By the Light of Day

They took everything from you. Everyone you loved, everything you built, and left you to die. They left you to them. But you didn't die. You survived. Now you live, such as it is, for one purpose: revenge.

The item system is not too complicated. Certain pages will ask you to craft potions using herb items in sequence, and then using those potions will reveal the next link. Note: you will need BOTH weapons to be anointed eventually.

Special thanks to BradinDvorak for help with scripting regarding the item menu.

Thanks for playing!

Here is a trailer to give an idea what the game is about: Chivalry: Medieval Warfare Trailer

Death has come, and now the Lingering begins.

For ages, the Woe has approached. But as the Light of Life wanes, its spread accelerates. The guilty shall reap their cruel rewards, and only you know what you truly deserve. But what of the innocent? Preserve the Lingering, or all will feed the gnawing darkness.

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What are the limits of human ingenuity? Usually it is Nature who decides when a species is no longer worthy of continuation, but humans alone are able to truly understand their own limitations. However, understanding what you cannot do is not always enough, and eventually Nature decided to put human ingenuity to the ultimate test. Unfortunately, humanity knew they would fail that test the moment it was revealed. Unable to save themselves, they created something that could: PSYOPS.

When does personal sacrifice become madness?

The God-King has subjugated your people for hundreds of years, but you believe he is neither a true god nor a true king. Now, a resistance has formed, and you've been tasked with infiltrating his great pyramid. Will you be able to pay the cost to free your people? Or will self-preservation outweigh the needs of the many?

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TRIGGER WARNING: This storygame explores trauma and trauma recovery. It includes disturbing events, including sexual violence, torture, mutilation, and suicide.

NOTE: This is intended to be the first part of a much larger story. Most choices will alter which side-paths are available, who dies, and things like that—although there is one obvious point where the story dramatically changes based on your choice. There is one "true" ending, which you'll know you have found when you reach the epilogue. Thanks for reading.

UPDATES:

• You can now start at any chapter, for those who want to see different branches without doing the beginning again.

• I've made additions to the meeting to acquire the genealogy book, including the chance to meet a couple of unsavory thieves.

• I've added a birds-eye realistic view of Akhetnakhtep in the main menu. Opening in a new window gives a better view.

Synopsis:

Left to fend for themselves, two children brave a dark forest, and the evil it hides.

Quick Notes:

This storygame is short, and it's kind of a kid's story. It's actually part of an idea I've been rolling around about a collection of fairy tales/spooky tales, a sort of anthology. It's my take on the classic Brother's Grimm tale, and it's not complicated, nor is it replete with a myriad of parallel plot lines. There are three endings (four if you count dying), but do not expect vastly different outcomes: it basically comes down to who ends up dying by the end.

It's also possible to completely avoid the main plot section (The Cottage), although I wouldn't recommend that path, as the story is short enough as it is. I'm not sure if this falls under fantasy or horror, but I think I'll go with horror, even if it isn't particularly scary. It's a bit macabre in places, but ultimately it is a children's story.

Visually speaking, I'd advise playing with images on, otherwise you might have to highlight text in order to read it in some cases. Also, you might want to scroll the text so it isn't directly on top of the moon on a few pages. A mild annoyance, I'm sorry, but I couldn't implement the full scripting I wanted to in order to handle that problem.

Lastly, admittedly this was put together quickly from a base idea jotted down earlier, due to the nuclear attack on the website over the past month, which put me too far behind to finish the entry I wanted to for Killa Robot's "Feels" competition. It is what it is: just a short take on a classic tale. Not a lot of feels, but a little bit of pseudo-early modern English ;).

Republishing (again) due to image hosting issues. 1/8/2018

And again to change genre from Horror to Grimdark Fantasy, and to fix some minor grammatical errors. 6/4/2020

Not sure why I keep putting dates every time I repost this crappy story, but it's 2025 now and I saw it lying around and need to move it out of my title-hoarding pile.

Some quick info on the setting: It is generally believed that hominids lost their thick fur around 1.2 million years ago or so, give or take. However, for the sake of this story, Homo neanderthalensis will have thicker body hair than Homo sapiens (not bear-thick, but still thicker). There are two reasons I have chosen to do this: (1) They lived in the colder regions. (2) Homo neanderthalensis appears to have had primitive clothing compared to Homo sapiens; basically just fur capes, while Homo sapiens had more advanced stitching and more tightly tailored clothing (which kept them more warm). So I feel having neanderthals a little more hairy than Homo sapiens is a reasonable liberty for me to take in this story.

As for language and technology, both Homo sapiens and Homo neanderthalensis shared almost identical vocal anatomy where it matters. Despite neanderthals not having left behind nearly as much advanced artwork, they very likely had complex language just like Homo sapiens. As for fire technology, for the purpose of this story I am assuming that different hominid tribes were further advanced than others, irrespective of species. The neanderthal tribe the protagonist comes from has yet to master creation of fire.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy!

Update: Put an End Game link on the same page the Epilogue link is, so you can skip it if you want, since it is so unpopular ;) .

The plague has come.

Humanity's brief moment on the clock of existence is winding down. As the undead slowly replace the living, the experts and leaders of the world have told you to accept this new reality, and survive the best you can.

And worst of all, they didn't tell you of the shame: the shame you feel as you watch your loved ones being torn apart by your own cold, undead hands...

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The Story of Count Osmond Jorgensen

There's no price a good man won't pay to save the woman he loves...

It was an unlikely marriage, but still somehow a happy one. Though he barely knew her, Count Osmond Jorgensen counted himself fortunate on the day of his wedding. Talia was more than he could have ever hoped for: beautiful, temperate, and always smiling. Osmond was fully taken, and believed that he would do anything for her. Over the years, he discovered just how far he'd go for the woman he loved.

WARNING: There isn't much by way of blatantly graphic sex in this storygame, but there are plenty of deviant erotic situations, including some pretty rapey ones. If such scenarios disturb you, this storygame probably isn't for you.

At its core, this storygame is a tale of a screwed up BDSM relationship, which you cultivate as the ultimate "sub." The goal of this storygame is to get your boss to engage in as many "unprofessional" acts as possible, and to eventually sway him into falling for you, all without getting fired along the way. If you make the right decisions, the game escalates from event to event, bringing you closer and closer to a relationship with your boss. It's pretty linear, and you'll know for certain if you get the "winning" ending. Let's just say it will involve a leash and some public humiliation. *1/8/2019 Republishing to re-upload background images.

You work in a small law firm, performing both receptionist and data entry roles. Your job is thankless and tedious, but one thing keeps you coming back: your boss, Brandon Wheeler. Aloof and dispassionate, Wheeler exudes a muted but overwhelming power you find irresistible, and you are determined to tame that power, even if it costs you your career.

Synopsis:

The ancient wisdom says, "If any man would not work, neither should he eat."

Fortunately for you, there is enough evil lurking in the dark corners of the world to pay the bills. Or to at least get an extension on them.

Usually, rumors of a witch savaging a village send travelers away in fear, but not you. As a contract witch hunter, you rejoice at such news and the promise of a financial windfall that comes with it. This particular contract, however, seems unusually dangerous. Witches tend to follow certain patterns, the most consistent of which is an attempt to remain unnoticed beyond the village they victimize. This one, however, seems to be recklessly spreading destruction, showing no fear of repercussion. Unfortunately for you, such contracts are rare enough that you cannot turn them down. Risk of life and limb, or worse, simply comes with the job.

I watch in horror from my disembodied spectral existence. The t-rexes, gone. UnescapableDeath, gone! No mortal should wield that kind of power. Could Avo be the Dark Villain all along? The thought terrifies me. And what of UnescapableDeath? A lesser god come to pass a slice of the boredom of eternity?

Such power could mean even my ghostly form may be vulnerable. And without my physical form, I have no capacity for magic.

Unsure of what this new development portends, I nervously glance around.No sign of the t-rexes are visible. Wait. No, that's not correct. There are droppings. In fact... I lean in, taking in a spectral waft... that... that is mine on body! Chemically ravaged by the ass of a t-rex! If only there were a way, perhaps I could return to the mortal realm and protect it from these powerful beings. I lean in close to the remnants of my being, gooey, crispy, moderately sweet smelling shit.

I dive in.

Suddenly I am awake again, although I realize I must be a disembodied soul. I know my body is inside the t-rex's belly. Part of me, a strangely detached part, can still feel my body being digested. I shudder.

As I survey the frosted forest, I wonder if UnescapableDeath is aware that ham will not be enough to satiate the extinct animals. What are these people going to do? Even Ogre has no chance in hand-to-hand combat against these monsters.

One of them seems too calm given the threat, another seems to be having an existential crisis where she wonders if she's the only real person, and another is a delicious hotdog, just waiting to be eaten. Perhaps Ogre will have the best shot at survival, with his axe, and who knows, it is possible the t-rex's like Ogre and won't eat him.

But as for me, I simply await to watch my body become fully digested and excreted, and a strange sense of whimsical nonchalance fills me. Who else is going to be eaten? Had I a body, I too would take out a lawn chair and have a drink.

Recognizing the failure of the nukes, I begin to panic. A wolf pup has already wormed its way in to the party's confidence, and at any moment will unleash unholy degeneracy and violence. Knowing time is of the essence, I do the only thing I can: I summon a portal to the Cretaceous period, and out comes a pack of hungry tyrannosaurus rexes.

"Forgive me," I lament, as the t-rexes bear down upon us all.

(don't cry about the image; you get what you pay for with AI generated trash)