You push on through the clearing, shoving the thick pine branches out of your way. You glance up at the sun, then look down again, determined. You know you must cross Ostbridge before dark, else you'll not make it in time to save [[him->Background]].
(set: $key to false)
(set: $scepter to false)
(set: $map to false)
(set: $knife to false)Your younger brother. He'd always been impulsive, but venturing into the [[deer->Deer]]s' domain, alone and unarmed, for nothing better than to retrieve a small token from the Old Village, topped the list of his misadventures. His stupid, cursed misadventrues. You grit your teeth and try to hold back tears, knowing the odds you'll be able to save him are slim.Not ordinary deer. The deer that came from the mountains to the east. The deer that are more like wolves than the docile creatures that we used to know as deer. The deer that, one fateful day, stalked into the Old Village and began to hunt. The deer that devoured everything west of the Great Ravine, including your own father. The only reason you and the rest of the villagers are still alive? The deer can't cross the [[Ostbridge]].Ten minutes' walk from your village, the Ostbridge is a small rope bridge erected by hunters many years ago, over the [[Great Ravine]]. No one has ventured near it in decades, except your brother. And you, now that you have finally arrived. The bridge looks even more rickety than you remember. This brings you comfort, for you know that the deer cannot keep their hoofing without something more solid. The choice is now before you: should you [[cross now]] or wait for the [[next day]]? You know that every second counts, but you can't help but think that crossing in the near-dark of the dusk might be hazardous to your health..Your brother might be on the verge of being eaten alive as you dilly and dally at the bridge. You have to go on, and fast. You start across the bridge, being careful where you place your feet. You have a couple of near misses, but you are, in the end, able to make it across. You now stand in the midst of a thick forest, with a narrow, winding path leading into its depths and, eventually, to the Old Village, long ago taken over by the deer. You know your brother, and you think it likely he took the path to the village, wanting to get there quickly. However, the trees are so close together in this forest that you may be able to get to the Old Village simply by climbing. However, before you can make your decision, you hear a [[noise]] behind you, and turn around.You decide that the bridge is too dangerous at this hour, and lay down your bedroll for the night. You've always been able to drop of to sleep anytime you want, and this skill doesn't fail you now.
Something, perhaps your instinct, wakes you up. You hear pounding footsteps, sit up blearily, and look towards the source.
Your brother bursts out of the woods on the other side of the Ravine, looks around wildly for a second, and then jumps for the Ostbridge.
He is too late. Deer burst from the trees, clamping their jaws on him, dragging him back into the forest. He screams in agony, looks up, and in his final moments, sees you sitting in your bedroll, watching him die. Then he is gone, and the forest is silent.
Your journey is over.(set: $counter to 10)
Four deer emerge from the forest, blocking your path to the Ostbridge. Blood drips from their teeth; their almond eyes are narrowed to slits as they size you up.
You have only |amount>[$counter] seconds before they attack.
[[Climb a tree]]
[[Run along the path]]
(live: 1s)[
(set: $counter to it - 1)
(if: $counter is 0)[(go-to: "Eaten")]
(replace: ?amount)[$counter]
]Your reflexes fail you and you stand there frozen, unable to move.
The deer tear you limb from limb.You scramble up a tree right next to you, jerking your ankle up as a deer almost manages to get its jaws around you. The deer stamp their feet, but they can't get at you here. You carefully climb to the top of the tree, praying that none of the branches break. The tree, a sturdy pine, holds. Looking down, you see the deer circling impatiently at the bottom, but they can't see you here. You should lose them as you [[climb]] from tree to tree.You break into a sprint along the path, the deer snapping at your heels. You pump your arms and desperately hope that you can stay ahead of the deer until you reach the village.
(set: $counter to 10)
(live: 1s)[
(set: $counter to it - 1)
(if: $counter <= 5)[
Suddenly, a deer jumps out of the woods in front of you!
[[Dodge left]]..................................................[[Dodge right]]
]
(if: $counter <= 0)[(goto: "EatenA")]
(replace: ?amount)[$counter]
]You're able to jump from tree to tree as you make your way towards the Old Village. It's slow and tiring, but at least you're safe from the deer.
After almost an hour, you arrive at the border of the [[Old Village]], and are able to take it in. The village is just like you remembered it the only difference being that the whole place is crawling with deer. The outskirts are mostly small houses, with larger craftsplaces toward the center. At the edge of the village square is the mayor's house, the biggest and grandest of all the dwellings.
The deer in the village, at least 10 in number, all seem to be crowding around the town square. Is that where they're eating your brother? You feel sick to your stomach, but you have to know for sure.
Although the wooden buildings have gone unused for almost a year, the thatched roofings look stable enough to hold you if you were to try to [[jump on them]].You leap from the try to one of the houses. It holds your weight, and you begin jumping along the rooftops, the deer milling below either not noticing you or not caring. As you approach the square, you see another figure crouched on the rooftops. A deer? As you get closer, you're able to make out a human shape. Then you recognize the shape. It's your [[brother]]! He recognizes you and beckons for you to come towards him. You finally reach him, whisper "You're alive!" and move to embrace him.
He shakes his head, his face grim, and points to the town square that he was observing.
You look, and see the deer behaving very strangely. They're walking around the village with old tools in their mouth, heading along a serparate path into the woods.
"[[What's happening?]]" you whisper to yourself.
"I don't know", your brother answers. "But I don't like it at all. We should [[follow them]] and find out."
"Absolutely not", you reply. "You managed to live this long by chance. We have to [[go back.]] Now."
"We need to see what they're doing", he insists. "It could help us understand them better, maybe even defeat them".You and your brother set off, climbing among the trees and staying away from the deer on the ground. Eventually, they lead you to a large clearing on the edge of the ravine. What you see there blows your mind.
Near the edge of the ravine is a huge structure that looks almost like a dock. It's made out of a huge amound of felled trees, positioned across the ravine, with a large pile of rocks pinning them to the mountain.
Two deer hold a long saw crudely in their mouths, pulling it from side to side across the base of a tree.
You immidiately realize what's happening.
The deer are making a [[bridge.]]Your brother agrees, reluctantly, to go back with you. You manage to make it across the Ostbridge, and back to the village, where you are greeted as a hero for rescuing your brother. After a merry night of celebration, you decide to go to bed.
You wake up in the middle of the night to screams filling the air. As you rush out of your house, you see a real-life nightmare almost identical to the one a year ago. Deer fill the streets, killing everything that moves. Including you.You don't make and attempt to avoid the deer, and it sinks its teeth into your neck. As you bleed out on the floor, with deer tearing apart your flesh, you can only hope that your brother is OK.You successfully dodge the deer, but you've been forced off the path. As you [[run]] through the woods, branches slapping your face, you are forced to gradually turn and head back towards the ravine.You successfully dodge the deer, but you've been forced off the path. As you [[run]] through the woods, branches slapping your face, you are forced to gradually turn and head back towards the ravine.You stumble through the woods, the moon providing just enough light that you don't trip. You might be able to outrun the deer for now, but you're going to run out of stamina soon. You could either try to [[climb a tree->Climb a tree]] or [[keep running]] and hope you can find safety that way.It's clearly almost complete. The deer only need a couple more trees and then they're done. And if they get across to the other side, then your entire village is dead. You have to destroy the bridge.
You have a bit of flint and steel in your pocket, but it would be difficult to get a fire started without a [[catalyst]].
Alternatively, you and your brother could probably [[sabatoge]] the tools the deer are using to make the bridge.The deer keep at your heels as you keep running. Suddenly, the thick blackness of the forest is replaced by moonlight: you've made it back to the ravine. You pause for only a second to take in everything.
Near the edge of the ravine is a huge structure that looks almost like a dock. It's made out of a huge amound of felled trees, positioned across the ravine, with a large pile of rocks pinning them to the mountain.
Two deer hold a long saw crudely in their mouths, pulling it from side to side across the base of a tree.
You immidiately realize what's happening.
The deer are making a bridge.
You are unable to process this information for long, however, as the deer have finally caught up to you, and you are quickly torn to peices.You and your brother scrape pine sap from the trees onto a peice of bark. Climbing across the trees, you get as close as you can to the bridge. However, one of you has to jump down to run across the final stretch and light the bridge on fire. It's a mission it would be almost impossible to survive.
"[[I'll do it]]", your brother insists. "I was the one reponsible for this whole mess in the first place."
"Don't be ridiculous. This isn't either of our faults. [[I should be the one]] to light the fire", you reply angrily.Double-click this passage to edit it.You reluctantly give your brother the flint and steel, and watch as he [[shimmies down the tree]]. Before you can react, your brother snatches the flint and steel out of your hand and [[shimmies down the tree]].You and your brother return to your village and tell everyone about your adventure. You are received as heroes, and your story goes down in the legends of the village, with you and your brother as the saviours of the village from certain destruction. You're able to live a happy and securelife, with village patrols securing the ravine to make sure no bridges go up again.At the last second, he drops and breaks into a dead sprint, running for the bridge. The deer run after him, snapping at his heels. He has enough of a lead to vault on to the logs, and he starts furiously striking the flint and steel.
Luckily, the trees still have the majority of their branches on them. However, this doesn't seem to help your brother. Just as the deer are about to catch him, he lights the fire, and a wall of flames goes up, cutting off your view of him.
It takes all you have to not run out to go help him. Instead, you start climbing around to the Ostbridge, to try to help him from the other side.
After what seems like an eternity, you reach the other side.
Miracle of miracles, he's jumped to the other side and lies panting on the ground with you. After you pick him up, with a tearful reunion, you [[head back to the village]]A gigantic gorge that separates your village from the deer.
[[OK->Ostbridge]]