The Apple of My Eye

(align:"=><=")+(box:"===XXXXXXXXXXXXXX===")[The Apple of My Eye ] (align:"=><=")+(box:"===XXXXXXXXXXXXXX===")[[START]]

(set: $health to "98%") You sift your way through the dense forest, feeling the prick of some of the thorns and vines in the path. You hear cardinals calling, rampant rivers running, the sound of your muddied footsteps above everything. But something feels off for some reason, you try to shake it off by having a short break. You retreat for a while next to a small pond and a ring of trees extending their branches to the forest canopy. It seems normal enough, until you see a shrouded bunny-esque creature lurking ominously under the shade. You decide to... [[Kill it]] [[Extend your hand towards it]] [[Try to lure it towards you]] HP $health (text-colour:red)[-2%]

(set: $killit to true) You grab your pocket knife from your bag and click it open. Turned off by your survival instincts, you carefully approach it and try to get a clean swipe on it. The creature suddenly bares its hidden blood-curdling fangs and lunges towards you, with extra eyes too! You [[come out of the encounter]] with only a bad bite in your arm, with the creature luckily subdued. But something tells you that you shouldn't have done that. HP 85% (text-colour:red)[-13%]

(set: $extend to true) You try to reach out your hand towards the small creature, and it inches towards you reluctantly. But eventually, it reaches your hand and drops (either: "[[something]]") in it!

You take some dehydrated berries out of your fanny pack and drop little crumbs in a pathway towards you. To your surprise, the creature isn't eating them, but it is looking at you rather incredulously. It hops slowly towards you, and you find out it's trying to give you something... It seems to be (either: "[[its droppings!]]", "[[a fruit snack!]]")

its droppings! That's disgusting... But why's it glowing for some reason? Will you: [[discard it?]] [[save it?]]

''a fruit snack!'' Will you: [[eat it now?]] [[pocket it?]]

(set: $eatnow to true) [[You ate the fruit snack!]] HP 100% (text-colour:green)[+2%]

(set: $pocketit to true) [[You collect the fruit snack!]] Maybe this will be helpful in the future... HP 98%

(set: $discard to true) Yuck! [[You leave the glowing feces on the ground.]] Hopefully you didn't catch any mysterious diseases from that...

(set: $saveit to true) You [[pocket the glowing fecal matter.]] Maybe this could come in handy in the future...

(either: "[[a fruit snack!]]", "[[its droppings!]]")

You keep going towards the semisphere, and you notice that the creature has taken a liking to you! It clings near you as you keep walking towards the mysterious civilization until you reach a tall, grand gate towering before you. There are browning vines and roses cascading downwards, with rust biting some of the edges like frost. You assume it's the entrance. You [[Try to climb over it]] [[Knock on the door]]

You grab a rope from your bag and begin to hike the abnormally tall gate. Rope (text-colour:red)[-1] HP (if: $killit is true)[85%](if: $eatnow is true)[100%](if: $discard is true)[98%](if: $saveit is true)[98%](if: $pocketit is true)[98%] You begin to hear and feel the rattling of the gate's parts and cringe as you urge yourself not to back down now. You feel yourself getting used to the rope burn as you start making it towards the top, when- [[SHWOOP!]]

As you get closer, the border surrounding the "heart" of the city gets exponentially taller and taller, but they're, for some reason, completely untouched in comparison to the rusting gates. Nevertheless, you trudge on forward. On the gates you see two identical, finely sculpted lion handles and hold your hand out to knock on one of them. - - - Five minutes has passed, and still, nothing happens. You're about to use both handles when you suddenly [[get shanked from the back!]] HP (if: $killit is true)[85%](if: $eatnow is true)[100%](if: $saveit is true)[98%](if: $pocketit is true)[98%](if: $discard is true)[98%]

You keep going towards the semisphere, and you notice that the creature wasn't dead after all! Perhaps it notices your strength... it continues following after you towards the mysterious civilization until you reach a tall, grand gate towering before you. There are browning vines and roses cascading downwards, with rust biting some of the edges like frost. You assume it's the entrance. You [[Try to climb over it]] [[Knock on the door]]

- - - - "What's the big idea?!" You woke up in a cold sweat, with your body tied to one of the outrageously tall trees with a seemingly otherworldly material. In the distance, you can see some group of three or four other adventurers eyeing you every few seconds whilst they chat about something... You continue to kick and whine but it's hopeless;they're not willing to gentle parent you, so [[you might as well listen in on their conversation.]]

"God, I told you we should've gotten rid of them if they were such a nuisance as to try getting in there by blunt force." "Yeah [[Evian]], I mean, they're lucky we were even near [[the wall]] in the first place. Their ignorance should be none of our business." "Do you all think they would have time to complain once they were already a goner?" Everyone suddenly goes silent. ... ... ... Then they all turn to you. ... ... ... [["You know we can see you staring, right?"]]

You believe they may be referring to the overly sterile walls you saw on your way here. [[There's not much you know about it for now.]] (set: $thewall to true)

They look like the top dog of the group, and who everyone seems to be protesting against. [[You decide to shut your mouth so they don't leave you to the wolves all alone early on.]] (set: $evian to true)

"You know we can see you staring, right?" Evian elbows them lightheartedly. "Sorry about Bai, she always thinks she's being smart with those remarks." The leader of the group makes a brisk walk towards you and reaches his hand out for a handshake. He looks like he would give firm handshakes. "Um, sorry, I would but I'm-" You gesture towards your currently tied hands. Evian realizes and looks a little embarrassed, retreating his hand to the back of his head. "Ahahaha, sorry about that... You can blame Voss, he's really been stepping up his rope game recently." One of the other members, who you assume is Voss, rolls his eyes behind him. "Oh right, we haven't introduced ourselves yet. My name is Evian, I'm the dedicated leader of our little theatre troupe here. This is Bai, she's our main fighter, Voss is my right hand man, and Arrow here, he's all over the place most of the time." - - - "Anyway, what's your name?" TO BE CONTINUED

"God, I told you we should've gotten rid of them if they were such a nuisance as to try getting in there by blunt force." "Yeah (if: $evian and $thewall is true)[Evian](if: $evian is not true)[ [[Evian]] ], I mean, they're lucky we were even near the wall in the first place. Their ignorance should be none of our business." "Do you all think they would have time to complain once they were already a goner?" Everyone suddenly goes silent. ... ... ... Then they all turn to you. ... ... ... [["You know we can see you staring, right?"]]

"God, I told you we should've gotten rid of them if they were such a nuisance as to try getting in there by blunt force." "Yeah Evian, I mean, they're lucky we were even near (if: $thewall is true)[the wall](if: $thewall is not true)[[the wall]] in the first place. Their ignorance should be none of our business." "Do you all think they would have time to complain once they were already a goner?" Everyone suddenly goes silent. ... ... ... Then they all turn to you. ... ... ... [["You know we can see you staring, right?"]]

(set: $health to "100%") The devastating war that struck the world shocked everybody. Leaving cities in ruin, half of the world presumably destroyed. Little did humanity know, there were 5 cities that still stood. You, one experienced war veteran who tragically lost your lover in the crossfire, emerged with the last of your wishes being to find traces of your beloved that were lost in the rubble. After weeks of trekking on your lonesome surrounded by barren ruins, you finally see a glimpse of what seems to be an orb-like structure in the distance. Lush bushes and greenery begin to appear amongst the uncharacteristic nothingness. You decide to... [[Take a closer look]] [[Try to go around it]] HP $health

One particularly sharp and thick end of the gate cuts your flimsy rope and you plummet to the ground, (text-colour:red)[[succumbing to fall damage]] haiiyaa... HP 0% (if: $killit is true)[(text-colour:red)[-85%]](if: $discard is true)[(text-colour:red)[-98%]](if: $saveit is true)[(text-colour:red)[-98%]](if: $pocketit is true)[(text-colour:red)[-98%]]

(align:"=><=")+(box:"===XXXXXXXXXXXXXX===")[= (text-colour:red)[GAME OVER ] (align:"=><=")+(box:"===XXXXXXXXXXXXXX===")[[Play again?]]