You find yourself at the edge of a forest. A dirt path extends into the trees in front of you, while your good friend Mary stands at your side. You two have planned to spend the whole day together. What now? (if:visits >= 3)[''Something about this area feels vaguely wrong.'']
[[Look at Mary]]
[[Walk forward]]
<span class="reveals">[[Turn around]]</span>Mary, your best friend for a long time. Her long red hair and vivid green eyes work well with the mid-afternoon light. Today, she's decided to wear a pale orange t-shirt and a yellow knee-length skirt, accompanied by black combat boots of all things. Even with the boots, she is just barely shorter than you.
She holds a picnic basket in her hands. That's right, the plan was to have lunch in her favorite forest. You turn back toward the path.
[[Walk forward]] An odd impulse fills you, causing you to turn around. There is no car behind you. There is no path. There is only a thick wall of trees, so dense that you cannot see past the first few trunks. A quick glance to the sides reveals a similar display. Just what-
"Is something wrong?" Mary asks from beside you. You tear your attention back to her.
[[Look at Mary|MarySuspicious]] You lead the way into the forest. The half-packed dirt beneath your feet lets out muffled crunches as you walk along. Gaps in the trees allow a moderate amount of light to spill through their network of boughs, yet they still block out enough to grant you some pleasant shade. Ahead, you can see trees thin out further into a clearing.
[[Continue to the clearing]]
[[Look around]]Mary, your best friend for a long time. Her long red hair and vivid green eyes work well with the mid-afternoon light. Today, she's decided to wear a pale orange t-shirt and a yellow knee-length skirt, accompanied by black combat boots of all things. Even with the boots, she is just barely shorter than you.
She holds a picnic basket in her hands. That's right, the plan was to have lunch in her favorite forest. But... how did you two get here? There's no car. There's no path in. You just saw that much. You look around, first to the dirt path ahead and then to the less dense tree line around it.
[[Walk forward along the path|Walk forward]]
[[Step out into the trees]]You begin to step onto the path, only to turn and take a few steps into the trees.
"Um- what are you doing?" Mary speaks up from right behind you. In this situation, you...
[[Lie to her]]
[[Be truthful]]
[[Sprint off into the trees]]You step out into the clearing. Absolutely no outside branches encroach upon its aerial space, the grass is just the right length to be pretty without irritating someone's ankles, and small patches of purple flowers dapple its territory. At the very center of the clearing is a sole tree, towering above the others by a few feet. Mary is at its base, laying out a flannel blanket so you two can start your picnic.
[[Help Mary with the setup]]
[[Look around some more]]
[[Wasn't Mary just behind you?|hmm]]You look around a little further. You two have all day, right?
Wait.
You replay the last minute or so mentally. You saw plenty of things in the forest, but Mary wasn't there. Did she get lost?
[[She might be in danger|Look for Mary]]
[[She'll be fine|AllIsWell]]You'd never forgive yourself if you let Mary get hurt by shrugging off her absence. Without hesitation, you step off the path, your gaze sweeping back and forth as you immediately begin searching for your lost friend.
Then again, will your eyes be enough? You could likely try calling for her, but that might draw some unwanted attention if there's a wolf or bear in the area somehow.
[[Call for Mary]]
[[Just use your eyes]]No, you know Mary better than that. She probably just saw a really cool bird and wandered off. That's just the kind of thing she likes to do, and she always comes back after she's done accidentally scaring away whatever caught her eye. It'd be best to just keep going.
[[Continue to the clearing]]"I know this forest. There's an even better clearing this way, but it's kind of out of the way."
The lie rolls easily off your tongue, almost too easily. A twinge of guilt fills you as Mary gives you a nod.
"Ah, then lead on, o captain," she teases with a small laugh. The guilt intensifies as she brings back that old inside joke.
[[Reminisce about the joke]]
[[Keep going deeper]]"There's something that doesn't feel right," the truth slips out of you. Mary just stares at you for a few long moments before giving you a patient and understanding smile.
"It's been a long time since you were home last, that must be it. Once we actually sit down and start our picnic, you'll probably feel a lot better," she rationalizes. That sounds...
[[... about right, time to return to the original plan.|Walk forward]]
[[... utterly wrong. You have to get away.|Sprint off into the trees]]You don't hesitate. You sprint off at top speed into the trees, making as many random twists and turns as you can to ensure you aren't followed. Everything rapidly falls silent aside from the crunch of your footsteps upon grass and twigs and your heavy breathing.
[[Slow down]]
[[Keep moving at a slower pace|SlowerRUN]]
[[Keep running]]Yeah, that old joke... For the longest time, you had an unachievable dream about becoming an angler, hauling back exotic catches to feed your community. Mary had taken to calling you 'captain' because of it, and the joke stuck from there.
Then again, if she remembers that comment, why are you here in this forest? She knows you prefer the sea.
[[Mary just likes the forest]]
[[Something is wrong]]
You head deeper into the trees. Plenty of light spills in from between the numerous branches, yet something makes you feel distinctly unwelcome. Mary remains in the corner of your vision, walking along with you, yet she seems to not feel the same atmosphere you do. Maybe you're just that guilty about lying to her?
Eventually, the two of you come across a decrepit well, which Mary immediately runs up to. Peering into its interior, she lets out a gasp.
"Hey, there's something shiny down there!" she proclaims.
[[Check the well]]Right, how could you forget? Mary has always loved forested areas. In the past, she would get lost among the trees for hours, only to pop back out at sunset with a radiant smile.
You feel a little more guilty about lying to Mary. Maybe it'll work out, though?
[[Keep going deeper]]Come to think of it...
''There was no forest where you used to live.'' It was a coastal community. Something is definitively wrong and Mary is at the heart of it all.
[[Confront Mary]]
[[RUN|Sprint off into the trees]]"Mary, why are we here?" you ask your companion. She lets out a confused hum, which you take as a reason to keep talking.
"I don't remember us ever going to this forest before. Hell, I remember us living on the coast. So, if we were getting back together for a picnic, why wouldn't it be on the beach?" you interrogate.
All is silent for a while. At some point during your questioning, you two had stopped walking, leaving you utterly still in pure silence. Mary slowly tilts her head as she gives you a plastic smile, and as she does, your world begins to spin.
[[By the time it finally ends...|The Edge]]Best to not make Mary do all the work. You cross the rest of the way over to the middle of the clearing and help set everything up for the picnic. It's quite a feast that she prepared for today.
[[Pork tenderloin...|PorkCheck]]
[[Sauteed mushrooms...|ShroomCheck]]
[[A moderately-sized pie...|PieCheck]]
[[And a small vase with some purple flowers in it.|VaseCheck]]The clearing is the same as ever with a second look, but those flowers seem vaguely familiar. It takes a moment to click. They're belladonna. Good thing the spot Mary chose isn't near any of it, you'd hate to get any toxic flowers on your hands.
[[Help Mary with the setup]] You approach Mary, but stop after a few steps.
"Weren't you behind me?" you call over to Mary. She looks up from where she's setting up the picnic, giving you a silent smile before she keeps working.
[[Look around the clearing again|Look around some more]]
[[Help Mary with the setup]]You begin to call for Mary. You don't trust yourself to notice her immediately through every bit of brush around you, so hopefully the extra noise helps.
You're not sure how long you've been calling her by the time your throat starts to get scratchy. You do, however, know that you've yet to find her. As a final attempt, you take an especially deep breath to call for her one more time...
And then you feel something stab into the back of your throat.
Your last call becomes an agonized gurgle as the world spins and tilts around you, [[until eventually...|The Edge]]Then again, Mary's outfit hardly blends in with the greenery. You'll just search normally. There's no way it'll take too long to find her.
[[Right?|DiscoveryTrust]]You find Mary quickly, just as she's standing back up. She was crouched at the base of a decrepit well. Her smile drops as she turns to see you.
"What are you doing?" you ask. In response, she presents you with some battered-looking lavender blossoms.
"I found some monk's hood along the base of this well, it normally doesn't grow at this time of year. It was... a little messy getting it out, though," she explains. Ah, she did always love her flowers.
"Hey, more importantly, I think I see something down in the well. Wanna help get it out?" she requests.
[[Remind her of the picnic]]
[[Help]]Of all the things Mary has cooked, meat has always been a field where she's unfortunately a little cursed. Nothing meaty that she's tried cooking has ''ever'' turned out quite right, save for pork. Even then, the pork she makes always tastes a little bit underdone... Good thing you like it rare.
[[Check more food]]
[[Time to eat]]There's a very hearty portion of sauteed mushrooms. In fact, the container of them takes up as much room as the one for the pork! You know from experience that they're cooked a little longer than normal so that they'd be warm by the time you and Mary ate them, but that's never been enough to influence the flavor.
[[Check more food]]
[[Time to eat]]
[[That's a lot of shrooms...]]You check the pie, eager to find out what flavor it is. Apple? Rhubarb? Maybe even blueberry? Your surprise is nearly palpable when you see a hint of grey-brown through the venting holes of the pie. It's a mushroom pie, one you know from experience has a hint of bourbon barbecue sauce in it to accent its flavor. You haven't had this in a long time, as it's an absolute pain to keep it from getting soggy.
[[Check more food]]
[[Time to eat]]
[[That's a lot of shrooms...]] The vase of flowers is a little odd. The flowers don't seem to have survived the transit very well, as they are slightly battered and faintly covered in their own sap. Their lavender blooms droop downward like some sort of cowl. (if:visits >= 2)[''You suddenly recall that these flowers are Monk's Hood, a flower whose sap is highly toxic.'']
[[Fix up the flowers]]
[[Time to eat]]
[[Check more food]] (set: $loops to (visits))You take another look at the food before you. There's...
[[Pork tenderloin...|PorkCheck]]
[[Sauteed mushrooms...|ShroomCheck]]
[[A moderately-sized pie...|PieCheck]]
[[And a small vase with some purple flowers in it.|VaseCheck]]Well, time to eat! You and Mary dig in. Everything tastes as good as always. At one point, you end up picking up a mushroom or two and popping them straight into your mouth. Delicious!
The picnic itself passes by with an odd speed. It's as if you blinked and time decided to sprint in the opposite direction. Eventually, though, you and Mary are sitting beneath the clearing's lone tree.
A silence hangs between you. What do you do?
[[Ask about her life|MaryLife]]
[[Compliment her cooking]]
[[Talk about the flowers]]Come to think of it, there are a ''lot'' of mushrooms in this basket. You think about it for a moment before the obvious answer hits you. Your favorite foods are beef and mushroom, of course she'd bring a lot of something that you like! How considerate of her.
[[Check more food]]
[[Time to eat]] Mary went through all the trouble of bringing these, so it'd be a shame to let the flowers die. You do your best to fix up the flowers by hand and manage to get them a little more presentable. There, that's better. You got a little bit of flowerstuff on your hands, but that must be fine.
[[Time to eat|PoisonHandGameOver]]
Well, time to eat! You and Mary dig in. Everything tastes as good as always. At one point, you end up picking up a mushroom or two and popping them straight into your mouth. Delicious!
It takes until halfway into the meal for something to feel wrong. A faint pain blossoms in your stomach, spreading to the rest of your body. Mary seems ignorant of your plight, but when you try to speak up, your head goes foggy. You slowly fall onto your side as your vision tilts and spins, [[and then...|The Edge]]"So how have you been?" you ask. It really has been a long time since you last spoke to Mary.
"Oh, you know how it is. Small town same-old," comes the reply. Yeah, not much really tended to change back home. That was part of why you left in the first place, you were just never satisfied with the status quo the same way everyone else was.
[[The silence quickly resets its presence.|Huh...]]"The food was great," you utter, prompting a vaguely satisfied noise from Mary.
"Thanks, I've been practicing a bit. It was all good, right? And don't lie," she responds.
"Well...
[[... the pork tasted a bit funny."|PorkBad]]
[[... I wasn't really expecting a mushroom pie."|PieComment]]
[[... the flowers kind of threw me off."|FlowerRedux]]
[[... everything was perfect, actually."|Perfect]]"There are a lot of flowers in this clearing," you note aloud. Mary looks over to you, and you point over to the nearest purple patch on cue. She only needs a glance to make her next remark.
"Ah, those are just a few nightshades," she explains. That catches your attention.
"Wait, nightshades? Aren't those deadly?"
"Not all of them. Tomatoes are nightshades, you know!" she corrects.
[[Huh...]]At some point, between the tranquil silence and waning sun, you grow tired. Knowing that Mary will wake you up in time for you to leave, you slowly fall asleep. The last thing you see before you fall into slumber's embrace is Mary's green gaze regarding you from the corner of your vision.
[[And when you wake up...|The Edge]]You aren't really sure ''what'' it was, but the pork just kind of tasted wrong. Mary tilts her head as she thinks about your response for a few seconds.
"Hm. Maybe it wasn't the right batch. There was some older pork at home that we were going to use for bait, so maybe I cooked with that by accident?" Mary rationalizes. You nod after a few moments. That sounds reasonable enough.
"It was still tasty, though. The mushroom was great like always," you assuage. Mary's smile returns.
[[The silence hangs once more.|Huh...]]Mary lets out a gleeful laugh.
"Yeah, I was hoping you'd think it was apple and just take a big 'ol bite!" she reveals. "Looks like you already knew what it was, though. Maybe I should put its vent holes on the sides next time?"
You internally shudder. As much as you love Mary's barbecue-mushroom pie, you do ''not'' want to bite into it thinking it's apple. Still, maybe the temporary shock would be worth it to hear her laugh like that again.
[[Silence rapidly returns.|Huh...]]She looks a little embarrassed that you brought up the flowers.
"Yeah, uh, not my best work. I cramped them a little too much, so..." she gives a helpless shrug, gesturing with one hand to the beaten floral centerpiece. "It's a shame, monk's hood is soooo hard to find at this time of year."
Monk's hood? The name is vaguely familiar, but you're not sure how.
[[As the moment passes, silence rapidly returns.|Huh...]]Mary gives you a sad smile.
"I told you, don't lie to me. You ''know'' I always figure it out immediately," she reminds you. Yeah, ever since you've known each other, she's always known the instant you tried to tell a lie around her. It got you into the habit of telling the truth quickly.
"Well, if you're not comfortable telling me what's wrong, that's fine. I'll just try to make it better next time on my own," Mary declares. Guilt faintly gnaws at you, but the moment to talk has passed.
[[Silence returns.|Huh...]]"I'd like to, but remember our picnic? The food'll go cold if we wait too long," you point out. A flicker of surprise passes over Mary's expression.
"Oh! Right!" she utters. With that, the two of you head back to the path and move forward to the promised clearing.
[[Time for the picnic.|Continue to the clearing]]Of course you'll help her! You walk over to Mary's side, bending to look down into the well. Sure enough, there's a faint glimmer down there, though it's hard to tell what it actually is due to an inconvenient tree limb casting its shade over you.
[[Look closer]]
[[Remind Mary of the picnic|Remind her of the picnic]]
[[Look at Mary|MaryWell]]You lean further over the well. A few more inches and you'll be able to get an idea of what it is...
You feel your feet leave the ground.
You leaned too far. You're too shocked to even let out a gasp as you fall headfirst down the well, slamming into the half-inch of water at the bottom with a sickening crack.
All you can do is look up as your vision begins to blur, taking in the sight of Mary looking down at you with a faint frown, [[and then...|The Edge]]You take a glance over at Mary. She's rather close to you, watching what you do. Her expression is inscrutible, masked behind a plastic smile.
[[Look closer down the well|Look closer]]
[[Distract Mary with the picnic|Remind her of the picnic]]You approach the well and peer inside. The tree boughs hanging above it choke whatever light tries to illuminate the well's depths, causing its gray brick innards to morph into a void part of the way down. You think you can see a faint glimmer at the very bottom of the well... (if:visits >= 2)[You faintly hear Mary shuffle closer.]
[[Look closer]]
[[Back away]]You step away from the well, briefly noticing that Mary was closer to you than she really should have been.
"We should keep going," you urge. Mary takes another look at the well.
[[Now's your chance, RUN!|Sprint off into the trees]]
[[Wait a little and keep leading her around|ShedWithMary]]Mary turns back to face you and gestures silently for you to keep leading her. She must really trust you to find a good spot. Or is she calling your bluff? You can't tell.
Eventually, the two of you stumble upon a worn, rusty metal shed.
[[Look at Mary|LiveMaryReaction]]
[[Examine the shed|ExShedWithMary]]
[[Approach the shed|EnterShedWithMary]]You slow your pace down to a walk to give your legs some rest. You soon plod to a stop, wondering just why you were running in the first place. Did you overreact?
You think about your situation, mulling over the idea of just returning to Mary and explaining your odd behavior... and then the first lance of raw pain tears into you as readily as the claw of the bear that just snuck up on you. You lose awareness quickly, mercifully sparing you from much more of the agony you faced, [[but then...|The Edge]]Pushing past your fatigue, you keep sprinting. It doesn't take too long for your foot to hit a loose rock at an odd angle, sending you tumbling to the ground. You spring back to your feet as soon as you can manage, the stings of various cuts making themselves known as you keep sprinting. As you run, you can't shake the sense that something feels vaguely wrong.
It takes a little while longer, but you eventually arrive at a shack.
[[Examine the shack|ExamBlood]]
[[Look around|ShackEnvirBlood]]
[[Approach the shack|ShackBlood]]You push past your fatigue and keep moving, but slow down a bit. After all, you're not sure how much longer you could keep sprinting along at top speed.
You're not sure how much longer it takes, but you eventually arrive at a shack.
[[Examine the shack|ExamineClean]]
[[Look around|ShackEnvirClean]]
[[Approach the shack|ShackClean]]The shack, for how deep into the forest it lies, is in remarkably good condition. While some of the black paint has been stripped from its metal walls by the elements, it bears no signs of rust. Overall, it reminds you somewhat of a fully-metal storage shed.
The mere sight of it makes you feel slightly nauseous.
[[Look around|ShackEnvirBlood]]
[[Approach the shack|ShackBlood]]The shack sits in a clearing, though most of the sky above is choked by the unnaturally elongated boughs that stretch across the canopy. The ground itself, as you watch, is steadily transforming from white sand to dull red-black soil, which then proceeds to sprout grass at far too quick of a pace.
There are no sounds from the forest, yet you have the overwhelming feeling that you are being watched.
Something is wrong.
[[Examine the shack|ExamBlood]]
[[Approach the shack|ShackBlood]]You approach the shack. Every step through the red-tinged soil feels like the land is trying to pull your leg back into itself. When you eventually reach the shack, the door opens easily, not giving so much as a squeak.
A gray concrete floor greets you, alongside a perfectly rectangular segment of said floor that is missing entirely. A ladder spans the hole's height. The room is bereft of any wear or cracks, lit thoroughly by pure white light from an unknown source.
[[Climb down the ladder|LadBlo1]]The shack is a fully metal structure that reminds you vaguely of a storage shed. Its walls stand mere inches taller than you, their former luster overtaken by the cruel grasps of rust and the elements. If it had ever been painted in the past, the forest has long since erased any evidence of that.
You feel the faint, inexplicable urge to hurry.
[[Look around|ShackEnvirClean]]
[[Approach the shack|ShackClean]]The shack lies at the center of a small clearing, not a single branch reaching out toward it. From the edge of the closest tree inward, there is absolutely no grass surrounding the shack. Instead, the ground consists of what you believe to be packed sand.
The forest is quiet. Not even the faintest rustle of a leaf dares to invade this space.
[[Examine the shack|ExamineClean]]
[[Approach the shack|ShackClean]]You stumble toward the shack, spurred onward by the overwhelming need to //get away//. When you get up to the door, however, you find that the building's age has caused a major problem for you: the door is rusted shut.
You need to hurry.
[[Keep trying the door|DOORSTUCK]]
[[Slam it with all your might|Why]]<script>
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</script>You begin to wrench the handle up and down, trying to force your way past its aged inner workings without just slamming the door off its hinges. While it seems fruitless at first, you are eventually rewarded with a grinding noise and the squeal of aged metal as the metal door swings outward.
The inside of the shack is largely occupied by a large square hole, spanning three quarters of the available space in the room. Its gray concrete floor and rusted inner walls give you little to look at, save for the ladder directly ahead of you that leads into the yawning chasm.
[[Go down|LadCle1]]You back up before ramming into the door, shoulder-first, with all the force your weary body can muster. A resounding //bang// rewards you for your effort, encouraging you to try again. And again.
It's on the fourth attempt that the door caves inward, allowing you inside... though your momentum carries you straight off a ledge positioned perilously close to the door. You fall down a deep, dark shaft, plummeting far enough that you lose awareness before you even hit the ground.
[[When you next wake up...|The Edge]]You carefully begin to climb down the ladder. While a ladder in such an old building would typically be untrustworthy, there are a ludicrous number of extraneous connections between the ladder and the concrete side of the hole. Lengths of rebar jut out from the wall, curve around various parts of the ladder, and snake back into their monochrome home. The only way you'll fall is if you let yourself.
You begin to climb down. All is silent save for the faint sound of your shoes against metal. The light from above begins to fade as you descend.
[[Climb further|LadCle2]]
[[Let go|what why]](enchant:?page,(text-colour:#b8b7b7))You continue to descend. It's getting somewhat difficult to see what's around you, though you can still climb down just fine. Idly, you wonder why a building like this is in the middle of the forest, but you find no solace in your lack of answers, so you focus on the climb.
[[Continue to descend|LadCle3]]
[[Let go|what why]]A vague impulse overtakes you, and you obey. You let go of the ladder and simply let yourself fall. A moment later, you realize just what kind of mistake you made and scramble to grab the ladder... but it's too late. You're given just enough time to reflect on your decision before you hit the ground, mercifully blacking out on impact.
[[When you next come to awareness...|The Edge]](enchant:?page,(text-colour:#787878))You continue to descend. You can no longer see much of what's around you, though there thankfully wasn't much to see in the first place. An errant thought flicks through your head. Why exactly are you doing this? Whatever the reason, you've come too far to just stop.
[[Continue to descend|LadCle4]]
[[Climb back up|bruhmoment]](enchant:?page,(text-colour:#737373))You descend. It's so dark. Too dark. The lack of light makes it a special surprise when, rather than more ladder, your foot eventually meets another cold, hard floor. You carefully step off of the ladder.
[[Feel around|FindTheSwitch]]
[[Continue forward in the dark|NoEyesMustScream]]You halt your descent. You've been completely unreasonable. Gathering the courage it'll take to return to Mary and apologize for your behavior, you start to climb back up the l-
Your hand catches a piece of rebar instead of the ladder. The slight shift in the monotony of your descent is enough to throw off the rhythm of climbing. Coupled with your focus being directed elsewhere, the results are as predictable as they are painful. Mercifully, you only feel it for a moment before falling unconscious from the shock.
[[When you next awake...|The Edge]](enchant:?page,(text-colour:white))Stark white light consumes the room when you press the little button, causing you to bite back a shout at how sudden it was. A few rapid blinks clear your vision, letting you see a gray concrete room. The area is featureless, save the ladder you just climbed down, the small light switch you just pressed, and a single hallway ahead that veers to the left.
[[Proceed down the hallway|HallClean]]You stride forward in the darkness. You don't know what awaits you ahead, and you don't entirely care. Somewhat predictably, you bump into walls quite a few times, though none of them are covered in anything sharp.
You aren't sure what eventually happens, as you can't see it, but you can feel the sickening pain of something sharp sinking into your neck from directly in front of you. You aren't even sure when you lose consciousness, [[but when you wake up again...|The Edge]](enchant:?page,(text-colour:#737373))
(text-colour:#0a0a0a)[Nothing here]
(text-colour:#0a0a0a)[Nothing here nothing here nothing here nothing here]
(text-colour:#0a0a0a)[Nothing here nothing here] <span class="hides">[[You find a switch.|LadBasLit]]</span>
[[Give up searching and walk onward|NoEyesMustScream]]Your footsteps echo around the silent hall as you walk. The gray walls bear numerous hairline cracks, though there are never quite enough to make you fear for your safety.
[[Soon, you arrive at a small room.|AltarClean]]The room you find is somewhat smaller than the hallway that preceded it, standing only slightly taller than you. What the room lacks in height, it more than makes up for in sheer length. If it weren't for the sparse furnishing throughout the room, you would have just written it off as another hallway.
[[Examine the room|ExAltClean]]
[[Turn around|BehindAltClean]]
The long, somewhat narrow room bears a ribbon of purple carpet that spans its entire length, taking up roughly a third of the room. To either side of it, there sit various cast-iron candle holders, each one occupied by a stocky yellow candle. At the far end of the room, there is a wooden mass draped with purple cloth, adorned with something you can't quite see at this distance. Some part of you wants to label it an altar, though you're not sure why.
[[Approach the altar|MaryAltarClean]]You turn around so quickly that you almost fall over.
... The hallway is still behind you. Good.
[[Examine the room|ExAltClean]]You approach the altar, your steps muffled by the surprisingly thick purple carpet. When you eventually get to it, you find that the adornment you noticed is the remains of a golden knife, its blade tarnished and dulled with age to absolute uselessness. After a few moments, you turn around.
Standing halfway across the room, staring directly at you, is Mary. She does not look pleased.
[[Remain silent|SilentClean]]
[[Apologize|ApolClean]]
[[Demand answers|DemandClean]]You remain silent as you stare at Mary, prompting her to walk toward you. With every step she takes, your vision blurs a little more, until she eventually reaches you and places a hand on your shoulder. Everything tilts, distorting beyond comprehension, [[until...|The Edge]]"I'm sorry for leaving," the words tumble out of your mouth. "For abandoning you like that."
"It was only natural once you started to notice," Mary replies. A faint tinge of sadness colors her tone. For a moment, the two of you just stand there, neither making any sort of move.
[["Do you still have the basket?"]]
[["What is this place?"]]
[["Who are you?"]]Mary's expression goes cold as she gazes at you, disappointment practically bleeding from her eyes.
"That's not how you were supposed to treat me at all. Maybe it was a defect. Let's try again," she comments before approaching you. You find yourself unable to move as the world tilts further and further with every step she takes, [[until eventually...|The Edge]]Mary's expression turns incredulous.
"I- why...?" she utters, clearly not expecting that question.
"Well, if you still have it, we can finally have our picnic," you tell her. She remains quiet for a few moments before falling to her knees. You nearly rush over to help her, but you rapidly recognize that she's struggling to hold back laughter.
"W- what the //hell//. You find this place and then decide to ask me //that//?" she asks you. Your only response is a nod. After a few moments, she stands back up and snaps her fingers, a familiar picnic basket manifesting on the carpet in front of her.
[[Without really thinking about it, you help Mary set up.|AltarPicnic]]Mary lets out a low sigh at your question.
"A place I never wanted you to find. It would've been easier if you hadn't come here," she states. That explained absolutely nothing...!
[["Answer the damned question."|DemandClean]]
[["Who are you?"]]
[["Do you still have the basket?"]]The moment that question punctures the silence, Mary looks about as offended as she would if you had walked up and slapped her. She takes a deep breath before the world suddenly spins wildly out of control. [[When it stops...|The Edge]]Pork tenderloin, a mushroom pie, sauteed mushroom, and a small empty vase. Everything there, aside from the last item, has been a favorite of yours for a while. While the environment isn't the most comforting and the situation is strange, you and Mary nonetheless have a relatively pleasant picnic together.
Eventually, you two finish off the last of the food and sit side by side on the carpet, your backs against the altar. Mary looks somewhat sad.
[["What is this place?"|LocationPurpose]]
[["Why do you look so sad?"|MaryFeelings]]
[["What is going on with this place?"|TheTruth]]"This is... well, //was//, my old hideout for rituals. The one I set for today has been running out of power, though," Mary explains. Rituals?? Running out of power?? What??
She must notice something in your expression, as she lets out a small laugh.
"Yeah, I wouldn't expect a human to know what I'm talking about."
[["Are you somehow not human?"|IdentityReveal]]
[["You look sad."|MaryFeelings]]
[["What is going on with this place?"|TheTruth]]"Yeah, I... I am," Mary agrees. "I'm not sure how many more shots I'll get to make it perfect before it stops."
What does she mean? That really explained nothing...
[["So what is this place for?"|LocationPurpose]]
[["What is going on with this place?"|TheTruth]]Mary stays silent for a while.
"I guess I should finally tell you. I'm not sure if I'll ever get a chance otherwise," she murmurs, likely thinking aloud. She faces you, her green eyes boring into you.
"I've been looping this one day for you. Over and over. The ritual was supposed to let it loop infinitely without you remembering any given loop, so we can finally have the perfect picnic together," Mary reveals.
[["Looping the day?"]]Mary lets out a sigh.
"I've been called a lot of things. 'Monster'. 'Witch'. 'Fairy'. You're the first to call me 'Friend'. So please, just keep considering me to be 'your friend, Mary'," she requests. A hint of lingering pain seeps up through her words. Best to change the subject.
[["You look sad."|MaryFeelings]]
[["What is going on with this place?"|TheTruth]]"Yeah. The timeline has been repeating this day over and over again. That's what my ritual did. Since it's starting to run out of power, though... you might be remembering some less than pleasant times. Feeling like something is watching you. Something like that," Mary explains. A mix of awe and mild fear ripple through you. She did //that// for //you//? You refocus your attention on her when she lets out another laugh.
"I guess it really was selfish of me, wasn't it?" she reflects.
[["Selfish?"]]"Wanting to keep you here. To relive one good time over and over. Here I was wanting the perfect time for both of us, but I undercooked the pork and forgot to bring flowers," she elaborates before briefly pausing. "... I usually end up grabbing some Monk's Hood near one of the wells, but I can never find a way to get the roots out of the brickwork without getting sap everywhere."
"Through the last few loops, I've started to wonder... If I can't even make things work properly on my end, why am I forcing you to repeat the picnic with me?" she asks with a heavy sigh. "I guess it doesn't matter either way, given that the ritual's power will run out soon."
[["What do you mean by 'run out'?"|RitualElab]]
[["This picnic was wonderful."]]"It's looped too many times, to the point where it's starting to lose steam. Soon, the whole thing will fall apart, and you'll be sent outside the forest," Mary reveals. "And when it does... I'll never see you again."
"That can't be right. We can just keep in touch like always, right?" you ask her, only for your heart to sink as she shakes her head.
"I can't leave this forest any more. The ritual's one side-effect is that its caster is bound to the place they performed it, and the forest is in a place humans can't normally reach. Once the ritual ends... we'll be apart forever."
She needs something happy. You can't just let Mary dwell on something like that.
[["This picnic was wonderful."]] "It... was?" Mary asks you, not following your logic. "I forgot the flowers, the pork was undercooked, it's stuffy and old down here, and-"
"None of that ''matters''!" you interrupt, shocking Mary into silence. "None of the flaws matter. You know why? Because we're both here together, talking about something important to both of us."
Her eyes begin to tear up as she looks at you, processing your words.
[[Hug her]]You hug Mary, letting her cry out her despair, her anxiety, and whatever else needs to be vented into your shoulder. You don't say a word. Whatever Mary is, whatever she's done, whatever this place is, none of it matters right now. All that matters is comforting your friend.
Eventually, Mary calms herself enough to look you in the eye again.
"You've... never said that before. Never in any other loop. It- I- //So many// loops have gone into making the best of what I have, but I never once considered the idea of being more natural with you," she lets out.
[[You can only give her a comforting smile in response.|LoopEndClean]]The two of you stay like that for a little longer, arm in arm, sharing all sorts of secrets you would never tell anyone else. While some of them are extremely embarrassing, you both laugh at them together.
Eventually, you both grow tired. While the altar is uncomfortable, you both manage to relax while leaning against both it and each other. Eventually, you fall asleep.
[[When you wake up...|OutOfLoop]]You find yourself at the edge of a forest. A dirt path extends into the trees in front of you, though it ends abruptly at the base of a tall oak. You are alone, and are not quite sure why you are here. What now?
[[Walk forward|NopeAVI]]
[[Turn around|TurnToLeave]]You start to walk forward, only to realize that there are no other paths into the forest. Furthermore, the ground is littered with jagged briars. You don't really feel like tearing up your clothes for no reason.
[[Turn around|TurnToLeave]]You turn around, a faint sense of dread filling you for a mere moment. You are greeted by your car and an empty side road. Right, that's how you got here.
[[Enter car]]You get in your car and close the door, but notice a somewhat worn picnic basket in the passenger seat. A vaguely familiar scent fills the vehicle.
[[Open the basket]]You open the basket. Inside is a tupperware container occupied by a single slice of pie. A closer examination shows that it's filled with mushroom and a dark sauce...
[[You remember.|MementoMary]]Mary. Your friend. She trapped herself just to have a perfect picnic with you... and she left you with one final gift.
After you clear the tears that your memories evoked, you drive home. You have two goals now:
-Reverse-engineer Mary's mushroom-barbecue pie
-Find a way to reach her again
You're not sure if either goal is possible, but you want to try. You //have// to try. Because you'd never leave someone behind.
Especially not your best friend, Mary.
(text-colour:yellow)[=''Ending: Memento Mary''You carefully begin to climb down the ladder. While a ladder in such an odd building would typically be untrustworthy, there are a ludicrous number of extraneous connections between the ladder and the hole's concrete side. Lengths of polished metal weave their way around various parts of the ladder, emerging from the wall only to plunge their way back into the concrete. The only way you'll fall is if you let yourself.
You begin to climb down. While there logically shouldn't be any noise aside from any sound you're making, you feel as if there's some sort of noise echoing just outside your perception. The light remains strong and perfectly even.
[[Climb further|LadBlo2]]
[[Let go|what why]]You continue to descend. The sense that something is happening around you intensifies with every rung you climb. You have no clue just what it is, but something feels //wrong// about it. As if it wasn't supposed to be happening in the first place.
[[Continue to descend|LadBlo3]]
[[Let go|what why]]You continue to descend. Some part of you begins to grasp what you cannot possibly be hearing. Putting what you hear into thought would be a herculean task, but you know enough to act upon it. You must keep descending.
[[Continue to descend|LadBlo4]]You reach the base of the ladder, rapidly stepping off of it. The featureless room is the same as the unmarred concrete of the room above and the shaft, though there is also a single hallway ahead that veers to the left.
[[Proceed like it wants you to.|HallBlood]]The gray walls are utterly flawless, an impossible feat of construction. You are dimly aware of the fact that you can't hear your footsteps as you walk, but you do not care any more. You can hear what it wants you to do.
[[You arrive at a small room.|AltarBlood]]The room you enter is somewhat smaller than the hallway that preceded it, standing only slightly taller than you. What the room lacks in height, it more than makes up for in sheer length. If it weren't for the knowledge you have gleaned from that unknowable noise, you would have written it off as just another hallway.
[[Examine the room|ExAltBlood]]
[[Turn around|BehindAltBlood]]The long, somewhat narrow room bears an elegant purple carpet that spans its entire length, taking up roughly a third of the room. To either side of it, there sit various cast-iron candle holders, each one empty. At the far end of the room, there is a wooden mass draped in fine purple cloth, adorned with several stocky yellow items and one more object you can't quite see at this distance. The unknowable noise tells you that the mass is the altar, then proceeds to guide you.
[[Let it|NewRitualBlood]]
[[Reject|eldritchconniption]]You turn to look behind you, back toward the ladder. You see nothing, but you can faintly hear someone coming down the ladder. You turn your attention back to the room.
[[You must prepare quickly.|ExAltBlood]]You cannot properly hear the noise despite understanding it on an instinctual level. Yet you still decide to trust it. You relinquish control, a passenger in your own body as it deliberately walks over to the altar and picks up the yellow objects. They turn out to be candles, while the remaining object is a beautiful golden dagger, its blade etched with symbols that make your head swim in incomprehension.
Your body proceeds to set a candle on each of the room's candlesticks before standing to the side of the room's single entryway.
Eventually, Mary walks into the room. She does not see whatever is puppeteering your body.
[[Struggle|eldritchconniption]]
[[Watch|MaryAltarBlood]]As your body begins to move on its own, you realize just what is happening. Desperately, you try to stop your own body from moving. You struggle with whatever has made its way inside your head. You know what it wants to do. You won't let it.
As it turns out, //it// won't let //you// stop it. Your senses slowly go haywire as you rapidly lose proper sensation in your body. As you collapse and begin to quiver on the floor, the world tilts and spins [[until...|The Edge]] Your body grabs Mary, delivering a precise strike to the back of her head with the dagger's pommel. She slumps over, prompting your body to drag her across the room and lay her atop the altar.
Your body raises the knife...
[[... and deliberately stabs her.]]
[[... No!|eldritchconniption]]The golden dagger sinks into Mary and begins to carve a symbol. Once that one is complete, it continues again. (after:3s)[And again.] (after:6s)[And again.] (after:9s)[And again.] (after:12s)[And again.] (after:15s)[And again.] (after:18s)[And again.] (after:21s)[And again.]
(after:24s)[All you can do is [[watch.]]]There is a flash of filthy red. Everything feels twisted. Wrong. None of this was supposed to happen.
[[As the light clears...|A Bloody Cycle]]You stand at the edge of a forest alongside someone else that you vaguely recognize as yourself. Glancing down at yourself, you notice a trace of long red hair at the edge of your vision, alongside a pale orange t-shirt and a yellow knee-length skirt, accompanied by black combat boots of all things. Even with the boots, you are just barely shorter than the one next to you.
You hold a picnic basket in your hands. That's right, the plan was to distract the other person with this picnic. To keep them from taking the ritual back.
You have a long road ahead of you, one with an uncertain ending. Regardless, you know one thing for certain. You absolutely need to kill your companion if they start getting too close to the truth. Until they do...
You'll continue to be their best friend, Mary.
(text-colour:red)[=''Ending: A Bloody Cycle''By the time your body has finished its macabre work, Mary is nearly unrecognizable. Guilt floods you, yet you cannot possibly struggle any more. Your body and mind are under separate orders.
You know why this all happened now, at least. The noise has told you. You energized a dying ritual with your blood at just the wrong time. What your body is doing now will tear control of the ritual away from Mary. You're not sure what any of that means, but there is an otherworldly certainty that suffuses those ideas. As if these actions were not meant to be taken, yet will absolutely occur.
[[Your body plunges the knife into Mary one final time.]]You turn to look at Mary. She seems somewhat afraid of something, though you're not sure what. Perhaps it's the atmosphere here? That would definitely explain it. There's not a single sound save for the noise you two are creating. Where are all the animals?
[[Examine the shed|ExShedWithMary]]
[[Enter the shed|EnterShedWithMary]]
[[Mary is acting strange.|MaryFear]]The building before the two of you is an incredibly rusty shed, the sheer amount of rust marking the building as being entirely made of metal. If it had ever been painted, nature had long since erased any trace of the act.
The ground upon which it is situated lacks any shade from the trees around it, as if the boughs are purposefully avoiding it. The ground, meanwhile, is an ashen gray sand. Not exactly the best ground for a picnic.
[[Look at Mary|LiveMaryReaction]]
[[Approach the shed|EnterShedWithMary]]You approach the shed, Mary following close behind you. The gray sands around it are more solid than they look, making it easy for you two to approach the door. The handle is rusted shut, but one particularly violent motion just knocks the door clean off of its hinges.
When the two of you enter, you are greeted by an unlit interior with a concrete floor. Spanning roughly a third of that floor is a large pit, with a single ladder plunging into its chasmlike depths.
[[Approach the ladder|MaryIsSparta]]"You're acting kind of weird, Mary," you note, prompting the girl in question to look at you. "You're just... suddenly so //afraid//. What's wrong?"
"This wasn't supposed to happen," she murmurs. Before you can ask her what she means, the world begins to spin and tilt around you. [[When it stops...|The Edge]]You approach the ladder and very carefully begin to get onto it... but a flash of motion in the corner of your vision is the only warning you get that things won't go according to plan. Blinding pain surges through you as Mary kicks you in the face, followed afterward by brief yet searing agony as you hit the lightless ground below. The pain makes you fall unconscious shortly after impact, [[and when you next come to awareness...|The Edge]]