(set: $satiated to false)(set: $encyclopedia to (random:5,7))(set: $luck to (10 - $encyclopedia))you tear across the worm-torn tundra on your trusty [[8-speed]]. you can feel your pendant burn in its pouch against your chest, the faint smell of smouldering leather reminding you of your limited time left.
1. [[whee!!]]looks like you can do it, but you probably can't take your bike with you.
(if:(history: where its name contains "i do what i want!!!")'s length < 1)[[i leave the cave anyways, taking my bike with me!]]
[[i try and run out of the passageway, abandoning my bike.]]
[[i turn around and reconsider ->oh crap]]
you've climbed out of worse. occasionally, there's something of use in these burrows. you feel your legs ache(if:$satiated is false)[, your [[stomach rumbling]]] and your [[pendant burning even hotter.]]
[[explore the worm hole]]
[[try and scramble out of the exit]]
[[inspect your bike]]
(if:(history: where its name contains "poke around in the mud")'s length < 10)[[poke around in the mud]]
(if:(history: where its name contains "passed")'s length >= 1)[[look for a note explaining why you're here]](if:(history: where its name contains "inspect your bike")'s length is 0)[it's pretty damn dark down there. you don't have a torch on you. continue anyway?
1. [[you know what? it is dark in there.->oh crap]]
2. [[i continue on, consequences be damned!]]
](else:)[you sheepishly wheel the bike along with you, headlight sputtering in and out.
1. [[sure am glad i brought the bike!]]]
it's in fine shape, it was a fairly soft landing all things considered. you inpect the tyres, gears, brakes and electric wiring. it all seems to be in good working order, thankfully. the ground is a bit slippery for a reasonable person to start riding it around, though, and you'll need to get up some speed to get it out of the cave. you're pleased to learn that when you wheel the bike, the headlamp still turns on.
you noticed someone has scratched "swallow the egg" on the frame. you're not sure if that's your handwriting.
[[i start riding it, for i am not a reasonable person!->not reasonable]]
[[any supplies left?]]
[[i shall reconsider my options. ->oh crap]]
(if:(history: where its name contains "passed")'s length >= 1)[["swallow the egg?' surely i don't need to swallow the pendant.]]and with that, you're off. you were lucky you were able to avoid this fate when you first fell down here, but here we go.
you hurtle deeper into the cave, at silly speeds despite the shit and entrails. mostly because you're going quite steep downhill. your way ahead is just barely lit by the little tourch on your bike.
you're going unstoppably fast. what would your brakes even do in this slippy, slidy hole.
and so, this is how you died.
pretty rad.
[[i'm sure there's worse ways to go->you're dead.]](set: _boost to 0)(if:$satiated is true)[(set: _boost to 2)](if:visits >= 9)[stop crawling around in the mud. no more coins.
1. [[i believe you that there are no more coins.->oh crap]]](else-if:visits is 8)[i lied. you find a coin. (set: $coins to it + 1)
1. [[gottem!->oh crap]]](else-if:visits is 7)[stop looking in the mud i don't even know how to program an inventory system honest
[[learn how to make games jeez->oh crap]]](else-if:visits is 6)[you still find nothing.
1. [[i go back->oh crap]]](else-if:visits is 5)[you're pretty sure you're not going to find anything (if:$coins > 0)[else] in the mud.
1. [[i go back->oh crap]]](set: _mud_roll to (random:1,10))(else-if:_mud_roll >= 9 - _boost)[wow! lucky! you found a coin! (set: $coins to it + 1)(set: $luck to it +1)
(text-colour:yellow)[yeah. that *was* lucky. your luck stat increased! it's now $luck!]
1. [[i would like to try again! ->poke around in the mud]]
2. [[enough playing in the mud. ->oh crap]]](else:)[you find nothing.
1. [[i go back ->oh crap]]
2. [[i try again! ->poke around in the mud]]
(if:$satiated is false and $encyclopedia >= 6)[(text-colour:cyan)[It might be easier to focus on this if you weren't so hungry.]]]look. sometimes actions have consequences.
this was a silly thing to do.
let's be real.
are you sure you did that?
(if:$enyclopedia > 7)[Yeah, you're definitely not making that.]
[[actually, i didn't do that.->try and scramble out of the exit]]
[[i do what i want!!!]]it's a bike. the kind with pedals. you like this bike. two wheels, pannier rack, rear basket, front basket, stickers all over. it's lighter on supplies than you'd like, but it has most of what you need to survive out here. however, you need to keep moving.
1. [[oh. ok.->intro]]
2. [[wait why do i need to keep moving?]]you need to keep moving because... wait, what's that approching?? eyes on the road, champ!
[[fuck!!!->whee!!]](text-rotate-x:37)+(text-rotate-z:7)[CRASH]
almost without thinking (if:(history: where its name contains "wait why do i need to keep moving?")'s length >= 1)[(probably because you were too busy reminiscing about your situation)], you dive into a steep [[worm hole]] to avoid a [[wormsprog]], skidding on shit and entrails. this will set you back, but it was necessary for survival.
1. [[oh crap]]you should, like. eat something.
1. [[yeah, that makes sense ->oh crap]]you'd rather not think about why it's doing this.
1. [[let's leave this be I guess.->oh crap]]
2. [[actually, i rather *would* think about why it's doing this.]]
(if:$tutorial is false)[3. [[i know what i'm doing. cut the shit.->consequences schmonsequences]]]
no you wouldn't.
1. [[ok fine.->oh crap]]
2. [[i want to know!!!!]]
yes! there are supplies! you're quite good at this worm wasteland survival thing. you help yourself to some rations, and there are some useful tools in there. (set:$satiated to true)
1. [[nice, i'm no longer hungry. lets try to ride it anyway!->not reasonable]]
2. [[ok, snack time over, let's look at other things.->oh crap]]this is your last chance. you should really learn about this *later* in the story, (text-colour:red)[there will be consequences to this.]
1. [[consequences schmonsequences]]
2. [[ok, maybe not->oh crap]](set: _boost to $encyclopedia + $luck + $coins)
(if:$satiated is true)
[(set: _boost to it + 2)]
(set:_sanity_check to (random:1,10),
$encyclopedia to (it -1),
$luck to (it - 1),
$worm_affinity to it + 1)Stress is now $worm_affinity (+1).
Encylopedia is now $encyclopedia (-1).
Luck is now $luck (-1).
(set:_debugNumber to _sanity_check + _boost)
((if:(history: where its name contains "what if it wasn't what it is though???")'s length >= 1)[(set: _boost to 22)(text-colour:red)[Your near death experience is giving you a feeling of clarity]]
(if:_sanity_check + _boost >= 22)[[[Sanity check....->passed]]](else:)[[[Sanity check....->failed]]]wormhole: two points of spacetime pinched into each other.
worm hole: a hole made by a [[worm]].
some worms make wormholes in their worm holes. some worms hole holes in their whole worms.
1. [[...what?->whee!!]]
you know, worms. big guys. tearing up the landscape, destroying civilisation, you're one of the final stragglers yada yada.
[(if:$encyclopedia > 6)[(text-colour:cyan)[The first worm sighting was in 2025. Then it was in 2005. And then the worms have been here since time immemorial. We know this to be true, even though the written record contradicts this. Sometimes, writings on this effect will change overnight; now, with not so much civilisation around making writings, this knowldege is fleeting. Whatever the worms are, they are dangerous and not of our world.]]]
[[ok, sure.->whee!!]]like a worm, but sproggier.(if:$tutorial is true)[
TUTORIAL: encyclopedia check: did you know that your encyclopedia stat is $encyclopedia? also did you know that if you succeeded the check if it's got proper capitalisation? and also they're in (text-colour:cyan)[cyan]?]
[(if:$encyclopedia > 5)[(text-colour:cyan)["Sprog" means "child". It's a younger worm.]](else:)[(text-colour:cyan)[sprog is past tense of spring. it sprogged from the ground, hence sprog.]]]
1. [[sprogtastic. ->whee!!]]hey, uh, before you start, have you played this before? do you want helper messages? or maybe you just like playing things blind?
1. [[tutorial text off]]
2. [[tutorial text on]]alright. set to off. unless... you've changed your mind? (set:$tutorial to false)
1. [[let's get going!->intro]]
2. [[nah i've changed my mind.->tutorial]]alright. set to on! unless... you've changed your mind? (set:$tutorial to true)
1. [[let's get going!->intro]]
2. [[actually, nah, i've changed my mind.->tutorial]](text-colour:cyan)[The Pendant is, in fact, a worm egg. They're not particularly rare, but rare enough. Most people wouldn't want to be wearing one, because it's a bad idea to be near a freshly hatched wormsprog. The worm eggs, like the worms, are not very well understood, but this worm egg is an essential part of your mission.
Again like the worms. worm eggs have the ability to effect the memories of those around them. This is likely what happened to you, though being in a field full of worms probably didn't help.
If you're sane, and came here with a worm egg, surely you must have a note or something to tell you what you're meant to be doing in case you forgot.]
[[ok wow that actually worked?->oh crap]]despite your best efforts, you still can't bring yourself to think about this right now.
[(if:$encyclopedia > 5)[(text-colour:cyan)[There's nothing stopping you from trying to remember this again. There will be futher stat consequences to this, though. Your (text-colour:yellow)[luck] and encyclopedia stat will go down by one each try, and you'll lose (text-colour:red)[sanity].]](else:)[(text-colour:cyan)[you probably shouln't try that again.]]]
[[it feels bad.->oh crap]]debug!!
(set:$encyclopedia to (random:5,7))
(set: $satiated to true,
$luck to (10 - $encyclopedia),
$coins to (random:0,3))
[[consequences schmonsequences]] (if:$luck > 6)[[somehow, you scramble out of the cave! go you!!!]]
(if:$luck <= 6)[[you're dead.]]look.
[[what]]everyone's got to go somehow.
[[i guess]]i totally warned you btw
[[i know]]want to come back to life?
[[yeah ok->intro]]
[[nah]]
(if:$tutorial is true)[(if:visits > 1)[have you tried clicking [[nah]]? maybe there's something hidden there.]]suit yourself.
(text-colour:black)[[there's totally something else going on here]](text-colour:black)+(bg:white)[wow! the worm shit looks even worse in the bright sunlight!
somethings telling you staying out here is a really bad idea. you should go back to the cave.
the pendant is cooling down. it buzzes like an old nokia.
[[no]]
[[yeah ok]]]you gingerly slide yourself and the bike down the sludge of the cave. behind you a giant worm emerges from where you were standing with impossible speed.
lucky you, though! you found some (text-colour:yellow)[coins] on the way down!
(set:$coins to ($coins + 3))(text-colour:yellow)[you now have $coins coins!]
[[sweet!->oh crap]]not really. you're dead. dead people don't talk. just come back to life if you want.
[[yeah cool i'll come back ->intro]]
(text-colour:black)[[nah there's got to be something more than this]]there really isn't.
(text-colour:black)[[but what if there is though]]that's it. i'm sending you back in with zero stats. good luck.
(set: $luck to 0)(set: $encyclopedia to 0)
[[it is what it is, i guess->whee!!]]
(text-rotate-y:58)+(text-rotate-z:331)[(text-colour:black)[[what if it wasn't what it is though???]]]you feel the pendant against your chest, waking you up with a start. turns out, you weren't dead, just knocked cold.
[[let's get back to it->oh crap]]short of stipping naked, you can't find a trace of such a note on your person.
[[seriously?->oh crap]]surely not.... right?
[[swallow it!]]
[[yeah.... no.->oh crap]]you try to bring it close to your mouth, but it becomes steaming hot. so hot it would definitely burn you.
(if:$encylopedia > 5)[(text-colour:cyan)[It will 100% burn you.]]
(if:$luck > 5)[(text-colour:yellow)[I think swallowing this egg might be bad luck]]