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(set: $name to (prompt: "What's your name? ", "name")) You are (print: $name). You are currently a weevil in Weeviltown, one of the many workers in Low-Wage Fields, serving your monarch, The Golden Beetle. One morning, as you are getting ready for another work day, you hear a crash nearby. [[ Investigate the crash -> The Alien ]] [[ Not your problem, you have work to do -> The Fields ]]

You approach the noise of the crash, columns of smoke already rising in the distance. You skitter forward on your weevil legs, only to witness the sight of a strange vehicle buried in the sand. A strange (either: "bird-like", "lizard-like", "shimmering") creature stands from the wreckage, speaking a language you cannot understand. It begins approaching you, seemingly testing languages. "Hello, I am from another planet. I need your help." [[ Better than Work, agree to help the alien -> Copper ]] [[ Not worth the Trouble, return to work -> The Fields ]]

You enter the fields, your weevil brethern trailing along with you. As you begin working, one of the Golden Beetle's servants approaches you. "(print: $name), Our Glorious Monarch, The Golden Beetle, would like to speak to you." Nobody can disobey the Golden Beetle, so you have no choice here [[ Go to Mushroom Castle -> Golden Beetle ]]

The alien brightens up as you agree to help it, making a strange chittering noise. "Thank you deeply. I was on the way to a distant planet but my ship was damaged on the way and can no longer go on. I need copper to replace some wiring." You know of two places where you can find copper: [[ Ea-Nasir's Quality Copper Store -> Ea-Nasir ]] [[ The Evil Mountains -> Evil Mountain ]]

You enter Your Glorious Monarch's castle. Sitting atop a throne made out of weevil corpses is The Golden Beetle, wearing a crown of thorns. "(print: $name), I have a task for you. I have run out of my favorite jams and they only grow in the Field of Eyes. I need you to fetch the fruit for my jams." You know of the Field of Eyes. It is where The Creature lives. [[ Obey Your Glorious Monarch ->Journey]] [[ Not worth encountering The Creature -> Transition]]

You tell the Alien to follow after you, assuring it that you know of a place with the best quality copper. The Alien seems assured. "Thank you, Friend. Tell me, what is the name of the vender you are taking me to?" "Ea-Nasir," You reply. The Alien pauses, though you cannot parse why. It squints at you. "Ea-Nasir?" "Yes."

Your Glorious Monarch's commands are law. You immediately set out for the Field of Eyes. You travel through bumpy terrain and short shrubbery, a lone weevil, keeping a wary eye out for The Creature. The Field of Eyes is far away, and as the shrubbery becomes denser and denser, transitioning into small trees, you can feel yourself tiring. [[Stop for a rest? -> Rest]] [[ Keep going ->Field of Eyes]]

You cannot return to work. You have disobeyed your Monarch and The Golden Beetle will punish you. So, you have no choice but to run. You decide to check out that crash from earlier, seeing as no options are availiable to you. [[ Investigate the crash -> The Alien 2 ]]

You approach the noise of the crash, columns of smoke already rising in the distance. You skitter forward on your weevil legs, only to witness the sight of a strange vehicle buried in the sand. A strange (either: "bird-like", "lizard-like", "shimmering") creature stands from the wreckage, speaking a language you cannot understand. It begins approaching you, seemingly testing languages. "Hello, I am from another planet. I need your help." [[ Agree to help the alien -> Copper ]] [[ Refuse to help the alien ->Are you Sure?]]

You refuse to help the alien and a dark look passes through its gleaming eyes, low growl emanating from it's throat. "So you'll let me be stranded here?" [[ "Yes" ->Death]] [[ "Nevermind, I'll help you." -> Copper ]] [[Run away ->Lone Weevil]]

The Alien approaches you threateningly, drawing a gun. Seems it didn't like that very much. You barely have time to turn and run before a deadly laser pierces you from the back. The last thing you see is the alien standing over your body, a vicious gleam in its eye. Ending Gained: The Alien kills you

Recognizing the dangerous gleam in the Alien's eye, you turn tail and run. Just in time too as the Alien draws a gun. You skitter in sharp turns, making your path as unpredictable as possible as gunshots land around you. By some miracle, you escape. But you can't return to your home, you have disobeyed your Monarch. With no other choice, you set out into the barren wilderness. Ending Gained: Runaway Weevil

You decide to stop for a short rest, finding a small clearing in the dense trees. There is a small puddle on the ground, which you enjoy a nice sip from. As you drink from the puddle, you notice the glint of something sticking vaguely out of the dirt. [[ Investigate?-> Potiential ]] [[ Don't lose focus, continue your journey ->Field of Eyes]]

You arrive at the Field of Eyes, the gazes of the various eyeballs fixed into the grounds and floating around swivelling around to focus on you. You cannot help but feel wary, what if the Creature is near, watching you? You have heard numerous tales of the Creature during your youth as a tiny weevil. The idea of it fills you with fear. Still, nobody disobeys the Glorious Monarch, The Golden Beetle. You see the Old Ant off in the distance. You've heard of him, he lives in the Field of Eyes. [[Maybe he can help you? -> The Old Ant]] [[You do not know him, he is untrustworthy ->Lost]]

You step closer to the item buried in the dirt, your curiousity overtaking you. You begin uncovering it to reveal a dried up, desecrated face. It is not attached to a body, the backside of it covered in the crusty red blood of flesh. How strange. You decide to take it with you, your weevil brethern would enjoy this since nothing ever happens in Low-wage Fields. [[ Continue on your Journey ->Field of Eyes]] (set: $potiential to "true") (set: $face to "true")

The Old Ant sees you approaching and tips his head politely, the stench of chemical pheromones filling your head. He is an ant and chemical pheromones are the language of his kind. You are a weevil, you prefer sound and vibrations. Though some of your kind also use pheromones. Either way, communication will not be simple. The Old Ant makes a 'Come Hither' gesture, buzzing his large wings (male ants have wings). He clearly wants you to follow him. [[Allow the Old Ant to guide you, he could guide you to the fruit ->Fruit Trees]] [[You don't know his intentions, you should keep looking for the fruit ->Lost]]

The Creature is upon you in an instant, a towering four-legged creature with a deer-like body and a void for a face. A hundred whispers overlapping each other drown out your hearing as it looms over you... [[Accept your fate -> Death by Creature]] (if: $potiential is "true") [ [[ Whispers? What could it be saying? You try to listen... -> Enlightenment]] ]

You follow after the Old Ant, deciding to trust him for now. After all, who else are you going to be asking? The both of you make your way across the Field of Eyes, gingerly avoiding stepping on any of the piercing gazes following your paths. He guides you to a tree, bearing a singular blood-red fruit. You recognize the sweet scent of it. This is the fruit your Glorious Monarch, The Golden Beetle sent you to find. You scale the tree, grabbing a single fruit. It is large, enough to make numerous jam jars. The scent of it is so very tempting, a cold sweet fruit just in your grasp. The Old Ant watches you with envy, he is too old for such a task to be easy for him. As you climb down, the Old Ant makes a gesture. He wants your fruit. [[You are Loyal to your Glorious Monarch, you run away with the fruit -> Chase]] [[The Fruit is just so very tempting, You eat it instead -> Potiential2]] [[He looks very old and pitiful, give him the fruit -> Betrayal]]

You decide not to trust in the Old Ant. After all, who knows what his intentions are? He could guide you right into danger for all you know. You keep walking, altering your path so you do not end up bumping into him. You know your Glorious Monarch's preferred fruit trees are deeper into the Field of Eyes, so that's where you head. The deeper you go, the denser the foliage becomes, the eyes becoming ever more numerous. You are not very familiar with the area, you've only ever been to the Field of Eyes once before. Before you know it, you are utterly hopelessy lost. Your surroundings look the same from all directions and you cannot even retrace your steps. [[The ominous silhouette in the distance does not inspire confidence... -> The Creature]]

The fruit is just too tempting and you have been on a long journey. Before you know it, you are gouging yourself on the fruit, the sweetness of it only fueling the fire of your greed. You can tell why your Glorious Monarch, The Golden Beetle loves these so much. It tastes divine. As you finish up the fruit, the haze of greed-fueled gluttony leaves you and you become once more aware of your surroundings. (set: $potiential to "true") [[The Old Ant looks very angry... -> Chase2]]

The Old Ant doesn't hesitate to give chase as you begin skittering away frantically. For an old ant, he sure runs fast and the heavy fruit weighs you down. You have two choices: [[You head for the distant Desert -> Status Quo]] [[You head for the trees -> The Creature]]

The Old Ant takes your fruit into his mandibles, munching gleefully. Despite the results of your own altruism making you feel accomplished, you cannot help but worry what your Glorious Monarch, The Golden Beetle would think. You will surely be punished. After the Old Ant is done enjoying the fruit, he gestures to you to follow him again. You skitter after him, not sure what else to do. The thought of delaying your inevitable fate when you get back to Weeviltown doesn't hurt either. The Old Ant leads you further into the fields, the eyes growing ever more numerous. You have an ominous feeling about this... Suddenly, the Old Ant darts away, the foliage swallowing him up so fast that you can't even tell where he went. You feel a prescence. [[You have a sinking feeling in your gut as you turn around... -> The Creature]]

You can already see your fate laid out before your eyes as the Creature's void face comes closer to yours. For a moment, there is a sharp pain in your chest, then before you know it, everything goes dark. Ending gained: Call of the Void

Despite what your in

The Old Ant doesn't hesitate to give chase as you begin skittering away frantically. For an old ant, he sure runs fast and the fact you ate that entire fruit slows you down and makes you sluggish. You have two choices: [[You head for the distant Desert -> Runaway]] [[You head for the trees -> The Creature]]

You race towards the distant desert, knowing that heading for the forest will only lead you deeper into the Field of Eyes. And the Old Ant has lived in the Field of Eyes for a very long time. Just as you'd predicted, he stops chasing you at the boundary of the forest. The Old Ant watches your escape with resentment in his eyes. Now that you're no longer being chased and don't have to fear the Creature anymore, you slow down. You make your way back to Weeviltown, to the throne room of Mushroom castle, handing off the fruit to the attendants of your Glorious Monarch, The Golden Beetle. The Golden Beetle barely glances at you as you hand the fruit over. You don't expect Them to. After all, They are your Glorious Monarch, The Golden Beetle. Why would They stoop to the level of acknowledging a lowly weevil for something as expected as following Their orders. You return to your work in the Low-wage Fields among your weevil fellows. (if: $face is "true") [ At least the desecrated face you found amuses them. ] Ending Gained: Return to Status Quo