The multiverse is a scary place.

|An unknown room| You awake, head ringing like you had just downed an entire 12 kegs last night, when the sight of the room shakes you from your stupor. The walls, the ceiling, and the floor all of it is white, shaping the room into a perfect cube. The only accessories you see in the room is the plaque by your side in the middle of the room and what look to be four portals swirling with blue light, each on its own wall. You pick yourself up and wander to the plaque, hoping it will have answers on why you are here. Despite the plaque being a weird unrecognizable language, you manage to read it anyway. THE GATE OF WORLDS OPENS ONCE MORE THE KEY OF SURVUAL IS THE KNOWLEDGE OF LORE DIE OR SUCCEED, YOUR BODY SHALL NOT BE MISSED YOUR REWARD IS OUR ENTERTAINMENT AND ONE FINAL WISH You feel a cascade of emotions, rage for being made a plaything, depressed for being ripped out from your life, and despair at the task at hand. But you have no time to properly to sort out your emotions. As you watch the white walls start to crumble into black rubble and you have no inclination of finding out what would happen if you stayed. [[North portal -> For the swarm]] [[East portal -> Jurassic]] [[South portal -> Rings]] [[West portal -> Dead people]]

|North Portal| You run through the portal and find yourself inside a ruined building with most of the walls gone and the ceiling open to the air. You turn back to see the portal only to see that it’s not there anymore. As you try to stay quiet in the ruins you hear sounds of gunfire and artillery fire, along with sounds of massive roars. As you try and think on how to survive, you hear a low growl coming from behind you. You turn quickly, only to see a monster creeping towards you slowly. On first glance it looks like dog, a dog with bony plates instead of fur, with a size to match a cow. It has two protrusions on its back that look like wings, only they are curled towards you and have scythe like claws. The teeth and claws are gleaming with sharpness and you are sure you don’t want to find out how sharp they are.You are frozen in fear while the dog like monster slowly inches towards you, drool dripping from its mouth. [[Know your enemy -> For the Swarm (lore)]] [[Defend yourself -> For the swarm (defend)]] [[Stay still and hope it doesn't see you -> For the Swarm (stay)]] [[Run!!-> For the Swarm (run)]]

East portal You go through the portal, only to find yourself what looks to be a jungle. For a moment you just enjoy the feeling of the light breeze and chittering of birds. But you soon gather your resolve and look to see which way to go. Towards the west you can see some sort of massive structure there. The trees block most of it from sight, so you have no good idea what it is. From the east you can hear the distant sounds of the ocean waves. There is not much you can hear or see from the north or south other than the mountains in the north, so you disregard them as options. [[East, towards the ocean -> Jurassic (east)]] [[West, towards the stone structure -> Jurassic (west)]]

You land on the other side seeing nothing but black rocks and barren ground, with dark smog covering the sky. You remark to yourself that there is no life here, until you begin to hear the rumbling of footsteps. Thinking of the worst, you hide behind a particularly large rock formation allowing you full view of where you were and hiding you from those beneath. From around a mountain path you see a large group of humanoids come through. What you first see is how filthy they are, wearing what looks to be scraps of armor covered in their own excrement. Then the smell hits and that is all you can think of. You do notice they are not humans, having tusks and elongated ears before they come to a stop at where you were, sniffing at the air. [[Recognize what they are -> rings(lore)]] [[Keep hiding -> rings(hide)]] [[Slather yourself with the nearby mud -> rings(mud)]] [[RUN!!! -> rings(run)]]

|West portal| You run through the portal only to find yourself in the middle of an empty city. You sigh knowing that you at least go a familiar sight of a regular city. Then you start to notice the bloodstains, the empty cars, and the silence. You shudder nervously, wondering what happened here. As you explore the city you see empty shops and lack of any life, even the pigeons that terrorize cities. What makes you even more uncomfortable is the lack of bodies. You walk past a block into what used to be a busy intersection when you notice a man standing in the middle of the road, with his back turned to you. You cry in relief in finding someone. Someone to talk to, someone who could help you escape this weird situation. But something nags at you and you don’t know what. [[Stare closely at the stanger-> Dead people (lore)]] [[Call him for attention -> Dead people (call)]] [[Jog up to him -> Dead people (jog)]] [[Leave without interaction -> Dead people (leave)]]

|Lore| You recognize it at once, it’s a Zergling, a member of the Swarm faction in the game Starcraft. It is the weakest unit in that faction, but that knowledge brings you no joy as even the weakest units in the game need someone decked in full mechanized power armor and a large caliber automatic rifle to deal with them, something you find to be sorely lacking. you have zero chance of surviving in a fight with it. [[Defend yourself -> For the swarm (defend)]] [[Stay still and hope it doesn't see you -> For the Swarm (stay)]] [[Run!!-> For the Swarm (run)]]

|For the swarm (defend)| From the nearby rubble you pick up a long rebar with a chunk of concrete still on one end. It’s no gun, but it will do as a makeshift club You position yourself, trying to hold the rebar between you and the monster. The monster senses your resistance and hisses at you like a large cat. When the creature gets close enough you lunge, giving the makeshift as much strength and momentum you can bring upon the head of the creature. It hits the creature squarely on the head and does absolutely nothing. The creature hisses in annoyance. It bites done on the concrete part of the cub and rips it straight from your hands. In your surprise and sudden loss of your weapon you do not react as it lunges at you, its claws digging into your chest. You scream, trying vainly to beat off the monster laying on top you that is eating your entrails. As blood flies and the creature’s effort become more frenzied you, your blows start to become weaker and with your final breath of consciousness, you see the face of another monster inches away mouth open wide heading towards your face. Your biomass has been added for the Swarm. BAD END [[Try again? ->Main menu]]

|For the swarm (stay)| You remember that when a wild animal approaches you in the wild you have stay still and let the animal go away on its own. You also remember that T-Rex eyes can only see movement. At least that’s what that one movie said about them. If staying still works on a massive predator from earth’s history, maybe it will work here as well? You still perfectly still, trying not to move as much as possible, hoping it will go away on its own. Unfortunately for you, the creature is not a T-Rex and is something much much worse. With a roar it jumps at you, its claws digging into your chest. You scream, trying vainly to beat off the monster laying on top you that is eating your entrails. As blood flies and the creature’s effort become more frenzied you, your blows start to become weaker and with your final breath of consciousness, you see the face of another monster inches away mouth open wide heading towards your face. Your biomass has been added for the Swarm. BAD END [[Try again? ->Main menu]]

|For the swarm (run)| You have no chance in fighting it, so you do the manly thing and run for your life. The creature hisses and starts to chase you. You have gotten a head start on it, but the gap between you is rapidly shrinking. As you run through these ruins you notice a particular glow emanating from behind a mound of rubble. You think it might be the same glow as the portals, but you are not sure. The creature is rapidly catching up and you are short with breath. [[Run past it, it's probably nothing -> for the swarm (run past)]] [[Go around it to the right -> for the swarm (right)]] [[Go around it to the left -> for the swarm (left)]] [[Go up the rubble mound -> for the swarm (up)]]

The multiverse is scary place By Justin Seo [[Start Story ->A Unknown Room]]

|For the swarm (run past)| You ignore the glow running past the mound as you try to keep your heart from bursting your chest. You make a good effort, using the various rubble to try and slow down the creature. But it’s not enough. Inevitably the creature catches up to you, nicking your leg and forcing you to collapse from running. You crawl, trying to get away from the monster, blood trailing from your leg. But then you feel its presence behind you and you don’t even have time to scream, when it bites down on to your neck. BAD END [[Try again? ->Main menu]]

Seeing no difference in heading right or left, you go to the right side of the rubble mound. Heading past a ruined vehicle you finally see that there is a portal at the end of the stairs in what looks to be a subway entrance. Hearing the it close behind you quickly run down the stairs and with no hesitation jump through the portal right as the creature lunges at you. [[To a new world -> Dead people]]

Seeing no difference in heading right or left, you go to the left side of the rubble mound. Heading past countless bodies in various states of "eaten" you finally see that there is a portal inside what looks like a bus. Hearing the it close behind you quickly run up the stairs on the bus and with no hesitation jump through the portal right as the creature lunges at you from an window. [[To a new world -> Rings]]

You climb up the rubble, trying to keep yourself from falling over the uneven incline. Soon after you start to climb, you hear it follow as well. Having no experience in climbing, your progress in reaching the blue light seems to get lower and lower as it gets nearer. As it gets close and closer, in panic, you frantically try to increase your speed. But in your haste, you step on a particular loose piece losing your posture as you fall backward. You don’t even have time to scream, when you land in its jaws. BAD END [[Try again? ->Main menu]]

|Dead people (lore)| You stare at the man closely. You notice that the man’s clothing, a fancy business suit is mattered with filth. You can’t see a lot of his skin, but what skin you can see seems awfully pale, like he lived with no sun for years. His posture is almost hunched, trailing his left leg like it has a limp. You also notice the alarming bite mark on that very leg. You would be willing to bet your life savings on the person being a zombie, there is no other option it could be. You are however unsure of what kind of zombie the thing is. After all, a lot of zombies look alike. [[Call it anyway -> Dead people (call)]] [[Jog up to him -> Dead people (jog2)]] [[Leave without interaction -> Dead people (leave)]]

You call out at the being in front of you hoping to get its attention. It slowly turns, and its appearance is all that you need to know that the being is not a person anymore. You turn away to leave only to find out behind you, others have been allured to your call, shambling towards you with their hands outstretched. You are surrounded and there is nowhere to run. In despair you fight against them with your fists, breaking the jaws of some and breaking the legs of others. But the numbers are too much and soon they overwhelm you. You go down screaming as the dead bite into your very body and soon you become another meal for the walking dead. BAD END [[Try again? ->Main menu]]

Dead people (jog) As you lightly jog up to the person, you start to notice something wrong. You are not sure what is wrong but it is enough to make you stop. [[Stare closely at the stanger-> Dead people (lore)]] [[its probably just your nerves, lay your hand on his shoulder -> dead people (hand)]] [[Call him for attention -> Dead people (call)]] [[Go back and leave -> Dead people (leave)]]

Trusting your own instincts, you walk away from the being heading towards are nearby store for perhaps a drink of water. The being does not react as you leave. A store you find is still moderately supplied and other than the large blood stains on the floor seem to be in good condition. You decide to rest here for a bit and so you pick up a unopened bottle of water and take a large gulp, refreshing your throat. As you explore the store, you notice a strange glow emanating from underneath the door leading to the manager’s office. You notice that the glow seems similar in color to the portals you saw, but you are not completely sure either. [[Open the door -> dead people(open)]] [[Ignore it, head back out -> dead people(ignore)]]

You ignore your better judement and jog up to it anyway. You now smell what you had been unable to smell earlier, the rancid smell of rotting meat. It still has not turned around. [[its probably just your nerves, lay your hand on his shoulder -> dead people (hand)]] [[Call him for attention -> Dead people (call)]] [[Go back and leave -> Dead people (leave)]]

Dead people (hand) You lay your hand on his shoulder excited that you are finally seeing another person. Except that’s not a person anymore. It turns and now you see what was hidden from you before, that the person you have been seeing is dead, but is walking anyway. You jump back in shock and you end up tripping over some brief cases, landing on your butt. The dead man shambles towards you and in your fear, you are unable to stand and run away. The dead man lunges, biting into your arm that you held up to protect yourself. You scream in pain and kick away the dead man, landing on its back. You stand up and run away cradling the bitten arm in your hand. You manage to get away from it, but you in despondence and pain slowly rock yourself back and forth in an empty store you found and soon a few hour later, you join the ranks of the walking dead. BAD END [[Try again? ->Main menu]]

You decide to head to the seas instead hoping for maybe a boat to leave the island with, but as you try to go down a particularly slippery slope, you lose your grip and fall to the ground. You cry out in pain as you land on both of your legs the wrong way, feeling pretty sure that you broke both of them. As you are yelling in pain, unable to move you see a small dinosaur looking thing come up to you, twisting its head in curiosity. You think about how cute it is. [[You recognize the species -> jurassic(lore2)]] [[Try to leave -> jurassic(compey)]]

You decide to head towards the only sign of civilization you see the stone structure. As you head though the jungle you notice that despite having no intimate knowledge with plants, you know that the plants in the jungle are not normal. They don’t seem to be like the normal plants you saw when you watched various nature documentaries. You mentally shrug as you approach the stone structure. At first glance it looks like something from ancient Egypt or Mesopotamia. But the very much so modern glass windows supplant the idea. It looks familiar but you can't put a thought on it. [[The doorway jogs your memory -> jurassic(lore)]] [[Ignore the feeling and walk in -> jurassic(walk)]] [[Search around the stucture -> jurassic(around)]]

You recognize their appearance and stench at once, despite never having smelled them before. They are Orcs and not just any orcs, they are orcs from Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit. You know that the Lord of the Rings wiki you read says that they have powerful noses, powerful enough to sniff you out. [[Keep hiding -> rings(hide)]] [[Slather yourself with the nearby mud -> rings(mud)]] [[RUN!!! -> rings(run)]]

You continue to hide in your chosen hiding spot hoping that they will leave on their own. You shudder nervously when what looks to be their leader sniffs the air loudly. “this smell….. human and not just any human.” It sniffed, taking large amounts of air “a youngling” it says as it smiles grotesquely. The others in the group act excited twisting their heads around their area looking for you. The leader shouts “spread out! I want this human found!” Before you can escape, the orcs spread out sniffing the air trying to find you. Eventually they do. “I found it!” a orc yells as it grasps you from behind. You try to struggle, to break out from its grip, but you are a normal human without significant muscle training while the orc has fought as long as it was born. You soon find yourself tied up and in front of the leader. The leader smacks it’s lips as pulls its blade from its side. You struggle even more ignoring the ropes burning at your limb, but its not enough. The last thing you see is the orc leader crying out “LOOKS LIKE MEAT’S BACK ON THE MENU BOYS!” as it swings its blade. BAD END [[Try again? ->Main menu]]

You quickly slather yourself with the nearby mud gagging at its putrid smell. Soon before you know it you are completely slathered in the foul-smelling mud, hopefully hiding your smell from the orcs. You shudder nervously when what looks to be their leader sniffs the air loudly. “this smell….. human and not just any human.” It sniffed, taking large amounts of air “a youngling” it says as it smiles grotesquely. The others in the group act excited twisting their heads around their area looking for you. The leader shouts “spread out! I want this human found!” Before you can escape, the orcs spread out sniffing the air trying to find you. Thankfully because of the mud or perhaps because of the idiotic orc that went past you without a single glance. Not being able to find you, the orcs groan in disappoint, crying out that they hadn’t had meat for weeks now. The leader quickly beats them back into a somewhat orderly formation and orders the others to continue marching back to Mordor. Soon after the echoes of their footsteps fade. When you are sure they are gone, you step from behind your hiding spot, sighing in relief. Then you notice that where the orcs once were, is a portal. [[Go through it ->Monkey's paw]] [[Leave ->

Quickly leaving from your hiding spot you break into a run, trying to get as far as way as possible from them. “There! A Human” one of them cries out, the other’s breaking into a run to catch you. You ignore the various scratches you make navigating the tough environment as you run, knowing that the scratches are the least of your problems. As the sounds of their hollering, you turn your head trying to see how close they are. Because you looked back you are unable to stop in time as you go through a portal that suddenly appeared in front of you. [[To a new world -> Jurassic]]

As you exit out of the portal you notice that you are in a dark room with nothing illuminated but a single pedestal in the center. As you walk up to the pedestal you notice a golden plaque written in the strange language that you somehow understand. THE WEARY CALLENGER REACHES THE END ENTERTAINING ALL THOSE WHO TRANSCEND KNOW THAT FAME, RICHES, AND POWER SEESAW FOR THOSE WHO WISH WITH THE MONKEY’S PAW You laugh in relief. Your finally made it to the end, surviving whatever horrors you encountered in the various universes. You pick up the now visible golden floating hand shaped like a monkey’s paw. You shrug at the weird taste of a wishing device, but you let the thought drop, thinking of what kind of wish you will make. [[Wish for riches -> paw(rich)]] [[Wish for fame -> paw(fame)]] [[Wish for power -> paw(power)]] [[Wish to go home -> paw(end)]]

You open the door thanking whatever deity you believe in that it is not locked. AS you go into the semi dark room you are hit with a wave of disappointment to see that the glow you saw was simply a computer screen that was somehow still on. You sigh loudly and relax yourself. That turned out to be a fatal mistake as from right behind the door, something lunges out biting its mouth right in your throat and chomping it right off. As fall weak to your knees from the sudden major blood loss, the last you notice before it all goes dark is the dead wearing a manager’s uniform with the name tag “Gary”. BAD END [[Try again? ->Main menu]]

You ignore the glow on the floor thanking that’s it is probably your imagination as you head towards the exit. But a sudden rumbling stops you in your tracks as all of a sudden, the floor starts to shake, making what products remained on the shelves go flying off and the celling come off in pieces. Knowing about earthquakes, you quickly try to find shelter, finding a collapsed shelf on another shelf that is still standing, you quickly go in the space created. As the earthquake fades as fast as it came, you quickly try to go out the main entrance scared of another possible earthquake only to find that the exit has been blocked by all the rubble. [[Check out the office, maybe it is a portal -> dead people(open)]] [[Go out the back door -> dead people (exit)]]

You decide to go out of the store the right way, though the back exit. As you open the door you notice what greets you isn’t the back alleyway but a portal preventing you from using it as an exit to the alley way. [[Go through it ->Monkey's paw]] [[Go to the office, maybe the other choice is a better one -> dead people(open)]]

Seeing the door way jogs your memory, this building is the main building that tourists are supposed to come before exploring the park. Not just any old park, Jurassic park. Which means the island is full of dinosaurs, some very willing to eat you. A place where humans are not on top of the food chain. [[Walk into the building -> jurassic(walk)]] [[Search around the stucture -> jurassic(around)]]

You walk into the building hoping that there are no meat eaters around. You tell yourself what could go wrong and you open the door. The sight that greets you makes you curse your luck as inside the main building there are a horde of Velociraptors all staring at you. Before you can even react they are upon you, eating at your flesh as you scream trying vainly to push them off you. Before long the entirety of pack are feasting. BAD END [[Try again? ->Main menu]]

As you walk around the structure marveling at the architecture, you notice that there a faint glow from behind the crates. You walk up to the pile of crates finding a portal. [[Go through -> Dead people]] [[Ignore it and decide to search the building instead -> jurassic(walk)]]

Your smile quickly freezes as you realize what is in front of you. It is a Compy, a dinosaur that is weak on its own, but a pack of them could easily defeat a larger wounded animal. Kind of like how you are now. You remember what happened to Ned after he failed to escape. [[Try to inch away -> jurassic(compey)]]

As you try to move away you notice that a lot more of them has started to show up. When a large amount of them appears, one of them inches closer towards and nips at your broken legs. You yell in pain and that is all the other needed. The others swarm you as you try to put up a defense. Though you manage to crush a few of them with your hands, countless more takes their place biting into you to taste your flesh. your screams echo out from the jungle until it is silent once more. BAD END [[Try again? ->Main menu]]

Paw(rich)you are sick of being unable to buy the things you want and being unable to support your family, so you wish upon the paw that you want to be rich. There is a bright glow as the hand flashes, granting your wish. You have only seconds before your eyes widen in horror as you are crushed beneath 15 million gold bars. BAD END [[Try again? ->Main menu]]

Wanting to be more noticed by the world, you wish for fame as with fame you can use it to gain anything. There is a bright glow as the hand flashes, granting your wish. As the bright light fades you notice that you are in the middle of a court room, tied up in chains. The seats are filled with people you don’t recognize other than the judge who you recognize as a prominent US judge. Before you can say anything, the judge knocks his gravel. “We are here today to condemn a most heinous criminal one whose crimes have left a trail of blood and sorrow.” The judge intones. “do you plead guilty for the following charges of: 83 counts of sexual assault, 113 counts of battery assault, 435 counts of possession of child pornography, 94 counts of selling secrets to the enemy, and 1 count of public nudity?” He asks. Before you can do anything, your mouth moves on its own “I plead guilty.” Scorn in his eyes the judge slams the gravel, “Let this be known that the most heinous of criminal is sentenced to 546 life sentences and a public hanging, may god have mercy on your soul.” You are soon dragged from the center, unable to react with all the cascading events. Your only thoughts as the door close, is that this is not what you had wanted. BAD END [[Try again? ->Main menu]]

Wanting power, you wish upon the paw saying that you wanted unlimited power. There is a bright glow as the hand flashes, granting your wish. You feel a slight warmth in your chest and with a flick of your fingers a sun is created in your hand. You grow in excitement with your power, but then something goes wrong. The warmth in your chest starts to become hot and your skin flushes and sweats large amounts of water. Then the heat becomes unbearable with fire cracking form beneath your skin. With a scream you explode into a million pieces, your body unable to handle the strain of power. BAD END [[Try again? ->Main menu]]

You simply wish to go home, and the paw obliges. You find yourself in your room as if having never left. You stare contently at your bed and decide to take a nap, dreaming away all the horrors you encountered. THE END [[NEW START ->Main menu]]