% 11 "Good day, Mr. Jones."#@ you# 54|# He waits solicitatiously for customers.# 0 5 12 13
% 12 "Hello, ^. Care to buy something?"#@ Mr. Jones# 27|# Do you want to trade with Mr. Jones?# 0 4 14 15
% 13 "I’m not open right now, ^. You’ll have to come back tomorrow."#@ Mr. Jones# 27|## 6 0 0 11
% 14 "Thank you for your patronage, sir."#@ Mr. Jones# 27|## 1 0 0 15
% 15 "Goodbye."#@ you# 54|## 6 0 0 11
% 16 "Spectre, what is your torment?"#@ you# 54
"My love! My love! She has turned to stone. Look upon that likeness there, sir. What do you see?"#@ Antiphos# 31
"A stone statue of a beautiful woman."#@ you# 54
"Not just any statue, fool! The statue of my love, fair Julia! Once I was a proud warrior, one of the strongest in the land. And she was queen of one of the Thebikan cities. Passion and love for her filled my senses, as if I were an artist beholding the most exquisite rose. Long we courted... always she maintained a queenly demeanour, never fluttering or blushing as other women do when I spoke of love, only coolly refusing me when I asked her to share the delights of the bedchamber. Finally I asked her hand in marriage, and she promised me an answer after my battle against the Derondae. Yet I died in that battle, and never heard a word from her lips again!”#@ Antiphos# 31
“And your desire for her love kept you from leaving to the land of the dead, is that right?”#@ you# 54
“What other explanation can there be! I am doomed to wander here eternally, carrying my love for her in my breast, perpetually in agony for not knowing whether she returned it!”#@ Antiphos# 31
“I would think that you’ve had enough time to forget her.”#@ you# 54
“FOOL! How can I forget one more exquisite than the goddess of love herself? Ah, if you have nothing more to say, get out, and leave me to my sufferings.”#@ Antiphos# 30|# Offer to help the spectre?# 0 4 19 17
% 17 "I will disturb you no further then."#@ you# 54|## 6 0 0 18
% 18 "What do you want now?"#@ Antiphos# 31|# Offer to help the spectre?# 0 4 19 17
% 19 "I would help you, spectre."#@ you# 54
"If you can find some evidence that Julia loved me, bring it to me, and my weary spirit will be lightened and will float to its proper heavenly abode. If you do so, you will have ended the sufferings of an eternal soul, and will have earned more virtue and praise than I can say."#@ Antiphos# 31|# ancient letter# 0 1 20 21
% 21 "I will do what I can."#@ you# 54|## 6 0 0 22
% 22 "Have you brought me a token of her love?"#@ Antiphos# 31|# ancient letter# 0 1 20 23
% 23 "I haven’t yet found one."#@ you# 54|## 6 0 0 22
% 20 "Here it is."#@ you# 54
(reading it) “She did love me! Ah, sweet Julia! Let me rise now to heaven, to be enfolded forever in your arms. Julia!”#@ Antiphos# 31
“What is wrong? Why are you still here?”#@ you# 54
“Ah, fool! You have not helped me! Ah, I will never escape my despair! Ah, what I have lost! Gods, take pity on me, and cut off my wretched existence! Let me be blind to the horrible pain! Ah, her serene smile! It mocks me! Ah, her stone eyes! Where is the real woman! Where is the real woman I have loved!"#@ Antiphos# 30|## 0 0 0 39
% 39 "Ah!"#@ Antiphos# 30| 2## 13 0 0 24
% 25 "Julia! You're here!"#@ Antiphos# 117
“But I am dead, Antiphos my love, just as you are. Through stone eyes I have watched you suffer for millenia. The gods have cursed me as they have cursed you. For my rectitude in life when I wasted my opportunity to return your love, they made me a statue, doomed to forever feel my love's pain and despair, but never able to respond. But now, finally, our love is complete."#@ Julia# 32
"All hear the justice of the gods."#@ you# 54
"^, I owe this to you. Take my armor, that I wore in life. It is no good to me now."#@ Antiphos# 117|## 0 0 0 26
% 26 "I will honor it as the relic of your noble spirit deserves, Antiphos."#@ you# 54
"I, too, wish to reward you, ^. My family's treasure is buried here, long forgotten to mankind. I give it to you now, to do with as you see fit."#@ Julia# 32| 0## 12 0 0 27
% 27 "The living stand on the shoulders of the dead, milady. I am deeply grateful."#@ you# 54
"And now, a final resting place awaits us both."#@ Julia# 32
"Eternity will be sweet in your arms, Julia."#@ Antiphos# 117
"Then let us embrace, for I am afraid."#@ Julia# 32
"Goodbye, ^. Till we meet again... if we ever do."#@ Antiphos# 117|## 6 0 0 0
% 24 "May you rest in peace then, lovers."#@ you# 54|## 6 0 0 0
% 30 "Ah! Keep away! I can't stand the smell of that hateful garlic!"#@ Vampire# 88|# Leave the vampire alone?# 0 4 32 31
% 31 "Really? In that case I’ll come closer."#@ you# 51
"Ah! Stop! You don’t want to kill me! I have information you need!"#@ Vampire# 88|## 0 0 0 34
% 32 "Goodbye, then."#@ you# 54|## 6 0 0 30
% 33 “‘What walks on four legs in the evening...’"#@ you# 54
"A man! What walks in four legs in the morning is a crawling baby. What walks on two legs in the afternoon is a man. And what walks on three legs in the evening is an old man with a cane!"#@ Vampire# 88
"That’s deep."#@ you# 54
"JUST LEAVE ME ALONE! CAN'T YOU SEE I'M SUFFERING!" (the vampire is weeping tears of blood as you threaten him with the garlic) "I've told you all I know."#@ Vampire# 88| 2## 12 0 0 35
% 34 "Such as?"#@ you# 51
"There’s a secret behind the altar! Seek, and you shall find!"#@ Vampire# 88
"What else do you know?"#@ you# 51
"I knew the answer to the sphinx’s riddle, but I forgot what the riddle was. Remind me of it, and the answer will come back to me."#@ Vampire# 88|# 1# 0 8 33 2
% 35 "I ought to kill you anyway. A foul bloodsucking creature like yourself lives only at the expense of others. But you have helped me, and I cannot ignore a debt. Goodbye, vampire."#@ you# 51|## 6 0 0 -1
% 2 "I don’t know it either. Perhaps I’ll come back when I do."#@ you# 51|## 6 0 0 30
% 3 "The ignorance of mankind fills me with rage. Prove your knowledge, or die! What walks on four legs in the morning, two legs in the afternoon, and three legs in the evening?"#@ Sphinx# 116| 1# 2# 12 8 37 38
% 37 "A man!"#@ you# 54
"You have answered my riddle. You are worthy to pass."#@ Sphinx# 116| you## 8 0 0 65
% 65 "Nice to know I can hold my head higher than the ignorant masses."#@ you# 54|## 6 0 0 -1
% 38 "I do not know the answer."#@ you# 54
"All those who cannot answer will die!"#@ Sphinx# 116|## 6 0 0 36
% 70 "Hello up there!"#@ you# 54
"Who is it that calls?"#@ Old Man# 27
"I am ^. Who are you?"#@ you# 54
"I'm Admiral Xenophos, the greatest hero in the Athenian Navy. Or at least, I was."#@ Xenophos# 27|# What do you say to Admiral Xenophos?# 0 10 0 71 admiral# 72 hero# 72 navy# 72 ship# 73 quest# 74 sarah# 75 widow# 75 wife# 75 breastplate# 76 ship# 73 door# 73 hatch# 73 bye# 79 goodbye# 79|
% 71 "I don't know what you're talking about, boy."#@ Xenophos# 27
"Too bad."#@ you# 54|## 0 0 0 78
% 72 "Admiral Xenophos? The hero of the Karthian wars?"#@ you# 54
"That’s right, young man. I commanded the world's greatest warriors, men of strength and courage! Even the gods had heard of my glory! The kings of Karth kneeled to me! My glory was unrivalled! Until NEPTUNE’S REVENGE!!!"#@ Xenophos# 27
"Neptune’s revenge? What was that?"#@ you# 54
"The sea-god hated me for usurping so much power in his watery domain. My glory spread almost as far as his own divine name in the mouths of men. He was determined to end my eclipse of his supremacy over the winedark sea, and he did so, by sucking my ship and crew down to this place with a giant whirlpool."#@ Xenophos# 27| 4## 12 0 0 77
% 77 "A whirlpool?"#@ you# 54
"I JUST SAID THAT, DIDN'T I!"#@ Xenophos# 27
"What happened to your men?"#@ you# 54
"They died. All of them. They wouldn't heed me when I told them that Neptune had condemned us here, that we would be tempting his wrath to try to escape. They went searching in the passageways, trying to find a way out. They brought back a good deal of treasure, all useless. But one day they went out and never returned. Neptune got them."#@ Xenophos# 27
"You can escape now, if you like. I’ve just come from the surface. I can take you back."#@ you# 54
"ARE YOU MAD?!!" (Xenophos looks at you with his eyes bulging, gesticulating frantically) "ARE YOU A SERVANT OF NEPTUNE?!! GET BACK, TEMPTER!!" (he starts throwing miscellaneous objects at you) "I'LL NEVER LEAVE MY SHIP!! NEVER!! NEVER!!"#@ Xenophos# 27
"No need to get irritated. If you want to stay, stay.”#@ you# 54
"YOU'RE TRYING TO KILL ME! YOU'RE TRYING TO LURE ME OUT OF MY STRONGHOLD WHERE NEPTUNE CAN GET ME! YOU'RE TRYING TO GET ME KILLED!!"#@ Xenophos# 27
"LISTEN TO ME, WILL YOU? I AM NOT A SERVANT OF NEPTUNE!"#@ you# 51
(he relaxes suddenly) "That's better. Now, what were we talking about?"#@ Xenophos# 27
"Somehow, I sense that it was a subject better left untouched."#@ you# 54|## 0 0 0 78
% 73 "Can you let me in the hatch?"#@ you# 54
"Why?"#@ Xenophos# 27
"I’m on a quest to destroy Nok Hurthtu the Chaos Master, an evil being who threatens the entire world. The forces of Chaos have scattered the things I need all over this dungeon. Perhaps one of them is on your ship."#@ you# 54
"HAH! A likely story! You are some emissary of Neptune, come to attack me in my own fortress! Why should I trust you!"#@ Xenophos# 27
"I’ll leave my weapons here, if you like."#@ you# 54
"Sure you will. How do I know you don’t have a hidden dagger in your clothes? How do I know the old sea god has decided to finish me off once and for all? No thank you. This ship remains inviolate."#@ Xenophos# 27
"If that is your wish."#@ you# 54|## 0 0 0 78
% 78 "What do you want now?"#@ Xenophos# 27|# What do you ask Admiral Xenophos?# 0 10 0 71 admiral# 72 hero# 72 navy# 72 ship# 73 quest# 74 sarah# 75 widow# 75 wife# 75 armor# 76 breastplate# 76 ship# 73 door# 73 hatch# 73 bye# 79 goodbye# 79|
% 79 "Yes yes, be gone with you."#@ Xenophos# 27|## 6 0 0 78
% 75 "Do you remember your wife? She's still alive. For some reason, she still thinks about you."#@ you# 54
"Wife.. wife? What wife?" (he gets an abstracted look) "Ah, her. I was fond of that lady. Tell me boy, is she as beautiful as she used to be?"#@ Xenophos# 27
"Age has treated her harshly, but no one can fault her devotion to her husband."#@ you# 54
"Ah, it is no good now. We are too old now. What use could we have for each other? After all these years."#@ Xenophos# 27|## 0 0 0 78
% 74 "Your wife said you had devoted your life to fulfilling a quest. Do you remember what it was?"#@ you# 54
"As if I was likely to forget. In my glory days I fancied myself the greatest fighter in the realm. I swore to the gods I would acquire a full suit of magic armor, and rival Mars himself in battle. I only partly succeeded."#@ Xenophos# 27
"How did you succeed?"#@ you# 54
"I found a magical breastplate in the house of one of the Karthian sea-kings. It’s still in my house, if someone hasn’t stolen it." (he looks depressed) “Leave me alone for a while, boy. That all happened so long ago. There’s nothing left for me but to die. What do you want with an old man like me anyway?”#@ Xenophos# 27|## 6 0 0 78
% 76 "Tell me about your magical armor."#@ you# 54
"It was first worn by Heliose in the battle against the Spartikans. He performed so well in that battle that the gods blessed his armor. Ever since then, anyone who has worn it has been nearly invincible in battle."#@ Xenophos# 27
"Where is the armor now, Admiral?"#@ you# 54
"It's locked in my house, in a very safe place. I think I still have the key. Could you do me a favor?”#@ Xenophos# 27
“What?”#@ you# 54
“Could you bring it back to me? Maybe, with the armor on, I’d feel secure enough to leave this place. Could you do that for me?”#@ Xenophos# 27
“I don’t know, Admiral. I’m a rather busy man. Trying to save the world from Chaos takes a good deal of my time.”#@ you# 54
“I’d make it worth your while. If you brought it back, I’d let you have every treasure on this ship. Maybe some of it would be useful on your quest.”#@ Xenophos# 27|# What do you say?# 0 4 86 87
% 87 "I really can't do that, Admiral. I've got too much to do right now."#@ you# 54|## 6 0 0 78
% 86 "It would be nice if you cared more for saving the world from Chaos than getting your armor back. If you really think there’s something that could stop Nok Hurthtu on your ship, why don’t you let me on now?"#@ you# 54
“Please, ^, do this for me.”#@ Xenophos# 27
“Very well, since you won’t listen to reason, I’ll bring you your precious armor.”#@ you# 54|## 0 0 0 88
% 88 "Here's the key. The armor is locked in a closet in my house. It’s very heavy, so you might want to leave your equipment outside, so you can carry it."#@ Xenophos# 27| city key## 2 0 0 89
% 89 "I’ll be back shortly, Admiral."#@ you# 54|## 6 0 0 90
% 90 "Did you bring me my armor?"#@ Xenophos# 27|# magic armor# 0 1 91 92
% 110 (dully, not regarding you) “What do you want with me now? Why do you continue to torture me? Tell Nok Hurthtu that I will not betray the city I love.”#@ Woman# 3
“You mistake me, madam. I am not a friend of that Chaotic being. Who are you?”#@ you# 54
(she looks at you for the first time) “Ah, then you must be his enemy, ^.”#@ Woman# 3
“What brings you to that conclusion?”#@ you# 54
“The demons who have materialized in this cave from the Chaotic influence, and who serve Nok Hurthtu, speak of you with fear and hatred, as if you were a dagger aimed at their collective hearts. I overhear them in their conversations. They say that only you threaten the dark pool of Chaos called Nok Hurthtu that exists somewhere in this dungeon, the dark pool from which flows their blood and life.”#@ Woman# 3
“But who are you? How did you come to be down here?”#@ you# 54
“I am Xallas, daughter of Theocritus, the Athenian merchant. I was captured from Athenia one night by a winged demon, and was brought down here to serve Nok Hurthtu. The corrupting influence of Chaos here is strong-- if you stay in it too long, it infects your mind and body, and eventually you will come to look like one of the medusas or minotaurs, a creature of lust and passions, striking randomly and enragedly at everything that comes within your gaze. The forms of life that existed here before Nok Hurthtu-- rats and bats and such-- have already metamorphosized into monsters.”#@ Xallas# 3
“Yet why did they kidnap you?”#@ you# 54
“Nok Hurthtu’s servants seek to undermine Athenia from within. They have already tried and failed once with a traitor, George Bartholomew. When the fabric of my reason is sufficiently unbound by Chaos, they will return me to the city, and I will wreak what havoc I may.” (her eyes grow dull) “Already the process is beginning. I recite the syllogisms and geometry I learned in school, sometimes, to stave off the effects of madness lurking around my mental horizon. Yet when I sleep, my dreams are bizarre and horrible. Soon waking will be no different from a dream, and I will betray everything that is right in my delirium. Nok Hurthtu will subtly direct me, and I will accomplish his ends.”#@ Xallas# 3|## 0 0 0 114
% 114 “But I have slain the beasts which guard the egress, Xallas. You may leave now.”#@ you# 54
“No, a curse was laid upon me when I was brought here. I may not leave until I hear my name uttered in the way it was by those I love. Only that will break the spell upon me, and return my will to me. Otherwise I cannot leave.”#@ Xallas# 3| 6## 12 0 0 119
% 119 “Your name as it was uttered by those you love...”#@ you# 54
“Yes. A nickname. I cannot reveal it, for the curse holds my tongue. But if you find Theocritus, my father, and tell him of my plight, he will tell it to you. Then I could leave with you. My father would be grateful, and reward you.”#@ Xallas# 3|## 6 0 0 117
% 113 “I know nothing of that.”#@ Xallas# 3
“Ah.”#@ you# 54|## 0 0 0 117
% 117 “How can I help you?”#@ Xallas# 3|# What do you say to Xallas?# 0 10 0 113 father# 115 theocritus# 115 merchant# 115# nok hurthtu# 116 chaos master# 116 lord# 116 dark lord# 116 goodbye# 118 bye# 118 pearl# 121|
% 115 “Tell me about your father.”#@ you# 54
“Theocritus lives in the northeast corner of town. The house is rich, with many gorgeous works of carved stone.”#@ Xallas# 3
“What does he do?”#@ you# 54
“Before the war, he bought and sold goods all over the continent. I remember the huge caravans that he would take me to see when I was a little girl. They arrived in Athenia with the raw produce of the countryside, and would depart with the finished products of the city. But when the war started his business halted. When I was kidnapped he could do nothing.”#@ Xallas# 3|## 6 0 0 117
% 121 “Pearl...”#@ you# 54
(a slow look of dawning comprehension comes over her face) “Pearl...” (she breathes) “I remember now... I remember who I was...”#@ Xallas# 3
“The spell is broken?”#@ you# 54
“Yes. But I cannot go yet. ^, please, will you do me a favor?”#@ Xallas# 3
“If I can.”#@ you# 54
“Go to the medusa and the triton and ask them if they wish to escape with me. They were humans too, once, who were captured from Athenia and were forgotten in the general chaos of death and disorder. Ask them if they wish to return with me. For having lost much of their reason, they could not find the way without a guide. But now you are here to help them.”#@ Xallas# 3| 8## 12 0 0 122
% 122 “Why were they kidnapped?”#@ you# 54
“Who knows? Nok Hurthtu’s servant delight in simply creating Chaos for its own sake. But please, ask them for me if they wish to go.”#@ Xallas# 3
“Very well.”#@ you# 54|## 6 0 0 123
% 123 “Have you asked the medusa and the triton?”#@ Xallas# 3|# 9# 0 8 124 125
% 124 “I have spoken to the medusa. She is grateful to you, but does not wish to go above. Her glance is dangerous, and in a careless moment she could harm the people above.”#@ you# 54
“Yes, I see. That is terrible. But what about the triton?”#@ Xallas# 3|# 11# 0 8 126 125
% 125 “I have not spoken to them both yet.”#@ you# 54|## 6 0 0 123
% 126 “He will not leave either. He cannot survive outside the water that is his home. But both bid you to leave, Xallas, and to carry their hopes with them. It is time we have gone.”#@ you# 54
“^, you have done me a great favor in carrying out this request of mine, but I must ask you to do one more. Ask the minotaur if he will come. His mind is much devoured by Chaos, but some longing may still be within him to see the light of day and Reason. It would be shameful not to give him the opportunity to exercise it. Would you do this?”#@ Xallas# 3| 14## 12 0 0 170
% 170 “If you wish.”#@ you# 54|## 6 0 0 127
% 127 “Xallas.”#@ you# 54|# 12# 0 8 128 129
% 129 “What?”#@ Xallas# 3|# What do you say to Xallas?# 0 10 0 140 minotaur# 141|
% 140 “I cannot help you with that, ^.”#@ Xallas# 3|## 6 0 0 127
% 141 “Are you sure you wish me to talk to the minotaur? His mind is quite corrupted by Chaos. It may be dangerous to talk to him about defying Nok Hurthtu.”#@ you# 54
“I will take that risk, ^. Tell him the plan of escape is mine. I cannot think of leaving until I give every ex-Athenian a chance to return. The shame otherwise would be unbearable.”#@ Xallas# 3
% 130 “The minotaur is enraged! We must flee, now, or he will kill you!”#@ you# 51
“I am too weak to run, ^. Chaos has eaten away the muscles of my legs. You must go to the medusa or the triton, and ask for aid. Only they can defeat the minotaur.”#@ Xallas# 3
“I will try.”#@ you# 51| 13## 12 0 0 142
% 142 (distantly) “Perhaps it is really time for me to die.”#@ Xallas# 3|## 6 0 0 127
% 5467 “I am sorry you could not persuade him to come, ^. I talked to him a few times, before his transformation was complete. He was a good man. But it is time to go now.”#@ Xallas# 3|## 0 7 145 6000
% 144 “He became enraged and tried to kill you when I mentioned escape, Xallas. But I was able to induce the aid of the Medusa, and he is dead now. I am sorry I was unable to persuade him.”#@ you# 54|## 0 7 145 6000
% 143 “As you suggested, I enlisted the aid of the Medusa. He is dead now. But the time has come for us to flee.”#@ you# 54|## 0 7 145 6000
% 6000 “I will be ready to go with you later.”#@ Xallas# 3| 27## 12 0 0 6578
% 6578 “I will speak to you again. Goodbye.”#@ you# 54|## 6 0 0 127
% 145 “I will come with you. Take me to my father, ^. You know the way.”#@ Xallas# 3|## 10 0 0 6001
% 134 “Please, bring me to my father, ^.”#@ Xallas# 3|## 6 0 0 132
% 133 “Father!”#@ Xallas# 3
“Xallas!” (they embrace) “At last you are back with me again.”#@ Theocritus# 63
“Father, this is ^. As you know, without him, I would still be a slave of Chaos.”#@ Xallas# 3
“Thank you, ^. You have done me a great service, one I can never fully repay.”#@ Theocritus# 63| 13## 12 0 0 138
% 138 “Feel no need to do so, Theocritus. I merely did what was right, as any man would.”#@ you# 54| 1# Xallas# 15 0 0 135
% 135 “You are not just any man, ^. You are a hero, and I anticipate the bards will sing of you in legend. One thing they will not sing is that Theocritus ignored his debts. Take this, ^, as a token of my gratitude. If you spurn it, you dishonor me.”#@ Theocritus# 63
“I will not spurn it. I am grateful to you, Theocritus. If the bards sing of this adventure of mine, one thing they will not fail to mention is the kingliness of your gratitude.”#@ you# 54| sceptre of lordly might## 2 0 0 137
% 137 “For the service you have done for me, it is not even adequate, ^. Come visit us again.”#@ Theocritus# 63
“Goodbye, Xallas.”#@ you# 54
“Goodbye, ^. Please come and visit us again.”#@ Xallas# 3
“Of course I will.”#@ you# 54|## 6 0 0 15432
% 15432 “^, I have been rummaging through my father’s library. And I think I may have found something that could be helpful on your quest.”#@ Xallas# 3
“What is it?”#@ you# 54|## 0 0 0 9778
% 9778 “An old manuscript. I cannot read it, but maybe you could get a wise man to do so-- someone like the Seer. It was enfolded in an old book about strange extradimensional beings. That is why I think it might be useful.”#@ Xallas# 3| manuscript## 2 0 0 9779
% 9780 “Have you had much luck on your quest?”#@ Xallas# 3
“I have been making some progress.”#@ you# 54
“I hope you make more.”#@ Xallas# 3|## 6 0 0 9780
% 116 “What do you know of Nok Hurthtu?”#@ you# 54
“His minions have three other prisoners here-- a medusa, a minotaur, and a triton. They were once citizens of Athenia, but were captured to have their minds and bodies warped by Chaos and to serve Nok Hurthtu. The minotaur is the most insane. You may wish to avoid him. I have spoken much to the others, and while the triton is sullen and uncommunicative, the medusa is honest and good.”#@ Xallas# 3
“They have been here longer than you, I take it.”#@ you# 54| 28## 12 0 0 5500
% 5500 “Yes, the minotaur longest of all.”#@ Xallas# 3
“Perhaps I will get a chance to talk to them.”#@ you# 54|## 6 0 0 117
% 118 “Nothing, Xallas. I must go now.”#@ you# 54
“Goodbye.”#@ Xallas# 3|## 6 0 0 117
% 146 (she speaks in a low, hissing, sibilant whisper) “What do you want?”#@ Medusa# 72|# What do you say to the Medusa?# 0 10 0 149 escape# 151 bye# 5999 goodbye# 5999|
% 148 “Why don’t you consider escaping from this place?”#@ you# 54
“What I consider is not important. I am a tool of Nok Hurthtu’s now.”#@ Medusa# 72|## 6 0 0 146
% 147 “I am helping Xallas escape. Come with us, and you will escape Nok Hurthtu’s cruelty.”#@ you# 54
“Nay, I cannot. Look at me, man! Look at me!” (knowing the danger of the medusa’s glance, you avoid her eyes) “How can I go into the city like this! A monster, a danger to everyone I know! How can I live, knowing every day that with one careless glance I could end the life of a someone I love!”#@ Medusa# 72
“You could blindfold yourself...”#@ you# 54
“Bah! That does not work! My eyes send out rays of death and agony which nothing can impede. You must leave me here. Better I die, than be the cause of death of someone I love.”#@ Medusa# 72| 9## 12 0 0 152
% 152 “I will tell Xallas of your wish.”#@ you# 54
“If I can do anything to help hhher, let me know.”#@ Medusa# 72
“I will tell her.”#@ you# 54|## 6 0 0 153
% 153 “What do you want now?”#@ Medusa# 72|# 12# 0 8 154 155
% 155 “Are you sure you do not wish to escape?”#@ you# 54
“I cannot. Tell Xallas to leave without me.”#@ Medusa# 72|## 6 0 0 153
% 154 “The minotaur has become enraged, Medusa! Even now he attacks our friend, Xallas. Please, if you value her life at all, come and help me defend her!”#@ you# 54|## 0 0 0 6543
% 6543 “Take me to him. Talk to me when you see him if you wish me to attack. I will be your ssservant in this matter.”#@ Medusa# 72|## 10 0 0 5667
% 158 “Where is the minotaur? I do not see hhim.”#@ Medusa# 72
“He is coming. Be ready.”#@ you# 54|## 6 0 0 156
% 157 “I see him, ^. He is enraged, as you said. I will help defend our fffreind.”#@ Medusa# 72| A massive minotaur## 9 0 0 159
% 159 “Thank you, medusa.”#@ you# 54|## 6 0 0 160
% 160 “Goodbye, Medusa.”#@ you# 54
“Goodbye. ^. Escape now, with Xallas. My hopes go with you both.”#@ Medusa# 72|## 11 0 0 -1
% 161 “Hail, triton!”#@ you# 54
“Who is it that comes?”#@ Triton# 48|# 8# 0 8 163 162
% 162 “I am ^. Who are you?”#@ you# 54
“I am no one, merely a servant of the Dark Lord Nok Hurthtu. He has twisted my lungs so I can no longer breath the warm sweet air, but only the dank cold liquid of the chopping sea.”#@ Triton# 48
“You were a man once?”#@ you# 54
“Once, but no longer. Now leave me. I wish to contemplate my death.”#@ Triton# 48|## 6 0 0 165
% 163 “I bring news of hope for you, Triton. Xallas, your fellow prisoner, is planning an escape. Will you come?”#@ you# 54
“Fool! I am trapped here. I cannot leave the water. It is my life now. Go tell your Xallas that she will go where she likes without me.”#@ Triton# 48| 11## 12 0 0 164
% 164 “Very well.”#@ you# 54|## 6 0 0 -1
% 165 “Why do you disturb me once again?”#@ Triton# 48|# 8# 0 8 163 166
% 166 “Merely to relieve your dreary death-contemplation.”#@ you# 54
“You have disturbed it enough. Now go.”#@ Triton# 48|## 6 0 0 165
% 167 “You puny man. Why do you come to me?”#@ Minotaur# 57|# 14# 0 8 168 169
% 168 “Xallas, your fellow prisoner, is planning an escape. If you wish to escape this foul hellhole, and the cruelties of your dread master, then come with us now.”#@ you# 51
“She rebels? Against the True Power? How is this possible?”#@ Minotaur# 57
(sensing danger) “She does not rebel. She will return after she escapes, with more soldiers for your dread master. You misunderstood me, Minotaur.”#@ you# 54|## 0 0 0 171
% 171 “LIAR! I UNDERSTOOD YOU WELL ENOUGH! SHE WILL DIE! NONE rebel against the Master! Such are aberrations on the face of the universe! They must be destroyed!”#@ Minotaur# 57| Xallas## 9 0 0 172
% 172 “Your master will be angry.”#@ you# 51| 12## 12 0 0 5666
% 5666 “DO NOT LIE TO ME ANY MORE, HUMAN, LEST YOU TEMPT MY WRATH FOR YOU AS WELL! SHE HAS SINNED AGAINST THE TRUE POWER! SHE MUST DIE!”#@ Minotaur# 57|## 6 0 0 -1
% 169 “What is your story, Minotaur?”#@ you# 54
“I was once a man. But now I am more. I am an arm of the Dark Lord; I am a true subsidiary of his Infinite Power. You too would do well to surrender your will to He who will Rule All. Like an overwhelming wave, you must swim with it, or be crushed and lost forever.”#@ Minotaur# 57
“You will be lost, whether you swim with it or not. Who can survive a tidal wave in that fashion?”#@ you# 54
“Your kind will be crushed when He comes. Doubt once, and you will perish.”#@ Minotaur# 57
“You are a fool. But I will leave you to your delusions. Nok Hurthtu has already placed your mind, I see, beyond the reach of Reason.”#@ you# 51|## 6 0 0 167
% 180 “You are ^.”#@ Demon# 91
“Yes, I am. Who are you?”#@ you# 54
“That is not important. I am but an extension of my masters’ will. I serve Nok Hurthtu, but I serve another master more. Gold, bright sweet gold. It haunts my thoughts, it possesses my dreams. In the bright, cold metal my soul is trapped, fluttering like a butterfly to get out, but vainly, for the imperial majesty of that metal has captured my heart.”#@ Demon# 91
(ironically) “How sublime.”#@ you# 54
“Bring me gold, and I will reward you, human. I have what you need-- do not doubt me.”#@ Demon# 91|# 250# 0 2 181 182
% 181 “Here you are, then, demon. I trust you have my reward ready.”#@ you# 54|## 0 0 0 183
% 183 “Only in an adventure game could a scene like this take place. But yes, I do. Here it is. Live long and prosper.”#@ Demon# 91| cavern key## 2 0 0 184
% 184 “I think Chaos has infected your soul.”#@ you# 54|## 6 0 0 -1
% 182 “Maybe some other time.”#@ you# 54|## 6 0 0 185
% 185 “Have you brought me gold?”#@ Demon# 91|# 250# 0 2 181 182
% 190 “Go back, human. Nok Hurthtu has forbidden you here. You may not pass.”#@ B. Master# 91
“I must pass.”#@ you# 54
“You are a fool to seek your death. Do you know what lies beyond here?”#@ B. Master# 91
“Your master, I presume.”#@ you# 54
“He will destroy you as easily as you crush a withered leaf in your hand. There is only one power in the world that He fears.”#@ B. Master# 91
“I trust you are not referring to myself.”#@ you# 54
“The horned amulet! The power of the Old Gods lies within its throbbing gold. Nok Hurthtu cannot harm its holder without instantly being blasted into atoms.”#@ B. Master# 91
“Frankly, I find that a fascinating piece of information.”#@ you# 54
“But I will not let you pass until you give the horned amulet to me! Then you may seek your death at your leisure.”#@ B. Master# 91|# horned amulet# 0 1 191 192
% 191 “Here it is then.”#@ you# 54|## 0 0 0 193
% 193 “Go then... to your death!”#@ B. Master# 91| cavern key## 2 0 0 194
% 194 “Perhaps it is not I who will die.”#@ you# 54|## 6 0 0 -1
% 192 “Nay, I won’t give it to you.”#@ you# 54
“Then you shall not pass!”#@ B. Master# 91|## 6 0 0 195
% 195 “Have you brought me the horned amulet?”#@ B. Master# 91|# horned amulet# 0 1 191 192
% 200 “What do you seek?”#@ Statue# 118
“I seek the presence of the gods.”#@ you# 54
“Only the worthy may commune with the divine spirit. To do so, you must first prove your mastery of Reason. What is AIHTRTRBE?”#@ Statue# 118|# What do you say?# 0 10 0 201 birth rate# 202 birthrate# 202|
% 201 “You are not yet ready.”#@ Statue# 118|## 6 0 0 200
% 202 “Birth rate.”#@ you# 54|## 0 0 0 207
% 207 “I am satisfied. You have answered my puzzle; your grasp of Reason is sufficient. You may meet the goddess of this temple-- for only those with Reason can hear wisdom. ”#@ Statue# 118| cavern key## 2 0 0 208
% 208 “Thank you, statue.”#@ you# 54|## 6 0 0 -1
% 250 “I praise the Goddess of Wisdom and War.”#@ you# 54
“^. At last you have arrived. The Muses sang that you would overcome Nok Hurthtu, he who knows no Reason. But I fear that even their divine eyes could not penetrate the fog which he throws over all predictions of the future. I fear, perhaps, that we are lost. Not even we gods can overcome his power.”#@ Athena# 45|# What do you say to the goddess?# 0 10 0 260 chaos master# 261 dark lord# 261 lord# 261 nok hurthtu# 261 horned amulet# 263 amulet# 263 bye# 265 goodbye# 265|
% 260 “I cannot help you with that, ^.”#@ Athena# 45|## 0 0 0 262
% 262 “What would you ask of me, ^?”#@ Athena# 45|# What do you say to the goddess?# 0 10 0 260 chaos master# 261 dark lord# 261 lord# 261 nok hurthtu# 261 horned amulet# 263 amulet# 263 bye# 265 goodbye# 265|
% 261 “Goddess, did the Muses sing of how Nok Hurthtu might be defeated?”#@ you# 54
“They say there is a powerful talisman that he cannot oppose. But where is it? What is it? The combined winged senses of Olympos have been unable to discover it anywhere in the four corners of the earth. I fear it is but a dream, a phantasm of our hopes. Not even the Muses, faced with their impending banishment from this plane, can remain unmoved by such human fears.”#@ Athena# 45
“Perhaps it is not a phantasm, Athena.”#@ you# 54|## 0 0 0 262
% 263 “I know the talisman that can defeat Nok Hurthtu, for I heard the Beast Master speak of it. It is a horned amulet. I had it once, but was forced to give it up to that demon in exchange for my passage.”#@ you# 54
“Then the talisman does exist! The Muses were not wrong! ^, take me quickly to the Beast Master. I will get it from him. Speak to me when we arrive; I must contemplate the best course of action for the encounter, and otherwise I will be distant and unresponsive.”#@ Athena# 45|## 0 7 251 252
% 251 “Can you defeat him? He is hideously strong.”#@ you# 54|## 10 0 0 253
% 253 “Yet he is bound up in the stuff of order-- he must be, to properly focus his will on this plane where order still rules. That means he is subordinate to the gods, for even as Nok Hurthtu embodies the principle of Chaos, we embody the principle of law. Now, let us lose no more time, but go.” (she closes her perfect eyes and seems to lose herself in contemplation as she follows you)#@ Athena# 42|## 6 0 0 254
% 252 “Speak to me again when you have no other companions, ^.”#@ Athena# 45|## 6 0 0 262
% 256 “The Beast Master is not here, ^. Take me to him.”#@ Athena# 45|## 6 0 0 254
% 255 (opening her eyes) “I see him, ^.” (facing the Chaos Demon) “Beast Master, hear me, and tremble, for your doom has arrived!”#@ Athena# 42
“Who speaks such words? Tell me your name, before you die.”#@ B. Master# 91
“I am Athena, goddess of Olympos, and my kindred still rule this plane of existence! Submit to me, and return the horned amulet you stole from my servant ^.”#@ Athena# 42
“You ask me to defy he who created me. I recognize your power, but I cannot bow to it.”#@ B. Master# 91
“You have determined your mind completely on this course of action?”#@ Athena# 42
% 258 (thinking) -- I had better stay out of the way of this battle, for it could easily crush me incidentally.#@ you# 54|## 6 0 0 259
% 259 “I can do nothing more for you, ^. You must face Nok Hurthtu on your own now.”#@ Athena# 45|## 11 0 0 -1
% 275 “What is it! HUK-RUUUUUUUUUNNNNN..... Coming... Coming... Always coming...”#@ Nok Hurthtu# 95|# What do you say to the Chaos Master?# 0 10 0 276 ideal# 278 the ideal# 278 bye# 280 goodbye# 280|
% 278 “Oh gods, hear me, as I confront this thing of Chaos with a thing of pure Reason... the Ideal!”#@ you# 54|## 0 0 0 279
% 279 “HAAAAARCGGH! NNNOOO!” (great puffs of light explode from Nok Hurthtu’s form as he spins backwards. A key flies out from his robe and into your hand)#@ Nok Hurthtu# 95| cavern key## 2 0 0 290
% 290 “TTTHHHING OF ORDER! YOU CAAANNNNOOOOT WITHSTAND ME! SUURRRENNNNNNN-d-d-d-dER!”#@ Nok Hurthtu# 95
“Not while I believe in an ideal, Nok Hurthtu. Not while I believe in an ideal.”#@ you# 51|## 6 0 0 -1
% 301 “^. Thank you for coming.”#@ Seer# 27
“I cannot afford to spend much time here, Seer. My comrades need me on the city walls to help with the defenses.”#@ you# 54
(looking absent-minded for a moment) “Ah yes, the walls... the walls... Is there any break in the teeming armies that surround us, the howling man-beasts whose minds and matters are manifestations of the primeval force of Chaos?”#@ Seer# 27
“None, Seer.”#@ you# 54
“No change then, has come, from that first direful day when they arose, like smoke over the horizon, to encircle and choke our city? No change since they called our warriors to the walls to resist their attempts at invasion?”#@ Seer# 27
“None, Seer.”#@ you# 54
“And still no one knows why? For what purpose they appear, what they desire besides sheer destruction and slaughter?”#@ Seer# 27
“No one knows, Seer.”#@ you# 54
“And none can leave the city, nor negotiate with the strange inhuman armies that surround us, that threaten our existence like a great black onrushing wave only barely kept in check by our walls?”#@ Seer# 27
“That is so, Seer.”#@ you# 54
“Then my vision has arrived at an opportune time.” (he rubs his forehead wearily) “I had a dream last night, ^, of the nature of this threat. Where Reason fails, when events are completely inexplicable, then only the deep searching of our souls in holy mysticism will produce an answer. In the absence of explanation, we must rely on that divine principle within us that vibrates to the frequencies of the gods.”#@ Seer# 27
“What did your dream reveal to you, Seer?”#@ you# 54
“It was revealed to me as clearly as I see you in the waking day. I saw first a dank noisome sewer, clanking with the action of ancient machinery. It held a madman hurling huge forces of thunder, cackling wildly. Beneath that my mind’s eye beheld a still older crypt, taken over by the forces of Chaos, to become a fearsome den of beasts and strange contrivances. Still deeper into the earth did my mind’s eye travel, and as it did so I became overwhelmed by a strange sense of trepidation. I felt that same shock you feel, ^, when some long established tenet you have felt, upon which you have built your entire world view, becomes proven false. It is as if someone had proved to you, beyond all shadow of a doubt, that 2+2=5. I felt sickened, disoriented. I became blinded by a creeping sense of terror. Nothing seemed certain to me... nothing.”#@ Seer# 27
“Indeed, in this day and age, what is certain?”#@ you# 54
“Yet as I said, my mind’s eye drew still deeper into the earth, drawn by some force I could not comprehend, some churning inevitability, the way a captain must feel as his ship is sucked into a whirlpool. Beneath the crypt was a great tomb, built to house the bodies of the forgotten lovers who once lived and moved in the legends of men, Antiphos and Juliet. Their spirits still wander there, unable to rest because their hearts are still captured by the light of day. Beasts and monsters, and strange tricks, abounded there as well, for the forces of Chaos were stronger there, and it is their nature to warp matter into things incomprehensible and thus dangerous to men.”#@ Seer# 27
“Chaos? Beneath the earth, as well as outside us? How could that be?”#@ you# 54
“I will tell you. For beneath even this tomb, my mind’s eye saw a great cavern, hollowed by the slow dripping work of ages, now occupied by a presence who obeys no such natural law. His name is Nok Hurthtu, and what has brought him here, or how he remains, I cannot say. But his presence was what drew me, irresistably. And I saw him standing in the midst of a great rent torn in our reality, a gash cruelly ripped in the fabric of our world which obeys the laws of Reason. And he held his arms out, and he was calling to the armies that surround us, ‘Come to me! Come to me!’ He was directly beneath our city, miles beneath, connected to the surface only by a tenous series of passages through the crypts and sewers I have just described, yet his voice boomed out like a waterfall, spreading throughout the land. ‘Come to me! Come to me!’”#@ Seer# 27
“And he was calling the beasts of Chaos which threaten our city?”#@ you# 54
“Evidently. I saw no more than that. Yet there is a conviction of the truth within me, that cannot be denied. He was calling his servants, whose very nature is the principle he embodies, and they were coming to him. They seek to enter through our city, through the sewer, and crypts, and the tomb, and to him. His call bends their very beings to its fulfillment.”#@ Seer# 27
“Can we let that happen?”#@ you# 54
“No. When the Chaos Master (for that is truly what he is) is united with his servants he will become fully a part of our reality. Now he is outside it, with only one foot on the threshold, so to speak. But when the servants of Chaos that exist in our world merge themselves with him, when they surrender their individual selves to his great rippling being, then he will fully enter this reality, and will spread across the world like a tidal wave nothing can stop. When that happens, all Reason will come to an end, and we humans will disintegrate into the tiniest particles of energy, and simply become flotsam and jetsam floating on the waves of his great ocean.”#@ Seer# 27
“What can we do, Seer?”#@ you# 54
“No. The question is, what can YOU do, ^. For my dream also revealed to me that you were chosen by the gods to stop this curse. You must find a way to this thing, this Chaos Master, and destroy it, or prevent it from entering our plane.”#@ Seer# 27
“Seer... I feel a great terror coming over me. And the room suddenly feels so cold... so hideously cold...”#@ you# 54
“I feel it too, ^. Stand fast. We must endure much if we are to reach our goals.”#@ Seer# 27|## 6 0 0 0
% 302 “WAOOOUHHLAAARRRRGGHHH!”#@ Presence# 94
“What is this, Seer? I cannot understand it.”#@ you# 54
“It is the presence I saw in my dream, ^. Be silent now. I think it wishes to speak.”#@ Seer# 27
“WALAAAAALLARGGHH.... Who seeks to disturb Nok Hurthtu, eternal lord of ever-varying Chaos? ARRRGGSSSIIIINNE”#@ Nok Hurthtu# 94
“You see, ^, its thoughts are uncollected, degenerating into random noise. It is a primeval mass of bestial desires and turbulent motions only sporadically able to assume the semblance of reason.”#@ Seer# 27
“As a cloud may take a shape of a castle or a man, Seer... I understand.”#@ you# 54
“Yet even clouds are directed, by the wind. I believe this presence wishes to tell us something in particular.”#@ Seer# 27
“WHHHHHHIIIIINNNEE (snkrl) Resist me.... and be destroyed....”#@ Nok Hurthtu# 94
“Seer, something is entering the room!”#@ you# 51|## 6 0 0 -1
% 300 “What can I do for you, ^?”#@ Seer# 27|# What do you say to the Seer?# 0 10 0 303 nok hurthtu# 304 chaos master# 304 manuscript# 305 read# 305 goodbye# 310 bye# 310|
% 340 “What else can I do for you, ^?”#@ Seer# 27|# What do you say to the Seer?# 0 10 0 303 nok hurthtu# 304 chaos master# 304 manuscript# 305 read# 305 goodbye# 310 bye# 310|
% 303 “I can’t help you with that, ^. I’m sorry.”#@ Seer# 27|## 0 0 0 340
% 304 “What do you know of the Chaos Master?”#@ you# 54
“He is a presence that sees and hears all we do, but can only sporadically direct himself for action. He has infinite power, but can rarely use it effectively. He relies, instead, on servants to accomplish his will, who are bound more firmly to the principles of order. Yet if he were to achieve his focus, and overwhelm this plane, all principles of order would become meaningless, and the land would become like a great ocean-- without form or law. Yet despite his divine power, he is now personified in a mortal body, as a stage he must endure before entering our world. If you destroy that mortal body, you will destroy the foothold he has gained in our world, though the principle he embodies is unchanging.”#@ Seer# 27
“Do you know anything more about his powers?”#@ you# 54
“They are great, for his power is not that of a single man, but of an entire cosmic principle. More I cannot tell you. But at the end of my dream, as I swam towards the growing light of consciousness, I thought I saw the face of a god. It said to me, ‘^ is the one. Call him, and he will come. Command him, and he will fight. His duty is strong and he will choose the proper path among those in darkness.’ If my dream is correct, then it is you the gods have chosen, ^. The protection of the gods is over you in this matter.”#@ Seer# 27
“Yet even the mortal man most beloved of the gods may fail.”#@ you# 54
“That is so, like old Priam of Troy. But you must not falter nonetheless. The only hope of the world, I am convinced, lies in your courage and your wits. You must do the best you can, without doubting your potential to succeed.”#@ Seer# 27
“I will take your words to heart, Seer. They have the ring of true wisdom.”#@ you# 54|## 0 0 0 340
% 305 “Do you know any foreign languages, Seer?”#@ you# 54
“Many, ^.”#@ Seer# 27|# manuscript# 0 1 307 308
% 307 “I have discovered a foreign manuscript. Can you read it?”#@ you# 54
“Ah yes, this is an ancient dialect of the Dorian philosophers.” (as he reads it slowly he scribbles a translation on another parchment) “It looks like an old philosophical text, not much good to you, though it does mention Chaos. Here. There’s not much to it, but there it is.”#@ Seer# 27| scroll## 2 0 0 309
% 309 (reading the Seer’s translation) “‘The destruction of Chaos lies in the ideal.’ Hmmmm.”#@ you# 54
“If there is a power to that word perhaps it will help you, ^.”#@ Seer# 27
“Perhaps it may.”#@ you# 54|## 6 0 0 300
% 308 “Have you discovered anything in them that would be of use to me?”#@ you# 54
“I’m afraid not, ^.”#@ Seer# 27
“That is a pity.”#@ you# 54|## 0 0 0 340
% 310 “Nothing, Seer. Goodbye.”#@ you# 54
“Walk always on the path of Reason, ^.”#@ Seer# 27|## 6 0 0 300
% 350 “Greetings, Lord Antiphos.” (you bow)#@ you# 54
“Hello, ^. I have just received news about the city’s status.”#@ Antiphos# 39|# What do you say to the Sublime King?# 0 10 0 351 status# 352 city’s status# 352 city# 352 athenia# 352 george# 353 bartholomew# 353 george bartholomew# 353 adviser# 353 guard# 354 frederick# 354 manthos# 354 goodbye# 355 bye# 355 traitor# 380|
% 390 “What else can I help you with, ^?”#@ Antiphos# 39|# What do you say to the Sublime King?# 0 10 0 351 city# 352 athenia# 352 george# 353 bartholomew# 353 george bartholomew# 353 adviser# 353 guard# 354 frederick# 354 manthos# 354 goodbye# 355 bye# 355 traitor# 380|
% 354 “How are your guards, Your Highness?”#@ you# 54
“They perform their duties as well as they can. It is difficult for they must sleep on their shifts, but manpower is short on the walls, and they cannot be relieved.”#@ Antiphos# 39
“You are undoubtedly well protected, Majesty.”#@ you# 54|## 0 0 0 390
% 380 “What do you know about the traitor, Sire?”#@ you# 54|# 15# 0 8 381 382
% 382 “There is no traitor, ^. That rumor has great potential to turn citizen against citizen. Please, don’t stir it up again.”#@ Antiphos# 39
“There may be some truth to it, Highness. But I will say no more of it, if that is your wish.”#@ you# 54|## 0 0 0 390
% 381 “He’ll stay in jail for a long time. The city owes you a great debt for catching him, ^. You saw through his machinations even when I, the city’s ruler, was blinded by them. I cannot forget that.”#@ Antiphos# 39
“The city’s interests are my own. No one owes me a debt, Sire.”#@ you# 54|## 0 0 0 390
% 355 “I need nothing now. Goodbye, my lord.”#@ you# 54|## 6 0 0 350
% 351 “I can’t help you with that, ^.”#@ Antiphos# 39|## 0 0 0 390
% 352 “How fares the city, my lord?”#@ you# 54
“Badly. The guard is faltering again beneath the attacks of the Chaos demons.” (he rubs his eyes) “There is no end to them! When a lad dies to take out a demon, three more step in to take its place. Where can I find replacements for our lads?”#@ Antiphos# 39
“Take heart, Sire. I am on a quest to defeat the master of the demons, an evil being called Nok Hurthtu who lives deep beneath the city. If I can destroy him, the city will be saved.”#@ you# 54
“Where did you get that idea?”#@ Antiphos# 39
“From the wisest man in the city, barring yourself, Your Highness-- Damocles the Seer. He had a vision of the truth, and I saw it verified with my own eyes. Nok Hurthtu exists-- I have seen him.”#@ you# 54
“What is this Nok Hurthtu?”#@ Antiphos# 39
(you describe the Chaos Master to your king) “He is like an evil thought, Majesty, that comes shivering over you like a shadow over a sunlit glade. Yet his power is great, though his presence is subtle. He can strike evil anywhere in the world.”#@ you# 54
“Then your quest is noble, ^. If you succeed, you will be the greatest hero Athenia has ever known.”#@ Antiphos# 39
“Yet I don’t fight for that reason, Majesty. I fight because it is the only thing to do.”#@ you# 54|## 0 0 0 390
% 353 “How do you like your adviser, George Bartholomew?”#@ you# 54|# 15# 0 8 365 366
% 365 “He is no longer important, ^. Please don’t mention him. As far as I’m concerned, he never existed.”#@ Antiphos# 39
“Let his name of evil, indeed, be forgotten from the land. Your wisdom is great, Highness.”#@ you# 54|## 0 0 0 390
% 366 “He is a clever man. His help with the defenses especially has been invaluable. Yet somehow, no matter how ingenious his tricks, the Chaos forces seem to find a way around them. I fear they are guided by some supernatural force, that reveals to them every contrivance we try.” (the weight of kingship looks heavy on his brow) “Yet our men are heroes, each and every one of them. The city’s survival has been bought with their blood, and it will continue to stand with more of it.” (the king’s mouth turns into a difficult line) “We owe them a debt that we can never repay.”#@ Antiphos# 39|# letter# 0 1 357 358
% 358 “It shames me to say I am not on the walls with them, Majesty. But I believe I serve the city in a no less important way.”#@ you# 54|## 0 0 0 390
% 357 “My heart grieves with yours, Majesty. Yet I think I have found the source of all this trouble.”#@ you# 51| 15## 12 0 0 364
% 364 (reading the page) “A traitor? How can this be?” (he looks aghast) “So the rumors were true.”#@ Antiphos# 39|# George Bartholomew# 0 6 359 360
% 360 “There can be no doubt, Sire.”#@ you# 54
“I will imprison him at once.” (his voice changes to firm decision) “No more shall this black hand of Chaos squeeze itself around our very hearts. Our city alone, at least, will be free.”#@ Antiphos# 39| 2# George Bartholomew# 15 0 0 361
% 359 (staring at you coolly) “This is a lie, Highness. I am slandered. I demand satisfaction.”#@ Bartholomew# 33
“I will give to you, sir, gladly. Just name the time and place.”#@ you# 51
“Hush, the only justice here will be given by the law. Bartholomew.”#@ Antiphos# 39
“Yes, Sire.”#@ Bartholomew# 33
“I perceive that this page is in your hand, Bartholomew. That is damning evidence.”#@ Antiphos# 39
“A forgery, Sire.”#@ Bartholomew# 33
“It is not a forgery. I have read your handwriting a thousand times. This is it, as clearly as I have ever seen it.”#@ Antiphos# 39
“I can only reiterate my innocence, Sire. I have been slandered.”#@ Bartholomew# 33
“Excuse me, Sire. Perhaps it is not my place to intervene here. But I have seen Bartholomew sneaking about at night with a letter much like that one in appearance in his hand.”#@ Frederick# 12
“You did not stop him, Captain?”#@ Antiphos# 39
“He claimed he was merely delivering a missive to a friend in the city. But perhaps his friend was no friend of ours, Majesty.”#@ Frederick# 12
“I have heard enough. Hear my decision, and tremble ye doers of evil, for the justice of the king is great.”#@ Antiphos# 39
“Let us act then, in accordance with Reason.”#@ you# 54
“Let us act then, in accordance with Reason.”#@ Frederick# 12
(reluctantly) “Let us act...” (his lip trembles) “Let us act...”#@ Bartholomew# 33
“Yes, Bartholomew?” (the king looks gravely at the pale and trembling man) “Do you have some problem with the traditional words?”#@ Antiphos# 39
“It was I, Sire! Have mercy upon me!” (he throws himself to his feet) “I admit it!”#@ Bartholomew# 33
“It is good that you admit it, Bartholomew.” (the king says gently) “It shows that your conscience, spurred on by the threat of impending destruction, pricks you at last to the course of Reason.”#@ Antiphos# 39
“But it does not change my sentence one iota. Bartholomew, for highest and grossest treason to this city and this land, you will serve out the remainder of your years in prison.”#@ Antiphos# 39
“All doers of evil, hear, and repent.”#@ you# 54
“All doers of evil, hear, and repent.”#@ Frederick# 12
(letting out a huge inchoate wail) “I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” (he settles to the ground, blubbering)#@ Bartholomew# 33
“Guards, take him away.”#@ Antiphos# 39|## 0 0 0 395
% 395 (Bartholomew is dragged away by guards) “This is an unpleasant piece of business, gentlemen. But the city will be better for it.”#@ Antiphos# 39| 2# George Bartholomew# 15 0 0 361
% 361 “You have acted rightly, Sire.”#@ you# 54
“^. According to the traditional law, the benefactor of the city must receive the gratitude of the king. I thank you, ^.”#@ Antiphos# 39
(dutifully) “It pleases me to receive your thanks, Sire.”#@ you# 54
“And I choose to show my gratitude with this. Take it, ^, and use it well.”#@ Antiphos# 39|## 0 0 0 362
% 362 (bowing your head in submission) “The justice of the king is great.”#@ you# 54| sceptre of lordly might## 2 0 0 363
% 363 “The justice of the king is great.”#@ Frederick# 12|## 6 0 0 350
% 400 “Good day, Farmer Paul.”#@ you# 54
“A nasty day, you meant to say. The weather’s been terrible. The mist that covers the sky barely lets the sun through a few times a day. There’s not going to be much of a harvest-- and pretty soon the city will begin to starve.”#@ Paul# 36|# What do you say?# 0 10 0 401 weather# 402 crops# 402 sun# 402 sack# 403 seed# 403 sack of seed# 403 marian# 416 wife# 416 bye# 404 goodbye# 404|
% 440 “How else can I help you, ^?”#@ Paul# 36|# What do you say?# 0 10 0 401 weather# 402 crops# 402 sun# 402 sack# 403 seed# 403 sack of seed# 403 marian# 416 wife# 416 bye# 404 goodbye# 404|
% 416 “How’s Marian?”#@ you# 54
“All day long she does nothing but nag me. I swear, ^, it makes looking after the crops an impossible business.”#@ Paul# 36
“Such a difficult life we all lead.”#@ you# 54
“You take me for an idiot, worrying about that when Chaos is all around. But really, you should try living with her. It’s enough to make a Chaos Demon look good by comparison.”#@ Paul# 36|# Marian# 0 6 417 418
“As I said. Every time I try to get something done, it’s nag, nag, nag. You’d think a man can’t lift up a finger without causing irreparable harm to the world.”#@ Paul# 36
“Some men can. If they have a grain of sense in their skulls. But for those without any, women must step in to help.”#@ Marian# 60
“Yes, yes. You see, it’s no good arguing with a wife. Never get married, lad. You’ll spend the rest of your life regretting it.”#@ Paul# 36
“I have other things to regret right now. Good day.”#@ you# 54|## 6 0 0 400
% 401 “I can’t help you with that, lad.”#@ Paul# 36|## 0 0 0 440
% 402 “How bad has the weather been?”#@ you# 54
“Worse than anything. Without any sun our crops are just dying. The harvest is going to be poor this year.”#@ Paul# 36
“That’s terrible.”#@ you# 54|# 21# 0 8 410 411
% 411 “But the worst is not nature but a human enemy. Someone snuck into my house and stole the sack of seed I was going to use to plant next year’s harvest. Unless I get that back, the Chaos armies will starve us out for sure, even if they can’t defeat our men.”#@ Paul# 36|## 0 0 0 440
% 410 “But at least you got me my seed back, lad. That means we may have something to eat next season.”#@ Paul# 36|## 0 0 0 440
% 403 “What happened to your seed?”#@ you# 54|# 21# 0 8 441 442
% 441 “Nothing, since you found it, ^. Thank the gods for that. I’m keeping a close eye on it now.”#@ Paul# 36|## 0 0 0 440
% 442 “It was stolen. If you could find it, lad, the city would be very grateful.”#@ Paul# 36|# seed sack# 0 1 412 413
% 413 “I’ll try.”#@ you# 54|## 0 0 0 440
% 412 “I found it.”#@ you# 54
“Ah! Zeus bless you, my lad! Maybe you’ve made the difference between life and starvation for us next season. Though we may die more violently and prematurely.”#@ Paul# 36
“I’m glad I could help.”#@ you# 54|## 0 0 0 414
% 414 “A young man like you could use some help for himself. Here, lad, take this old tunic of mine. It’ll protect you a bit in the heat of battle.”#@ Paul# 36| tunic## 2 0 0 445
% 465 “Paul and I are working hard to bring in the crop. It will be a poor harvest, though. And with our sack of seed gone, next season’s will be even worse.”#@ Marian# 60|# What do you say to Marian?# 0 10 0 451 crop# 12345 harvest# 12345 seed sack# 452 sack of seed# 452 seed# 452 sack# 452 paul# 453 husband# 454 bye# 454 goodbye# 454 theocritus’ daughter# 455 daughter# 455 theocritus# 455|
% 470 “Well, now that you got next season’s seed back, ^, things are beginning to look up. Good job.”#@ Marian# 60|# What do you say to Marian?# 0 10 0 451 paul# 453 husband# 454 bye# 454 goodbye# 454 theocritus’ daughter# 455 daughter# 455 theocritus# 455|
% 12345 “How is the crop?”#@ you# 54
“Terrible. A strange mist has covered the sun ever since the chaos armies first beseiged us. Our harvest is wilting away.”#@ Marian# 60
“Then we must win this war before we starve.”#@ you# 54|## 0 0 0 490
% 490 “How else can I help you, ^?”#@ Marian# 60|# What do you say to Marian?# 0 10 0 451 paul# 453 husband# 454 bye# 454 goodbye# 454 theocritus’ daughter# 455 daughter# 455 theocritus# 455|
% 454 “I need nothing. So long, Marian.”#@ you# 54|## 6 0 0 450
% 451 “I can’t help you with that, ^.”#@ Marian# 60|## 0 0 0 490
% 452 “Do you know what happened to the next season’s seed?”#@ you# 54
“Someone stole it. Now there won’t be any crops next season, even if the sky clears up by some miracle and we manage to get something out of this harvest.”#@ Marian# 60
“How did the theft happen?”#@ you# 54
“I was out by the old island one night, washing our clothes, when a figure came running up. Whoever it was didn’t see me, and ran through a shallow part of the river and onto the island. I thought for sure it was a marauder of Chaos that managed to get over the walls... I thought I’d be kidnapped just like poor Theocritus’ daughter. So I fled home as fast as I could. When I got there Paul was in a rage, swearing the seed was stolen.”#@ Marian# 60
“You must have seen the thief.”#@ you# 54
“If it was the thief, young man, it was a thing not of this world, and it is best not to be interfering with it. No Athenian would steal that seed-- without it, we’d all starve. No, it was some twisted, evil thing of Chaos, and I’m only thankful that I escaped with my life.”#@ Marian# 60
“You don’t have much longer to be thankful.”#@ you# 54|## 0 0 0 490
% 453 “How’s your husband Paul?”#@ you# 54
“He’s a little lacking in common sense. I have to keep an eye on him, or he’ll sit around all day drinking ale.”#@ Marian# 60
“Now? Surely you jest.”#@ you# 54
“Well, he takes a sip or two more than’s good for him, to be sure.”#@ Marian# 60|# Paul# 0 6 460 461
% 460 “Just a small sip, Marian, barely enough to keep a man warm after he’s been laboring out in the cold all day!”#@ Paul# 36
“And I’ve been laboring with you, Paul, in the very same cold. If I, a poor weak woman, can make such a sacrifice, why can’t you?”#@ Marian# 60
“Woman don’t understand a man’s need for beer. You’ll back me up on this one, won’t you, ^?”#@ Paul# 36
“I can’t understand how either of you could be concerned about such trivialities.”#@ you# 54
“Not a triviality, ^-- his nature. His universe is comprised of two bodies-- his stomach, and I won’t mention the other thing.”#@ Marian# 60
“Nice to know that in the midst of almost certain death, domestic squabblery goes on.”#@ you# 54|## 6 0 0 450
% 461 “Perhaps you have an unduly low tolerance for alcohol, Marian.”#@ you# 54
“That’s not the only way he’s annoying, ^. Why, I could just list the ways...”#@ Marian# 60
“Charming, I’m sure, but I would rather hear some other time.”#@ you# 54|## 0 0 0 490
% 484 “Oh, it makes me shudder to think of it. She was just walking out one night and never returned. Some winged thing of Chaos must have got her.”#@ Marian# 60|# 13# 0 8 480 481
% 481 “I thought our warriors were keeping the Chaos beasts out.”#@ you# 54
“Oh, they try their best, I’m sure, but every now and then some winged beast-man manages to fly in at night and create a little havoc. That’s what must have got Theocritus’s daughter.”#@ Marian# 60
“That’s terrible. And I’d thought our city, alone, was safe.”#@ you# 54|## 0 0 0 490
% 483 “I don’t think she’s moved from her parents’ house since you rescued her.”#@ Marian# 60
“It’s good to know she’s safe.”#@ you# 54|## 6 0 0 450
% 480 “I meant since I brought her back. I guess you haven’t heard that I did that.”#@ you# 54
(joyful) “Oh, you HAVE? That’s incredible! You found her alive?”#@ Marian# 60| 22## 12 0 0 482
% 482 (you tell Marian about rescuing Xallas) “... so after the medusa slew the minotaur, we escaped to the city, and now she’s safe back in her parents’ house.”#@ you# 54
“Oh, ^, that’s wonderful! Maybe there’s some chance we can defeat these Chaos thugs after all!”#@ Marian# 60
“Perhaps. We may as well hope so, because the alternative is death.”#@ you# 54|## 0 0 0 490
% 500 “Hello, Vern.”#@ you# 54|# 15# 0 8 525 526
% 525 “Hello, ^. Congratulations on catching the traitor. You’re a regular hero now.”#@ Vern# 36|# What do you say to Vern?# 0 10 0 501 crops# 503 weather# 503 seed# 504 paul# 504 goodbye# 505 bye# 505|
% 526 “Hello, ^. Did you hear about the traitor? Lots of tongues wagging about that.”#@ Vern# 36|# What do you say to Vern?# 0 10 0 501 traitor# 502 crops# 503 weather# 503 seed# 504 paul# 504 daedelus# 545 goodbye# 505 bye# 505|
% 540 “Anything else I can help you with?”#@ Vern# 36|# What do you say to Vern?# 0 10 0 501 traitor# 502 crops# 503 weather# 503 seed# 546 paul# 504 goodbye# 505 bye# 505 daedelus# 545|
% 546 “What do you know about the seed?”#@ you# 54|# 21# 0 8 547 548
% 547 “It’s safe, now that you found it again, ^. Good job.”#@ Vern# 36|## 0 0 0 540
% 548 “The same as everyone. One night Master Paul discovered the loss of the seed for the next season’s crops.”#@ Vern# 36
“Maybe I’ll talk to him about it.”#@ you# 54|## 0 0 0 540
% 545 “What do you know about Daedelus?”#@ you# 54
“He works in the field with me and the other farmhands. You should be able to find him easily.”#@ Vern# 36|## 0 0 0 540
% 501 “‘Fraid I can’t help you there, ^.”#@ Vern# 36|## 0 0 0 540
% 502 “What’s this about a traitor?”#@ you# 54
“Aye, there’s a traitor loose, everyone’s sure of it. Too many strange things going. Master Paul got his seed sack stolen, so even if the sky clears up we’ll never be able to plant next season’s crops. In addition the bad guys seem to have a sixth sense about our troop movements on the walls.”#@ Vern# 36
“That’s despicable.”#@ you# 51
“Daedelus saw something suspicious in the shop. You might ask him about it, if you’re interested.”#@ Vern# 36
“Something like this interests us all.”#@ you# 54|## 0 0 0 540
% 503 “How are the crops, Vern?”#@ you# 54
“There’s no sun to nourish them, ^. They’re withering away before our very eyes.”#@ Vern# 36
“Then we’ll have to do our best without them.”#@ you# 54|## 0 0 0 540
% 504 “How’s Farmer Paul?”#@ you# 54
“Well enough. He’s incredibly worried about the crops, though. He can’t sleep because of them. We’re getting almost nothing out of the ground this year, ^. Nothing. Things are going to start getting desparate pretty soon.”#@ Vern# 36
“We’ll have to do whatever’s appropriate. That’s all we can do. We’ll simply have to tighten our belts.”#@ you# 54|## 0 0 0 540
% 505 “I need nothing. So long, Vern.”#@ you# 54|## 6 0 0 500
% 550 “How’s it going, Smith?#@ you# 54
“Same as always, ^. We work. Eventually we’ll die. It’ll probably be sooner rather than later. So why fight it?”#@ Smith# 36
“Don’t be despicable, Smith. Where there’s life, there’s hope.”#@ you# 54
“There’s no hope, ^. We’re all going to die.” (he looks up at the grey sky despairfully) “Look at it. No sun for weeks. The crops are withering in their buds. We’re going to starve.”#@ Smith# 36
“That may be so, Smith. But we will die with dignity and vigor. Stop being dominated by your fear. You bring shame upon yourself.”#@ you# 51
“I will try, ^. But it is so hard...”#@ Smith# 36|## 6 0 0 550
% 600 “What’s up, Daedelus?”#@ you# 54
“Oh, hello, ^.”#@ Daedelus# 33|# What do you say to Daedelus?# 0 10 0 601 paul# 602 crops# 603 traitor# 604 shop# 605 bye# 606 goodbye# 606|
% 640 “Is there anything else you want to know, ^?”#@ Daedelus# 33|# What do you say to Daedelus?# 0 10 0 601 paul# 602 crops# 603 traitor# 604 shop# 605 bye# 606 bartholomew# 12356 george# 12356 george bartholomew# 12356 goodbye# 606|
% 12356 “What do you know about George Bartholomew?”#@ you# 54
“He’s the king’s adviser. You should be able to find him in the throne room most days.”#@ Daedelus# 33|## 0 0 0 640
% 606 “I need nothing. So long.”#@ you# 54|## 6 0 0 600
% 601 “I’m afraid I can’t help you there.”#@ Daedelus# 33|## 0 0 0 640
% 602 “How’s Farmer Paul?”#@ you# 54
“Oh, the master’s quite well, I believe. He’s worried about the crops, though, as are we all.”#@ Daedelus# 33|## 0 0 0 640
% 603 “How are the crops?”#@ you# 54
“Terrible. Ask Vern of Master Paul or any of the others. They’re just dying before they’re even ripe. It’s tragic to watch.”#@ Daedelus# 33|## 0 0 0 640
% 604 “Have you heard about the traitor?”#@ you# 54|# 15# 0 8 615 620
% 615 “Now that he’s behind bars, there’s not much more to hear, ^. Good job.”#@ Daedelus# 33|## 0 0 0 640
% 620 “Ah, who hasn’t? It’s a terrible business. To think, that someone could betray our city and everything we love! But I have kept my eyes open. And I think I might know who it could be.”#@ Daedelus# 33
“Who?”#@ you# 54|# 25# 0 8 630 631
% 630 “Like I said, Bartholomew. Maybe you should talk to the Captain of the Guard about him. He has police powers over the city’s matters, and the king is very fond of his adviser. Frederick is the only one who may help you satisfy your curiosity.”#@ Daedelus# 33|## 0 0 0 640
% 631 “It’s only a suspicion, from an incident I saw. But it’s not worth bothering you with. The king has ordered us to cease telling traitor stories. I think he is right. We must not start turning against each other now, when the greatest threat lies outside the walls.”#@ Daedelus# 33|## 0 0 0 640
% 605 “Vern said you saw something suspicious in the shop.”#@ you# 54
“And I swore him to secrecy! When I get my hands on that big lug...”#@ Daedelus# 33
“If this is true, then it ought to be known, Daedelus.”#@ you# 54
“But the king has ordered us to stop telling traitor stories... and it’s probably nothing.”#@ Daedelus# 33
“Let me decide that, Daedelus. A possible threat to the city cannot be ignored.”#@ you# 54
“Very well. I was in the shop one night, a week before Farmer Paul’s seed was stolen. And I heard George Bartholomew talking to Mr. Jones about seed and the next harvest. Bartholomew hates farming. He grew up as a farmer, and all he can do now is put distance between himself and the ‘common rabble’ who weed and plant the earth. Yet one week before the seed is stolen, he rediscovers his roots.”#@ Daedelus# 33
“That doesn’t sound like a coincidence.”#@ you# 51| 25## 12 0 0 610
% 610 “You may wish to talk to the Captain of the Guard if you really wish to persue this, ^. Frederick enforces the city’s laws, and if a law has been broken here, it is he who will do the investigation.”#@ Daedelus# 33
“I will talk to him.”#@ you# 54|## 0 0 0 640
% 650 “How’s it going, Homer?”#@ you# 54
“Terribly. We like here like slugs under the sun, waiting for our life to burn away and for our little souls to flee to Hades.”#@ Homer# 36
“All of our souls have to go to Hades eventually, Homer.”#@ you# 54
(angrily) “We should all go out and fight the Chaos demons! I try to tell people this but they’re all cowards. We should all fly from the walls and live or die in one glorious battle. Enough of this beseigement! Better a quick death than a slow one.”#@ Homer# 36
“You would throw all the city’s lives away when there’s some chance they could be saved?”#@ you# 51
“You’re one of those fools who thinks there’s hope. Why should we believe that? The mists and the demons have never stopped coming.”#@ Homer# 36
“And we have never stopped fighting. And we will fight, Homer, to the last man, to protect those who cannot fight for themselves. Meanwhile you will ensure that the city has enough to eat. That is your duty. And I will thank you to stop whining about how the world isn’t arranged to your liking. We all have to suffer now.”#@ you# 51|## 6 0 0 650
% 700 “What do you want, ^?”#@ Frederick# 12|# What do you say to the Captain of the Guard?# 0 10 0 701 traitor# 702 george bartholomew# 703 george# 703 bartholomew# 703 adviser# 703 king# 704 antiphos# 704 goodbye# 705 bye# 705|
% 705 “I don’t need anything now. So long, Frederick.”#@ you# 54|## 6 0 0 700
% 749 “How else can I help you, ^?”#@ Frederick# 12|# What do you say to the Captain of the Guard?# 0 10 0 701 traitor# 702 george bartholomew# 703 george# 703 bartholomew# 703 adviser# 703 king# 704 antiphos# 704 goodbye# 705 bye# 705|
% 702 “Have you heard anything about the traitor?”#@ you# 54|# 15# 0 8 710 711
% 710 “He is a model prisoner. Maybe he thinks he’ll get time off for good behavior. But I doubt it.”#@ Frederick# 12
“He won’t if I have anything to say about it.”#@ you# 51|## 0 0 0 749
% 711 “There is no traitor. His Majesty has given express orders that that rumor be quashed. There’s nothing to it.”#@ Frederick# 12
“But what about the loss of Farmer Paul’s seed? And the enemy’s attacks on our weak points?”#@ you# 54
“Coincidence. His Majesty does not want people to start turning against each other on what is probably nothing more than bad luck. As a responsible citizen, ^, I’ll thank you to ensure that story spreads no further.”#@ Frederick# 12
“I’m not as convinced as you are, Frederick.”#@ you# 54
“If you have a suspicion, name it to me and me only.”#@ Frederick# 12|## 0 0 0 749
% 703 “What do you know about George Bartholomew?”#@ you# 54|# 15# 0 8 710 712
% 712 “He advises the king all day.”#@ Frederick# 12|# 25# 0 8 715 713
% 713 “Any personal feelings, Captain of the Guard?”#@ you# 54|# George Bartholomew# 0 6 740 741
% 740 (with a glance in Bartholomew’s direction) “It is not my place to like or dislike him. I am simply the king’s servant.”#@ Frederick# 12|## 0 0 0 749
% 741 (relaxing into confidentiality) “Frankly, I hate him. He’s the most arrogant man I know. He thinks that having the king’s ear entitles him to lord it over us all.”#@ Frederick# 12
“We all have to suffer. Especially now.”#@ you# 54
“I don’t mean to sound like a dastard, ^, but I’d almost rather stand on the walls than endure him.” (he pitches his voice in a falsetto) “‘Captain, I will thank you to maintain proper posture in the presence of the Supreme Ruler. If you cannot maintain your head at the proper angle perhaps you should be relieved of your duties as Captain of the Guard.’” (he returns to his normal voice) “When I’ve been staying up all night guarding His Majesty, he has the nerve to accuse me of incorrect posture! I’d almost rather endure the Chaos Demons than his jeering slights.”#@ Frederick# 12
“Alas.”#@ you# 54|## 0 0 0 749
% 715 “I’ve heard a report that the king isn’t the only one he advises.”#@ you# 54
“Treason?”#@ Frederick# 12
“Yes.”#@ you# 54
“Who said that?”#@ Frederick# 12
“That’s not important.” (you recount Daedelus’ story) “It is possible that he is a severe danger to the city.”#@ you# 54
“It is a possibility that cannot be ignored. ^, will you help me on this matter?”#@ Frederick# 12|# What do you say?# 0 4 716 10501
% 10501 “I wish I could, Frederick. But my fight against Nok Hurthtu leads me elsewhere.”#@ you# 54|## 6 0 0 716
% 716 “Take this key and search Bartholomew’s quarters. If you find anything, report it to the king. Otherwise, don’t bother. We can’t go paying heed to every rumor in the city, and Bartholomew is an important man.”#@ Frederick# 12| city key## 2 0 0 717
% 717 “I will do as you suggest.”#@ you# 54|## 6 0 0 700
% 704 “How do you like Lord Antiphos?”#@ you# 54
“The war affects him deeply. I can hear him cry out in his sleep when I stand guard outside his door. He hardly gets any sleep at night, from the nightmares. It must be a hard thing to carry the weight of all the city’s lives along with the crown.”#@ Frederick# 12
“It is good, though. He is no Nero.”#@ you# 54
“He is not. But it will still be a hard thing for us to avoid the fate of Rome.”#@ Frederick# 12|## 0 0 0 749
% 750 “What’s up, Manthos?”#@ you# 54
(struggling to open his eyes) “What? Who’s that? ^? Gods, I’ve fallen asleep again. Now that all the other warriors are on the walls, I have to guard the throne room 24 hours a day.”#@ Manthos# 24
“I’m sorry to interrupt your nap, Manthos. Go back to sleep.”#@ you# 54
(closing his eyes again and whispering half to himself) “Like I tell His Highness, what good does it do to have a sleeping guard in the throne room? Then he says, it’s just for formality’s sake, Manthos. You’re the only one I can spare... Like that woman in the north-eastern house, who only comes out at midnight... that’s how I feel, trying to stay awake...” (his speech is silenced as his head nods forward again)#@ Manthos# 24|## 6 0 0 750
% 800 “Hello, Joseph.”#@ you# 54
“^! What are you doing down here? I thought you had duty up on the walls.”#@ Joseph# 24
“The Seer has put me on a quest.”#@ you# 54
“That’s novel. What sort of quest?”#@ Joseph# 24
(you tell Joseph about your encounter with Nok Hurthtu) “... so you see, I have an obligation to find this being and destroy it.”#@ you# 54|## 0 0 0 801
% 801 “Strange. I wonder if this ‘Chaos Master’ is responsible for the loss of the guards’ payroll.”#@ Joseph# 24|# payroll# 0 1 802 803
% 803 “How did it get lost?”#@ you# 54
“No one knows it. It just disappeared. If you could find it, ^, I’d be very grateful.”#@ Joseph# 24
“I’ll do what I can, Joseph.”#@ you# 54|## 6 0 0 800
% 802 “Is this it?”#@ you# 54
“You found it. Congratulations. It must have been difficult to get it back from the thief.”#@ Joseph# 24
“Not entirely.”#@ you# 54|## 0 0 0 804
% 804 “Thanks for helping, ^. I happen to have a spare knife... you look like you could use a weapon. Take it, will you? I owe you one.”#@ Joseph# 24| knife## 2 0 0 805
% 810 “Hello, ^. Thanks again for your help.”#@ Joseph# 24
“No problem, Joseph.”#@ you# 54|## 6 0 0 810
% 850 “What’s up, Achilles?”#@ you# 54
“Nothing, ^. I’m just a little edgy right now. I think any minute now those Chaos creeps are going to start coming over the walls.”#@ Achilles# 24
“If we die, we will die nobly, Achilles.”#@ you# 54
“I know nobility is good and all... but I’m afraid. I have dreams of the Chaos demons, swooping in to the city and ripping off heads and spraying blood... ah, it’s so terrible... I would almost rather kill myself than be captured by those dreadful creatures.”#@ Achilles# 24
“I understand your fear. But you do not have time for fear, Achilles. The city depends on you. You must live and fight, for the sake of virtue and the ones you love. You must not shame yourself by killing yourself ignobly.”#@ you# 54
“I don’t even think I have the courage to do that, ^.” (he looks pathetic) “Gods, help me.”#@ Achilles# 24|## 6 0 0 850
% 1005 “Ah, ^. You come to me in a time of great sorrow.”#@ Theocritus# 63|# 6# 0 8 1006 1007
% 1007 “What happened?”#@ you# 54
“My daughter, Xallas, has disappeared. She was out one night and never returned.” (he seems on the verge of tears) “My daughter, my heart, my life. Our only child. Gone. Kidnapped, no doubt, by the minions of Chaos.”#@ Theocritus# 63
“I’m so sorry. If there’s anything I can do...”#@ you# 54
“I know you’re on a quest to save the city, ^. But if you can find her... bring me word of her... anything to let me know how she is... I’d be so grateful.”#@ Theocritus# 63|## 6 0 0 1000
% 1006 “Perhaps your sorrow will be lightened by what I have to tell you. I have found your daughter. Alive.”#@ you# 54
“Alive?! Where? How is this possible? Where is she? How is she?”#@ Theocritus# 63
“She is a prisoner of the Chaos Master’s minions in a dungeon deep below the city. I offered to help her escape, but she cannot. Apparently she is under a curse of some kind, so she cannot leave ‘until she hears her name as it was spoken by those she loves’. Those are her words to me, sir.”#@ you# 54
“I can’t think what she could mean... unless... I have it! Pearl! When she was a child we used to call her Pearl. Maybe that would break the curse.”#@ Theocritus# 63
“Perhaps so. I will go back down and see if it ends the spell.”#@ you# 54
“^, if you can do this, I will owe you a debt I can never repay. I know you don’t do this for thoughts of mere gain, but if you bring her back, all the wealth I command will be at your disposal.”#@ Theocritus# 63
“That will not be necessary, Theocritus. I do it merely because it is right. Good day.”#@ you# 54| 7## 12 0 0 1010
% 1021 (in deep depression) “What is that sound? Is it my daughter’s voice? Why should I stir again until I can hear my Pearl’s voice?”#@ Theocritus# 63|## 6 0 0 1020
% 1051 “Hello, ^.” (she says gently) “Thank you for bringing our daughter back again.”#@ Electra# 66
“I’m glad I was able to assuage your grief.”#@ you# 54
“You assuaged it, and turned it to the most radiant of happiness. We owe you a debt we can never repay.”#@ Electra# 66|## 6 0 0 1050
% 1052 “^. Our daughter has disappeared. Oh, I am so worried about her.”#@ Electra# 66|# 6# 0 8 3701 3702
% 3701 “I have found her.” (you tell Electra about your meeting with Xallas)#@ you# 54|# Xallas# 0 6 3710 3711
% 3710 “Here I am, Mother.”#@ Xallas# 3
“Xallas! Oh, my sweet daughter!” (they embrace) “Xallas, you must talk to your father immediately. He is distraught about you!”#@ Electra# 66|## 6 0 0 1050
% 3711 “Oh, my poor daughter! ^, you must talk to Theocritus. He will tell you that we can never stop loving her. Then you can bring our daughter home to us again.”#@ Electra# 66
% 3705 “Please, ^, you must persuade Xallas to come back to us.”#@ Electra# 66
“I will try.”#@ you# 54|## 6 0 0 3703
% 3702 “How did it happen?”#@ you# 54
“She was out walking one night... and never... came... back...” (her words are broken up by sobs) “She must have been kidnapped by the minions of Chaos. Oh, anything could be happening to her... it tears my heart so...”#@ Electra# 66
“I will do what I can to find news of her.”#@ you# 54
“Oh, ^, would you? Anything you could do would make us so grateful... even the news she was dead--” (she swallows) “--even that would be better than this uncertainty.”#@ Electra# 66|## 6 0 0 1050
% 1100 “Hello, Sarah.”#@ you# 54
“Is that you, Xenophos? Have you come back to me after all these years?” (you realize she is blind)#@ Sarah# 32
“No, I’m ^.”#@ you# 54
“What do you want?” (fearfully) “Why are you bothering me?”#@ Sarah# 32|# What do you say to the old woman?# 0 10 0 1101 xenophos# 1102 bye# 1103 goodbye# 1103|
“He was my husband, Admiral Xenophos. No finer man than he ever walked the earth. He was the hero of the Karthian wars.”#@ Sarah# 32
“What happened to him?”#@ you# 54
“He went out on a voyage and never returned. I sit here, always expecting him. Every night I go out to see if he’s returned. He’s never returned.”#@ Sarah# 32
(realizing the old woman is half mad) “That’s too bad.”#@ you# 54
“He was on a quest, too... a very important quest. I wonder what happened to it? I wonder if he ever succeeded?”#@ Sarah# 32
(ironically) “Do we ever succeed in life? Who can look back upon his time on earth and say he has achieved happiness?”#@ you# 54
“He had a special quest. I know he did. It was very important. Please, you must believe me. Admiral Xenophos was a very important man.”#@ Sarah# 32
% 952 “Out of my way, man. I have business to attend to.”#@ Bartholomew# 33|## 6 0 0 950
% 951 “^. What do you want? Leave me alone.”#@ Bartholomew# 33
“How are you doing, Bartholomew? Enjoying yourself? Such luxurious surroundings you find yourself in. The wages of sin.”#@ you# 54
“So I betrayed Athenia.” (he looks at the ceiling) “I never should have done it. But the power Nok Hurthtu offered me...”#@ Bartholomew# 33
“How did he meet you?”#@ you# 54
“He came to me in a dream. He promised me infinite power if I obeyed him, and betrayed the city... the visions he showed me... everyone kneeling before me. Everyone calling ME master, not that mealy-faced witless king.”#@ Bartholomew# 33
“What did you do?”#@ you# 54
“Oh, you know the rest, ^. I stole the seed and hid it in the ruins, thinking no one would find it. The key to the chamber I locked it in was too incriminating, so I tossed that into the bushes on the island. I’d also stolen the payroll and hidden it in the same place. Nok Hurthtu thought that would make the troops desert. I tried to convince him otherwise but he refused to listen.”#@ Bartholomew# 33
“How did you communicate with Nok Hurthtu?”#@ you# 54
“Every now and then I would slip a letter into the sewers. Then I would come back to pick up his reply. I think he only had the power to come into my dreams occasionally, and when he did, I never remembered it very well. I’d always have these throbbing headaches and this blurry vision of color-changing eyes staring at me out of the darkness...”#@ Bartholomew# 33
“How did you get into the sewers?”#@ you# 54
“I stole the key.”#@ Bartholomew# 33
“Let me have it, Bartholomew.”#@ you# 51
(snidely) “What if I don’t WANT to give it to you?”#@ Bartholomew# 33
“Don’t be a fool, Bartholomew. Give it to me or I’ll get one of the guards to shake it out of your stinking hide.”#@ you# 54
“You don’t have to get violent.” (he gives tries to give you a glare of contempt that dissolves) “Violence is evil.”#@ Bartholomew# 33
“Just fork it over, Bartholomew, and spare me your simpering hypocritical platitudes.”#@ you# 54|## 0 0 0 960
% 961 “So good of you to cooperate.”#@ you# 51|## 6 0 0 -1
% 20000 “It is my privilege and honor to award you, ^, the title of Hero of Athenia. You have saved our town from the curse of the Chaos Master, and you will live long in our collective memory as the greatest hero the world had ever known.”#@ Antiphos# 39
