Caravan of the sand

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<<set _room to $level.rooms[$pos]>>\ !_room.name //Level $levelNum// <<stats>> _room.desc <<if $msg>><<msgline>> <<set $msg to "">><</if>>\ <<switch _room.type>> <<case "enemy">> <span class="room-event">An enemy blocks your path! You can't get past it.</span> <<link "Fight">><<set $returnTo to passage()>><<run setup.startFight()>><<goto "Fight">><</link>> <<case "trap">> <span class="room-event">You spot a hidden trap right in front of you!</span> <<linkreplace "Try to dodge">>\ <<if random(1, 100) lte setup.dodgeChance>>\ You jump aside just in time and avoid the trap! <<else>>\ <<set _dmg to random(5, 12)>><<set $hp to Math.max(1, $hp - _dmg)>>\ You are too slow! The trap springs and you take <<print _dmg>> damage. <</if>>\ <<set $level.rooms[$pos].type to "empty">> <<link "Continue">><<goto "Level1">><</link>>\ <</linkreplace>> <<case "chest">> <span class="room-event">You find a chest!</span> <img class="chest-img" src="./images/chest.jpg" alt="Chest"> <<link "Open chest">><<set $level.rooms[$pos].type to "empty">><<set _names to setup.openChest(1, 2)>><<set $msg to "You found: " + _names.join(", ") + ".">><<goto "Level1">><</link>> <<case "item">> <span class="room-event">Something lies on the ground.</span> <<link "Pick it up">><<set $level.rooms[$pos].type to "empty">><<run setup.findItem()>><<goto "Level1">><</link>> <<case "boss">> <span class="room-event">A huge creature rises before you!</span> <<if Story.has("Boss" + $levelNum)>>\ <<link "Face the boss">><<goto `"Boss" + $levelNum`>><</link>> <<else>>\ //(No passage named Boss$levelNum exists yet. Create it to continue.)// <</if>> <<case "start">> <span class="room-event">The way back to your camp is right behind you.</span> <<link "Return to camp">><<goto "Camp">><</link>> <<default>> <span class="room-event"></span> <</switch>> <<if _room.type isnot "enemy" and _room.type isnot "trap">>\ <<compass "Level1">>\ <</if>>

<<set $levelNum to 1>> <<set $level to setup.generateLevel(1)>> <<set $pos to $level.start>> <<set $visited to []>> <<set $msg to "">> <<set $hp to 100>> <<set $maxHp to 100>> <<set $mp to 20>> <<set $maxMp to 20>> <<set $atk to 5>> <<set $def to 1>> <<set $pLevel to 1>> <<set $xp to 0>> <<set $statPoints to 0>> <<set $abilities to ["heavy"]>> <<set $fight to null>> <<set $gold to 0>> <<set $treasures to 0>> <<set $sunpetal to 0>> <<set $water to 0>> <<set $potions to { minor: 0, health: 0, greater: 0 }>> <<set $cityTier to 1>> <<set $identified to {}>> <<set $shady to null>> <<set $items to { grenade: 1 }>> <<set $recipes to ["minor"]>> <<set $day to 1>> <<set $searchedDesert to false>> <<set $searchedOasis to false>> <<set $level to null>> <<set $levelNum to 1>> <<set $pos to "">> <<set $visited to []>> <<set $msg to "">> <<set $returnTo to "Camp">> <<set $Tavern to true>> <<run setup.initGear()>>

<img src="./images/camp.jpg"> //Day $day// <<stats>> <<if $msg>>//$msg// <<set $msg to "">><</if>>\ Your camp lies between two dunes. A tent stands to one side, your camel is tied to a post, and a small alchemy table is set up under an awning. [[Go into your tent->Tent]] [[Visit your camel->Camel]] [[Use the alchemy table->Alchemy]] [[Search the desert->Desert]] [[Go to the oasis->Oasis]] [[enter the dungeon->Dungeon]] <<if setup.canLevelUp() or $statPoints gt 0>>\ <<link "Level up / spend stat points">><<set $returnTo to "Camp">><<goto "LevelUp">><</link>> <</if>>\

<<set _room to $level.rooms[$pos]>>\ !_room.name //Level $levelNum// <<stats>> _room.desc <<if $msg>><<msgline>> <<set $msg to "">><</if>>\ <<switch _room.type>> <<case "enemy">> <span class="room-event">An enemy blocks your path! You can't get past it.</span> <<link "Fight">><<set $returnTo to passage()>><<run setup.startFight()>><<goto "Fight">><</link>> <<case "trap">> <span class="room-event">You spot a hidden trap right in front of you!</span> <<linkreplace "Try to dodge">>\ <<if random(1, 100) lte setup.dodgeChance>>\ You jump aside just in time and avoid the trap! <<else>>\ <<set _dmg to random(5, 12)>><<set $hp to Math.max(1, $hp - _dmg)>>\ You are too slow! The trap springs and you take <<print _dmg>> damage. <</if>>\ <<set $level.rooms[$pos].type to "empty">> <<link "Continue">><<goto "Level2">><</link>>\ <</linkreplace>> <<case "chest">> <span class="room-event">You find a chest!</span> <img class="chest-img" src="./images/chest.jpg" alt="Chest"> <<link "Open chest">><<set $level.rooms[$pos].type to "empty">><<set _names to setup.openChest(1, 3)>><<set $msg to "You found: " + _names.join(", ") + ".">><<goto "Level2">><</link>> <<case "item">> <span class="room-event">Something lies on the ground.</span> <<link "Pick it up">><<set $level.rooms[$pos].type to "empty">><<run setup.findItem()>><<goto "Level2">><</link>> <<case "boss">> <span class="room-event">A huge creature rises before you!</span> <<if Story.has("Boss" + $levelNum)>>\ <<link "Face the boss">><<goto `"Boss" + $levelNum`>><</link>> <<else>>\ //(No passage named Boss$levelNum exists yet. Create it to continue.)// <</if>> <<case "start">> <span class="room-event">The stairs behind you lead back up to the surface.</span> <<link "Climb back to camp">><<goto "Camp">><</link>> <<default>> <span class="room-event"></span> <</switch>> <<if _room.type isnot "enemy" and _room.type isnot "trap">>\ <<compass "Level2">>\ <</if>>

<img class="boss-portrait" src="./images/verdana.png" alt="Verdana"> <<stats>> !Verdana, the Bloom Queen <<if $msg>>//$msg// <<set $msg to "">><</if>>\ <<if not $metVerdana>>\ The chamber is a garden. Pale flowers glow between the roots and the air is warm and sweet. At the far end a tall figure stands with her back to you, her body woven from leaves, petals and living vines. She turns slowly. Petals fall from her crown as she looks you over, and a smile spreads across her green lips. "Well, well... a visitor. I was starting to think the desert had forgotten about me." She drifts closer, her gown of leaves whispering across the floor. "Don't stand there frozen, darling. Nobody walks this deep just to see me. And such a //strong// one, too... I do like them strong." A leafy fingertip traces along the edge of your armor. "I'm Verdana. Every root and every flower in this place belongs to me. And you..." She tilts her head, smiling. "You look like you would make a lovely addition to my garden." "Come on, show me what you're made of. I promise to be gentle... at first." <<else>>\ <<if $verdanaDefeats gt 0>>\ "Back so soon, darling?" Verdana leans against a root, smiling. "I haven't stopped thinking about you since you left. Did you dream of me too?" <<else>>\ <<print setup.pick(setup.verdanaGreetings)>> <</if>>\ She sways closer, vines trailing behind her. "Well? Are you going to stand there, or are you going to make an old plant happy?" <</if>>\ <<set $metVerdana to true>> <<link "Fight Verdana">><<set $returnTo to "Boss1Win">><<run setup.startFight("verdana")>><<goto "Fight">><</link>> <<link "Back away">><<goto "Level1">><</link>>

<img class="boss-portrait" src="./images/lakruk.jpg" alt="Lakruk"> <<stats>> !Lakruk <<if $msg>>//$msg// <<set $msg to "">><</if>>\ <<if not $metLakruk>>\ The tunnel descends into a flooded cavern, the water black and impossibly cold. The air stinks of brine, rot, and something ancient. As your eyes adjust to the bioluminescent glow of the walls, a massive shape detaches itself from the shadows of the deep pool. He rises from the water without a splash. He is massive, a nightmare of pale, leathery skin and jagged bone. His head is crowned with a sharp, towering crest, and beneath it, a maw of needle-teeth splits open in a grotesque approximation of a smile. Heavy, barnacle-encrusted arms end in long, webbed claws that drag against the stone. He has no legs; his lower body tapers into a thick, muscular tail that coils beneath him. A low, wet hiss fills the cavern, resolving into words. It sounds like stones grinding at the bottom of the sea. "You breathe the dry air. How... fragile." He leans forward, his featureless, blind eyes seeming to pierce right through you. A long, black tongue slips out to taste the air, and he shudders with visible pleasure. "I am Lakruk. I have slept in the crushing dark since before your kind crawled from the mud. You smell... warm. You smell of fear, and something else. Something sweet and changing." He drags one heavy claw across the stone floor, leaving deep grooves. "Come closer, little warm-thing. Let us see if you break easily, or if you are worth dragging back down to the deep." <<else>>\ <<if $lakrukDefeats gt 0>>\ Lakruk is coiled in the shallow water, his massive crest gleaming. He lets out that wet, grinding hiss of a laugh. "The warm-thing returns to the cold. Did you miss the dark? Come, I will not break you this time... perhaps." <<else>>\ <<print setup.pick(setup.lakrukGreetings)>> <</if>>\ He flexes his massive claws, the barnacles on his shoulders shifting. "Well? The deep is patient, but I am not." <</if>>\ <<set $metLakruk to true>> <<link "Fight Lakruk">><<set $returnTo to "Boss2Win">><<run setup.startFight("lakruk")>><<goto "Fight">><</link>> <<link "Back away">><<goto "Level2">><</link>>

<<if not $fight>>\ <<goto "Camp">>\ <<else>>\ <<set _f to $fight>>\ <<stats "nodrink">> !Fight ''<<print _f.enemy.name>>'' <<enemyimg>> <span class="fight-bar">HP <<print setup.bar(_f.enemy.hp, _f.enemy.maxHp)>></span> <span class="fight-bar">MP <<print setup.bar(_f.enemy.mp, _f.enemy.maxMp)>></span> ''You'' <span class="fight-bar">HP <<print setup.bar($hp, $maxHp)>></span> <span class="fight-bar">MP <<print setup.bar($mp, $maxMp)>></span> <div class="fight-log"> <<for _line range _f.log.slice(-6)>>\ <div><<print _line>></div> <</for>>\ </div> <<if _f.over>>\ <<if _f.won>>\ <div class="fight-box"> ''Victory!'' <<for _r range _f.rewards>>\ <div><<print _r>></div> <</for>>\ </div> <<if setup.canLevelUp()>>\ <<link "Level up!">><<run setup.endFight()>><<goto "LevelUp">><</link>> <</if>>\ <<link "Continue">><<run setup.endFight()>><<goto $returnTo>><</link>> <<else>>\ ''You were defeated.'' <<if _f.enemy.defeatPassage>>\ <<link "Continue">><<goto $fight.enemy.defeatPassage>><</link>> <<else>>\ <<link "Wake up in your camp">><<run setup.afterDefeat()>><<goto "Camp">><</link>> <</if>>\ <</if>>\ <<elseif _f.menu is "items">>\ ''Items'' <<if not setup.hasBattleItems()>>\ //Your bag is empty.// <</if>>\ <<for _id, _t range setup.potionTypes>>\ <<capture _id, _t>>\ <<if $potions[_id] gt 0>>\ <<link `_t.name + " x" + $potions[_id] + " (+" + _t.heal + " HP)"`>><<run setup.useBattleItem(_id)>><<goto "Fight">><</link>> <</if>>\ <</capture>>\ <</for>>\ <<for _id, _it range setup.itemTypes>>\ <<capture _id, _it>>\ <<if $items[_id] gt 0>>\ <<link `_it.name + " x" + $items[_id] + " - " + _it.desc`>><<run setup.useBattleItem(_id)>><<goto "Fight">><</link>> <</if>>\ <</capture>>\ <</for>> <<link "Back">><<run setup.setMenu("main")>><<goto "Fight">><</link>> <<else>>\ ''Your turn'' <<link "Attack">><<run setup.playerAct("attack")>><<goto "Fight">><</link>> <<for _id range $abilities>>\ <<capture _id>>\ <<if $mp gte setup.playerActions[_id].cost>>\ <<link `setup.playerActions[_id].name + " (" + setup.playerActions[_id].cost + " MP) - " + setup.playerActions[_id].desc`>><<run setup.playerAct(_id)>><<goto "Fight">><</link>> <<else>>\ //<<print setup.playerActions[_id].name>> (<<print setup.playerActions[_id].cost>> MP) - not enough MP// <</if>>\ <</capture>>\ <</for>>\ <<link "Items">><<run setup.setMenu("items")>><<goto "Fight">><</link>> <</if>>\ <</if>>

<img src="./images/tent.jpg"> <<stats>> <<if $msg>>//$msg// <<set $msg to "">><</if>>\ Inside the tent it is cool and quiet. Your bedroll is waiting. <<link "Sleep until morning">>\ <<set $hp to $maxHp>>\ <<set $mp to $maxMp>>\ <<set $day to $day + 1>>\ <<set $searchedDesert to false>>\ <<set $searchedOasis to false>>\ <<set $msg to "You slept well. HP and MP are fully restored and a new day begins.">>\ <<run setup.dayTick()>>\ <<goto "Tent">>\ <</link>> <<link "Look at yourself">><<set $appearanceReturn to "Tent">><<goto "Appearance">><</link>> [[Change your equipment->Equipment]] <<link "Touch yourself">><<set $touch to null>><<goto "Masturbate">><</link>> [[Leave the tent->Camp]]

<img src="./images/camel.jpg"> <<stats>> Your camel chews lazily and watches you with one half-open eye. It can carry you to the city, where you can sell what you found in the dungeon. [[Ride to the city->waytocity]] [[Back to camp->Camp]]

<<stats>> <<if $msg>>//$msg// <<set $msg to "">><</if>>\ A small table covered in vials, a mortar and a little burner. ''Recipes you know:'' <<for _id range $recipes>>\ <<capture _id>>\ <<print setup.recipes[_id].name>>: <<print setup.recipeText(setup.recipes[_id])>> <<if setup.canBrew(_id)>>\ <<link `"Brew " + setup.recipes[_id].name`>><<run setup.brew(_id)>><<goto "Alchemy">><</link>> <<else>>\ //Not enough ingredients.// <</if>> <</capture>>\ <</for>>\ [[Back to camp->Camp]]

<img src="./images/desert_search.jpg"> <<stats>> <<if $msg>>//$msg// <<set $msg to "">><</if>>\ Endless dunes. Sunpetal grows in the shade of the rocks, if you know where to look. <<if $searchedDesert>>\ //You already searched the desert today. Come back tomorrow.// <<else>>\ <<link "Search for Sunpetal">>\ <<set $searchedDesert to true>>\ <<set _n to random(1, 3)>>\ <<set $sunpetal to $sunpetal + _n>>\ <<set $msg to "You found " + _n + " Sunpetal.">>\ <<goto "Desert">>\ <</link>> <</if>> <<if $hasShovel>>\ <<if $dugDay is $day>>\ //You already dug today. Your arms are too sore to dig again.// <<else>>\ <<link "Dig with your shovel">>\ <<set _r to setup.dig()>>\ <<if _r is "chest">><<goto "DigChest">><<else>><<goto "Desert">><</if>>\ <</link>> <</if>>\ <</if>>\ <<if $hasMap>>\ [[Follow the map->RuinedTemple]] <</if>>\ [[Back to camp->Camp]]

<img src="./images/oasis.jpg"> <<stats>> <<if $msg>>//$msg// <<set $msg to "">><</if>>\ Palm trees and a pool of clear, cool water. <<if $searchedOasis>>\ //You already collected water here today. Come back tomorrow.// <<else>>\ <<link "Collect Oasis Water">>\ <<set $searchedOasis to true>>\ <<set _n to random(1, 2)>>\ <<set $water to $water + _n>>\ <<set $msg to "You collected " + _n + " Oasis Water.">>\ <<goto "Oasis">>\ <</link>> <</if>> [[Back to camp->Camp]]

<img src="./images/cityinside.jpg"> <<stats>> <<if $msg>>//$msg// <<set $msg to "">><</if>>\ The city is loud and crowded. Merchants shout from every stall. [[Bazaar]] [[Potion Seller->PotionShop]] [[Weapons and Armor->Smith]] [[Jeweler]] [[Fortune Teller->FortuneTeller]] [[Tavern]] [[Brothel]] <<if $hasLetter>>[[Go to the palace->Palace]]<</if>> <<if setup.nippleSearchOpen()>>[[search something for Meryt->CityLingerie]]<</if>> <<if $shady>>\ //A hooded figure watches you from a dark alley and beckons with two fingers.// [[Follow the hooded figure->ShadyDealer]] <</if>>\ <<if $cityTier gt 1>>\ //The merchants have heard of your victories. Their wares are finer than before.// <</if>> [[Ride back to camp->Camp]]

<<stats>> Level: $pLevel | XP: $xp / <<print setup.xpNeeded($pLevel)>> | Stat points: $statPoints <<if setup.canLevelUp()>>\ <<link "Level up!">><<run setup.levelUp()>><<goto "LevelUp">><</link>> <<else>>\ <</if>> ''Spend stat points'' <<if $statPoints gt 0>>\ <<for _id, _o range setup.statOptions>>\ <<capture _id, _o>>\ <<link `_o.label + " " + _o.gain + " (now " + State.variables[_o.key] + ")"`>><<run setup.spendPoint(_id)>><<goto "LevelUp">><</link>> <</capture>>\ <</for>>\ <<else>>\ <</if>> <<link "Done">><<goto $returnTo>><</link>>

<img src="./images/dungeon.jpg"> You arrive before the dungeon. <<link "Enter the first floor">>\ <<set $levelNum to 1>>\ <<set $level to setup.generateLevel(1)>>\ <<set $pos to $level.start>>\ <<set $visited to []>>\ <<set $msg to "">>\ <<goto "Level1">>\ <</link>> <<if $cityTier gte 2>>\ <<link "Enter the second floor">>\ <<set $levelNum to 2>>\ <<set $level to setup.generateLevel(2)>>\ <<set $pos to $level.start>>\ <<set $visited to []>>\ <<set $msg to "">>\ <<goto "Level2">>\ <</link>> <</if>>

<img src="./images/basar.jpg"> <<stats>> <<if $msg>>//$msg// <<set $msg to "">><</if>>\ Stalls full of herbs, bottled water and dried goods line the narrow alleys. ''Buy'' <<if $gold gte setup.sunpetalPrice>>\ <<link `"Buy 1 Sunpetal (" + setup.sunpetalPrice + " gold)"`>><<set $gold to $gold - setup.sunpetalPrice>><<set $sunpetal to $sunpetal + 1>><<set $msg to "You bought 1 Sunpetal.">><<goto "Bazaar">><</link>> <<else>>\ //Not enough gold for Sunpetal (<<print setup.sunpetalPrice>> gold).// <</if>> <<if $gold gte setup.waterPrice>>\ <<link `"Buy 1 Oasis Water (" + setup.waterPrice + " gold)"`>><<set $gold to $gold - setup.waterPrice>><<set $water to $water + 1>><<set $msg to "You bought 1 Oasis Water.">><<goto "Bazaar">><</link>> <<else>>\ //Not enough gold for Oasis Water (<<print setup.waterPrice>> gold).// <</if>> ''Sell'' <<set _sunSell to setup.sellPrice(setup.sunpetalPrice)>>\ <<set _watSell to setup.sellPrice(setup.waterPrice)>>\ <<if $sunpetal gt 0>>\ <<link `"Sell 1 Sunpetal (" + _sunSell + " gold)"`>><<set $sunpetal to $sunpetal - 1>><<set $gold to $gold + _sunSell>><<set $msg to "You sold 1 Sunpetal for " + _sunSell + " gold.">><<goto "Bazaar">><</link>> <<if $sunpetal gt 1>>\ <<link `"Sell all Sunpetal (" + ($sunpetal * _sunSell) + " gold)"`>><<set _e to $sunpetal * _sunSell>><<set $gold to $gold + _e>><<set $msg to "You sold " + $sunpetal + " Sunpetal for " + _e + " gold.">><<set $sunpetal to 0>><<goto "Bazaar">><</link>> <</if>>\ <<else>>\ //You have no Sunpetal to sell.// <</if>> <<if $water gt 0>>\ <<link `"Sell 1 Oasis Water (" + _watSell + " gold)"`>><<set $water to $water - 1>><<set $gold to $gold + _watSell>><<set $msg to "You sold 1 Oasis Water for " + _watSell + " gold.">><<goto "Bazaar">><</link>> <<if $water gt 1>>\ <<link `"Sell all Oasis Water (" + ($water * _watSell) + " gold)"`>><<set _e to $water * _watSell>><<set $gold to $gold + _e>><<set $msg to "You sold " + $water + " Oasis Water for " + _e + " gold.">><<set $water to 0>><<goto "Bazaar">><</link>> <</if>>\ <<else>>\ //You have no Oasis Water to sell.// <</if>> [[Back to the city->City]]

<img src="./images/potionseller.jpg"> <<stats>> <<if $msg>>//$msg// <<set $msg to "">><</if>>\ Shelves of coloured bottles glitter behind the counter. The seller looks you over. ''Buy'' <<for _id, _t range setup.potionTypes>>\ <<capture _id, _t>>\ <<if setup.potionUnlocked(_id)>>\ <<if $gold gte setup.potionPrice[_id]>>\ <<link `"Buy " + _t.name + " (" + setup.potionPrice[_id] + " gold, +" + _t.heal + " HP)"`>><<set $gold to $gold - setup.potionPrice[_id]>><<set $potions[_id] to $potions[_id] + 1>><<set $msg to "You bought a " + _t.name + ".">><<goto "PotionShop">><</link>> <<else>>\ //Not enough gold for <<print _t.name>> (<<print setup.potionPrice[_id]>> gold).// <</if>> <</if>> <</capture>>\ <</for>> <<set _shown to false>>\ <<for _id range Object.keys(setup.recipes)>>\ <<capture _id>>\ <<if setup.recipeForSale(_id)>>\ <<if not _shown>>''Recipes'' <<set _shown to true>><</if>>\ <<if $gold gte setup.recipes[_id].price>>\ <<link `"Buy recipe: " + setup.recipes[_id].name + " (" + setup.recipes[_id].price + " gold) - " + setup.recipeText(setup.recipes[_id])`>><<run setup.buyRecipe(_id)>><<goto "PotionShop">><</link>> <<else>>\ //Recipe: <<print setup.recipes[_id].name>> (<<print setup.recipes[_id].price>> gold) - not enough gold.// <</if>> <</if>>\ <</capture>>\ <</for>>\ ''Sell'' <<set _any to false>>\ <<for _id, _t range setup.potionTypes>>\ <<capture _id, _t>>\ <<if $potions[_id] gt 0>>\ <<set _any to true>>\ <<set _p to setup.sellPrice(setup.potionPrice[_id])>>\ <<link `"Sell " + _t.name + " x" + $potions[_id] + " - " + _p + " gold each"`>><<set $potions[_id] to $potions[_id] - 1>><<set $gold to $gold + _p>><<set $msg to "You sold a " + _t.name + " for " + _p + " gold.">><<goto "PotionShop">><</link>> <</if>> <</capture>>\ <</for>>\ <<if not _any>>\ //You have no potions to sell.// <</if>> //Shelves of powders and crystals line the back wall.// <<buymaterials>> ''Materials'' <<sellmaterials>> ''Quests'' <<questboard "smith">> [[Back to the city->City]]

<img src="./images/smith.jpg"> <<run setup.ensureGear()>>\ <<stats>> <<if $msg>>//$msg// <<set $msg to "">><</if>>\ The forge glows red. The smith looks up from his anvil and nods at the racks of weapons and armor. ''Buy weapons and armor'' <<for _id range setup.shopStockFor("smith")>>\ <<capture _id>>\ <<set _it to setup.gear[_id]>>\ <div class="gear-row">''<<gearname _it>>'' <<print setup.gearShort(_it)>> //<<print setup.slotLabel(_it)>>// - \ <<if $gold gte _it.price>>\ <<link `"Buy (" + _it.price + " gold)"`>><<run setup.buyGear("smith", _id)>><<goto "Smith">><</link>>\ <<else>>\ //<<print _it.price>> gold//\ <</if>>\ </div>\ <</capture>>\ <</for>> ''Sell weapons and armor'' //The smith pays <<print Math.round(setup.sellRatio * 100)>>% of the price. Only gear in your bag can be sold, so take it off in your tent first.// <<if setup.sellableCount("smith") is 0>>\ //You have nothing to sell here.// <<else>>\ <<for _gid range $gearBag>>\ <<capture _gid>>\ <<set _it to setup.gear[_gid]>>\ <<if setup.shopTakes("smith", _it)>>\ <div class="gear-row">''<<gearname _it>>'' <<print setup.gearShort(_it)>> //<<print setup.slotLabel(_it)>>// - \ <<link `"Sell (" + setup.gearSellPrice(_gid) + " gold)"`>><<run setup.sellGear("smith", _gid)>><<goto "Smith">><</link>>\ </div>\ <</if>>\ <</capture>>\ <</for>>\ <</if>> //A crate of clay-and-iron grenades sits behind the counter.// <<shopitems>> //A shovel hangs on the wall behind the counter.// <<buyshovel>> ''Quests'' <<questboard "smith">> [[Back to the city->City]]

<<stats>> <<run setup.ensureGear()>>\ <<if $msg>>//$msg// <<set $msg to "">><</if>>\ A narrow shop full of glittering glass cases. The jeweler squints at you through a magnifying lens. ''Sell'' <<if $treasures gt 0>>\ <<if $treasureBag>>\ <<for _name, _n range $treasureBag>>\ <<capture _name, _n>>\ <<if _n gt 0>>\ <<link `"Sell " + _name + " x" + _n + " (" + (_n * setup.treasurePrice) + " gold)"`>><<set _e to setup.sellTreasureType(_name)>><<set $msg to "You sold " + _n + "x " + _name + " for " + _e + " gold.">><<goto "Jeweler">><</link>> <</if>> <</capture>>\ <</for>>\ <</if>>\ <<link `"Sell all treasures (" + ($treasures * setup.treasurePrice) + " gold)"`>>\ <<set _earned to $treasures * setup.treasurePrice>>\ <<set $gold to $gold + _earned>>\ <<set $msg to "You sold " + $treasures + " treasure(s) for " + _earned + " gold.">>\ <<set $treasures to 0>>\ <<run setup.clearTreasures()>>\ <<goto "Jeweler">>\ <</link>> <<else>>\ You have no treasures to sell. <</if>> ''Buy rings'' <<for _id range setup.shopStockFor("jeweler")>>\ <<capture _id>>\ <<set _it to setup.gear[_id]>>\ <div class="gear-row">''<<gearname _it>>'' <<print setup.gearShort(_it)>> //<<print setup.slotLabel(_it)>>// - \ <<if $gold gte _it.price>>\ <<link `"Buy (" + _it.price + " gold)"`>><<run setup.buyGear("jeweler", _id)>><<goto "Jeweler">><</link>>\ <<else>>\ //<<print _it.price>> gold//\ <</if>>\ </div>\ <</capture>>\ <</for>> ''Sell rings'' //The jeweler pays <<print Math.round(setup.sellRatio * 100)>>% of the price. Only gear in your bag can be sold, so take it off in your tent first.// <<if setup.sellableCount("jeweler") is 0>>\ //You have nothing to sell here.// <<else>>\ <<for _gid range $gearBag>>\ <<capture _gid>>\ <<set _it to setup.gear[_gid]>>\ <<if setup.shopTakes("jeweler", _it)>>\ <div class="gear-row">''<<gearname _it>>'' <<print setup.gearShort(_it)>> //<<print setup.slotLabel(_it)>>// - \ <<link `"Sell (" + setup.gearSellPrice(_gid) + " gold)"`>><<run setup.sellGear("jeweler", _gid)>><<goto "Jeweler">><</link>>\ </div>\ <</if>>\ <</capture>>\ <</for>>\ <</if>> [[Back to the city->City]]

<<stats>> <<if $msg>><<msgline>> <<set $msg to "">><</if>>\ Warm light, loud laughter and the smell of roasted meat. The innkeeper waves you to a table. <<rumors>> <<if $gold gte setup.tavernMealPrice>>\ <<link `"Order a hot meal (" + setup.tavernMealPrice + " gold, +15 HP)"`>><<set $gold to $gold - setup.tavernMealPrice>><<set $hp to Math.min($maxHp, $hp + 15)>><<set $msg to "You enjoy a hot meal and feel better.">><<goto "Tavern">><</link>> <<else>>\ //Not enough gold for a meal (<<print setup.tavernMealPrice>> gold).// <</if>> <<if $gold gte setup.tavernRestPrice>>\ <<link `"Rest at a table (" + setup.tavernRestPrice + " gold, full HP and MP)"`>><<set $gold to $gold - setup.tavernRestPrice>><<set $hp to $maxHp>><<set $mp to $maxMp>><<set $msg to "You rest for a while and feel fully restored.">><<goto "Tavern">><</link>> <<else>>\ //Not enough gold to rest (<<print setup.tavernRestPrice>> gold).// <</if>> <<if setup.caveOffered()>>\ <<if $caveQuest is "letter">>\ The pale man has pushed a mug aside and is bent over a sheet of parchment, writing in quick, careful strokes. When he finishes, he blows on the ink, folds the page and presses a heavy ring into a blob of red wax. He holds the sealed letter out to you with both hands. "This is for the palace. Show it at the gates and they will let you in. It's the least I can do." <<link "Take the letter">><<run setup.takeLetter()>><<goto "Tavern">><</link>> <<elseif $caveQuest is "dagger">>\ The pale man in the corner jumps to his feet the moment you walk in. His eyes go straight to the dagger at your belt, and his whole face crumples with relief. <<link "Give him the Ceremonial Dagger">><<run setup.handInDagger()>><<goto "Tavern">><</link>> <<elseif $caveQuest is "active">>\ The pale man in the corner is still waiting for you, twisting his hat in his hands. <<link "Follow him to the cave">><<run setup.enterCave()>><<goto "Cave">><</link>> <<else>>\ <<linkreplace "A pale, nervous man in the corner keeps glancing your way">>\ He waves you over. "You're the one who helped the innkeeper, aren't you? Everyone says so. Please, sit." "Something has moved into the cave outside town. It has already killed two of my men. I'm a clerk in the palace household, not a fighter, and the guards won't come out this far." "The creature that leads them took something from me, a ceremonial dagger. It has been in my family for generations, and I can't go back to the palace without it. Kill it and bring me the dagger." "I'll pay you well. Four hundred gold, and a blade from my family's armoury. And I'll write you a letter of introduction. With my seal, the palace gates will open for you." <<link "Accept and follow him">><<run setup.enterCave()>><<goto "Cave">><</link>> <</linkreplace>> <</if>> <<elseif $caveQuest is "done">>\ //The corner table where the pale man sat is empty now. The innkeeper says he left for the palace the same evening, whistling.// <</if>>\ ''Notice board'' <<questboard "tavern">> [[Back to the city->City]]

<<stats>> <<if $msg>>//$msg// <<set $msg to "">><</if>>\ A heavy door opens onto a warm hall of lamps, cushions and hanging silk. The air smells of jasmine and wine. A doorman in a linen kilt looks you over, nods, and gestures at the women lounging along the walls. //"Pick whoever you like. Pay at the door, enjoy yourself, and don't break anything."// <<brothelmenu>> <<if $cityTier lt 2>>\ //You hear whispers that the madam sees only guests with a name. Perhaps once you've made more of a reputation...// <</if>> [[Back to the city->City]]

<img src="./images/city.jpg"> <<run setup.rollShady()>>\ <<stats>> You make your way to the city [[enter->City]]

<<run setup.ensureGear()>>\ <<stats>> !Equipment <<if $msg>>//$msg// <<set $msg to "">><</if>>\ You spread your gear out on the bedroll. ''Worn'' <<for _sl range setup.equipSlots>>\ <<capture _sl>>\ <<set _eq to $equipment[_sl.id]>>\ <div class="gear-row">''<<print _sl.label>>:'' \ <<if _eq>>\ <<gearname setup.gear[_eq]>> <<print setup.gearShort(setup.gear[_eq])>> \ <<link "Take off">><<run setup.unequip(_sl.id)>><<goto "Equipment">><</link>>\ <<else>>\ //empty//\ <</if>>\ </div>\ <</capture>>\ <</for>> ''Bag'' <<if $gearBag.length is 0>>\ //You carry no spare gear.// <<else>>\ <<for _gid range $gearBag>>\ <<capture _gid>>\ <<set _it to setup.gear[_gid]>>\ <div class="gear-row">''<<gearname _it>>'' <<print setup.gearShort(_it)>> //<<print setup.slotLabel(_it)>>// \ <<for _sid range setup.slotsFor(_it)>>\ <<capture _sid>>\ <<link `"Equip" + (setup.slotsFor(_it).length > 1 ? " in " + setup.slotName(_sid) : "")`>><<run setup.equip(_gid, _sid)>><<goto "Equipment">><</link>> \ <</capture>>\ <</for>>\ </div>\ <</capture>>\ <</for>>\ <</if>> [[Back to the tent->Tent]]

<img class="boss-portrait" src="./images/verdana.png" alt="Verdana"> <<stats>> !The Bloom Queen falls <<if $msg>>//$msg// <<set $msg to "">><</if>>\ Verdana sinks to her knees, petals scattering around her. Her vines go slack and the glow fades from the flowers. "Mm... you hit //hard//, darling. I think I'm a little bit in love." She laughs weakly, then coughs. She snaps a thorny branch from her own arm and holds it out to you. "Take it. A little something to remember me by. Fair warning, gifts from me tend to //cling//. Don't say I didn't warn you." The branch hardens and darkens in your hand, wrapped in thorny vines with a faint violet shimmer: <<gearname setup.gear.verdanas_thorn>>. You can equip it in your tent. Behind her, the floor splits open and a spiral staircase leads down into the dark. <<if $cityTier gte 2>>\ //Word of your victory will reach the city. Its merchants will stock finer wares from now on.// <</if>>\ <<if setup.canLevelUp() or $statPoints gt 0>>\ <<link "Level up / spend stat points">><<set $returnTo to "Boss1Win">><<goto "LevelUp">><</link>> <</if>>\ <<link "Descend to level 2">>\ <<set $levelNum to 2>>\ <<set $level to setup.generateLevel(2)>>\ <<set $pos to $level.start>>\ <<set $visited to []>>\ <<set $msg to "You descend to level 2.">>\ <<goto "Level2">>\ <</link>>

<img class="boss-portrait" src="./images/verdana.png" alt="Verdana"> <<set $verdanaDefeats to ($verdanaDefeats || 0) + 1>>\ <<stats "nodrink">> !Verdana's garden Your knees hit the soft earth and your weapon slips from your fingers. Verdana is there before you can fall any further, one arm around your waist, vines already curling gently around your wrists. "Shh, shh. You did so well, darling. Really. It has been //ages// since anyone made me work for it." <<if $verdanaDefeats gt 1>>\ "And look who is back in my arms again. You do keep falling for me, don't you?" She tilts her head, studying your flushed face with open delight. "And you seem to like it. Being caught. Being held down. Being //taken//. Don't bother denying it, darlingI can taste it in your pollen already. You came back for this." <</if>>\ She lifts your chin with a fingertip, her face close to yours. The sweet scent of her pollen is everywhere. "Now it's my turn to play." <<if $verdanaDefeats gt 1>>\ <<linkreplace "Give in... (again)">>\ The vines tighten, warm and impossibly gentle, pulling your arms above your head and spreading your legs wide. Pollen drifts down like golden snow and your thoughts begin to melt at the edges. Verdana kneels between your thighs, her green fingers trailing down your stomach, and when she wraps her hand around your dick you're already half-hard from the pollen alone. "There it is," she purrs. "Still so eager for me. You really do like being violated, don't you? Being held down and used while you moan for more." Her grip is slick and warmsome sap of her own, dripping from her palmand she strokes you slow at first, root to tip, watching your face with delighted fascination. Every pass of her thumb over your tip makes your hips twitch, and she laughs softly, a sound like wind through leaves. "Say it, darling. Tell me how much you love it." You try to form words. What comes out is a broken whimper. She smiles. "Close enough." She works you faster, her free hand cupping your balls, her vines holding you still when you try to buck. The pleasure coils tight in your belly, unbearable, and when you finally come it's with a broken moan, spilling hot over her fingers and your stomach. She milks you through it, gentle, until you're twitching and oversensitive and softening in her hand. "There we go. But we're not done yet." A vine curls between your legs, slick with that same sap, and presses against your ass. You tense, but the pollen in your blood makes your body loose and willing, and it slides in slow, filling you, curling inside you with a purpose. It finds that spot that makes your vision white outand against all reason, against the exhaustion in your limbs, your dick twitches and starts to harden again. "That's it," Verdana breathes, stroking you back to full hardness with her slick fingers while the vine works inside you. "See how good you can be for me? Again, darling. Give me another." She milks you a second time, slow and relentless, her vine pulsing inside you in rhythm with her hand. You come again with a sob, your whole body arching off the ground, and she hums with pleasure as she collects every drop. "Beautiful. Absolutely beautiful." She doesn't stop. Her fingers keep stroking, her vine keeps curling, and she leans down to whisper against your ear. "One more, darling. I know you have it in you." But your dick won't harden. No matter how she strokes, no matter how deep the vine presses, no matter how many times it hits that spot that made you see whiteyour body has nothing left. You lie there twitching and empty, soft in her hand, and something flickers across Verdana's face. Frustration. "No," she murmurs. "No, no, no. That won't do." She pulls back, her vines still holding you spread and open, and traces a sigil in the air above your hips. It glows a deep, pulsing gold, and when it sinks into your skin you feel a strange heat bloom low in your bellya pressure, a //fullness//, as if your body is suddenly producing something it has no business producing. "There," she says, pleased. "That's better." Against all reason, against all exhaustion, your dick stirs. Hardens. Stands up slick and eager and //aching//, and Verdana laughs with genuine delight. "Oh, darling. Look at you. So full. So ready. You're going to give me //everything//." She takes you in hand again, and this time she doesn't go slow. She strokes you fast and firm, her vine thrusting in time, her other hand cupping your balls and squeezing gently, and you're so full, so swollen, that every stroke feels like it's pulling something loose from deep inside you. "Again," she commands. "Give me another." You come. Harder than before, a thick, helpless spill that leaves you gasping. She doesn't stop. She keeps stroking, keeps thrusting, and her spell keeps you hard, keeps you //full//, and she milks you over and overa third time, a fourth, a fiftheach one weaker and more broken than the last, until your vision blurs and your limbs go slack and the only thing in the world is her hand and her vine and the endless, unbearable pleasure. "That's it," she croons. "That's my good darling. Give me everything. Give me //all// of it." You don't know how many times you come. You lose count somewhere around seven. Your body is a ruin of pleasure and exhaustion, your dick still somehow hard in her relentless grip, your ass clenching weakly around her vine as she wrings the last drops from you. "There we go," she whispers, and her voice is the last thing you hear. "Sleep now, darling. You've earned it." <<link "Everything fades to black...">><<set $wakeTo to setup.afterVerdanaDefeat()>><<goto $wakeTo>><</link>>\ <</linkreplace>>\ <<else>>\ <<linkreplace "Give in...">>\ The vines tighten, warm and impossibly gentle, pulling your arms above your head and spreading your legs. Pollen drifts down like golden snow and your thoughts begin to melt. Verdana kneels between your thighs, her green fingers trailing down your stomach, and when she wraps her hand around your dick you're already half-hard from the pollen alone. "There it is," she purrs. "So eager for me." Her grip is slick and warmsome sap of her own, dripping from her palmand she strokes you slow at first, root to tip, watching your face with delighted fascination. Every pass of her thumb over your tip makes your hips twitch, and she laughs softly, a sound like wind through leaves. "You're going to give me everything, darling. Every last drop." She works you faster, her free hand cupping your balls, her vines holding you still when you try to buck. The pleasure coils tight in your belly, unbearable, and when you finally come it's with a broken moan, spilling hot over her fingers and your stomach. She milks you through it, gentle, until you're twitching and oversensitive and softening in her hand. "There we go. But we're not done yet." A vine curls between your legs, slick with that same sap, and presses against your ass. You tense, but the pollen in your blood makes your body loose and willing, and it slides in slow, filling you, curling inside you with a purpose. It finds that spot that makes your vision white outand against all reason, against the exhaustion in your limbs, your dick twitches and starts to harden again. "That's it," Verdana breathes, stroking you back to full hardness with her slick fingers while the vine works inside you. "See how good you can be for me? Again, darling. Give me another." <<linkreplace "Hold on...">>\ "Look at you," she whispers. "So warm. So sweet... You can't keep your eyes open, can you?" You can't. Your body feels heavy, your breath comes slow, and the last thing you feel is her fingers in your hair and the soft petals closing around you. <<link "Everything fades to black...">><<set $wakeTo to setup.afterVerdanaDefeat()>><<goto $wakeTo>><</link>>\ <</linkreplace>>\ <</linkreplace>>\ <</if>>

<<run setup.ensureGear()>>\ <<stats>> !Fortune Teller <<if $msg>>//$msg// <<set $msg to "">><</if>>\ Behind a curtain of beads sits an old woman among curling incense smoke. Her eyes are milky white, yet they follow you across the room. "Cursed things leave a stain only I can read, traveller. Show me what you carry, and for a few coins I will tell you what it truly does." ''Identify a curse'' (<<print setup.identifyPrice>> gold each) <<set _ids to setup.unknownCursed()>>\ <<if _ids.length is 0>>\ //You carry nothing with an unknown curse.// <<else>>\ <<for _gid range _ids>>\ <<capture _gid>>\ <<set _it to setup.gear[_gid]>>\ <div class="gear-row"><<gearname _it>> <<print setup.gearShort(_it)>> //<<print setup.slotLabel(_it)>>// - \ <<if $gold gte setup.identifyPrice>>\ <<link `"Identify (" + setup.identifyPrice + " gold)"`>><<run setup.identifyGear(_gid)>><<goto "FortuneTeller">><</link>>\ <<else>>\ //<<print setup.identifyPrice>> gold//\ <</if>>\ </div>\ <</capture>>\ <</for>>\ <</if>> [[Back to the city->City]]

<<run setup.ensureGear()>>\ <<stats>> !Shady Dealer <<if $msg>>//$msg// <<set $msg to "">><</if>>\ The hooded man leads you into a narrow alley that smells of old smoke. He glances over his shoulder, then opens his cloak. "Rare pieces, friend. Cheap. Don't ask where they come from... and don't ask what is wrong with them." <<if $shady and $shady.stock.length gt 0>>\ <<for _id range $shady.stock>>\ <<capture _id>>\ <<set _it to setup.gear[_id]>>\ <div class="gear-row"><<gearname _it>> <<print setup.gearShort(_it)>> //<<print setup.slotLabel(_it)>>// - \ <<if $gold gte _it.price>>\ <<link `"Buy (" + _it.price + " gold)"`>><<run setup.buyShady(_id)>><<goto "ShadyDealer">><</link>>\ <<else>>\ //<<print _it.price>> gold//\ <</if>>\ </div>\ <</capture>>\ <</for>>\ <<else>>\ //"Nothing left. Now scram."// <</if>> //He buys nothing from you. A fortune teller in the city might tell you what you are really carrying.// [[Slip back to the city->City]]

<<run setup.ensureGear()>>\ <<stats>> !Yourself You take a moment to look yourself over. ''Appearance: <<print setup.levelName("build")>>'' <<print setup.describe("overview")>> ''Chest: <<print setup.levelName("chest")>>'' <<print setup.describe("chest")>> ''Ass: <<print setup.levelName("ass")>>'' <<print setup.describe("ass")>> ''Penis: <<print setup.levelName("penis")>>'' <<print setup.describe("penis")>> ''Balls: <<print setup.levelName("balls")>>'' <<print setup.describe("balls")>> ''Hands: <<print setup.levelName("hands")>>'' <<print setup.describe("hands")>> ''Marks'' <<print setup.describe("marks")>> ''Worn equipment'' <<for _sl range setup.equipSlots>>\ <<capture _sl>>\ <<set _eq to $equipment[_sl.id]>>\ <div class="gear-row"><<print _sl.label>>: \ <<if _eq>>\ <<gearname setup.gear[_eq]>> <<print setup.gearShort(setup.gear[_eq])>>\ <<else>>\ //empty//\ <</if>>\ </div>\ <</capture>>\ <</for>> <<link "Done">><<goto setup.appearanceBack()>><</link>>

<<if setup.canLookAtSelf()>><<link "Look at yourself">><<set $appearanceReturn to passage()>><<goto "Appearance">><</link>><</if>> <<link "Patreon">> <<run window.open("https://www.patreon.com/Alexgamesandso/membership", "_blank", "noopener")>> <</link>>

<<run setup.ensureBodyFx()>>\ <<stats "nodrink">> <<if $touch>>\ <<for _p range setup.touchScene($touch)>><p><<print _p>></p><</for>>\ <<else>>\ You close the tent flap and settle onto your bedroll, alone with your thoughts and your body. <</if>> <<for _o range setup.touchOptions()>>\ <<capture _o>><div><<link `_o.label`>><<set $touch to _o.id>><<goto "Masturbate">><</link>></div><</capture>>\ <</for>> [[Back to the tent->Tent]]

<img class="boss-portrait" src="./images/lakruk.jpg" alt="Lakruk"> <<set $lakrukDefeats to ($lakrukDefeats || 0) + 1>>\ <<stats "nodrink">> !Lakruk's lair Your knees hit the wet stone and your weapon clatters out of reach. Before you can crawl after it, something heavy and cold slides across the floor and wraps around your legs. Lakruk's long tail coils up your thighs, slow and unhurried, and the great hammered head lowers until his rows of needle teeth are an inch from your face. "Enough," he rumbles, in a voice like water in a deep cave. "You fought well, little walker." <<if $lakrukDefeats gt 1>>\ His mouth curls. "And you return. Again. Do you come for the treasure, or for //me//?" <</if>>\ Clawed fingers close around both your wrists and pin them to the floor above your head. His tail tightens, smooth and slick, and the salt-sharp scent of him fills your lungs. <<if $lakrukDefeats is 1>>\ <<linkreplace "Struggle">>\ You thrash, and the coils simply tighten, patient and enormous, until your breath leaves you and you go still. Lakruk watches you with something like amusement. "Good. Stillness suits you." His free hand tears your clothes open with one clean claw. The air is cold on your skin, and the water-slick tip of his tail slides up the inside of your thigh, tracing slow, wet circles. When it wraps around your dick you gasp, and he hums low in his chest. "Already hard. Your mind says no. Your body is more honest." The tail squeezes and slides, ribbed and cool and impossibly strong, and every stroke drags a sound out of you that you didn't mean to make. He is in no hurry. He works you slowly, watching your face with those dark, unblinking eyes, and when your hips jerk upward he tightens the coil until you can't move at all. "Not yet." <<linkreplace "Hold on...">>\ He keeps you there, right at the edge, for what feels like an age, until you are begging without words. Only then does he let the coils slide faster, and you come with a ragged cry, spilling across your stomach while he holds you pinned and shaking. "There," he says, almost gently. "That is what happens to those who challenge me." The coils loosen. The last thing you feel is the cold weight of his tail drawn across your chest like a blanket, and then the dark comes. <<link "Everything fades to black...">><<set $wakeTo to setup.afterLakrukDefeat()>><<goto $wakeTo>><</link>>\ <</linkreplace>>\ <</linkreplace>>\ <<elseif $lakrukDefeats is 2>>\ <<linkreplace "Don't fight it... (again)">>\ You don't even try to struggle this time, and he notices. A slow, pleased sound rolls through his chest. "Ah. You remember." His coils spread your legs and turn you onto your front, your cheek against the cold stone, your hips lifted. A claw tears away what's left of your clothes. You feel his weight settle behind you, and something thick, slick and cool presses against you, sliding out of a slit low on his body. "Relax, little walker. It is easier if you do." He is slow and he is huge. He pushes in a little at a time, and the slick that coats him seems to loosen you, a strange warmth spreading through your hips as your body gives way and opens for him. You moan into the stone. It fills you completely, cool and heavy and ribbed, and when he begins to move it hits a place inside you that makes your whole body jerk. "There it is," he murmurs, one hand on the small of your back. "Your body has learned my shape." <<linkreplace "Hold on...">>\ His thrusts are long and deep and rhythmic, and every one drives a sound out of you. His tail winds around your dick and strokes you in time, and you are lost between the two, rocked helplessly back and forth, the slick running warm down your thighs. You can feel it working into you, into your hips and flesh, a faint, odd swelling heat, like your body is being remade to fit him. You come with a sob, spilling over his coils, clenching around him, and he groans, a deep, rolling sound, and thrusts one last time and fills you, hot and thick and endless. "Mine," he breathes. "For a little while." When the dark takes you, you can still feel him inside you. <<link "Everything fades to black...">><<set $wakeTo to setup.afterLakrukDefeat()>><<goto $wakeTo>><</link>>\ <</linkreplace>>\ <</linkreplace>>\ <<else>>\ <<linkreplace "Surrender... (again)">>\ You don't wait for him to pin you. You lower yourself to the stone, and a long, satisfied rumble fills the chamber. "Third time, little walker. You are not here to fight." Lakruk coils around you, slow and heavy, until you are cradled in the circle of his body, your back against his chest, his arms around you. A clawed hand slides down your stomach and wraps around your dick, while his tail slips between your legs, slick and cool, and presses against you. You are open before he even pushes. Your body remembers, and it wants him. "Say it," he whispers against your ear. "Say you came back for this." Your voice breaks on a moan. He chuckles. "Close enough." <<linkreplace "Let him">>\ He slides into you in one long, slow push, and you cry out, too sensitive, too open, your body clenching around him like it has been waiting for exactly this. He holds you tight against his chest and moves, deep and unhurried, one hand stroking you in time, his teeth grazing your shoulder, and every thrust sends a shiver all the way to your fingertips. You have never felt so full. You have never felt so //held//. "You belong in the water, with me," he murmurs. "In the dark, in my coils. Stay." You come in his hand with a long, shuddering cry, and he follows with a groan that rattles through your bones, filling you until you are warm and heavy and spilling. He doesn't pull out. He holds you there, stroking your hair with one clawed finger, until your breathing slows. "Rest. I will let you go. For now." The coils tighten around you like a blanket, and the dark takes you, and your body is still clenching softly around him as you fall. <<link "Everything fades to black...">><<set $wakeTo to setup.afterLakrukDefeat()>><<goto $wakeTo>><</link>>\ <</linkreplace>>\ <</linkreplace>>\ <</if>>

<img class="boss-portrait" src="./images/lakruk.jpg" alt="Lakruk"> <<stats>> !Lakruk falls <<if $msg>>//$msg// <<set $msg to "">><</if>>\ Lakruk's tail slaps the wet stone once, twice, and goes still. The great hammered head sinks to the floor, his rows of needle teeth parted in a ragged, rattling breath. "Hm," he rumbles, and it almost sounds like a laugh. "Few walkers get this far. Fewer still stand at the end." His dark, unblinking eyes slide over you, slow and appraising, and the corner of his mouth curls. "A prize, then. Take it. It was made for those who carry themselves well." His gaze drops, lingers, and lifts again. "Or those who soon will." He pushes something across the stone with the tip of his tail: a girdle of fine pearl-grey scales, woven with threads of sea-green silk that shimmer like water in lamplight. It is warm to the touch, and strangely soft: <<gearname setup.gear.tidewoven_girdle>>. You can equip it in your tent. "Wear it a few nights," Lakruk murmurs, already sinking back into the dark water behind the throne. "You will thank me. Or curse me. Both, I think." His laughter echoes off the walls until the water closes over him. Behind the empty throne, a narrow stair of black stone winds down into a silence that feels deliberate. <<if $cityTier gte 3>>\ //Word of your victory will reach the city. Its merchants will stock finer wares from now on.// <</if>>\ <<if setup.canLevelUp() or $statPoints gt 0>>\ <<link "Level up / spend stat points">><<set $returnTo to "Boss2Win">><<goto "LevelUp">><</link>> <</if>>\ <<link "Descend to level 3">>\ <<run setup.enterLevel(3)>>\ <<set $msg to "You descend to level 3.">>\ <<goto "Level3">>\ <</link>> <<link "Return to camp">><<goto "Camp">><</link>>

<<set _room to $level.rooms[$pos]>>\ !_room.name <<stats>> _room.desc <<if $msg>><<msgline>> <<set $msg to "">><</if>>\ <<switch _room.type>> <<case "enemy">> <span class="room-event">An enemy blocks your path! You can't get past it.</span> <<link "Fight">><<set $returnTo to passage()>><<run setup.startFight()>><<goto "Fight">><</link>> <<case "trap">> <span class="room-event">You spot a hidden trap right in front of you!</span> <<linkreplace "Try to dodge">>\ <<if random(1, 100) lte setup.dodgeChance>>\ You jump aside just in time and avoid the trap! <<else>>\ <<set _dmg to random(5, 12)>><<set $hp to Math.max(1, $hp - _dmg)>>\ You are too slow! The trap springs and you take <<print _dmg>> damage. <</if>>\ <<set $level.rooms[$pos].type to "empty">> <<link "Continue">><<goto "Cave">><</link>>\ <</linkreplace>> <<case "chest">> <span class="room-event">You find a chest!</span> <img class="chest-img" src="./images/chest.jpg" alt="Chest"> <<link "Open chest">><<set $level.rooms[$pos].type to "empty">><<set _names to setup.openChest(1, 3)>><<set $msg to "You found: " + _names.join(", ") + ".">><<goto "Cave">><</link>> <<case "item">> <span class="room-event">Something lies on the ground.</span> <<link "Pick it up">><<set $level.rooms[$pos].type to "empty">><<run setup.findItem()>><<goto "Cave">><</link>> <<case "boss">> <span class="room-event">Something huge breathes in the dark ahead of you.</span> <<link "Enter the den">><<goto "CaveBoss">><</link>> <<case "start">> <span class="room-event">Daylight shows at the mouth of the cave. The way back to the city is behind you.</span> <<link "Leave the cave">><<set $level to null>><<goto "City">><</link>> <<default>> <span class="room-event"></span> <</switch>> <<if _room.type isnot "enemy" and _room.type isnot "trap">>\ <<compass "Cave">>\ <</if>>

<<set _won to $msg>><<run setup.takeDagger()>>\ <<stats>> !The Brute falls Karghul crashes to the ground and the cave goes quiet. The echo of his fall rolls away down the tunnels. On his belt, among gnawed bones and rusted trinkets, hangs a curved ceremonial dagger with a faded stone set in the hilt. You take it. The man waiting outside the cave will want to see this. <<if _won>><p><em>_won</em></p><</if>>\ <<if $msg>><p><<msgline>></p> <<set $msg to "">><</if>>\ <<if setup.canLevelUp() or $statPoints gt 0>>\ <<link "Level up / spend stat points">><<set $returnTo to "CaveVictory">><<goto "LevelUp">><</link>> <</if>>\ <<link "Return to the tavern and find the stranger">><<set $level to null>><<goto "Tavern">><</link>>

<<if setup.bossBeaten(9)>><<goto "Cave">><</if>>\ <img class="boss-portrait" src="./images/karghul.jpg" alt="Karghul"> <<stats>> !The Brute's Den Bones crunch under your boots. At the back of the den something rises, far bigger than any man, its skin grey and scarred like the rock around it. "Little thing came to die," it rumbles, and tears a boulder from the wall. <<link "Fight Karghul">><<set $returnTo to "CaveVictory">><<run setup.startFight("karghul")>><<goto "Fight">><</link>> <<link "Back away">><<goto "Cave">><</link>>

<<stats "nodrink">> !Crushed Karghul's fist drives you into the stone. The last thing you see is the cave ceiling spinning above you, and then nothing. <<link "Wake up in your camp">><<run setup.afterDefeat()>><<goto "Camp">><</link>> :: CaveVictory <<set _won to $msg>><<run setup.takeDagger()>>\ <<stats>>

<img src="./images/court.jpg"> <<run setup.ensurePalace()>>\ <<stats>> <<if $msg>><p><<msgline>></p><<set $msg to "">><</if>> <<if !$hasLetter>>\ The palace rises out of the heat haze, white walls and gilded gates, banners hanging limp in the still air. Two guards in bronze and linen cross their halberds the moment you come near. "Halt. The palace is closed to anyone without a letter under the royal seal. Come back when you have one." [[Go back to the city|City]] <<else>>\ <<if setup.palaceMeet("gate")>>\ The palace gates are guarded by two soldiers in bronze and linen. They cross their halberds as you approach, until you hold out the sealed letter. One of them breaks the wax, reads it twice, and goes pale. "The family of the dagger," he mutters, and steps aside. "You may enter. Keep to the public halls. The throne room and the royal quarters are not for you." Beyond the gates a cool courtyard opens, shaded by date palms, with a fountain in the middle that actually holds water. Servants cross it with trays, baskets and bundles of linen. Nobody looks at you for long. <<else>>\ The guards nod you through. Inside, the courtyard is cool and green, the fountain running, servants hurrying across the flagstones with trays and baskets. <</if>> Around the courtyard you see the steward's office, the kitchens, the gardens, the guardhouse and the servants' court. A pair of tall doors leads to the throne room, and a perfumed corridor curves away behind a carved screen. [[Talk to the steward|PalaceSteward]] [[Speak to the captain of the guard|PalaceGuard]] [[Visit the servants' court|PalaceMaid]] [[Go to the throne room|PalaceThrone]] [[Follow the perfumed corridor|PalaceHarem]] [[Leave the palace|City]] <</if>>

<<stats>> You follow the map through the dunes until a ruined temple rises from the sand. Half the roof has fallen in. In front of the entrance stands a huge man with folded arms. <<if setup.wearsDesertSet()>>\ He looks you up and down and stops at your boots, gloves, pants and armor. Slowly he nods and steps aside. "The desert recognizes its own. Go in." [[Enter the temple->TempleInside]] <<else>>\ He looks you up and down and his face hardens. "You are not welcome here." //He does not move an inch.// <</if>>\ [[Back to the desert->Desert]]

<<run setup.openDigChest()>>\ <<stats>> Your shovel strikes something hard. You scrape the sand aside and uncover an old wooden chest, its lock rusted away. Inside, wrapped in oiled cloth, lies a weathered map. It shows a path through the dunes to a ruined temple. //You found: Old Map.// [[Back to the desert->Desert]]

<<stats>> The cool air of the temple wraps around you, a relief after the baking sun outside. Dust motes drift in the shafts of light falling through the ruined ceiling, and your footsteps echo too loudly against the cracked stone floor. At the far end of the hall, on a raised dais, sits the black stone throne and someone is on it. A woman. She lounges sideways across the seat as if it were a couch, one leg drawn up, her chin resting on her hand. Her skin holds a faint blue shimmer, like heat haze over sand, and her hair drifts around her shoulders though there is no wind. She wears gold at her wrists and throat, and nothing at all that hides the shape of her the curve of her hip, the swell of her breasts beneath sheer, drifting cloth. She watches you come, unblinking, and when you stop at the foot of the dais she smiles, slow and sharp. "Well. A visitor." Her voice is warm honey over stone. "Do you know how long it has been since anyone walked through that door? I stopped counting somewhere around the second century. I am Qadira, and I am as you see a djinn. And no, before you ask, I cannot grant you a wish. I am bound to this throne. The binding is older than the door behind me, and far less kind." <<linkreplace "Ask her about the binding">> She lifts one wrist, and the gold at it glints dully. "A sorcerer-king with more ambition than sense. He wanted a servant who could not refuse, so he took a djinn and nailed her to a chair. The throne drinks my power. Every wish I might have granted, it swallows. I can feel the world's desires brushing past me like wind through a window I cannot open." Her smile turns wry. "So you see, I am a very poor bargain. No wishes. No magic. Only conversation, and the view." <</linkreplace>> <<linkreplace "Ask why she is interested in you">> Qadira leans forward, and her drifting hair curls toward you as though curious. "Because you came in. Because you looked at me and did not run. Do you understand what that is worth, after hundreds of years of dust and silence?" Her voice softens. "I have watched sand fill this hall grain by grain. I have counted the cracks in the ceiling. And now here you are, warm-blooded and breathing, and you smell of " she pauses, nostrils flaring, " of something interesting. Something changing. What are you, exactly?" <</linkreplace>> <<linkreplace "Ask about the sealed door">> She does not turn to look at it. "That door was sealed after I was bound. Not to keep me in I am already in. To keep something else out, I think. Or perhaps to keep the world from me." She tilts her head. "I have never seen it opened. The rope is always fresh, though. Someone replaces it. Someone still remembers I am here." A flicker of something old and tired crosses her face. "I do not know who. I only know they have never once spoken to me." <</linkreplace>> [[Leave the temple->Desert]]

<<nobr>> <div class="fx-fade"> There is an old legend, older than the kingdoms of the sand and older than the name of the desert itself. </div> <<timed 3s>> <div class="fx-fade"> It says that deep underground, in a dungeon no map remembers, lies a stone. A single <span class="fx-glow">stone</span>. Whoever holds it will become the most powerful being on earth. </div> <<next 4s>> <div class="fx-fade fx-dim"> Most people laugh when they hear it. Some listen, and then forget. </div> <<next 3s>> <div class="fx-fade"> You did not forget. </div> <<next 3s>> <div class="fx-fade"> You have been searching for it for a very long time. Years of dust in your lungs, of sleeping on cold stone, of trading your last coins for rumors that smelled of lies.<br>You have followed every whisper, every torn page, every drunk old man who swore he had seen it with his own eyes. </div> <<next 5s>> <div class="fx-fade fx-dim"> Once, in a flooded temple, you were certain. Your hands were shaking when you lifted the lid. </div> <<next 3s>> <span class="fx-shake">Nothing. Only an empty chest and a smell of rot.</span> <<next 3s>> <div class="fx-fade fx-dim"> Once, in a ruined watchtower, you found a glittering gem the size of your fist. A merchant laughed at you for a full minute before telling you it was worthless glass. </div> <<next 4s>> <span class="fx-shake">Again.</span> <<next 2.5s>> <div class="fx-fade"> Four times you thought you had it. Four times you walked away with empty hands and a heavier heart.<br>Somewhere along the way, the legend stopped being a dream and turned into a stubborn habit. You no longer knew if you still believed. You only knew that you could not stop. </div> <<next 5s>> <div class="fx-fade"> And then, on a cold night in a tavern at the edge of the world, a stranger put a scrap of weathered parchment in front of you and left without a word. </div> <<next 4s>> <div class="fx-focus"> It was a map. Old, brittle and stained with something dark. But this one was different.<br>It showed no myth and no guess. It showed the dunes, the dry riverbeds, the broken pillars, and one single place, far out in the desert, marked with a symbol you had only ever seen in the oldest books. </div> <<next 5s>> <div class="fx-fade"> Beside it lay the proof. A fragment of carved stone, still humming faintly when you touched it, and warm, as if something below had just breathed on it. </div> <<next 4s>> <div class="fx-fade fx-flicker"> Your heart began to beat the way it did the very first time. </div> <<next 3.5s>> <div class="fx-fade"> A dungeon, buried deep beneath the sand. Guarded, cursed, forgotten.<br>And at the very bottom of it, waiting through all those centuries: </div> <<next 4s>> <div class="fx-focus fx-title"><span class="fx-glow">The Stone.</span></div> <<next 4s>> <div class="fx-fade fx-dim"> This time, you tell yourself, it is real. </div> <<next 2.5s>> <div class="fx-fade"> You pack your things, fill your waterskins and set out into the burning desert. Whatever waits below, you will not turn back. </div> <<next 3s>> <div class="fx-fade"> <<link "Begin your journey">><<goto "Camp">><</link>> </div> <</timed>> <br><br> <<link "Skip intro">><<goto "Camp">><</link>> <</nobr>>

<<set _room to $level.rooms[$pos]>>\ !_room.name //Level $levelNum// <<stats>> _room.desc <<if $msg>><<msgline>> <<set $msg to "">><</if>>\ <<switch _room.type>> <<case "enemy">> <span class="room-event">Something blocks your path! You can't get past it.</span> <<link "Fight">><<set $returnTo to passage()>><<run setup.startFight()>><<goto "Fight">><</link>> <<case "trap">> <span class="room-event">You spot a hidden trap right in front of you!</span> <<linkreplace "Try to dodge">>\ <<if random(1, 100) lte setup.dodgeChance>>\ You jump aside just in time and avoid the trap! <<else>>\ <<set _dmg to random(10, 18)>><<set $hp to Math.max(1, $hp - _dmg)>>\ You are too slow! The trap springs and you take <<print _dmg>> damage. <</if>>\ <<set $level.rooms[$pos].type to "empty">> <<link "Continue">><<goto "Level3">><</link>>\ <</linkreplace>> <<case "chest">> <span class="room-event">You find a chest!</span> <img class="chest-img" src="./images/chest.jpg" alt="Chest"> <<link "Open chest">><<set $level.rooms[$pos].type to "empty">><<set _names to setup.openChest(3, 5)>><<set $msg to "You found: " + _names.join(", ") + ".">><<goto "Level3">><</link>> <<case "item">> <span class="room-event">Something lies on the ground.</span> <<link "Pick it up">><<set $level.rooms[$pos].type to "empty">><<run setup.findItem()>><<goto "Level3">><</link>> <<case "boss">> <span class="room-event">The humming stops. Something ancient is waiting beyond this door.</span> <<link "Face the boss">><<goto "Boss3">><</link>> <<case "start">> <span class="room-event">The stairs behind you lead back up to the surface.</span> <<link "Climb back to camp">><<goto "Camp">><</link>> <<default>> <span class="room-event"></span> <</switch>> <<if _room.type isnot "enemy" and _room.type isnot "trap">>\ <<compass "Level3">>\ <</if>>

<<if setup.bossBeaten(3)>><<goto "Level3">><</if>>\ <img class="boss-portrait" src="./images/khepri.jpg" alt="Khepri-Un"> <<stats "nodrink">> !The Warden's Sanctum A vast round chamber of polished basalt opens around you. Moss crawls over the floor in thick, glowing carpets, and the faint hum you have felt since the stairs is loud here, a note that sits in your teeth. At the center stands an empty pedestal. In front of it, something rises out of the stone. It is made of rock: huge, rounded blocks of pink sandstone furred with green moss, their surfaces carved with slow spirals. Bands of pale green light circle its joints like veins. Four heavy limbs press into the floor, two for walking and two thick arms that end in claws. In the center of its chest, behind a ring of carved stone, a small glowing figure floats in a bubble of green light, curled like a sleeper. The figure opens its eyes. "None have passed," says a voice that comes from the stone and from the light together, deep and patient and not unkind. "I am Khepri-Un. I keep what is below. You have come far, little thing. I am sorry for what must happen." <<link "Fight Khepri-Un">>\ <<run setup.startFight("khepri")>>\ <<goto "Fight">>\ <</link>> <<link "Back away">><<goto "Level3">><</link>>

<img class="boss-portrait" src="./images/khepri.jpg" alt="Khepri-Un"> <<stats>> !Khepri-Un falls <<if $msg>>//$msg// <<set $msg to "">><</if>>\ The green light in Khepri-Un's joints gutters and fades. One great arm lowers to the floor with a grinding sigh, and the moss on his shoulders trembles like grass in wind. In his chest, the small glowing figure rises, and for the first time you see it clearly: a slender spirit with no face, only a soft light where a face should be. "Strong," Khepri-Un says, and the voice is quieter now. "Strong, and gentle enough to stop before the end. Few are both." The ring of stone around his chest opens like a flower, and a weapon slides out, a long blade of dark metal threaded with veins of pale green: <<gearname setup.gear.wardens_edge>>. You can equip it in your tent. "Take it. Where I go, I will not need it." The light dims. "The hum is already fading. You will not feel it again. Remember me kindly, little thing." The great stone body settles, and moss spreads slowly across the cold of it. On the pedestal, a doorway of black basalt grinds open, and fresh air from somewhere above spills into the sanctum. <<if $cityTier gte 4>>\ //Word of your victory will reach the city. Its merchants will stock finer wares from now on.// <</if>>\ <<if setup.canLevelUp() or $statPoints gt 0>>\ <<link "Level up / spend stat points">><<set $returnTo to "Boss3Win">><<goto "LevelUp">><</link>> <</if>>\ <<endofcontent>> <<link "Return to camp">><<goto "Camp">><</link>>

<img class="boss-portrait" src="./images/khepri.jpg" alt="Khepri-Un"> <<set $khepriDefeats to ($khepriDefeats || 0) + 1>>\ <<stats "nodrink">> !The Warden's Sanctum Your knees hit the basalt and your weapon rings away across the floor. Before you can crawl after it, the moss around you moves. Thin green strands slide over your wrists and ankles, soft and warm and very strong, and lift you gently off the ground until you hang in front of the great stone chest. "Peace," Khepri-Un says. The small glowing figure in his chest leans close to the glass of light, studying you. "You fought well. I do not hurt those who fall. But the sanctum has a custom, and I must keep it." <<if $khepriDefeats gt 1>>\ The figure tilts its head. "Ah. You return. Do you come to pass me, or to be kept again?" <</if>>\ The moss tightens a little, and the hum in the air deepens. <<if $khepriDefeats is 1>>\ <<linkreplace "Let it happen">>\ The strands peel your clothes away, careful and patient, and the air of the sanctum is cool on your skin. The moss is not. It is warm and damp and impossibly soft, and it spreads across your chest and stomach and thighs in a slow green wave, tingling wherever it touches. "Be still," the spirit murmurs. "It will be easy. The glow only wants to learn you." A thicker strand coils around your dick, slick and warm, and tightens just enough to make you gasp. It slides along you in slow, rippling strokes, like fingers made of green velvet, while others stroke your thighs and the small of your back. You are hard in a few breaths, and the hum in the stone shivers up your spine in time with every pass. <<linkreplace "Hold on...">>\ The light in his chest brightens as you shake. He keeps you right at the edge for what feels like a long while, until your hips jerk against the moss and a broken sound leaves your mouth. "Now," says the voice, almost tender. You come with a cry, spilling across the green, and the moss drinks it, glowing brighter. Warmth washes through you, heavy and drowsy. The strands rock you slowly, like a cradle. "Sleep. You are not the first, and you will not be the last. Come back when you are stronger." The dark takes you, and the last thing you feel is moss closing softly over your chest like a blanket. <<link "Everything fades to black...">><<set $wakeTo to setup.afterKhepriDefeat()>><<goto $wakeTo>><</link>>\ <</linkreplace>>\ <</linkreplace>>\ <<elseif $khepriDefeats is 2>>\ <<linkreplace "Let it happen (again)">>\ You do not struggle. The moss peels your clothes away, and you hang open and willing in its warm green hold while the glow in his joints pulses faster. "You remember," the spirit says, pleased. "Good. Then I can be more thorough." The strands slide over your chest and settle there, circling your nipples in slow, firm, tingling circles that make you arch. They squeeze gently, kneading, drawing the soft flesh up into a warm, swelling pressure. It feels like being pulled gently outward from the inside, and you moan, your head tipping back against the moss. "The sanctum is teaching your body," the voice whispers. "Do not fight it. It will fit you better." <<linkreplace "Hold on...">>\ Another strand coils around your dick and strokes in time with the moss on your chest, slow and rolling. Your nipples are burning-sensitive, every pass of the green velvet a bolt of pleasure, and you come hard with a sob, spilling over the moss, shaking in the cradle of its grip. It does not stop. It keeps kneading and stroking until you come again, weaker, and your chest feels heavy and full, tender and soft where it was hard. "There," says the spirit. "Beautiful. Rest." When the dark takes you, your chest is still tingling under the moss. <<link "Everything fades to black...">><<set $wakeTo to setup.afterKhepriDefeat()>><<goto $wakeTo>><</link>>\ <</linkreplace>>\ <</linkreplace>>\ <<else>>\ <<linkreplace "Surrender (again)">>\ You do not even try to stand. You let the moss take you, and it does, lifting you into the warm green hold with a deep, satisfied hum from the stone. "Third time," says the spirit, and there is something close to fondness in its voice. "You are not here to pass. You are here to be marked." The moss lays you back on a bed of itself, warm and damp and alive, and the great stone hand lowers, glowing at the joints. One heavy fingertip traces a slow spiral low on your belly, and where it passes the skin tingles, then burns, then glows. "This is my seal. It will remember you, and warm whenever you think of me." <<linkreplace "Let him">>\ The glyph settles into you with a pulse of light, and the whole world narrows to the heat of it. You arch off the moss with a cry as the strands wrap your dick and stroke it slowly in rhythm with the glow, the glyph throbbing under your skin in time with every pass. The moss kneads your chest, your thighs, the soft of your ass, and everything feels warm and full and loved. You come with a long, shuddering moan that echoes off the basalt, and the glyph flares bright green, pulsing with your heartbeat. He does not stop until you are limp and trembling and the glow has settled into a soft, steady pulse under your skin. "Rest," he rumbles, almost gently. "I will keep what is mine, and I will keep it warm." The dark takes you, and the last thing you feel is the glyph, still glowing against your belly. <<link "Everything fades to black...">><<set $wakeTo to setup.afterKhepriDefeat()>><<goto $wakeTo>><</link>>\ <</linkreplace>>\ <</linkreplace>>\ <</if>>

<<run setup.ensurePalace()>>\ <<if setup.palaceMeet("steward")>>\ A thin man in a pleated white kilt sits behind a desk stacked with ledgers, a reed pen moving steadily across a roll of papyrus. He doesn't look up until you stop in front of him. "You are the one with the letter. Khenu, steward of the royal household." His eyes flick to you, then back to the roll. "The palace is open to those the seal admits. You may speak with the staff, walk the gardens and the kitchens, and sit in the servants' court. The throne room and the royal quarters are not open to you. Is that understood?" <<else>>\ Khenu doesn't look up from his ledger. "You again. Ask, then. I have forty tallies to finish before the evening bells." <<set _lines to [ "\"The household is smaller than it was. The king does not entertain, and what is not eaten is not ordered.\"", "\"The night guards speak of a low hum under the old tomb. I tell them it is the wind. I would very much like them to believe me.\"", "\"The captain of the guard has lost four men below the palace this season. The ledger records them as 'transferred'. Do not repeat that.\"", "\"The cook feeds the whole palace on half the budget I give her and complains the entire time. I would not trade her for ten stewards.\"", "\"The vizier handles every petition, and the vizier is, regrettably, always busy.\"" ]>>\ <p><em><<= setup.pick(_lines)>></em></p> <</if>> <<linkreplace "Ask for an audience with the king">>\ <p><em>"An audience?" Khenu's pen doesn't stop. "The letter admits you to the palace, not to the king. His Majesty grants audiences by his own word, and he has not spoken it for you. He has not spoken it for anyone in a long time."</em></p>\ <</linkreplace>> [[Talk some more|PalaceSteward]] [[Back to the courtyard|Palace]]

<<run setup.ensurePalace()>>\ <<if setup.palaceMeet("guard")>>\ The guardhouse is a bare stone room smelling of oil and leather. A scarred man in a bronze breastplate sits sharpening a khopesh, and he doesn't stop when you walk in. "Captain Rahotep. You're the one with the letter. Fine. Do as the steward says, stay out of the throne room, and stay far away from the women's wing. Do that and we'll get along." <<else>>\ Rahotep glances up from his whetstone. "Still alive, I see. Good. What now?" <<set _lines to [ "\"Cross the threshold of the women's wing and I'll have your hands, whoever's letter you carry. That is not a threat. It is the law.\"", "\"The throne room is guarded night and day. Nobody goes in without the king's word, and the king's word hasn't been given in a long time.\"", "\"Below the palace there are old crypts. I send men down. Fewer come back each season. If you go down there, bring potions and more courage than sense.\"", "\"I've served three kings. This one sits behind his doors and never calls for his guard. That is either wisdom or something worse.\"", "\"Good soldiers sharpen their blades every morning. Fools trust the edge they had yesterday.\"" ]>>\ <p><em><<= setup.pick(_lines)>></em></p> <</if>> [[Talk some more|PalaceGuard]] [[Back to the courtyard|Palace]]

<<run setup.ensurePalace()>>\ <<set _p to $palace>>\ The servants' court is a sunny yard of washing lines, wooden tubs and stacked baskets, filled with the smell of soap and wet linen. <<if setup.maidAway()>>\ <<set _d to setup.maidAwayDays()>><<set _dw to (_d is 1 ? "day" : "days")>>\ A stout laundress with forearms like loaves of bread is pounding a sheet in Meryt's usual spot. She sees you looking and shakes her head. @@.scene-whisper;"Meryt? Not here, love. They pulled her into the women's wing. One of the king's ladies is with child and every spare pair of hands is wanted. Another _d _dw, they say. Maybe longer."@@ She goes back to pounding. There is nothing for you here but waiting. <<elseif setup.maidReturnPending()>>\ <<maidReturn>>\ <<elseif setup.maidTalkedToday()>>\ Meryt is back at her tubs, elbow-deep in grey water. She glances up and gives you a small, private smile, then nods toward the steward's window across the yard. @@.scene-whisper;"We've talked enough for today. People will notice. Come find me tomorrow."@@ <<if _p.maidTalks lt 2>>\ //Meryt only talks to you once per day. Leave the palace and let a day pass (sleep at your camp or rest at the tavern), then come back to talk to her again. After a couple of talks she may invite you to her room.// <<else>>\ //Come back on another day to see her again.// <</if>> <<maidask>>\ <<elseif _p.maidTalks is 0>>\ A young maid is wringing out a sheet by a tub, sleeves rolled to her elbows, dark hair tied back with a strip of cloth. She glances at you, then at the guards by the gate, and decides you are interesting enough to talk to. @@.scene-whisper;"You're the visitor with the letter. I'm Meryt. Everyone says you came from the tomb. Is it true there are monsters?"@@ <span id="maid-talk"> <<link "Tell her about the tomb">>\ <<replace "#maid-talk" t8n>>\ You tell her about the sand, the scorpions and the things that live in the dark below. She listens with her chin on her wet hands, eyes shining. @@.scene-whisper;"Real monsters. And you walked back out." She whistles softly.@@ <<linkreplace "Watch her" t8n>>\ She leans over the tub, deliberately slow, and the damp linen of her shift clings to her chest. Nothing beneath, the full weight of her bare breasts swaying as the fabric stretches taut. Her nipples are hard, dark against the wet cloth, and she makes no effort to hide them. @@.scene-whisper;"Monsters or not," she murmurs, straightening with a smile, "I bet it takes a great man to slay one."@@ <<maidend>>\ //Tip: Meryt only talks to you once per day. Let a day pass (sleep at your camp or the tavern), then come back and talk to her again.// <</linkreplace>>\ <</replace>>\ <</link>> <<link "Say you didn't come here to talk about monsters">>\ <<replace "#maid-talk" t8n>>\ Her eyebrows climb. Then a slow, pleased smile spreads across her face, and she wrings the sheet one last time, slowly, still looking at you. @@.scene-whisper;"Oh? Then what did you come for?"@@ <<linkreplace "Hold her gaze" t8n>>\ She leans over the tub, in no hurry at all, and the damp linen of her shift clings to her chest. Nothing beneath, the full weight of her bare breasts swaying as the fabric stretches taut. Her nipples are hard, dark against the wet cloth, and she makes no effort to hide them. @@.scene-whisper;"Careful," she murmurs, straightening with a smile. "A woman could get ideas."@@ <<maidend>>\ //Tip: Meryt only talks to you once per day. Let a day pass (sleep at your camp or the tavern), then come back and talk to her again.// <</linkreplace>>\ <</replace>>\ <</link>> </span> <<elseif _p.maidTalks is 1>>\ Meryt grins when she sees you and abandons her tub. @@.scene-whisper;"Back again. People are starting to talk."@@ She doesn't seem to mind. <span id="maid-talk"> <<link "Ask what they're saying">>\ <<replace "#maid-talk" t8n>>\ @@.scene-whisper;"That the visitor from the tomb has a taste for laundry." She laughs. "The cook thinks I'm a fool. The guards think you are one."@@ She tilts her head. "I haven't decided yet." <<linkreplace "Wait for her to decide" t8n>>\ She leans against the wall and stretches her arms overhead, a slow, languid movement that lifts her thin shift and makes it perfectly, deliberately clear she wears nothing underneath. Her breasts rise with the stretch, the underside of them visible, her nipples pressing against the fabric like small stones. @@.scene-whisper;"Like what you see?"@@ She lets her arms fall and steps closer, her voice dropping. @@.scene-whisper;"I bet a strong man like you could hold them in place for me."@@ <<maidend>>\ //Tip: Meryt only talks to you once per day. Come back another day. She may soon invite you to her room.// <</linkreplace>>\ <</replace>>\ <</link>> <<link "Tell her to let them talk">>\ <<replace "#maid-talk" t8n>>\ She laughs, delighted, and a flush rises in her cheeks. @@.scene-whisper;"Good. I was afraid you'd be sensible."@@ <<linkreplace "Hold her gaze" t8n>>\ She leans against the wall and stretches her arms overhead, a slow, languid movement that lifts her thin shift and makes it perfectly, deliberately clear she wears nothing underneath. Her breasts rise with the stretch, the underside of them visible, her nipples pressing against the fabric like small stones. @@.scene-whisper;"Like what you see? Hoping something might jump out?"@@ She lets her arms fall and steps closer, her voice dropping. @@.scene-whisper;"I bet a strong man like you could hold them in place for me."@@ <<maidend>>\ //Tip: Meryt only talks to you once per day. Come back another day. She may soon invite you to her room.// <</linkreplace>>\ <</replace>>\ <</link>> </span> <<else>>\ Meryt looks up the moment you step into the yard and her whole face softens. She sets down her basket and steps close, lowering her voice. @@.scene-whisper;"I was hoping you'd come. I keep catching myself looking at the gate."@@ <span id="maid-talk"> <<link "Tell her you've thought about her too">>\ <<replace "#maid-talk" t8n>>\ Something in her face goes soft and a little unsteady, as if she hadn't dared to expect it. @@.scene-whisper;"Have you?"@@ she breathes. "Truly?" <<linkreplace "Nod" t8n>>\ She reaches up to adjust the cloth in her hair, and the motion pulls her shift tight across her chest, a brazen display, her breasts swaying freely, dark areolae clearly visible through the worn linen. She doesn't lower her arms. She lets you look. @@.scene-whisper;"Then you won't mind me saying I've been thinking about you too. Every night. Alone in my bed."@@ She bites her lower lip. @@.scene-whisper;"That's a dangerous thing, a woman alone with her thoughts."@@ <<maidend>>\ //Tip: Meryt only talks to you once per day. Come back on another day to see her again.// <</linkreplace>>\ <</replace>>\ <</link>> <<link "Tease her for staring at the gate">>\ <<replace "#maid-talk" t8n>>\ She laughs and swats your arm, not hard. @@.scene-whisper;"Every time it opens. Every single time."@@ <<linkreplace "Let her go on" t8n>>\ She reaches up to adjust the cloth in her hair, and the motion pulls her shift tight across her chest, a brazen display, her breasts swaying freely, dark areolae clearly visible through the worn linen. She doesn't lower her arms. She lets you look. @@.scene-whisper;"You don't mind me saying so, do you? Because I've been thinking about you. Every night. Alone in my bed."@@ She bites her lower lip. @@.scene-whisper;"That's a dangerous thing, a woman alone with her thoughts."@@ <<maidend>>\ You should come back tomorror, if you want to talk to her again <</linkreplace>>\ <</replace>>\ <</link>> </span> <</if>> <<if setup.dayGiftReady() and not setup.maidReturnPending()>> <<maidGiftDay>> <</if>> <<if $palace.nippleSolved>><<endofcontent>><</if>> [[Back to the courtyard|Palace]]

<<run setup.ensurePalace()>>\ <<set $palace.throneTries += 1>>\ Two tall doors of cedar plated with gold stand at the end of a long hall, flanked by guards in full bronze. The doors are shut. The silence on this side of them is too heavy to be ordinary. <<if $palace.throneTries is 1>>\ The nearer guard steps into your path and lowers his spear a few fingers. "No audience has been granted. The king receives no one without his own word, and he has given none." "But the letter-" you begin. "The letter gets you through the gate," the guard says flatly. "Not through this door." <<elseif $palace.throneTries is 2>>\ The guards don't even bother to speak this time. The nearer one shakes his head slowly, and both spears drop in front of you like a closing gate. <<else>>\ The guards watch you approach with the weary patience of men who have seen a lot of visitors turn around. "Still no audience," the nearer one says. "Take it up with the steward. Take it anywhere you like, but not here." <</if>> From somewhere behind the doors you hear nothing at all, not a voice, not a footstep. It is a very quiet room for a king's. [[Turn back|Palace]]

<<run setup.ensurePalace()>>\ <<set $palace.haremTries += 1>>\ A carved cedar screen hides the mouth of a long corridor. A sweet, heavy scent drifts out of it, jasmine and myrrh and warm skin, along with the faint sound of women's voices, laughter, and a lute. In front of the screen stands a huge man in a gilded sash, arms folded across a chest like a barrel. <<if $palace.haremTries is 1>>\ "This is the royal women's wing," the eunuch says, in a surprisingly soft voice. "No man but the king may pass this screen. Not the steward, not the captain, and certainly not a visitor with a letter. Turn around." <<else>>\ The eunuch doesn't move, doesn't speak, only shifts his weight slightly, and that is answer enough. The scent of jasmine drifts around him as if to mock you. <</if>> <<link "Try to slip past anyway">>\ <p><em>You step toward the screen. He takes your collar in one enormous hand and sets you back where you started, without effort and without anger. "No," he says gently. "Don't make me ask the captain."</em></p>\ <</link>> [[Turn back|Palace]]

<<set _n to $palace.maidTimes>>\ <<if setup.nightGiftReady()>><<maidGiftNight>>\ <<elseif _n lte 1>><<maidNight1>>\ <<elseif _n is 2>><<maidNight2>>\ <<elseif _n is 3>><<maidQuestions>>\ <<elseif _n is 4>><<maidPositions>>\ <<elseif _n is 5>><<maidNipples>>\ <<elseif _n is 6>><<maidTitfuck>>\ <<elseif _n is 7>><<maidFarewell>>\ <<elseif _n is 8>><<maidReunion>>\ <<elseif (_n % 2) is 0>><<maidPositions>>\ <<else>><<maidQuestions>>\ <</if>> <<if $palace.nippleSolved>><<endofcontent>><</if>>

<<widget "maidask">>\ <span id="maid-end">\ <<if setup.maidReady()>>\ <p><<link "Ask if she'd share her bed tonight">>\ <<replace "#maid-end" t8n>>\ <<if $palace.maidTimes is 0>>\ You lower your voice and ask. For a moment she only looks at you, her hands gone still on the wet linen, a flush climbing from her throat to her cheeks. @@.scene-whisper;"Tonight?" she breathes. "Gods. Yes."@@ She glances at the guards by the gate, then back at you, a small, nervous smile tugging at her mouth. @@.scene-whisper;"Wait until the bells. The yard empties after dark. I'll be in the little room behind the laundry. Don't let anyone see you come."@@ <<else>>\ You barely finish asking before she laughs, low and delighted, and swats your arm with the damp sheet. @@.scene-whisper;"You don't have to ask twice."@@ She leans in close enough that her breath touches your ear. @@.scene-whisper;"After the bells. Same room. I'll leave the lamp lit for you."@@ <</if>> <<linkreplace "Wait for the bells" t8n>>\ The day drags. You go through the hours half listening, and when the last bell finally rolls across the palace, you slip back toward the yard. <<link "Go to her" "PalaceMaidScene">><<run setup.maidNight()>><</link>> <</linkreplace>> <</replace>>\ <</link>></p> <<elseif $palace.maidTalks gte 2>>\ <p><em>She is on early duty for the next <<= setup.maidWait()>> day<<if setup.maidWait() isnot 1>>s<</if>> and needs her sleep. Come back later.</em></p> <</if>>\ </span>\ <</widget>> <<widget "maidend">>\ <<run setup.maidChat()>>\ <<maidask>>\ <</widget>> <<widget "maidreturnask">>\ <<run setup.maidReturned()>>\ <span id="maid-end">\ <p><<link "Tell her you'll come tonight">>\ <<replace "#maid-end" t8n>>\ Her whole face lights up, and she squeezes your hands hard enough to hurt. @@.scene-whisper;"After the bells. Same room. I'll leave the lamp lit, and I'll be waiting."@@ <<linkreplace "Wait for the bells" t8n>>\ The day crawls. Every hour feels twice as long as it should, and when the last bell finally rolls across the palace, you slip back toward the yard. <<link "Go to her" "PalaceMaidScene">><<run setup.maidNight()>><</link>> <</linkreplace>> <</replace>>\ <</link>></p> </span>\ <</widget>> <<widget "maidmorning">>\ <<linkreplace "Hold her until she falls asleep" t8n>>\ You pull the sheet over you both and she curls against your side, her head on your shoulder, her leg thrown over yours. She murmurs something sleepy that you don't quite catch, and then her breathing slows. You lie awake for a while listening to the palace settle around you. Somewhere before dawn you sleep too. When the grey light reaches the window she is already gone, and the only sign she was here is a heel of bread and a pot of honey on the washstand. [[Slip out into the courtyard before the others wake|Palace]] <</linkreplace>>\ <</widget>> <<widget "maidA2">>\ <p>@@.scene-whisper;"And where do you live? Do you have a house, a family, a door to come home to?"@@</p> <span id="mq2"> <<link "Out in the desert, in a camp">>\ <<replace "#mq2" t8n>>\ She wrinkles her nose, then laughs. @@.scene-whisper;"A camp. With a fire and everything? That sounds terribly lonely. And a little bit wonderful."@@ <<maidA3>>\ <</replace>>\ <</link>> <<link "Nowhere, really">>\ <<replace "#mq2" t8n>>\ She goes quiet for a moment and her fingers stop moving on your chest. @@.scene-whisper;"Nowhere. I think I understand that better than you'd guess."@@ <<maidA3>>\ <</replace>>\ <</link>> </span> <</widget>> <<widget "maidA3">>\ <<linkreplace "Wait for her next question" t8n>>\ She is quiet for a while, and when she speaks again her voice is smaller. @@.scene-whisper;"Is there anyone waiting for you out there?"@@ <span id="mq3"> <<link "No one">>\ <<replace "#mq3" t8n>>\ @@.scene-whisper;"No one at all?"@@ She props herself up and looks at you, searching your face. @@.scene-whisper;"Then I suppose I don't have to feel guilty."@@ A small, crooked smile. @@.scene-whisper;"Much."@@ <<maidend2>>\ <</replace>>\ <</link>> <<link "Maybe someone, once">>\ <<replace "#mq3" t8n>>\ She nods slowly, without any jealousy, and lays her head back down on your chest. @@.scene-whisper;"Once is enough to know what you're looking for. I won't ask more tonight."@@ <<maidend2>>\ <</replace>>\ <</link>> </span> <</linkreplace>>\ <</widget>> <<widget "maidB2">>\ <p>@@.scene-whisper;"What will you do when you've taken everything it has to give? The tomb, I mean."@@</p> <span id="mq2"> <<link "Leave, and not look back">>\ <<replace "#mq2" t8n>>\ She nods as if she expected it, but her eyes drop. @@.scene-whisper;"Most people do. The palace is a good place to leave from."@@ <<maidB3>>\ <</replace>>\ <</link>> <<link "Dig deeper, find what's below">>\ <<replace "#mq2" t8n>>\ She lets out a breath that is half a laugh. @@.scene-whisper;"Of course. And I'll stay up here and wash sheets and wonder if you ever made it back."@@ <<maidB3>>\ <</replace>>\ <</link>> </span> <</widget>> <<widget "maidB3">>\ <<linkreplace "Let her ask" t8n>>\ Her fingers find yours in the dark. @@.scene-whisper;"And if I asked you to stay? Not forever. Just through the winter."@@ <span id="mq3"> <<link "I'd think about it">>\ <<replace "#mq3" t8n>>\ She turns her head and presses her mouth to your shoulder, and you feel her smile against your skin. @@.scene-whisper;"That's more than most men would give me. I'll take it."@@ <<maidend2>>\ <</replace>>\ <</link>> <<link "I don't stay anywhere">>\ <<replace "#mq3" t8n>>\ She is silent for a while. Then she shifts closer and tucks her head under your chin. @@.scene-whisper;"I know. I asked anyway."@@ <<maidend2>>\ <</replace>>\ <</link>> </span> <</linkreplace>>\ <</widget>> <<widget "maidend2">>\ <<linkreplace "Let the silence settle" t8n>>\ She doesn't say anything for a long moment. Her hand, which has been resting flat on your chest, begins to move, slowly, down over your ribs and your stomach. The lamp flickers. You can feel her breath, a little uneven, against your shoulder. @@.scene-whisper;"I said I didn't want to do anything tonight," she murmurs. "I lied."@@ <<linkreplace "Kiss her" t8n>>\ You turn your head and she is already there, her mouth finding yours, soft and unhurried this time, nothing like the first night. She kisses you as if she has all the time in the world. The sheet slips from her shoulders and she presses against you, warm skin and loose hair, her leg sliding over yours, her hand finding the ties of your clothes and undoing them one by one. @@.scene-whisper;"Slowly," she whispers against your lips. "Please. I want to feel all of it."@@ <<linkreplace "Take your time" t8n>>\ You roll her onto her back and she pulls you down with her, her arms around your neck, her legs parting for you. You take your time, and kiss her throat, her collarbone, the swell of her breasts, circling each hard nipple with your tongue until she arches beneath you with a soft, broken sigh. Your hand slides down between her thighs and she is already slick and open, and she shivers as you stroke her, her hips lifting to meet your fingers. @@.scene-whisper;"Now," she breathes. "Please, now."@@ <<linkreplace "Slide into her" t8n>>\ You ease into her slowly, inch by inch, and she gasps and holds your face in both hands, watching you, her eyes dark and wet in the lamplight. She is hot and tight around you and neither of you hurries. You move in long, deep strokes while she holds you close, her fingers tangled in your hair, her breath catching every time you bottom out. The bed creaks softly. Her breasts brush your chest with every thrust. @@.scene-whisper;"Look at me," she whispers. "Don't look away."@@ <<linkreplace "Stay with her" t8n>>\ You don't. She comes with her eyes open and fixed on yours, her lips parted, her whole body drawing tight and then shaking, a low, aching moan spilling out of her as she clenches around you again and again. <<timed 2s>>\ @@.scene-pulse;The sight of her, the slow, helpless pulse of her around you, takes you over the edge a moment later. You bury your face in her neck and spill into her with a long, shuddering breath, her arms locked around you, holding you there until it passes.@@ <<next 3s>>\ Neither of you moves. Her fingers are tracing slow lines down your back, and her heart is thudding against yours. After a while she laughs, very softly, and presses her lips to the side of your jaw. @@.scene-whisper;"That's the first time anyone has looked at me like that," she says quietly. "Like I was a person and not a pair of hands."@@ <<maidmorning>>\ <</timed>>\ <</linkreplace>>\ <</linkreplace>>\ <</linkreplace>>\ <</linkreplace>>\ <</linkreplace>>\ <</widget>> <<widget "maidQuestions">>\ The lamp is lit and the door is ajar when you reach the little room behind the laundry. Meryt is already in bed, the sheet pulled up to her collarbone, her hair loose on the pillow. She doesn't pull you inside this time. She just pats the bed beside her and smiles. @@.scene-whisper;"Come here. Lie down. I don't want to do anything tonight, not yet."@@ <<linkreplace "Lie down beside her" t8n>>\ She turns on her side and tucks her head into the crook of your shoulder, one hand resting flat on your chest. For a while neither of you speaks. The lamp flickers and a cart rumbles somewhere in the distance. <<if $palace.maidTimes is 3>>\ @@.scene-whisper;"I just realized I know your body better than I know a single true thing about you."@@ She props herself up on one elbow and looks down at you. @@.scene-whisper;"So tell me. What is it you actually do? Besides crawling into tombs."@@ <span id="mq1"> <<link "I hunt treasure">>\ <<replace "#mq1" t8n>>\ She laughs softly. @@.scene-whisper;"Of course you do. And do you find it? Or does it find you?"@@ She tilts her head. @@.scene-whisper;"Never mind. Don't tell me. I like not knowing the ending."@@ <<maidA2>>\ <</replace>>\ <</link>> <<link "I fight for coin">>\ <<replace "#mq1" t8n>>\ She runs a finger over a scar on your ribs. @@.scene-whisper;"I thought so. You carry yourself like a man who expects the floor to move."@@ She presses her lips together. @@.scene-whisper;"It makes me glad you came back out."@@ <<maidA2>>\ <</replace>>\ <</link>> </span> <<else>>\ @@.scene-whisper;"Tell me about the tomb. Not the monsters. The way down. What is it like?"@@ Her fingers trace small circles on your chest. <span id="mq1"> <<link "Cold, and very quiet">>\ <<replace "#mq1" t8n>>\ She shivers and snuggles closer. @@.scene-whisper;"I'd hate it. I like noise. Laundry and gossip and people shouting across the yard."@@ She smiles against your shoulder. @@.scene-whisper;"I think that's why I like you. You're the quiet that comes back."@@ <<maidB2>>\ <</replace>>\ <</link>> <<link "Full of old gold and older bones">>\ <<replace "#mq1" t8n>>\ She hums. @@.scene-whisper;"Gold and bones. That sounds like the palace, only honest about it."@@ She laughs, quiet and a little rueful. <<maidB2>>\ <</replace>>\ <</link>> </span> <</if>>\ <</linkreplace>>\ <</widget>>

<<widget "maidNight1">>\ The yard is empty when you return that night, washing lines stirring in the warm breeze, the tubs stacked and silent. A single lamp burns in the small room behind the laundry, and Meryt is waiting in the doorway, her shift already loosened at the shoulders, her dark hair down. @@.scene-whisper;"You came," she breathes, and pulls you inside.@@ <<linkreplace "Step inside" t8n>>\ The door clicks shut. She doesn't bother with words after that just presses her mouth to yours, hot and open, her tongue sliding against yours as her hands work at the ties of your clothes. Her shift falls away and she stands before you in nothing but lamplight: full, heavy breasts with dark, hard nipples, a soft belly, the dark triangle between her thighs already glistening. She takes your hand and presses it there without shame. @@.scene-whisper;"Feel how wet I am," she whispers against your mouth. "I've been like this all day, thinking about you."@@ <<linkreplace "Lay her down on the bed" t8n>>\ You push her back onto the narrow bed and she goes willingly, spreading her legs, watching you with hooded eyes as you settle between them. She's slick and hot, and when you slide your fingers through her folds she arches her back with a broken moan, her nipples tightening further as you circle her clit with your thumb. She grabs your wrist, not to stop you but to press you harder. @@.scene-whisper;"Inside," she pants. "Please inside me."@@ <<linkreplace "Give her what she begs for" t8n>>\ When you push into her she cries out, her legs locking around your hips, her inner walls clenching around you. She's tight and impossibly wet, and each thrust draws a raw, gasping sound from her throat. Her breasts bounce with the rhythm, her hands clawing at your back, her hair spread wild across the pillow. She hooks her ankles behind you and pulls you deeper, grinding up to meet every stroke. @@.scene-whisper;"Harder," she gasps. "Don't stop don't you dare stop."@@ <<linkreplace "Don't stop" t8n>>\ The bed creaks beneath you. She reaches down between your bodies to rub herself as you fuck her, her fingers frantic on her clit, her eyes rolling back. When she comes she shudders violently around you, a long, keening cry that she muffles against your shoulder, her whole body trembling and clenching in waves. <<timed 2s>>\ @@.scene-pulse;The sight and the feel of her the heat, the wetness, the way she convulses around your dick drags you over the edge after her, spilling deep inside her with a groan you can't contain.@@ <<next 3s>>\ For a long moment neither of you moves. Then she laughs, soft and breathless, and kisses the corner of your jaw. @@.scene-whisper;"Again," she murmurs. "In a minute. I want to feel you again."@@ <<linkreplace "Let her have you again" t8n>>\ And later, when the lamp has burned low and you're both slick with sweat, she straddles you in the dark, sinking down onto you with a satisfied sigh, riding you slowly this time, her hands braced on your chest, her breasts swaying above your face until you pull one down to your mouth and she moans, her hips stuttering. <<linkreplace "Stay until dawn" t8n>>\ By the time dawn greys the window, you've had her three times, and she lies curled against your chest, tracing idle patterns on your skin. @@.scene-whisper;"You'll come back," she says. It isn't a question.@@ [[Slip out into the courtyard before the others wake|Palace]] <</linkreplace>>\ <</linkreplace>>\ <</timed>>\ <</linkreplace>>\ <</linkreplace>>\ <</linkreplace>>\ <</linkreplace>>\ <</widget>> <<widget "maidNight2">>\ The lamp is already lit when you reach the little room behind the laundry. This time Meryt doesn't pull you inside. She waits until you've stepped through, closes the door and leans back against it, arms folded loosely under her breasts, watching you with a slow, knowing smile. @@.scene-whisper;"Last time I begged," she says. "Tonight I think I'd like to be in charge."@@ <<linkreplace "Let her lead" t8n>>\ She crosses the room and puts a hand flat on your chest, and walks you backward until your knees meet the edge of the bed. @@.scene-whisper;"Sit."@@ You sit. She takes her time, undoing the ties at her shoulders one at a time, letting the shift slip down inch by inch, until it pools at her feet and she stands over you in the lamplight, unhurried, her skin warm and gold. She sinks to her knees between your legs and looks up at you through her lashes as she unties your clothes. <<linkreplace "Watch her" t8n>>\ Her mouth is hot and wet and she is in no hurry at all. She takes you in slowly, her tongue sliding along you, one hand wrapped around the base, her eyes never leaving your face. Every time your breath catches she smiles around you and slows down, until you are gripping the edge of the bed and she is humming softly, pleased with herself, the vibration shivering through you. @@.scene-whisper;She pulls back, lips glistening, and wipes her mouth with her thumb. "Not yet," she says. "I'm not done with you."@@ <<linkreplace "Pull her up" t8n>>\ She climbs onto your lap, knees on either side of your hips, and sinks down onto you in one long, slow slide, her head tipping back with a shuddering sigh. She sets the pace, rolling her hips in deep, languid circles, her breasts swaying in front of your face, her fingers tangled in your hair. You bury your mouth against her throat and she gasps and speeds up, her breath coming faster, her thighs trembling around you. @@.scene-whisper;"Tell me when," she pants. "Tell me I want to feel it."@@ <<linkreplace "Hold her hips" t8n>>\ You grip her hips and drag her down onto you again and again, and she loses all pretence of control, her mouth open against your ear, her nails digging into your shoulders. She comes first, with a high, helpless cry, clenching around you in hard, rhythmic pulses that pull you over the edge a moment after, spilling into her as she rocks through the last of it. <<timed 2s>>\ She slumps against you, boneless and laughing, her forehead on your shoulder. <<next 3s>>\ @@.scene-whisper;"Gods," she murmurs. "I could get used to this."@@ She lifts her head and kisses you, slow and deep. @@.scene-whisper;"Stay a little. The bells won't ring for hours."@@ <<linkreplace "Stay" t8n>>\ You lie together on the narrow bed, her back to your chest, your arm around her waist, her fingers tracing the veins on your hand. She doesn't say anything for a long time, and neither do you, and when you finally drift off you can still feel her heartbeat slowing against your arm. When you wake she is gone, and there is a heel of bread and a pot of honey on the washstand. [[Slip out into the courtyard before the others wake|Palace]] <</linkreplace>>\ <</timed>>\ <</linkreplace>>\ <</linkreplace>>\ <</linkreplace>>\ <</linkreplace>>\ <</widget>> <<widget "maidPositions">>\ The lamp is lit and the door is open a hand's width when you reach the little room behind the laundry. Meryt is sitting cross-legged on the bed with the sheet bunched around her hips, flushed, grinning, and clearly trying not to laugh. She pats the bed beside her before you've even closed the door. @@.scene-whisper;"Don't look at me like that. I've been waiting all day to tell you."@@ <<linkreplace "Ask what she's been waiting to say" t8n>>\ She pulls her knees up and wraps her arms around them, lowering her voice as if the walls might be listening. @@.scene-whisper;"Taia, from the kitchens, you know her, the one who laughs too loud. She's been sleeping with a guardsman for a year. And she told me things."@@ Her cheeks darken. @@.scene-whisper;"About ways of doing it. Positions. She says there are ways that make you see stars, and that I've been doing it like a child."@@ She looks up at you through her lashes, bold and shy at once. @@.scene-whisper;"I want to try them. With you. If you'll let me."@@ <<linkreplace "Tell her you'll let her choose" t8n>>\ She bites her lip and thinks, her eyes darting over you with open hunger, and then she holds up three fingers. @@.scene-whisper;"Three. Taia said these three were the best. You pick."@@ <span id="mpos"> <<link "Lie on your sides, close together">>\ <<replace "#mpos" t8n>>\ She turns onto her side with her back to you, and you curl around her, your chest against her spine, your arm under her neck. @@.scene-whisper;"Taia says this one is slow," she whispers. "She says you can feel everything."@@ You lift her top leg over yours and she gasps softly as you press against her, her hand reaching back to find your hair. <<linkreplace "Slide into her" t8n>>\ You ease into her from behind and she shudders, her whole body going tight and then loose. It's slow and deep, her back flush against your chest, your mouth on her shoulder, your hand sliding around to circle her clit while you move. She lets out a long, trembling moan and presses back into every stroke. @@.scene-whisper;"Oh," she breathes. "Oh, she was right. Gods, she was right."@@ <<timed 2s>>\ @@.scene-pulse;She comes with her head tipped back against your shoulder, a low, wavering cry torn out of her, her whole body shaking in your arms. The clench of her takes you with her, and you spill inside her with your face buried in her hair.@@ <<next 3s>>\ She laughs, breathless, still shaking. @@.scene-whisper;"Taia is going to be insufferable when I tell her."@@ <<maidmorning>>\ <</timed>>\ <</linkreplace>>\ <</replace>>\ <</link>> <<link "Let her get on her hands and knees">>\ <<replace "#mpos" t8n>>\ She rises onto her hands and knees on the bed and looks back at you over her shoulder, her hair spilling across her face, a nervous giggle escaping her. @@.scene-whisper;"I feel ridiculous. Taia says that's part of it."@@ You kneel behind her and run your hands up her thighs, over the curve of her hips, and her giggle breaks into a sharp little breath. She arches her back without being told. <<linkreplace "Take her hips" t8n>>\ You grip her hips and push into her, slowly at first, and she buries her face in the pillow to muffle a long, helpless groan. She is tight and hot and impossibly wet, and it goes deeper this way than it ever has. When you pull her back onto you she gasps, and when you do it again she starts to meet you, pushing back, her breasts swaying beneath her, her knuckles white on the sheet. @@.scene-whisper;"Deeper," she gasps into the pillow. "Please. Don't be gentle."@@ <<timed 2s>>\ @@.scene-pulse;She comes with a muffled scream, her back bowing, her arms giving out so that she collapses onto her chest with her hips still lifted, clenching around you in hard, helpless pulses. You hold her there and drive into her until you follow her over, spilling deep with a groan you can't hold back.@@ <<next 3s>>\ She collapses onto the bed in a boneless heap, laughing weakly into the pillow. @@.scene-whisper;"I'm going to kill Taia," she says. "Right after I thank her."@@ <<maidmorning>>\ <</timed>>\ <</linkreplace>>\ <</replace>>\ <</link>> <<link "Lift her against the wall">>\ <<replace "#mpos" t8n>>\ She stands and walks to the whitewashed wall, her back against it, and looks at you with her eyes very wide. @@.scene-whisper;"Quietly," she whispers. "The other maids sleep on the other side. If they hear us I will never live it down."@@ You step close and she wraps her arms around your neck, and you lift her, her legs locking around your waist, her bare back pressed against the cool plaster. <<linkreplace "Hold her there" t8n>>\ You sink into her standing, with her full weight in your arms, and she bites down on your shoulder to keep from crying out. Every thrust drives her against the wall. It's slow, then harder, her thighs trembling around you, her breath hot and ragged against your neck, one hand clamped over her own mouth. You can feel her shaking from the effort of staying quiet. @@.scene-whisper;"Don't stop," she mouths against your skin. "Don't make a sound. Don't stop."@@ <<timed 2s>>\ @@.scene-pulse;She comes without a sound, her whole body going rigid against the wall, her teeth sunk into your shoulder, her thighs clamped around you. It tips you over, and you drive into her one last time, holding her high against the plaster as you spill into her, silent, shaking, gasping into her hair.@@ <<next 3s>>\ She slides down your body onto unsteady legs and leans against you, giggling silently, tears of laughter in her eyes. @@.scene-whisper;"Did they hear? Do you think they heard?"@@ You listen, and hear only the sleeping palace and a distant cart. @@.scene-whisper;"Taia is never going to believe this."@@ <<maidmorning>>\ <</timed>>\ <</linkreplace>>\ <</replace>>\ <</link>> </span> <</linkreplace>>\ <</linkreplace>>\ <</widget>> <<widget "maidNipples">>\ The lamp is lit and Meryt is sitting cross-legged on the bed in her shift with a pillow clutched in her lap, looking like someone who has rehearsed a speech and forgotten every word of it. She doesn't wait for you to close the door. @@.scene-whisper;"Do you want to try stuff?"@@ she blurts, then flushes to the roots of her hair. @@.scene-whisper;"New stuff. Not positions. Just... things. I don't even know what. Taia says there are a hundred small ways to make it better and I've only learned four."@@ <<linkreplace "Say yes" t8n>>\ She lets the pillow fall and rises onto her knees on the bed, hesitating, and then pulls her shift over her head in one quick movement and drops it. Her breasts are bare in the lamplight, heavy and rising fast with her breath, the dark nipples already tight and hard in the warm air. @@.scene-whisper;"I don't know where to start," she admits, a little breathlessly. "You'll have to show me."@@ <<linkreplace "Cup her breasts" t8n>>\ You take one breast in each hand, the full soft weight of them filling your palms, and she draws in a sharp breath. Your thumbs brush over her nipples, once, slowly, and she makes a small startled sound, and her hands fly to your wrists, not to stop you, only to hold on. You lean in and kiss the slope of one breast, then the other, drawing closer to the peak with every kiss, and her breath comes shorter with every inch. <<linkreplace "Take her nipple in your mouth" t8n>>\ You close your lips around one hard nipple and she gasps. It's a sound you haven't heard from her before, high and surprised. You flick your tongue across it, slowly, and then suck, gently, and her fingers spear into your hair, her back arching, pushing herself into your mouth. @@.scene-whisper;"Oh oh, gods. What is that? What are you don't stop. Don't you dare stop."@@ You move to the other one, and she moans, openly this time, rocking against you, her thighs squeezing together. When you slide a hand down between them she is soaked, her folds slick and hot, the sheet beneath her already damp. She gasps at your touch and looks down at you, wild-eyed. @@.scene-whisper;"Look at me, I'm I haven't even you've only touched my breasts."@@ She laughs, shaky, almost scandalized. @@.scene-whisper;"We should do this every time. To start. Every single time. It makes me so wet I can't think."@@ <<linkreplace "Lay her back" t8n>>\ You ease her onto her back and keep your mouth on her breast as you settle between her thighs. She's so slick that you sink into her at once, and she cries out, her legs wrapping around your waist. You thrust slowly, with your lips still closed around her nipple, and every pull of your mouth makes her clench around you, hard and fluttering. She grips the back of your head and holds you to her chest. @@.scene-whisper;"Harder there oh, don't let go, don't let go of me."@@ <<timed 2s>>\ @@.scene-pulse;She comes fast, nearly sobbing, her whole body locking beneath you, pulsing around you in quick hard waves that drag you over with her. You spill deep inside her with your mouth still on her breast, groaning into her skin.@@ <<next 3s>>\ She lies gasping, her fingers still tangled in your hair, and starts to laugh, helplessly, weakly. @@.scene-whisper;"Every time," she says. "Promise me. Every time we start like that."@@ <<maidmorning>>\ <</timed>>\ <</linkreplace>>\ <</linkreplace>>\ <</linkreplace>>\ <</linkreplace>>\ <</widget>> <<widget "maidTitfuck">>\ Meryt opens the door before you can knock, already smiling, and pulls you inside by your collar. The lamp is lit, the bed is made, and she has been waiting with her hands folded very neatly in front of her, like a woman who has made a decision. @@.scene-whisper;"Every time to start," she reminds you, her grin sharpening. "I remember."@@ She pulls her shift over her head, drops it on the floor and kneels up on the bed, offering her bare breasts with both hands. <<linkreplace "Suck on her nipples" t8n>>\ You take your time. You close your mouth over one nipple and she moans straight away, a long, helpless sound, her head dropping back. You suck and flick and circle it slowly with your tongue, and then you move to the other, and she is panting, rocking on her knees, a damp patch already spreading on the sheet beneath her. Her hand finds the back of your neck and holds you there. @@.scene-whisper;"See? I'm already I'm soaked. Gods, I'm so wet, it's ridiculous."@@ She laughs, breathless, and pushes you back by the shoulders. @@.scene-whisper;"Lie down. It's my turn tonight."@@ <<linkreplace "Lie back" t8n>>\ You lie back on the bed and she kneels between your legs, her eyes bright, a little nervous, a little hungry. She unties your clothes, and takes you in her hand, and kisses the tip, light and curious. Then she licks a long slow line from the base up, watching your face for every reaction, and when you groan her smile widens. @@.scene-whisper;"Taia said to go slow," she murmurs. "And pay attention."@@ She takes you into her mouth, carefully at first, then deeper, her tongue working underneath, her hand following her lips. She finds a rhythm, hums, and the vibration shoots up your spine. Her dark eyes stay fixed on yours the whole time. When your hips lift off the bed she lets out a pleased little sound around you, and slows down, deliberately, to make you shake. <<linkreplace "Let her keep going" t8n>>\ You are close, and she knows it. She pulls off with a wet gasp, lips swollen and shining, and holds you in her fist, panting. @@.scene-whisper;"Wait. Not yet. There's one more thing."@@ She flushes. @@.scene-whisper;"A girl from the kitchens who carries the trays to the women's wing told Taia something. She said the concubines do this for the king, sometimes. When he is tired and doesn't want to move."@@ Her eyes drop to her own chest. @@.scene-whisper;"With these."@@ She cups her breasts in both hands, lifts them, and looks up at you, her mouth curving in a shy, wicked smile. @@.scene-whisper;"Do you want me to try?"@@ <<linkreplace "Tell her yes" t8n>>\ She lets a slow string of spit fall from her lips onto the cleft between her breasts, and then presses them around you, warm and soft and slick, and slides them up and down. The skin is hot, the cleft is silky, and her nipples brush your stomach on every stroke. She watches you, entranced, her lips parted, her breath coming fast, squeezing them tighter around you with both hands. @@.scene-whisper;"Is it good? Tell me. Tell me if it's good."@@ "Gods, yes," you manage, and she laughs, delighted, and speeds up, her breasts bouncing, her eyes shining, tongue flicking out to catch the tip each time it rises between them. <<timed 2s>>\ @@.scene-pulse;It builds fast. You can't hold it, and you groan her name as you come, spilling across her chest and her throat in hot ropes, and she gasps, delighted and startled, still squeezing her breasts around you until you're spent.@@ <<next 3s>>\ She looks down at herself, flushed and glistening, and laughs, out of breath, wiping her thumb along her collarbone. @@.scene-whisper;"Now I understand why the king keeps them."@@ She looks up at you, eyes wicked. @@.scene-whisper;"Don't tell Taia I said that. She'd never let me hear the end of it."@@ <<maidmorning>>\ <</timed>>\ <</linkreplace>>\ <</linkreplace>>\ <</linkreplace>>\ <</linkreplace>>\ <</widget>> <<widget "maidFarewell">>\ Meryt is waiting for you on the edge of the bed with her hands in her lap, and there is something different in her face tonight, something quieter. She stands as you come in, and kisses you, soft and slow, and presses her forehead against yours. @@.scene-whisper;"Plain tonight," she says. "No clever things. No tricks. Just you and me."@@ Then she smiles, a little crooked. @@.scene-whisper;"But we start the way we said."@@ She pulls her shift over her head and lets it fall. <<linkreplace "Start the way you said" t8n>>\ You lay her back on the bed and take one nipple into your mouth, slowly, and she sighs, her fingers sliding into your hair as if she had been waiting for this all day. You suck and circle and tease until she is arching and breathless, her legs shifting restlessly, her thighs slick when you stroke between them. You move to the other, and she whispers your name. @@.scene-whisper;"Now," she says. "Please. Now."@@ <<linkreplace "Slide into her" t8n>>\ You settle between her legs and she wraps them around you and pulls you down into a kiss as you push inside, slowly, all the way, until you are buried in her and neither of you moves. She holds your face. Her eyes are wet and dark. Then you start to move, long and unhurried, her hips rising to meet each stroke, her fingers laced through yours above her head. Her breath catches every time you bottom out. The lamp flickers. @@.scene-whisper;"Don't look away," she whispers. "Please. I want to remember this."@@ <<timed 2s>>\ @@.scene-pulse;She comes with a soft, shuddering sob, clenching around you, her fingers crushing yours. You follow a moment later, spilling inside her with your forehead pressed to hers, breathing the same breath.@@ <<next 3s>>\ Neither of you says anything for a long time. Then she shifts against you, and her voice, when it comes, is very small. @@.scene-whisper;"I have to tell you something. And I hate it."@@ <<linkreplace "Listen" t8n>>\ She traces a circle on your chest and doesn't look at you. @@.scene-whisper;"One of the king's concubines is with child. The whole women's wing is in uproar, they're calling in every spare pair of hands. I've been chosen to attend her."@@ Her fingers stop. @@.scene-whisper;"I'll sleep in the wing. They don't let us out, not even to cross the yard. And I can't have visitors."@@ @@.scene-whisper;"Two weeks. Maybe a little more. You can't come looking for me. They would throw you out of the palace, and me with you."@@ <<linkreplace "Promise to come back" t8n>>\ You tell her you will wait. She lets out a breath that is half a laugh and half something else, and presses her face into your neck, and holds on tighter than she has ever held you. @@.scene-whisper;"Come back. Come to the yard when it's over. I'll be there."@@ You lie together until the lamp burns out, and neither of you sleeps for a long while. When you wake she is gone, and on the pillow where her head had been lies a strip of cloth from her hair, tied in a small, careful knot. Beside it, a heel of bread and a pot of honey on the washstand. //She will be away for two weeks. Come back to the servants' court after that.// [[Slip out into the courtyard before the others wake|Palace]] <</linkreplace>>\ <</linkreplace>>\ <</timed>>\ <</linkreplace>>\ <</linkreplace>>\ <</widget>> <<widget "maidReturn">>\ The yard is busy this morning, and for a moment you don't see her. Then you do: Meryt, at the far end of the long drying lines with a basket on her hip, thinner around the eyes, her hair pinned up. She sees you and nearly drops the basket. She glances at the steward's window, sets it down, and crosses the yard with the quick, careful walk of someone trying very hard not to run. @@.scene-whisper;"Don't talk here. Walk with me."@@ <<linkreplace "Follow her" t8n>>\ She takes your sleeve and leads you between the long lines of hanging sheets until the white linen closes around you on every side and the noise of the yard goes soft and far away. Sunlight comes through the damp cloth in glowing sheets. Nobody can see you here. @@.scene-whisper;"Two weeks," she says. "Two weeks, and I thought about nothing else."@@ She wets her lips. @@.scene-whisper;"You know I like it when you suck my nipples. You know that."@@ A flush climbs her neck. @@.scene-whisper;"The whole time I was with the lady I was run off my feet, dawn to dark. And at night I lay on a bed with six other maids snoring around me, and there was only one thing I could do without making a sound."@@ She lowers her voice to almost nothing. @@.scene-whisper;"I touched my nipples. Only them. Every night. Thinking of your mouth."@@ <span id="mr1"> <<link "Smirk">>\ <<replace "#mr1" t8n>>\ You let the corner of your mouth curl, slowly, and watch the color flood her face. She swats your chest. @@.scene-whisper;"Don't you dare smirk at me."@@ But she is biting her lip to keep from smiling, too. @@.scene-whisper;"Fine. Smirk. Because look what happened."@@ <<maidReturn2>>\ <</replace>>\ <</link>> <<link "Raise an eyebrow, and wait">>\ <<replace "#mr1" t8n>>\ You say nothing. You only raise an eyebrow, and wait, and let the silence stretch until she can't bear it. @@.scene-whisper;"Stop looking at me like that. I know what you're thinking."@@ Her chin lifts. @@.scene-whisper;"Fine. Since you're so clever. Look what happened."@@ <<maidReturn2>>\ <</replace>>\ <</link>> </span> <</linkreplace>>\ <</widget>> <<widget "maidReturn2">>\ <<linkreplace "Look" t8n>>\ She grabs the hem of her shift and pulls it up and over her head, and stands before you in the glowing white light, bare to the waist, her chest rising fast. You stare. Her nipples are huge. They were never small, but now they are swollen, thick as the top joint of your thumb, dark and stiff and standing proud from her breasts, flushed and slightly shiny, as if they ache. @@.scene-whisper;"Look how big they are,"@@ she whispers, half horrified and half proud. <span id="mr2"> <<link "Tell her they look hot">>\ <<replace "#mr2" t8n>>\ @@.scene-whisper;"They look hot,"@@ you tell her, and mean it. She lets out a shaky laugh, and a shiver runs through her, and her nipples seem to tighten even further. @@.scene-whisper;"Yes. It is hot."@@ She squeezes her arms under her breasts, lifting them, almost shy. @@.scene-whisper;"It is. But it's a disaster, too. They poke through my cloth, always, no matter what I do. I tried a bra, Taia lent me one. They push right through. I tried binding them flat with a strip of linen, and they push through that, too."@@ <<linkreplace "Let her go on" t8n>>\ She pulls her shift back on and stands there with her arms crossed over her chest, and even through the linen you can see them, two hard points straining at the cloth. @@.scene-whisper;"The cook looked at me yesterday and nearly dropped a pot. Every guard in the yard stares. And I'm wet."@@ Her voice drops. @@.scene-whisper;"Constantly. All the time. Washing, carrying, walking, every step the cloth drags over them, and I have to change my shift twice a day."@@ She presses her thighs together, as if even now it's too much. @@.scene-whisper;"Can you do something? To hide them. During the day. A cloth, or a... I don't know, you travel, you've seen things. There must be something a merchant sells."@@ <<linkreplace "Hear her out" t8n>>\ She takes your hands, and her eyes are shy and hungry at the same time, and she looks at you from under her lashes. @@.scene-whisper;"And tonight. Will you visit me tonight?"@@ <<maidreturnask>>\ <</linkreplace>>\ <</linkreplace>>\ <</replace>>\ <</link>> </span> <</linkreplace>>\ <</widget>> <<widget "maidReunion">>\ The door flies open before you've finished knocking. Meryt drags you inside by the front of your clothes and shoves the door shut with her back. She is already bare to the waist, her shift hanging from her hips, her breasts heaving, those swollen nipples standing stiff and dark in the lamplight. @@.scene-whisper;"Start. Please. Just start. The way we said."@@ <<linkreplace "Take her nipples in your mouth" t8n>>\ You barely have time to lower your head. The moment your mouth closes around one she cries out, a raw broken sound, and her knees almost go. They are bigger, hotter, impossibly sensitive, and when you suck she shakes so hard that you have to hold her up against the door. You switch, and she sobs, grinding her thighs together, her hands locked in your hair. @@.scene-whisper;"Don't stop, don't stop, don't oh gods, I'm going to from this, from just "@@ <<timed 2s>>\ @@.scene-pulse;She comes against the door with a shuddering wail, her whole body locking, her nails raking your scalp, from nothing but your mouth on her nipples. She keeps coming as you keep sucking, until she is sobbing with laughter and begging you to stop and begging you not to.@@ <<next 3s>>\ She slides down the door, boneless, and pulls you down with her. @@.scene-whisper;"Two weeks of that. In my head. Every night."@@ She kisses you, wet-faced and laughing. @@.scene-whisper;"Now the rest of it. Please. I need all of you."@@ <<linkreplace "Carry her to the bed" t8n>>\ You lift her onto the bed and she pulls you into her, so wet that you slide in with one long thrust, and she cries out, her legs locking around you, her mouth finding yours. She is hot and swollen and clenching on you with every stroke. Her nipples drag against your chest, and each time they brush you she shudders. It doesn't take long, for either of you. She comes again, with a hoarse little cry, and you follow, groaning into her neck. <<linkreplace "Hold her" t8n>>\ She lies with her head on your arm, one hand drawing lazy circles on your chest, spent and shining. After a long while she says, quietly: @@.scene-whisper;"Did you think about it? About hiding them?"@@ You tell her you will find something. She nods against your shoulder. @@.scene-whisper;"Hurry. The cook looked at me again today, and I thought she'd faint."@@ She laughs, then goes quiet, then kisses your collarbone, softly. @@.scene-whisper;"But don't hurry too much. I like that you like them."@@ <<maidmorning>>\ <</linkreplace>>\ <</linkreplace>>\ <</timed>>\ <</linkreplace>>\ <</widget>>

<<set setup.ensureNipple()>>\ <<if $palace.nippleSeen>><<goto "CityNippleShop">><</if>>\ <<stats>> <<if $msg>>//$msg// <<set $msg to "">><</if>>\ A narrow stall hung with silk and fine linen. The merchant, a round man with oiled hair and rings on every finger, looks up from folding a shift and smiles like a cat. @@.scene-whisper;"Welcome, welcome! Something for a lady?"@@ <span id="cl1"> <<link "Ask about something for Meryt">> <<replace "#cl1" t8n>>\ You clear your throat and explain that you are looking for something for a friend. Something she could wear under her clothes. Something with a bit of structure, that keeps a person's chest... discreet. Even when the cloth is thin. He blinks, then his smile grows. @@.scene-whisper;"Discreet. Ah. A lady with a generous problem, hm?"@@ You say it's something like that and wave a hand around it. <<linkreplace "Let him think" t8n>>\ He taps a ringed finger against his chin, then ducks beneath the counter and comes up with a flat box. Inside, on a bed of tissue, lies a bra of black lace and thin silk, with delicate straps, and little cups cut low and trimmed with gold thread. @@.scene-whisper;"Nothing I sell is *discreet*, my friend,"@@ he says, and winks. @@.scene-whisper;"But this will make her look like a queen. Very fine, very daring. Made for a harem, they say. Four hundred gold."@@ Four hundred. You stare at him. It's pretty, but you doubt it hides anything at all. <<linkreplace "Say you will think about it" t8n>>\ @@.scene-whisper;"Of course, of course. Beauty can't be rushed. But I'm not cheap!"@@ he calls after you, already folding the tissue back over the lace. <<set $palace.nippleSeen to true>>\ You step back into the crowd. Somewhere further down the lane a sign swings over a darker alley, where the stalls look less respectable. [[Look further down the alley->CityPotionDealer]] <</linkreplace>>\ <</linkreplace>>\ <</replace>>\ <</link>> </span> [[Back to the city->City]]

<<widget "endofcontent">>\ <div class="end-notice">//You have reached the end of the content in this version. The new version is available on Patreon.//</div> <</widget>> <<widget "maidGiftNight">>\ <<if setup.hasPotionToGive() and setup.hasBraToGive()>>\ The lamp is lit when you step into the little room. Meryt is sitting on the bed with her hands twisted in her lap, her eyes already on the bundle in your hand. @@.scene-whisper;"You found something. Both? Gods, which one first?"@@ <span id="mgn"> <<link "Give her the potion">><<replace "#mgn" t8n>><<maidPotionNight>><</replace>><</link>> <<link "Give her the bra">><<replace "#mgn" t8n>><<maidBraNight>><</replace>><</link>> </span> <<elseif setup.hasPotionToGive()>>\ <<maidPotionNight>>\ <<else>>\ <<maidBraNight>>\ <</if>>\ <</widget>> <<widget "maidPotionNight">>\ <<if $palace.potionUsed>><<maidPotionRepeat>><<else>><<maidPotionFirst>><</if>>\ <</widget>> <<widget "maidPotionFirst">>\ <<run setup.nippleUse("potion")>>\ Meryt is already waiting on the bed when you come in. You hold up the pink vial and tell her what the man in the alley said. @@.scene-whisper;"It smells like honey and pepper,"@@ she says, sniffing the stopper. @@.scene-whisper;"And you paid so little for it? Hm."@@ She hesitates only a moment, then tips the vial back and swallows it in one go, grimacing. @@.scene-whisper;"Well. Nothing. Maybe it"@@ <<linkreplace "Wait" t8n>>\ She never finishes. Her breath catches, and her hand flies to her chest. @@.scene-whisper;"Oh. Oh, gods, they're burning."@@ She pulls her shift over her head, and you watch her nipples darken and swell, thicker, longer, flushed deep red and glistening, until they stand out from her breasts even larger than before. She cups her breasts, hissing, trembling. @@.scene-whisper;"It's like fire, like they're on fire, help me, do something."@@ <<linkreplace "Massage them" t8n>>\ You lay her back on the bed and take her breasts in your hands, rubbing slow circles around each nipple with your thumbs, and she cries out, arching into your touch. They are hot, heavy, shockingly sensitive. When you take one into your mouth she wails and her fingers dig into your hair, and her thighs clamp together, the sheet beneath her already soaked. @@.scene-whisper;"Don't stop, it burns, it feels so good, don't stop."@@ <<linkreplace "Keep going" t8n>>\ You work her slowly, mouth and hands, switching from one to the other, until she is coming from it, without a hand between her legs, her body locked, a high broken moan tearing out of her. She doesn't stop. The burn doesn't fade, it just turns into something else, and she comes again, and again, drenching the bed, the sheet clinging to her thighs, the straw mattress dark with it. @@.scene-whisper;"I can't, I can't, oh gods, again,"@@ she sobs, laughing, shaking, her hands tangled in your hair as you suck on her aching nipples, until at last, long after the lamp has burned low, the burning fades to a soft, humming warmth and she goes limp. <<linkreplace "Hold her" t8n>>\ Her breath slows. She is asleep before you can say anything, curled against you, the whole bed soaked beneath you both, her nipples still huge and stiff against your chest. When you wake she is already sitting up, hair a mess, wrapped in the damp sheet, grinning at you with half-closed eyes. @@.scene-whisper;"That was... awesome,"@@ she says. @@.scene-whisper;"I've never come like that in my life. I would do that again in a heartbeat."@@ She looks down, lifts the sheet away, and her smile slips. @@.scene-whisper;"But look. They're bigger. It didn't fix anything. If anything, it made it worse."@@ She huffs a laugh and kisses your cheek. @@.scene-whisper;"Keep looking. But maybe save the potion man's address."@@ <<maidmorning>>\ <</linkreplace>>\ <</linkreplace>>\ <</linkreplace>>\ <</linkreplace>>\ <</widget>> <<widget "maidPotionRepeat">>\ <<run setup.nippleUse("potion")>>\ Meryt is waiting on the bed when you come in. You hold up another pink vial, and her whole face changes, a nervous laugh and a hungry look at once. @@.scene-whisper;"Again? I said I'd do it again, didn't I? Gods, I've been thinking about it all day."@@ <<if $palace.braGiven>>She reaches behind her back and unhooks the black lace bra, letting it fall to the floor, and then she takes the vial. <<else>>She takes the vial.<</if>> She pulls the stopper with her teeth and drinks it down in one swallow. <<linkreplace "Wait" t8n>>\ She doesn't have to wait long. Her breath shudders out and her hands fly to her chest, and you watch her nipples flush and swell, thick and dark and glistening, even bigger than the last time. @@.scene-whisper;"There it is. It's burning. Please, please, touch them."@@ <<linkreplace "Massage them" t8n>>\ You lay her back and take her breasts in your hands, circling each nipple with your thumbs, and she arches and cries out at once. When you close your mouth around one she sobs, her fingers locked in your hair, her thighs squeezing together on the soaked sheet. She comes quickly, and then again, and the burn never fades, it only turns into more. By the time the lamp is low the bed is drenched, and she is limp and laughing, shaking in your arms. @@.scene-whisper;"Worth it,"@@ she mumbles against your chest. @@.scene-whisper;"Every time, worth it."@@ <<linkreplace "Hold her" t8n>>\ She sleeps almost at once, curled against you. In the morning she wakes first, wrapped in the damp sheet, and stretches with a satisfied groan. @@.scene-whisper;"I'll never get tired of that,"@@ she says, grinning. She glances down at herself and wrinkles her nose. @@.scene-whisper;"They're no smaller, mind you. Don't think the potion man has fixed anything. But if you find another one..."@@ She kisses you, smiling. <<maidmorning>>\ <</linkreplace>>\ <</linkreplace>>\ <</linkreplace>>\ <</widget>> <<widget "maidBraNight">>\ <<run setup.nippleUse("bra")>>\ The lamp is lit. Meryt looks up from the bed when you come in, and you hand her the box without a word. She opens it, and for a moment she only stares at the black lace and gold thread. @@.scene-whisper;"You bought this?"@@ She turns it over in her hands. @@.scene-whisper;"It's very... bold. Gods, there's hardly anything to it."@@ <<linkreplace "Tell her it's only for your eyes" t8n>>\ @@.scene-whisper;"Only for your eyes,"@@ you tell her, and she bites her lip, laughs once, and turns her back to you. Her shift slides from her shoulders. She fastens the little hooks with trembling fingers, the lace snug under her breasts, and when she turns, she stands in the lamplight with her heavy breasts cupped in black lace, the dark points of her nipples pressing against the thin silk, but held and lifted, shaped. @@.scene-whisper;"Well?"@@ she says, uncertain. @@.scene-whisper;"Do I look ridiculous?"@@ <<linkreplace "Kiss her" t8n>>\ You answer by kissing her, slowly, and she melts against you, her hands pulling at your clothes. You lay her on the bed and she keeps the bra on, and you take your time kissing down her throat, tracing her nipples through the lace until her breath comes ragged. When you slide into her she is wet and ready, her legs around your waist, her fingers curled in your shoulders. It is slow and plain, the way it has been, her hips rising to meet yours, her eyes on yours. @@.scene-whisper;"Is this all right?"@@ she whispers. @@.scene-whisper;"With it on?"@@ You tell her it's better than all right. She comes with a soft cry, clenching around you, and you follow her, spilling deep with a groan against her neck. <<linkreplace "Hold her" t8n>>\ She lies in your arms, a little breathless, tracing the edge of the lace. @@.scene-whisper;"It hides them, you know. Mostly. Under my shift, nobody will see."@@ She smiles up at you. @@.scene-whisper;"Thank you. Truly. I'll wear it every day."@@ <<endofcontent>> <<maidmorning>>\ <</linkreplace>>\ <</linkreplace>>\ <</linkreplace>>\ <</widget>> <<widget "maidGiftDay">>\ <span id="mgd"> <<link "Give her the bra">> <<replace "#mgd" t8n>>\ <<run setup.nippleUse("bra")>>\ You find her at the far end of the lines and pull her between the white sheets. When you hold out the box, she opens it, stares, and goes red to the hairline. @@.scene-whisper;"You bought this?"@@ she whispers. @@.scene-whisper;"Here? Now?"@@ But she is already pulling her shift over her head. <<linkreplace "Watch her put it on" t8n>>\ She stands bare to the waist in the glowing white light and slides her arms through the straps, fastening the hooks behind her back. The black lace cups hold her breasts, lifting them, the gold thread bright against her skin, and her swollen nipples press dark against the thin silk. @@.scene-whisper;"Well?"@@ she says, turning, one arm half over her chest, shy. <<linkreplace "Tell her it looks hot" t8n>>\ @@.scene-whisper;"It looks hot,"@@ you tell her, and her whole face glows. She laughs and lets her arm fall, and you can see how the lace holds her, shaped and held in place. She pulls her shift on again over it, smooths it down, and turns to you, arms spread. @@.scene-whisper;"Look. Nothing. You can't see a thing."@@ She smiles, shining. @@.scene-whisper;"Thank you. I'll wear it every day. And tonight, you'll see it properly."@@ <<endofcontent>> <</linkreplace>>\ <</linkreplace>>\ <</replace>>\ <</link>> </span> <</widget>>

<<stats>> <<if $msg>>//$msg// <<set $msg to "">><</if>>\ The alley is narrow and smells of smoke and old oil. A man sits behind a crate covered in bottles, hood low, a yellow smile showing from under it. Nothing about the stall looks clean. @@.scene-whisper;"Aches? Itches? Troubles of the flesh? Ask, ask."@@ <span id="cp1"> <<link "Explain Meryt's problem">> <<replace "#cp1" t8n>>\ You lower your voice and explain again, circling it the same way you did before. A friend. Her chest. Something that happens every day and makes cloth stand out from the front of her dress, and no cloth seems to hold it down. He listens without interrupting, nodding, then begins to chuckle softly. @@.scene-whisper;"Ahh. I know that trouble. Common enough, among the women who have been... visited by certain herbs."@@ <<linkreplace "Wait" t8n>>\ He rummages among the bottles and sets a small vial in front of you, no bigger than your thumb, filled with something thick and pink that shifts in the light. @@.scene-whisper;"One swallow. Just one, at night. By morning, no more trouble. A sure cure. Thirty gold."@@ Thirty gold. You turn the vial in your fingers and it's warm, almost hot. You think of the four hundred gold lace and then of this thirty. Nobody sells a sure cure for the price of a meal. <<linkreplace "Think it over" t8n>>\ @@.scene-whisper;"Think all you like. But I won't be here forever."@@ He pulls the hood lower and says nothing more. <<set $palace.nippleSeen to true>>\ You weigh the two in your mind: the expensive, pretty thing and the cheap, strange one. [[Return to the stalls to decide->CityNippleShop]] <</linkreplace>>\ <</linkreplace>>\ <</replace>>\ <</link>> </span> [[Back to the city->City]]

<<set setup.ensureNipple()>>\ <<stats>> <<if $msg>>//$msg// <<set $msg to "">><</if>>\ You stand between two worlds: the silk stall with its lace, and the shady alley with its little vial. <<if $palace.braGiven>>//Meryt already wears your lace bra. The merchant has nothing more for you.// <<elseif $palace.hasBra>>//You already have the lace bra.// <<else>><<link "Buy the lace bra from the merchant">><<run setup.buyNippleItem("bra")>><<goto "CityNippleShop">><</link>> - <<print setup.nipple.braPrice>> gold<</if>> <<link "Buy a pink vial from the hooded man">><<run setup.buyNippleItem("potion")>><<goto "CityNippleShop">><</link>> - <<print setup.nipple.potionPrice>> gold <<if $palace.potionCount gt 0>>//You carry <<print $palace.potionCount>> vial<<if $palace.potionCount gt 1>>s<</if>>.//<</if>> <<if setup.hasBraToGive() or setup.hasPotionToGive()>>\ //Back at the palace, give it to her at night<<if setup.hasBraToGive()>>, or hand over the bra in the yard<</if>>.// <</if>> [[Back to the city->City]]

<<stats>> <<if $msg>>//$msg// <<set $msg to "">><</if>>\ <<if not $bWoman>><<goto "Brothel">><</if>>\ <<set _W to setup.brothel.women[$bWoman]>>\ You step up to <<print _W.name>>. She looks you over and tilts her head, waiting. //<<print _W.blurb>>// How do you want her? <<brothelpositions>> [[Pick someone else->Brothel]] [[Back to the city->City]]

<<stats>> <<if not $bro>><<goto "Brothel">><</if>>\ <<brothelscene>> <<if $bWoman>>[[Ask for another position->BrothelWoman]]<</if>> [[Pick someone else->Brothel]] [[Back to the city->City]]