(set: $name to (prompt: "What do they call you?", "Monstera"))
(set: $guula to 0)
(set: $iora to 0)
(set: $alek to 0)
(set: $mal to 0)
(set: $penn to 0)
(set: $guula_puzzle to 0)
(set: $iora_puzzle to 0)
(set: $alek_puzzle to 0)
(set: $mal_puzzle to 0)
(set: $penn_puzzle to 0)
(set: $bad to 0)
(set: $erol to 0)
(go-to: "Begin") The house is open for the night.
[[Go in]]
[[Stay outside]]The entire house shook with every beat of the garbled music. Monsters didn't feel much, so they had to turn everything on as loud as possible. Your heart thunked in time with the upbeat rhythm.
The house wasn't large, but it was tall. It had missmatching floors of different colours and shapes, all connected by one central elevator.
(set: $elev to 0)
The Spine.
Maybe the elevator operator had an idea of where
[[Check out The Spine->Elevator1]]There isn’t much to see outside, but you decide to walk around anyways. The house is dark. Everything is dark.
[[Go in the house->Go in]]
[[Stay outside->Something]]Something glistened in the corner of your vision. You turned to see a massive puddle, the perfect proportions for jumping in. Good thing you wore big rubber boots.
[[Jump!]]
[[I've wandered enough, I'll go inside now->Go in]]You jump! Expecting a splash and solid ground; instead, you find yourself falling, spiralling down into a cold and long hole.
The puddle was not a puddle, but some sort of well.
You can't breathe underwater.
[[Cellar]]Double-click this passage to edit it.Double-click this passage to edit it.The elevator rumbled, then dinged. Two metal doors opened for you.
(if: $elev is 0)[(go-to: "brain")]
"Where do you want to go?" Asked the elevator operator; The Brain of The Spine.
(if: $bad is 3)[(go-to: "Bad ending")]
[[B1(Locked)->Locked1]]
[[First Floor]]
[[Second Floor]]
[[Third Floor]]
[[Fourth Floor]]
[[Rooftop(Locked)->Locked2]]Double-click this passage to edit it.The first floor had two big rooms, connected by a small hallway. Beer cans littered the ground, and monsters stumbled to walk by. At least it was lighter than outside.
[[Dining Room]]
[[Kitchen]]
[[Elevator->Elevator1]]The second floor had a living room filled to the brim with a balloons, so many balloons your vision was blocked by colour. Your brain had a hard time processing it.
The only sound over the grunt of the music were sporatic gunshots, popping through the air and making your heart falter a little each time.
[[Enter Living Room->Living Room]]
[[Go back to Elevator->Elevator1]]Floor three had a lot of random doors. Your tried each knob, seeing which door would open for you. It was easy to forget which ones you've already tried and which ones were new. You took (random: 1, 30) minutes to find the right door.
The washroom is small.
[[Go into the washroom]]
[[Elevator->Elevator1]]The music was dull on the fourth floor, and because of the eerie quietness, you weren't likely to be many any monsters here. The hallways were painted florescent yellow, and every once in a while you came across random funhouse mirrors, each of which distorted you in a new way. Somehow, this floor with its happy walls and dim sound, scared you the most.
[[Bedroom]]
[[Elevator->Elevator1]]Double-click this passage to edit it."Sorry, no can do." Said the operator of the spine. "That area's off limits for creatures like you."
"Is that racist?" You asked, mildly insulted.
"Maybe," The Brain replied, "Although it's my job."
"Where do you want to go?"
[[First Floor]]
[[Second Floor]]
[[Third Floor]]
[[Fourth Floor]]
[[Rooftop(Locked)->Locked2]]"Sorry, no can do." Said the operator of the spine. "That area's off limits for creatures like you."
"Is that racist?" You asked, mildly insulted.
"Maybe," The Brain replied, "Although it's my job."
"Where do you want to go?"
[[B1(Locked)->Locked1]]
[[First Floor]]
[[Second Floor]]
[[Third Floor]]
[[Fourth Floor]]
Double-click this passage to edit it.The kitchen was loud, and glass was scattered about the ground. It crunched under your feet, and you hoped none would pierce through your shoes. The monsters around didn't seem to care though, raving along with the monster music, dancing in barefeet along the glass.
[[Enter kitchen]]
[[Elevator->Elevator1]]Pushing your way through the staggering number of balloons, you felt slightly clausterphobic. Everything smelt like rubber, and the lighting was all yellows and reds. The gunshots became louder as you dove further into the living room.
(if: $living is 1)[(go-to: "Gul_Active")]
You were determined to find the source of the bangs.
(if: $living is 2)[(go-to: "Gul_UnActive")]
[[Hurl your human body through the wall of balloons]]
[[Go back->Elevator1]]Double-click this passage to edit it.Finally, you entered a clearing in the corner of the large room. A large monster sat crying, trying hard to be still and quiet. A multitude of balloons popped as she lifted her head.
She hiccuped, then spoke. "H-Here to laugh at m-m-me too?" The monster was blue and deckled in green spots, her arms and legs covered in needles. She couldn't move in the slightest without popping the balloons.
"No," You replied. The monster looked pathetic on the ground. She sobbed loudly.
"They left me here!" She cried, slinging up her arms and wailing even louder at the sound of more popping. "W-With all these loud obnoxious rubber ...things! I can't even move,"
Her eyes shifted over your smooth, human skin. She frowned.
"Even a human is less pathetic than I am. G-Go on, make fun of me too. I'm sure you'll want to take advantage of the situation, now."
She wasn't wrong. Maybe this creature knew how to find $friend, or where they were last seen. If you played your cards right, the Balloon popper could maybe prove she was worth more than being a living sack of needles.
"My name is $name," You said. [["What's yours?"]]
The blue monster looked skeptical, but told you her name nonetheless.
"Guula," She replied. "Not that it matters to you, human. You belong here even less than I do,"
[[Pop the balloons]]
[[Ask what happened]]
"Some dickhead monsters thought it'd be funny to put me in this room with all these balloons and just leave me here. It's already been two hours and I can't escape!"
(set: $guula to $guula + 1)
"Why can't you leave?" You asked.
"Because I'm too scared of the noises!" She exclaimed, popping another one in the process. She shrivelled up and hissed at the sound.
"But... Thanks for having some consideration. Nobody else seemed to care, or hear my cries."
[[Ask who the others were]]
[[Tell a joke]]"Well, now I know your least favourite kind of music," You said, a really good joke forming in your head.
"What are you talking about?" Guula replied. She looked tired.
"Pop!"
...She didn't seem amused.
[[Be kind]]
[[Make fun of her]]
"Malachi and his crew, the little devils." She shook her head, taking in a shaky breath. "First, they blow up an obsene amount of balloons, of course upsetting The Owner. And after Brain asked them to remove all these horrible rubber bubbles, instead of taking any responsability, they dragged me up here!"
(set: $guula to $guula + 1)
Your eyes scanned Guula's horribly sharp limbs, unable to envision the kind of monster who was able to touch her at all.
"How can I help you?" You ask.
She considers this for a moment.
[[Be kind]]
[[Make fun of her]]"I'm sorry, they sound like the worst," You said, sympathysing with the sad, blue monster. "It's really mean that they stuck you here. Bullies always get what's coming to them, though."
(set: $guula to $guula + 1)
Guula sighed. (if: $guula is 3)[You felt like you were getting to her.
"Thank you for being so kind to me. Maybe humans aren't actually so bad..."]
[[Offer to help]]"So many creatures say humans are the most pathetic kind," You say, heart thudding quicker at the thought of what was to come out of your mouth. "I wish they could see you, Guula. Not even evolution was on your side."
She growled in warning. "Say one more word, human-"
"I bet you're a pretty lonely thing. I mean, what kind of monster would even want to go near you? No friends came up here looking for you, either because they don't exist, or they just couldn't care less."
You could see it on her face, in her body language. A storm was brewing.
[[Offer to help]]Her bright blue face was no longer blue upon being asked that, instead turning a furious purple. And then, the house rattled.
(set: $alek_puzzle to 1)
As Guula let out an impossible roar, the ground shook and you were knocked off balance, covering your ears from the sound. It felt like minutes before she was done.
(set: $living to 2)
You let go of your ears, and looked at her huffling form. "You know, for a creature that afraid of ballon popping, you sure are loud."
(set: $bad to $bad + 1)
"GET OUT!" She hollered, and you didn't wait around to find out what would happen if you stayed. Surely that kind of roar wasn't uncommon at these sorts of parties, although for sure it would've been distraction enough to stop the rave for at least a moment.
[[Head back to The Spine!->Elevator1]]
An sudden urge came over you, and you reached around to grab a bright red balloon. Clutching it tightly, you pushed your hands together, eyes squinting in anticipation.
The noise rang out, Guula cowering and sniffling from her corner.
"Human!" She exclaimed, although you were far too excited now.
You reached again, this time pulling forth a bouyant yellow balloon.
"Don't-" Guula cried, as you popped the next one. And a blue one. And another red one. And an orange one, a purple one, yellow, green, red, blue.
"Have you had your fun, torturing me?"The monster hissed once you had stoppped, your fingers stinging and numb.
You shrugged. "Sorry,"
[Tell a joke]]
[[Ask who left her here->Ask who the others were]](if: $guula is 3)[(go-to: "Guula_good")]
(else:)[(go-to: "Guula_bad")]"How can I help you?" You asked, feeling bad for poor Guula.
(set: $living to 1)
"Hmm..." She hummed, thinking deeply. "I want revenge. You can help me by finding Mal and ensuring that his night is ruined. That would sure mean a lot to me."
You looked at her, trapped in the balloons, and nodded your head once.
Off to find Malachi.
[[Back to The Spine!->Elevator1]]As you approached the loud popping, you stumbled across Guula once again. She looked up upon hearing your footsteps.
(if: $guula_puzzle is 1)[(go-to: "Gul_Ending")]
"$name! What are you doing here?" She asked. "Have you avenged my name upon Malachi, yet?"
"No," You replied, much to the monsters dismay.
"Well, get on with it then! Him and his cronies are probably hanging out in the kitchen." She turned away from you, disapointed. "Just a tip, he hates being littled in front of everyone else. Make him feel small. Crush his arrogent sense of dominance that he struts over this house, thinking he's The Owner or something like that. I want him so embarrassed, he'll never think about picking on the smaller guys ever again."
[[Back to The Spine!->Elevator1]]There were many different kinds of drinks on the countertop, all different colours and cosistancies which shined through identical glass bottles. All with strange labels such as "Venom from the cave cavity," ; "Liquified gargoil," ; "Purified nightmares."
(if: $kitch is 1)[(go-to: "Mal_Active")]
You shivered at the thought of injesting any of those.
(if: $kitch is 2)[(go-to: "Mal_UnActive")]
As you kept reading the labels on the bottles, you heard a loud voice boom over the others, followed by screechy chorus of laughter.
"Well, would you believe it boys? Is that a //mortal// I see?" The voice came from behind you; the man who spoke was big and envelopped in orange stripes. He was some kind of mix between bird and man, with feathers instead of hair, and a mouth that stuck out just a //little// too much to be human.
"Could it be, are you my latest snack?"
"My name is $name," You said. [["What's yours?" ->Mal]] The orange monster looked amused, running a hand through his light yellow hair. "Malachi," He said, looking around at his entourage. "This is my Flight, the Mallards."
Each of the monsters around him looked the same, all a dark shade of gray with long black beaks. They didn't look like any kind of bird you recognised, especilly not with their size. Smaller than Malachi but a good double the size of you.
[[Admire Malachi]]
[[Ask why he looks different from the other birds]]"Are you the owner?" You asked Malachi, much to his surprise. His face lit up and he puffed out his chest in pride.
(set: $mal to $mal + 1)
"No, although I //am// the life of this party. This entire house, in fact."
He was quite arrogent, you thought. "That seems accurate," You assured, further boosting up his ego. "Definetly the most handsome monster here."
Malachi grinned, stepping closer to you. "Hey hey, you're not so bad for a human, are you?"
"The boy's not so great," Said one bird, stepping out of line.
"He's hardly even Mallard!" Excalimed another.
Malachi looked down, embarassment crawling over his features.
[[Poke fun at the Mallard Flight]]
[[Tell them a joke]] "Why do I look different from the flight?" Malachi repeated, looking less thrilled than the minute before. He ruffled his pale, feathery hair.
"Because," Inturruped one bird from the entourage, "The boy's really only one 16th Mallard!" He exclaimed, sending the rest of the group into cackling laughter.
"He couldn't look a lick like us if he wanted!" Said another.
One took a step out of line, closer to you. He brought a wing up to cover his beak, although it did no good to cover the sound of his voice. "You know, I even heart the boy was part //loon!"//
Their fit of laughter had them squacking and filling the entire kitchen with dark feathers. Mal looked to you.
"I hope you're satisfied," He said, frowning.
"Malachi in't even Mallard!" They chanted, flying in disorganized chaos.
[[Poke fun at the Mallard Flight]]
[[Tell them a joke]]Going back in the living room robably wasn't a good idea.
The popping echoed through the room louder and more rigorously than before. Whether that was good or bad, you honestly didn't care to know.
[[Back to the elevator->Elevator1]]Double-click this passage to edit it./////Explination and the brain introduction lol
(set: $elev to 1)
[[Cool.->Elevator1]]Double-click this passage to edit it.Double-click this passage to edit it."Well, that's probably for the better," You said. "Malachi's plenty prettier than the rest of you. He's got human softness and monster edge. The humans would go crazy over something like him."
(set: $mal to $mal + 1)
Someone squacked and darted near your face. Mal pulled you out of the way in time, tucking you under a soft arm.
"Human softness?" Screeched one.
//"Monster edge?"// Hollered another.
"Give us one good reason not to kill you now, mortal!"
Malachi was pried away from your limbly human body, talons gripping on to every part of your clothing and skin.
"Make the Un-Strange creature prove their worth! Let us drink the monster wine!"
Soon enough, in your hands was a dark gray liquid, buzzing with some kind of palpable energy. You could see electrical currents swirling through your cup.
"Have the human drink it," Said the ringleader Mallard, looking around at the group, beforing offering you your ultimatum. "Or pass the cup to Malachi, where maybe he can show us some of that //'monster edge,'// you speak of." Their laughter was beginning to give you a headache.
In the corner, you could see Malachi watching you with pleading eyes. He shook his head in a slow //no.//
[[Drink literal battery acid]]
[[Let Malachi deal with that lol]]"Hey guys, why did the police officer arrest the duck?""
They looked around at one another, confusion evident on their faces. Well, as evident as it could be with their beaks and black marble eyes.
"Why?" One finally squacked.
You held in laughter as you said, "Because he was selling quack!"
Nobody seemed very amused by that. At least you thought it was funny.
"Give us one good reason not to kill you now, mortal!"
"Sorry, I just really quack myself up sometimes-"
"//This// is the species from which Malachi decends? How embarassing!" Croaked a bird from the crowd, sending them back into a frenzy.
"I'm much stronger than this puny... //thing!//" Malachi tried to stand up for himself. It didn't seem to work.
"Oh yes? Prove your worth then, Malachi! Prove you're stronger than the human!"
Before you could blink, in your hands appeared a dark gray liquid, buzzing with some kind of palpable energy. You could see electrical currents swirling through your cup. Malachi held an identical one in his feathery hands.
"If one of you drinks, the other will walk free. Show us. Show us who is stronger!" Their laughter was beginning to give you a headache.
In the corner, you could see Malachi watching you with pleading eyes. He shook his head in a slow //no.//
[[Drink literal battery acid]]
[[Let Malachi deal with that lol]] You drank the drink in place of Mal. It wasn't your proudest moment.
(set: $mal to $mal+1)
The buzzing started quiet, but quickly grew and shot through your entire body. Your skin glowed with a strange yellow light, and you hiccuped odd sounds of crackling electricity.
You felt powerful and strong. And, stupidly reckless, as you came down from your high and everything went out of focus. The ground swayed, glass crunching under your teetering form.
(if: $mal is 3)[Mal caught you, and whispered a quick, "Thank you," as the world went black.]
(else:)[Their cackling followed you all the way, until you managed to make it out of the kitchen, and away from the scene. You felt like you were going to vomit. ]
[[I'm going to regret drinking that->Offer to help them]](if: $mal is 3)[(go-to: "Mal_good")]
(else:)[(go-to: "Mal_bad")]
(set: $kitch to 2)
[[Head to The Spine->Elevator1]]
[[Go to the dining room->Dining Room]]
(set: $kitch to 1)
[[Head to The Spine->Elevator1]]
[[Go to the dining room->Dining Room]]
[[Head to The Spine->Elevator1]]
[[Go to the dining room->Dining Room]]
[[Head to The Spine->Elevator1]]
[[Go to the dining room->Dining Room]]Double-click this passage to edit it.Refusing to drink, you watched the sweat form on Malachi's soft brow, as he tipped back his head, and poured the strange liquid on his tongue.
The Mallards squealed, their flying even crazier than before. You had to duck to avoid their zigzagging paths.
Mal looked as though he were about to vomit.
[[You sure were glad that wasn't you->Offer to help them]]Double-click this passage to edit it.Double-click this passage to edit it.