Chapter Text
Chapter I
The Hero and the Princess
The Narrator
You're on a path in the woods. And at the end of that path is a cabin. And in the basement of that cabin is a princess.
You're here to slay her. If you don't, it will be the end of the world.
You
(Explore) The… end of the world? What are you talking about?
The Narrator
I'm talking about the end of everything as we know it. No more birds, no more trees, and, perhaps most problematically of all, no more people. You have to put an end to her.
(Explore) But how can a princess locked away in a basement end the world?
The Narrator
Don't linger on the specifics. You have a job to do here. Just get in there and do what needs to be done. We're all counting on you.
(Explore) Can't someone else do this?
The Narrator
Oh, if only that were the case, but I don't make the rules.
I have to say I'm surprised at your reluctance thus far. But unfortunately for the both of us, you're the only one who can pull this off.
Like I said, I don't make the rules. No matter how much I wish I did.
- (Explore) Do you have any evidence to back this up?
- (Explore) Have you considered that maybe the only reason she's going to end the world is because she's locked up?
- (Explore) Killing a princess seems kind of bad, though, doesn't it?
- (Explore) Okay, I’ll admit that was poor phrasing on my part. Are you sure you’ve got the right person for the job? I feel pretty unqualified.
- (Explore) Forget it. I'm not doing this.
- (Explore) Have you considered that maybe I'm okay with the world ending?
- (Explore) Do I get some sort of reward for doing this?
- Look, I'll go to the cabin and I'll talk to her, and if she's as bad as you say she is then maybe I'll slay her. But I'm not committing to anything until I've had the chance to meet her face to face.
- Oh, okay. Thanks for telling me what to do.
- [Silently continue to the cabin.]
- [Turn around and leave.]
The Narrator
Excuse me? Are you doubting your own capabilities?
You’ll do just fine, I promise you. Don’t feel unqualified just because the fate of the entire world rests on your shoulders. You should feel honored. Empowered, even, that you were trusted with something as big as this.
You should feel like a brave hero. Because that’s what you are.
- (Explore) Do you have any evidence to back this up?
- (Explore) Have you considered that maybe the only reason she's going to end the world is because she's locked up?
- (Explore) Killing a princess seems kind of bad, though, doesn't it?
- (Explore) Forget it. I'm not doing this.
- (Explore) Have you considered that maybe I'm okay with the world ending?
- (Explore) Do I get some sort of reward for doing this?
- Okay, fine. I’ll go to the cabin and see what I can do.
- Oh, okay. Thanks for telling me what to do.
- [Silently continue to the cabin.]
- [Turn around and leave.]
The Narrator
Now that’s more like it. The cabin awaits you!
You make your way up the short path to the cabin. You’ll find the Princess within.
A warning, before you go any further…
She will lie, she will cheat, and she will do everything in her power to stop you from slaying her. Don't believe a word she says.
Fortunately, she's only a Princess, while you are a valiant and talented warrior. It'll be easy so long as you stay focused.
The Voice of the Hero
We're not gonna go through with this, right? She's a princess. We're supposed to save princesses, not slay them.
The Narrator
Ignore him. He doesn't know what he's talking about.
[Proceed into the cabin.]
The Narrator
The interior of the cabin is almost entirely bare. The air is stale and musty and the floor and walls are painted in a fine layer of dust. The only furniture of note is a plain wooden table. Perched on that table is a pristine blade.
The blade is your implement. You'll need it if you want to do this right.
- (Explore) [Take the blade.]
- [Enter the basement.]
The Narrator
You take the blade from the table. It’d be…
Excuse me, what are you doing? Take the blade already, stop fidgeting your fingers on the hilt like it’s some kind of stress relief toy!
- Okay, okay! I’ll take the blade!
- No, I can’t. I can’t do this. I can’t make her feel more threatened than she’s probably feeling. [Don’t take the blade and enter the basement.]
The Narrator
Thank you. You take the blade from the table. It’d be rather difficult to slay the Princess and save the world without it.
[Enter the basement.]
The Narrator
The door to the basement creaks open, revealing a staircase faintly illuminated by an unseen light in the room below. This is an oppressive place. The air feels heavy and damp, a hint of rot filtering from the ancient wood. If the Princess really lives here, slaying her is probably doing her a favour.
Her voice calmly carries up the stairs.
Is someone there?
You weren’t kidding when you said calm… it's like she isn't even bothered by us coming here. It’s… kind of unsettling.
The Narrator
Don’t let it get to you. It’s all part of the manipulation. It’s a good thing you took the blade with you, you’ll need it to do your job.
- “Um… hi?”
- “Just checking in on you.”
- “I’m… I’m here to save you!”
- (Lie) “I’m… I’m here to save you!”
- “Hey, I… I think I’m here to kill you?”
- [Silently proceed downstairs.]
Don’t be a stranger. Visitors are hard to come by in this cabin these days. Please, come downstairs.
The Narrator
You walk down the stairs and lock eyes with the Princess. There's a heavy chain around her wrist, binding her to the far wall of the basement.
She’s so… blank. But… beautiful. I can’t tell if she’s a threat or not.
The Narrator
Focus on the task at hand. Remember, a lot’s riding on you here.
Hello. Have you come here to execute me?
- “W-what? No, not at all. Why do you think that?”
- “W-what? No, I’m here to free you.”
- “Okay, yeah. You caught me. I’m here to slay you.”
- “Nuh... nuh uh!"
- “I… don’t actually know yet.”
- “I just want to talk.”
- [Attempt to steel your nerves and step forward.]
I suggest you drop the knife and talk to me first before deciding on attacking or freeing me.
Or, if you feel generous, take me out of these chains. If you do the latter, I promise that I will do my best to not harm you.
All things considered, she’s being reasonable. We should drop the blade and talk this out with her.
The Narrator
Don’t you dare.
It's fine. We can decide what we want to do after we talk to her. Maybe she really is a monster. But killing someone in cold blood isn't very becoming of us.
- “Okay… I’ll get you out of here.” [Drop the blade and examine the chains.]
- [Drop the blade.]
- [Tighten your grip.]
The Narrator
(Sigh) The blade tumbles out of your trembling hands and drops to the floor with an unceremonious clang.
Okay. Talking it out first it is.
Please, have a seat.
The Narrator
Against your better judgment, you step forward to speak with the Princess face-to-face. Unarmed.
We’ll be fine.
The Narrator
I don't know what you're hoping to accomplish here, but I can assure you there's no reasoning with her. (Sigh) Just make sure you don't forget about the blade on the floor. You're going to need it.
The Princess clears her throat.
So, how can I help you?
- (Explore) “Um… what’s your name?”
- (Explore) “For all I know, you're locked up down here for a reason. Do you know why you're down here?”
- (Explore) “How long have you been down here?”
- (Explore) “Do you know why I’m here?”
- (Explore) “You're apparently a threat to the world. I was sent here to slay you…”
- (Explore) “If I decided that I should free you, then how would I do that?”
- (Explore) “You said visitors hardly come by here, right? If that’s the case, what have you been eating or drinking?”
- “Okay… I think I know what to do now…”
Princess.
Whoa. That was quick.
The Narrator
You should note the lack of detail. You can’t trust her.
But… we know that she’s a princess. Is she implying that her name is that as well? Huh. Imagine being called Princess Princess…
- (Explore) “So… is Princess your name?”
- (Explore) “For all I know, you're locked up down here for a reason. Do you know why you're down here?”
- (Explore) “How long have you been down here?”
- (Explore) “Do you know why I’m here?”
- (Explore) “You're apparently a threat to the world. I was sent here to slay you…”
- (Explore) “If I decided that I should free you, then how would I do that?”
- (Explore) “You said visitors hardly come by here, right? If that’s the case, what have you been eating or drinking?”
- “Okay… I think I know what to do now…”
No, I do not remember my name. All I can remember is that I am a princess.
So… if you want to see that as my name, you are welcome to do so.
She doesn’t remember her name? That’s… odd.
The Narrator
Because she hadn't even thought to pick a name for herself. Hopefully you're starting to see that she can't be trusted. Pick up the blade you just dropped, and slay her before it’s too late.
- (Explore) “For all I know, you're locked up down here for a reason. Do you know why you're down here?”
- (Explore) “How long have you been down here?”
- (Explore) “Do you know why I’m here?”
- (Explore) “You're apparently a threat to the world. I was sent here to slay you…”
- (Explore) “If I decided that I should free you, then how would I do that?”
- (Explore) “You said visitors hardly come by here, right? If that’s the case, what have you been eating or drinking?”
- “Okay… I think I know what to do now…”
Well, you’re not wrong. There must have been something I did.
Unfortunately for the both of us, that information is eluding our grasp. Unless this is meant to be a quiz.
After all, you’re the one who came down here with a sharp knife.
The Narrator
You have all the information you need from me. And you should know better than to trust whatever she comes up with.
No, I’m with her. There’s something you’re hiding from us, isn’t there?
The Narrator
I’m not. I’ve told you already, you need to slay her or she’ll get out and the world will end. What other reason would you want for carrying out your job?
- (Explore) “How long have you been down here?”
- (Explore) “Do you know why I’m here?”
- (Explore) “You're apparently a threat to the world. I was sent here to slay you…”
- (Explore) “If I decided that I should free you, then how would I do that?”
- (Explore) “You said visitors hardly come by here, right? If that’s the case, what have you been eating or drinking?”
- “Okay… I think I know what to do now…”
…far too long.
The Narrator
Again, she’s offering no specifics. No matter how hard you try, you'll never get a straight answer out of her.
- (Explore) “Do you know why I’m here?”
- (Explore) “You're apparently a threat to the world. I was sent here to slay you…”
- (Explore) “If I decided that I should free you, then how would I do that?”
- (Explore) “You said visitors hardly come by here, right? If that’s the case, what have you been eating or drinking?”
- “Okay… I think I know what to do now…”
Do you?
- “I know what I've been told. Whether or not I believe it is an entirely different matter.”
- “I’ve been told things, but I’m not sure what to believe.”
- “You're apparently a threat to the world. I was sent here to slay you…”
- (Lie) “No.”
- [Remain silent.]
The Narrator
Don’t just tell her that!
- “And… I’m starting to believe that now. Something about you seems… off.”
- “But I wanted to see you for myself. I’m still not sure what to believe.”
- “But if I'm being honest, I don't completely buy that.”
The Narrator
The Princess raises an eyebrow.
How odd. I have had no proclivities of hurting anyone. I’m actually quite fond of the world.
But I will admit, that last statement I made has less merit with me having mentioned that I can’t remember a lot about myself.
Wait… how long has she been locked away?
And yet, I don't have any weapons. And I'm chained to a wall. Do I look like someone that could end the world? Do I look like a monster?
- (Deflect) “What are you going to do if I let you out of here?”
- “I’ve been told enough.”
- “I was hoping you’d tell me.”
- “No… but I’m sure they have their reasons for keeping that information secret from me.”
- “No… which is why… I’m starting to think you’re not actually dangerous at all.”
- “I’ve been told things, but I’m not sure what to believe.”
- [Remain silent.]
The Narrator
Thanks for the vote of confidence.
I hope you’re not forgetting that those reasons could be nefarious. If they were noble, they would share them with you, wouldn’t they?
Like I said, I have had no proclivities of hurting anyone. I wish to leave this dreary place. That is all.
However, at the end of the day, whatever we two have down here has something to do with having faith.
Whoever sent you to murder me claimed that I was a threat, but they’re being secretive, or worse, dishonest on why.
That doesn’t sound right to me, or to you. And I can tell, because you dropped the knife rather than try to strike me without hesitation.
She has a point. We’re talking like this for a reason.
Though, despite the messiness of this situation, one thing is clear. I’m a prisoner here. Whether or not you shoved me down here, you're practically my captor at this point. Anything I'd say for you to help me leave is tainted by that.
The Narrator
She's right about one thing. Her word isn't worth anything.
This is about putting faith in someone. Blind faith.
The choice is yours. Who do you put faith in? Me, a Princess locked up in here who has no way of ending the world, or the one who put me here?
The Narrator
She's wrong. This isn't about faith or trust. This is about risk. We stand to lose everything, all for the sake of one person. And a subjugating monarch, no less.
- (Explore) “If I decided that I should free you, then how would I do that?”
- (Explore) “You said visitors hardly come by here, right? If that’s the case, what have you been eating or drinking?”
- “Okay… I think I know what to do now…”
That is irrelevant to what’s happening now.
The Narrator
This is the only time this is ever going to happen, but I agree with the Princess. That's hardly relevant.
Okay but actually, what has she been eating? She has to eat, right?
- (Explore) “If I decided that I should free you, then how would I do that?”
- “Okay… I think I know what to do now…”
Oh? What have you decided?
The Narrator
You know why you’re here…
- What have I been doing this entire time? It’s obvious that I have to [Slay the Princess.]
- “I won't kill you, but I can't just set you free. It's too risky. What if I stayed for a while and just kept you company? Maybe then everyone could be happy?”
- “Don’t make me regret this, but… I think I’m going to get you out of this place.” [Examine the chains.]
- “I think… I’m going to get you out of this place.” [Examine the chains.]
The Narrator
Oh, you have to be kidding me!
I appreciate your help. Really, I do.
The Narrator
You’re making a huge mistake.
No. I think you’re doing the right thing.
The Narrator
You walk up to the chains binding the Princess to the wall and give them a tug.
They're large and heavy, far too solid for you to even imagine trying to break them apart.
You don’t have the key, do you? You should go look for it.
Maybe it’s somewhere upstairs?
The Narrator
Doubtful. Whoever locked the Princess away down here intended for her to never see the light of day. They wouldn't have just left the key to her chains somewhere in the cabin.
“And if there isn’t a key… do you have any other ideas?”
Then we should find a way to break the chains.
And if that isn’t possible, I’m afraid that the only solution left will be to cut me out of them using the blade.
The Narrator
She offers the suggestion with complete nonchalance.
If we were stuck down here long enough, I'm sure we'd be nonchalant about cutting our way out if it meant we could finally be free.
The Narrator
You attempt to make your way out of the basement, but the door at the top of the stairs slams shut. You hear the click of a lock sliding into place.
Is someone else here?
(Explore) “Hey! Let me out of here!”
The Narrator
Your shouts and pleas are met with silence.
You're here to slay the Princess, and you won't leave until the task is done.
(Explore) [Try the door.]
The Narrator
You try the door, but it's locked from the outside.
I’ll repeat myself once again. You're here to slay the Princess, and you won't leave until the task is done.
[Return to the bottom of the stairs.]
The Narrator
You make your way back to the bottom of the stairs. This would have been so much easier if you'd simply slain her like you were supposed to.
Easier for whom?
The Narrator
Easier for everyone.
I heard the door slam. They’ve locked you in here too, haven’t they?
The Narrator
The Princess ponders on what to do next.
I’m afraid that the only thing you can do now is cut me out of here.
The Narrator
You won’t like what happens if you do that…
[Save the Princess.]
The Narrator
Ugh. Fine.
Against your better judgment, you place the blade against the Princess' arm, just above the massive, unyielding chain.
You cut into her flesh.
The blade is sharp, and you make quick work of it. Before long, you're able to crack through bone, and she pulls the bleeding stub of her arm through the iron gauntlet.
She didn’t so much as utter a sound…
The Narrator
No. She didn’t.
Free from her bindings, the Princess turns to face you, her blank gaze and expression meeting your eye.
Thank you. Now let’s leave this place.
[Approach the locked basement door.]
The Narrator
No. We won’t have any of that. The stakes are too high. You can’t just let her escape into the wor--
…no. I can’t just let her escape into the world.
As the Princess approaches the bottom stair, your body steps forward and raises the blade.
Wait… this isn’t fair. You can’t just do that!
The Narrator
Watch me.
[Warn her.] “W-watch out!”
The Narrator
Stop that.
Hm. I was wondering why this felt a little too easy.
The Narrator
Your body lunges forward, the blade held low, ready to sink into her heart.
But the Princess swiftly dodges, rolling to your left and placing her remaining hand onto the ground, getting ready for you to try and connect your blade to her again.
Stop it! Stop. Trying to resist me! I’m trying to get you out of here alive!
N-no! [Resist.]
The Narrator
The blade! Move. The. Blade!
As your body remains frozen in stubborn silence, the Princess takes a confident, yet cautious step forward.
Oh. I see.
Something’s come over you, but you’re doing your best to resist it. Your eyes give it away.
The Narrator
She reaches towards you, face unchanged as she pries the blade from your rigid hands… what are you doing?!
I was hoping I wouldn’t have to hurt you after everything, but…
The Narrator
And then, quicker than you can process, she slashes your throat open.
No!
My apologies. I hope you understand that this had to happen if you really wanted to save me.
The Narrator
Her face still is the same as it was, even when watching you collapse to the ground, blood flowing from your butchered neck. She sheds no tears. Only eyeing you with a strange sense of blank curiosity.
It can’t just… end like this, right?
The Narrator
Oh, that’s rich coming from you. As much as I'd prefer for things to have gone differently, I’m afraid this is how it has to end because of your indecisiveness.
Everything goes dark… and you die.