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>> <<nextfloor>> <<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 10000>> <<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()>> <<set $playerClass to "easy">> <<set $classChosen to false>>

<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, 2)>><<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>> <<nextfloor>> <<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>> !Laruk <<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>> <<if setup.lotionNeeded()>>[[Ask around for something to help Meryt->CityLotionStall]]<</if>> <<if setup.crystalShopOpen()>>[[A thin man beckons from the market crowd->CityAlley]]<</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 $playerClass is "hard">>\ //Attack makes up <<print Math.round(setup.atkShare() * 100)>>% of your points. An Attack point currently costs <<print setup.pointCost("atk")>>.// <</if>>\ <<if $statPoints gt 0>>\ <<for _id, _o range setup.statOptions>>\ <<capture _id, _o>>\ <<if $statPoints gte setup.pointCost(_id)>>\ <<link `_o.label + " " + _o.gain + " (now " + State.variables[_o.key] + ")" + (setup.pointCost(_id) > 1 ? " [costs " + setup.pointCost(_id) + "]" : "")`>><<run setup.spendPoint(_id)>><<goto "LevelUp">><</link>> <<else>>\ //<<print _o.label>> (costs <<print setup.pointCost(_id)>>, not enough points)// <</if>> <</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>> <<if $cityTier gte 3>>\ <<link "Enter the third floor">>\ <<set $levelNum to 3>>\ <<set $level to setup.generateLevel(3)>>\ <<set $pos to $level.start>>\ <<set $visited to []>>\ <<set $msg to "">>\ <<goto "Level3">>\ <</link>> <</if>> <<if $cityTier gte 4>>\ <<link "Enter the fourth floor">>\ <<set $levelNum to 4>>\ <<set $level to setup.generateLevel(4)>>\ <<set $pos to $level.start>>\ <<set $visited to []>>\ <<set $msg to "">>\ <<goto "Level4">>\ <</link>> <</if>> <<if $cityTier gte 5>>\ <<link "Enter the fifth floor">>\ <<set $levelNum to 5>>\ <<set $level to setup.generateLevel(5)>>\ <<set $pos to $level.start>>\ <<set $visited to []>>\ <<set $msg to "">>\ <<goto "Level5">>\ <</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 "potion">> [[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]]

<img src="./images/jeweler.jpg"> <<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>>\ <<if _sl.id is "special" and not $equipment.special>>\ <<else>>\ <<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])>> \ <<if setup.gear[_eq].portal>>\ <<link "Try to take it off">><<goto "RingOff">><</link>>\ <<else>>\ <<link "Take off">><<run setup.unequip(_sl.id)>><<goto "Equipment">><</link>>\ <</if>>\ <<else>>\ //empty//\ <</if>>\ </div>\ <</if>>\ <</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)>>// \ <<if _it.portal>>\ <<link "Try it on your finger">><<run setup.portalTryHand()>><<goto "Equipment">><</link>> \ <<if setup.portalIdea()>>\ <<link "Slide it onto your cock">><<if setup.portalTryCock()>><<goto "RingOn">><<else>><<goto "Equipment">><</if>><</link>> \ <</if>>\ <<else>>\ <<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>>\ <</if>>\ </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>>

<img src="./images/fortuneteller.jpg"> <<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()>>\ <<run setup.ensureKing()>>\ <<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]] <<if $king.stage gte 1 and $king.stage lt 3>>[[Descend into the old crypts|PalaceDungeon]]<</if>> [[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]]

<img src="./images/djhin.jpg"> <<run setup.ensureQadira()>>\ <<stats>> <<if !$qadira.met>>\ 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." <<else>>\ The cool air of the temple wraps around you again. At the far end of the hall, on the raised dais, Qadira lounges across the black throne, her blue-shimmering skin catching the light. <<print setup.pick(setup.qadiraGreetings)>> <</if>> <<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>> <<if $qadira.stage is 0>>\ <<link "Ask if there is anything you can do for her">><<run setup.qadiraAsk()>><<goto "TempleInside">><</link>> <<elseif $qadira.stage is 1>>\ <div class="quest-box"> Qadira goes still, and for the first time the lazy amusement drops out of her face. "There is something," she says. "A small thing. I would not ask if I were not so very tired of dust." She counts it off on slim fingers. "Water. Real water, from your oasis, three flasks, so that I may remember what it tastes like. Sunpetal, two blooms. I used to smell them on the wind before the throne closed round me. And gold. Two pieces of treasure, anything bright that nobody forged to bind me. I want to hold something from the world that is only beautiful." "Bring me these, and I will thank you properly. I cannot grant wishes, but I am not entirely without gifts. Whatever the throne has not yet found, I have kept hidden." Her smile turns slow and promising. "And I suspect you will enjoy the rest of the thanks." //Quest: A Taste of the World// <<qadiraneeds>> <<if setup.qadiraReady()>>\ <<link "Give her what she asked for">><<run setup.qadiraHandIn()>><<goto "QadiraScene">><</link>> <<else>>\ //You don't have everything yet. Oasis Water comes from the oasis, Sunpetal grows around your camp, and treasure sleeps in the tomb.// <</if>>\ </div> <<elseif $qadira.stage is 3>>\ <<link "Spend time with her">><<goto "QadiraScene">><</link>> <</if>>\ <<set $qadira.met to true>>\ [[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 "ClassSelect">><</link>> </div> <</timed>> <br><br> <<link "Skip intro">><<goto "ClassSelect">><</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>> <<nextfloor>> <<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>>\ <<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>>

<img src="./images/steward.jpg"> <<run setup.ensurePalace()>>\ <<if $msg>>//$msg// <<set $msg to "">><</if>>\ <<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>> <<stewardquest>> <<linkreplace "Ask for an audience with the king">>\ <<if $palace.audience>>\ <p><em>Khenu sets down his pen, for the second time in your memory. "His Majesty has spoken your name. The doors of the throne room will open to you. Do not make me regret it."</em></p>\ <<else>>\ <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>\ <</if>>\ <</linkreplace>> [[Talk some more|PalaceSteward]] [[Back to the courtyard|Palace]]

<<run setup.ensurePalace()>>\ <<run setup.ensureGuard()>>\ <<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>> <<if setup.guardInterested()>>\ <<if !$guardFun.flirted>>\ <<if setup.guardBold()>>\ Then he really looks at you. His whetstone stops mid-stroke, and his eyes travel slowly down your body and back up, not hiding it for a second. "That letter," he says, "is it the only thing you carry that's worth my time?" A slow, crooked smile. "The storeroom behind me is empty. Nobody ever checks it." <<else>>\ Then his eyes catch on you and stay a moment too long. He clears his throat, rolls his shoulders, and looks away, then back. "Strange," he mutters. "You are not what I expected the steward to send. If you ever want to see the storeroom behind my desk, it's quiet in there." <</if>> <<link "Follow him into the storeroom">><<goto "GuardScene">><</link>> <<linkreplace "Politely decline">>\ He shrugs, a little too casually. "Offer stands. Don't take long." <</linkreplace>> <<else>>\ <<print setup.pick(setup.guardFlirtLines)>> <<link "Go with Rahotep to the storeroom">><<goto "GuardScene">><</link>> <</if>> <</if>> [[Talk some more|PalaceGuard]] [[Back to the courtyard|Palace]]

<img src="./images/palacemaid.jpg"> <<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.maidHaremPending()>>\ <<maidHarem>>\ <<elseif setup.jewelAskPending()>>\ <<maidJewelAsk>>\ <<elseif setup.jewelTalkPending()>>\ <<maidJewelTalk>>\ <<elseif setup.analAskPending()>>\ <<maidAnalAsk>>\ <<elseif setup.analToolPending()>>\ <<maidToolTalk>>\ <<elseif setup.analStuckPending()>>\ <<maidStuck>>\ <<elseif setup.crystalGivePending()>>\ <<maidCrystalGive>>\ <<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 tomorrow, if you want to talk to her again. <</linkreplace>>\ <</replace>>\ <</link>> </span> <</if>> <<if setup.dayGiftReady() and not setup.maidReturnPending()>> <<maidGiftDay>> <</if>> <<if $palace.analStage gte 10>><<endofcontent>><</if>> [[Back to the courtyard|Palace]]

<<run setup.ensurePalace()>>\ <<run setup.ensureKing()>>\ Two tall doors of cedar plated with gold stand at the end of a long hall, flanked by guards in full bronze. <<if $palace.audience>>\ The nearer guard steps aside before you reach him, and the spears lift. "By the king's word," he says, as though he never expected to say it. The doors are already standing a hand's breadth open. <<link "Enter the throne room">><<goto "KingAudience">><</link>> <<else>>\ <<set $palace.throneTries += 1>>\ 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. <</if>> [[Turn back|Palace]]

<<run setup.ensurePalace()>>\ <<run setup.ensureKing()>>\ <<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 $king.stage gte 3>>\ He unfolds his arms and bows, which looks like a mountain deciding to move. "The king's word," he says in that surprisingly soft voice. "You may pass." [[Walk down the perfumed corridor|HaremHall]] <<else>>\ <<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>> <</if>> [[Turn back|Palace]]

<<set _n to $palace.maidTimes>>\ <<if setup.jewelNightReady()>><<maidJewelNight>>\ <<elseif setup.analNightReady()>><<analNight>>\ <<elseif 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.analStage gte 10>><<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 "maidHarem">>\ <<run setup.maidHaremMark()>>\ <<if setup.maidHaremBossDone()>>\ <<maidHaremDone>>\ <<else>>\ <<maidHaremOpen>>\ <</if>>\ <</widget>> <<widget "maidHaremOpen">>\ Meryt is waiting for you at the edge of the yard, a wet sheet forgotten in her hands. She doesn't smile when you come close. She keeps twisting the cloth. @@.scene-whisper;"The whole palace is talking. They say the king has given you the run of the harem."@@ She looks at the guards by the gate, then back at you. @@.scene-whisper;"Is it true?"@@ <span id="mh1"> <<link "Tell her it's true">>\ <<replace "#mh1" t8n>>\ She nods slowly, as if she had hoped to hear otherwise. @@.scene-whisper;"I see."@@ She wrings the sheet again, harder than it needs. @@.scene-whisper;"Silk and cushions and women who do nothing but smell of jasmine. And I smell of lye."@@ <<linkreplace "Say that's not why you're going" t8n>>\ @@.scene-whisper;"Then why?"@@ Her eyes come up, sharp and a little wet. @@.scene-whisper;"The king's blade is still in your belt, isn't it? And whatever lives beneath the throne room is still down there, breathing. Shouldn't you be down in the dark, doing what he asked, instead of lying around among the cushions?"@@ She waits. When you don't answer fast enough, she huffs. @@.scene-whisper;"The guards in there are all women, you know. Kiya's cousin works the kitchens for them. They'd gut a man for looking at the wrong lady. So don't get any ideas."@@ A reluctant, crooked smile. @@.scene-whisper;"I'm not jealous. I'm only saying."@@ <<linkreplace "Promise her you'll stay out of trouble" t8n>>\ She lets out a breath and her shoulders drop. @@.scene-whisper;"Good. Finish what he sent you for. And come back out in one piece."@@ She steps closer and lowers her voice. @@.scene-whisper;"And come and find me afterwards, will you? Before you go swanning off into silk."@@ <<maidend>>\ //Meryt only talks to you once per day. Come back another day.// <</linkreplace>>\ <</linkreplace>>\ <</replace>>\ <</link>> <<link "Tease her for being jealous">>\ <<replace "#mh1" t8n>>\ @@.scene-whisper;"Jealous?"@@ She nearly drops the sheet. @@.scene-whisper;"Of a roomful of perfumed ladies who have never lifted anything heavier than a lute? Please."@@ Her cheeks are red. She wrings the cloth until the water runs down her wrists. <<linkreplace "Wait" t8n>>\ @@.scene-whisper;"Fine. A little."@@ She scowls at the tub. @@.scene-whisper;"But it is a fair question. The king's blade is still on you and whatever is under his throne room is still alive. Shouldn't you be down there, and not sitting on cushions being fed grapes?"@@ She glances at the guards. @@.scene-whisper;"Besides. They're all women, in there, with spears. They'd throw you out of the palace for one wrong look. Try to keep both your hands where they belong."@@ <<linkreplace "Promise her" t8n>>\ She laughs, shaky, and swats your arm with the wet sheet. @@.scene-whisper;"Good. Finish the king's business first. And then come and find me."@@ <<maidend>>\ //Meryt only talks to you once per day. Come back another day.// <</linkreplace>>\ <</linkreplace>>\ <</replace>>\ <</link>> </span> <</widget>> <<widget "maidHaremDone">>\ Meryt is waiting for you at the edge of the yard, her basket on her hip, and this time she is smiling, though it doesn't quite reach her eyes. @@.scene-whisper;"The whole palace is talking. The thing under the throne room is dead, and the king has given you the run of the harem."@@ She shakes her head slowly. @@.scene-whisper;"You did what none of his guards could. I'm proud of you. I mean that."@@ <span id="mh1"> <<link "Tell her you only did it for the king's favor">>\ <<replace "#mh1" t8n>>\ @@.scene-whisper;"The king's favor."@@ She laughs, quiet and a little rueful. @@.scene-whisper;"Well, you have it now. Silk, cushions, the finest women in the kingdom feeding you figs. Anyone would be a fool not to enjoy it."@@ <<linkreplace "Let her go on" t8n>>\ She sets the basket down and straightens her shift, and her voice drops. @@.scene-whisper;"You can go in now, and I won't stop you. I wouldn't know how. But the guards in there are all women with spears, and you're only allowed to sit and eat, nothing more, so don't let anyone's perfume go to your head."@@ She steps close and looks up at you. @@.scene-whisper;"Just don't forget about me. That's all I'm asking. When you're out there being fed grapes by ladies in jasmine, remember there's a girl in the laundry who knows your face."@@ <<linkreplace "Tell her you won't" t8n>>\ Her breath leaves her in a rush. She squeezes your hand, once, hard. @@.scene-whisper;"Good. Go and enjoy the hall. And then come back out here and tell me all about it."@@ A small, wicked smile. @@.scene-whisper;"And I'll tell you what I wore when I thought about you."@@ <<maidend>>\ //Meryt only talks to you once per day. Come back another day.// <</linkreplace>>\ <</linkreplace>>\ <</replace>>\ <</link>> <<link "Tell her nobody could make you forget her">>\ <<replace "#mh1" t8n>>\ Her face goes soft, then very pink. @@.scene-whisper;"Careful. You'll make me believe it."@@ She laughs and hides her mouth with the back of her wrist. <<linkreplace "Let her go on" t8n>>\ @@.scene-whisper;"You can go in now, and I want you to enjoy it. You earned it. The guards in there are all women with spears, and you can only sit and eat, nothing more, so keep your hands to yourself."@@ She steps closer, her voice dropping. @@.scene-whisper;"Just don't forget about me. That's all I'm asking. When you're out there being fed grapes by ladies in jasmine, remember there's a girl in the laundry who knows your face."@@ <<linkreplace "Promise her" t8n>>\ She squeezes your hand, once, hard. @@.scene-whisper;"Good. Go and enjoy the hall. And then come back out here and tell me all about it."@@ A small, wicked smile. @@.scene-whisper;"And I'll tell you what I wore when I thought about you."@@ <<maidend>>\ //Meryt only talks to you once per day. Come back another day.// <</linkreplace>>\ <</linkreplace>>\ <</replace>>\ <</link>> </span> <</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. <<maidPull>> <<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. <<maidPull>> <<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."@@ <<maidPull>> <<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."@@ <<maidPull>> <<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."@@ <<maidPull>> <<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."@@ <<maidPull>> <<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. <<maidPull>> <<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."@@ <<maidPull>> <<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 "@@ <<maidPull>> <<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."@@ <<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."@@ <</linkreplace>>\ <</linkreplace>>\ <</replace>>\ <</link>> </span> <</widget>> <<widget "maidJewelAsk">>\ <<run setup.jewelAskMark()>>\ Meryt is sitting on the rim of a tub with her feet in the grey water, and she is smiling at nothing. She notices you and straightens, a little pink. @@.scene-whisper;"I've been wanting to ask you something. And you can say no. It's silly."@@ She picks at the edge of the tub. @@.scene-whisper;"The bra helps. It really does. But when I wear it I feel... pretty. Under everything. And I thought, I'd love a bit of jewelry."@@ <span id="mja1"> <<link "Tell her you'd love to buy her some">>\ <<replace "#mja1" t8n>>\ Her face lights up, then she holds up both hands. @@.scene-whisper;"Wait. Listen first."@@ <<linkreplace "Listen" t8n>>\ @@.scene-whisper;"Nothing anyone can see. I'm a laundress, and if I walk through the yard with gold on me, the cook will ask where I got it, and the guards will ask what I did for it."@@ She flushes. @@.scene-whisper;"Something that stays hidden. Just for me. And for you."@@ She looks at you from under her lashes. @@.scene-whisper;"You travel. You've seen the city's strange little stalls. Surely there is something like that."@@ <<maidend>>\ //The silk merchant and the hooded man in the city sell odd things. Perhaps they have something hidden for her. Meryt only talks to you once per day. Come back another day.// <</linkreplace>>\ <</replace>>\ <</link>> <<link "Tease her, and ask what kind of jewelry">>\ <<replace "#mja1" t8n>>\ @@.scene-whisper;"Oh, don't laugh."@@ She flicks water at you. @@.scene-whisper;"Not earrings, not a necklace, nothing anyone can see. Something hidden, that only you would know about."@@ <<linkreplace "Wait" t8n>>\ @@.scene-whisper;"I'm a laundress. If I walk through the yard with gold on me, the cook will ask where it came from, and the guards will want to know what I did for it."@@ Her smile turns shy. @@.scene-whisper;"So make it a secret. You travel. Surely there's a merchant somewhere who sells that sort of thing."@@ <<maidend>>\ //The silk merchant and the hooded man in the city sell odd things. Perhaps they have something hidden for her. Meryt only talks to you once per day. Come back another day.// <</linkreplace>>\ <</replace>>\ <</link>> </span> <</widget>> <<widget "maidJewelNight">>\ <<run setup.jewelGive()>>\ <<set _ring to ($palace.jewelKind is "rings")>>\ The lamp is lit and Meryt is sitting on the bed with her knees together, trying not to look at the small box in your hand and failing completely. @@.scene-whisper;"Is that it? Is that for me?"@@ <<linkreplace "Give her the box" t8n>>\ She opens it very carefully. Inside, on a scrap of dark velvet, lie two tiny pieces of gold<<if _ring>>, a pair of slim hoops with a little bead that clicks shut<<else>>, a pair of slim bars, each capped with a small gold bead<</if>>. She picks one up and holds it to her ear, tilting her head to the lamp. @@.scene-whisper;"For my ears? They're so small. Everyone would see them."@@ Her smile slips and she lowers it, frowning. @@.scene-whisper;"I told you I wanted something hidden. A woman with gold in her ears in the laundry? The cook would have it off me by noon."@@ She pouts, honestly cross. @@.scene-whisper;"You didn't listen."@@ <<linkreplace "Tell her they don't go to her ears" t8n>>\ She stops with the piece still in her fingers. @@.scene-whisper;"They don't? Then where do they go? My hair? My... ankle?"@@ You take it from her gently and set it back on the velvet. @@.scene-whisper;"Then where?"@@ <<linkreplace "Tell her you'll show her" t8n>>\ She looks at you for a long moment, and then, slowly, she nods. You kneel on the bed in front of her and lift the hem of her shift, and she raises her arms so you can pull it over her head. She sits bare in the lamplight, her breasts rising and falling, her nipples already stiffening in the warm air. You cup one breast and run your thumb slowly over the nipple, back and forth, and she draws in a small breath. It hardens under your touch, dark and thick. @@.scene-whisper;"Here,"@@ you say quietly. @@.scene-whisper;"They go here."@@ <<linkreplace "Wait for her answer" t8n>>\ Her eyes drop to your hand. For a moment she doesn't understand. Then she does, and the color floods up her neck to her hairline. @@.scene-whisper;"Here? On my... through my..."@@ She swallows, and her gaze flicks to the gold on the velvet and back to your thumb. She doesn't pull away. Her breath is coming faster. @@.scene-whisper;"Oh. Oh, gods. That's hidden, all right."@@ She wets her lips and lies back on the pillow, her hands lying open on the sheet. @@.scene-whisper;"Go ahead."@@ <<linkreplace "Pierce her" t8n>>\ You hold her gaze. @@.scene-whisper;"This will hurt for a second."@@ She nods, and her fingers lock around the sheet. You clean the nipple with a touch of spirit from the merchant's little kit and roll it between finger and thumb until it is firm. She whimpers at that alone. Then you take the fine needle and set it, and look up at her. @@.scene-whisper;"Breathe out."@@ She does, shakily, and you push it through in one quick motion. She gasps, her back arching off the bed, a sharp, startled noise that breaks halfway into a groan. <<if _ring>>You draw the little hoop through behind the needle and press the bead into place until it clicks shut<<else>>You slide the gold bar through behind the needle and screw the bead down on the end<</if>>. A bright bead of blood, and then nothing but a faint flush. @@.scene-whisper;"It hurts,"@@ she breathes. @@.scene-whisper;"It hurts, but it's... it's warm. It's so warm. Do the other. Quickly, before I lose my nerve."@@ <<linkreplace "Do the other" t8n>>\ The second goes in the same way. She cries out, a little louder this time, and then lies back with her chest heaving and tears of shock shining at the corners of her eyes, but she is smiling. You wipe her gently with a cloth and she looks down at herself. Two little gold glints sit against her dark, swollen nipples. She touches one with a trembling fingertip and her whole body jerks. @@.scene-whisper;"Oh,"@@ she says, in a small, astonished voice. @@.scene-whisper;"Oh, that's... they're so sensitive. Every little thing. I can feel my own heartbeat in them."@@ <<linkreplace "Kiss her" t8n>>\ You lean down and kiss her, slowly, and she melts into it, her arms sliding around your neck, her legs parting under you. You kiss her jaw, her throat, the slope of her breast, and then you take one jeweled nipple gently into your mouth. She cries out. Your tongue circles the gold, flicking it, and she sobs your name, her fingers locked in your hair, her hips already rolling against you. @@.scene-whisper;"Don't stop. Don't stop. I can feel every part of it. Every little part."@@ You move to the other and she shudders all over, wet against your thigh, her sheet already damp beneath her. <<linkreplace "Take her" t8n>>\ You settle between her thighs and she pulls you down into another kiss, wrapping her legs around your waist as you push into her. She is slick and hot and clenching, and you move slowly, long deep strokes, your chest against hers. Every time you brush her nipples with your chest she shivers. She holds your face in her hands and watches you, her eyes dark and wet and shining. @@.scene-whisper;"Look at me. Please. I want you to see me like this."@@ You do. Her mouth falls open, and her breath catches on every thrust, her fingers tightening in your hair, her hips lifting to meet you. <<timed 2s>>\ @@.scene-pulse;She comes with a long, trembling cry, clenching around you in slow, hard pulses, her back arching so that the gold gleams in the lamplight, and the sight of her pulls you over after her. You spill deep inside her with your forehead against hers, breathing the same breath.@@ <<next 3s>>\ Neither of you speaks for a long time. At last she laughs, quietly, a little wet, and brushes the hair from your forehead. @@.scene-whisper;"You were right,"@@ she whispers. @@.scene-whisper;"Nobody could ever see these. Not under the bra, not under anything. Just you. Just me."@@ She glances down at herself, then back up at you, shy and satisfied. @@.scene-whisper;"I'm not even angry anymore about the ears."@@ <<maidmorning>>\ <</timed>>\ <</linkreplace>>\ <</linkreplace>>\ <</linkreplace>>\ <</linkreplace>>\ <</linkreplace>>\ <</linkreplace>>\ <</linkreplace>>\ <</linkreplace>>\ <</widget>> <<widget "maidJewelTalk">>\ <<run setup.jewelTalkDone()>>\ <<set _ring to ($palace.jewelKind is "rings")>>\ Meryt sees you from across the yard and nearly walks into a drying line. She steers you behind a stack of baskets, her cheeks bright pink, and glances around twice before she speaks. @@.scene-whisper;"I have to tell you something. And you can't laugh."@@ <span id="mjt1"> <<link "Promise not to laugh">>\ <<replace "#mjt1" t8n>>\ She takes a deep breath. @@.scene-whisper;"I love them. The <<if _ring>>rings<<else>>little bars<</if>>. I love them so much it's embarrassing."@@ <<linkreplace "Let her go on" t8n>>\ She tugs the neck of her shift down a finger's width and you glimpse the black lace of the bra, and beneath it, nothing at all that shows. @@.scene-whisper;"The bra keeps them hidden. Nobody can see a thing. The cook walked right past me this morning."@@ Her voice drops to almost nothing. @@.scene-whisper;"But I keep catching myself. In the middle of the day. I'll be carrying a basket and my hand goes up on its own and I'm pulling on them through the lace."@@ She presses her thighs together at the memory. @@.scene-whisper;"They're so much more sensitive now. And when I pull, gods. It feels so good. I have to bite my lip so the other maids don't hear."@@ <<linkreplace "Ask what she wants you to do" t8n>>\ She looks up at you through her lashes, flushed to the roots of her hair. @@.scene-whisper;"Maybe tonight you could pull them. Instead of me."@@ A shy, wicked smile. @@.scene-whisper;"I think I'd like that better."@@ <<maidend>>\ //From now on, your nights with Meryt include pulling on her nipples. Meryt only talks to you once per day. Come back another day.// <</linkreplace>>\ <</linkreplace>>\ <</replace>>\ <</link>> </span> <</widget>> <<widget "maidPull">>\ <<if setup.maidPulls()>>\ <<set _j to ($palace.jewelKind is "rings") ? "rings" : "bars">>\ <<set _r to random(1, 4)>>\ <<if _r is 1>>\ You hook a finger through one of the little gold _j and give it a slow, steady tug. She cries out, her back bowing off the bed, and clamps around you so hard that you nearly lose your rhythm. @@.scene-whisper;"Yes. Like that. Oh, pull them. Pull them."@@ <<elseif _r is 2>>\ You pinch both little gold _j between your fingers and pull, gently at first, then harder, stretching her nipples until she is gasping your name. @@.scene-whisper;"Harder. Please. That's it. That's it."@@ Every tug makes her clench around you. <<elseif _r is 3>>\ You take the gold between your teeth and tug, and she wails, her fingers clawing at your shoulders, her whole body going tight beneath you. @@.scene-whisper;"Don't stop. Don't you dare stop pulling."@@ <<else>>\ You tug the _j in time with your thrusts, and she sobs with pleasure, nipples stretched, back arched, thighs shaking around your hips. @@.scene-whisper;"Oh gods, I'm so close. Pull. Pull them."@@ <</if>>\ <</if>>\ <</widget>> <<widget "analNight">>\ <<set _a to $palace.analStage>>\ <<if _a is 1>><<analNight1>>\ <<elseif _a is 2>><<analNight2>>\ <<elseif _a is 4>><<analNight3>>\ <<elseif _a is 5>><<analNight4>>\ <<elseif _a is 9>><<analNight5>>\ <</if>>\ <</widget>> <<widget "maidAnalAsk">>\ <<run setup.analAskDone()>>\ Meryt is folding a sheet with far too much concentration, and she doesn't look up when you step beside her. Her ears are red. @@.scene-whisper;"Do you remember the lady I attended? The one with child?"@@ <span id="maa1"> <<link "Say you remember">>\ <<replace "#maa1" t8n>>\ @@.scene-whisper;"The king visited her. Often, in the last months. And the girls in the wing said they didn't do it the usual way, because of the baby. He wouldn't risk it."@@ She smooths the sheet flat, then again. @@.scene-whisper;"They did it the other way. Through her back door."@@ <<linkreplace "Ask how she knows" t8n>>\ @@.scene-whisper;"Walls are thin, and the maids talk. I carried her water the next morning and she was walking slowly and smiling like a cat."@@ She finally looks up, flushed and defiant. @@.scene-whisper;"I want to try it. With you. I keep thinking about it."@@ <<maidend>>\ //Meryt only talks to you once per day. Come back another day, then visit her at night.// <</linkreplace>>\ <</replace>>\ <</link>> <<link "Tell her to get to the point">>\ <<replace "#maa1" t8n>>\ She huffs and flicks the sheet at you. @@.scene-whisper;"Fine. The king visited her all through the pregnancy. But not the usual way, because of the baby. He used her back door."@@ Her cheeks are scarlet. <<linkreplace "Wait" t8n>>\ @@.scene-whisper;"I heard it from the maids in the wing. She came out of her chamber the next morning smiling like a cat."@@ She meets your eyes, flushed and bold. @@.scene-whisper;"I want to try. With you. And don't you dare laugh."@@ <<maidend>>\ //Meryt only talks to you once per day. Come back another day, then visit her at night.// <</linkreplace>>\ <</replace>>\ <</link>> </span> <</widget>> <<widget "analNight1">>\ <<run setup.analAdvance(1)>>\ Meryt is already on the bed, kneeling in her shift, a little jar of cooking oil beside the pillow. She is trying to look calm and doing badly. @@.scene-whisper;"I thought about it all day. Come here."@@ <<linkreplace "Undress her" t8n>>\ You kiss her slowly and ease the shift off her shoulders. She sighs against your mouth and her hands find your clothes, and for a while it is only kisses and warm skin, her breasts against your chest, her breath coming faster. When you take a nipple in your mouth she shivers and whispers, @@.scene-whisper;"Good. Now. Before I lose my nerve."@@ She turns over and rises onto her hands and knees, her face turned to the pillow, her hips lifted toward you. <<linkreplace "Kneel behind her" t8n>>\ You oil your fingers and stroke between her cheeks, and she tenses, then slowly lets out her breath. @@.scene-whisper;"That's strange. It's nice. Strange and nice."@@ You press a fingertip against her and she gasps, and it will barely go in. You work slowly, circling, and she keeps whispering encouragement into the pillow. <<linkreplace "Try to enter her" t8n>>\ You oil yourself and set the head against her, and push gently. She is tight as a fist. Nothing yields. You press a little harder and she hisses and goes rigid, and you stop at once. @@.scene-whisper;"Wait. Wait. Why does it not go in?"@@ She reaches back and tries to guide you, wincing. @@.scene-whisper;"Again. Gently. I can do this."@@ You try again, and again she flinches, and it is no use. She is far too small and tight to take you. @@.scene-whisper;"Oh, gods."@@ She hides her face in the pillow, half laughing, half close to tears. @@.scene-whisper;"The concubine made it sound so easy."@@ <<linkreplace "Hold her" t8n>>\ You pull her back against your chest and she lets out a long, shaky breath. After a while she says, muffled, @@.scene-whisper;"I'll ask around. Someone must know what to do. The girls in the wing, the cook, someone."@@ She turns her head. @@.scene-whisper;"You look around too. You know the city. There must be something."@@ She takes you in her hand to make it up to you, slowly, kissing your shoulder, until you spill across her fingers with a groan. //Ask around in the city. Perhaps a merchant sells something that helps.// <<maidmorning>>\ <</linkreplace>>\ <</linkreplace>>\ <</linkreplace>>\ <</linkreplace>>\ <</widget>> <<widget "analNight2">>\ <<run setup.analAdvance(2)>>\ Meryt eyes the little jar in your hand and sits up on the bed with her knees drawn together, interested and nervous at once. @@.scene-whisper;"Is that it? What does it do?"@@ You tell her what the merchant said: it relaxes whatever it touches. @@.scene-whisper;"Then we start with a massage,"@@ she decides, and pulls her shift over her head. @@.scene-whisper;"A real one. Nothing else."@@ <<linkreplace "Begin the massage" t8n>>\ She lies on her stomach with her arms folded under her cheek, and you warm the lotion between your palms. It smells of lotus and something faintly spiced. You start at her shoulders, and she groans into her arms. You work the knots from her neck, the long muscles of her back, the sore place above her hips where the washing tubs have bent her for years. @@.scene-whisper;"Oh, gods. Don't stop. I did not know I was this tired."@@ <<linkreplace "Work lower" t8n>>\ Your hands slide down over her hips and the round of her bottom, and you knead it slowly, thumbs sinking in. She goes loose beneath you, her legs falling open a little. The lotion is warm on her skin. You massage the backs of her thighs and she hums, and when you drift inward she doesn't stop you. @@.scene-whisper;"That is not a massage anymore,"@@ she mumbles. @@.scene-whisper;"Turn me over."@@ <<linkreplace "Turn her over" t8n>>\ She rolls onto her back, flushed, her nipples already stiff. You pour lotion into your palms and smooth it over her breasts, cupping and squeezing them, circling each nipple with a slick thumb. She arches into your hands. <<if setup.maidPulls()>>\ You tug the little gold at each nipple, slow and steady, and she cries out and her hips lift off the bed. <</if>>\ @@.scene-whisper;"Don't stop with those. Gods. I'm so wet already."@@ <<linkreplace "Slide your hand lower" t8n>>\ Your hand slips down her belly and between her thighs, slick with lotion and with her own wetness. You stroke her folds, then slowly circle her clit, and she gasps and clamps her thighs around your wrist before letting them fall open again. You slide two fingers inside her and curl them while your thumb keeps circling, your mouth on her nipple. @@.scene-whisper;"Yes. There. Right there. Don't you dare stop."@@ <<timed 2s>>\ @@.scene-pulse;She comes with a long, shaking cry, her back bowing off the bed, clenching around your fingers in hard pulses, her hands locked in the sheet.@@ <<next 3s>>\ She lies boneless and panting, then props herself on her elbows, her eyes bright and a little wild. @@.scene-whisper;"I'm ready,"@@ she says. @@.scene-whisper;"I'm so relaxed I could sleep. If we try now, it must work."@@ She bites her lip. @@.scene-whisper;"I asked around. The girls in the wing say people train for it. Slowly, with a tool. I'll ask a friend to get me one. But try now. Please."@@ <<linkreplace "Try again" t8n>>\ She turns onto her hands and knees. You oil her again, and this time she is soft and loose and warm, and a finger slides in easily. Two follow. She moans into the pillow. When you set yourself against her and push, the head slips in, and she gasps. @@.scene-whisper;"Oh. Oh, it's in. Is it in?"@@ Barely. You hold still, and she shudders, her fingers white on the sheet. @@.scene-whisper;"It's so much. Wait. Go on. Slowly."@@ You push a little deeper and she cries out and tightens around you, so hard that it is almost painful. You move in small, careful strokes, and the heat and the grip are too much. You come with a groan, spilling just inside her. She stays on her hands and knees, panting, and laughs unsteadily. @@.scene-whisper;"You came. I didn't. It was too tight. I could only feel it hurting."@@ She sinks down onto the bed and pulls you after her. @@.scene-whisper;"I'll get the training tool. Then we try again, another night. We'll do it properly."@@ <<maidmorning>>\ <</linkreplace>>\ <</timed>>\ <</linkreplace>>\ <</linkreplace>>\ <</linkreplace>>\ <</linkreplace>>\ <</widget>> <<widget "maidToolTalk">>\ <<run setup.analToolDone()>>\ Meryt sees you from across the yard and drags you behind the tall baskets, pale pink, with a small cloth bundle clutched to her chest. @@.scene-whisper;"I got it. My friend got it for me. I didn't ask how."@@ <span id="mtt1"> <<link "Ask to see it">>\ <<replace "#mtt1" t8n>>\ She checks the yard twice and unwraps the cloth just enough. Inside lies a plug of smooth dark polished wood, slim at the tip and swelling to a rounded bulge, with a narrow neck and a flared base. @@.scene-whisper;"It's a buttplug,"@@ she whispers, scarlet. @@.scene-whisper;"The concubine wears one all day to prepare her. For the king. The wing girls said that's the secret."@@ <<linkreplace "Ask if she has tried it" t8n>>\ She hugs the bundle to her chest. @@.scene-whisper;"I held it over my bed. I looked at it for an hour. I was too afraid."@@ She laughs, small and nervous. @@.scene-whisper;"Please. Get more lotion for tonight. A lot. And you'll put it in. I couldn't do it myself."@@ <<maidend>>\ //Buy another jar of lotion in the city, then visit her tonight. Meryt only talks to you once per day. Come back another day.// <</linkreplace>>\ <</replace>>\ <</link>> </span> <</widget>> <<widget "analNight3">>\ <<run setup.analAdvance(3)>>\ Meryt sits on the bed with the plug on a cloth in front of her, as if it might bite. She looks up when you come in and lets out a long breath. @@.scene-whisper;"You brought lotion. Good. Do the massage again. Please."@@ <<linkreplace "Massage her" t8n>>\ She lies on her front and you warm the lotion in your hands. You work her shoulders, her spine, her hips, slowly, and she melts into the sheet. Your hands slide over her bottom and between her thighs, and she parts her legs for you with a small, shivery sound. You rub the lotion into her folds and then lower, circling her, and she breathes out and goes soft. You turn her over and take her breasts in slick hands, thumbs circling her nipples. <<if setup.maidPulls()>>\ You pull the gold gently, and she whimpers and arches into it. <</if>>\ @@.scene-whisper;"Now,"@@ she whispers. @@.scene-whisper;"Put it in. Before I think about it."@@ <<linkreplace "Put in the plug" t8n>>\ She rolls onto her side and draws one knee up. You coat the plug in lotion until it shines. You press the tip against her, and she gasps and tenses, then breathes out, and you push, a little at a time. The slim end slides in. She grips the sheet. @@.scene-whisper;"Oh. Oh, that's... Oh."@@ The widest part stretches her, and she whimpers, and then it pops past and the neck closes around it. The base rests flush against her. @@.scene-whisper;"I feel full,"@@ she breathes, round-eyed. @@.scene-whisper;"So full. It's strange. I can feel my heartbeat in it."@@ <<linkreplace "Kiss her" t8n>>\ You kiss her, and she melts into it. She pulls you down and wraps her legs around you, and you ease into her the usual way. She cries out, tighter than ever with the plug in her, and you can feel it through the thin wall inside her. @@.scene-whisper;"Gods. Every little move. It's too much, it's too good."@@ You move slowly, deeply, and she clutches your shoulders. Her breath hitches with every stroke. <<maidPull>> <<timed 2s>>\ @@.scene-pulse;She comes with a shuddering sob, clenching around you in hard waves, and the pulse of her drags you after her. You spill deep inside her with your face in her neck.@@ <<next 3s>>\ She lies against you, trembling and smiling, one hand on her own belly. @@.scene-whisper;"I'll keep it in all night."@@ After a while she sighs. @@.scene-whisper;"Bad news. I'm busy the next four days. Extra shifts with the steward's linens. I can't see you. Come back after, and then we'll see if it did its work."@@ //Meryt is busy for the next 4 days. Come back after that.// <<maidmorning>>\ <</timed>>\ <</linkreplace>>\ <</linkreplace>>\ <</linkreplace>>\ <</widget>> <<widget "analNight4">>\ <<run setup.analAdvance(4)>>\ Meryt is already waiting when you come in, standing by the bed with her shift off and a look of fierce, shy pride. She doesn't say hello. She turns around, bends over the bed and braces her hands on the mattress, her bottom lifted toward you, the flared base of the plug showing between her cheeks. @@.scene-whisper;"Look,"@@ she says over her shoulder. @@.scene-whisper;"Come on. Pull it out."@@ <<linkreplace "Pull out the plug" t8n>>\ You take the base and tug gently. She groans and tightens, then relaxes, and the plug slides slowly out, the wide part stretching her one last time. She moans as it comes free, her whole body shivering. For a moment you can only look. Her anus is soft and glistening, and slightly open, a small dark circle that does not close at once. @@.scene-whisper;"Is it open?"@@ she whispers. @@.scene-whisper;"It feels open. I bet it's good enough now. Do it. Do it before it closes."@@ <<linkreplace "Take her" t8n>>\ You oil yourself and set the head against her, and this time there is no fight. She pushes back, and you slide in, slow and steady, and she cries out, long and shaky. She is hot and tight, but she gives, and you sink to the hilt while she trembles under you. @@.scene-whisper;"It's in. It's all in. Oh, gods. It doesn't hurt. It's so deep."@@ You move slowly, and she moans into the sheet, each stroke dragging a helpless sound from her. You reach around, circle her clit with a slick finger, and she wails. <<maidPull>> <<timed 2s>>\ @@.scene-whisper;"Faster,"@@ she begs. @@.scene-whisper;"I can take it. Please."@@ You do, and she comes with a cry that muffles into the mattress, clenching hard around you, and you spill deep in her with a groan, gripping her hips. <<next 3s>>\ She collapses on the bed and laughs, breathless and wrecked. @@.scene-whisper;"That was awesome. I can't believe it. Awesome."@@ Then she stirs and frowns, shifting against the sheet. @@.scene-whisper;"But I feel empty now. Strange. I'd gotten used to it."@@ She reaches for the plug, oils it with a finger and puts it back in herself. It slides in without a hitch, and she sighs. @@.scene-whisper;"There. That's better."@@ <<maidmorning>>\ <</timed>>\ <</linkreplace>>\ <</linkreplace>>\ <</widget>> <<widget "maidStuck">>\ <<run setup.analStuckDone()>>\ Meryt catches your sleeve the moment you come through the gate and steers you behind the tall baskets, her cheeks red, her eyes everywhere but on yours. @@.scene-whisper;"I have to tell you something. And it's embarrassing, and you will not laugh."@@ <span id="mst1"> <<link "Promise not to laugh">>\ <<replace "#mst1" t8n>>\ She takes a breath. @@.scene-whisper;"I wore it. Every day. Just like the concubine. Under my shift, all day, while I was working."@@ <<linkreplace "Let her go on" t8n>>\ She picks at her sleeve. @@.scene-whisper;"And when I sat down to rest, I found out that if I moved back and forth on the stool, just a little, it moved inside me."@@ Her voice drops to almost nothing. @@.scene-whisper;"It felt so good. I kept doing it. I couldn't stop. I'd sit there rocking and pretending to sort the linen."@@ <<linkreplace "Wait" t8n>>\ She goes even redder. @@.scene-whisper;"But then. Earlier. I was doing it, and I heard a plop."@@ She swallows. @@.scene-whisper;"And now I can't feel the base. It's inside me. It got too small, and it slipped in."@@ She presses a hand to her lower belly and winces. @@.scene-whisper;"It's pressing on me from the inside. I can't bend, I can't carry anything. I can't work like this. You have to pull it out. Now."@@ <<linkreplace "Follow her" t8n>>\ She takes your wrist and pulls you through the drying lines to a narrow gap between two stacks of tubs, hidden from the yard by hanging sheets. She checks the gap twice, then turns her back to you, bends over a tub and lifts her shift to her waist, bracing her hands on the rim. She is bare beneath it. Her bottom is lifted toward you, and her anus is soft and slightly open, a small dark circle that does not close. @@.scene-whisper;"Hurry,"@@ she whispers over her shoulder. @@.scene-whisper;"Please. Before someone comes. Pull it out."@@ <<linkreplace "Press your fingers against her" t8n>>\ You wet two fingers and press them to her. She gasps and her fingers tighten on the tub. She is hot and soft, and your fingertips slip in with hardly any resistance. @@.scene-whisper;"Oh,"@@ she breathes. @@.scene-whisper;"Oh, that's it. Go in."@@ You slide in deeper, up to the second knuckle, and she moans into her arm. You push on, feeling for it, her walls clenching around you, hot and slick. You do not find it. She trembles, rocking back against your hand. @@.scene-whisper;"Deeper. It's deeper. Please."@@ <<linkreplace "Search deeper" t8n>>\ You curl your fingers and reach, slowly, until the tips brush something smooth and hard. She jerks and cries out. You hook a finger around the neck of the plug and she whimpers. @@.scene-whisper;"That's it. That's it. Pull. Slowly."@@ You draw it back inch by inch. She clenches and then yields, her whole body shaking, her mouth open against her wrist. The wide part stretches her one last time and the plug slides free in your hand, slick and warm. She makes a high, ragged sound and her knees give. You catch her around the waist as she folds against the tub, shuddering from head to foot. <<linkreplace "Ask if she's all right" t8n>>\ She is gasping into her sleeve. When she can talk she laughs, helpless and unsteady. @@.scene-whisper;"Yes. Yes. I'm fine. I just had a massive orgasm."@@ She pulls her shift down with shaking hands and leans her forehead on the cool rim of the tub. @@.scene-whisper;"I've never come like that. Not once. Standing in a laundry yard."@@ <<linkreplace "Wait for her to recover" t8n>>\ She straightens, flushed to the roots of her hair, and takes the plug from you and wipes it on her apron without meeting your eyes. @@.scene-whisper;"It's too small now. Obviously. I need a bigger one."@@ She bites her lip. @@.scene-whisper;"I can't ask my friend. She'll know. She'll know exactly why I want one, and she will tell the whole kitchen that I like it. A lot."@@ A shy, wicked look. @@.scene-whisper;"So you have to find me one. A bigger one. Please."@@ <<maidend>>\ //Look around the city for a bigger plug. Meryt only talks to you once per day. Come back another day.// <</linkreplace>>\ <</linkreplace>>\ <</linkreplace>>\ <</linkreplace>>\ <</linkreplace>>\ <</linkreplace>>\ <</linkreplace>>\ <</replace>>\ <</link>> </span> <</widget>> <<widget "maidCrystalGive">>\ <<run setup.crystalGiveDone()>>\ Meryt sees you from across the yard and her face lights up. She wipes her hands, glances at the guards and pulls you to the baskets. @@.scene-whisper;"You found one? Show me. Show me."@@ <<linkreplace "Show her the crystal plug" t8n>>\ You unwrap the cloth. The plug lies in your palm, smooth and dark, slim at the tip and swelling to a rounded bulge, and at the flared base a small crystal glints, clear as water, with a faint warmth that you do not remember being there in the alley. @@.scene-whisper;"Wow,"@@ she whispers, touching the crystal with a fingertip. @@.scene-whisper;"It's pretty. It's really pretty. Wasn't it expensive?"@@ <<linkreplace "Tell her it wasn't" t8n>>\ You tell her it was nothing. She narrows her eyes, not believing you, and then lets it go and turns the plug in her hands. @@.scene-whisper;"It's not much bigger than the last one, though."@@ She frowns. @@.scene-whisper;"I thought you'd bring something huge. This will only just do."@@ <<linkreplace "Tell her it adjusts" t8n>>\ @@.scene-whisper;"It adjusts? To what?"@@ You tell her it adapts to the wearer's needs. @@.scene-whisper;"What does that mean?"@@ You tell her you don't know. She stares at you, and then at the crystal, and then bursts out laughing. @@.scene-whisper;"You paid good gold for something and you don't know what it does."@@ Her laugh fades into a flushed, shy smile. She looks at the crystal for a long moment, then at you. <<linkreplace "Wait" t8n>>\ She takes your hand and pulls you into the corner behind the tubs, out of sight of the yard, and hands you the plug. She turns around, bends over, and lifts her shift. Her bottom is bare, and she presses her forehead to her arm. @@.scene-whisper;"Put it in. Now. I want to feel it."@@ <<linkreplace "Put it in" t8n>>\ You wet the plug and press the tip against her. She is still soft from before, and the head goes in at once, but the wide part makes her gasp. You push, a little at a time, and it takes some effort, a slow stretching that makes her whimper and tighten her hands on the tub, and then it slides in, all of it, with a soft, slick sound. She moans, low and long, as it sinks home. The crystal at the base glows faintly against her skin and she shivers. @@.scene-whisper;"Oh. It's warm. It's so warm. And it fits. Gods, it fits so well."@@ She straightens slowly, pulling her shift down, and turns to you with her eyes bright and dazed. She kisses you, quick and hard, her hand curled in your collar. @@.scene-whisper;"Thank you,"@@ she whispers. @@.scene-whisper;"Will I see you tonight?"@@ <<maidend>>\ //Visit Meryt tonight. Meryt only talks to you once per day.// <</linkreplace>>\ <</linkreplace>>\ <</linkreplace>>\ <</linkreplace>>\ <</linkreplace>>\ <</widget>> <<widget "analNight5">>\ <<run setup.analAdvance(5)>>\ Meryt is waiting on the bed in nothing but the black lace bra, her knees drawn up, her cheeks flushed. She has been shifting on the sheet since before you came in, and she stops the moment she sees you. @@.scene-whisper;"It's been in all day. I swear it's different. It feels like it moves with me."@@ She bites her lip. @@.scene-whisper;"Come here. I want everything tonight."@@ <<linkreplace "Undress her" t8n>>\ You unhook the lace and let it fall. Her breasts spill out, her nipples swollen and stiff, the little gold glinting at each tip. You lay her back and take one into your mouth, flicking your tongue over the gold, and she cries out and arches off the bed. <<if setup.maidPulls()>>\ You hook a finger through the gold and pull, slowly, stretching her nipple until she is gasping, then do the same to the other. She writhes and her hips rock against the sheet. @@.scene-whisper;"Pull them. Pull them harder. Gods, I can feel it down in the plug."@@ <<else>>\ She writhes under your mouth, her hips rocking against the sheet. @@.scene-whisper;"Don't stop. I can feel it all the way down in the plug."@@ <</if>>\ You alternate, teeth and tongue and fingers, until she is shaking and wet, the sheet dark beneath her. <<linkreplace "Take her the usual way" t8n>>\ You settle between her thighs and she wraps her legs around you and pulls you down into a kiss as you push inside. She is slick and clenching, and tighter than ever with the plug filling her from behind. The crystal at its base glows faintly against the sheet, and every stroke makes her gasp. @@.scene-whisper;"Oh. Oh, I can feel both. Both at once."@@ You move in long, deep strokes. She holds your face in both hands and watches you, her breath catching every time you bottom out. <<maidPull>> @@.scene-pulse;She comes with a long, shuddering cry, clenching around you in hard waves, and the pulse of her drags you after her. You spill deep inside her with a groan, your forehead against hers.@@ <<linkreplace "Catch your breath" t8n>>\ She lies beneath you, flushed and glowing, and then rolls onto her hands and knees, looking back at you over her shoulder with a wicked smile. @@.scene-whisper;"I'm not finished. Pull it out."@@ You take the base and ease the plug out. It slides free more easily than it has ever done, and she moans, her whole body shivering. Her anus is open, soft and glistening, and it takes a long moment to close. The crystal in your hand is warm and faintly bright. @@.scene-whisper;"Now,"@@ she says. @@.scene-whisper;"Now you."@@ <<linkreplace "Take her from behind" t8n>>\ You oil yourself and set the head against her, and she pushes back onto you. You slide in, slow and steady, and she cries out, long and shaky. She takes you to the hilt without a struggle, hot and tight and giving, and the sound she makes is half a laugh and half a sob. @@.scene-whisper;"It fits. It all fits. And it doesn't hurt. Gods, it feels so good."@@ You move slowly at first, and she moans into the sheet, pushing back to meet every stroke. You reach around and circle her clit with a slick finger, and she wails. <<if setup.maidPulls()>>\ With your other hand you take one of the little gold rings and pull, stretching her nipple, and she screams into the mattress. @@.scene-whisper;"Yes. All of it. Everything at once. Don't stop."@@ <</if>>\ <<maidPull>> <<timed 2s>>\ @@.scene-whisper;"Faster,"@@ she begs. @@.scene-whisper;"I can take it. Please."@@ You do, and she comes with a cry that muffles into the mattress, clenching hard around you, and you spill deep in her with a groan, gripping her hips. <<next 3s>>\ She collapses on the bed and you lie down beside her. She is laughing, wrecked and breathless, and then she goes still, a hand drifting down between her legs. @@.scene-whisper;"I feel empty again,"@@ she murmurs. She reaches for the crystal plug, oils it with a finger and slides it back in herself. It goes in smoothly, all the way, and she sighs, relieved, the crystal glowing softly against her skin. @@.scene-whisper;"There. It's like it knew exactly what I needed."@@ She curls against your chest. @@.scene-whisper;"I don't know what you bought, but I don't want to give it back."@@ <<maidmorning>>\ <</timed>>\ <</linkreplace>>\ <</linkreplace>>\ <</linkreplace>>\ <</linkreplace>>\ <</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>> <<if setup.jewelShopOpen()>>\ //A small velvet case behind the silk stall catches your eye. The merchant lowers her voice. "Something hidden, for someone who wants to keep it that way?"// <<link "Buy a pair of nipple rings">><<run setup.buyJewel("rings")>><<goto "CityNippleShop">><</link>> - <<print setup.jewel.ringPrice>> gold <<link "Buy a pair of nipple piercings">><<run setup.buyJewel("piercings")>><<goto "CityNippleShop">><</link>> - <<print setup.jewel.piercePrice>> gold <<elseif $palace.jewelOwned>>\ //You carry a set of nipple <<print $palace.jewelOwned>>. Give them to Meryt at night.// <</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>>// <<print setup.brothelWomanNote()>> 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]]

<<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(14, 24)>><<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 "Level4">><</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, 6)>><<set $msg to "You found: " + _names.join(", ") + ".">><<goto "Level4">><</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 "Level4">><</link>> <<case "boss">> <span class="room-event">The drone stops. The air is thick and sweet, and something huge is breathing beyond this opening.</span> <<link "Face the boss">><<goto "Boss4">><</link>> <<case "start">> <span class="room-event">The sticky 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>> <<nextfloor>> <<if _room.type isnot "enemy" and _room.type isnot "trap">>\ <<compass "Level4">>\ <</if>>

<<if setup.bossBeaten(4)>><<goto "Level4">><</if>>\ <img class="boss-portrait" src="./images/ankhara.jpg" alt="Ankhara"> <<stats "nodrink">> !The Queen's Brood Chamber A vast cavern of honeycombed amber opens around you, lit from within by a soft golden glow. Cocoons hang from the ceiling like ripe fruit, and the air is warm, heavy and sweet as syrup. The drone you have heard since the stairs is a physical thing here, rattling in your chest. At the center, on a throne of hardened resin, a woman rises. She is tall and golden-skinned, with a carapace of polished amber across her shoulders and hips, and iridescent wings folded behind her. "A visitor," Ankhara says, and her voice hums in two tones at once. "Strong, too. Do you know how long it has been since the hive had a strong one?" <<link "Fight Ankhara">>\ <<run setup.startFight("ankhara")>>\ <<goto "Fight">>\ <</link>> <<link "Back away">><<goto "Level4">><</link>>

<img class="boss-portrait" src="./images/ankhara.jpg" alt="Ankhara"> <<stats>> !Ankhara falls <<if $msg>>//$msg// <<set $msg to "">><</if>>\ Ankhara's wings sag and the glow in her carapace fades to a dull yellow. She slides down from her throne and sits against it, breathing hard, her stinger limp on the floor. "Hm," she says, and for the first time she sounds almost amused. "A drone that bites back. That is rare." One of her slender hands pulls a long, curved stinger-blade of amber from the throne's base, sharp as glass and faintly warm: <<gearname setup.gear.queens_sting>>. You can equip it in your tent. "Take it. The hive will not follow you. It has no queen to follow, now." She smiles tiredly. "Do not forget us. We were not all cruel." The cocoons overhead sway and go still, and a crack of daylight opens in the far wall of the chamber. <<if $cityTier gte 5>>\ //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 "Boss4Win">><<goto "LevelUp">><</link>> <</if>>\ <<endofcontent>> <<link "Return to camp">><<goto "Camp">><</link>>

<img class="boss-portrait" src="./images/ankhara.jpg" alt="Ankhara"> <<set $ankharaDefeats to ($ankharaDefeats || 0) + 1>>\ <<stats "nodrink">> !The Queen's Brood Chamber Your legs give out and your weapon skids away across the amber. Before you can crawl after it, a wing brushes your cheek and four slender arms catch you, lifting you effortlessly against her warm carapace. "Hush," Ankhara hums. "You fought well. The hive does not waste its good ones. Let me take care of you." <<if $ankharaDefeats gt 1>>\ She tilts her head. "You came back. Did you miss me, little drone?" <</if>>\ The air thickens with the scent of honey, and your head swims. <<if $ankharaDefeats is 1>>\ <<linkreplace "Let it happen">>\ She lays you down on a bed of soft golden resin that gives like warm wax. Her hands undress you carefully, one pair at a time, and her stinger traces a slow line up your thigh without breaking the skin. "Be still," she murmurs. "A little sweetness, and then you sleep." Warm honey spreads over your chest and stomach, and her mouth follows it, slow and unhurried, while two of her hands stroke you and the others hold your wrists gently above your head. You are hard in moments, and the drone of the hive rises and falls in time with her touch. <<linkreplace "Hold on...">>\ She keeps you at the edge for a long, drowsy while, until your hips jerk and a helpless sound leaves you. "Good drone," she whispers. You come with a shudder, and she catches it, humming with satisfaction. Warmth rolls through you, slow and heavy, and the amber closes softly around you like a blanket. <<link "Everything fades to black...">><<set $wakeTo to setup.afterAnkharaDefeat()>><<goto $wakeTo>><</link>>\ <</linkreplace>>\ <</linkreplace>>\ <<elseif $ankharaDefeats is 2>>\ <<linkreplace "Let it happen (again)">>\ You do not struggle. She undresses you with a pleased hum and settles over you, her wings spreading like a golden canopy. "You remember," she says. "Good. Then the hive can finish what it started." She feeds you honey from her fingers, thick and sweet, and the warmth of it spreads down through your belly. Her hands slide over you, firm and sure, drawing out pleasure after pleasure until you lose count. Something low in you feels softer and lighter each time you shudder, as though the sweetness is rearranging you. <<linkreplace "Hold on...">>\ "Shh," Ankhara breathes. "It will fit you better." You come again, weakly, then once more, and by the end you can barely lift your head. Her wings fold over you, and the drone fades to a lullaby. <<link "Everything fades to black...">><<set $wakeTo to setup.afterAnkharaDefeat()>><<goto $wakeTo>><</link>>\ <</linkreplace>>\ <</linkreplace>>\ <<else>>\ <<linkreplace "Surrender (again)">>\ You do not even try to stand. She lifts you into her arms, and her wings close around you both in a warm golden dome. "Third time," Ankhara says, with something close to tenderness. "You are not a visitor, little drone. You belong here." She lays you on your front on the soft resin, and one fingertip traces a slow circle at the small of your back. Warm amber wells up under it, tingling, then glowing. <<linkreplace "Let her">>\ The amber sets into your skin with a pulse of heat, and the whole world narrows to that warmth. Her hands move over you slowly, thoroughly, in time with the glow, until you come with a long, shaking cry that echoes off the walls of the hive. "There," she whispers, stroking your hair. "Now the hive will always know you." The dark takes you, the amber still glowing warm against your back. <<link "Everything fades to black...">><<set $wakeTo to setup.afterAnkharaDefeat()>><<goto $wakeTo>><</link>>\ <</linkreplace>>\ <</linkreplace>>\ <</if>>

<<if setup.bossBeaten(5)>><<goto "Level5">><</if>>\ <img class="boss-portrait" src="./images/nitocris.jpg" alt="Nitocris"> <<stats "nodrink">> !The Empress's Sun Throne You climb the final stair into a round chamber open to impossible daylight. A shaft of white light falls straight down from above onto a throne of pale stone, and the floor around it is a mirror of polished gold. On the throne sits a woman in golden armor, She is perfectly still, until she lifts one hand. "So the desert has sent me a thief," says Nitocris. Her voice is low and warm and carries easily across the room. "Every treasure in these halls is mine, little one. Including the ones that walk in on their own two feet." <<link "Fight Nitocris">>\ <<run setup.startFight("nitocris")>>\ <<goto "Fight">>\ <</link>> <<link "Back away">><<goto "Level5">><</link>>

<img class="boss-portrait" src="./images/nitocris.jpg" alt="Nitocris"> <<stats>> !Nitocris falls <<if $msg>>//$msg// <<set $msg to "">><</if>>\ The light above Nitocris flickers and dims. Her crown slips from her head and rings across the golden floor, and she sinks back onto her throne, linen unwinding around her like smoke. "Well," the Empress says softly. "It seems I was wrong about thieves." She lifts a long golden rod from beside the throne and lets it fall at your feet. Its tip is a small sun, still warm: <<gearname setup.gear.dawn_scepter>>. You can equip it in your tent. "Take it. I have held this place long enough. Perhaps now the sun can rise on something other than my dust." Her smile is faint and tired, and strangely kind. "Go. Tell them the Dawn Empress has laid down her crown." The shaft of light widens until it fills the room, warm and clean, and a stair of white stone appears climbing toward the open sky. <<if $cityTier gte 6>>\ //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 "Boss5Win">><<goto "LevelUp">><</link>> <</if>>\ <<endofcontent>> <<link "Return to camp">><<goto "Camp">><</link>>

<img class="boss-portrait" src="./images/nitocris.jpg" alt="Nitocris"> <<set $nitocrisDefeats to ($nitocrisDefeats || 0) + 1>>\ <<stats "nodrink">> !The Empress's Sun Throne Your knees strike the golden floor and your weapon spins away into the glare. A shadow falls across you, and cool fingers tip your chin up until you meet the Empress's dark, kohl-lined eyes. "Brave," Nitocris says. "Foolish, but brave. The sun does not punish those who fall. It only takes what it is owed." <<if $nitocrisDefeats gt 1>>\ Her smile widens. "You return. Is it the treasure you want, little one, or me?" <</if>>\ Light pours down the shaft above her, and the warmth of it makes your head heavy. <<if $nitocrisDefeats is 1>>\ <<linkreplace "Let it happen">>\ She draws you up onto the throne's steps and unwinds your clothes with unhurried fingers, laying each piece aside as if folding offerings. The gold dust on her skin glitters in the light, and where it brushes you it tingles. "Be still," she says. "I will be gentle. I am always gentle, with my guests." She settles over you, linen whispering, her mouth on your throat, her hands sliding down your stomach and closing around you with a slow, practiced warmth. You are hard at once, and the light above seems to pulse with every stroke. <<linkreplace "Hold on...">>\ She is patient. She leaves you at the edge until your breath breaks and your hips lift to meet her hand, and only then does she lean close and whisper, "Now." You come with a cry, and she holds you through every shaking wave of it, her hair falling around you like silk. When it is over, the gold dust has drifted down over your skin like warm snow. "Sleep," the Empress says. "Return when you are worthy." <<link "Everything fades to black...">><<set $wakeTo to setup.afterNitocrisDefeat()>><<goto $wakeTo>><</link>>\ <</linkreplace>>\ <</linkreplace>>\ <<elseif $nitocrisDefeats is 2>>\ <<linkreplace "Let it happen (again)">>\ You do not resist. She smiles as the linen comes away, and the dust on her palms glows faintly as she lays them flat on your chest and hips. "You remember my touch," she says. "Good. Then I can be more thorough this time." Her hands move slowly, kneading, shaping. Everywhere they pass, the skin tingles and softens, and you feel yourself being gently reshaped, hips widening, curves rounding under the warm gold glow. Pleasure rises with it, rolling and unhurried, until you are moaning against her shoulder. <<linkreplace "Hold on...">>\ "There," she murmurs, lips at your ear. "The sun is teaching your body. Do not fight it." You come twice, helpless and trembling, and she does not let go until the last shiver has passed. The light closes over you like a quilt. <<link "Everything fades to black...">><<set $wakeTo to setup.afterNitocrisDefeat()>><<goto $wakeTo>><</link>>\ <</linkreplace>>\ <</linkreplace>>\ <<else>>\ <<linkreplace "Surrender (again)">>\ You kneel without a fight. Nitocris rises from her throne, golden bangles chiming, and lifts your chin with a single finger. "Third time," she says, and her voice is almost fond. "You are not a thief, little one. You are mine." She lays you back against the warm stone, and traces a slow circle over your chest with one gold-tipped finger. The skin tingles, then burns, then glows, a small sun forming above your heart. <<linkreplace "Let her">>\ The mark settles into you with a pulse of heat, and the whole room narrows to its warmth. Her hands move over you, slow and sure, in rhythm with the glow, until you arch with a cry that rings from wall to wall. "There," she says, stroking your hair. "Now the sun will always know where you are." The light fills your eyes, and the dark takes you, the sun-disc still glowing warm against your chest. <<link "Everything fades to black...">><<set $wakeTo to setup.afterNitocrisDefeat()>><<goto $wakeTo>><</link>>\ <</linkreplace>>\ <</linkreplace>>\ <</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">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(18, 30)>><<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 "Level5">><</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(4, 6)>><<set $msg to "You found: " + _names.join(", ") + ".">><<goto "Level5">><</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 "Level5">><</link>> <<case "boss">> <span class="room-event">The light ahead is almost too bright to look at. Whoever waits there knows you are coming.</span> <<link "Face the boss">><<goto "Boss5">><</link>> <<case "start">> <span class="room-event">The golden gates behind you lead back to the surface.</span> <<link "Climb back to camp">><<goto "Camp">><</link>> <<default>> <span class="room-event"></span> <</switch>> <<nextfloor>> <<if _room.type isnot "enemy" and _room.type isnot "trap">>\ <<compass "Level5">>\ <</if>>

<<run setup.qadiraBegin()>>\ <<qadirascene>>

<<run setup.ensureKing()>>\ <<stats>> <<if $msg>>//$msg// <<set $msg to "">><</if>>\ A narrow stair behind the guardhouse drops into the dark. The air that rises out of it is cold and tastes of iron. Two guards stand either side of it, and neither looks at you. <<if $king.stage gte 3>>\ The stair is sealed with fresh masonry. "The king's order," a guard says. "Nothing lives down there now." <<elseif setup.bladeEquipped()>>\ The Royal Khopesh is in your hand. One of the guards glances at it and, without a word, unlocks the iron gate. //Recommended level: <<print setup.king.recLevel>>. Whatever lives down there has killed better than you.// <<link "Descend into the crypts">><<if setup.enterDungeon()>><<goto "DungeonPalace">><</if>><</link>> <<else>>\ The guards ignore you completely until you shift your weight. "Bearer's blade," the nearer one says. "Drawn and ready. Nothing else passes." <<if setup.bladeInBag()>>\ <<link "Equip the Royal Khopesh">><<run setup.equip(setup.king.bladeId, "weapon")>><<goto "PalaceDungeon">><</link>> <<else>>\ //You need the Royal Khopesh of Vigil from the king.// <</if>> <</if>> [[Back to the courtyard|Palace]]

<<run setup.ensureKing()>>\ <<stats>> <<if $msg>>//$msg// <<set $msg to "">><</if>>\ <<if $king.stage is 0>>\ The throne room is dark. The shutters are drawn and the only light comes from a brazier burning low in the middle of the floor, in a desert where nobody needs a fire. The black-and-gold throne at the far end stands empty, dust on its arms. The king sits beside it in a plain wooden chair, so old that he seems made of it, a bundle of white linen around a skull-thin face, skin like papyrus, hands that cannot stop trembling. Khenu stands against the wall with his ledger under his arm, not writing. <<linkreplace "Approach the king" t8n>>\ "Closer. I will not shout. I have not the voice." His eyes are pale and clouded, but they find you easily. "I heard of your exploits. Khenu has told me three times. It sounded better each time." "I am told you have <<print setup.kingDeeds()>>." His mouth twists. "A man who can do that can be useful to me." <<linkreplace "Ask what he needs" t8n>>\ "Beneath this room are the old crypts," the king says. "My line built them to hold something. A thing that eats. For forty years it has been eating me instead. My years, my strength. I am not yet a hundred, and I cannot lift this cup." His hands shake. "It has outlived its bargain. If it eats the rest of me, it will eat the kingdom next. The guards I send down do not return." He draws a curved blade from beside his chair and lays it across his knees. A plain bronze khopesh, nothing grand, edge worn thin. "The Royal Khopesh of Vigil. It is not much of a weapon. Its virtue is that the crypts recognize it. The stair will open only for a bearer who has it drawn and ready. Carry it, equip it, go down, and kill what lives at the bottom. Bring it back to me when it is done." <<link "Take the khopesh">><<run setup.kingGiveBlade()>><<goto "KingAudience">><</link>> <</linkreplace>>\ <</linkreplace>>\ <<elseif $king.stage is 1>>\ The king sits in the dark beside his empty throne, thinner than when you saw him last, and he does not rise. "The crypts open from the courtyard. Equip the khopesh before you go. Nothing else will be let through." His breath rattles. "Hurry, if you can. I do not say that to be cruel." <<elseif $king.stage is 2>>\ The king sits beside his empty throne, and you feel the change before you see it. The room is lighter, somehow, and the brazier has gone out. He looks up when you enter, and for the first time his eyes find you without effort. "It is dead," he says. It is not a question. "I felt it go. Like a weight lifted off my chest." He holds out a shaking hand. "The blade." <<link "Return the blade">><<run setup.kingReturn()>><<goto "KingAudience">><</link>> <<else>>\ The throne room is bright. The shutters are thrown open, the brazier is gone, and the king sits on the black-and-gold throne itself, his back straight. He looks decades younger than when you first came in: his hair is dark again, his hands steady, and his voice is stronger than you remembered. Khenu stands beside him, actually writing. "My friend," the king says. "You gave me back my years, and I will not insult you by pretending money is enough, though I have tried." A faint smile. "The household is yours. The steward knows. The eunuch at the women's wing has been told to let you pass." <</if>> [[Leave the throne room->PalaceThrone]]

<<stats>> <<run setup.ensureHarem(); $harem.visits += 1>>\ <<if $msg>><<msgline>><<set $msg to "">> <</if>>\ <<if setup.haremBanned()>>\ The guards at the entrance cross their spears the moment they see you. Captain Senet does not say a word. She simply points back down the corridor. //You are not welcome in the harem for the rest of the day.// [[Back to the courtyard->Palace]] <<else>>\ The corridor opens into a lamplit hall of silk, cushions and low fountains. Women lounge in the soft light, talking, playing lutes, watching you with open curiosity. Nobody here has ever seen a man walk in uninvited, and nobody seems offended. Then you notice the guards. Women in lacquered scale armor stand by every pillar and archway, spears upright, eyes moving. They are not here to protect the harem from outsiders. They are here to protect it from //you//. Captain Senet stands by the entrance with a curved blade at her hip, and she has clearly been told exactly who you are. The king gave you the run of the hall. He did not give you the women in it. Anyone who confuses the two will find out how quickly a spear can move. <<haremmenu>> //Or you could do something foolish.// <<link "Try your luck with one of the women">><<run setup.haremFoolish()>><<goto "HaremHall">><</link>> [[Back to the courtyard->Palace]] <</if>>

<<set _room to $level.rooms[$pos]>>\ !_room.name //The Royal Oubliette// <<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(15, 30)>><<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 "DungeonPalace">><</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 "DungeonPalace">><</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 "DungeonPalace">><</link>> <<case "boss">> <span class="room-event">Something vast stirs at the center of the pit!</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 stair back up to the palace is right behind you.</span> <<link "Return to the palace">><<goto "Palace">><</link>> <<default>> <span class="room-event"></span> <</switch>> <<if _room.type isnot "enemy" and _room.type isnot "trap">>\ <<compass "DungeonPalace">>\ <</if>>

<img class="boss-portrait" src="./images/amkhet.jpg" alt="Amkhet"> <<stats>> !Amkhet, the Hollow Hunger <<if $msg>>//$msg// <<set $msg to "">><</if>>\ <<if not $metAmkhet>>\ The pit is wide and round and utterly silent. Hundreds of rusted chains run from the walls into the dark at its center, and every one of them is pulled taut, humming faintly, as if something enormous were straining at the other end. Something unfolds out of the shadow. It looks like a massive snake, but with a woman attatched "Little thief. He sent you. He is dying, and he sent you." The chains rattle. "He cant escape his destiny" It draws itself up, and the pit grows colder. "Come, then. I am so very hungry." <<else>>\ <<if $amkhetDefeats gt 0>>\ "Back again?" The chains shiver. "You taste better this time. Of effort. Of hope. I will enjoy it." <<else>>\ <<set _lines to [ "\"Still alive? He sends them stronger each year. I wonder what he is saving to eat next.\"", "\"The king is dying, thief. I can taste it. Do you really mean to stand between us?\"", "\"Come closer. I like them close.\"" ]>>\ <<print setup.pick(_lines)>> <</if>>\ <</if>>\ <<set $metAmkhet to true>> <<link "Fight Amkhet">><<set $returnTo to "Boss6Win">><<run setup.startFight("amkhet")>><<goto "Fight">><</link>> <<link "Back away">><<goto "DungeonPalace">><</link>>

<img class="boss-portrait" src="./images/amkhet.jpg" alt="Amkhet"> <<set $amkhetDefeats to ($amkhetDefeats || 0) + 1>>\ <<stats "nodrink">> !The Hollow Pit Your knees hit the cold stone and your weapon slips from your fingers. The chains do not hold you. Amkhet does not need them. It simply leans down, vast and patient, and the pit goes dark. "Shh," it says, in the king's voice, and almost kindly. "It will not hurt for long." <<if $amkhetDefeats gt 1>>\ "You again. You taste of the last time. Of what you gave me, and what you have grown back." A long, appreciative breath. "You will be a good meal. You keep refilling." <</if>>\ Warmth drains out of you, from your hands first, then your chest, your breath, your thoughts. It does not hurt. It feels like falling asleep in a cold room. <<link "Everything fades to black...">><<set $wakeTo to setup.afterAmkhetDefeat()>><<goto $wakeTo>><</link>>

<img class="boss-portrait" src="./images/amkhet.jpg" alt="Amkhet"> <<stats>> !The Hollow Hunger falls <<if $msg>>//$msg// <<set $msg to "">><</if>>\ Amkhet comes apart slowly, with a sound like a very long breath being let out. The chains go slack all at once and fall into the pit, one after another, ringing against the stone, until the last one is quiet. "He was... never going to... be enough," it whispers, in the king's thin voice. Then even the voice is gone. Pale threads of light drift up out of the dark, past you, toward the ceiling, toward the throne room far above. Something that was owed is going home. A single curved fang lies where the thing fell, black and heavy and faintly warm: <<gearname setup.gear.amkhets_fang>>. It is in your pack. Equip it in your tent, or leave it and keep the king's blade. //The king will want to know. Return to the palace and give him back his blade.// <<if setup.canLevelUp() or $statPoints gt 0>>\ <<link "Level up / spend stat points">><<set $returnTo to "Boss6Win">><<goto "LevelUp">><</link>> <</if>>\ <<link "Climb back to the palace">><<set $level to null>><<set $msg to "You climb out of the crypts. The air above is warmer than you remember.">><<goto "Palace">><</link>>

<<set setup.ensureAnal()>>\ <<stats>> <<if $msg>>//$msg// <<set $msg to "">><</if>>\ <<if $palace.analStage is 2>>\ You ask around the market, quietly. A fishmonger laughs at you. A scribe goes red. At last an old herbalist behind a table of oils beckons you closer and says, without being asked: "Something to relax a muscle that won't? Lotus balm. Warm hands and patience. Don't rush." <<else>>\ The old herbalist recognises you and nods before you speak. "More balm. It always goes quickly." <</if>> <<if setup.lotionNeeded()>>\ <<link "Buy a jar of relaxing lotion">><<run setup.buyLotion()>><<goto "CityLotionStall">><</link>> - <<print setup.lotionPrice>> gold <<else>>\ //You already have a jar. Take it to Meryt tonight.// <</if>> [[Back to the city->City]]

<<set setup.ensureAnal()>>\ <<stats>> <<if $msg>>//$msg// <<set $msg to "">><</if>>\ A thin man in a patched coat falls into step beside you in the market. "You are looking for something," he says, without looking at you. "I know what you need. Come with me." You follow him into a narrow alley behind the dyers' quarter, where the walls are stained blue and red and nobody passes. He opens his coat on a table of small, odd things wrapped in cloth, and lays out a few of them one by one. One of them catches your eye: a plug of smooth dark stone, slim at the tip and swelling to a rounded bulge, and set into the flared base, a small clear crystal. "You have a good eye," the man says, watching you. "That one is special. It grows accustomed to the wearer's needs." He smiles. "Only 500 gold." <<if setup.crystalShopOpen()>>\ <<link "Buy the crystal plug">><<run setup.buyCrystal()>><<goto "City">><</link>> - <<print setup.crystalPrice>> gold <<else>>\ //You have nothing more to do here.// <</if>> [[Come back later->City]]

v2 added Lv 4 and 5 Expanded palace story expanded Meryt Story added class selection for easy and hard added portrait for easy and hard that changes added Daktra. A merchant that buys cursed items. added image for Djhin added image for palace inside added image for guard Added Kiki and Akira teaser Added Dryad encounter Added Satry encounter FIxes Potion seller no longer offeers Smith quests Fixed spelling in Level 4 You now can go down to the next area from the boss area Added image for fortune teller Added image for the jeweler The potionseller image has been replaced casuse the image was ai generated

!Choose your path //How have the years treated you?// <div class="quest-box"> <img src="./char/base_easy.png" alt="Treasure Hunter" style="max-width:100%; max-height:320px; display:block; margin:0 auto 0.6em auto;"> ''<<print setup.classes.easy.name>>'' //(Easy)// <<print setup.classes.easy.desc>> //<<print setup.classText("easy")>>// <<link "Choose this path">><<run setup.chooseClass("easy")>><<goto "Camp">><</link>> </div> <div class="quest-box"> <img src="./char/base_hard.png" alt="Desperate Scavenger" style="max-width:100%; max-height:320px; display:block; margin:0 auto 0.6em auto;"> ''<<print setup.classes.hard.name>>'' //(Hard)// <<print setup.classes.hard.desc>> //<<print setup.classText("hard")>>// <<link "Choose this path">><<run setup.chooseClass("hard")>><<goto "Camp">><</link>> </div> //This choice cannot be changed later.//

!The ring <<ringonscene>>

!The ring <<ringoffscene>>