C:\GAMES\IMPRO\SOH> soh (N)ew game, or (C)ontinue? C Creation's Crater This used to be the Cavern of Creation--until the top blew off as you were calling Creation back into existence. Now it is an enormous crater, open to the sky, but with high walls on every side. Rubble lies at the base of the walls, but the main mass of rock seems to have been blown away in every direction. The rough walls of this crater are covered with primitive-looking carvings. Exits are to the west and east. = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = SPIRITS OF HOPE An Improtext Adventure Lead Programmer: Brian Stricklin Module Programmer: Lirazel Version 2.00 -- Restoration, Part 1 = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Aoi is here. Suzume is here. The Resistance is here. Creation is here. >INVENTORY a silver pendant (worn) servant's clothing, damp (worn) pocky (surprisingly dry) a brown leather purse, wet (jingles a little when shaken) a tattered map, wet a potion recipe, wet a tension bar a metal cup a black-painted keyring and key Rojanosh's Hope a piece of chalk, dry Suzume's Hope Teddy the Brick's Hope Yuki's Hope Meryl's Hope The Hope of the Resistance A lamp (unlit) >DIAGNOSE You are not at all hungry You are not at all thirsty You are not tired Aoi is with you. >LOOK AT CREATION A perfectly ordinary Japanese boy, dressed in white blouse, navy blue shorts, blue knee socks, and sneakers. He has a baseball cap on his head, and is carrying a small backpack. He smiles shyly at you. He seems to be about 12 years old. >SPEAK CREATION What do you want to say? >MY NAME You bow to the boy and say your name; Okayama Keigo He bows in return and says, "Watanabe Yoshitoshi. But please, call me Toshi." >SUZUME, DO WE HAVE ENOUGH POWER? Suzume looks at Toshi. "It's good to see you again, Toshi-kun." Then she looks at you. "I don't think so, Keigo-san. We are still weak." >LOOK SUZUME You take a close look at Suzume and realize she is really tired. She even staggers a bit as you look at her. >LOOK RESISTANCE You take a close look at the ragged group you think of as the Resistance. They are in rough shape. Rojanosh's wound is bleeding through his bandage, and he's got his good arm draped around Hash's shoulder. She's holding him up. Yuki, Meryl, and the rest look half-dead. >EVERYONE, LET'S REST "Oh, I don't think we have time for that!" says Suzume. "Despise will be sure to try and stop us as soon as he can get here." Toshi clears his throat. >LOOK TOSHI A perfectly ordinary Japanese boy, dressed in white blouse, navy blue shorts, blue knee socks, and sneakers. He has a baseball cap on his head, and is carrying a small backpack. He smiles shyly at you. He seems to be about 12 years old. >WHAT, TOSHI? "I think I can help us, Keigo-san. Shall I try?" >SAVE GAME Game saved. >YES Toshi looks hard at the amulet on his wrist, then brushes it with his hand and closes his eyes. You sense a furious concentration in him, almost as if he were looking for something while just standing there with his eyes closed. Suddenly, his face relaxes. "There! It's a bit tricky, because this is almost the same as Despise's Stasis magic, but I've made us a time bubble." You have gained 10 points! >LOOK BUBBLE What makes you think there's anything to see? >LOOK BUBBLE Oh, very well... You look around the crater, and see that all the walls and the rubble at their basis is suddenly shiny-looking, almost as though they had been greased. You look down at your feet, which you suddenly notice are floating about three centimeters above the shining cavern floor. Only your companions look normal. Well, as normal as they ever look. >WHAT IS TIME BUBBLE? Toshi answers you. "It's a bubble of time that I've created outside the realm of "normal" time. We can rest here and regain our strength, and be back at the same time the bubble was formed when it finally bursts." >HOW LONG? Toshi responds. "Oh, about ten hours." Murmurs of enthusiasm are heard. "Great!" "I haven't slept in what--two days?" "Me neither!" "Here, let me look at that..." "Anyone got anything to eat or drink?" The Resistance breaks into small groups. Soon, some people are sleeping, others are talking quietly and sharing food. Hash and the older lady are fixing up a new bandage for Rojanosh. **MORE** Suzume is lying down with her head in Yuki's lap. She doesn't look any livelier. You remember that the things that are refreshing the others are not going to help Suzume much--or yourself, for that matter. >LOOK AOI Aoi is sitting near your right foot, looking hopefully at you. She pats gently at your leg. >TAKE AOI You reach down to Aoi, pick her up, and tick her into the front of your shirt. >GO SUZUME You walk over to where Suzume is lying. >SUZUME, HOW DO YOU FEEL? "I feel a bit weak," Suzume replies. "My familiar is a bird. I opened the door of her cage, but if she could not get out..." Yuki smoothes Suzume's hair, and looks at you in a worried way. >GIVE HOPE TO SUZUME Taking Suzume's hand, you once again reach deep within yourself to find the trigger, or whatever it is, that will give some of the Hope you have collected to Suzume. This time, you feel a tremendous surge of energy leave your body and enter hers! You are, suddenly, nearly dizzy with exhaustion and hunger. And thirst! You feel like you could drink that whole underground river! You have gained 10 points! >DIAGNOSE You are very hungry. You are very thirsty. You are exhausted. >From inside your shirt, Aoi mews pitifully. >LOOK SUZUME Suzume is looking much better. However, when she looks back at you, she springs to her feet, and calls out, "Food! Water! Over here, quick!" Your legs can no longer sustain you, and you sink to the ground. If you don't get help soon, you may die. >SAVE GAME You can't do that here. >From inside your shirt, Aoi mews pitifully. >RELEASE AOI With great effort, you manage to move one arm, and Aoi crawls out. The poor creature herself can barely move. Several of the others come rushing over to stand around you, but seem at a loss as to what to do. If you don't get help soon, you will probably die. >SPEAK RESISTANCE What do you want to say? Meryl sees your lips moving, and stoops to listen. >FEED AOI Meryl looks a little blank, but takes some food--it looks like a dried fish--and offers it to Aoi. Aoi eats the fish, and mews piteously. You feel somewhat better, but still too weak to move. >MERYL, FEED AOI. Meryl offers Aoi another fish. Aoi eats the fish, and mews piteously. Suzume and Toshi bring over a canteen of water. Suzume pours some into her hand, and offers it to Aoi, who laps it up and mews again. You feel somewhat better, and struggle to a sitting position. You have gained 10 points! >SUZUME, WHAT HAPPENED? "I don't know, Keigo-chan. It felt like you gave me all your Hope, but that's not possible-- is it?" >TOSHI, WHAT HAPPENED? "I'm not sure... but I think it's not a good idea for you to do too much while you are in this crater. You are the Spirit of Destruction, after all." >DIAGNOSE You are quite hungry. You are quite thirsty. You are quite tired. >MERYL, FEED AOI. Meryl offers AOI another fish. Aoi eats it, and mews. Suzume continues to offer water to Aoi. You feel nearly well, and get to your feet. >THANK YOU Those who have gathered around you smile and begin to move off. "Gave me a scare, that did!" "Yes, gave me quite a turn." "Did you see how pale he got?" You can hear them conversing as they return to their occupations. Suzume smiles at you and hands you the canteen of water. Meryl stays near you. She is holding and petting Aoi, who is purring. You feel some Hope returning. But some of the Resistance now seem a bit doubtful. You'll have to be careful in the future. You have gained 10 points! >SAVE GAME Game saved. >GIVE WATER AOI You offer some water to Aoi in the palm of your hand. Aoi stops purring long enough to drink it. You suddenly realize that you are standing rather close to Meryl, and step back. Meryl smiles shyly at you. >SPEAK MERYL What do you want to say? >MERYL, TELL ME ABOUT SPIRITS OF HOPE. "Ummm... I don't really know much about the Spirits of Hope. Only what I've read in the Library, and it's very confusing. But surely you don't need *me* to tell *you* about the Spirits of Hope, Keigo- san." >PLEASE "Well, let's see. Most of the time, there's only two Spirits of Hope in the world, Chaos and Order. Together, they maintain the Balance of Power that lets the world continue in peace. Or, at least, that's what the oldest books say." >IS THERE MORE? "Oh! I remember--it's when either Order or Chaos becomes too strong that the other Spirits of Hope are drawn into the world to help restore the Balance. There are usually two more spirits, Creation and Destruction, but if need be they can call on others. Victory and Defeat are two more, and once things got so bad that Mercy and Justice came as well." >WHEN? "When did they come? Oh, long, long ago. Before the temple of the Fifth Freedom was built." >WHAT IS FIFTH FREEDOM? "The freedom to hope. But most people think that's just superstition now." >LATEST? "You mean before this time? That was long ago, in the time of my great-grandmother. Chaos grew too strong, and nothing stayed the same. My grandmother said her mother told her that you'd plant a field of potatoes and find baby seals pushing their way out of the earth. A lot of things changed. People and animals got sort of mixed..." >LOOK SUZUME You look at Suzume, who is laughing gently at something Yuki just said to her. Toshi is sitting near her, and laughing as well. It seems hard to believe that the gentle lady with the gray scarf could cause so much trouble, but you remember the vision you once had of Suzume and Despise attacking the great Tree. You have gained 5 points! >WAIT How long do you want to wait? >WAIT TEN HOURS Do you really want to do that? >HINT What do you want a hint about? >WHAT CAN I DO NOW? You can: wait for any time up to nine hours ask questions of your companions break the time bubble (You are the Spirit of Destruction) feed Aoi >LOOK AOI You look at Aoi, who now is sleeping in Meryl's lap. The small, gray ball of fur is expanding and contracting regularly, and a faint purr is barely discernable. Meryl is stroking Aoi with one fingertip, between the ears. She looks up at you with a shy smile, and then returns to tending the sleeping kitten. It seems a shame to disturb them. >LOOK HASH Hash is sitting cross-legged beside Rojanosh, who is leaning against a boulder. His arm has been re-bandaged, and some color has returned to his face--you can see darker blue patches on his cheeks, which previously looked like an early-morning sky. As you watch, Hash gently butts her head, with its ram-like horns, against Rojanosh's good shoulder. Rojanosh reaches out his good hand, and gently tweaks her ear. You realize that there is more than a temporary alliance forming here. It seems a shame to disturb them. You have been in the time bubble one hour. You have gained 5 points! >LOOK RESISTANCE You look around the crater at the rest of the Resistance. Three school-boys... an old lady with a surprisingly determined face... a young person in priest's garb... a guard from Despise's palace... a few peasants... Yuki, the servant of Suzume... And of course, Suzume and Toshi, the other Spirits of Hope. With a start, you realize that Teddy the Brick is still at the entrance to the Grue's lair. He may be in terrible danger! >SPEAK TOSHI [First going over to him.] Toshi looks up from his conversation with Suzume. "Yes, Keigo-san?" What do you want to say? >TOSHI, WHAT ABOUT TEDDY THE BRICK? Toshi looks puzzled. "Who?" You suddenly remember that Toshi knows nothing about Teddy the Brick. He had not been called back into existence when you set Teddy to guard the entrance. Rapidly, you explain the situation. Toshi looks worried for a moment, then his face clears. "Don't worry, Keigo-san. Remember, we will be returning to the same moment when the time bubble was created. If we move quickly, we ought to be able to reach the tunnel entrance before Despise' people can find him." He looks thoughtful for a moment. "Perhaps it would be best to split up. We three need to get back to the city and find Despise." He gets up, bows to Suzume and Yuki, and moves towards the crater's center. You fall into step beside him. >TOSHI, WHY MUST WE FIND DESPISE? "Good question, Keigo-san! If this were an ordinary rebellion, we'd be establishing a base somewhere and marshalling our forces, ne?" He frowns. "But this isn't an ordinary rebellion. We're here to restore the Balance between Suzume and Despise, between Order and Chaos. And we can't do that without Despise." >HOW RESTORE BALANCE? "I'm not sure... but we'll probably have to destroy Despise and then Recall him, as you and Suzume Recalled me." Wow. Destroy Despise. That-- will be difficult. You have gained 5 points! >HOW DESTROY DESPISE? "I wouldn't worry about that, Keigo-san. Suzume will do it quite effectively when the time comes. We will need to defeat his people and his powers first, however. How much magic do you know?" >MAGIC? "None? Oh dear..." Now Toshi looks really worried. "Let me see your hands." You hold out your hands towards Toshi. You had nearly forgotten the glowing circles that once appeared on them. Toshi passes his hands lightly over your outstretched palms, just barely not touching them, and the circles spring to life. "Hmmmm... You certainly have enough power, Keigo-san. But you haven't tried to do much with it, so you don't know any real techniques, and you don't have any control. Not surprising, really, now that I think of it. You'd scarcely be able to do a thing without me." >TOSHI, WHAT IS MAGIC? "Magic? Well, in this world, it's-- I'm not sure how to describe it. It's like, well, you know how, when you run a current through a piece of wire, and the wire resists the current, it generates heat?" You nod. "Here, magical power is generated by the tension between opposing forces. The friction between Order and Chaos creates magical energy, as does the friction between Creation and Destruction. The problem is, with Despise so strong, he's captured quite a bit of the power of Chaos as well as his own power of Order. I mean, he's even been able to take control of Suzume's pagoda!" You shake your head, completely bewildered. The pagoda is **Suzume's**? Toshi seems amused by the bewilderment in your face. He stretches out his hands towards you, and you see that the palms are marked with many fine, glowing lines, passing over and under each other like a combination of an M. C. Esher print and an elaborate Celtic knot. Toshi's hands make the markings on Despise's palms look like a child's drawings, while the two plain circles on your hands seem to be even more primitive. It seems clear that Toshi may, in fact, be the most powerful--or, perhaps, the most skillful--member of the Spirits of Hope. You have gained 5 points! >SPEAK SUZUME [First going over to her.] What do you want to say? >SUZUME, THE PAGODA IS YOURS? Suzume looks up from her chat with Yuki. "Why, yes, Keigo-san, it is. You don't think anyone else could create such an impossible place, do you?" She senses your dismay. "When we had to destroy Despise's Tree, he moved into the Pagoda with me. Naturally. He is my mate, after all." You are extremely disturbed. None of this makes any sense to you. And, while Toshi seems a nice enough kid, you certainly don't feel as though he were a possible mate! Suzume sees the consternation in your face and laughs gently. "Don't look so worried, Keigo-chan. When things are right between us, Despise and I hold this world in Balance. So our relationship is necessarily more, um, intimate than that between the other Spirits of Hope." >SUZUME, SHOW ME YOUR HANDS. Suzume smiles and stretches her hands towards you, palms out. There is a web of fine, glowing lines across them, but where the intricate design on Creation's hands seemed fixed, the shapes and conjunctions on Suzume's hands are constantly shifting. Watching them, you feel dizzy, even a bit sick, but at the same time a sense of crazy exaltation sweeps through you. Suzume speaks again. "Despise has captured a great deal of my power, which is how he can create such disorderly effects. And I--" She sighs. "I'm generally a lot more spontaneous than this, Keigo-chan." You have gained 5 points! You have been in the time bubble two hours. You have gained 5 points! >LOOK AT RESISTANCE The Resistance has settled down to sleep. Rojanosh has his good arm draped around Hash, who is sleeping on his breast like a child in its father's arms. Meryl has stretched out on the ground, with Aoi snuggled near her chin. Somewhat to your surprise, the determined old lady has insisted that Toshi lie down. You hear him murmuring, "Hai, Obaa-san," in response to her instructions. The three kids— actually, one has a rabbity face, one looks a bit like a bulldog, and one has ears like a bear--have set up a neat camp for themselves next to another bolder. The soldier has bivouacked near them. The young priest is sitting cross-legged, staring straight in front of him. You wonder if he would hear you if you spoke. The peasants-- there are four of them, three men and a woman, two with pink skin and eyes, one looking rather like Rojanosh, and one with large, bovine eyes and beige skin--have unloaded various parcels and made themselves makeshift beds. It seems a shame to disturb them. >SIT NEAR MERYL You move to near where Meryl is lying and sit down. >LOOK AT MERYL You look closely at Meryl. Her skin is a creamy, pale golden color, and her hair is the same gold, close to her head. Further out, it is banded with rings of darker orange-yellow, and the tips are very orange, indeed. Her eyes, you remember, are orange as well, and you can see that her delicate brows and thick eyelashes are the same warm orange-brown. Her ears, which are delicately pointed and poke through her hair, are covered in the back with a soft, orange-brown fur; as you watch, you see the upper one rotate towards you. She's wearing a simple, short-sleeved dress, a shade darker than her skin, and her arms and legs have faint orange-yellow bands towards the wrists and ankles. Her hands and feet are surprisingly small. As for the rest of her physique... You stop, with a blush. Yes, she's a cat-girl. And quite pretty. Aoi is sleeping beside Meryl, curled up under her chin. It seems a shame to disturb them. >SAVE GAME Game saved. >WAIT How long do you want to wait? >WAIT 7 HOURS Are you sure you want to do that? >Y Time passes... 7 hours, to be precise. You have been in the time bubble for 9 hours, 12 minutes. You have gained 10 points! ********YOU HAVE REACHED 500 POINTS******** >SAVE GAME. Game saved. >WAKE OTHERS You stand up and stretch, then speak in a clear, loud tone. "Wake up, everyone! We need to get ready." All around you, people are stirring and stretching. You hear groans and mutters; "Never did like sleeping on the ground, no I didn't." "Well, it beats prison." "I hope we get back to that pool, I could do with a wash." "What's for breakfast?" Aoi wakes, walks a few steps away from Meryl, stretches all over in the way that only cats can, and seems to shake the last of her sleep from the tip of her tail. She strolls over to you, pats your leg hopefully, and mews. >TAKE AOI. You reach down for Aoi, who jumps into your arms, and then clambers up onto your shoulder. You can feel her tiny claws through the material of your shirt. Meryl opens her eyes. They are the same warm, golden orange that you remembered. She smiles at you. You reach down to help her rise, but are stopped by Aoi digging into your shoulder for balance. Meryl has already risen by herself, shaking her dress into shape with a swift wriggle. "Let me see if there's anything more to eat, Keigo-sama." She heads off towards the peasants in a purposeful manner. >DIAGNOSE You are just a bit hungry You are just a bit thirsty You are not tired Aoi is with you. >INVENTORY a silver pendant (worn) servant's clothing, dry (worn) pocky (surprisingly dry) a brown leather purse, dry (jingles a little when shaken) a tattered map, damp a potion recipe, damp a tension bar a metal cup a black-painted keyring and key Rojanosh's Hope a piece of chalk, dry Suzume's Hope Teddy the Brick's Hope (faint) Yuki's Hope Meryl's Hope The Hope of the Resistance A lamp (unlit) Toshi rushes up to you. "Before we go, Keigo-san, let me see your pendant, would you?" >SHOW PENDANT You pull the pendant out of the neck of your shirt, and pull the leather cord over your head. As it lies in your hand, you can see just how worn its edges are and how the circles of Destruction are beginning to blend into the background. It certainly seems well- used. Toshi bends over the pendant, careful not to touch it. He inhales, holds his breath for a moment, then blows into your hand where the pendant is lying. "There. That should do it." You look at the pendant. To your surprise, it now appears to be freshly minted! The edges are hard and square, and the symbol of Destruction stands out in bold relief. The whole thing is so shiny, it's almost hard to look at. You have gained 50 points! >SCORE >SCORE You have gained 550 points out of a possible 2000. This earns you the rank of: Possible Victor. >SAVE Game saved. >QUIT C:\GAMES\IMPRO\SOH>_ %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% This is part one of the end chapter of Spirits of Hope. I'm sorry it's so quiet, but if we're going to end this thing without exploring Waypoint any further, some additional exposition seemed necessary and some other developments needed hastening on, as well. The next will be more action-packed, I promise. I see two fights on the horizon.