Comfortable Silence. The kind of Silence that means you can't hear, you can't see, you can't feel. You can't hurt, you can't sense, you can't think. [[...|Beginning2]]If you could think, you'd wish it could stay this silent forever. [[...|Beginning3]]Lacking your senses means you lack chronoception too. After what feels like an eternity in only seconds, sound begins to creep in. The Silence strains to keep a hold on you as electrical signals pound at the back of your skull. All you can do to defend the integrity of the Silence's grasp is respond with a few more electrical signals; [[shift slightly|Beginning4]] in hopes that the knocking at the door stops.Unfortunately, the creep of feeling only continues despite your best unconscious efforts. The gentle sounds of your everyday environment [[ache in your ears|Beginning5]]. (track: 'sailing', 'loop', true) (track: 'sailing', 'playwhenpossible')As the doorways to your nervous system reopen, you painfully blink your eyes a couple of times. As you do, the Silence leaves you a //parting kiss//, an uneasy promise that it'll return and embrace you again tomorrow. Above you is a blinding blue. Your regular aches settle into their usual residences; your stomach, your neck, your back, your shoulders, your eyes. At least three of these could be eased if you had more than a carpet to rest on, but comforts like that are hard to come by. You wish you could [[just lie here|BeginningLie]] indefinitely. You know, though, to follow the ''Orders'', you'll have to [[get up|Beginning6]].sailing: ./audio/3 - Phat Phrog Studios - Sailing Ship In A Storm Ambience - 3 Minute.mp3 freighter: ./audio/10 - Phat Phrog Studios - Sailing Ship In A Storm Ambience - 3 Minute.mp3 stairs: ./audio/Ark-003 (loop).mp3 stairsdeep: ./audio/Ark-001.mp3 stairsbottom: ./audio/Ark-005.mp3 island: ./audio/2 - Phat Phrog Studios - Sailing Ship In A Storm Ambience - 3 Minute.mp3 ending: ./audio/night on a water.mp3 goodending: ./audio/Moth (Guitar by my friend Ben).mp3 badending: ./audio/Flowers 1.mp3 crewyell: ./audio/384401__fillmat__crowdmobriot-noise-voices-only-14-people-2-minutes-henry-vi_edited.mp3 heartbeat: ./audio/612642__newlocknew__heart-beat-2calm-rhythmblood-flows-in-the-veins6lrs_edited.mp3 water: ./audio/698010__technekai__creek_edited.mp3 beach: ./audio/693389__derjuli__ocean-waves_edited.mp3 slash: ./audio/700234__artninja__sword_cut_off_neck_or_slash_flesh_sounds_edited.mp3 whiz: ./audio/81045__rock-savage__pistol-or-hand-gun-firing-at-wood_edited.mp3 splash: ./audio/442773__qubodup__big-water-splash.mp3 flesh: ./audio/flesh.mp3 growl: ./audio/437184__icyjim__underwater-creature-growl.mp3 metal: ./audio/175663__simpsi__big_metal_unlock_and_slam_edited.mp3 creak1: ./audio/creaking.mp3 creak2: ./audio/creaking2.mp3 chitter: ./audio/586547__greatnate98__dinosaur-growls-pack-2.mp3 hitship: ./audio/ship.mp3 You close your weary eyes again, feeling the dark, aching pits around them with each movement of your eyelids. The Silence refuses to embrace you the way it did just moments earlier, though. The Silence is difficult to keep around. You wish your relationship with it would deepen, blossom into an unending union, but now it seems unsatisfied with you. It would rather come and go as it pleases. Even its promises aren't always kept, you still treasure them when you can. Occasional dates with unconsciousness are better than none at all, after all. All you can do for now is [[shift again|BeginningLie2]] in hopes of temporarily regaining its favor.You fumble your way to your feet. No matter how much you want to be consumed by Silence again, you know for now it's fruitless. Your only option is to get up and begin checking ''Orders'' off the list. First, an ''Order'' of the $sky[Sky]; [[look for somewhere else|Beginning7]]. It's only fair, the $sky[Sky] wants to become whole again. It's only natural for it to be quite tired of your residence on a piece of it.As you lie motionless on the deck, passively begging for unconsciousness to hold you close again, deep discomfort and disgust begin to fill the pits of your stomach. It compliments the gnawing pain that's already quite at home there. You know this is your body telling you to get up, that soon panic and disgust will take over and push you [[to your feet|Beginning6]]. You wish they would leave you alone to [[rot|BeginningLie3]], but the ''Orders'' are impossible to disobey.You curl up tightly. You can feel anxious energy building within you, and the only way you can think to expend it without starting the day is to [[tense every muscle in your body|BeginningLie4]]. Your body begins to ache outside of the usual places, and the anxious energy doesn't subside. You begin to groan, that groan pulling you out of the fetal position, into a cross-legged sit. $flesh[Flesh] has won again. You blink groggily, your eyes aching just as much opening as they did closing earlier. You're undoubtedly up at this point, even if you stubbornly refuse to [[fully get up|Beginning6]].You sleepily stumble your way to the port edge of the craft, where a glistening, opalescent-looking glass is mounted. //The $sky[Sky] sure is beautiful.// First you take the opportunity to [[look around|Beginning8]] and see if the $sea[Sea] has carried you anywhere.Taking a quick survey of your surroundings, there isn't anything close enough for you to make out with the naked eye. You take the looking glass in your hands, its shimmering, jewel-like barrel is cool and silky-smooth in your hands. //It feels nice.// Looking through it, you scan the horizon. First, you spot a massive craft, a freight ship. Its weathered metal hull must be 30 meters tall; you could probably be dragged into its propellors and be torn to shreds and nobody on board would even notice, not that the $sea[Sea] would ever let that happen. With the amount of containers on that ship, you could probably find anything you might ever want. //They probably have food.// Next, you spot a staircase down into the waves. It's not the first one you've ever seen. //The craft is already pointed towards it. The $sea[Sea] always seems to guide to these.// Last, you spot what looks to be a small island. It's been a long time since you last saw one of those. It looks to be covered in shiny, orange buildings, and pink foliage, though you don't see any signs of a port or even people. //Perhaps this one is more suitable for living than the last one.// Already you know which one you want to [[go|Beginning9]] to first.You let the looking glass slip from your grasp and lazily make your way to the starboard side of the craft. You're at a point where you've grown accustomed to how strange of a vessel you reside on. The ship is teardrop-shaped and made of an opal-like material, the tip pointing in the direction of movement. There's a harsh slope in the middle, with the front deck lower than the stern. You'd have no way of climbing the glass-like slope if it weren't for a silky rope draped down the starboard side. The rope is knotted every foot or so to make it easier to climb. Embedded in the slope is a doorway, though you don't know what to, as it's against an ''Order'' of the $sky[Sky] to go in there. There aren't guard rails on the edges of the ship, it's quite easy for you to just walk off the edge into the $sea[Sea], but you know doing that is pointless by now. The rocking of the waves would probably cause you to slip off the smooth floor of the vessel into the water more often at night if it weren't for the carpet you laid across the middle of the deck. You can't remember where you got the carpet anymore, just that you brought it here. It's hard and crunchy, having been splashed with seawater and then dried in the sun many times, though you don't remember it ever being soft. You wrap your hands around the rope to the stern and begin to climb. [[Next|Beginning10]] comes something you always dread.You find yourself at the back of the stern, standing at the altar. It looks like a small desk with another set of legs extending upwards and a circular hole in the middle. Now comes the time to make a sacrifice so you can begin to traverse the distance to your destination. [[You think of the parting kiss the Silence left you.|BeginningSky]] //The $sky[Sky] would appreciate the absence of that guarantee.// [[You remember how nice the feeling of the looking glass in your hand was.|BeginningSea]] //The $sea[Sea] would enjoy that memory, even if it's small.// You don't have anything to offer the $flesh[Flesh] at the moment.You sigh, picturing the gentle promise the Silence left you with. You value your time joined with Silence more than you can explain, but to disobey the ''Orders'' is impossible. You picture the comforting promise of Silence's return tomorrow, and then [[stick your right hand into the hole in the altar|BeginningSky2]]. You look down at your hands. As you think about the feel of the looking glass against your skin, the ghostly sensation of holding it returns to them. You think of how lucky you are to have felt this today. You don't remember the looking glass ever feeling so perfectly cool and silky to the touch, and a pit in your stomach forms as you know what you're going to have to do. You [[stick your right hand into the hole in the altar|BeginningSea2]]. The air around your hand hardens into nine long fibers that then each prick into your skin like hair-thin needles. Four of the air fibers stick into your knuckles, four stick into the corners of your palm, and the last punctures into the largest, most visible tendon in your wrist. You sharply inhale, the pain something not unexpected but still unwelcome. You feel a deep uneasiness wash over you as the promise of rest tomorrow leaves your body. You know for sure you'll be unchangeably restless next time the Silence is to visit, but the $sky[Sky] ''Ordered'' you rest as little as necessary. You try to shake the uneasy dread by reminding yourself Silence doesn't always keep its promises anyway. The fibers of air dissipate and the pin-pricks dotted around your hand quickly seal with barely noticeable dots of red. You pull your hand back and gently rub the lightly aching points as the ship shudders, then jolts [[forward|Beginning11]], as if suddenly realizing it's meant to be moving. //The $sky[Sky] is pleased with this sacrifice.// (track: 'slash', 'playwhenpossible') (set: $isSkyPleased to true) (set: $lastSacrifice to 'sky')Without having to specify, the ship is being driven exactly where you knew you wanted to go first. You're going to the [[freight ship|Freighter1]]. You're going to the [[staircase|Stairs1]]. You're going to the [[island|Island1]].Seawater surges up the back of the stern, forming a small seven-pointed star-shaped pool beneath the altar. The points then pull up from the floor into seven watery blades, each of which makes two small cuts on the palm of your hand. The cuts form a circle of fourteen evenly spaced tilted lines. You bite your lip, the pain of this ceremony familiar but unwanted. You feel your thoughts, your mind, become ever so heavier, as you realize //something// has left your memory. For a moment you try to picture what it is you were just thinking about, but quickly stop yourself, already knowing the effort is futile. The $sea[Sea] has it now. You've fulfilled your second ''Order'' of the day. The blades of seawater fall to the floor of the stern with a slap. The fourteen cuts sting a little, but they're shallow enough to barely bleed and reside on top of fourteen identical scars from last time. As you pull back and flex your hand cautiously, you feel the boat rock back and forth a little deeper than usual, and as you look over the edge of the stern you can see the waves are pushing the ship [[forward|Beginning11]]. //The $sea[Sea] is pleased with this sacrifice.// (track: 'slash', 'playwhenpossible') (set: $isSeaPleased to true) (set: $lastSacrifice to 'sea')//This is the end of this short demo. We hope you enjoyed it. Let us know what you think.// //Bag is set to true.// [[Back|Beginning11]] (set: $bag to true)Your ship slowly makes a wide turn port, on a path to the freight ship. You slide down the slope to the deck and take another look through the looking glass towards your destination. The barrel of the looking glass stings in your hand. As you approach the freighter, you can see its boiled metal hull come more into focus, its rippled and bubbling form not unlike the other ships of its type you've come across. You can't help but feel that they all look... Sick. Diseased. As if their boils are unnatural and blemishes on their otherwise smooth, rippled hull. This leads you to try to picture what one of these freighters would look like without their boils. Your first thought is something vaguely fish-shaped, with a pointed front and back end, their ripples running lengthwise from tip to tip. It would probably [[sail faster|Freighter2]], you think, without all the bubbles protruding from the hull.Your vessel is beginning to pick up speed now, and it begins to dawn on you the true size of this freight ship. You wonder if anyone on board will notice your relatively tiny craft approaching, before shaking the thought. //They always notice. They're always watching.// You draw closer, and you hear a low, deep rumble. The water surrounding your craft violently ripples and splashes outward from the freight ship, a powerful frequency being pumped into it. You can't tell why the ships you approach do that—if it's to scare you away or attempt to destroy your ship or something else—but it feels aggressive. It always makes your heart stop, seeing the $sea[Sea] tremble and shiver at the voice of the ships. The $sea[Sea] always seems so calm and strong to you. You [[wait|Freighter3]] for the two ships to make contact.You take a deep breath as your ship rapidly approaches the side of the freighter. As it makes contact with the hull, the tip of your vessel disappears into it, and your ship slows to a stop. You (if: $lastSacrifice is 'sky')[[[hold your breath|FreighterSkyPleased]]](if: $lastSacrifice is 'sea')[[[hold your breath|FreighterSeaPleased]]] in preparation for what comes next.Your ship shudders again and then begins to ascend. The tip of the ship doesn't tear through the hull of the freighter as you ascend, seemingly having phased through the hull entirely. You let your drawn breath out as your ship reaches the level of the deck, where it stops abruptly, almost knocking you over. You don't see anyone waiting for you on deck, a rare blessing. You quickly walk to the point where the tip of your ship melts into the deck of the freighter, and carefully climb over the guard rail. You know you have a short amount of time before the crew of the ship finds you, so you have to [[move fast|Freighter4]].Without warning, your ship bursts upwards as an explosion of seawater beneath it throws it skyward. You're shoved to the floor of the deck with the sudden movement, but you knew it was coming and braced yourself beforehand. The tip of your ship doesn't tear through the hull of the freighter as it moves. Instead, it seems to glide through the hull as if it's not even there. You feel the ship's upward movement begin to slow, and that's your cue. You push yourself to your feet and look up to see that in moments you'll be level with the deck of the freighter. You run towards where the tip of your ship melts into the hull of the freighter, and just as the deck of your ship reaches the apogee just above the guard rail of the freighter's deck, you lunge forward. You land with a desperate stumble, falling to the ground. You frantically look around yourself, expecting to see that you're surrounded by crewmates, but see no one. You quickly stumble up to your feet. You know you have a short amount of time before the crew of the ship finds you, so you have to [[move fast|Freighter4]].You duck into the rows and rows of large, stacked shipping vessels. They breathe and fidget around you, all of them asleep. You're impressed by the sheer size of these vessels, being far larger and rounder than you're used to, 10 meters long, 5 meters wide, and 3 meters tall at least. Their long, pointed horns hold the creature above it in place on top, and the ones on the ground have metal poles mimicking the horns holding them in place. Their fur stinks and the entrance orifices to their main cavities are shut tight, though you already know the trick to opening them. It makes you uncomfortable to think of how these creatures feel about being used as containers, but you try to push it out of your mind. Your nostrils sting and you can feel your sense of smell heighten. //The $flesh[Flesh] is becoming anxious.// Besides the stink of the shipping vessels, you can't smell much. //Nothing around here is edible.// You push forward, before coming to a fork between the towers of stacked vessels. There's a path [[forward|FreighterPathA]], and a path to the [[right|FreighterPathB]]. (track: 'sailing', 'fadeout', 2) (track: 'freighter', 'fadein', 2) (track: 'freighter', 'loop', true)You continue forward, sniffing almost involuntarily for something edible, past stacks and stacks of shipping vessels. You freeze, noticing the smell of something edible coming from a shipping vessel four high to your right. Frozen in place, you wonder if you should [[risk climbing|FreighterPathA2]] or [[continue looking|FreighterPathA2]]. (set: $freighterPath to 'a')You follow the right path, passing stacks and stacks of shipping vessels. Eventually, you come to a big set of doors, leading into the stern of the ship. The door is open slightly, just enough for you to [[slip in|FreighterPathB2]]. (set: $freighterPath to 'b')''An Order cannot be ignored.'' You begin to climb up the stack of vessels to the best of your ability. You grip tightly into their matted fur, silently hoping that your climbing won't wake any of them. Your heart beats heavily as you reach the fourth vessel up. You know better than to look down but do it anyway. You're greeted with a fall that would definitely break your bones. You turn quickly back to the vessel you're holding onto. Taking a deep breath, you rest your cheek on the folded entrance orifice and gently caress around the edge. Your other hand holds so tightly to its fur that your knuckles turn white. You feel the creature's gentle breathing, and the muscles keeping the entrance shut begin to relax. You continue to gently pet and scratch around the edge, and the entrance pulls open just enough for you to clumsily [[pull yourself into the vessel's main cavity|FreighterPathA3]].The inside of the vessel stinks in a completely different way. A wet, mouthy smell, as compared to the smell of sweat. Breathing through your mouth, you can feel your eyes burn as your vision enhances to see through the darkness of the cavity. //The $flesh[Flesh] is full of anticipation.// In front of you are stacks of some kind of food wrapped in small paper packages, sealed with wax. Your body is shaking as you realize this, and you grab two packages in each hand without even thinking(if: $bag is true)[, before stuffing them into your bag]. Suddenly, a shot rings out, followed by the tear of sinews and a high-pitched squeal of agony from the vessel. You turn to see a circular blade lodged in the roof of the vessel's main cavity, and a large, bleeding hole torn through its entrance orifice. //They've found you.// Shouting voices echo up from the deck of the freighter, and you [[peek out|FreighterpathA4]] of the hole in the vessel, its blood staining the back of your head and shoulders. (set: $food to true) (track: 'crewyell', 'fadein', 1) (track: 'crewyell', 'loop', true)You see fifteen large figures. Six of them have forest-green skin, and nine are blood-red. Four of the blood red ones are holding disc guns, and two of them have pink toga-like garments draped over them. One of the crewmates with a disc gun shouts and points to you, before firing the weapon at you. You quickly duck(if: $bag is false)[, holding tightly onto the packaged food], and the disc blade from the gun tears the opening in the vessel even larger. Your breathing quickens, as you realize your only option(if: $bag is true)[s]: [[jump down|FreighterPathAJump]] out of the vessel(if: $bag is true)[, or [[climb higher|FreighterPathAClimb]]].You take a deep breath, mentally apologizing to the vessel for what you're about to do. The vessel is shaking and whimpering deeply. You charge at the opening, before lunging. The vessel cries as you burst out. The loose skin of the vessel gets caught on your (if: $bag is true)[bag](else:)[foot], causing you to twist and fall head-first. You look down, your heart racing as you fall. The crewmates beneath you scatter, their skin shimmering between a couple of different colors out of surprise. Involuntarily, you [[put your arms out|FreighterPathAJump2]] as if to catch yourself. (track: 'heartbeat', 'loop', true) (track: 'heartbeat', 'play')You take a deep breath, mentally apologizing to the vessel for what you're about to do. The vessel is shaking and whimpering deeply. You pull open the wound in the vessel's entrance, and it cries with pain. Without wasting any time looking at the crewmates beneath you, you begin to climb as fast as you can, your bag swinging beneath you. Disc blades whiz past you and tear through the vessels you're climbing on, causing them to shudder and whine with pain. You [[keep climbing|FreighterPathAClimb2]], as fast as you can.//And then, they do.// The $flesh[Flesh] of your arms grows towards the deck floor with the speed of the discs from the crewmate's weapons. You cry out in agony as it smashes against the floor, the velocity of it slowing your fall. The flesh crumples beneath you; each fold of the $flesh[Flesh] floods your senses with pain. You land on the deck with a thud, the impact shooting pain throughout you yet again, but not injuring you in any major way. The $flesh[Flesh] of your arms begins to shrink back to how it was before, and you hear the hushed voices of the crewmates fade in over your heartbeat. You quickly stumble to your feet, and see the crewmates watching you with fear, a true paralyzing terror. You (if: $bag is true)[check your back to make sure the food is still there,](else:)[pick up the packets of food around you,] before making a [[dash into the stacks of shipping vessels|FreighterPathAJump3]]. (track: 'crewyell', 'fadeout', 1)Your breath is heavy, and your heart pounds. [[Left.|FreighterPathAJump4]] | [[Forward.|FreighterPathAJump4]] | [[Right.|FreighterPathAJump4]]You hear the crewmates running behind you. They shout for you to stop. [[Left.|FreighterPathAJump5]] | [[Forward.|FreighterPathAJump5]] | [[Right.|FreighterPathAJump5]] (track: 'crewyell', 'fadein', 1) (track: 'crewyell', 'loop', true)A disc blade whizzes by your arm, and another by your ear. [[Left.|FreighterPathAJump6]] | [[Forward.|FreighterPathAJump6]] | [[Right.|FreighterPathAJump6]] (track: 'whiz', 'play')You see the guard rail of the deck up ahead, and behind it, the $sea[Sea]. You sprint as hard as you can, weaving back and forth when possible to avoid discs shot at you. 20 meters to the rail. 10 meters to the rail. 5 meters. 2. You [[jump|FreighterEnd]] with all your might, soaring over the guard rail as the crewmates curse and yell behind you.Falling. You feel like you're falling for ages, the air whipping past you as you do. Your eyes are fixed on the $sea[Sea], the water beneath you. A [[fall|FreighterEnd2]] from this height at this angle would kill any other being, but you already know you'll be fine. You're always physically just fine. The ''Orders'' ensure that. (track: 'heartbeat', 'fadeout', 1) (track: 'crewyell', 'fadeout', 1) (track: 'freighter', 'fadeout', 2)You can feel it. //You're about to be hit with a disc blade.// You don't even get a chance to turn when your $flesh[Flesh] bends and shifts to create a wall of bone and skin beneath you. You cry out with pain as the disc blade embeds itself into the bony aegis; your head pounds. You grip the fur of the vessel you're on as tightly as you can and groan pitifully before the shield beneath you shrinks back inside of you, the disc blade falling down out of it as it does. You take a deep breath, and [[keep climbing|FreighterPathAClimb3]].Finally, you come to the top of the stack. You must be at least fifteen stories high at this point. You fall onto the back of the vessel beneath you and pant heavily, looking up into the blue $sky[Sky]. You hear the distant voices of the crewmates, but much louder is the pounding in your ears. You [[take a moment to catch your breath|FreighterPathAClimb4]].After a few moments, you shakily stand up again. Looking around you, you see you can pretty easily hop between the stacks of shipping vessels, though you won't be able to jump over the gaps where there are paths down on the deck. You hear an abrupt, deep screech in the distance. Looking towards where it came from, the stern of the freighter, you don't see anything for a few seconds. Then, you see a long, white, spindly, curly leg come up over the edge of the stacks of vessels. Then another, and another, and then the large, worm-like body of a strange, spider-like creature with ten legs. Its eyes are a furious orange, and riding on the back of it is one of the crewmates in the pink togas. It directs its tendriled steed to you, where it makes a screech again and speeds up, quickly closing the distance between you and it. All you can do is [[run|FreighterPathAClimb5]].You run over the stacks and stacks of shipping vessels until you come to the edge of the stacks at the starboard side of the freighter. The tendriled creature shrieks behind you, and you look back to see it only a few stacks away. You take a deep breath, and run to the edge of the vessel, then [[jump as far as you can|FreighterEnd]](if: $bag is false)[, holding tightly to the packages of food].You peek through the doorway to make sure none of the crewmates are on the other side and are greeted with an empty stairway. //You smell food.// You also smell rot, probably from the little blisters in the walls full of squirming purple bioluminescent worms lighting the path down into the belly of the ship. You quickly and quietly make your way [[down the steps|FreighterPathB3]].As you come near to the bottom of the stairway, you hear voices ahead. You crouch to peek into the hallway at the bottom of the stairs and see a doorway where the voices are coming from. The smell of food seems to be coming from further down the hallway. You tiptoe down the stairs, stopping just before the doorway. The thought to [[peek into the doorway|FreighterPathBPeek]] tempts you, but you could also just [[dash past|FreighterPathBDash]].You slowly peek through the doorway, and see two figures larger than you, facing away from you, doing something at a table. One of them has blood-red skin, and the other is forest-green. The red one is wearing what looks to be a pink toga-like garment. You exhale with relief, before quickly cutting it short due to the noise. They can't see you for now, you can just [[tiptoe past the door|FreighterPathB4]] and continue towards the smell.You take a deep breath, before dashing across the doorway. On the other side you freeze, listening for any change in the talking on the other side, and... Nothing. You exhale silently, and [[continue quietly down the hallway|FreighterPathB4]] towards the smell.(set: const-type $sky to (text-colour:#b8f7ff), const-type $sea to (text-colour:#35a9ab), const-type $flesh to (text-colour:#a43742), $isSkyPleased to false, $isSeaPleased to false, $isFleshPleased to false, $freighterVisited to false, $stairsVisited to false, $islandVisited to false, $villageVisited to false, $villageLeftVisited to false, $villageMidVisited to false, $villageRightVisited to false, $priestVisited to false, $metalSmithVisited to false, $towerVisited to false, (p-either:'sky','sea','flesh')-type $lastSacrifice to 'sea', (p-either:'a','b','')-type $freighterPath to '', $food to false, $bag to false, $house to false, $slept to false, $stairLoop to 0, $memories to 0 )You pass many more doors on the way, all of them closed. Some of them have talking behind them. Most of them don't. A few are painted in different colors that stand out against the rusted metal of the ship, and one of them has a couple of symbols painted in the glowing purple blood of the lightworms. You can't help but wonder what could possibly be behind them, but you continue on. You have an ''Order'' to fulfill. At the end of the hallway, you can see a set of large double doors. You don't hear anything behind it until your ears start to ring, and everything seems so much louder than before. //The $flesh[Flesh] is feeling cautious.// You can hear many beings breathing gently behind the door, though no movement at all. //It must be sleeping quarters.// You'll have to [[gently open the doors|FreighterPathB5]] and peek in to see what smells edible in there.Inside, you see large figures of all colors strewn around, asleep on the cold metal floor. Most are blood-red or forest-green skinned, though at the very back of the room there's a large group of crewmates with skin continually rippling between different colors. There's a large distance between them and the rest of the crew. //The diseased.// Some of them have baskets woven of a pink material they're curled up in. A few have garments of clothing they're holding onto or lying on top of as they sleep. Your enhanced smell points you to a crewmate near the point of separation between the sick and the healthy, who's curled up around a garment that appears to be stuffed full of something. You feel afraid to even breathe in case it wakes any of them. There are far too many to fight or even to run from, but you know you have to [[press forward|FreighterPathB6]]. The $flesh[Flesh] ''Orders'' it.You step carefully around the sleeping figures, moving slowly to keep yourself from making any sound. You're shaking heavily. //You know what they'll do to you if they catch you again.// Once about halfway into the room, you come to a particularly large figure you have to step around; they must be at least twice your height. You carefully step over their stomach with one foot, barely making the step without touching them. Suddenly, they begin to move, and you [[freeze in place|FreighterPathB7]].Your heart races, and beneath you, the crewmate stretches, before beginning to turn onto their side. You quickly step the other foot over them before they knock you over, your foot landing with a small bump. You freeze again, waiting for them to wake, but after what feels like an eternity of waiting in place, you let out a long, silent sigh again, and begin to [[move towards the crewmate|FreighterpathB8]] with the food again. You're almost there. (track: 'heartbeat', 'loop', true) (track: 'heartbeat', 'play')Finally you come to the crewmate with the stuffed garment. The smell is strong in your enhanced nostrils now, you know you're at the right place. The crewmate is cuddled around a pink garment wrapped around several pieces of food packaged in paper and sealed with wax. They seem fast asleep, and you wonder if you can even [[get the food|FreighterPathB9]] out of their grasp, or if you should [[keep looking|FreighterPathB9]]. There is another set of doors relatively close to you at the back of the room, after all.''An Order cannot be ignored.'' You gulp down the lump in your throat, the sound ringing in your ears. You can only hope it's not as loud to those around you as it is to you. Leaning forward, you try to see if you can find the best angle to take the food from. You're able to grab a package from out the top of the garment, but the rest are going to be a bit more difficult, requiring you either to [[move their arm|FreighterPathBMove]] or [[pull the garment|FreighterPathBPull]] from their grasp.You hold your breath and very, very delicately begin to tug the garment from the bottom. The crewmate isn't gripping it luckily, so it begins to slowly, slowly slide out of their grasp. All of a sudden, sound. The crewmate takes a deep breath, the noise ringing in your ears. You instinctively drop the end of the garment. They unconsciously shift onto their back, their arm now splayed at their side rather than wrapped around the food. You thank the $sky[Sky], $sea[Sea], and $flesh[Flesh] for your fortune, and quickly but carefully move to [[unwrap the garment|FreighterPathB10]].You hold your breath and very, very delicately wrap your hand around their wrist. Once it's there, you wait for any signs of waking, before slowly, slowly pulling their arm up and off the garment. All of a sudden, sound. The crewmate takes a deep breath, the noise ringing in your ears. You instinctively drop their wrist, but just in time for them to shift onto their back, their arm now splayed at their side rather than wrapped around the food. You thank the $sky[Sky], $sea[Sea], and $flesh[Flesh] for your fortune, and quickly but carefully move to [[unwrap the garment|FreighterPathB10]].You grab the remaining four packages, carefully (if: $bag is true)[stashing all five into your bag](else:)[stacking all five in your arms]. You look to the door behind the sick and take a slow, silent breath before beginning to [[walk towards it|FreighterPathB11]]. (set: $food to true)Once at the door, you hear another sound behind you. A gentle rumble from low to the ground. You spin quickly, seeing a sleeping crewmate behind you, curled around their stomach. It grumbles again, and you feel the lump in your throat return. (if: $bag is true)[You reach into your bag](else:)[You shift the pile of packages onto one arm], grabbing one of the packages and carefully, gently setting it in their arms. You then quickly turn and [[step through the door|FreighterPathB12]] quietly. (track: 'heartbeat', 'fadeout', 1)You find yourself on a balcony at the back of the stern. Far below the guard rail is the $sea[Sea]. You take a moment to breathe the fresh air; clear out the stink of sweat and rot that filled the inside of the stern. You hear voices coming from behind the door you just opened. Someone is awake, and they seem to be waking up others too. You groan, knowing you only have one option to get out of here. You jump over the [[guard rail|FreighterEnd]](if: $bag is false)[, holding tightly to the packaged food].Finally, you hit the water, and feel your consciousness slip from you. A mercy, saving you from the incredible pain of such a fall. [[...|FreighterEnd3]] (track: 'splash', 'play')...You jolt upright. You cough and hack, painful, burning, salty seawater spilling from your mouth onto your carpet. You're back on your ship, a far distance from the freight ship. (if: $bag is false)[The packages of food are strewn around you on the deck.] After coughing up all the water you can and taking a few deep breaths, you lie back on your now-damp carpet. //It's always the same.// After some time, you shakily get back up on your feet(if: $bag is true)[ and check your bag.](else:)[, picking up the packages of food around you. //At least the $sea[Sea] was kind enough to bring these back too.//] The packages seem to still be sealed thanks to the wax. You move to the slope in the ship, throwing the packages up onto the stern, before you [[climb the rope up|FreighterEnd4]] there yourself. (track: 'sailing', 'loop', true) (track: 'sailing', 'play')You step your aching body to the altar, pulling the food along with you. Everything in you wants to just continue lying down on the deck, but you know ''Orders'' can only be followed. (if: $isSkyPleased is false)[[[You think of the parting kiss the Silence left you.|FreighterSky]] //The $sky[Sky] would appreciate the absence of that guarantee.//](else:)[You don't have anything to offer the $sky[Sky] at the moment.] (if: $isSeaPleased is false)[[[You remember how nice the feeling of the looking glass in your hand was.|FreighterSea]] //The $sea[Sea] would enjoy that memory, even if it's small.//](else:)[You don't have anything to offer the $sea[Sea] at the moment.] [[You glance at the packages of food strewn around you.|FreighterFlesh]] //The $flesh[Flesh] is ravenous.//Your body shakes, knowing what's about to happen. //The $flesh[Flesh] is excited.// You hate having to do this, but you know that you have no choice. You seem to have very little choice overall, really, when you think about it. You rip open one of the packages and discover a fruit; off-white, oblong, and slimy, bumpy ridges cover the entire surface along its length and circumference. It smells sweet, but not the appetizing kind. It's the kind of sickening sweetness that makes your insides turn, and your throat tense up. You let out a weary sigh and open the next one, only to find the contents are the same. Each package, with the same fruit inside. One by one, you take each packet in your hands and [[shake the mucous contents into the hole in the altar|FreighterFlesh2]].You sigh, picturing the gentle promise the Silence left you with. You value your time joined with Silence more than you can explain, but to disobey the ''Orders'' is impossible. You picture the comforting promise of Silence's return tomorrow, and then [[stick your right hand into the hole in the altar|FreighterSky2]].You look down at your hands. As you think about the feel of the looking glass against your skin, the ghostly sensation of holding it returns to them. You think of how lucky you are to have felt this today. You don't remember the looking glass ever feeling so perfectly cool and silky to the touch, and a pit in your stomach forms as you know what you're going to have to do. You [[stick your right hand into the hole in the altar|FreighterSea2]]. The air around your hand hardens into nine long fibers that then each prick into your skin like hair-thin needles. Four of the air fibers stick into your knuckles, four stick into the corners of your palm, and the last punctures into the largest, most visible tendon in your wrist. You sharply inhale, the pain something not unexpected but still unwelcome. You feel a deep uneasiness wash over you as the promise of rest tomorrow leaves your body. You know for sure you'll be unchangeably restless next time the Silence is to visit, but the $sky[Sky] ''Ordered'' you rest as little as necessary. You try to shake the uneasy dread by reminding yourself Silence doesn't always keep its promises anyway. The fibers of air dissipate and the pin-pricks dotted around your hand quickly seal with barely noticeable dots of red. You pull your hand back and gently rub the lightly aching points as the ship shudders, then jolts [[forward|FreighterEnd5]], as if suddenly realizing it's meant to be moving. //The $sky[Sky] is pleased with this sacrifice.// (track: 'slash', 'playwhenpossible') (set: $isSkyPleased to true) (set: $lastSacrifice to 'sky')Without having to specify, the ship is being driven exactly where you know you want to go next. The freight ship starts to sink into the distance behind you. You can't help but be glad you're out of there. (if: $stairsVisited is false)[You're going to the [[staircase|Stairs1]].] (if: $islandVisited is false)[You're going to the [[island|Island1]].] (set: $freighterVisited to true) (track: 'flesh', 'fadeout', 1)Seawater surges up the back of the stern, forming a small seven-pointed star-shaped pool beneath the altar. The points then pull up from the floor into seven watery blades, each of which makes two small cuts on the palm of your hand. The cuts form a circle of fourteen evenly spaced tilted lines. You bite your lip, the pain of this ceremony familiar but unwanted. You feel your thoughts, your mind, become ever so heavier, as you realize //something// has left your memory. For a moment you try to picture what it is you were just thinking about, but quickly stop yourself, already knowing the effort is futile. The $sea[Sea] has it now. You've fulfilled another ''Order''. The blades of seawater fall to the floor of the stern with a slap. The fourteen cuts sting a little, but they're shallow enough to barely bleed and reside on top of fourteen identical scars from last time. As you pull back and flex your hand cautiously, you feel the boat rock back and forth a little deeper than usual, and as you look over the edge of the stern you can see the waves are pushing the ship [[forward|FreighterEnd5]]. //The $sea[Sea] is pleased with this sacrifice.// (track: 'slash', 'playwhenpossible') (set: $isSeaPleased to true) (set: $lastSacrifice to 'sea')As each fruit falls, you notice that they remain suspended in mid-air, by some unknown force. Only once each fruit is freed from its packaging, suspended in the alter's cavity, does something happen. Each fruit shoots out to four different points along a line. From one end of the stern to the other, now suspended higher than the altar itself. You brace yourself, for the worst part is yet to come. You can feel your $flesh[Flesh] moving inside of you. Reshaping and reforming itself like a nest of worms, a horrid, lurching sickness that spreads and spreads until it's impossible to ignore, and you swear you can hear the wet, squirming sounds in your ears as it rearranges itself. You hear the crack before you see it. A sharp, sudden sound resonates throughout your whole body, as your $flesh[Flesh] parts from the inside like an obscene pair of angel's wings. Meat and muscle and fat, tearing from the inside out, ribs yawning open like grasping fingers. You shut your eyes tight. You can still hear your bones creaking. You can still feel the muscle and fat, crawling out of you like a living thing, stretching out, and out, towards the fruits suspended above the altar, scrambling for sustenance. Finally, the $flesh[Flesh] reaches its goal, before the tentacles of viscera suddenly retreat, coiling and withdrawing into you faster than you can blink, knocking you backward onto the floor. With the cracking of bone and the squelch of fat, your chest rearranges itself. The seam shuts as if nothing had happened. You curl up tightly around your chest, whimpering and crying softly. You can feel your $flesh[Flesh] devouring the fruits, tearing them apart. You've fulfilled another ''Order''. After what feels like minutes of this, you can feel your insides calming, slowing, and the pain begins to dull. You're panting heavily. You take a deep breath. Looking back towards the altar, you can see suspended in the hole is a chunk of muscle that was left behind from the ritual. It flexes rhythmically, and as it does, the ship begins to move [[forward|FreighterEnd5]]. //The $flesh[Flesh] is pleased with this sacrifice.// (track: 'flesh', 'playwhenpossible') (set: $isFleshPleased to true) (set: $lastSacrifice to 'flesh')Your ship surges forward towards the staircase, (if: $lastSacrifice is 'sea')[the $sea[Sea] eager to get you there](else:)[the eager $sea[Sea] aiding the travel as well]. You wonder just how many staircases into the $sea[Sea] there are, or if you're just encountering the same one over and over. They never look any different, but they never seem to be in the same place. Maybe it's just that the vast, featureless expanse of waves is hiding the fact that you're going in circles. Going down into them, you always struggle to reach the bottom. You can't remember what you've seen while traveling down into the depths of the $sea[Sea], but you know it's always too much for you. You always throw yourself into the waters surrounding the stairs before you reach the bottom. You tell yourself this time, you're going to reach the bottom. This time you're going to [[find out what lies at the seabed|Stairs2]].The ship slows to a stop a few meters from the edge of the staircase. It begins with about three meters of stairs above the water line, but extends deep, deep into the $sea[Sea], with a hallway of air surrounding the staircase so you can breathe and walk as you descend. There aren't any light sources that you can see, it just fades into darkness the lower you go. You jump from the edge of the craft into the waters below, the cold waves forcing the air from your lungs. You gasp and try to catch your breath while you quickly [[swim towards the staircase|Stairs3]].You fall out of the water onto the staircase where the hallway of air around it begins and catch yourself on your feet. You take a moment to let yourself dry in the sun; you don't know how long it'll be until you see it again. It usually feels like you're walking for days, though you know it can't possibly ever be that long. Or, you hope. You stretch, preparing for the long walk. Looking around, you can see your ship is already gone. The $sky[Sky] likes to retrieve its pieces when not in use. You take a deep breath, knowing your only option is to [[start down the staircase|Stairs4]].You begin your walk down into the belly of the $sea[Sea]. As you descend, the hallway of air gains a roof of water, with the sun's rays shimmering through it down onto you. Around you, you see various small kinds of eel and tri-finned spinning fish that drill through the water at tremendous speeds. You watch them curiously as you [[step down the stairs|Stairs5]], partially as a way of keeping your mind occupied and distracted from the stairs. (track: 'sailing', 'fadeout', 2) (track: 'stairs', 'fadein', 2) (track: 'stairs', 'loop', true) (track: 'water', 'fadein', 2) (track: 'water', 'loop', true)As you get deeper and deeper it gets harder and harder to see, less and less sunlight makes it through the seawater above you. You can't really tell just how far down you are at this point. The mind-numbing repetition of the staircase makes it hard to tell if you've been walking for minutes or hours, but you know one thing for sure: you're nowhere near the bottom yet. You have to [[keep going|Stairs6]].You've reached a level of the $sea[Sea] where the majority of predators lie. You've always known there was a dangerous part of the $sea[Sea], a part that it always keeps from you. The $sea[Sea] has always been kind to you, as long as you can remember. Even when you use it, even when you over-rely on it, even when you struggle against its ''Orders'', the $sea[Sea] never seems to waver in its support. You're really grateful for something like that. A green tentacled predator darts past you, its piercing white eyes following you with a hungry curiosity. The tips of its five tentacles sharpen and harden to form razor-sharp spears that it uses to skewer prey. You wonder if it has the bravery to jump out of the water at you. The thought of it doing that scares you. The $sea[Sea] would never let you be killed, especially not by a part of itself, but you shiver with fear anyway. Your legs are beginning to burn from the [[walk down|Stairs7]], but they don't quite ache yet.At this point, you're really getting winded, and the stairs in front of you are getting hard to make out. Purple bioluminescent arthropods swim around you with flat, paddle-like legs. Their joints glow the brightest, while their chitinous shells are dimly purple in comparison.(if: $freighterVisited is true and $freighterPath is "b")[ You wonder if those worms that lit up and festered in the freighter were their young, or maybe their main food source.] The sight of them makes your skin crawl. Once the arthropods have put some distance between themselves and the staircase, you take a seat to catch your breath. The end is nowhere in sight. It's hard to imagine there even is an end at this rate. After a little time resting, you stand back up with a groan. [[Back to the steps|Stairs8]].It is now truly dark around you. You must be hundreds of meters down at this point. You can barely make out your hands in front of you, let alone the stairs at your feet. You take each step carefully now, though the distance to the next step is muscle memory at this point. The air around you is colder than before. All you can do is [[keep going|Stairs9]]. (track: 'stairs', 'fadeout', 2) (track: 'stairsdeep', 'fadein', 2) (track: 'stairsdeep', 'loop', true)(text-rotate-z:0.5)[You hear something echo through the darkness surrounding you. Your heart stops for a second, and you tremble, almost losing your footing. //It would be very, very bad to fall.// You take a moment to compose yourself, to tell yourself it isn't something giant, something abyssal, looking for you, to tell yourself that even if it is, the $sea[Sea] won't let it get to you. Your steps are shaky, but you [[continue down|Stairs10]] nonetheless.] (track: 'growl', 'play')(text-rotate-z:1)[Your legs ache and burn, your calves feeling like they could shred themselves at any moment, but you can't stop yourself from continuing, pushing yourself further and further [[towards the bottom|Stairs11]] of the staircase. Your heart pounds, and you can't see a thing.] (track: 'heartbeat', 'loop', true) (track: 'heartbeat', 'play')(text-rotate-z:1.5)[Choking darkness engulfs you. You feel like you're stuck in place, that even as you [[move down|Stairs12]] you remain exactly where you were.](set: _loopTilt to $stairLoop+2)(text-rotate-z:_loopTilt)[Another (if: $stairLoop < 10)[[[step down into the darkness|Stairs12]]](else:)[[[step down into the darkness|Stairs13]]]. (if: $stairLoop is 3)[Your knees feel like they could give in at any moment.](else-if: $stairLoop is 5)[Your heart continues to pound in your ears, a primal fear overtaking you.](else-if: $stairLoop is 7)[Your breath is ragged and heavy.](else-if: $stairLoop is 9)[You nearly slip, your heart stopping for the second you think you might.]] (set: $stairLoop to $stairLoop+1)And then, a light in the darkness. As you step down, a complex symbol of straight parallel and perpendicular lines lights up against the watery wall of the stairwell to your right. Your eyes sting for a moment as they adjust to the sudden light. The glow is a warm white, almost inviting you to [[touch it|MemoryA1]], but you know you have to [[continue to the bottom|Stairs14]] of the staircase. (track: 'heartbeat', 'fadeout', 1)You find yourself on the deck of your ship. (if: $isSeaPleased is true)[You're standing at the port side of the deck, the looking glass in hand. It feels... Nice. Comforting. Cool and smooth](else:)[The ship is floating lower in the water than usual, and you're sitting near the front tip with your feet dangling in the water. It feels... Nice. Comforting. Cool and gentle] against your skin in a way you don't remember many things ever feeling. (if: $isSeaPleased is true)[You look through it, and spot the freighter, the staircase, and the island again.](else:)[The sun is setting in the distance. //The $sky[Sky] is so beautiful.//] [[...|MemoryA3]] (track: 'stairsdeep', 'pause') (track: 'water', 'pause') (track: 'sailing', 'play') (track: 'sailing', 'loop', true)You continue down another meter or two, before another symbol lights up, this time on the left wall of the stairwell. This one is just as complex as the last, with lots of loops and curves to it. You again feel a pull to [[touch it|MemoryB1]], but also the need to [[keep going|Stairs15]].And just as suddenly as you were there, you're back in the pitch-black staircase, hundreds of meters below $sea[Sea] level. You step back in surprise, and the symbol on the wall fades away, leaving you in utter darkness again. You take a moment to process this memory(if: $isSeaPleased is true)[ from earlier today]. You know it's a memory of yours, despite it not existing within your own mind. A gentle, calm memory. The kind you wish you could have more of if it weren't for the ''Order'' of the $sea[Sea]: you must share one good memory a day. You can feel it already slipping from your mind, the details of it becoming fuzzier by the second. Before you can realize, it's already gone again, leaving only the impression that you saw something you had and now again have forgotten. You can feel that impression beginning to gnaw at you. You remind yourself of your goal, and [[continue down|Stairs14]] towards the seabed. (track: 'sailing', 'stop') (track: 'stairsdeep', 'play') (track: 'stairsdeep', 'loop', true) (track: 'water', 'play') (track: 'water', 'loop', true) (set: $memories to $memories+1)You cautiously [[stick your hand into the water|MemoryA2]] where the symbol sits.Your steps feel heavy and painful, your legs trembling with each movement. On your right is another symbol you feel compelled to [[touch|MemoryC1]], this one much simpler than the last two, with a prominent sharp corner to it. You are starting to feel as if you're close to the bottom now, that you just need to [[push a little further|Stairs16]]. You feel you must be at this point.You (if: $memories > 0)[again ]cautiously [[stick your hand into the water|MemoryB2]] where the symbol sits.In an instant, you find yourself in the shop of an islander you once knew. You worked for them for a few weeks before the rest of the villagers on the island decided to force you out. Just looking at the face of the shopkeeper fills you with a deep guilt, a deep remorse, a deep sense of longing. You miss them so much. You thought you could never forget their kindness. A couple of villagers had stayed by the shopkeeper's side while you were taken away to make sure they didn't try to interfere with your exile. You never belonged to this village, you had just thought you could make a home there. You thought you //had// made a home there. You were sure you were making the $sky[Sky] proud. As you stand in the shop, the shopkeeper walks over to you and asks you something. You never fully understood their language and didn't understand the question, but you tried your best to respond. The shopkeeper laughs at your broken speech and gives you a hug. You flinch, before realizing and returning the gesture of affection. [[...|MemoryB3]] (track: 'stairsdeep', 'pause') (track: 'water', 'pause') (track: 'island', 'play') (track: 'island', 'loop', true)In the blink of an eye, you're back on the staircase. Tears are streaming down your face, and you fall back to sit on the stairs. It couldn't work, somewhere inside you you always knew that. You always hoped that it would though. You choke out a few sobs, burying your face in your hands. As you cry, the symbol on the wall fades out of existence. You question whether you really wanted this memory or not, whether the bittersweetness of it is really worth it. You must have given these memories up to the $sea[Sea] long ago, fulfilling the ''Order'' of sharing one good memory a day. The memory begins to soften in your mind, the face and feeling of the shopkeeper slipping from your head as you cry. Eventually you don't even remember that there was a person at all, just that you had remembered something you have already forgotten again, and that it hurt you deeply. You pull yourself back up to your feet, sniffling and wiping off your cheeks, before you [[step down the staircase|Stairs15]] again. Your heart aches, but you don't really know why. (track: 'island', 'stop') (track: 'stairsdeep', 'play') (track: 'stairsdeep', 'loop', true) (track: 'water', 'play') (track: 'water', 'loop', true) (set: $memories to $memories+1)You (if: $memories > 0)[again ]cautiously [[stick your hand into the water|MemoryC2]] where the symbol sits.You rock back and forth with each step, having to shift your entire weight with each movement to keep your legs from giving in. You continue down, down for at least another few meters, before finally, you can feel the soft sand of the seabed with one of your steps. You fully step down onto the seabed, the cold sand surrounding your burning, aching feet. All you can manage to do at this point is [[collapse into the sand|StairsBottom]].Before you can blink, you're on a merchant vessel. The merchant running the ship's shop watches you impatiently as you look around their wares in awe. They have clothing and tools and utilities and food and toys, a little bit of everything. What's caught your eye, though, is a large carpet. You run your hand across it, and it feels soft and plush, and your heart races at the thought of having a comfort like it on your ship. You bring it to the merchant. The merchant hasn't spoken since you entered their ship, instead, they make a motion of swapping it with another item; you need a fair trade. You point to your only garment of clothing, a large, dress-like shirt made of a shimmering opal-like fabric. It was given to you by the $sky[Sky]. The merchant nods solemnly at your proposal. You're overjoyed with the trade, quickly removing the shirt and swapping it for the carpet. You're excited beyond words, but you doubt the $sky[Sky] will see it the same way. You wave goodbye to the merchant, and [[head back to your ship|MemoryC3]]. (track: 'stairsdeep', 'pause') (track: 'water', 'pause') (track: 'sailing', 'play') (track: 'sailing', 'loop', true)You eagerly lay out the carpet on the deck of the ship, before lying down on it. The $sky[Sky] above you is beginning to cloud over, and a lump in your throat forms. You turn away from the $sky[Sky], lying face down on the carpet. It feels so soft against you, you can feel yourself falling into the Silence already. After a couple minutes, you can feel the start of rain on your back. [[...|MemoryC4]](set: $memories to $memories+1)And then, darkness again. You're back on the staircase, and the symbol on the wall fades away. You (if: $memories is 3)[[[begin down the staircase|MemoryD1]]](else:)[[[begin down the staircase|Stairs16]]] again, thinking about just how many little memories like this you've given to the $sea[Sea], how many little moments of joy or happiness have disappeared from your mind to satisfy an ''Order''. Already the memory is slipping from your head, sliding from your memory until all that's left is the impression that you saw something you once knew but no longer do. That feeling makes you so uneasy. (track: 'sailing', 'stop') (track: 'stairsdeep', 'play') (track: 'stairsdeep', 'loop', true) (track: 'water', 'play') (track: 'water', 'loop', true)You come to a stop as a fourth symbol lights up on your right. It's not as intricate as the first two, but more detailed than the third. It's made of swooping lines that all crisscross each other. You hold your breath, trying to prepare yourself for what you'll feel this time before you [[stick your hand into the symbol|MemoryD2]].You roll onto your back, your legs screaming with pain from the journey down here. You slow your breathing, taking deep, full breaths. The cold sand beneath you is relatively comfortable, being quite fine and soft. You notice that you can just barely, barely see the roof of water above you, that something around you is providing the smallest amount of light. All you have the energy to do is [[watch the flowing and rippling ceiling|StairsBottom2]].You find yourself sitting on a beach, watching the sunset. The reflection of the sun turns the waters of the $sea[Sea] white and gold, and the $sky[Sky] is a beautiful pink. On your lap is a small, furry creature; a pet you had for a short time. It had six little legs, soft, gentle paws, fluffy white fur, a long, wandering tail, and an adorably smug expression on its face all of the time. You stroke its back lovingly, and it responds with gentle whimpers. You feel contented, something you have no other memories of ever feeling. It makes you want to cry, but you hold it back so you don't disturb the little animal on your lap. [[...|MemoryD3]] (track: 'stairsdeep', 'pause') (track: 'water', 'pause') (track: 'beach', 'play') (track: 'beach', 'loop', true)You suddenly blink back into the darkness of the stairway. You sniffle, beginning to cry. You miss that little creature. It eventually grew up to be a dangerous beast with no affection for you, though. //It's not fair. Why is the $sea[Sea] doing this?// You can't understand why you're being shown all these moments you've lost, all these memories you weren't allowed to keep. //It hurts, it hurts so much, it hurts so much.// Your legs wobble beneath you, and you finally [[let them give out|MemoryD4]]. You want out of this place. (track: 'beach', 'stop') (track: 'stairsdeep', 'play') (track: 'stairsdeep', 'loop', true) (track: 'water', 'play') (track: 'water', 'loop', true)You fall forwards into the wall where the last symbol was, the ice-cold seawater washing away your tears. You close your eyes and [[let out your breath|StairsEnd]], wishing the cold embrace of the $sea[Sea] would lead you to Silence. You know the $sea[Sea] won't let anything more happen to you here. You can already feel it rocketing you upwards towards the surface. (track: 'water', 'fadeout', 1)When you next open your eyes, you're back on the deck of your ship. You sit up groggily, feeling extremely exhausted. You give yourself a moment to compose yourself again. You wonder if you'll see a staircase like that again someday. //Probably; this isn't the first one after all. (if: $memories < 3)[Though this time was different from all the others.]// (if: $isSkyPleased and $isSeaPleased and ($isFleshPleased or $food is false))[The sun's gentle warmth kisses your skin. It's a little uncomfortable, but you know you've done everything you can today. You try to let yourself [[relax on the carpet|Ending]].](else:)[The sun's warmth becomes uncomfortable on your skin. //The $sky[Sky] is becoming impatient.// You [[pull yourself to your feet|StairsEnd2]], you know you can't disobey an ''Order''.] (track: 'stairsbottom', 'fadeout', 2) (track: 'stairsdeep', 'fadeout', 2) (track: 'water', 'fadeout', 2) (track: 'sailing', 'fadein', 2) (track: 'sailing', 'loop', true)The area around you begins to light up more and more, and you realize that the water itself has begun to glow a dim green. On the ceiling above you, you see the water form into a glowing face that watches you as you lie on the seabed. //"Are you ok?"// it asks, in a tongue you never remember learning but can understand regardless. You (if: $memories is 0)[[[laugh bitterly|StairsBottomA]]](else:)[[[laugh bitterly|StairsBottomB]]], your legs cramped and worked to the brink of injury. (track: 'stairsdeep', 'fadeout', 2) (track: 'stairsbottom', 'fadein', 2) (track: 'stairsbottom', 'loop', true)The face of the $sea[Sea] looks down at you with a frustrated concern. //"Why didn't you look at the memories I presented you? They're my favorites of what you've shared with me."// You don't understand what they mean by this, so you just [[watch their face|StairsBottomA2]]. You're unsure if you can even respond in a way that the $sea[Sea] would understand either.The face of the $sea[Sea] has a timid excitement on its face. //"What did you think of the memories you saw? They're some of my favorites you've shared with me."// You feel a knot tie itself in your stomach. //They really hurt.// It eats away at you to know your favorite memories are gone from your head, that you'll never know the happiness you've felt in the past. You don't know if you can even respond in a way the $sea[Sea] will understand, so you just [[watch their face|StairsBottomB2]].The face shows surprise. //"You didn't remember any of these? I never meant to steal these away from you."// Anger rises in your chest. You want to ask it why they've been taken from you then, why they ''Ordered'' you give them your memories if they didn't even mean to take them from you in the first place. You [[blink furiously|StairsBottomB3]], holding back more tears.The $sea[Sea] looks down at you with regret. //"You know I'd never try to hurt you, right?"// You sniffle and [[nod|StairsBottom3]], your eyes burning.The face in the ceiling disappears, and the ceiling begins to move down towards you. You [[let your eyes fall shut|StairsEnd]] as the ice-cold water surrounds you, slowly letting your breath out. You can feel the $sea[Sea] shooting you up to the surface as gently as it can, keeping stray currents from whipping at you as you do.The face sighs above you. //"It's hard for things to get better when you ignore my attempts to help, you know. I thought maybe you'd appreciate reminiscing."// You feel guilty. The $sea[Sea] seems disappointed in you. You thought you were doing what it wanted, you thought you were doing what was best for the both of you. You thought it would like that you made it to the bottom of the staircase. You [[fidget|StairsBottomA3]] on the seabed, flexing your hands. The sand fills the valleys between your fingers. You feel ashamed.The $sea[Sea] looks down at you with concern. //"You know I'd never try to hurt you, right? I'm trying my best just as you are."// You [[nod|StairsBottom3]], your cheeks burning with shame.You make your way up the rope to the stern of the ship, stepping up to the altar with a sigh. Your legs still burn, ache with each movement. You hope you haven't injured or permanently damaged them, but without a way of truly knowing all you can do is continue with your day. (if: $isSkyPleased is false)[[[You think of the parting kiss the Silence left you.|StairsSky]] //The $sky[Sky] would appreciate the absence of that guarantee.//](else:)[You don't have anything to offer the $sky[Sky] at the moment.] (if: $isSeaPleased is false)[[[You remember how nice the feeling of the looking glass in your hand was.|StairsSea]] //The $sea[Sea] would enjoy that memory, even if it's small.//](else:)[You don't have anything to offer the $sea[Sea] at the moment.] (if: $isFleshPleased is false and $food)[[[You glance at the packages of food strewn around you.|StairsFlesh]] //The $flesh[Flesh] is ravenous.//](else:)[You don't have anything to offer the $flesh[Flesh] at the moment.]Your body shakes, knowing what's about to happen. //The $flesh[Flesh] is excited.// You hate having to do this, but you know that you have no choice. You seem to have very little choice overall, really, when you think about it. You rip open one of the packages and discover a fruit; off-white, oblong, and slimy, bumpy ridges cover the entire surface along its length and circumference. It smells sweet, but not the appetizing kind. It's the kind of sickening sweetness that makes your insides turn, and your throat tense up. You let out a weary sigh and open the next one, only to find the contents are the same. Each package, with the same fruit inside. One by one, you take each packet in your hands and [[shake the mucous contents into the hole in the altar|StairsFlesh2]].You look down at your hands. As you think about the feel of the looking glass against your skin, the ghostly sensation of holding it returns to them. You think of how lucky you are to have felt this today. You don't remember the looking glass ever feeling so perfectly cool and silky to the touch, and a pit in your stomach forms as you know what you're going to have to do. You [[stick your right hand into the hole in the altar|StairsSea2]]. You sigh, picturing the gentle promise the Silence left you with. You value your time joined with Silence more than you can explain, but to disobey the ''Orders'' is impossible. You picture the comforting promise of Silence's return tomorrow, and then [[stick your right hand into the hole in the altar|StairsSky2]].The air around your hand hardens into nine long fibers that then each prick into your skin like hair-thin needles. Four of the air fibers stick into your knuckles, four stick into the corners of your palm, and the last punctures into the largest, most visible tendon in your wrist. You sharply inhale, the pain something not unexpected but still unwelcome. You feel a deep uneasiness wash over you as the promise of rest tomorrow leaves your body. You know for sure you'll be unchangeably restless next time the Silence is to visit, but the $sky[Sky] ''Ordered'' you rest as little as necessary. You try to shake the uneasy dread by reminding yourself Silence doesn't always keep its promises anyway. The fibers of air dissipate and the pin-pricks dotted around your hand quickly seal with barely noticeable dots of red. You pull your hand back and gently rub the lightly aching points as the ship shudders, then jolts [[forward|StairsEnd3]], as if suddenly realizing it's meant to be moving. //The $sky[Sky] is pleased with this sacrifice.// (track: 'slash', 'playwhenpossible') (set: $isSkyPleased to true) (set: $lastSacrifice to 'sky')Without having to specify, the ship is being driven exactly where you know you want to go next. The staircase is nowhere to be seen around you, seeming to have been swallowed by the waves once you left it. (if: $freighterVisited is false)[You're going to the [[freight ship|Freighter1]].] (if: $islandVisited is false)[You're going to the [[island|Island1]].] (set: $stairsVisited to true) (track: 'flesh', 'fadeout', 1)Seawater surges up the back of the stern, forming a small seven-pointed star-shaped pool beneath the altar. The points then pull up from the floor into seven watery blades, each of which makes two small cuts on the palm of your hand. The cuts form a circle of fourteen evenly spaced tilted lines. You bite your lip, the pain of this ceremony familiar but unwanted. You feel your thoughts, your mind, become ever so heavier, as you realize //something// has left your memory. For a moment you try to picture what it is you were just thinking about, but quickly stop yourself, already knowing the effort is futile. The $sea[Sea] has it now. You've fulfilled another ''Order''. The blades of seawater fall to the floor of the stern with a slap. The fourteen cuts sting a little, but they're shallow enough to barely bleed and reside on top of fourteen identical scars from last time. As you pull back and flex your hand cautiously, you feel the boat rock back and forth a little deeper than usual, and as you look over the edge of the stern you can see the waves are pushing the ship [[forward|StairsEnd3]]. //The $sea[Sea] is pleased with this sacrifice.// (track: 'slash', 'playwhenpossible') (set: $isSeaPleased to true) (set: $lastSacrifice to 'sea')As each fruit falls, you notice that they remain suspended in mid-air, by some unknown force. Only once each fruit is freed from its packaging, suspended in the alter's cavity, does something happen. Each fruit shoots out to four different points along a line. From one end of the stern to the other, now suspended higher than the altar itself. You brace yourself, for the worst part is yet to come. You can feel your $flesh[Flesh] moving inside of you. Reshaping and reforming itself like a nest of worms, a horrid, lurching sickness that spreads and spreads until it's impossible to ignore, and you swear you can hear the wet, squirming sounds in your ears as it rearranges itself. You hear the crack before you see it. A sharp, sudden sound resonates throughout your whole body, as your $flesh[Flesh] parts from the inside like an obscene pair of angel's wings. Meat and muscle and fat, tearing from the inside out, ribs yawning open like grasping fingers. You shut your eyes tight. You can still hear your bones creaking. You can still feel the muscle and fat, crawling out of you like a living thing, stretching out, and out, towards the fruits suspended above the altar, scrambling for sustenance. Finally, the $flesh[Flesh] reaches its goal, before the tentacles of viscera suddenly retreat, coiling and withdrawing into you faster than you can blink, knocking you backward onto the floor. With the cracking of bone and the squelch of fat, your chest rearranges itself. The seam shuts as if nothing had happened. You curl up tightly around your chest, whimpering and crying softly. You can feel your $flesh[Flesh] devouring the fruits, tearing them apart. You've fulfilled another ''Order''. After what feels like minutes of this, you can feel your insides calming, slowing, and the pain begins to dull. You're panting heavily. You take a deep breath. Looking back towards the altar, you can see suspended in the hole is a chunk of muscle that was left behind from the ritual. It flexes rhythmically, and as it does, the ship begins to move [[forward|StairsEnd3]]. //The $flesh[Flesh] is pleased with this sacrifice.// (track: 'flesh', 'playwhenpossible') (set: $isFleshPleased to true) (set: $lastSacrifice to 'flesh')The ship veers starboard towards the island. You can't help but feel anxious approaching it. You never enjoy being on land, something always goes wrong in a way you can't expect. You prefer the stability of what you know; the $sky[Sky] ship. Perhaps saying you know it is an overstatement; you still have no idea what's in the cabin, but it's a familiar unknown. Maybe it's the familiarity you prefer. You make your way back down to the deck of the ship and [[take a seat on your carpet|Island2]]. The wind gently brushes over you, cooling you slightly.Comfortable Silence. The kind of Silence that means you can't hear, you can't see, you can't feel. You can't hurt, you can't sense, you can't think. [[...|Beginning2]] (set: $isSkyPleased to false, $isSeaPleased to false, $isFleshPleased to false, $freighterVisited to false, $stairsVisited to false, $islandVisited to false, $villageVisited to false, $villageLeftVisited to false, $villageMidVisited to false, $villageRightVisited to false, $priestVisited to false, $metalSmithVisited to false, $towerVisited to false, (p-either:'sky','sea','flesh')-type $lastSacrifice to 'sea', (p-either:'a','b','')-type $freighterPath to '', $food to false, $bag to false, $house to false, $slept to false, $stairLoop to 0, $memories to 0 ) (track: 'sailing', 'fadeout', 2) (track: 'freighter', 'fadeout', 2) (track: 'stairs', 'fadeout', 2) (track: 'stairsdeep', 'fadeout', 2) (track: 'stairsbottom', 'fadeout', 2) (track: 'island', 'fadeout', 2) (track: 'ending', 'fadeout', 2) (track: 'goodending', 'fadeout', 2) (track: 'badending', 'fadeout', 2) (track: 'crewyell', 'fadeout', 2) (track: 'heartbeat', 'fadeout', 2) (track: 'water', 'fadeout', 2) (track: 'beach', 'fadeout', 2)You watch nervously as the shiny, copper buildings become clearer and more well defined, until you can make out where each one begins and ends. At one end of the beach is a tower of some sort, while further inland is the rest of the village. The further up the tower, the more green and rusted it is. The rest of the buildings all have strange, dome roofs made of an orange sort of plasticky material. Further inland is a forest of pink and purple, the neon leaves reaching up over the roofs of the village. You wonder what kinds of creatures might make their home there, if the island's native fauna will be largely docile or aggressive. You've come to find that most islands are either quite safe or quite dangerous, without much in between. The ship is maintaining speed now. You [[take a deep breath|Island3]], still uneasy about this.You watch the golden beach nearest to the ship as you sail towards it, wondering how this village got along without a port of any kind. //Perhaps they were fully self-sufficient on the island.// Without a way to leave, you wonder how this island was emptied out, as you don't see any locals of any kind. The thought of a deadly plague of some kind enters your mind, but you [[shake it off|Island4]]. //The $sky[Sky] will keep away anything deadly. It always does.//Your ship pulls to a stop a ways from the beach, being unable to continue much further without beaching itself. You exhale as you stand up, making your way to the edge, before jumping off into the water. It's warm here in the shallows, and you can easily [[swim to where you can stand|Island5]].You pull yourself out of the water, the hot sand of the beach sticking to the bottoms of your feet and between your toes. You inhale sharply through your teeth as you can feel your feet burning, and you begin to run and hop toward where dull purple grass covers the ground in patches. Looking at where you've landed on the beach, you're about equidistant from the village as you are from the tower. Once you come to the grass and your feet can cool off a little, you look between the two, questioning whether you should [[follow the beach to the tower|IslandTower]] or [[walk deeper inland to the village|IslandVillage]]. (track: 'sailing', 'fadeout', 2) (track: 'island', 'fadein', 2) (track: 'island', 'loop', true)You decide to go to the tower. The grass is soft beneath your feet, a rare but minuscule mercy. After a minute of walking, a gentle wind sweeps over the beach, pushing towards the village. //The $sky[Sky] thinks this is a waste of time.// You [[continue towards the tower|IslandTower2]] anyway.You (if: $towerVisited is false)[turn and ]head to the village, figuring you'll likely find decent shelter there. A gentle wind pushes at your back as you do. (if: $towerVisited)[ //The $sky[Sky] is getting impatient.// Y](else:)[The village isn't too far from the shore, so y]ou quickly find yourself at the edge of town. You look around curiously as you [[make your way past some larger buildings|IslandVillage2]], likely used as gathering places or resource storage. //Still no signs of people.// In the center of the village you see a large empty fire pit surrounded by seating made of shaped stone with seat covers made of woven fronds from native foliage.You slow to a stop near the seating, looking around you. Everything seems empty, abandoned. You can see three main paths out of the center of the village, each lined with a few copper houses. Behind you is the fourth path out of the village. You look between the three, deciding on whether to [[go left|VillageLeft]], [[go forward|VillageMiddle]], or [[go right|VillageRight]]. (if: $villageLeftVisited and $villageMidVisited and $villageRightVisited and $house)[(set: $villageVisited to true)You think you've seen everything you can here. (if: $towerVisited)[You sigh, and [[make your way back to the approved house|Island6]].](else:)[You decide to go and [[check out the tower|IslandVillageLeave]] before settling into the house.]]You walk down the left path away from the center of town. On the right side of the path are three round houses with rubbery domes on top. On the left side of the path is a patch of open land leading all the way to the $sea[Sea], with little yellow flowers growing amongst the purple grass. You're left to check the three houses to see if they're suitable. You can [[check the closest|VillageLeftHouse1]], [[check the furthest|VillageLeftHouse2]], or [[check the middle house|VillageLeftHouse3]]. You can also just [[head back to the center of town|IslandVillage2]]. (set: $villageLeftVisited to true)You walk down the middle path away from the center of town. On either side of the path is a single copper house with a rubbery dome roof, with a third at the end of the path. Behind the house on the left you can see the houses from the left path out of the center of the village. Behind the house on the right is a short rise, and the right path on top of that. You're left to check the three houses to see if they're suitable. You can [[check the right|VillageMidHouse1]], [[check the left|VillageMidHouse2]], or (if:$metalSmithVisited)[[[check the furthest|VillageMidHouse3B]]](else:)[[[check the furthest|VillageMidHouse3]]]. You can also just [[head back to the center of town|IslandVillage2]]. (set: $villageMidVisited to true)You walk down the right path away from the center of town. On the right side of the path are two round houses with rubbery domes on top. Behind them, the forest of the island begins, with large pink trees with dark purple trunks towering over the homes. You can [[check the closest|VillageRightHouse1]] or (if:$priestVisited)[[[check the furthest|VillageRightHouse2B]]](else:)[[[check the furthest|VillageRightHouse2]]]. You can also just [[head back to the center of town|IslandVillage2]]. (set: $villageRightVisited to true)After making your way back to the house that the $sky[Sky] approved of, you collapse exhaustedly onto one of the cots(if: $bag is true)[, throwing the bag near your feet]. You curl up, resting your aching body(if: $isSkyPleased is true)[, knowing Silence won't come for you but trying to relax anyway]. The wind howls outside. //What could the $sky[Sky] possibly want now? ...It'll have to wait.// You (if: $isSkyPleased is true)[[[lie as still as you possibly can|Island7A]]](else:)[[[lie as still as you possibly can|Island7B]]], paying close attention to your slowing breaths.You make your way down the path out of the village and towards the tower in the distance. As you approach, you look out over the beach where you arrived at the island. The ship is missing. //The $sky[Sky] must have taken it back for now.// The gravel path digs into your feet with each [[step towards the tower|IslandTower2]].You come to the closest house to the center of the village. Its copper panel walls are well maintained, no signs of rusting anywhere. The garden beside it is unruly, however, seemingly having grown out of control since this place was abandoned. You knock at the door and listen closely for any movement inside, before opening the door. Inside you can see a large cot covered in many woven blankets, as well as an assortment of weaving and spinning tools at the back end of the room. In the center is a fireplace, and near the doorway is a fishing rod and a spear, the handles of both made of carefully whittled dull pink wood. Hanging near the doorway on a copper hook is a knife made of copper. //This place looks lovely.// You step back, picking up a rock from in front of the house. You scrape away a layer of wax from overtop the copper paneling using it and wait a moment. Wind blows past you, and after a moment you can see symbols of a language you never learned but can nonetheless read rusted into the metal. //"Unacceptable." The $sky[Sky] disapproves.// You grumble to yourself and walk [[back to the path|VillageLeft]].The house at the end of the path is the largest of the three and is covered in rusted spots. The garden beside it is large but in disarray to match. Strewn about the yard of the house are pink wooden toy weapons and animals, the forms of which are alien to you. Leaning on the copper wall panel near the front door of the house is a set of fishing rods made of intricately carved wood, the swirling symbols adorning them all matching each other. You make your way to the door only to find it rusted shut, so you turn [[back to the path|VillageLeft]].As you approach the middle of the three houses, you can see that the roof of the house is cracked and crumbled in on itself. It's the only of the three houses without a garden in its yard. You make your way to the door and knock, before hearing a loud, low chittering noise coming from inside. Your heart races, and you slowly [[step back from the house to the path|VillageLeft]]. //This one's already occupied.// (track: 'chitter', 'play')You approach the right house, finding it completely in disarray. The walls are very rusted, the door has fallen off its hinge, and the yard around it is so covered in plants you can't tell if there's supposed to be a garden or not. You step up to the door, peeking inside to see it's completely empty except for a rotting cot at the back. There's some kind of animal scat across the floor, as well as a hole in the right of the room near the floor where the panels have become very, very rusted. You silently hope you don't have to stay here. You step back and grab a stone from the yard of the house, before using it to scratch what little wax coating is left on a yet to be rusted part of the house's copper panel walls. After waiting a moment, wind blows past you, and you can see symbols of a language you never learned but can nonetheless read rusted into the metal. //"Unacceptable." The $sky[Sky] disapproves.// You sigh with relief, and [[walk back to the path|VillageMiddle]].You step to the house on the left of the path. It looks well-kept, the walls have minimal rusting, and the garden beside it is empty. On one side of it is some kind of machine that's been dyed pink. It looks like you would put leaves from a certain type of plant native to the island into it, and as you pushed it through it would extract the waxy material used for sealing the copper paneling used for the walls of the buildings. Making your way to the door, you knock and listen for movement inside. Hearing nothing, you try to open it, but the door refuses to move, being either locked or rusted shut on the inside. You back up from it, preparing yourself, before lunging at the door, ramming it with your shoulder. The sound of you hitting the door echoes around inside the building, but the door still refuses to budge. Your shoulder throbs and aches, and you massage it gently as you [[walk back to the path|VillageMiddle]].You walk to the end of the path, coming to the smallest house of any that you've seen. Around the yard lay all kind of metalworking tools, replacing where a garden would be. There are unrefined chunks of copper piled on one end of the house. Overall, the house seems well-kept. You make your way to the door and knock. After a moment and no sounds from the inside, you open the door. Inside are trinkets and decorations intricately formed from copper lining every wall and surface, even atop the cot against the wall. You step inside, shutting the door behind you. You can't help but stare in awe at the beautiful, detailed works of art around you. Some of the trinkets look like people, maybe the people that used to live here. Some of them look like plants, and some look like beasts you've never seen before. Some of them are more abstract shapes but are nonetheless interesting to look at. You spend a few minutes looking at them all, enjoying as you closely [[inspect them|VillageMidHouse3-2]]. As you do, you almost don't notice the sound of wind getting louder and louder outside the house.You approach the house closest to the start of the path. It's larger than the others you've seen, appearing to have a second floor to it. Its walls are only slightly rusted, and near the overgrown garden is a set of tools and wooden fishing rods covered in intricate carvings. Surrounding the house are many copper poles with swirls and symbols embedded into the sides. You come to the door, and knock, listening for movement from inside. Hearing nothing, you crack open the door, before opening it fully. Inside you can see two large cots, as well as pink wooden toys and pink woven clothing at one side of the room. In the center is a fireplace, and near the doorway are two spears, one smaller than the other, the handles of both made of carefully whittled dull pink wood. A ladder leading to a balcony above the room sits near the cots, and you can see woven blankets spilling over one of the edges of the balcony. Stepping back outside, you pick up a rock from the ground beside the door and use it to scrape away the wax coating of one of the copper panels. After a moment, wind sweeps past you, and symbols of a script you never learned yet can read rust into the copper. //"Acceptable." The $sky[Sky] approves.// //At least this place isn't too bad.// You figure you should check what other residences are around to see if you prefer any of them over this, so you [[walk back to the path|VillageRight]]. (set: $house to true)You come to the house furthest from the start of the path. It looks well maintained; the walls are free of rust and the garden is trimmed. A wax-sealed wooden watering can and a wooden fishing rod, both covered in intricate carvings, sit against the wall of the house near the garden. Stepping to the door, you knock and listen. You don't think you hear anything, and push the door open, only to abruptly find yourself tackled to the floor in a blur of pink and gray. You struggle against a figure with charcoal gray skin and pink woven robes. Before you can even realize what's happening, your head rings with pain as a small copper knife is pushed into your shoulder, and then again into your stomach. You cry out, feeling your $flesh[Flesh] boil around the wounds, rolling and tensing unnaturally. You clumsily [[grab their arm|VillageRightHouse2-2]] to stop a third attempt at stabbing you. (set: $priestVisited to true) (track: 'slash', 'playwhenpossible')You watch the sky, taking deep, slow breaths. A gentle wind sweeps over you, a reminder of the $sky[Sky]'s exasperation. You're so tired. You always feel so tired. Sometimes you imagine what it would be like to live a less exhausting life, a life far away from the one you live now. You like to daydream about what you might be doing day to day. You have lots of these little lives in your head, but you have a clear favorite. You dream about what it would be like to be a big herbivore deep in the sea, too large for predators to think about attacking. You would get to spend your days lazily swimming between patches of seagrass and kelp, happily munching on them as smaller scavenger fish follow you and eat the scraps. You imagine raising the scavengers that follow you, taking care of them and making sure they eat enough. It's not always great for you as a fish. Sometimes your patch dies out of disease or pollution, and have you to find somewhere new to graze. It can be a little stressful to think you might not find another buffet to eat from, but the great thing about the endless sea is that there's always another underwater forest to make your home. Sometimes your little scavengers die or are picked off by predators, even when you do your best to keep them safe. Sometimes you get sick or injured by fishermen. You [[imagine these scenarios|Ending2]] regardless. Different problems come with living a different life. You still love the thought of it. //The $sea[Sea] could always take care of me like that.// (track: 'sailing', 'fadeout', 2) (track: 'ending', 'fadein', 2) (track: 'ending', 'loop', true)There doesn't seem to be anything inside the bag, but as you open it, intricate symbols trimming the edges of the satchel glow pink. You [[step away from the house|VillageRight]], slinging the bag over your shoulder.The figure slows to a stop, finally taking a good look at you. They say something in a tongue you don't understand, a look of worry and regret crossing their face. They drop the bloodied knife on top of you, and it rolls off you. You release their arm from your grip, and they quickly move to stand above you. They begin to pace nervously, muttering something to themselves. You can feel your $flesh[Flesh] pushing and molding itself back into the wounds made by the blade. The figure looks down at you as you grab at the wounds in pain, your $flesh[Flesh] swirling together and pulsing where the knife tore you open. Before you know it, the pain begins to fade into a dull ache, and your $flesh[Flesh] slows to a stop, leaving the wounds closed without any marks of where they once were. The robed figure stares at you in horror as you shakily move onto your feet. They say something in a terrified tone, before reaching into the open door of the house and retrieving a satchel made of brownish-pink leathery material. They toss it to you, repeating something to themselves a few times before stepping back into the house and shutting the door behind them. You [[open the bag|VillageRightHouse2-3]] with a cautious curiosity. (set: $bag to true)You come to the house furthest from the start of the path. Standing at a distance, you can still see the copper knife covered in your blood on the ground beside the door to the house. //This house is already occupied.// You [[step back to the path|VillageRight]].Arriving at the tower, it looms over you, seeming larger now than when you saw it from a distance. An open doorway sits ahead of you, and inside the tower is dark. Resting in the shadows is a set of copper poles sticking out perpendicular from the walls of the tower, making a spiral staircase towards the top of it. You step into the shaded interior and look up, the stairs spiraling up and up and up until they reach a floor at the top of the tower, likely the roof. You take a deep breath, and [[begin up the staircase|IslandTower3]].The round poles that make the stairs upwards are quite uncomfortable to step up, the arches of your feet bent around them in a slightly painful way. Not only that, but without a guardrail of any kind, your heart races more with each step up, the fall becoming just that much farther. You know you would survive the fall, your existence is guaranteed no matter what you do. It's the pain that scares you. You come to a small square window cut into one of the copper panels that make up the walls of the tower. Looking out, you see a view of the top of the island's magenta forest. You [[continue up|IslandTower4]] without stopping, as you want off of the stairs as quickly as possible to stop the aching in the arches of your feet.As you get higher and higher, the walls around you become more and more rusted, the rusted areas creeping out from the seams of the panels. The stairs become rusted as well, the rough feeling against your skin causing a dissonant buzzing in your head but adding to your grip as you [[ascend|IslandTower5]].You come to a second window, this one giving you a limited view out over the ocean. The rust is getting deeper and deeper, covering more and more of the walls and steps, and the entirety of the wall panel where the window sits is rusted. You're closer to the top of the tower now than the bottom. The arches of your feet spike with pain with each step now, but stepping a different way on the steps seems dangerous, so you just [[continue up|IslandTower6]] how you've been, stepping faster than before.You take a moment to rest, nearly at the top. You lean on the wall and carefully stretch each foot, trying to alleviate the pain in the arches just a little. //It's going to be so much worse on the way down.// You groan as you [[climb the last flight of stairs|IslandTower7]] before the hatch to the roof of the tower.You finally come to the ladder, also made from rusted poles attached to the walls of the tower, leading to the hatch. The roof above you is so rusted in places that there are holes letting sunlight in. You carefully climb onto the ladder, pushing at the hatch. It doesn't move at first, so you try pressing harder at it, careful not to push yourself off the ladder. After a quiet cracking when you step on it, the pole your right foot is situated on snaps beneath you, and you cry out in surprise. You move your right foot to the same pole as your left one and push again at the hatch. It doesn't move, and in frustration, you punch at it. Your knuckles are scratched up by the turquoise rust, but you can hear it crack open. Pushing it again, it snaps open, and you're able to [[climb up to the roof|IslandTower8]]. (track: 'metal', 'play')Surrounding you as you exit the hatch onto the flat, rusted roof is the blue $sky[Sky], its winds blowing around in all directions. //The $sky[Sky] is definitely frustrated.// You carefully stand up, cautious of where your feet are placed. You try to stand at the thickest part of the roof, avoiding any thinner areas in case they crumble beneath you. The view from up here is vast and open. You can see nearly the entirety of the island you're located on, as well as miles and miles and miles of open water. In the distance, you can see the freighter, but coming from the direction opposite from which you arrived is what looks to be a large glossy red sphere, floating high above the water line. You squint to try and make out more details about it, and notice it's approaching the island, and quickly. As it gets closer, you can see it's not a perfect sphere, not even close. It's made up of many flat triangular faces that gleam in the sunlight. You slow your breathing, stretching your feet again on the flat ground. //And now, time to [[go all the way back down|IslandTower9]].// The wind swirls around you angrily. You carefully step back down the hatch and down the ladder, the ache returning to your feet as you step back onto the stairs. After just a few steps down, however, one of the heavily rusted poles snaps beneath your foot, and you yelp in surprise, falling forward. Your midsection slams into the next step down, knocking the wind from your lungs. Before you can catch yourself, you fall back, the rusty step scraping up your chest and throat. After a moment in free fall, you slam into the next level of the spiral staircase. You groan in pain, now scraped and bruised all over. After a minute of catching your breath, you carefully and painfully make your way back onto your feet, leaning against the rusted wall at first so you don't fall. Holding your battered ribcage, you slowly [[make your way to the bottom|IslandTower10]]. (track: 'metal', 'playwhenpossible')Eventually, you reach the bottom of the tower again. You rock back and forth on your feet to try to rid them of aching you reach flat ground again. (if: $villageVisited)[You figure you should [[head back to the house|Island6]] the $sky[Sky] approved and get some rest. Exploring the rest of the island can be left to tomorrow.](else:)[The wind is pushing at your back, the grass and plants all swaying towards the village. You wish you had explored it first, maybe then you wouldn't have to do it covered in scratches and bruises. Despite them, you start [[toward the village|IslandVillage]].] (set: $towerVisited to true)You come to one in particular, in the middle of a small copper table covered in these trinkets is one slightly larger than the rest; a figurine that almost looks like you. On it are three carefully chiseled symbols, probably made using tools smaller and harder to maneuver than you've ever used yourself: * A sun with a crescent moon covering its left side is carved into the forehead, big enough to cover where eyes would be. * A wavy pattern is carved into the chest. Looking at it makes you feel like you're on your ship again. * A jagged shape like a tooth or a claw is carved into the stomach. You can't help but want to look at it closer, [[pick it up|VillageMidHouse3-3]] and turn it around in your hands.As you reach for it, the sound of violent wind fills the room all at once. You look around to find the source of the wind. The $sky[Sky] has rusted and eaten through the walls of the house, having found the tiniest hole in the wax coating and rusting into and through it until it found another on the inside. Thrashing whips of air swirl around you so hard you think you might fall over. The little figure you were looking at suddenly is rusted to the point of being irrecognizable, and all the other trinkets around the room shortly follow suit. As you're looking around desperately at the trinkets and decorations turning to porous teal lumps, the walls begin to turn teal beneath their wax coating. You can see, written with glyphs you never learned but can nonetheless read, the word "unacceptable" appearing over and over across the walls. A loud creak echoes through the room, and the walls begin to crinkle slightly. As they do, the wax seal is broken in more places, and more wind pours into the room. This causes the walls to buckle even further, and the roof begins to step down closer to you. You realize the house is going to collapse in on you, so you [[lunge for the door|VillageMidHouse3-4]]. (track: 'creak1', 'play')You dash to the door, prying its bent shape open just enough to throw yourself through. As you do, the house caves in on itself, and the wind slows around you. //What could have made the $sky[Sky] so upset about this house full of art?// You try to put the thought of all those destroyed sculptures out of your mind and [[walk back|VillageMiddle]] to the path. (track: 'creak2', 'play') (set: $metalSmithVisited to true)You almost make it to the end of the path. Looking at the collapsed house that was once an exhibit of someone's mastery of their craft hurts a little bit, and the $sky[Sky] already clearly disapproved of it, so you [[turn back|VillageMiddle]].You stare at the woven patterns in the light purple cots. //It must have taken days to make this. Weeks even, if by hand.// You slowly, fatiguedly drag your finger across it. The Silence won't come for you, even if you want it. You gave their promise away. The wind begins to die down, the $sky[Sky] seemingly giving up on whatever it was trying to get you to do right now. You can't help but [[feel a little relieved|Island7A2]].You quickly find yourself drifting off to sleep, the sound of the wind an unintentional lullaby. Silence takes you into its loving grasp, and you fall into it more than willingly. Your aches and pains [[fade to nothing|Island7B2]], everything fades to nothing, as you're blissfully robbed of experience. (set: $slept to true) (track: 'island', 'fadeout', 2)After what could be minutes or hours, you jump, feeling the whole house shake. You sit up sharply, your heart pounding with surprise. You look around, waiting for something else to happen. After a couple minutes, you start to [[wonder|Island8]] if it was in your head.In your sleep, you feel the whole house shudder around you, and you shoot up without even thinking about it. The Silence leaves you with another echoing promise of return as your eyes sleepily blink open. The wind has stopped, you can't tell if it's been minutes or hours. You [[listen intently|Island8]], looking around your new home for the possible source of that sudden shaking. (track: 'island', 'fadein', 2) (track: 'island', 'loop', true)The ground shakes again, though this time weaker than before. You look to the door wearily, knowing you should go and check what could be causing this and if the house is ok, but wanting to just lie back down and let whatever earthquake is happening happen. After a third quake, this time as large as the first, you [[pull yourself out of the cot|Island9]], yawning (if: $bag is true)[and throwing the bag over your shoulder ]as you do.You step out of the house looking around to see that the house further down the path is missing. The ground around seems violently upturned, and the rubber dome that was fixed on top lies upside down against some now-leaning trees. It's not just the walls and interior of the house that's missing though, everything made of copper seems to have been ripped from where it was into the ether(if: $priestVisited is true)[, including the knife that was thrust into you, leaving just the dried puddle of blood]. Looking more around, you see the giant red polyhedron floating high above the village, silently suspended far above the domed roofs of the buildings. You [[watch it|Island10]] with fear, unsure of what's about to happen, or what has already happened.As silently as the polyhedron's arrival, one of the triangular faces slips out of it to reveal a tetrahedron and its matching slot. It floats closer to you with a ghostly smoothness to its path, before stopping directly above you and your house. You're paralyzed with fear of the unknown, watching it with a morbid, terrified curiosity. The air around you begins to taste metallic, like you were chewing on the copper door of the house. The taste increases more and more, to the point of almost being unbearable, before all at once the metal walls of your house just dissolve into nothing. The rubber dome that made up the roof falls to the floor with an earth-shaking //thump//. The taste of metal rapidly fades, and the crimson tetrahedron above you glides back to its slot in the greater polyhedron. But before it enters the slot in it, it sharply turns, one of its vertices pointed directly towards you. You watch in horror as a second tetrahedron slowly reveals itself next to the one pointed at you, before quickly turning to point a vertice at you as well. //It might be time to [[run|Island11]].//You turn away from the polyhedron, slowly stepping away at first before ramping into a full run into the purplish forest of the island. You can't tell if the tetrahedrons are still pointed at you, or even what that really means, but you don't want to find out. You stumble and shove your way through the thickening brush, your breathing weightening as you venture deeper and deeper into the dense tropical plantlife. You seem to run for ages, before you begin to taste metal again. You check your mouth with your tongue for sores or cuts but find nothing. //They're close.// You recklessly look behind you as you run, and just see through the treetops that there are a group of blood-red pyramids floating behind you. You cry out in surprise, and [[push yourself|Island12]] faster. (track: 'heartbeat', 'loop', true) (track: 'heartbeat', 'play')And at once, you feel yourself fall. You've run right off the steep edge of a hill, and your run becomes a hopeless tumble to the bottom. Branches of saplings scrape you all over, rocks and roots bruise your body as you [[stumble and roll|Island13]] to the bottom of the steep hill.You hit the level ground at the bottom hard. An ache shoots through your body from your shoulder that hit the ground first. You fall to your side, and can see just ahead of you is a beach, and your ship waits for you, lowered so the deck is just above sea level. You scramble to your feet and [[limp|IslandEnd]] as fast as you can to the shore.You swim out against the waves as fast as you can, moaning with pain as you pull yourself up onto the deck, your shoulder screaming at you for this action. As soon as you're on the deck, the ship shudders turbulently, before very quickly raising and gliding through the water, away from the island. So quickly in fact that you nearly slip back off the edge of the ship. As you catch yourself, you see the deck morph into the characters of the $sky[Sky]'s language: //"You could have prevented this."// An angry lump forms in your throat, and you want to shout, but you don't. It wouldn't accomplish anything. //How? How could this possibly have been prevented??// When the ship begins to maintain its speed, you (if: $isSkyPleased and $isSeaPleased and ($isFleshPleased or $food is false))[[[roll onto your back|Ending]] on the carpet in the center of the deck, sighing heavily. Despite what the $sky[Sky] says, you feel as if you've done everything you could have today.](else:)[shakily [[stand up|IslandEnd2]].] (track: 'island', 'fadeout', 2) (track: 'heartbeat', 'fadeout', 1) (track: 'sailing', 'fadein', 2) (track: 'sailing', 'loop', true)Your shoulder's aching returns as you pull yourself up the rope to the stern of the ship. //This whole day so far has been mistake after mistake.// You groan softly as you stand up in front of the altar, unsure of if you want to continue. But you have to, the ''Orders'' must be assuaged. (if: $isSkyPleased is false)[[[You think of the parting kiss the Silence left you.|IslandSky]] //The $sky[Sky] would appreciate the absence of that guarantee.//](else:)[You don't have anything to offer the $sky[Sky] at the moment.] (if: $isSeaPleased is false)[[[You remember how nice the feeling of the looking glass in your hand was.|IslandSea]] //The $sea[Sea] would enjoy that memory, even if it's small.//](else:)[You don't have anything to offer the $sea[Sea] at the moment.] (if: $isFleshPleased is false and $food)[[[You glance at the packages of food strewn around you.|IslandFlesh]] //The $flesh[Flesh] is ravenous.//](else:)[You don't have anything to offer the $flesh[Flesh] at the moment.]You sigh, picturing the gentle promise the Silence left you with. You value your time joined with Silence more than you can explain, but to disobey the ''Orders'' is impossible. You picture the comforting promise of Silence's return tomorrow, and then [[stick your right hand into the hole in the altar|IslandSky2]].You look down at your hands. As you think about the feel of the looking glass against your skin, the ghostly sensation of holding it returns to them. You think of how lucky you are to have felt this today. You don't remember the looking glass ever feeling so perfectly cool and silky to the touch, and a pit in your stomach forms as you know what you're going to have to do. You [[stick your right hand into the hole in the altar|IslandSea2]]. Your body shakes, knowing what's about to happen. //The $flesh[Flesh] is excited.// You hate having to do this, but you know that you have no choice. You seem to have very little choice overall, really, when you think about it. You rip open one of the packages and discover a fruit; off-white, oblong, and slimy, bumpy ridges cover the entire surface along its length and circumference. It smells sweet, but not the appetizing kind. It's the kind of sickening sweetness that makes your insides turn, and your throat tense up. You let out a weary sigh and open the next one, only to find the contents are the same. Each package, with the same fruit inside. One by one, you take each packet in your hands and [[shake the mucous contents into the hole in the altar|IslandFlesh2]].The air around your hand hardens into nine long fibers that then each prick into your skin like hair-thin needles. Four of the air fibers stick into your knuckles, four stick into the corners of your palm, and the last punctures into the largest, most visible tendon in your wrist. You sharply inhale, the pain something not unexpected but still unwelcome. You feel a deep uneasiness wash over you as the promise of rest tomorrow leaves your body. You know for sure you'll be unchangeably restless next time the Silence is to visit, but the $sky[Sky] ''Ordered'' you rest as little as necessary. You try to shake the uneasy dread by reminding yourself Silence doesn't always keep its promises anyway. The fibers of air dissipate and the pin-pricks dotted around your hand quickly seal with barely noticeable dots of red. You pull your hand back and gently rub the lightly aching points as the ship shudders, then jolts [[forward|IslandEnd3]], as if suddenly realizing it's meant to be moving. //The $sky[Sky] is pleased with this sacrifice.// (track: 'slash', 'playwhenpossible') (set: $isSkyPleased to true) (set: $lastSacrifice to 'sky')Without having to specify, the ship is being driven exactly where you know you want to go next. The tetrahedra, polyhedron, and island shrink into the distance. You can barely make out the tetrahedra going back, no longer bothering to chase after you. (if: $freighterVisited is false)[You're going to the [[freight ship|Freighter1]].] (if: $stairsVisited is false)[You're going to the [[staircase|Stairs1]].] (set: $islandVisited to true) (track: 'flesh', 'fadeout', 1)Seawater surges up the back of the stern, forming a small seven-pointed star-shaped pool beneath the altar. The points then pull up from the floor into seven watery blades, each of which makes two small cuts on the palm of your hand. The cuts form a circle of fourteen evenly spaced tilted lines. You bite your lip, the pain of this ceremony familiar but unwanted. You feel your thoughts, your mind, become ever so heavier, as you realize //something// has left your memory. For a moment you try to picture what it is you were just thinking about, but quickly stop yourself, already knowing the effort is futile. The $sea[Sea] has it now. You've fulfilled another ''Order''. The blades of seawater fall to the floor of the stern with a slap. The fourteen cuts sting a little, but they're shallow enough to barely bleed and reside on top of fourteen identical scars from last time. As you pull back and flex your hand cautiously, you feel the boat rock back and forth a little deeper than usual, and as you look over the edge of the stern you can see the waves are pushing the ship [[forward|IslandEnd3]]. //The $sea[Sea] is pleased with this sacrifice.// (track: 'slash', 'playwhenpossible') (set: $isSeaPleased to true) (set: $lastSacrifice to 'sea')As each fruit falls, you notice that they remain suspended in mid-air, by some unknown force. Only once each fruit is freed from its packaging, suspended in the alter's cavity, does something happen. Each fruit shoots out to four different points along a line. From one end of the stern to the other, now suspended higher than the altar itself. You brace yourself, for the worst part is yet to come. You can feel your $flesh[Flesh] moving inside of you. Reshaping and reforming itself like a nest of worms, a horrid, lurching sickness that spreads and spreads until it's impossible to ignore, and you swear you can hear the wet, squirming sounds in your ears as it rearranges itself. You hear the crack before you see it. A sharp, sudden sound resonates throughout your whole body, as your $flesh[Flesh] parts from the inside like an obscene pair of angel's wings. Meat and muscle and fat, tearing from the inside out, ribs yawning open like grasping fingers. You shut your eyes tight. You can still hear your bones creaking. You can still feel the muscle and fat, crawling out of you like a living thing, stretching out, and out, towards the fruits suspended above the altar, scrambling for sustenance. Finally, the $flesh[Flesh] reaches its goal, before the tentacles of viscera suddenly retreat, coiling and withdrawing into you faster than you can blink, knocking you backward onto the floor. With the cracking of bone and the squelch of fat, your chest rearranges itself. The seam shuts as if nothing had happened. You curl up tightly around your chest, whimpering and crying softly. You can feel your $flesh[Flesh] devouring the fruits, tearing them apart. You've fulfilled another ''Order''. After what feels like minutes of this, you can feel your insides calming, slowing, and the pain begins to dull. You're panting heavily. You take a deep breath. Looking back towards the altar, you can see suspended in the hole is a chunk of muscle that was left behind from the ritual. It flexes rhythmically, and as it does, the ship begins to move [[forward|IslandEnd3]]. //The $flesh[Flesh] is pleased with this sacrifice.// (track: 'flesh', 'playwhenpossible') (set: $isFleshPleased to true) (set: $lastSacrifice to 'flesh')Your mind takes you far away from your reality until sunlight begins to fade. //The $sky[Sky] must be tired of waiting for something to happen.// This is always your favorite part of the day, especially when you can stop what you're doing and fully experience it. You slowly pull yourself to the starboard edge of the deck to watch the sunset, your movements deliberate and conservative. Your mind continues to play through the life of a sea creature as you [[gaze|Ending3]] over the fading oranges and purples signifying the $sky[Sky] going into hibernation. //The $sky[Sky] sure is beautiful.//As your daydreaming slows, a thought enters your mind. //Why do things have to be this way?// It's a thought you have often but always try to avoid. Because there is no answer. Existence takes no questions and explains nothing. You are, and that's how it is. As the sunlight continues to dim, you begin to [[watch|Ending4]] the $sea[Sea] expectantly, searching the waves for any sign of change.//Things don't have to be like this, do they?// Another painful thought you try to avoid at all costs. Looking out over the waters, the freighter from earlier today seems to be missing. (if: $isFleshPleased is false)[The $flesh[Flesh] gurgles angrily at this realization, but you're sure you can find food tomorrow. ''Orders'' can't be ignored, but they can be put off for the sake of completing another.] You can feel an aching in your chest. //Things don't have to be like this.// The thought sadistically repeats itself in your head. //Things don't have to be like this.// You [[slam your fist on the deck|Ending5]] in frustration, a synthetic warbling echoing through its hull. (track: 'hitship', 'playwhenpossible')Close after when you do, what you've been watching the waters for happens: the $sea[Sea] begins to dye a blood red. Microscopic creatures within the water begin to barely glow a deep sanguine as the light dies. You like to watch for the transition, though you're not entirely sure why. //Things will be different someday.// The words surprise you, not something you think you've caught yourself thinking before. They ache, but in a different way. A bittersweet ache that swirls between your chest and stomach. You (if: $slept is true and $isFleshPleased is false)[[[stare|EndingAwake]]](else-if: $slept is false and $isFleshPleased is true)[[[stare|EndingSleep]]](else:)[[[stare|EndingDream]]] at the last sliver of sun disappearing behind the horizon, the dark blues and purples of the sky fading to deep black. <!--Slept and ate - Dream--> <!--Slept and didn't eat - Awake--> <!--Didn't sleep and ate - Sleep--> <!--Didn't sleep and didn't eat - Dream-->The seawater's glow is now visible, with little dots pulsing with light and rippling outward very occasionally for a reason beyond you. //Things will be different someday.// Your breathing turns shaky and your eyes water for a moment. The words lovingly gnaw away at you. Nothing you remember experiencing backs this up, but... You hope. You hold tightly to the words, and turn to [[look up|EndingAwake2]] into the void above you. (track: 'ending', 'fadeout', 2) (track: 'goodending', 'playwhenpossible')The carpet beneath you crackles as you roll to look at the $sky[Sky]. The Silence isn't coming for you, you know that. But you try to rest as much as you can anyway. Your mind and heart are ablaze with painful hope. As hard as you're trying to get comfortable, you just can't, the $flesh[Flesh] won't let you. //Penance for putting off an ''Order''.// After minutes of trying to settle, you sit up. //The $flesh[Flesh] and the $sky[Sky] won't allow resting.// You [[go|EndingAwake3]] to the $sea[Sea], the ocean of red dimly lighting the world around you.Lying down, your exhaustion takes hold of you. You feel you can barely move. You weakly smile to yourself, knowing the Silence is coming. You close your eyes, grateful that the Silence is deciding to grace you again tonight. Before you can even think to thank it, your consciousness dissolves back into comfortable silence. The kind of Silence that means you can't hear, you can't see, you can't feel. You can't hurt, you can't sense, you can't think. [[...|Credits]] (track: 'ending', 'fadeout', 2)The carpet beneath you crackles as you roll to look at the $sky[Sky]. (if: $slept is true)[The Silence isn't coming for you, you know that. But you try to rest as much as you can anyway.](else:)[The $flesh[Flesh] growls from deep within, showing its displeasure.] As hard as you're trying to get comfortable, you just can't(if: $isFleshPleased is false)[, the $flesh[Flesh] won't let you. //Penance for putting off an ''Order''//](else:)[ without the Silence's presence]. Nothing seems to help, you [[toss and turn|EndingDream3]] for hours, but to no avail.You slip off the side of the $sky[Sky] ship into the waters of the $sea[Sea]. You're engulfed by the bath of soft red, the water cold but welcoming. You let yourself float on your back, looking up at the void above you again. After a blink, the ship is gone, having been pulled back into the $sky[Sky]. You don't really care at this point though, you just [[let go|EndingAwake4]] and let the $sea[Sea] hold you.//Things will be different someday.// Your chest tightens slightly from the hope. //Things will be different someday.// The gentle waves rock you back and forth. //Things will be different someday.// Your breathing turns shaky again, though you [[try|EndingAwake5]] to control it. Tears drip from the corners of your eyes into the water cuddling you gently.//Things will be different someday.// //Things will be different someday.// //Things will be different someday.// //Things will be different someday.// //Things will be different someday.// //Things will be different someday.// //Things will be different someday.// //Things will be different someday.// [[Things will be different someday.|Credits]]<h1>Ocean Red<img src=".\logo2.png" width="100" height="100"></h1> (text-colour:#888)[//A game by Palette// //Ending music by Ro Ramdin// //Dedicated to everyone who supports us even when we falter.// //You can restart using the sidebar menu to go through today again. The choices you haven't chosen yet will be highlighted.//] (if: $slept is true and $isFleshPleased is false)[Things will be different someday.]After a while, your mind begins to wander again. To another fantasy life you created for yourself to roleplay, to distract yourself. You live in a small port town. You spend most of your days gambling over strategy games brought to the town by traders, refining your skill and tactics to continually get better for the next time they arrive. When ships with large crews arrive you find yourself having the most fun, the chaos of a full board of players keeping you on your toes and able to catch others off guard. As a hobby, you write poetry and music. Occasionally you're invited as an entertainer to go on voyages, though you stay safe on land, having grown accustomed to it. After years of declining requests to go to $sea[Sea], you finally give in. You've fallen in love with the captain of a particular trading vessel, the same one who invited you to go with him. Something about their brash confidence while playing with you just draws you in, makes you giddy. After a couple of months on the water with them, things take a turn for the worse. Pirates trick and invade their ship. They threaten to kill you and everyone else on the boat if they don't give up all of their wares. The captain looks to you and the crew of the ship, all being held on the deck. The captain agrees to let them take their goods. As they load everything onto the pirate ship, a pirate notices you as an entertainer, and forces you along with them, threatening to kill you if you don't. When you look back, you can see the captain hiding their face. The pirates lock you below the deck of the brig they've made into their looting vehicle. Down there you spend months more, barely receiving any food or care, but being kept alive. Finally, you're taken out after the ship has docked at a pirate haven far from the town where you spent most of your life, where you're sold to the owner of a theatre. They're very kind to you compared to the pirates, taking care of you as long as you perform regularly for others in the town at their venue. They tell you they bought you to avoid letting anyone else mistreat you, but you often wonder how that could be the case if they won't set you free. You think about the captain often. You teach your owner to play the strategy games you were once known for dominating at, though they aren't as enthusiastic about them as you are. You wonder to yourself if you'll ever see your home again. You're told ships don't often visit this island, so hopes of running away are low. But you hope for escape anyway. You gladly [[lose yourself|EndingDream4]] to the daydreams, dreading when the $sky[Sky] will wake.The seawater's glow is now visible, with little dots pulsing with light and rippling outward very occasionally for a reason beyond you. You thank that the last time Silence would have come for you was on the island, meaning there's a chance it'll visit you tonight. You yawn and turn to [[look up|EndingSleep2]] into the void above you.The seawater's glow is now visible, with little dots pulsing with light and rippling outward very occasionally for a reason beyond you. Sighing softly, you turn to [[look up|EndingDream2]] into the void above you, grateful that the day is over. (track: 'ending', 'fadeout', 2) (track: 'badending', 'playwhenpossible')As you lie, dreaming of a world far from yours, the dread in your stomach grows, becoming unignorable. It starts to bleed into your fantasies. //Tomorrow's pain will be the same.// The painful parts of your character's lives grow all-encompassing. Pollution fills the $sea[Sea] and becomes too toxic for your little scavengers to live comfortably, too dirty to ever heal from sickness. Your master at the theatre grows cruel and uncaring, and when you react badly they restrict your life even further. You whimper and curl up on your salt-crusted carpet, and [[try to imagine something new|Credits]].