's a he, judging by the rags of what must have once been a suit around his shoulders - must have been dead for quite some time. There isn't a scrap of flesh amongst the bones and tattered, sun-bleached clothes. You notice a yellowed scrap of paper in the skeleton's pocket. [["Well what have we here...?"->TheSalesman4]]//Diary of a Salesman I suspect something terrible befell my brothers. Three of them, anyhow, and something tells me that I'm not to have much better luck, if the mob approaching this junkyard is anything to judge things by. Perhaps I should not have ignored the demands of the odd child guarding the front gate to this place. She likely brought the authorities. The young girl should invest in security of some sort, but I digress. I can only hope that my last brother has better luck than the rest of us.// You see some markings on the bottom of the paper. Neither the handwriting nor the ink color matches the rest of the note. //`_ _ _ H`// It's hard for you to discern exactly what this means. Perhaps in another life, or another three, you could gain more insight. (set: $skootal to 1) [["Hmm."->TrainTransition]]"Of course not!" The demon's sharp-toothed grin makes you feel uneasy. He adjusts his top hat and extends his hand to you. Before you can do anything or move, he grabs your right hand with a forceful claw. (set: $DemonQuest to 1)(set: $paper to 1) Agony shoots deep into the roots of your arm. "THE DEAL IS DONE!" booms the demon, releasing your hand. As you look down at the source of the pain, you notice that your palm is smoldering. The demon has placed a crumpled paper into your hand. <script> A.t['get'].play(); </script> "There are two others. The decrepit barmaid and her talentless partner," the demon croons. "Kill them and I shall share some of my power." (color: "indigo")[**You get: a Binding Contract**.] [["Uh... all right, then. Guess I'll be going."->DemonComment]]"Excellent. Oh - one thing, before you go." "Now that you have made this agreement, I would suggest you follow through with it. I'd *hate* for you to fail to fulfill your part of the bargain, forcing me to condemn you to hellfire for all eternity." He smiles. "Anyhow, off you trot. Come back if you need any help with your quarries." (if: $Maidenrage is >0)[ [["Hang on. I've already tried to shoot people in the bar, but it hasn't worked. Do you have any advice?"->DemonBar]]] [["...right."->Town]]"You're having trouble with the Noose?" The demon flicks his fingers thoughtfully, a tiny green flame sparking between his fingers with each *click*. "I suppose there would be too many unsightly sorts within that cesspit to shoot. Worse than toeing it with the French Ground Army, though not by much. You'd have to find a way to take on the building without putting yourself on the line." "Perhaps that fool Gregovich might have something that can help you." [["All right, I'll give it a try."->DemonHub]] [["Some help you are..."->DemonHub]]"You want matches?" Gregovich taps his chin. "Yes. I have one book left." "Is hundred dollars." (link: `"You have to be joking."`)["Gregovich does not know to joke. Supply and demand. You will not find better matchbook in town. Or many others. Perhaps any others." [["You better give me that matchbook."->GregovichDed?]]] (if: $Gold is 100)[[["All right, all right, you son of a bitch. Here."->Matchbuy]]]Gregovich gives a hearty laugh and slams his hand on the table. "Tiny baby cannot force Gregovich to wrestle if Gregovich does not want to. You would hurt self." (set: $choice to "GregovichAltShot") [["Whatever. I'm gone."->Kicked]] [["Better not upset me. I've got friends in low places..."->Kicked]](if: $Gregovichdead is 1)[You lean over the counter, square up your shot, and shoot Gregovich's dead body. The dead man doesn't so much as twitch, though you do hear a soft (color: #8B0000)[snicker], like a tickle in your nose, in one of your temples. [["Think I'll poke around a little, see if I can't find anything here."->AltShot2]] [["Never liked that guy anyway."->Town]] [["Sorry. Nothing personal."->Town]]](if: $Gregovichdead is not 1)[You draw your pistol. Gregovich laughs again, and leans closer to pummel you - but as he does so his expression suddenly freezes, as does the rest of his body. It seems like he can't move to fight back. (set: $Gregovichdead to 1) You hear a (color: #8B0000)[dark chuckle] in the back of your mind as you point the revolver at Gregovich's trunk-like chest and pull the trigger. The spell is broken. Gregovich flies back against the far wall and slumps to the floor, a trail of blood smearing the wall behind him. The demon will be pleased. [["Think I'll poke around a little, see if I can't find anything here."->AltShot2]] [["Never liked that guy anyway."->Town]] [["Sorry. Nothing personal."->Town]]]You find surprisingly little of use even after poking around for a bit - how Gregovich managed to make ends meet you'll never know. Perhaps he moonlighted as a bodyguard. Or an elephant. All you manage to scrounge up is a lone box of matches. (set: $matches to 1)<script> A.t['get'].play(); </script> (color: "indigo")[**You get: a Book of Matches**.] [["Better than nothing."->Town]]"Gregovich? Dead? And here I was thinking this day wasn't going to get any better." The demon flashes his sharp teeth at you. "You're a regular Mad Dog McGraw, aren't you. He's quite the a card, as it so happens. I think the two of you'll get along. Would get along, I mean, if you were to meet." He winks. (set: $gdead to 1) "That should get you what you need to go after the barmaid. She's wily, that one, so you'd do well to be careful." (link: `"She's an old lady. She won't be a problem."`)["If you think so. It's your funeral." [["Yeah, I do."->Town]] [["Only one way to find out."->Town]]]You slip into an alley, stepping over a drunken old man, and arrive behind the Frayed Noose. (set: $choice to "Annoy") There's not much of interest back here. [["Oh, there's about to be..."->Torch]] [["On second thought, I'm not so sure about this."->Town]]You draw a match and light it. The flame flickers slightly in the weak breeze. The boards in front of you are dry and old; any flames will spread very, very quickly. [["Let's light the wick."->Torch2]] [["Uhh, maybe not..."->Town]]You set your match to the ancient boards. (set: $choice to "burning") In a quarter of an instant, the entire wall before you is bathed in flame. The fire spreads with an unearthly haste, blazing from the back wall and over the sides of the Frayed Noose in an instant. <script> A.t['torch'].fade(0.0,1.0,2000); A.t['torch'].loop(true).play(); A.t['windloop'].volume(.5); </script> It seems impossible, but in scarcely five seconds, the whole building is a funeral pyre. (set: $matches to 0) [["Woah. Neat."->Progress]] [["My god... what have I done?"->Progress]]As you take an alleyway onto main, you look at your handiwork. (set: $choice to "stop") At first you don't think anyone's made it out alive - you notice that the saloon doors have been blocked by a fallen beam. Muffled shouts and yells echo from within. In the distance, though, you can see a horse riding into the distance, in the general direction of the Junk Heap. It's the barmaid. (set: $DemonQuest to 2) [["Shit."->Town]] [["Glad someone got out."->Town]]Your gunshot echoes in the empty store. There's no one to threaten you, or stop you from shooting up the place, or stealing everything that isn't nailed down. [["Maybe I'll try that later."->Store2]]"And you are standing here talking to me... why?" (set: $bm to 1) (link: `"I thought you'd want to know."`)[The demon places his face in his hands. You notice that each finger is tipped with a black claw. "You're lucky you're so stupid. Really, you are. If I had even a hint of an idea that you were mocking me..." He shakes his head. "Just... find her. Hunt her down and you will be rewarded. Fail me and I will make sure you *burn*." [["All right, all right. Calm down."->DemonHub]] [["Uh, sure. I'll get right on that."->DemonHub]]]You take off into the distance. (set: $wounds to 0) After what feels like a rather short journey the Junk Heap looms before you, in all of its gigantic, rusting glory. As you approach, you feel a strange sense of consternation. As if you've done something... terrible. (link: `"Oh, right. The deal with the devil."`)[(if: $JunkVisit is 0)[The Junk Heap is wide and unpleasant, surrounded by a rickety but dense chicken-wire fence. Gigantic piles of disused appliances and rusted scrap stand so high around you that they cast cool shadows against the sun-parched dirt. Some few feet ahead you can see a gap in the chicken wire. A wooden shack, a little smaller than a house, stands beside the gap. (set: $choice to "HeapOutsideShot") When you were younger you never really visited this place.](else:)[The Heap doesn't look any better than the last time you saw it, though some might argue that aesthetic appeal is a low priority for places meant to store refuse.] You get the feeling that the devil won't be too keen on you dragging your feet much longer - returning to town's out of the question. For now. [["In we go, then."->JunkHeapChild]] (if: $backstory is 2)[[["This is sorta weird - I'm more used to being chased, not chasing."->JunkHeapChild]]]]You approach the entrance of the Junk Heap. (display: "walkcode") As you come closer, (if: $JunkVisit is not 2)[a young girl](if: $JunkVisit is 2)[the Junk Child] sticks her head out of the front of the wooden shack. She stares at you for a moment. (set: $choice to "FireAtChild") The girl vaults over the side of the shack and darts around a corner, vanishing between twin spires of pig iron. [["Was it something I said?"->InsideHeap]] [["Smart kid."->InsideHeap]]As you pass by the now-vacant shack, a soft *click* somewhere above you grasps your attention. <script> A.t['rifle'].play(); </script> Before you can even manage to look up, the thunderous report of a rifle explodes across the metal wasteland. A chunk of dirt blasts into the air a few inches in front of your right foot. You hear a muffled curse. Instinctively hunkering down, you search wildly for the source of the gunshot. Eventually you find it. (if: $barvisit is >0)[The piano man kneels on one of the metal spires towering above you, a polished Winchester glinting in his hands. Half his face looks badly burned.](else:)[A man you've never seen before kneels on one of the metal spires towering above you, a polished Winchester wrapped in his arms. Half his face looks badly burned.] You're out in the open. You won't be able to get a bead on your assailant before he blows you to hell. You hear the click of a cocking bolt - in another moment he'll have his next shot nocked and ready. [["Quick! Into the shack!"->Cover]] [["Screw this, I'm out of here!"->EscapeBlock]]Picking what you figure to be the best and only option, you make a beeline for the Junk Kid's now-vacant shack. (set: $coverhealth to 3)(live: 2s)[<script> A.t['rifle'].play(); </script>(stop:)] The crack of the rifle snaps overhead. You feel a spray of dirt batter your crotch and legs, but if you've been hit it doesn't hamper your running or prevent you from jumping over the side of the shack and diving to the floor. (set: $choice to "BlockedShot") You roll into a sitting position, your back to the wall as you scan your new surroundings. The shack itself is surprisingly empty - you can see a pile of rags in one corner and a small table with a smaller chair in the other. That's it. The smell is little better than that of a chicken coop. (if: $backstory is 3)[ A war flashback sails through your head like a bullet. You shove it out of your mind; there are better times to dwell on traumas. ] [["Well, at least I ain't dead..."->CoverHub]]You turn to run. Before you take your second step, you hear the report of the rifle again. (live: 1s)[<script> A.t['rifle'].play(); </script>] You feel a twinge - but no pain. After a moment your hat flutters to the ground in front of you, a quarter-sized hole clean through its center. You hear the rifleman cock his weapon yet again. [["Point taken. Cover it is!"->Cover]] [["*Pretty* sure I can outrun him. He's an old man!"->EscapeWound]]Unperturbed by your now-hatless head, you again try to run. (live: 5s)[<script> A.t['rifle'].play(); </script>(stop:)] This time you manage to get five steps before the gun goes off, though it's likely because the piano man was so baffled that you chose to run despite the open ground for hundreds of yards. It would seem that the gunman used his moments of bewilderment to line up a shot. The bullet strikes you dead-on in the center of your right thigh, shredding a number of vital arteries and splintering muscle and bone like fragments of wood. The agony is like a million rusty train spikes driving into every nerve bundle in your leg. You manage to limp a few more steps before collapsing to your knees and blacking out. Eventually, your consciousness returns. Red, smoldering eyes meet yours. [["Oh. Hi."->DemonIrritated]] [["Feel like I just stepped on a damn landmine..."->DemonIrritated]](display: "Riflecode")(if: $coverhealth is 0)[The shack shudders and, before you can react, collapses atop you. The business end of a nailboard is the last thing you see. There's an explosion of incomprehensible pain, then nothing. When next you're aware, smoldering red eyes meet your own. [["Oh. It's you again."->DemonIrritated]] [["Damn if my face doesn't hurt. Something happen?"->DemonIrritated]]](if: $coverhealth is 1)[(set: $coverhealth to it -1)A board above you explodes in a puff of splinters, letting a jagged stream of light burn into the bullet-scoured structure. The shack creaks dangerously. (set: $choice to "BlockedShot") [["Maybe I can get a shot off on him."->TakingAim]] [["Maybe there's something useful in those rags..."->Rags]] (if: $shiv is 1)[[["Let me see if I can't put that shiv to good use..."->Blinded]] ][["Hey! Buddy! Quit shooting, I just want to talk!"->Yelling]]](if: $coverhealth is 2)[(set: $coverhealth to it -1)You feel your cover shudder as a bullet impacts it. Dust shakes from the ceiling. (set: $choice to "BlockedShot") [["Maybe I can get a shot off on him."->TakingAim]] [["Maybe there's something useful in those rags..."->Rags]] (if: $shiv is 1)[[["Let me see if I can't put that shiv to good use..."->Blinded]] ][["Hey! Buddy! Quit shooting, I just want to talk!"->Yelling]]](if: $coverhealth is 3)[The silence is punctuated by rifle blasts. Your wooden cover won't hold up to the .308 rounds for long. (set: $coverhealth to it -1)(set: $choice to "BlockedShot") [["Maybe I can get a shot off on him."->TakingAim]] [["I could search those rags. See if there's something useful."->Rags]] (if: $shiv is 1)[[["Let me see if I can't put that shiv to good use..."->Blinded]] ][["Hey! Buddy! Quit shooting, I just want to talk!"->Yelling]]]"You blasted idiot," the demon snarls, his jagged teeth bared. "You went and died. You can't kill anyone if you're dead." (set: $choice to "JustShot2") (link: `"Sorry."`)["You aren't. And if I didn't currently need you, you would be little more than a dried-out husk in the dirt at the moment." He flares his nostrils. "But unfortunately, I *do* need you." The demon leans back, and you push yourself to your feet to find that you're out in the open. The sniper has vanished, though you can see a plume of smoke issuing from about the place where he was hunkered down. The pain of your death is still startlingly clear in your mind, but judging by your ability to move it would seem that you're physically no worse for the wear. As you turn you note that the demon no longer stands beside you. But you hear his voice in your head: (set: $wounds to 1) "Do not fail me twice more. Or my patience will run out." [["Ominous."->DeepHeap]] [["I'm not exactly in a hurry to get shot again."->DeepHeap]] [["Whatever. I fail when I like."->DeepHeap]]]You peek over the side of the shack. There's another gunshot. The air next to your left ear agitates for a quarter of an instant before the wood of the wall behind you explodes. The gunman immediately works the bolt on his rifle, readying another shot. <script> A.t['rifle'].play(); </script> At this distance and with how quickly the man is reloading, you doubt you'll be able to get a good line of sight on him before he can nail you. If he were distracted, you might have a chance, but right now... [["Damn it."->CoverHub]] [["Well, it was worth a try."->CoverHub]](if: $shiv is 1)[You again sift through the disgusting pile of discarded clothes and trash, but find nothing else of value. The shack groans around you. [["Dammit."->CoverHub]]](if: $shiv is 0)[You sift through the rags for a few moments. They're smelly and some are unpleasantly damp. After some time, however, you unearth a piece of broken glass, the base of which is wrapped in a tattered cloth. It looks like an improvised shiv. (set: $shiv to 1)<script> A.t['get'].play(); </script> (color: "indigo")[**You get: a Glass Shiv**.] [["It sure does."->CoverHub]]]With that engagement behind you, you progress deeper into the Junk Heap. The junk piles seem to swell around you, growing thicker and wider much like trees in an ancient forest. Except most trees don't contain worn-out horseshoes and rusty nails. (if: $backstory is 1)[Your eye lingers forlornly on a broken pick-head. It looks like it was once a beauty.] The path ahead forks suddenly, giving you pause. Down the left path you don't see much, though after a few moments of analysis you notice that the nearest rust spire looks unstable, swaying in even the softest gusts of wind. (set: $choice to "DeepHeapS") Down the right path you make out an elderly, bedraggled woman brandishing a double-barreled shotgun. She's trying to hide behind a rusted stove, but you can see snatches of her dress around either side and the twin barrels of her shotgun sticking up into the air. She looks too old to be the barmaid. [["I can take an old lady. I'm going right."->right]] [["It looks a little dangerous down the left way, but that woman looks like bad news."->left]]Bending your arm, you angle the shiv so that it sticks just barely out of the window beside you. The rifle cracks, missing your hand by a foot. You can see the gunner through a tiny slit in the woodwork. With a bit of awkwardness intensified by the shaking of your hand, you manage to reflect a ray of sunlight into the gunner's eyes. He fires again at your hand, misses, and reaches up to rub his eyes, lowering his rifle in the process. If there's a time to go in, it's now. (set: $choice to "killshot") [["Maybe I won't do that."->CoverHub]]"You want to talk?" you hear a pained voice yell. "How 'bout you stick your head back up? Then we'll talk!" [["Maybe I won't do that."->CoverHub]] [["Sure, pal! Just ease up on the gun!"->Stupid]]"I will!" the man shouts. You stick your head up, leaning over the lip of the shack's open window. (set: $choice to "ShootDemon1") The rifle cracks before you can jerk your head back. The bullet catches you in the throat. (live: .5s)[<script> A.t['rifle'].play(); </script>(stop:)] Your words die in a plume of blood. After what seems like an eternity of strangled pain your consciousness fades. Consciousness returns, to your surprise. Red, smoldering eyes glare into yours. [["Oh. Hi."->DemonIrritated]] [["Talk about a sore throat..."->DemonIrritated]]Taking advantage of the gunman's momentary blindness, you step out of cover and line up your shot. You see the man shake his head as if to clear it and lean back toward the sights of his rifle. Just before he gets there, you pull the trigger. The man jerks back, as if yanked by an invisible string, and disappears into the metal pile. He does not rise again. [["Serves you, you damn bastard."->DeepHeap]] [["Sorry, buddy. You were in my way."->DeepHeap]]You decide to proceed down the leftmost path. (set: $choice to "boardshot") It's easy going at first, which is a far cry from the bullshit you've dealt with up to this point. But your eyes are continually drawn back to the pile of junk metal and rusted appliances that teeters overhead. You notice a single wooden board, bent so heavily that it's almost a u. It looks like it's supporting the entire weight of the heap overhead. (if: $backstory is 1)[ (color: #8B0000)[**`[Prospector]`**] You recognize that the dirt beneath your feet isn't as hard-packed as it is all over the rest of the Junk Heap. It might be possible to dig under the path ahead. ] [["Maybe going this way ain't such a great idea."->retreat]] [["Oh gee, a board. Terrifying. Gonna keep walking."->charge]] (if: $backstory is 1)[[["No reason not to play it safe. I'm digging under."->LeftDig]]]You(if: $look is >0)[ again] start toward the old woman. (if: $look is not 2)[It's easy going for the first fifteen feet, but as you come closer you hear the gong of a bell. (set: $choice to "gunwomanshot") With remarkable agility the old woman darts out of cover and blasts away with both barrels. Luckily, the shots are too early; she plants both shells deep in the back of the stove, spraying herself with sparks. (live: 1s)[<script> A.t['shotgun'].play(); </script>(stop:)(live: .2s)[<script> A.t['shotgun'].play(); </script>(stop:)]] Staggering somewhat, she returns to the stove's cover to load another pair of shells. [["Hey, lady! Stop shooting me!"->DiplomacyIsAJoke]] [["Think I'll try to figure out how she saw me."->Looking]](if: $boozehound is 1)[ [["Hey! Calm down! I've got beer?"->GunwomanInterest]]](if: $backstory is 2)[ (color: #8B0000)[**`[Bandit]`**] [[`(Lie)` "Hey lady, you don't want to shoot me. I've got some booze for ya."->GunwomanInterest]]] [["Seems like this one's got more fight in her than I thought. I'm going to reconsider my choices."->DeepHeap]]](if: $look is 2)[Remembering what you made out in your last two visits to this spot, you step over the tripwire. The bell remains silent, and the woman does not seem to sense you. She does not look up as you stand beside the stove; you'd probably be able to walk away without a problem. If you aren't cross with her for shooting at you, that is. [["Gonna just slip by here..."->EndOfRoad]] [["Ain't worth the bullets."->EndOfRoad]]]You pick perhaps the safer of the two options, and after a few moments return to the fork in the road. (set: $choice to "DeepHeapS") [["Yep."->DeepHeap]]Ignoring the foreboding in your gut, you proceed forward. There's a sudden *snap* and, moments later, the screech of metal grinding against metal. As you turn your head right, you realize that some two tons of dispossessed steel are bulldozing toward you. There's too much of it to safely get out of the way in time. The last thing you see is the slow-motion flight of a carriage wheel bounding madly down the hill. It careens off a steel beam like a stunt jumper and hurls through the air, twirling straight at your head. *Crack.* (set: $choice to "DemonShot2") Sense returns to you, to your surprise, some time later. Searing red eyes stare into yours as you awaken. [["Oh. It's you again."->Demon'sPissed2]] [["Ow?"->Demon'sPissed2]]The junk spires on either side of you begin to narrow, forcing you onto a ramrod-straight path. You can't see the end of it. "You're a persistent little pustule, ain'tcha." (set: $choice to "DishonorMaid") The barmaid steps into view from somewhere off to the side. She wears a holster, complete with pistol, over the hip of her dress. You feel a hot, almost giddy feeling in your chest. It's foreign. Somebody sure seems excited about the death of his longtime opponent. [["Look, it's nothing personal, lady. I just can't let you live."->MaidContempt]] [["You should've just died in the bar, saved us both the trouble."->MaidBitterness]] [["Draw, lady. I ain't here to chat."->evilshowdown]]The barmaid stares at you, her eyes hard, her lip curled, her teeth set. You flick your fingers over your own holster. (set: $choice to "maidshowdown") A soft breeze blows between you. The sun beats overhead. A bead of sweat drips down your neck. Somewhere, a wolf howls. (live: 1s)[<script> A.t['sd'].loop(false).play(); A.t['sd'].volume(.8); </script>(stop:)] She goes for her pistol. (live: 5s)[(go-to: "Showdownloss")] (if: $bullets is 0)[Uhh... looks like you came to this fight without any ammunition. Guess you can always... throw your gun... (set: $trueflight to (either: "1","2","3","4","5","6","7","8","9","10")) [["Jesus Christ... here goes nothing."->The ThrowMaid]]]You draw before the barmaid. Your aim is true; the bullet enters her stomach with a horrific sound of rent flesh. (set: $choice to "TheCoffin") She grits her teeth and clumsily tries to draw her own pistol, but before she can lift it into a firing position she doubles over and collapses to one knee. "Gutless dog," she spits. Blood drips from her mouth. "I wasn't sure... why you were going after me. But I- I got an idea, now. You're working with Him." [["Him? The postman? Sure. I mean if you aren't going to be more specific..."->DeathFlippant]] [["Maybe I am, maybe I ain't. You're about to be dead."->DeathFlippant]] [["Sure am."->DeathFlippant]]With no other options, you hurl your gun. (if: $trueflight is "3")[Through some miraculous chain of events, your aim is true. The revolver flies through the air and strikes the maid in the temple with a sickening *crunch*. She collapses instantly, her pistol flying from her hand. [["I can't believe that worked."->maidshowdown]]](else:)[You miss. [["Uh oh."->Showdownloss]] [["Can't we talk about this?"->Showdownloss]]]The woman regards you suspiciously over the barrel of her gun, which remains pointed at you. She does not leave her cover. There's a long pause. Then: "Whot kinder beer?" (link: `"Uh... Red Brewster's. Stout, I think."`)["Brewster's goodun but I ain't trustye." Her milky eyes flick to your belt, searching for the bottle. (link: `"Well, then, I guess I'm just going to have to drink this all by myself..."`)["No! It's mine!" The woman darts out of cover and ambles toward you. (set: $choice to "CowardlyShot") (if: $boozehound is 1)[[["Take it, lady, I don't care."->Interest2]] ][["Well, this is awkward. I seem to have... forgotten it."->GunwomanAngry]]]]The woman patiently waits for you to finish speaking before raking you with both barrels. <script> A.t['shotgun'].play(); </script>(stop:)(live: .2s)[<script> A.t['shotgun'].play(); </script>(stop:)] You feel the buckshot enter a dozen different parts of your body at once. It's a queer sensation, not unlike being pelted with sand on a cold day. The shock doesn't last for long. (set: $choice to "DemonShot2") Sense returns to you an imperceptible time later. As you open your eyes you see the demon looking down at you. He looks displeased. [["Oh. Hi."->Demon'sPissed2]] [["Man, how many old ladies are you going to make me deal with?"->Demon'sPissed2]](if: $look is 1)[After scrutinizing the bell for a few moments, you make out a single white fiber tied below the rim. Searching the ground at your feet, you catch sight of a narrow tripwire stretching between two wooden posts. This is what's been giving you away. (set: $look to 2)You should be able to step over the tripwire next time, but at the moment the woman has finished loading her shotgun. (set: $choice to "tooslow") [["Look, I'm just here to talk! Don't shoot me!"->DiplomacyIsAJoke]] [["Back I go!"->DeepHeap]]](if: $look is 0)[As the woman loads her next two shells, you scan your surroundings as quickly as you can. (set: $look to 1) You eventually catch sight of something. An ancient, dented bell hangs from a hook, mounted to a sturdy wooden pole behind the old woman. It seems that every time you've progressed this way the bell has tolled, signifying your presence. The woman must be near-deaf. As you crane your neck to see exactly what made it ring you hear the click of a breach guard closing. The woman's drawing a bead on you, and this time it looks like she's a lot less likely to miss. [["Look, I'm just here to talk! Don't shoot me!"->DiplomacyIsAJoke]] [["Christ, I'm outta here!"->DeepHeap]]](if: $wounds is 1)[(set: $wounds to 2)"Apparently you didn't hear me last time, though I suppose I'll repeat myself. **STOP. DYING.**" The demon is positively aflame, though if it weren't for the fire smoldering all around him he would just look like a particularly agitated snake oil salesman. "Every time I resurrect you it's another ton of paperwork in my lap. If you fail me again I guarantee you that your suffering will last until the end of time." "This is your final warning." [["All right, all right."->EndOfRoad]] [["Hey, *I* just died. This isn't any more pleasant for me."->EndOfRoad]]](if: $wounds is 0)["You blasted idiot," the demon snarls, his jagged teeth bared. "You went and died. You can't kill anyone if you're dead." (set: $choice to "JustShot") (link: `"Sorry."`)["You aren't. And if I didn't currently need you, you would be little more than a dried-out husk in the dirt at the moment." He flares his nostrils. "But unfortunately, I *do* need you." The demon leans back, and you push yourself to your feet. You recall the pain with frightful clarity, but judging by your ability to move it would seem that you're no worse for the wear. As you turn you note that the demon no longer stands next to you. But you hear his voice in your head: (set: $wounds to 1) "Do not fail me twice more. Or my patience will run out." [["Ominous."->EndOfRoad]] [["I'm not exactly in a hurry to die again."->DeepHeap]] [["Whatever. I fail when I like."->DeepHeap]]]](if: $drunkladyshot is 1)[You shoot the now-unprotected woman through the sternum. (set: $choice to "CowardlyShot2") She staggers on the spot, wavering on crooked feet. It's tough to tell whether it's because of the bullet wound or the half-empty bottle of beam on the ground beside her. Either way, she doesn't stand for long. You step over her inert body. [["That was too easy."->EndOfRoad]]](if: $drunkladyshot is not 1)[You sling your pistol and fire. It's a good shot, but you didn't account for the stove's thickness; a plate falls away from the front, but not much else changes. You can hear ragged laughter floating from behind the cookery, and a flash of heat colors your face - at least until the stove falls to pieces. Apparently it wasn't as sturdy as it looked. The woman crouches behind the wrecked remains as best she can but is clearly exposed. You could try to get another shot off on her, but her shotgun is loaded, and she's drawing a bead on you. (set: $drunkladyshot to 1)(set: $choice to "tooslow") [["Let's just back it up here..."->DeepHeap]]](if: $boardshot is 1)[Your bullet sails into the junk pile before you without particularly harming it. You should still be able to climb over. [["All right, I guess."->EndOfRoad]]](if: $boardshot is not 1)[You aim your pistol at the bent board and fire. <script> A.t['slide'].play(); </script> There are twin explosive snaps, and for a moment you wonder if you accidentally fired your gun twice. That theory is disproved by the mountain of junk collapsing toward the middle of the road; the second snap was the board, finally giving way to the tons of garbage that it had been supporting. You step hastily back, surveying the junkslide. After about a minute the junk stops falling. It's dispersed enough that it should be fairly easy to climb over. [["May as well, if I want to forge on ahead..."->EndOfRoad]] [["Hope I run into that barmaid soon - never thought this place could be so dangerous."->EndOfRoad]]]"Oh, gee, well don't that make me feel nice." The barmaid spits at your feet. "Think you can lie to my face like that and I'll take you at your word?" "Unless you really *do* think that burning a woman's business and destroying her livelihood don't make things personal. In which case I suspect I'd be doing the world a favor by putting you in the ground." "You better get set to draw, pal. I think we're through talking." [["If that's how it has to be, fine."->evilshowdown]] [["I think I'll enjoy this."->evilshowdown]]The barmaid smiles bitterly. "Some murderer you are. You managed to kill everyone except Ted and myself, though I guess you were just after me." "But if you're here now, I guess that means you had to go through Ted to get here. The stubborn bastard." She shakes her head, sorrow in her eyes. "If you're here to draw, then it's time we did so, you swine. Give me the decency of an honest showdown." [["An honorable death? If you say so."->evilshowdown]] [["No promises!"->evilshowdown]](if: $PriestDed is 1)[(go-to: "Town")]As you walk away from the corpse of your victim, you feel something at the back of your mind. It feels like a small animal is scrabbling away behind your skull, digging into it with razor-tipped claws. (set: $conversation to 1)(set: $choice to "Outside") The pain is as agonizing as it is sudden, and before you know it you can only kneel in the dirt. Every sense is pain. And then you hear it, clear as a bell, in your mind: (color: #8B0000)[**Well, now. You look like you could be useful. Tell you what - if you go on and shoot the town priest through his scrawny little neck, I can offer you some powers that a killer like you would //really// get a kick out of. See you then.**] As the speech ends the pain does too. You regain sensation to find yourself lying, spread-eagled, in the dirt. Shakily, you get to your feet. [["That was... weird..."->Town]](if: $PriestDed is 1)[(go-to: "JunkHeapPathSouth1")]As you walk away from the corpse of your victim, you feel something at the back of your mind. It feels like a small animal is scrabbling away behind your skull, digging into it with razor-tipped claws. (set: $conversation to 1) The pain is as agonizing as it is sudden, and before you know it you can only kneel in the dirt. Every sense is pain. And then you hear it, clear as a bell, in your mind: (color: #8B0000)[**Well, now. You look like you could be useful. Tell you what - if you go on and shoot the town priest through his scrawny little neck, I can offer you some powers that a killer like you would //really// get a kick out of. See you then.**] As the speech ends the pain does too. You regain sensation to find yourself lying, spread-eagled, in the dirt. Shakily, you get to your feet. [["That was... weird..."->JunkHeapPathSouth1]]The barmaid fires on you without hesitation. (set: $wounds to it + 1) You feel a sharp, dull force in the center of your forehead, and your head is thrown back. It's almost as if someone has struck you in the face, though for the few moments your mind still works you know better. <script> A.t['bigiron'].loop(false).play(); </script> It's all over in less time than it takes to close your eyes. (if: $wounds is not 3)[Miraculously, you awaken. Less miraculous is the expression that meets your eyes when you do. (set: $choice to "DemonShot3") [["That one hurt."->DemonResponse]] [["Howdy."->DemonResponse]]](if: $wounds is 3)[This is the third time you've died. You don't so much hear or see anything as much as you feel acute anger swirling around you. (replace: ?BigKill)[] [["Oh, this doesn't bode well."->BadEndMain]]](if: $wounds is 2)["Apparently you didn't hear me last time, though I suppose I'll repeat myself. **STOP. DYING.**" The demon is positively aflame, though if it weren't for the fire smoldering all around him he would just look like a particularly agitated snake oil salesman. (set: $choice to "JustShot3") "Every time I resurrect you it's another ton of paperwork in my lap. If you fail because you are killed again I guarantee you that your suffering will last until the end of time." "This is your final warning." The demon vanishes, leaving you alone in the middle of the open stretch where you approached the barmaid. It looks like you'll have to face her again. [["Pressure's on now..."->evilshowdown]] [["I'll get her this time."->evilshowdown]]](if: $wounds is 1)[The demon shakes his head. "My, my, my. Really tripped at the finish line, didn't you. You're lucky you have someone to back you up in this situation, or else you'd be rotting in the ground somewhere. I doubt that we'll need to have this talk again with you so close, but because you failed I'm afraid it must be said anyway." (set: $choice to "JustShot3") "We have a deal. You need to fulfill your end *without dying*. Fail me twice more and you will have things worse than death to worry about." The demon vanishes, leaving you alone in the middle of the open stretch where you approached the barmaid. It looks like you'll have to face her again. [["Damn it all."->evilshowdown]] [["I'll get her this time."->evilshowdown]]]After an indeterminate amount of time something appears. You don't so much see the room as much as it flickers into existence around you, as if suddenly materializing on the head of a match. You make out vague slat walls and a black floor. Black windows stare into nothingness around you. You turn your attention forward eventually. A small man in a starched suit eyes you from behind a rickety wooden desk. At least, you feel like he's eyeing you. It's a little difficult to tell considering the black sockets where his eyes should be. [["Hey - where am I?"->Hell]]"Hell." The man stamps something. In the darkness of the flickering room you can see that the brand glows bright orange. He leans over his desk. It's a paper. "Here." [["What is this?"->Hell2]]"Entry ticket to Cowboy Hell. Don't lose it unless you want to be stuck in Cowboy Purgatory for all eternity. That one's even worse." [["Excuse me?"->CowboyHell]] [["Hang on, jackass, you better explain some shit to me. What the hell's going on? Cowboy Hell?"->CowboyHell]] [["I guess it could be. So where do I go now?"->CowboyHell]]"Ask someone else. I'm too busy to deal with you right now." The eyeless man waves dismissively at you. Without warning the room winks out, leaving you in a darkness so absolute you can hardly think. Were it not for the soft glow of the branded paper, you feel as if you would have disintegrated. When next you're aware you find yourself outside. The light is so sudden and so bright that it singes your eyes, though even as you reflexively shut them you can still, clear as anything, see the brand on the paper that is in your hands. After some time, though, your eyes adjust to the light, and you manage to take in your surroundings. [["What the hell just happened?"->CowboyHell2]] [["Well shoot, this ain't so bad."->CowboyHell2]](if: $backstory is 1)[You stand, shin-deep in water. Your back is bent and your sides ache. As you peer around you notice that there isn't much around you; the water seems to stretch for quite some distance. In fact, if it weren't for the fact that you're standing on your own two feet, you'd wager you were wading out in the middle of the ocean. Your attention returns to the water around your legs. Squinting, you dip your pan into the waters, getting it deep below the surface of the much, and, shaking it gently back and forth, you lift it free of the waters. Golden light glints from your pan as if it's been dipped in molten lava. You've found gold. Not just some gold - a king's ransom! Overjoyed, you turn toward your fellows but there are none. Your lover is dead, your friends departed or - you suddenly recall - still in the world of the living. Deflated, you collapse on your back, letting the water lap over your face. The endless expanse of water could be bearable, but not alone. Not with no one to share what you've accomplished. Not for eternity. Perhaps failing that demon was a mistake.](if: $backstory is 2)[Considering the circumstances, you wouldn't have expected to find yourself in such a well-to-do space. Tremendous brick-and-mortar buildings wall in a large, well-kept courtyard, and a series of jagged wrought-iron fences neatly blockade all remaining paths out. It looks like something out of an Old Country picture book. You can even see an ivy-strangled, gothic chapel hunched amongst the structures. At first, as you shove yourself into an awkward half-standing position, you fear that someone's chopped your legs off at the knee. But as you bend down, you realize the case is far more distressing; your legs haven't been severed, they've shrunk. Your boots and spurs have been replaced with black-polished spats. Something hard and sharp strikes you in the back of the head, just on the bony curve of the back of your skull. The blow sends vibrations of pain chattering through your teeth. "Dirtying school uniform. One demerit." As you stagger to your feet, your (small) hands balled into (small) fists, another blow catches you upside your left ear. It is followed by a series of attacks so swift and so stunning that you can't even breathe. "Truant. Ten demerits." Through watering eyes you make out a wide, black dress. A woman, three times your height, towers over you. She holds a ruler at attention over one shoulder, like a soldier's musket. Her eyes, coal-black, fix on you. You have never seen a face so unkind. "Failing to honor a deal. Many, many, many demerits." As the blows fall like molten rain the realization dawns on you: you're in Catholic school. The rest of you eternity will constitute only order, punishment, and most of all, pain. Maybe failing that demon wasn't such a great idea after all.](if: $backstory is 3)[As you open your eyes, you find yourself staring up at a slate wood ceiling. Your back sings songs of pain the likes of which you haven't heard in years. But the familiarity stings more than the boards beneath your back. It makes you sweat, makes you nauseous, makes you feel as if you'd much rather close your eyes and go back to sleep. Slowly, very slowly, you roll onto your side. And freeze. You're lying in the old barrack. The 6th Combined Infantry barrack. You recognize it by the rows of neatly arranged wooden cots - or caskets, as Sergeant Dumphy always called them - and by the single window on the far side of the room and the smell of sickness and rot in the air as if the place were stocked with corpses instead of soldiers. You can hear the men outside, the sound of distant gunfire, the sound of screams. Noncombatants. Innocents. Through the barrack's one window you make out a dozen plumes of smoke stretching into the sky. Almost before you know what you're doing you hurl yourself up, shouldering your pack and working your rifle. There's no running. Not this time. You won't have enough rounds to take them all, but even if you did you doubt you'd have much of a chance. Those devils likely won't go down without taking a piece of you with them, if they go down at all. But chin up! You've got an eternity of battle to look forward to. Some folks would kill to be in your shoes. Christ knows you certainly will.](if: $backstory is 4)[A wide plateau stretches around you for miles. The ground is dry and cracked. No clouds sit in the sky. You can't see any buildings or any other life at all, for that matter. At least, not immediately. But after a few minutes of quiet observation, you notice something on the horizon. It's a dust cloud, and it's approaching quickly. So quickly, in fact, that where at one moment it is a blip on the horizon the next it is so close you can make it out clearly. It is more than just a dust cloud - it is a herd of cattle. No, not a herd. There must be thousands of them. They are moving faster than any animal you have ever seen before. You also notice that each and every one of them is on fire. As the herd of burning bovine descend upon you, you realize that this will consist of the rest of your eternity. Perhaps failing that demon was a mistake after all.] But there is some solace. You might be able to try again...(click: "try again...")[(reload:)]"Be as flippant as you like, you sweet little idiot." The barmaid tilts her head to the side and begins a half-gargle, half-laugh. "Somebody like you... deserves... someone like him." Without another word she collapses forward into the dirt. She doesn't move again. You have hardly enough time to contemplate your actions before the demon appears before you, in all of his slick, greasy glory. He looks much the same as he did when you left him, save for the wide, almost manic grin on his face and the crooked horns jutting out from either side of his top hat. (set: $choice to "ContinuingBarmaidShot") He stoops to examine the barmaid's corpse, nudging her with his foot. "See you sometime soon, you dusty old bitch." He chuckles to himself before rounding on you. "Well! Quite the job you did here, my bloodthirsty friend!" [["...Yeah."->DemonCompletion]] [["Damn right it was. Where's my power? You promised power."->DemonCompletion2]] [["It was indeed. Now for your end of the deal."->DemonCompletion2]]"Oh, no need to be so modest!" The demon steps forward and wraps an arm around your shoulders. You feel a tremendous heat even through both your clothes and his. "If I didn't know you better, I'd think you were having a crisis of conscience! But I think we both know it's too late for that." (set: $choice to "ContinuingBarmaidShot") [["I... I guess. What was that about a reward, anyway?"->DemonCompletion2]]"Ah! Your reward! Of course! You upheld your end of the deal and I'll uphold mine." The demon steps past you, apparently surveying the Junk Heap. "You know, it is a good thing that you *did* come through. Had you not I would have sent you to Cowboy Hell, and that would have been quite unfortunate for both of us. Well, actually, just for you, but still. Oh, there he is." (set: $choice to "GreenFinaledemon") The demon snaps his fingers. In one instant the air in front of him is empty; in the next, a fat man with a curly mustache lies in the dirt at his feet. It's Green. "What the hell?" he mutters, his wide eyes twitching from the demon to you and back again. The demon eyes you over his shoulder. "Is this the one?" (link: `"Yes."`)[(set: $Death to 1)(go-to: "GreenDeath")] (link: `"Uh... No."`)[(set: $Death to 2)(go-to: "GreenDeath")](if: $Death is 1)["Don't blink."](if: $Death is 2)[The demon looks at you quizzically for a moment. "I have no clue what you think you're playing at, but it isn't funny."] Without looking away from you, he points at Green. A string of flame plumes from his outstretched finger, bathing Green in orange light. He screams only once. Then there is nothing but a charred skeleton lying in the dirt. [["Jesus Christ..."->DemonConclusion]] [["Neat."->DemonConclusion]] [["Man, *I* want to be able to do that!"->DemonConclusion]]"Excellent. Now that that's done, would you follow me? I've been making a few changes to the town that someone like you would *love* to see." The demon does not wait for you to acknowledge him; he blinks away. [["Oh no..."->TownConclusion]] [["This should be fun."->TownConclusion]] [["I mean, I guess I don't have anything better to do."->TownConclusion]]You know something is terribly wrong the instant you mount (if: $backstory is 1)[Buck](if: $backstory is 2)[Robin](if: $backstory is 3)[Cortez](if: $backstory is 4)[Lupe]. As you gaze into the distance you notice a plume of smoke drifting into the air at the point where you estimate Slate City is. As you spur your horse forward, gradually approaching the smoke cloud, it becomes apparent that something is happening in town. Something big. The more you can make out about the town, the more terrible it becomes. And then you can see it. The town is positively churning with snake oil salesmen. Where before there were only perhaps fifty people in the entire town you can now see perhaps a hundred of them milling about Main Street. There are indubitably more within the now-vacant structures organized throughout the city. [["My god... what have I done?"->EvilEnd]] [["This... was not the kind of fate I envisioned."->EvilEnd]]"It's beautiful, isn't it!" The demon - though you can only tell him apart from the other salesmen by his horns - has appeared beside your horse. $horse squeals and nervously eases away from him. "Truly, you've done my kind a great service. Slate City will be a hub for people like this - they really have nowhere else to go, and damn if I don't have a soft spot for the poor fellows." "Ah! But where are my manners? I owe you a gift, now don't I?" You feel the transformation begin and know that there is nothing you can do to stop it. Where before you were wearing a traveler's duster and cowboy hat you feel the brown leather morph into starched black cotton. Your Stetson cuts back suddenly, as if slashed with a knife, no longer protecting your face and neck from the burning sunlight. When you reach up you find that it has become a bowler hat. You turn in your saddle and realize that (if: $backstory is 1)[Buck](if: $backstory is 2)[Robin](if: $backstory is 3)[Cortez](if: $backstory is 4)[Lupe] now pulls a wide cart laden with goods. You have an irrepressible urge to try to sell people powdered bison horn for bunions and goats' hooves for goat and hagsbane oil for hair loss. It is not for want of money. It is... a calling. The horror and all other feelings abate. Your brothers and sisters are ahead of you in town, waiting for you. You will join them and you will rejoice in your new life together. Truly, this is a power to be reckoned with - the power to cheat, to connive, to steal. And it will be yours for the rest of your days. But, if for some reason you find this fate unsatisfactory, you can always try again...(click: "try again...")[(reload:)]The woman hungrily snatches the bottle from you and dips it into her toothless maw. After a few deep drinks she nods, her thin hair swaying in the breeze like wisps of grass. "Awrite. You seem well enough sort. Get outta here and don't tell nobody I seenye." (set: $boozehound to 0) [["Sure. Thanks, lady."->EndOfRoad]] [["I do what I want."->EndOfRoad]] [["What do you care? I don't even think you can hear."->EndOfRoad]]Input code: <div id= "noheader"><div id= "nofoot">(replace: ?BigKill)[] {<input type="text" data-varname="Entry">\ <script>processInputElements();</script>} [[Enter]] [[Back->Opening Credits]] (css: "font-size: 130%;")[<div id= "stop"><tw-link name='mute' onclick='A.c.mute(this)'>Mute</tw-link><script> var $mute = $('tw-link[name=mute]'); if (A.c.isMuted && $mute[0] && !$mute.hasClass('muted')) { $mute.addClass('muted'); } </script></div>]<div id= "noheader"><div id= "nofoot">(replace: ?BigKill)[] (if: ($Entry is "DOSH" and $Salesman is true) or ($Entry is "dosh" and $Salesman is true) or ($Entry is "Dosh" and $Salesman is true))[You already unlocked the Salesman.](else-if: ($Entry is "DOSH" and $Salesman is not true) or ($Entry is "dosh" and $Salesman is not true) or ($Entry is "Dosh" and $Salesman is not true))[{<script> A.t['get'].play(); </script>}Congratulations! You've unlocked the Salesman!(set: $Salesman to true)(set: $Salesman to custom.unlock())(set: _dummy to custom.save())](else-if: $Entry is "GunThatCameFromHeaven" or $Entry is "GunThatCameFromHeaven." or $Entry is "gunthatcamefromheaven")[{<script> A.t['get'].play(); </script>}(set: $GoldenGun to 1)Congratulations! You've unlocked unlimited ammo! Feel free to go nuts! `(Note: Unlimited ammo will only work for your *next* character. If you want to undo the effect, restart the game)`](else:)[Your code ain't right. Try again.] [[Back->Opening Credits]] (css: "font-size: 130%;")[<div id= "stop"><tw-link name='mute' onclick='A.c.mute(this)'>Mute</tw-link><script> var $mute = $('tw-link[name=mute]'); if (A.c.isMuted && $mute[0] && !$mute.hasClass('muted')) { $mute.addClass('muted'); } </script></div>](replace: ?BigKill)[]Oh, no. Not one of *you*. Just... get out of here. Go out on the town. I don't want to be seen associating with one of your ilk. (link: `"I'll be gone in *just* a moment. I do believe you owe me a quest!"`)[A quest? Look, you're here to sell people things, aren't you? Isn't that enough of a quest? God damn it. Fine. Go out there and sell three bottles of snake oil. Or miracle ointment. Or whatever the hell you call it. The bullshit you shill. They're right there, in your pocket. Just three bottles to three people. I guarantee you you won't be able to do it. They hate your kind here. They've killed *so* many traveling salesmen. It might even qualify for a war crime, but there aren't any lawmen in these parts, and if there were I doubt they'd defend you. If you know what's good for you you'll turn that horse of yours around and ride off somewhere else. [["Oh, fie with your fears! I'm a sharp individual. I know my way around a dirt heap or two!"->SecondaryPlaythrough]]] [["Uh... on second thought, maybe this isn't me."->Who?]] <div id= "nofoot"> (css: "font-size: 130%;")[<span class="menu">(link: "Main Menu")[(reload:)]</span><tw-link name='mute' onclick='A.c.mute(this)'>Mute</tw-link><script> var $mute = $('tw-link[name=mute]'); if (A.c.isMuted && $mute[0] && !$mute.hasClass('muted')) { $mute.addClass('muted'); } </script>]I suppose it's your funeral. (set: $deaths to 0)(set: $savehide to 1) You ride into town on the front of your rickety cart. Your faithful pack mule, Caesar, flicks you nervous glances as you close in on Slate City, as if he senses something wrong. After a few minutes of silent driving, you realize what it is: a single tattered black cap, staked to the ground beside the road into town. It's nearly identical to the one you wear. You didn't come here armed. Caesar whinnies nervously. [["Oh, don't be so dour. Perhaps the previous owner of that cap merely... lost it."->TownIntro]] [["Mush, you lousy animal. Don't make me put my spurs on! They're dusty and icky!"->TownIntro]]Caesar eyeballs you for a few moments longer before ambling on again. You reach the town proper without much incident, save for a run-in with a buck-toothed youth who hurled a rock at you from between a pair of buildings. It struck your cart, but didn't damage any of the merchandise. (link: `"Thank heavens! The *nerve* of some children! If I find that boy's parents they'll *surely* get an earful!"`)[...Right. Anyhow, you arrive in the center of Slate City. It isn't a large town, nor is it a clean one; there's an L-shaped main street surrounded by a number of buildings but not much else. Of the few rickety, downtrodden buildings that you can see only three seem to have any value whatsoever. You make out a building that must be the town bar, an ugly stone building with a cross atop it, and a general store that look like it might fall to pieces at any moment. [["Perhaps I can sell something at that bar."->Barsell]] [["If there's one thing that I've learned, it's that priests can always use more ointments!"->Churchsell]] [["Mayhaps I can convince the storekeep to add my wares to his stock."->Storesell]]]You pass through the door to the saloon. It's a rather ugly place; fading paint stains crooked wooden boards that make up the walls and floor, and nothing in the place looks like it's ever been washed. Tobacco smoke suffuses the air; you wonder how long it will take you to get the smell out of your suit. A piano in the corner is playing a wilting tune that you don't recognize. <script> A.t['creak'].play(); A.t['creak'].volume(.6); </script> Nobody acknowledges you for a few moments and you open your mouth to proclaim your wares. But just as you breathe in, one of the men at the tables nearest to you glances in your direction. "Oh, Christ," he yells. "Maria! 'nother one of those gad damn shills found their way in here!" Dozens of heads swivel to look at you. [["Uh... hello!"->BarAngry]]You step into the church. <script> A.t['creak'].play(); A.t['creak'].volume(.6); </script> It's a little less ugly inside than out, though that's not unlike comparing the corpse of a cow to the corpse of a chicken. There sure is a lot of stone in here. A man in priest's robes stands on the other side of the room, intensely gazing at the cross inset into the back wall. [["Hello? Are you a priest? Would you care to buy some ointment?"->Churchyell]]You step into the general store and immediately hear a tremendous *bang*. Something tears by your head, and an object to your left explodes. {<script> A.t['creak'].play(); A.t['creak'].volume(.6); </script>(live: 1s)[<script> A.t['bell'].loop(false).play(); A.t['bell'].volume(.8); </script>(stop:)] }(live: 2.5s)[<script> A.t['shotgun'].play(); </script>(stop:)] A large, muscular man is glaring at you from the other end of the room, a smoking shotgun in his hands. The breach is open, as if he's readying to load another shell. "Gregovich only say this once: Gregovich does not take kindly to competition." [["N-now see here, sir, I am not competing! I come to you with a business proposition!"->GregovichLoad]] [["I-I-I-I-I see. Goodbye!"->TownSHub]]Gregovich loads a shell into the shotgun's breach, but doesn't lock it. He fixes you with narrowed eyes. "What." [["I have a perfectly good bottle of miracle ointment right here - and you look like the sort of man who can appreciate a product such as this!"->proposition3]]You re-enter Main Street. Nothing much has changed; it's just as filthy and empty as it was before. (display: "walkcode") (if: $barvisit is not 1)[[["Perhaps I can sell something at that bar."->Barsell]]](if: $churchvisit is not 1)[ [["I shall swing by the church."->Churchsell]]](if: $storevisit is not 1)[ [["Think I'll pay the general store a visit."->Storesell]]] (if: $barvisit is 1 and $churchvisit is 1 and $storevisit is 1)[(go-to: "Goal")]Gregovich closes the shotgun with an audible *click*. "Gregovich does not believe this worth his while. Gregovich thinks you are a threat to his business." "Threats do not get to stay. Threats do not get to live." [["I'd say that you are making quite the mistake, sir! You see, this ointment will cure *all* of your ailments. Even the ones you don't have!"->GregovichKill]] [["I don't see why that should be the case - I am merely a traveling entrepreneur. Simply purchase the ointment at a low price, and I shall be gone."->GregovichKill]] [["There's no need to talk like that. You're a smart fellow. I'm sure you can see the value in my product."->GregovichKill]] [["Please... I'm just a poor, derelict traveler. I just need to sell this and I'll be gone. Can't you take pity on me?"->GregovichKill]] [["I mean... if nothing else, you could at least smash the bottle on someone's head, right?"->GregovichConsiders]] [["Think of your customers. They'd be happy to have access to miracle ointment, just like I'm sure you would!"->GregovichKill]] [["Come on, you know you want it."->GregovichKill]] [["You better buy it! If you don't, I'll... I'll... I'll scuff dirt on your floors!"->GregovichKill]] [["Think of the children!"->GregovichKill]] [["Maybe you could use some ointment for that big ugly swollen head of yours."->GregovichKill]] [["Oh, perhaps I'll come back later. Sorry for wasting your time."->GLeaving]]Gregovich shoots you. <script> A.t['shotgun'].play(); </script> If you've had enough, click here to return to the main menu. (click: "here")[(reload:)] If not, I guess I can return you to town... but honestly, I'd just give up, if I were you. [["Never say die."->Alright]](set: $storevisit to 1)Gregovich stares at you for a long moment, eyeing you down the sights of his shotgun. You feel a bead of sweat drip all the way from the nape of your neck down your back and into the waistband of your slacks. You fear moving, lest the giant take it as a display of aggression and blow you in two. Just as you think he's going to pull the trigger, he sets the shotgun down. "How much for buy." [["For... buy? Er, I mean, one gold piece."->GregovichBuys]]"Gregovich welcomes you to not come back." [["Right. Farewell!"->TownSHub]]The priest jerks back as if burnt. For a moment you fear that he's had a heart attack, and that you'll have to clean up after him or warn someone that he's gone and died. *Yech.* Thankfully for you, the priest is lively enough to stare at you in slack-jawed, bug-eyed horror. You're less thankful when he begins to scream. [["SIR, YOU NEEDN'T BE AFRAID, I AM MERELY-"->PriestGrab]]The priest grabs you by the front of your suit before you can finish your sentence. You can see terror - and murder - in his blank, rheumatic eyes. **"DEMON!"** he shrieks. He looks like he's prepared to strangle you. While there likely isn't much power in his old, stick-like arms, your mother made you promise never to fight priests, and you wouldn't feel great about having her ghost *and* this priest's ghost chiding you for the rest of your life. If he tries to strangle you, you may have to let him. [["You seem like you aren't in your right mind, friend. If you'd be so kind as to unhand me, I might have something for you to regain some of the coherence - and, perhaps, memories - you've lost."->PriestConsiders]] [["You appear to have me mistaken for someone else! Perhaps some miracle ointment may take care of that."->PriestKill]] [["Erm... I'm sure that in that... Bible, of yours, that it says 'Thou shalt not strangle merchants' somewhere. Pretty sure."->PriestKill]] [["Look, maybe I haven't been to church in a while, but this seems a little overkill. How about you just buy some miracle ointment and we call this even?"->PriestKill]] [["Sir, all I am guilty of is selling excellent products. If that's a crime, you may have to strangle me!"->PriestKill]] [["Unhand me, sir! This is my finest Perisian suit!"->PriestKill]] [["Oh, god. Some part of me always knew I'd die in a church."->PriestKill]] [["Dear Lord... save me! This is a church, isn't it?! Help!"->PriestKill]] [["Your hands are *so* coarse! You know, I have some ointment that could fix that..."->PriestKill]] [["I don't suppose you'd be willing to let me go, and I could come back another time?"->PriestKill]]"Great. And I just washed the floors." The woman behind the counter shakes her head. "Well, make this quick, boys, or at least a little quicker than the last one. Took the better part of a week to scrub all the blood away." Several of the bar patrons have risen from their chairs. You're pleased to see that none of them are brandishing firearms - you would have thought that'd be a given in a place as downtrodden as this. One man breaks a bottle on his table. Another picks up his barstool, hoisting it over his head. A mangy woman slides a jagged knife out of her jacket. You see the pistol comfortably holstered beneath her knife's sheath and come to a sudden realization: They aren't shooting you because they don't want to waste the bullets. [["Now, everyone, I think we can talk about this..."->BarDoomHub]]The bar dwellers do not slow their advance. "I doubt you'll be able to say much to calm these fellas. Your kind ain't welcome in these parts." The woman behind the counter watches you with cold, unsympathetic eyes. You don't like the look of all the weapons, improvised and otherwise, approaching you. You'd better talk quickly if you want to be able to talk ever again. [["Gentlemen, ladies, I come in peace! I merely wish to sell my ointment to you fine fellows and then I shall depart."->TheyKillYou]] [["Any of you fine individuals have scabies? Rabies? The Pox? Burning urine? Silicosis? Why, have I the ointment for you..."->TheyKillYou]] [["No need to be so angry, folks. I'm just as rough-and-tumble as you lot! Why, I rode all the way into town on a horse! Not even a train!"->TheyKillYou]] [["You fellas don't want to beat me to death! Believe me, it won't be at *all* satisfying. But buying my ointment, now that's another story..."->TheyKillYou]] [["Uh... I mean, I'm not *really* a traveling entrepreneur. I'm an undercover... sheriff. That's it. That's what I am."->TheyKillYou]] [["Killing me's a bad idea. I guarantee you I have more blood in me than that last person."->TheyKillYou]] [["You guys better back up! You don't know what I'm capable of!"->TheyKillYou]] [["You know, my miracle ointment would do wonders for that bloodlust."->TheyKillYou]] [["You folks shouldn't kill me - if you do, I won't be able to sell my ointment. It's mighty useful for helping player pianos run..."->PianoIntervention]] [["Whoops, must have taken a wrong turn. I'll just be leaving."->TheyKillYou]]The priest strangles you. If you've had enough, click here to return to the main menu. (click: "here")[(reload:)] If not, I guess I can return you to town... but honestly, I'd just give up, if I were you. [["Never say die."->Alright]](set: $churchvisit to 1)The priest stares at you with his wide, vacant eyes. **"My mind is sound enough to see you for what you are, demon! But I will admit that I know not enough to tell whether you are truly demonic or a mere lost soul. Had you not commented on the state of my once-askew mind I would not have hesitated to destroy you, but now I just wish for you to go."** (link: `"Buy my miracle ointment and I'll be gone. Just a gold piece."`)[**"Fie. I shall pay you your blood money."** The priest releases you and presses a gold piece into your hand. **"Go, fiend, and may God have mercy on your soul."** [["Don't have to tell me twice..."->TownSHub]]]The bar flies systemically bludgeon and stab you until you die. If you've had enough, click here to return to the main menu. (click: "here")[(reload:)] If not, I guess I can return you to town... but honestly, I'd just give up, if I were you. [["Never say die."->Alright]]"Wait! Wait! Don't kill the peddler!" An old-looking man in a rather cheap tux pushes through the crowd without warning. The men and women look uncertainly from him, to you, to the woman behind the bar. She puts one of her hands against her face. "For God's sake, Ted, don't tell me you honestly believe the line this yellowbelly's shilling. Only person you can trust less than a traveling salesperson is a demon, and even then, it'd be a fifty-fifty shot that I'd take the demon." The old man in the tux looks down at his feet with a sheepish grin. "I know. But I *do* like my piano..." The barmaid moans. "Jesus God-damned Christ. All right, everyone, stand down. Stand down." A chorus of irritated grumbling issues from the crowd like gas, but eventually they filter away, returning begrudgingly to their seats. The bar woman fixes you with a hard stare. "How much is a bottle of your damn ointment?" [["A single gold piece, ma'am."->BarPaid]](either: "I will never understand you.", "I'm not sure if I should applaud you or weep.", "Really?... alright, then.", "You're really that devoted to selling people snake oil? I guess it's not for me to say.", "Pfft. All right.", "How many times have you died? I guess it doesn't matter.", "This is getting embarrassing.", "Well, I would have given up by now. So I guess that's... something.", "Points for persistence, I suppose...") (set: $deaths to it + 1) You're back on Main Street, alive though in a remarkable amount of pain. (if: $barvisit is not 1)[[["Perhaps I can sell something at that bar."->Barsell]]](if: $churchvisit is not 1)[ [["I shall swing by the church again."->Churchsell]]](if: $storevisit is not 1)[ [["I will pay the general store a visit."->Storesell]]]"Fine. Take it, you bloodsucker." She hurls something small and glistening at you, something you only barely manage to catch. Pay dirt. (set: $barvisit to 1) The man in the tuxedo approaches you, smiling wanly. You push a small black bottle into his hands. (link: `"Apply that once or twice to the strings per week and you'll have a piano that sings like a canary. Or your money back."`)[The man smiles, but says nothing. "You and I are going to have a long chat upstairs after this, Ted, and it won't be the fun kind. And you," she points at you, "better get the hell out of my bar before I lost my patience and bash your head in myself. You hear me?" [["Too well. Goodbye!"->TownSHub]]]"Here. Come take." Gregovich places a single gold nugget on the table. It seems trustworthy enough. You approach, a hand outstretched to pocket the gold piece. Gregovich grabs your wrist as you reach forward. "Bottle. Give first." (link: `"C-certainly, sir. Here you are."`)[You set the bottle on the table in front of him. Apparently placated, he lets go of your wrist, and picks the flask up by the neck. With all due haste you snatch up the gold piece and turn to leave. Something strikes you in the back of the head. Your world goes dark. You regain consciousness on your stomach, your face pressed into the dirt. The back of your head stings something awful. As you reach up to probe your wound your hand comes away wet. At first you fear that the shopkeep has opened the back of your head. But as you pull your hand back you see that the liquid coating it is dark brown, not bright red. Gregovich hit you with your own bottle of snake oil. [["Well. I guess that's ironic."->Moneykept]]]Hey, look on the bright side: at least he didn't take the gold piece back. Hell, he didn't even kill you! Say what you want about Gregovich: at least he knows how to honor a deal. [["I don't want to talk about it."->TownSHub]]You... you did it. I can't believe you did it. You died (print: $deaths) times and you still did it. Braved the hostilities of a town that really just wanted to kill you and not only put up with them all but somehow managed to get them to buy things from you. I'm speechless. I'm also getting ahead of myself. You ride out of town unscathed, your stock of wares lighter and your wallet much heavier. As you ride, you reach into your pocket to count your gains, but your hand brushes up against something. Pulling it free, you see that it's a scrap of paper that you don't remember picking up. There's black writing on it. The writing reads: *GunThatCameFromHeaven*. What the hell does that mean? (link: `"It's probably nothing. I'm getting out of this place while my head's still attached to my body."`)[You do just that. The funds you gained from selling your wares aren't much, but with careful investments you eventually manage to retire in comfort. And, more importantly, nobody tries to kill you anymore. Back to Main Menu(click: "Main Menu")[(reload:)]]You fire at the salesman. The bullet sails through him without any visible effect, though his smile becomes a dour frown. "How rude! Just because I'm a demon does *not* mean I don't deserve to be treated with decency!" He wags a finger at you. "You're lucky you're of better use to me alive than dead. I've burned people to cinders for far less!" [["Couldn't help myself."->Demon2]]You draw your pistol and unload a shot into the back of the bar. It's not enough to start a fire, though it is enough to startle the drunk lying in the alley. He gives you a dark look and mumbles a few curses. (if: $matches is 1)[[["Well, time to do this the old fashioned way."->Torch]] [["On second thought, I'm not so sure about this."->Town]]](else:)[ [["Screw it, I'll figure this out later."->Town]]]You fire into the flames. Nothing happens. The fire continues to spread over the building. [["Not sure why I tried that."->Progress]]You draw a bead on the fleeing barmaid. (set: $choice to "SecondShot") The *crack* of your revolver momentarily drowns out even the sound of the flames beside you, but unfortunately the barmaid has already put on too much distance. The shot goes wide. The barmaid shifts on her horse. At this distance you can't imagine she sees you as anything more than a speck, but you can't help but feel as if you're receiving a formidable glare. [["Well, that was a bust."->Town]]Apparently not disheartened by the earlier missed shot, you aim at the barmaid, who is even farther away now, and fire again. The barmaid does not fall off her horse; as for the bullet, you've no idea where it's gone. This doesn't seem like a useful use of your time or ammunition. [["Shucks."->Town]]You fire at the spot where the child disappeared, but hear nothing indicating that you've scored a hit. The child's gone, either way. <script> A.t['rifle'].play(); </script> Before you can even manage to look up, the thunderous report of a rifle explodes across the metal wasteland. A chunk of dirt blasts into the air a few inches in front of your right foot. You hear a muffled curse. Instinctively hunkering down, you search wildly for the source of the gunshot. Eventually you find it. (if: $barvisit is >0)[The piano man kneels on one of the metal spires towering above you, a polished Winchester glinting in his hands. Half his face looks badly burned.](else:)[A man you've never seen before kneels on one of the metal spires towering above you, a polished Winchester wrapped in his arms. Half his face looks badly burned.] You're out in the open. You won't be able to get a bead on your assailant before he blows you to hell. You hear the click of a cocking bolt - in another moment he'll have his next shot nocked and ready. [["Quick! Into the shack!"->Cover]] [["Screw this, I'm out of here!"->EscapeBlock]]Though it's an extremely unlikely shot, you lean against the boards and angle your gun arm over the side. Taking a deep breath, you pull the trigger. For a moment, there's silence. Did you make the shot? (if: $backstory is not 3)[The reverberating *crack* of a rifle proves that you did not. <script> A.t['rifle'].play(); </script> [["Damn it."->Cover]] [["Guess I gotta be clever about this."->Cover]]](if: $backstory is 3)[(color: #8B0000)[**`[Soldier]`**] Despite the impossibly slim odds, you hear a strangled yelp. The rifle does not report again. Slowly, very slowly, you angle the top of your head over the shack's wooden side. The man who was firing at you appears to be gone - though after a moment you notice the toe of a boot sticking up over the side of the junk mountain before you. Looks like you made the shot. [["Serves that bastard right."->DeepHeap]] [["Sorry, buddy. You were in my way."->DeepHeap]]](if: $ShotDemon is 1)[You don't see his anger so much as you *feel* it. There's an intense, sudden heat, and then your surroundings are swallowed by shadow. Darkness swims around you. [["Oh, great."->BadEndMain]] [["Maybe that was a bad idea."->BadEndMain]]](if: $ShotDemon is not 1)[Your bullet whips through the demon harmlessly. He bares his jagged teeth at you. "Your novelty is quickly wearing thin. I would recommend not trying to shoot me again. I would further recommend not dying any more." (set: $ShotDemon to 1) "If I didn't currently have use for you, you would be little more than a dried-out husk in the dirt at the moment." He flares his nostrils. "But unfortunately, I *do* have use for you." The demon leans back, and you push yourself to your feet. The sniper has vanished. You recall the pain, but judging by your ability to move and the fact that you aren't dead it would seem that you're no worse for the wear. As you turn back you see that the demon no longer stands next to you. But you hear his voice in your head: (set: $wounds to 1) "Fail me twice more and my patience will run out." [["Ominous."->DeepHeap]] [["I'm not exactly in a hurry to die again."->DeepHeap]] [["Whatever. I fail when I like."->DeepHeap]]](either: "Aiming at nothing in particular, you lift your pistol and fire into the distance. The bullet vanishes in an eye-blink.", "You fire into one of the massive trash piles beside you. A metal gun safe, long since rusted shut, absorbs the bullet impact and showers you with sparks and dust.", "You fire into one of the massive trash piles beside you. Your bullet lodges itself in the side of a massive ebony piano that appears to have been shorn in half. You've no idea what would cause this kind of damage to a piano of this size, but it's a moot point at the moment.", "You fire into the dirt. There's no visible effect aside from a small cloud of dust.") [["Guess I'll keep walking."->DeepHeap]](if: $wounds is 1)[(set: $wounds to 2)(if: $ShotDemon is 1)[You don't see his anger so much as you *feel* it. There's an intense, sudden heat, and then your surroundings are swallowed by shadow. Darkness swims around you. [["Oh, great."->BadEndMain]] [["Maybe that was a bad idea."->BadEndMain]]](if: $ShotDemon is not 1)[Your bullet whips through the demon harmlessly. He bares his jagged teeth at you. "Your novelty is quickly wearing thin. I would recommend against shooting me again." (set: $ShotDemon to 1)"Apparently you didn't hear me last time, though I suppose I'll repeat myself. **STOP. DYING.**" The demon is positively aflame, though if it weren't for the fire smoldering all around him he would just look like a particularly agitated snake oil salesman. "Every time I resurrect you it's another ton of paperwork in my lap. If you fail because you are killed again I guarantee you that your suffering will last until the end of time." "This is your final warning." [["All right, all right."->EndOfRoad]] [["Hey, *I* just died. This isn't any more pleasant for me."->EndOfRoad]]]](if: $wounds is 0)[(if: $ShotDemon is 1)[You don't see his anger so much as you *feel* it. There's an intense, sudden heat, and then your surroundings are swallowed by shadow. Darkness swims around you. [["Oh, great."->BadEndMain]] [["Maybe that was a bad idea."->BadEndMain]]](if: $ShotDemon is not 1)[Your bullet whips through the demon harmlessly. He bares his jagged teeth at you. "Your novelty is quickly wearing thin. I would recommend not trying to shoot me again. I would further recommend not dying any more." (set: $ShotDemon to 1) (link: `"Sorry."`)["You aren't. And if I didn't currently need you, you would be little more than a dried-out husk in the dirt at the moment." He flares his nostrils. "But unfortunately, I *do* need you." The demon leans back, and you push yourself to your feet. You recall the pain, but judging by your ability to move and the fact that you aren't dead it would seem that you're no worse for the wear. As you turn back you see that the demon no longer stands next to you. But you hear his voice in your head: (set: $wounds to 1) "Do not fail me twice more. Or my patience will run out." [["Ominous."->EndOfRoad]] [["I'm not exactly in a hurry to die again."->DeepHeap]] [["Whatever. I fail when I like."->DeepHeap]]]]]The bullet tears right through the barmaid's throat. (set: $choice to "ContinuingBarmaidShot") She raises her own pistol as if to fire but drops it as her dress runs red with blood, her hands flying to her ruined neck. She doesn't stand for more than a handful of seconds. The demon is beside you in an instant. "Well done, my bloodthirsty friend! An especially nice touch shooting early like that. So many of you cowhands have such odd standards of 'honor' when it comes to murdering other people. It's refreshing to meet someone who doesn't. [["...Yeah."->DemonCompletion]] [["Damn right it was. Where's my power? You promised power."->DemonCompletion2]] [["It was indeed. Now for your end of the deal."->DemonCompletion2]]You shoot the barmaid in the head, cutting her diatribe off mid-sentence. Hardly an instant passes before the demon materializes beside you. (set: $choice to "ContinuingBarmaidShot") "Well done, my bloodthirsty friend! An especially nice touch shooting early like that. So many of you cowhands have such odd standards of 'honor' when it comes to murdering other people. It's refreshing to meet someone who doesn't. [["...Yeah."->DemonCompletion]] [["Damn right it was. Where's my power? You promised power."->DemonCompletion2]]You fire on the barmaid's inert body. Aside from a spray of blood, there's no reaction. "Well, now," the demon says, clearly impressed. "I didn't think your hatred ran that deep. [["Never liked the way she looked at me. So what was that about a reward?"->DemonCompletion2]] [["I don't know what came over me."->DemonCompletion]]You draw your pistol and shoot Green through the head. "My, my, my. I guess it was." The demon looks slightly put off by how swiftly you killed Green, as if he had some plan for him instead. "I suppose I underestimated just how violent you were - to think of it! A demon, underestimating how violent a human is!" The demon gives a prim chuckle. "Anyhoo, now that that business is concluded, would you care to follow me? I've been making a few changes to the town that I'm sure you'd *love*." The demon does not wait for you to acknowledge him; he blinks away. [["Oh no..."->TownConclusion]] [["This should be fun."->TownConclusion]] [["I mean, I guess I don't have anything better to do."->TownConclusion]]You shoot the now-unprotected woman through the sternum. (set: $choice to "CowardlyShot2") She staggers on the spot, wavering on crooked feet. It's tough to tell whether it's because of the bullet wound or the half-empty bottle of beam on the ground beside her. Either way, she doesn't stand for long. You step over her inert body. [["That was too easy."->EndOfRoad]]You shoot the dead woman's body again. She does not respond. [["You never know."->EndOfRoad]] [["Just wanted to get my point across."->EndOfRoad]]You manage to draw your revolver and fire, but the step you miss is "aiming at the old woman before she shoots you." Your shot is incredibly wide. The old woman shoots you. The buckshot enters a dozen different parts of your body at once. It's a queer sensation, not unlike being pelted with sand on a cold day. It an uncomfortable feeling but it doesn't last for long. (set: $choice to "DemonShot2") Sense returns to you an imperceptible time later. As you open your eyes you see the demon looking down at you. He looks displeased. [["Oh. Hi."->Demon'sPissed2]] [["Man, that hurt."->Demon'sPissed2]](if: $ShotDemon is 1)[You don't see his anger so much as you *feel* it. There's an intense, sudden heat, and then your surroundings are gone, swallowed by shadow. Darkness swims around you. [["Oh, great."->BadEndMain]] [["Maybe that was a bad idea."->BadEndMain]]](if: $ShotDemon is not 1)[Your bullet whips harmlessly through the demon. He glares at you. (set: $ShotDemon to 1) "If I didn't know you better, I'd say you were really doing your utmost to upset me. People who upset me have a tendency to be burnt to ash." The demon taps his chin. "But of course, your finger merely slipped. You wouldn't be so stupid as to try something like that again, would you? (link: `"N-no, of course not."`)[(replace: ?Mocking)[]"Of course not. Well, I'm sure we won't be having this problem again." [["Definitely not."->EndOfRoad]] [["Right. Whatever you say."->EndOfRoad]] [["You know what? Deal's off. Find another chump."->JustShot]]] [(link: `"Ooh, yeah, you're real scary. Everyone's afraid of salesmen these days."`)[(go-to: "JustShot")]]<Mocking| [[["You know what? Deal's off. Find another chump."->JustShot]]]<Mocking|](if: $ShotDemon is 1)[You don't see his anger so much as you *feel* it. There's an intense, sudden heat, and before you know what's happening you lose all sense of your surroundings. Darkness swallows you whole. [["Oh, great."->BadEndMain]] [["Maybe that was a bad idea."->BadEndMain]]](if: $ShotDemon is not 1)[Your bullet whips harmlessly through the demon. He glares at you. (set: $ShotDemon to 1) "If I didn't know you better, I'd say you were really doing your utmost to upset me. People who upset me have a tendency to be burnt to ash." The demon taps his chin. "But of course, your finger merely slipped. You wouldn't be so stupid as to try something like that again, would you?" (link: `"N-no, of course not."`)[(replace: ?Mocking)[]"Of course not. Well, I'm sure we won't be having this problem again." [["Definitely not."->DeepHeap]] [["Right. Whatever you say."->DeepHeap]] [["You know what? Deal's off. Find another chump."->JustShot2]]] [(link: `"Ooh, yeah, you're real scary. Everyone's afraid of salesmen these days."`)[(go-to: "JustShot2")]]<Mocking| [[["You know what? Deal's off. Find another chump."->JustShot2]]]<Mocking|](if: $wounds is 1)[(if: $ShotDemon is 1)[You don't see his anger so much as you *feel* it. There's an intense, sudden heat, and then your surroundings are swallowed by shadow. Darkness swims around you. [["Oh, great."->BadEndMain]] [["Maybe that was a bad idea."->BadEndMain]]](if: $ShotDemon is not 1)[Your bullet whips through the demon harmlessly. He bares his jagged teeth at you. "Your novelty is quickly wearing thin. I would recommend against shooting me again." (set: $choice to "JustShot3") (set: $ShotDemon to 1)"Apparently you didn't hear me last time, though I suppose I'll repeat myself. **STOP. DYING.**" The demon is positively aflame, though if it weren't for the fire smoldering all around him he would just look like a particularly agitated snake oil salesman. "Every time I resurrect you it's another ton of paperwork in my lap. If you fail because you are killed again I guarantee you that your suffering will last until the end of time." "This is your final warning." The demon vanishes, leaving you alone in the middle of the open stretch where you approached the barmaid. It looks like you'll have to face her again. [["Pressure's on now..."->evilshowdown]] [["I'll get her this time."->evilshowdown]]]](if: $wounds is 0)[(if: $ShotDemon is 1)[You don't see his anger so much as you *feel* it. There's an intense, sudden heat, and then your surroundings are swallowed by shadow. Darkness swims around you. [["Oh, great."->BadEndMain]] [["Maybe that wasn't such a great idea."->BadEndMain]]]](if: $ShotDemon is not 1)[Your bullet whips through the demon harmlessly. He bares his jagged teeth at you. "Your novelty is quickly wearing thin. I would recommend not trying to shoot me again. I would further recommend not dying any more." (set: $ShotDemon to 1) (link: `"Sorry."`)[The demon shakes his head. "My, my, my. Really tripped at the finish line, didn't you. You're lucky you have someone to back you up in this situation, or else you'd be rotting in the ground somewhere. I doubt that we'll need to have this talk again with you so close, but because you failed I'm afraid it must be said anyway." (set: $choice to "JustShot3") "We have a deal. You need to fulfill your end *without dying*. Fail me twice more and you will have things worse than death to worry about." The demon vanishes, leaving you alone in the middle of the open stretch where you approached the barmaid. It looks like you'll have to face her again. [["Damn it all."->evilshowdown]] [["I'll get her this time."->evilshowdown]]]](if: $ShotDemon is 1)[You don't see his anger so much as you *feel* it. There's an intense, sudden heat, and then your surroundings are swallowed by shadows. Darkness swims around you. [["Oh, great."->BadEndMain]] [["Maybe that was a bad idea."->BadEndMain]]](if: $ShotDemon is not 1)[Your bullet whips harmlessly through the demon. He glares at you. (set: $ShotDemon to 1) "If I didn't know you better, I'd say you were really doing your utmost to upset me. People who upset me have a tendency to be burnt to ash." The demon taps his chin. "But of course, your finger merely slipped. You wouldn't be so stupid as to try something like that again, would you? (link: `"N-no, of course not."`)[(replace: ?Mocking)[]"Of course not. Well, I'm sure we won't be having this problem again." [["Definitely not."->evilshowdown]] [["Right. Whatever you say."->evilshowdown]] [["You know what? Deal's off. Find another chump."->JustShot3]]] [(link: `"Ooh, yeah, you're real scary. Everyone's afraid of salesmen these days."`)[(go-to: "JustShot3")]]<Mocking| [[["You know what? Deal's off. Find another chump."->JustShot3]]]<Mocking|]As you reach for your revolver you find, to your horror, that your muscles refuse to respond. Though you strain and struggle as best you can you feel no movement. Dark, mocking laughter resonates in the back of your mind. Your arm remains limply at your side as you watch Green draw his pistol, as if in slow motion. But there's no delay when the pistol goes off. You feel the bullet pass through you and then there is only darkness. Your awareness, however, does not leave you. It feels less like you're dead and more as if you're floating in the ocean in the middle of the night. [["Hm. Figured this'd be a lot worse."->BadEndMain]]"Look for self." Gregovich pushes the book toward you. You open it and freeze in shock. A black-and-white photograph of Father Gabriel as you knew him - a young, austere man - looks out at you with dark eyes. The picture is badly yellowed, much like the page it is set in. As you turn the pages a plethora of other photographs meet you. Some contain Father Gabriel, but many have other people that you don't recognize - his family. This is a family photograph book. It's amazing that they were able to afford to take this many. You wonder if Gabriel came from money. (link: `"Greg, this is excellent. How much is it?"`)["Fifty dollar." (link: `"Fifty dollars? Are you insane?!"`)[Gregovich smiles wordlessly at you. (if: $Gold is < 50)[That's a damned lot of money. It might take some creative thinking to acquire such a volume. ] [["Mind if I take a closer look at that book?"->Priest'sBook]] (if: $Gold is > 49)[[["All right, you cheap bastard. This should be enough money."->Bookbought]] ][["Hmm. I'll keep looking, but don't sell that thing to anyone else, all right?"->Gregovich2]]]]You produce your shovel and begin to dig. (set: $boardshot to 1) The going is slow; though the dirt is not hard-packed, it still requires a fairly large amount of effort to shovel it out of the way. However, after about a foot's worth of digging, you hear a gunshot-like *snap*. <script> A.t['dig'].loop(false).play(); </script> (link: `"Uh oh."`)[<script> A.t['dig'].stop(); </script><script> A.t['slide'].play(); </script>There's just enough time to get out of the way as the garbage heap comes tumbling down, burying the path ahead and your hole in one tremendous deluge of rusted metal. Once the metal stops falling, you step forward and re-survey the scene. It seems like you're in luck - the junkslide has dispersed pretty sufficiently. You should be able to climb over without too much trouble. [["That'll work."->EndOfRoad]] [["Never figured junk'd be so dangerous."->EndOfRoad]]]"Wha?! Yew goddamn-!" The woman jerks back. She fumbles with her shotgun, bringing it to bear. [["Sorry about that. I'm just going to go back the way I came, if that's all right with you."->DiplomacyIsAJoke]] [["Honest mistake, ma'am."->DiplomacyIsAJoke]] "Excellent. Is good do business." Gregovich gives you a conspiratorial wink as he takes your money. (set: $Gold to it - 100) After digging in his pocket for a moment, he places a small, tattered-looking book of matches on the table before you. <script> A.t['get'].play(); </script> "Here. Take." (set: $matches to 1)(set: $bought to 1) (color: "indigo")[**You get: a Book of Matches**.] [["Hang on, I want to get *gouged* some more."->Gregovich2]] [["Thanks... you snake. I'm outta here."->Kicked]]You focus on the cougar. Military tactics drilled into you spin through your mind like memories from another life. As the beast approaches, you prepare yourself. Just as it rears back to lunge at you, you draw back your foot and kick. A cloud of dirt billows into the air between you. (set: $choice to "EdgeCase")(set: $CougarDefeated to 1)(set: $JunkVisit to 5) The lion, already leaping, blunders head-first into the cloud and misses you considerably. Hissing and spitting, it staggers blindly forward before clawing its way free. For a moment it stops, turning to give you the darkest look you've ever received from an animal. Then it turns tail and runs. Your time in the military, terrible as it was, taught you one incredibly important lesson: mountain lions might be able to tear a man in two, but they sure hate getting dust in their eyes. [["Never thought I'd say this, but here goes: thank you, Colonel Autumn."->JunkHeapMain]]{(live: 2s)[(set: $Shot to (either: 1, 2, 3)) (if: $Shot is 1)[<script> A.t['rifle'].play(); </script>] (if: $Shot is 2)[(live: 1s)[<script> A.t['rifle'].play(); </script>(stop:)]]] (if: $Shot is 3)[(live: 2s)[<script> A.t['rifle'].play(); </script>(stop:)]]}"Not sho fast, bub. I need shomefin' from you." (link: `"Let me guess. You need me to get you some booze."`)["What? No." He shakes his head vigorously. "Tryin' to get off the shtuff. Shee, there wash this... shaleshman. Folksh ran him outta town, but he shaid he had an elixir that could cure alcohol... lalishm. I need it." (link: `"You believe that crap?"`)[The drunk shrugs. "What the hell do you care? I got information. Look, my time'sh valuable. Go get me a bottle of Pete'sh Elixir from the Junk Heap and I'll tell you what I know. (link: `"Junk Heap?"`)["It'sh about ten milesh south'a town. Big honkin' place. Can't miss it." He sits down against the bar. "Git along now. I gotta get shome shut-eye." (set: $QuestAlt1 to 1)(set: $DrunkLife to 0) (if: $boozehound is 1)[[["How'sabout I cut out the middle man and... provide you with something better?"->DrunkAlt]] ][["If you say so."->Town]] [["Information's information. You'll get your snake oil."->Town]]]]]you better not be seeing this (link: "item debug")[(set: $bottle to 1)(set: $lockpick to 1) (set: $Quest1 to 3) (set: $Gold to 50) (set: $Quest2 to 3) (set: $MainQuestNote to 2) (set: $boozehound to 1) (set: $backstory to 1) (set: $backstory to 4) (set: $paper to 1) (set: $matches to 1) (set: $shiv to 1)]{(set: $walk to (either: 1, 2, 3)) (if: $walk is 1)[<script> A.t['walk1'].play(); A.t['walk1'].volume(.1); </script>] (if: $walk is 2)[<script> A.t['walk2'].play(); A.t['walk2'].volume(.1); </script>] (if: $walk is 3)[<script> A.t['walk3'].play(); A.t['walk3'].volume(.1); </script>]}{ (replace: ?savebtn)[ (link: $saved)[ (if: (save-game: "Slot A"))[ (set: $saved to "Saved!") ](else:)[ (set: $saved to "Not Saved!") ] (replace: ?savebtn)[(display: "savecode")] ]] }You approach the cart, leaning under the metal lip. A tiny package, barely larger than your palm, is nailed to the underside. [["Don't know what this says about me, but you bet your ass I'm opening it."->CartLoot]] [["Better to leave this alone, I think."->JunkHeapPathEast1]](if: $CartLooted is 1)[You stand above the cart that you looted. [["Wish I could loot it again."->JunkHeapPathEast1]]](if: $CartLooted is not 1)[You rip the package from the underside of the cart and quickly unfurl it. At first it seems as if there's nothing inside, but as you unfurl it you see a tiny golden glint. It's a $50 gold coin! <script> A.t['get'].play(); </script>(set: $Gold to it + 50) (color: "indigo")[**You get: a $50 Gold Piece**.] (set: $CartLooted to 1) [["A little free money never hurt nobody."->JunkHeapPathEast1]] [["Hope whoever put this here don't come back for it."->JunkHeapPathEast1]]]You're lucky Gregovich isn't here to be mad about that. I'm sure he'd be at least a little annoyed at the new hole in his ceiling, though it's also possible that he might never notice. That was a waste, if you haven't guessed. [["Shucks."->Town]] [["*You're* a waste."->Town]]