Beneath the Stones

(align:"=><=")[#Beneath the Stones Written by Kieran Green (@Kieranuuu) (t8n-arrive:"rumble")+(t8n-time:0.4s)[[Start.->Act 1-1]]]

FUCK FUCK FUCK (t8n-depart:"slide-down")+(t8n-arrive:"fade-up")+(t8n-time:0.5s)[[FUCKKKKKKKKK-->Act 1-2]] (set:$LastPassage to "")(set:$A1V1 to false)(set:$A1V2 to false)(set:$A1V3 to false)(set:$A1V4 to false)(set:$phone to false)(set:$A2V1 to false)(set:$A2V2 to false)(set:$A2V3 to false)(set:$A2V4 to false)(set:$A2V5 to false)(set:$A2V6 to false)(set:$A2V7 to false)(set:$A2V8 to false)(set:$A2V9 to false)(set:$A2V10 to false)(set:$A2V11 to false)(set:$A2V12 to false)(set:$A2V13 to false)(set:$A2V14 to false)(set:$A2V15 to false)(set:$A2V16 to false)(set:$A2V17 to false)

(t8n-depart:"blur")+(t8n-arrive:"blur")+(t8n-time:3.0s)[[...->Act 1-3]]

(t8n-depart:"blur")+(t8n-arrive:"blur")+(t8n-time:3.0s)[[...?->Act 1-4]]

^^"Judy?"^^ (t8n-depart:"fade-left")+(t8n-arrive:"fade-right")+(t8n-time:2.0s)[[Who's...->Act 1-5]]

“JJ, can you hear me?” (t8n-depart:"fade-right")+(t8n-arrive:"fade-left")+(t8n-time:2.0s)[[I can… I can hear…->Act 1-6]]

“''YO, JJ?! JUDY?!''” //Fucking hell.// Your head is spinning like a top and Mikey’s shouts aren’t helping. Rolling off your arm and onto your back, you rub your dizzy head. To your immediate relief, it’s dry, though a bit… sandy? Strangely cold. All in all, you’re fine, but there’s definitely going to be some bruises forming later. //All over. // [[“Y-yeah. I’m- I’m here!”->Act 1-7]]

//Here?// The only thing you know about “here” is that it’s about three metres below a very panicked, very loud Micheal Sting. It all happened so fast, and as stupid as it sounds, you’re pretty sure that the ground you were standing on basically turned to dust! One moment, you’re posing for a snap with one of the big, ol’ Stones, and the next? [[Gravity kindly introduced you to a cold floor.->Act 1-8]]

“Oh, thank ''//FUCK!//''” Mikey yells down from a small opening in an otherwise pitch-black ceiling. The sunlight spotlighting you is harsh — you struggle to make out his blurry silhouette above. Squinting, you sit up and cup both hands to your forehead in an attempt to see. Seems like the mirage of Mikey is becoming more crowded [[as an ensemble of new voices join the array.-> Act 1-9]]

Solutions start being tossed around, ranging from shirt ropes to brave folks diving in. Mikey’s voice is lost somewhere in the mix. Looking away from the commotion above, [[you check to see that no other poor fucker had dropped in with you.->Act 1-10]]

Nope. You’re alone. Somewhat relieved, you splay your hands behind you, only to then notice that you’re sitting in a pile of… sand? Well, it looks like sand. It’s a curious light grey, and after bringing down your palms, you reactively shivered as it’s //freezing// cold. Still, it cushioned the fall. (t8n-depart:"instant")+(t8n-arrive:"pulse")[[//Not all bad luck.//->Act 1-11]]

Until the chatter above devolves into chaos as the grey dust starts rushing back to the opening. You haven’t the chance to process the sight, an icy barrage scratching at your skin. The once blinding light is consumed in mere seconds, and the last thing you hear is Mikey calling out to you, muffled in the drama. (t8n-depart:"blur")+(t8n-arrive:"blur")+(t8n-time:3.0s)[[Then, silence.->Act 1-12]]

You sit there for what feels like a century. A dulled, mechanical humming drags you back to most of your senses. Excluding sight, on account of being drowned in darkness. (t8n-depart:"instant")+(t8n-arrive:"pulse")[[That’s when the fear erupts from your chest.->Act 1-13]]

“''MIKEY?! CAN YOU HEAR ME?!''” No footsteps, no banging, no voices. Just a soft, continuous purr to answer your cries. //Fuck!! Shit!! You told Mikey that the Stones were a terrible idea, and you were right!! Should’ve hit the beach!! FUCK!!// //Light!! You need light!!// (if:$A1V1 is false)[[[Grab your lighter! Quick!->Act 1-13-1]]] (if:$A1V2 is false)[[[What about a flashlight?!->Act 1-13-2]]] [[Your phone! Grab your phone!->Act 1-14]]

Judy, babes, I know you’re freaking out right now, but you haven’t had a ciggy in over three months! Gave Mikey your favourite novelty lighter, too — the cutest shark you ever did- [[//Yeah, probably not the time to reminisce.//->Act 1-13]] (set:$A1V1 to true)

//A flashlight?! What?! This isn’t your run-of-the-mill adventure movie, Judes!! You’ve never carried a shitting flashlight around.// [[//Ever!//->Act 1-13]] (set:$A1V2 to true)

(if: $A1V1 is true or $A1V2 is true)[Christ, now we’re talking! ]Diving in your pockets, you fumble to get a grasp on your phone. Quivering, you lift it to your face and hit the power button. (t8n-depart:"flicker")+(t8n-arrive:"flicker")[[The screen flashes alive.->Act 1-15]]

//Fuck//, there go your retinas. Wincing, you try to lower the brightness, but watch as the screen starts to suddenly glitch out. Your phone starts vibrating. Hard. //No.// (t8n-depart:"blur")+(t8n-arrive:"blur")+(t8n-time:3.0s)[[//This can’t be happening.//->Act 1-16]]

Flinching, you expect to be plunged back into darkness, since your phone decided it’s time to explode. It isn’t until a few seconds later that the vibration stops, and you open one eye to see your phone screen pulsing slowly on a low brightness. The screen doesn’t respond to any tapping. You press a bunch of buttons hoping to restart the bugger, [[but it remains in this blinking state.->Act 1-17]]

You hope it isn’t completely totalled. You briefly think to mess with the battery, but you’d rather have //this// shitty light than sink back into the inky black. That and the pulse is… (t8n-depart:"instant")+(t8n-arrive:"pulse")[[oddly… soothing…->Act 1-18]]

A distant, grinding judder of metal snaps you back to reality. Startled, you spin around, wielding the screen as an awful torch. Nothing has changed — there’s only the ever-present humming. Now alert, you fully inspect the circular room of your new prison, and aside from two adjacent corridors leaving to who knows where, [[it’s hauntingly barren.->Act 1-19]]

The phone hardly helps you identify the black, mosaic-like tiling lining the floors and walls. Some sort of metal, you think — one that isn’t reflective. //Like you’d be able to suss out the material, anyway.// You’re unsure of whatever is above, as you can’t quite see that far [[thanks to the limited reach of your dim pocket pal.->Act 1-20]]

You sigh. Rub the back of your neck. Kick your feet. It’d be sensible to wait here for the people above to figure this all out, but you’re itching to move! You look to the corridors. //Just a peek?// Anyway, if the crowd of daytime tourists do manage to break through the sand, you’ll hear ‘em. Which corridor are you heading to? [[The left!->Act 1-20-1]] [[I'll check the right.->Act 1-20-2]] (if:$phone is false)[(t8n-depart:"blur")+(t8n-arrive:"blur")+(t8n-time:3.0s)[[How about I take a little peek at that phone screen again…->PhoneEnd 1]]]

Not even ten steps into the uneven walkway and you’re met with a mass of that grey sand. It’s filling the aperture from top to bottom, and whilst hard to notice, it’s slowly shifting like a calm river. Doesn’t seem to be physically moving anywhere either, and after a swift kick, nor are you until that stubbed toe heals. //Why the fuck is it solid?// You give yourself another minute to cuss away the pain, and then (if:$A1V4 is true)[(t8n-depart:"blur")+(t8n-arrive:"blur")+(t8n-time:3.0s)[[you’re off struggling through the right passage.->Act 2-1]]](else:)[[[you’re off to the right.->Act 1-20-2]]] (set:$A1V3 to true)

(if:$A1V3 is true)[How about, going forward, we don’t kick the things we don’t understand, ‘ey Judy? ]Whilst not being able to illuminate the full path ahead, it’s clear that this corridor is barely manoeuvrable. It’s as if something had erupted from beneath the metal, leaving jagged debris in its wake, but any holes it left behind are now filled with that blasted sand. The humming sounds a little more prominent here. (if:$A1V3 is false)[So, are you going to (t8n-depart:"blur")+(t8n-arrive:"blur")+(t8n-time:3.0s)[[contort your way through here->Act 2-1]], or [[check the left corridor instead?->Act 1-20-1]]](else:)[(t8n-depart:"blur")+(t8n-arrive:"blur")+(t8n-time:3.0s)[[Considering the left is blocked, you clamber through.->Act 2-1]]] (set:$A1V4 to true)

Despite taking longer than you’ll admit, you finally stumble through the carnage. With a deep sigh and brush down, you scan the chamber with what little light you have. A hallmark emptiness seems to beset this place. Same tiled flooring, same tiled walls. Patches of the floor transition to the odd sand now and then, much like in the corridor — you make a note to avoid standing on it. That is until you pan the phone down to find (t8n-depart:"instant")+(t8n-arrive:"pulse")[[you’re standing on it //right now.//->Act 2-2]]

There’s no grace in your scramble away, half-expecting to be plunged into whatever lies below. The drop never comes. Looking back, the sand is still slowly shifting in its crevice, but nothing has given way. Rationale and curiosity tussle in your mind as you watch the sand slowly swallow itself. [[I am not, even for a single second, going to stand on that sand again.->Act 2-2-1]] [[DING DING DING! Curiosity wins!!->Act 2-2-2]]

Put plainly, it’s goddamn captivating. A massage on your mind and bones. Every care seems to slip away. But then, so do some memories. Where were you again? Who was shouting at you earlier? //Why can’t you remember their face?// A burst of terror is suppressed by the pulse, but if you can direct what little focus you have left to that feeling, you think you can wretch yourself from its pull. //If you even want to.// (t8n-depart:"instant")+(t8n-arrive:"pulse")[[FUCK! GET ME OUT! LOOK AWAY!!->PhoneEnd 1-1]] (t8n-depart:"blur")+(t8n-arrive:"blur")+(t8n-time:3.0s)[[No… Won’t…->PhoneEnd1-2]]

It takes an insane mental tantrum to even flex your fingers, and in a blood-boiling rage, you command your grip to loosen. The phone clatters to the ground, screen down — a few seconds later, you’re //you// again, bad memories and all. Without much other choice, you have it back in your palm, pulse turned away. You’ll keep using it as a torch, (link-goto: "but there’s //no fucking way// you’re looking at the light again.", $LastPassage) (set:$phone to true)

Blinking slowly at the phone, you’d rather drown in this unfathomable peace — it’s unlike anything you’ve ever experienced. For an amount of time, you know nothing but bliss. And then, blissfully nothing, [[for there is no more Judy O’Brian.->PhoneEnd 3]]

Well, that's unfortunate. (t8n-arrive:"rumble")+(t8n-time:0.4s)[[Give the story another spin?->Act 1-1]]

(if: not ((passage:)'s tags contains "menu"))[(set: $LastPassage to (passage:)'s name)]

//Wise, Judy O’Brian. Very wise.// Your dads would be ever so proud of you and your innate knack of not getting yourself killed! They raised you to be a savvy survivalist, [[expert in the art of-->Act 2-2-1-2]]

You lightly press your foot against the revolving particles, begging them to reject your worst fears. They hear your pleas, for you don’t end up sinking below. Emboldened, you hop to another patch, and then one more. No falling! Maybe the incident up above was a fluke? Not really a hypothesis you want to spend much more time testing. [[Let’s have a proper look around your new surroundings.->Act 2-3]]

//Oh.// You foolishly stumbled from one lump of sand to another. //Sorry, dads.// You stare downwards, blinking dumbly, and after about five seconds, conclude that the sand might not be the death of you. Maybe the incident up above was a fluke? Not really a hypothesis you want to spend much more time testing. [[Let’s have a proper look around your new surroundings.->Act 2-3]]

Standing in the centre of the room, you discern three points of interest within the empty darkness. [[The left wall… it looks like there’s a person slumped against it — maybe someone else fell down after all!->Act 2-4]] [[Dead ahead looks no different to any section of the room, but the humming is strongest there, along with the occasional groan of strained metal.->Act 2-3-1]] [[Something is glimmering in the distance when you hold your phone to the right. It’s a beacon against the surrounding tiles.->Act 2-3-2]] (if:$phone is false)[(t8n-depart:"blur")+(t8n-arrive:"blur")+(t8n-time:3.0s)[[How about I take a little peek at that phone screen again…->PhoneEnd 1]]]

Heading to the back wall, you first notice a twirling podium with a flat surface attached, tilted towards you. Sat in the middle of the flat plane is a jagged shard composed of grey sand, but more stable — not as… shifty. Unfortunately for you, [[your shitty phone screen won’t give you much more.->Act 2-3-1-2]]

You set off towards the shimmering. As you arrive at its source, you quickly catch yourself from falling into an opaque gloop resting within the floor. You suspect it isn’t water, but with your limited light, it’s impossible to deduce any more. Whilst very pretty, it’s probably best if you look elsewhere, since you’re not putting your hand in this shit. (link-reveal:"//Unless…//?")[= Nope, you’re definitely not. Goodbye for now, goop. [[The left wall… it looks like there’s a person slumped against it — maybe someone else fell down after all!->Act 2-4]] (if:$A2V1 is false)[[[Dead ahead looks no different to any section of the room, but the humming is strongest there, along with the occasional groan of strained metal.->Act 2-3-1]]] (if:$phone is false)[(t8n-depart:"blur")+(t8n-arrive:"blur")+(t8n-time:3.0s)[[How about I take a little peek at that phone screen again…->PhoneEnd 1]]] (set:$A2V2 to true)

With a burst of energy, you stride over to the sitting figure. You call out to them as you approach, a mix of joy and concern on your tongue. They don’t respond. Now closer, you still can’t gleam much from this stranger thanks to the large, worn dress and fabric covering on their head. (t8n-depart:"instant")+(t8n-arrive:"pulse")[[Bending down, you rest one hand on their shoulder.->Act 2-5]]

However, you do spot faint lines of sand sprawling out in all directions from the shard, and begin to trace the one closest to the back wall. As you’re following it, the wall judders violently. Jumping back, you quickly hurry off to explore something else that isn’t as active. You’d like to get out of here alive, after all! The metal groans gloomily after you, until the baseline purring is all you can hear again, dulling your mind. [[The left wall… it looks like there’s a person slumped against it — maybe someone else fell down after all!->Act 2-4]] (if:$A2V2 is false)[[[Something is glimmering in the distance when you hold your phone to the right. It’s a beacon against the surrounding tiles.->Act 2-3-2]]] (if:$phone is false)[(t8n-depart:"blur")+(t8n-arrive:"blur")+(t8n-time:3.0s)[[How about I take a little peek at that phone screen again…->PhoneEnd 1]]] (set:$A2V1 to true)

As soon as you apply force, the slumped figure collapses, sprawling out onto the tiles. Something leaves their grip and rattles along the floor. The head wrapping loosens slightly on impact, revealing its secret underneath. Even in this low light, you know that you’re staring at a skull. [[''NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE.''->Act 2-6]]

In shock, you avert your eyes from the black sockets. You’ve seen skeletons in games and movies, but seeing the remaining shell of a person in the flesh — //or lack of// — (t8n-depart:"blur")+(t8n-arrive:"blur")+(t8n-time:3.0s)[[makes you nauseous beyond belief.->Act 2-7]]

After some much needed self-consoling, you turn back around and wince at the bones. It’ll take you a while to acclimatise, and it isn’t long before you break sight again, desperate to distract yourself. [[Whatever fell from the skeletal fingers seems like a good change of focus.->Act 2-8]]

Distancing yourself from the dead, you easily spot the item resting against the vacant ground. Falling to one knee, you pick up the oddly compact device, with what you’d describe as a car pedal ejecting from the side and a small bulb resting at the top. Curious, you push the pedal down to unleash a horrific, nasally whirring, (t8n-depart:"flicker")+(t8n-arrive:"flicker")[[followed instantly by light!->Act 2-9]]

It erupts from the torch and fades away just as fast. You pump a few more times to create an even brighter beam, but it swiftly dims when you stop operating the pedal. The small device emits perhaps the //most annoying// noise you’ve ever heard, but a bit of hand exercise and aural torture are a small price to pay for some decent light. You gladly swap it out for your phone. [[It vibrates softly in protest as you squirrel it away in your pocket.->Act 2-10]]

With this new, irritating machine, you’re one step closer to getting out of here! Exploring should be a piece of cake — what's your next move? (if:$A2V3 is false)[[[Reluctantly reapproach the skeleton...->Sona]]] (if:$A2V4 is false)[[[Head to the back of the room.->Back Wall]]](else:)[[[Head to the podium.->Back Wall]]] (if:$A2V5 is false)[[[Explore the shimmering area to the right.->Crater]]](else:)[[[Explore the pool of unknown liquid.->Crater]]] [[With good light now in hand, inspect yourself.->Self Check]] (if:$A2V3 is true)[[[Open the bag…->Bag]]] (if:$A2V12 is true and $A2V15 is false)[(t8n-arrive:"shudder")+(t8n-time:0.4s)[[Blast at the grey sand.->Sand Scan]]] (if:$A2V12 is true and $A2V15 is false and $A2V14 is false)[(t8n-arrive:"shudder")+(t8n-time:0.4s)[[Cautiously fire some sound at the skeleton.->Scan Sona]]]

Working the old torch, you creep back up to the deceased, steeling your mind. Spotlighting the unfortunate soul, you focus on their clothes instead of the bone. A dull, faded kurti lies dormant, its dark blue colour and pattern matching the accompanying hijab loosely wrapped around the skull. There’s no footwear in this person’s ensemble, [[but you now notice an old bag that fills the void where they had been sitting.->Sona 2]]

The same arrangement of alien symbols you saw for yourself appear, (t8n-arrive:"shudder")+(t8n-time:0.4s)[[but the humming abruptly stops.->Scan Sona 2]]

The back of the room, now illuminated, hosts a twisted podium made of the black, metallic material. Affixed upon the podium is a flattened, rectangular surface hosting an array of strangley cut tiles. More notable is the sizeable, grey crystal lodged in the centre, lines of sand shooting off from it in all directions along walls and floors. To the left side of the podium, some of these lines cover the entire section of the wall. [[Explore somewhere else.->Act 2-10]] [[With good light now in hand, inspect yourself.->Self Check]] (if:$A2V3 is true)[[[Open the bag…->Bag]]] (if:$A2V12 is true and $A2V15 is false)[(t8n-arrive:"shudder")+(t8n-time:0.4s)[[Blast at the grey sand.->Sand Scan]]] [[Inspect the covered wall.->Wall]] [[Take a closer look at this podium.->Podium]] (if:$A2V12 is true and $A2V15 is false)[(t8n-arrive:"shudder")+(t8n-time:0.4s)[[Blast sound at the podium.->Podium Scan]]] (if:$A2V15 is true)[[[Point the fingers at the podium.->Podium Fix]]] (set:$A2V4 to true)

Thanks to your new light, the reflection in the dark is more dazzling than ever. Following its shine, you come to a dome-like crater filled with a misty, translucent blue liquid. Grey scarring outlines the crater’s edge, and within the viscous liquid lies something vaguely humanoid. [[Explore somewhere else.->Act 2-10]] [[With good light now in hand, inspect yourself.->Self Check]] (if:$A2V3 is true)[[[Open the bag…->Bag]]] (if:$A2V12 is true and $A2V15 is false)[(t8n-arrive:"shudder")+(t8n-time:0.4s)[[Blast at the grey sand.->Sand Scan]]] (if:$A2V11 is false)[[[Peer inside the gunge.->Liquid]]](else-if:$A2V12 is false)[[[Fish out the strange device.->Scanner]]] (if:$A2V12 is true and $A2V13 is false and $A2V15 is false)[(t8n-arrive:"shudder")+(t8n-time:0.4s)[[Fire a sound pulse into the goop.->Scan Goop]]] (if:$A2V15 is true and $A2V16 is false)[[[Send the fingers to work on the inactive robot.->Fix Robot]]] (set:$A2V5 to true)

Are you checking for damage? Vanity? Either way, you look damn good in your cute summer get-up — a white, loose linen shirt with comfy blue jeans and flat, black ankle boots. (if:$A2V3 is true)[Also, you’re borrowing the worn, embroidered bag of the dearly departed.] (if:$A2V12 is true)[That, and you’re in the possession of the most alien device you’ve ever seen:] (if:$A2V12 is true and $A2V15 is false)[it’s able to showcase information relating to this place when you fire a sound pulse from it.](else-if:$A2V15 is true)[spindly appendages rotate at the front of the gun and can interact with the machinery of this place. Thankfully, they act independently after hitting the “please fix this problem for me” button on the side, as you’ve been lovingly calling it.] You were all dressed up for snaps with the Stones, and then lunch on the beach! God, this is //not// how you saw your day going. Aside from some nasty bruises, (link-goto: "you’re otherwise lookin’ good, babes.", $LastPassage)

(if:$A2V10 is false)[[[Inspect the painting.->Painting]]] [[Run an inventory on the art supplies.->Art Stuff]] [[Flip through the travel book.->Book]] (if:$A2V7 is true and $A2V12 is true and $A2V15 is false and $A2V17 is true)[(t8n-arrive:"shudder")+(t8n-time:0.4s)[[Use the strange tool with the art supplies.->Gun Change]]] (if:$A2V8 is false)[[[Check the ID.->ID]]] (if:$A2V6 is true and $A2V9 is true and $A2V10 is false)[[[Use the book with the painting scrawls.->Translation]]] (link-goto: "Close the bag.", $LastPassage)

Sauntering over to the nearest sand-filled hole, you root yourself before firing a wave into the grains. Any sand dispersed boomerangs back into place and settles to its usual shifting. However, the sand-laced ring on your new toy animates and starts to form a section of broken wall. [[You watch as the tear in the simulated metal slowly fills and seals.->Sand Scan 2]]

Not seeing it before, you position yourself above the worn, red and orange embroidered bag. You grimace at the thought of looting from the dead, but you’ll need this stuff more than they do. Whispering an apology, you reach for the handles. Opening the bag, you find: a variety of art supplies, some sort of travel book, an ID, and an unfinished painting. When you’re done rooting through, [[you lift the bag and wrap both handles around your shoulder.->Act 2-10]] (set:$A2V3 to true)

Before you sits an old, half-complete painting of the Stones, with the moon looming in the background. It’s more lineart than painting, and where colour had actually been splashed upon the torn parchment, a streak of deep blue paint flies across and off the piece. Looks like (if:$A2V8 is false)[they were](else:)[she was] rudely interrupted during the work, and //that part// you’re all too familiar with. You raise your torch upwards to confirm your suspicion, [[finding that the ceiling is mostly made of that damn grey sand.->Painting 2]]

Fancy pens, pencils, brushes, pots, paint, parchments — (if:$A2V8 is false)[they](else:)[she] had a whole workshop in here! [[[Nothing to help you hack down the metal walls, however.->Bag]]] (set:$A2V7 to true)

Whilst the text on the front is indecipherable, flipping through the book, you find it to be a heavily tourist-orientated translation guide, most phrases along the lines of asking for directions to the beach (if:$A2V6 is false)[[[or for a coffee with two sugars, please!->Bag]]] (else:)[or for a coffee with two sugars, please! [[This’ll help with the message on the back of the painting!->Bag]]] (set:$A2V9 to true)

Utilising a particularly sharp pencil, you insert it into the thin opening. To your surprise, the hole snaps shut and half the pencil is consumed. A few low-pitched beeps emit from the device as it begins to change, the front mesh tearing itself apart and extending into finger-like appendages. Pressing the side button now causes these fingers to flex and revolve, and like most things down here, [[it leaves you more than a little unsettled.->Bag]] (set:$A2V15 to true)

You scoop up their ID, and whilst the majority of it is written in their tongue, there’s sometimes a translation penned next to the main details, including her name. You look from the card to the skeleton and sigh wistfully. [[Here lies Sona Ranjan.->ID 2]]

Grabbing one of (if:$A2V8 is false)[their](else:)[her] pencils, the translation book in hand, the painting’s underside splayed out in front, and a nasty hand cramp forming thanks to the torch pedal, you begin trying to extract any sort of meaning from the message. Often, you get nowhere with it and spend most time flicking from page to page, but after a while, (t8n-depart:"blur")+(t8n-arrive:"blur")+(t8n-time:3.0s)[[you start to uncover bits of the passage.->Translation 2]]

Looking back to the painting, in a ghoulish, crimson pigment, (if:$A2V8 is false)[the artist](else:)[Sona] has adorned (if:$A2V8 is false)[their](else:)[her] moon with a drawing resembling a crumbling eye. Dots of the red paint (//you fucking hope it’s paint//) trickle off to the edge, and turning the work over reveals a passage written in the same foreboding colour. (if:$A2V9 is false)[[[Frustratingly, you don’t share the same language.->Bag]]](else:)[Frustratingly, you don’t share the same language. [[Maybe the translation guide will help?->Bag]]] (set:$A2V6 to true)

A lot of artists come to visit the Stones on account of the picturesque landscape and allure of forgotten history. Supposedly, the area was once a place of worship, so perhaps she came to capture the spiritual nature. Regardless, it seems time sadly stopped for her after 1977, judging by this ID’s last issue date. You place it back in the bag and promise to her that you’ll let everyone know she’s here. She deserves a proper send-off and resting place — [[not in this outlandish crypt.->Bag]] (set:$A2V8 to true)

Nearer the start, the handwriting is messy and rushed, but you manage to pick out mentions of ice, sand, an art gallery, a clear evening — mostly useless observations. A mention of an exit pops out more than once, sometimes encircled. The handwriting is easier to parse further down, but it’s just one word repeating over and over, right up to the end of the paper: [[//worship.//->Translation 3]]

You flip the painting over in frustration, checking for any missed, vital clues. Nothing else reveals itself. Sighing, you stare at the body slumped on the floor. [[You won’t find any more answers here.->Bag]] (set:$A2V10 to true)

A webbing of grey sand lines this wall, sprawling from the control panel. In fact, every patch of sand seems to have some sort of linkage to this podium. Along with the louder humming, you can hear the metal under extreme pressure — it’s frequently groaning under stress. Every now and then, the wall moves slightly, but is swiftly dragged back into place. [[Your phone seems to shudder every time this happens.->Back Wall]]

Moving your torch to the flat surface, you gaze upon what looks like a fractured keyboard. Along with the out-of-place sand crystal, some of the tiles have been smashed and sliced. It’s hard to tell what is design and what is damage. Despite this, you don’t think that the sand should be spreading out from the podium — it’s even preventing you from pressing down any of the assumed keys. [[//Very fucking annoying.//->Back Wall]]

The entombed ring hovers and forms to show a network of unknown symbols above similar podiums, but then crumbles to the image of the sand crystal. A narrow opening appears at the top of the front of the device, and the hovering sand prompts you to insert a spiny finger. Sadly, your fingers are far too wide for the task. [[Perhaps a long pencil will do the trick?->Back Wall]] (set: $A2V17 to true)

As you aim the machine towards the crystal and hit the side button, all of the metal fingers rotate into one thicker prod. It retracts into the device a few centimetres and lunges out, piercing the solid sand. The gadget becomes fixed in place as all the sand in the room stops moving. Reluctantly, you let go of the device, unable to wretch it from its unmoving state. (t8n-arrive:"shudder")+(t8n-time:0.4s)[[Then, the crystal shatters.->Podium Fix 2]]

Though unclear, what you assume to be a robot rests below the gunk. It has multiple limbs, all crumpled in one another, with digits you could easily mistake as Swiss Army Knife attachments. Six circular sockets sink into a metallic clump near the top, which you reckon is the head. One of its many hands, if you could call them that, [[seems to be clasping around some sort of… gun?->Crater]] (set:$A2V11 to true)

(if:$A2V3 is false)[As much as the impulse of shoving your arm into this gunk amuses you, [[you ain’t following through without some sort of protective covering.->Crater]]](else:)[With many reservations, but no other choice, you empty the bag carefully and slip it on your weaker arm. [[//Just in case.//->Scanner 2]]]

The sand forms an outline of a very strange structure, similar to a submarine. An eye-like symbol lies at its centre, with sandy tendrils connecting it to every open space in the diorama. That is until the connections violently shatter, and the whole image reforms into a jagged sand crystal. For five seconds afterwards, the device starts screaming in a high-pitched wail. It is truly fucking horrific, and you nearly drop the device in the gunk. Thankfully, it abruptly stops, leaving your heart rate through the roof. [[//What the fuck.//->Crater]] (set:$A2V13 to true)

Hovering over the goop, you point the device at the robot and trigger the button. As soon as they extend outwards, you start having second thoughts. Maybe the robot is in this state for a good reason? Growing to abnormal lengths, the spindly fingers extend into the crater and enter the robot in multiple places. The being contorts violently as its chest cavity opens up, revealing the inner circuitry to be completely fried. There’s nothing that can be done to help this machine — you’d seen a similar thing with Mikey’s old laptop when he spilled coffee all over it. Whatever happened here, [[you doubt coffee was the killer.->Crater]] (set:$A2V16 to true)

Luckily for you, the liquid doesn’t permeate the bag. Upon wrestling the device free and yanking it from the crater, the goo quickly seeps downwards off the bag, reluctant to leave its mass. Relieved, you observe your new score. It looks like a speed gun used to monitor traffic, with an odd mesh at the front and a singular button on the right side. A ring of light grey sand sits atop. Fumbling with the device, (t8n-arrive:"shudder")+(t8n-time:0.4s)[[you accidentally press the button and send of pulse of sound through your leg.->Scanner 3]]

You brace, but it doesn’t hurt. Moments later, the ring of grey sand begins to float. It forms an odd range of symbols in the air, but you’ve no idea what they mean. //Just another shitting puzzle to solve.// You repack the bag, stopping for a brief moment in which you could’ve sworn that someone just uttered your name. [[This place is getting to you, Judes.->Crater]] (set:$A2V12 to true)

One of your dads is particularly handy, spending his time fixing holes with plaster: this is strangely reminiscient. You shrug and start to lower the tool, but it beeps twice and rumbles. The performative sand reforms as a mockery of the podium, intact, [[and then violently switches to the damaged, crystal-impaled version.->Scan Sand 3]]

The image expands to cover multiple unseen rooms and corridors, most filled with this otherworldly sand. Occasionally, the eye-like symbol in the centre sends out a surge of energy to reverse the process, but it’s all for naught. Seems that whatever that odd crystal is, (link-goto: "it’s keeping this plastering system in overdrive.", $LastPassage)

Suddenly, the whole room jolts as a surge of energy crackles up the wall and tears a small opening in the sandy ceiling. You’re blinded by the sudden rush of light, but can hear distant sirens and barked orders, only to be replaced by the whooshing of sand, and then silence. The humming machinery starts right back up again. [[God, you fucking hate this place.->Act 2-10]] (set:$A2V14 to true)

Light bursts into the room as large clumps of grey begin to drop to the floor. The whole structure around you rattles, the floor starting to give way. The sandy webbing pasted on the wall behind the podium can no longer contain its prisoner, and on release, the wall segment rushes to the left with such a force that it shatters to pieces, flinging tiles everywhere. (t8n-arrive:"shudder")+(t8n-time:0.4s)[[A corridor is exposed behind where it once struggled.->Podium Fix 3]]

Sand starts to collect on your head as something slowly emerges through the crumbling ceiling. Facing the new corridor, you weave past the podium and dart through, eager not to be fucking crushed in the process. Dodging the forming potholes, you come to rest at a solid spot, only metal above and below. (t8n-depart:"blur")+(t8n-arrive:"blur")+(t8n-time:3.0s)[[The last thing you see as you look back into the collapsing room is one of the great Stones rushing past into the abyss below.->3-1]]

When the worst of it passes and the dust settles, you’re left shaking under one of the few intact segments of the alien structure. Grass, mud and sun splatter your surroundings, (t8n-depart:"fade-left")+(t8n-arrive:"fade-right")+(t8n-time:2.0s)[[with the occasional clattering of loosened debris falling to the rooms below.->3-2]]

In your stunned state, you slowly turn your head right to see a battered, winding path downwards. You can’t hear the humming anymore. To the left, the front end of a police cruiser is lodged through the ceiling, nobody inside. At the side of the car, a chain link fence has come to rest, now a makeshift ladder back up to the surface. You don’t remember any such fences when you arrived this morning. Well, Judy, you brought the fucking place down. (t8n-depart:"fade-right")+(t8n-arrive:"fade-left")+(t8n-time:2.0s)[[That’s one way of getting out.->3-3]]

You stumble towards the fence, ducking under the wheels of the suspended car. You can hear shouting above and it spurs you on. About halfway to your exit, your phone starts to softly buzz, and then you unmistakably hear it. A voice, loud, low and rumbling, echoing off whatever walls were left standing. It’s calling for you. A voice so conflictingly soothing as it is terrifying — one that calms your mind but rattles your chest. A voice from below. Deep below. [[Shut it out. Think of home. Shut it out! Think of Mike!! ESCAPE!!!->GoodEnd]] (t8n-depart:"fade-right")+(t8n-arrive:"fade-left")+(t8n-time:2.0s)[[JUDY…………………… JUDY………………………… JUDY…………………………->BadEnd]]

Of all the shit you’ve been through today, now this? //Fuck no.// At first, walking away is like wading against a strong current. Clenching your fists, you’re desperate to end this nightmare, once and for all. It keeps calling for you, but you defiantly ignore it, throwing your phone to the ground when it starts to ring. It shatters. Once you clasp your hand around that flimsy fence, (t8n-depart:"blur")+(t8n-arrive:"blur")+(t8n-time:3.0s)[[adrenaline lets you scramble up and out…-> GoodEnd 2]]

Unable to resist, you follow the voice’s lure deeper into the collapsed facility, passing all manner of things that have fallen into the structure. The further you descend, the more alien the debris. Not even the sun creeps this far down, but the facility is buzzing with activity now, lit with a soothing, green light. [[JUDY…………->BadEnd 2]]

Around twenty minutes later, you’re sat on a step extending from the back of an ambulance, a paramedic blitzing your pupils with her handtorch. The whole area has been fenced off, much to the annoyance of some shouting journalists nearby, and a variety of emergency vehicles are parked on whatever ground was still standing. She murmurs something about not being satisfied, some tests, and then moves away to speak to her colleague. Mikey is sat next to you, (t8n-depart:"fade-right")+(t8n-arrive:"fade-left")+(t8n-time:2.0s)[[having huffed and puffed until the guards let him in.->GoodEnd 3]]

Exhausted, your focus is shot and you can barely keep up with your surroundings. Mikey is remarking on how they’re trying to winch the cop car back up. Despite your awful day, his nerves are the ones as addled as ever, and he’s constantly babbling about something — //anything// — in an attempt to distract you both. That is until he gawks at the military convoy arriving outside of the barrier, [[and armed helicopters circling overhead.->GoodEnd 4]]

(t8n-depart:"blur")+(t8n-arrive:"blur")+(t8n-time:3.0s)[[As the convoy shut off their engines, you watch the last of the Stones slowly collapse into the depths below.->FINAL]]

(align:"=><=")[#Thanks for Playing! Let me know what you thought: @Kieranuuu on Twitter! [[Maybe you'd like another go?->Start]]]

You arrive at the voice’s source. A spherical room hosting a large, black screen, hovering above piles of dormant, grey sand. An energy wave flows over your puppetered body, and without a thought, you drop to your knees. On doing so, your phone launches from your pocket and skids a few feet in front of you. It bursts into flames, a blue ooze erupting from inside. The burning gunk sears away at the floor, forming a rugged crater for your dead phone to sit within. (t8n-arrive:"shudder")+(t8n-time:0.4s)[[JUDY………......…->BadEnd 3]]

A barrage of jade-coloured lights occupy the monitor above. Y0u c4n’t h3lp but st4r3. 1n 4n 1n5t4nt, y0u p1mus dolro 1ts m43t, sonc33cttur worship 4pd1s1c1gn 1tl3. 3434nn upnv1lr4 worship r1flngl41 3g4uu 4 ucltsu. 3344nn worship 1d torotr p4s1n3. Qus1qu3 4utcor worship sl1n 4lcus, 1d worship lq134ut 33qnu 44luq1m ut. Rno1p worship worship t3 u4ug3 hronucs 4r3t worship worship worship f1ut tnd1c1unt 4vt13 onn oodrl worship worship worship worship worship (t8n-depart:"dissolve")+(t8n-arrive:"dissolve")+(t8n-time:6s)[[worship-->BadEnd 4]]

(enchant:?passage,(text-colour:(hsl:90,0.8039,0.5,0.85)))┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈████████████████┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈ ┈┈┈┈┈┈██┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈██┈┈┈┈┈┈ ┈┈┈┈██┈┈┈┈┈┈▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒┈┈┈┈┈┈██┈┈┈┈ ┈┈██┈┈┈┈┈┈▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒┈┈┈┈┈┈██┈┈ ┈┈██┈┈┈┈┈┈▒▒▒▒████▒▒▒▒┈┈┈┈┈┈██┈┈ ██┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈▒▒▒▒████▒▒▒▒┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈██ ┈┈██▒▒┈┈┈┈▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒┈┈┈┈▒▒██┈┈ ┈┈┈┈██▒▒▒▒┈┈▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒┈┈▒▒▒▒██┈┈┈┈ ┈┈┈┈┈┈▒▒██▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒┈┈┈┈┈┈ ┈┈┈┈┈┈▒▒┈┈████████████▒▒▒▒┈┈┈┈┈┈ ┈┈┈┈┈┈▒▒┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈▒▒▒▒┈┈┈┈┈┈ ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈▒▒▒▒┈┈┈┈┈┈ ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈▒▒┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈ ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈▒▒┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈ ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈▒▒┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈ (t8n-depart:"blur")+(t8n-arrive:"blur")+(t8n-time:3.0s)[[...->FINAL]]