Start of a transcript of Us Too An Interactive Fiction by Hugh Morris Release 1 / Serial number 250905 / Inform 7 build 6G60 (I6/v6.36 lib 6/12N) Identification number: //8D7D6C20-A98F-4894-9C0F-9B2E7ACBED1E// Standard interpreter 1.1 (1C) / Library serial number 080126 Standard Rules version 2/090402 by Graham Nelson Conditional Undo version 3/080626 by Jesse McGrew Punctuation Stripper version 1/200614 by Andrew Schultz Oops Zapper version 1/230825 by Andrew Schultz Bold Final Question Rows version 1/220701 by Andrew Schultz Old School Verb Total Carnage version 1/181008 by Andrew Schultz Standard Helping Metaverbs version 1/241129 by Andrew Schultz Versioning and Extensions Tweak version 1/240820 by Andrew Schultz Us Too Globals version 1/241005 by Andrew Schultz Us Too Definitions version 1/241005 by Andrew Schultz Us Too Tables version 1/241005 by Andrew Schultz Us Too Mistakes version 1/250810 by Andrew Schultz Us Too I6 Replacements version 1/250905 by Andrew Schultz Trivial Text Shortcuts version 1/140928 by Andrew Schultz Trivial Niceties version 1/140928 by Andrew Schultz Revealing Passages version 1/240819 by Andrew Schultz >* here we go! Comment noted. If you wanted this as a command, get rid of the starting character. >* Is this a word transformation we've seen before, or something new? Let's see! Comment noted. If you wanted this as a command, get rid of the starting character. >about Us Too was released for IFComp 2025. It reuses a lot of code from Why Pout, my IFComp 2024 entry. It uses the same sort of progress mechanic, but the two are different in nature and story. As in 2024, I had bigger projects that didn't make it. This time, I found the title during IFComp, and hings built slowly. Like most of my games, Us Too rates merciful on the Zarfian cruelty scale, which only means it's not intended to get in an unwinnable state. There are also no deaths, not even joke deaths. blurglecruncheon@gmail.com is my email if you wish to send transcripts or whatever, or you can report bugs there or at the GitHub site mentioned above, http://github.com/andrewschultz/us-too. I plan to release a post-comp version, and if enough bugs pile up after that, I may release another one. CREDITS lists people who helped make Us Too a reality, or at the very least, a better version than it would've been without them. EXT lists the extensions used, and VERSION/VERSIONS shows version information. VERBS describes what actions are best used with this stripped-down parser. Once you figure what to say to the lawyers (a short phrase with short words,) you will have the opportunity to uncover a small in-game document with my general relatively non-spoilery thoughts on Us Too's design. It's not necessary, of course, but attaining the bonus point may help gear you up for the other puzzles. >* fun Comment noted. If you wanted this as a command, get rid of the starting character. >credits GAME-SPECIFIC THANKS: Thanks to my testers, Onno Brouwer, Wade Clarke, Olaf Nowacki, Melvin Rangasamy, Daniel Stelzer and Tabitha. With my development schedule, I put them in a time crunch, and they found a lot. This let me add some niceties, though I also made mistakes implementing some of their suggestions. A DiBianca, a longtime IFComp co-competitor, sent (not for the first time) a nice useful transcript on day 1 of IFComp. (Psst! If you like my stuff, you may love his.) Anyone who helped with Why Pout probably helped here indirectly, because I reused a lot of the code or ideas. Like the hint item several suggested. The cover art is my fault, and my fault alone. The additional branch directions (sort of) late in the game were likely inspired by a game which, if I told you the name, would spoil that game. I hate it when things like that happen, because I'd like to give them direct credit. It's in the "best short games" poll on IFDB, and rightly so. GENERAL THANKS: Thanks to everyone past and future involved in the administration of IFComp. Thanks to the I7 board on Intfiction.org for their help, as well as the people in the general topics as we discussed our plans. >l House Well-How-Swell The lawyers look at you expectantly. You fiddle with your envelope. You hope you haven't come all this way for nothing! >i You glance at your envelope, pretty much all you have on you, worried you might be cheating. But you can't imagine what other clue you have. The lawyers still look nonchalant, fortunately. It says House O' --- --, contrasting House Well-How-Swell on most of other guests' invites. >x envelope You glance at your envelope, pretty much all you have on you, once again worried you might be cheating. But you can't imagine what other clue you have. The lawyers look nonchalant, fortunately. It says House O' --- --, contrasting House Well-How-Swell on most of other guests' invites. >open it The lawyers shake their head slightly, though you sense that's the worst you'll get from them. >open envelope You glance at your envelope, pretty much all you have on you, once again worried you might be cheating. But you can't imagine what other clue you have. The lawyers look nonchalant, fortunately. It says House O' --- --, contrasting House Well-How-Swell on most of other guests' invites. >look in envelope You glance at your envelope, pretty much all you have on you, once again worried you might be cheating. But you can't imagine what other clue you have. The lawyers look nonchalant, fortunately. It says House O' --- --, contrasting House Well-How-Swell on most of other guests' invites. >say oh well The lawyers yawn. All those words! You really are talking too much! >say house o how so The lawyers yawn. All those words! You really are talking too much, though there MAY have been something in what you said... >say how so The lawyers yawn. All those words! You really are talking too much, though there MAY have been something in what you said... >say so The lawyers' ears seem to perk up for a second. You must be on the right track! [REMINDER: standard commands aren't necessary or useful here. You have to figure what to say. But it's not very long. Remember, you have that envelope on you, which has a clue. You can also try ABOUT or VERBS for an introduction, though they won't help with the puzzle.] >say o The lawyers shake their head slightly, though you sense that's the worst you'll get from them. >say how The lawyers' ears seem to perk up for a second. You must be on the right track! >i You glance at your envelope, pretty much all you have on you, once again worried you might be cheating. But you can't imagine what other clue you have. The lawyers look nonchalant, fortunately. It says House O' --- --, contrasting House Well-How-Swell on most of other guests' invites. >x envelope You glance at your envelope, pretty much all you have on you, once again worried you might be cheating. But you can't imagine what other clue you have. The lawyers look nonchalant, fortunately. It says House O' --- --, contrasting House Well-How-Swell on most of other guests' invites. >say how so The lawyers yawn. All those words! You really are talking too much, though there MAY have been something in what you said... >say o The lawyers shake their head slightly, though you sense that's the worst you'll get from them. >say how The lawyers' ears seem to perk up for a second. You must be on the right track! [REMINDER: standard commands aren't necessary or useful here. You have to figure what to say. But it's not very long. Remember, you have that envelope on you, which has a clue. You can also try ABOUT or VERBS for an introduction, though they won't help with the puzzle.] >say howso One of the lawyers casually remarks Aunt Rickie-Anne was never big on unnecessarily long words. >say ho The lawyers shake their head slightly, though you sense that's the worst you'll get from them. >say hw The lawyers shake their head slightly, though you sense that's the worst you'll get from them. >say how The lawyers' ears seem to perk up for a second. You must be on the right track! >say now The lawyers shake their head slightly, though you sense that's the worst you'll get from them. [REMINDER: standard commands aren't necessary or useful here. You have to figure what to say. But it's not very long. Remember, you have that envelope on you, which has a clue. You can also try ABOUT or VERBS for an introduction, though they won't help with the puzzle.] >say hoo The lawyers shake their head slightly, though you sense that's the worst you'll get from them. >say so The lawyers' ears seem to perk up for a second. You must be on the right track! >say soo The lawyers shake their head slightly, though you sense that's the worst you'll get from them. >say sow The lawyers shake their head slightly, though you sense that's the worst you'll get from them. >say how so The lawyers yawn. All those words! You really are talking too much, though there MAY have been something in what you said... [REMINDER: standard commands aren't necessary or useful here. You have to figure what to say. But it's not very long. Remember, you have that envelope on you, which has a clue. You can also try ABOUT or VERBS for an introduction, though they won't help with the puzzle.] >i You glance at your envelope, pretty much all you have on you, once again worried you might be cheating. But you can't imagine what other clue you have. The lawyers look nonchalant, fortunately. It says House O' --- --, contrasting House Well-How-Swell on most of other guests' invites. >say ho so The lawyers yawn. All those words! You really are talking too much, though there MAY have been something in what you said... >say ho The lawyers shake their head slightly, though you sense that's the worst you'll get from them. >say so The lawyers' ears seem to perk up for a second. You must be on the right track! >say how The lawyers' ears seem to perk up for a second. You must be on the right track! >say show The lawyers shake their head slightly, though you sense that's the worst you'll get from them. [REMINDER: standard commands aren't necessary or useful here. You have to figure what to say. But it's not very long. Remember, you have that envelope on you, which has a clue. You can also try ABOUT or VERBS for an introduction, though they won't help with the puzzle.] >say sho The lawyers shake their head slightly, though you sense that's the worst you'll get from them. >verbs Most point-scoring commands, including the one to get you out of this house, are two words long. They are clued by something in the environment. The two you must find now are relatively simple and short. There will be more detail once you're past the house. For now, I'll just note Us Too has a limited parser, mostly allowing the various directions, INVENTORY (I for short,) THINK, and verbs that help you use hint items. >think You glance at your envelope, pretty much all you have on you, once again worried you might be cheating. But you can't imagine what other clue you have. The lawyers look nonchalant, fortunately. It says House O' --- --, contrasting House Well-How-Swell on most of other guests' invites. >say so how The lawyers yawn. All those words! You really are talking too much, though there MAY have been something in what you said... >say so The lawyers' ears seem to perk up for a second. You must be on the right track! >how so One lawyer stands up and snaps their fingers. "There you go! I knew you'd get it. [Your score just went up by a point!] "Let's see, you're ... oh, you're 'Trike' West. The kid who ran after her with the solution to her little puzzle. Uh, were. She really was impressed, but she was just so sick of being fawned over, she didn't want to get out of her car again. She knew from the way some of her worse relatives bad-mouthed you, you were more than all right. She owned this old mine and even had a small trust fund to pay taxes. Though for you, it's sort of a new mine... and just checking, but you know what to say?" You pause. Then "MY new mine?! Ooh..." "Bingo! Again! But she just wants to make sure you're worthy, so you'll have to visit there." You're a bit worried. You can't just up and leave your job like that. What if it's a scam? The lawyers assure you the mine is not going anywhere. You've built up vacation time from work. You call some trusted friends. "You're getting shafted," a few laugh. Enough don't. You meet up with the lawyers again. They inform you you may need to carry a lot of stuff around. They offer you an odd-looking item. "Aunt Rickie-Anne figured you would need this. It's an Aw-Lug-All-Ugh." The lawyers then squabble over whether the "A" is a short or long a. They argue over how important the pronunciation is. "It can go either way," one says, trying to be a peacemaker. "At least, for other phrases. Anyway, before we forget, she wrote a Urge-Ought-'Er Jot, too. Just introductory stuff." The squabbling dies down, after some debate over whether or not you can just pronounce a word slightly differently to suit your needs. They all have to admit they've done it to prove a point. "Oh ... one other thing? Invite your friends when you have everything on Aunt Rickie-Anne's list. And, of course, invite ..." "Us too!" the lawyers yell together, in unison. You check your belongings. The Aw-Lug-All-Ugh, to carry stuff. The Urge-Ought-'Er Jot, for early help. You set aside vacation time... before the flight, the lawyers call you and say Aunt Rickie-Anne has made other provisions, if you need them. They tell you if you just look at yourself and be yourself, you'll figure what to do. You realize they're the sort of good lawyers that help people cover all the bases. They're not jerks who find loopholes to make rich people richer. They didn't even judge your nickname, "Trike" West. My New Mine, Ooh! You're down in your new mine, with a passage up back to the great wide world. Fortunately it's more "Ooh" than "Eew." It could go either way, you realize. But you're still finding your bearings and purpose. You feel a bit blown away being given such a big mine, and you'd feel silly wandering purposelessly. A lucent row juts out here. Looks like it's not empty. You remember the advice the lawyers gave you. Focus on you first, and don't feel you need to look around the mine too much to get started. >x me You are "Trike" West. People (well, except Aunt Rickie-Anne, even when provoked) always said it was a weird nickname, but it was one you embraced, after being about the only kid in your neighborhood without a Big Wheel and then almost riding it into the school on the first day of first grade, then holding out on riding a real bicycle. It persisted even after you rode your bike as other kids got their drivers' licenses. "What the heck would you want to be named like that for? It stands out, yeah, but not in a good way." Maybe you can snap out of your funk and prove them wrong. >try quest Yes, yes. That's what really matters. Your quest. You doze off, and when you awake, you find ... well, a beast, wrong, blocking your way. [Your score just went up by a point!] >save A voice taunts "Save?! I'll say, VILE!" Ok. >l My New Mine, Ooh! You're down in your new mine, with a passage up back to the great wide world. A lucent row juts out here. Looks like it's not empty. A beast (wrong) blocks your way out. You know it shouldn't be there. You know you shouldn't be afraid of it. But you are. >be strong You manage to stand up to the beast a bit. It could beat you, sure, but you're not worth the effort. It trudges off, no longer blocking you from leaving. It has easier prey. "Be stranger, beast-ranger," you call out, gaining confidence. [Your score just went up by a point!] >l My New Mine, Ooh! You're down in your new mine, with a passage up back to the great wide world. You've cleared the way--you can't be sure of the direction, as the path twists a bit. A lucent row juts out here. Looks like it's not empty. >loose entrow A voice in your head encourages you: "Seem, or see, more!" You've got SOMETHING right, here. [NOTE: this and other half-right guesses will be tracked in THINK until you figure the right phrase.] >x row The items on the lucent row look weird at first, but after having a thought, you see they are sly size-slice eyes and a war pawn. You're free to take them with TAKE ALL, if you want. >x war It's a grey chess pawn. It's currently alert, with a frown and mean glare carved in the rounded top. Unlike most pawns, it has fists, doubled up in a fighting posture. Looking at it from many different angles gets you all sorts of weird ideas. Perhaps it could help you when you run out of them on your quest. You may wish to wait until you really need to use it, though of course, you don't want to wait too late. If you want to resist the temptation of this cheat item, DROP it. There is no penalty for using it. If you wish to understand the mechanics of the war pawn, KNOW PAWN. (This command will be in VERBS if you forget.) Oh, yes, you can't just USE the war pawn. You need a specific command, one in the spirit of Us Too. >know pawn That thought/action/observation/request brings up nothing. Us Too has a limited set of verbs, and the main thing is to guess a two-word phrase. To see what verbs are used, try VERBS. >take pawn Done. (By the way, TAKE is only used for these helper items. For game-critical items, you TAKE automatically.) >* oops Comment noted. If you wanted this as a command, get rid of the starting character. >take pawn You already have that. >verbs Us Too uses a reduced parser, though you need to guess point-scoring commands. You move in standard directions, with diagonals only in a hub room just above. While X (something) is useful for insight for what you need to do with an item, X on its own lets you see a list of what you need and have, for general progress, though I still inventories helper items not requested by Aunt Rickie-Anne. Many standard parser verbs also are unnecessary, though they may give hints and flavor. TAKE is one example: items are implicitly taken as you need them and used up, though to help you avoid temptation, the game makes you TAKE hint items and lets you DROP them for good. O is a shortcut for the outside direction. If there's only one worthwhile direction to leave the current room, it goes that way, though if there are more than one, it just lists exits. T/TALKing to NPCs (subject usually not necessary) or LISTEN may provide additional cues. Additionally, EAT and CLIMB may be marginally useful or amusing. While SCORE gives your game-score (also listed in the upper right), THINK may be more useful to track point-scoring commands that you found that will work later, or commands you got half-right. A special command is required to use the war pawn. Once you've got a few points, you shouldn't have much trouble figuring it, though you may wish to save it for later. You can KNOW PAWN to see its mechanics. >score You have scored 3 of 64 necessary points, though you haven't found any of the 6 bonus points yet. The upper right status line provides a range of possible final scores, based on bonus points gained and available. >know pawn The pawn requires a special command to use. There is no penalty for trying to use it when it can't help you. It will give a slight clue if there's something to do in the area, but you're not ready. (1/6, X PAWN again (or G repeats a command) to see more) >l My New Mine, Ooh! You're down in your new mine, with a passage up back to the great wide world. You've cleared the way--you can't be sure of the direction, as the path twists a bit. A lucent row juts out here. You see the sly size-slice eyes on it. >x pawn It's a grey chess pawn. It's currently alert, with a frown and mean glare carved in the rounded top. Unlike most pawns, it has fists, doubled up in a fighting posture. Looking at it from many different angles gets you all sorts of weird ideas. Perhaps it could help you when you run out of them on your quest. You may wish to wait until you really need to use it, though of course, you don't want to wait too late. Oh, yes, you can't just USE the war pawn. You need a specific command, one in the spirit of Us Too. >use pawn That thought/action/observation/request brings up nothing. Us Too has a limited set of verbs, and the main thing is to guess a two-word phrase. To see what verbs are used, try VERBS. >l My New Mine, Ooh! You're down in your new mine, with a passage up back to the great wide world. You've cleared the way--you can't be sure of the direction, as the path twists a bit. A lucent row juts out here. You see the sly size-slice eyes on it. >i Your Aw-Lug-All-Ugh has nothing special in it. A'ight, Amusing Item Using, which you got to start, lists items Aunt Rickie-Anne asked for. You don't have any yet. You also have the war pawn is to help you solve puzzles. You have that Urge-Ought-'Er Jot flopping about, too. It probably only had stuff to help you get started, which might help you figure how to get going. For future reference, X will default to A'ight, Amusing Item Using in the future. It will be about as helpful to you as I/INVENTORY. >x row You see the sly size-slice eyes on it. Oh. The glare and brightness seem a bit unaesthetic, like the lucent row could even be hiding something, but it can't be a huge deal. >x eyes The eyes shift around a lot, looking for stuff normal human eyes can't see. To have them analyze the room, EYE with no argument. To have them analyze something, EYE it. You can also EYE the eyes themselves to spell out precisely how they work. AUTHOR'S NOTE: It was tough to pick between this and swell size-well eyes. >eye (taking the eyes first) The eyes see nothing in the general area but seem to be wandering to the lucent row. [NOTE: while the number of dots on the eyes is the main thing, they also have two binary settings: green or yellow, and glowing or dimly glowing. EYE EYES will walk you through what the eyes' different outputs mean.] >eye eye The eyes will light up two sets of dots if there is something you still need to do in the area. (1/6, EYE EYES again (or G repeats a command) to see more) >eye eye The numbers of dots correspond to the number of letters in the first and second words to type, respectively. (2/6) >x eyes The eyes shift around a lot, looking for stuff normal human eyes can't see. To have them analyze the room, EYE with no argument. To have them analyze something, EYE it. You can also EYE the eyes themselves to spell out precisely how they work. >eye row The eyes glow dimly green and show five dots, then five dots. [NOTE: the dim dots mean something. You can EYE EYES to pin down what, if you don't want to guess.] >x row There's nothing on the lucent row now that you took the eyes and pawn, but it seems to hold a small mystery. Perhaps the Urge-Ought-'Er Jot would offer a clue. >x jot It's a note from Aunt Rickie-Anne: "The items on the row/ledge may help when needed. No shame using them everywhere, and I won't be offended if you find them useless or even drop them. Or drop this, now you've read it. One less thing to worry about in your inventory. "You can change the row/ledge itself if you want, but you don't need to. Some subjective information about your surroudings. Maybe with experience you'll have an a-ha moment, and you'll see this whole area in a new light. "You could say it's a welcome of sorts." Wait? Row/ledge? You only see a row ... hmm, small mystery, here. >l My New Mine, Ooh! You're down in your new mine, with a passage up back to the great wide world. You've cleared the way--you can't be sure of the direction, as the path twists a bit. A lucent row juts out here. You see nothing on it. >x me You are "Trike" West. People (well, except Aunt Rickie-Anne, even when provoked) always said it was a weird nickname, but it was one you embraced, after being about the only kid in your neighborhood without a Big Wheel and then almost riding it into the school on the first day of first grade, then holding out on riding a real bicycle. It persisted even after you rode your bike as other kids got their drivers' licenses. "What the heck would you want to be named like that for? It stands out, yeah, but not in a good way." You've sort of proven them wrong. >loose trough A voice in your head encourages you: "Seem, or see, more!" You've got SOMETHING right, here. >loose intro A loose intro flutters down from the lucent row. You pick it up. As you do, the lucent row stops glowing and becomes a ledge. A Goal-Edge-Go Ledge, to be precise. But then the Goal-Edge-Go Ledge, containing nothing, retracts after a bit. Well, you got everything you could want from it. [Your score just went up by a bonus point!] >* phew Comment noted. If you wanted this as a command, get rid of the starting character. >n There are no secret passages in the mine. The only way out is up. Right now, you should probably just go that way. >u You're eager to rush out there, but perhaps you should peruse the ... documentation you were given, first. You haven't really looked at A'ight, Amusing Item Using from your inventory, yet. And sure, you could go out there and find stuff scattershot, but why not have some direction? >i Your Aw-Lug-All-Ugh has nothing special in it. A'ight, Amusing Item Using, which you got to start, lists items Aunt Rickie-Anne asked for. You don't have any yet. You also have the loose intro, the sly size-slice eyes and the war pawn are to help you solve puzzles. You have that Urge-Ought-'Er Jot flopping about, too. It didn't seem too important, though, so you can drop it. >x item On inspection, you realize A'ight, Amusing Item Using is sort of a recipe, full of food and food preparation items. It's a list of all the things Aunt Rickie-Anne said you need to provide a feast. You haven't found any yet, so I didn't sort them into have and don't have. NEED: -- some munchies (the kind is not specified. What's up with that?) -- cookware -- seasoning -- eggs -- crust -- a variety of alcoholic drinks -- a variety of meats -- more than one type of bread -- red and blue and purple food -- hand protection from the heat -- nonalcoholic refreshment -- well, just all sorts of fruits and vegetables At the bottom, the lawyers have written "There's a specific point to this list. Don't forget to invite US TOO once you've gotten all the items and figured that point!" >us too That thought/action/observation/request brings up nothing. Us Too has a limited set of verbs, and the main thing is to guess a two-word phrase. To see what verbs are used, try VERBS. >us two That thought/action/observation/request brings up nothing. Us Too has a limited set of verbs, and the main thing is to guess a two-word phrase. To see what verbs are used, try VERBS. >l My New Mine, Ooh! You're down in your new mine, with a passage up back to the great wide world. You've cleared the way--you can't be sure of the direction, as the path twists a bit. >i Your Aw-Lug-All-Ugh has nothing special in it. A'ight, Amusing Item Using, which you got to start, lists items Aunt Rickie-Anne asked for. You don't have any yet. You also have the loose intro, the sly size-slice eyes and the war pawn are to help you solve puzzles. You have that Urge-Ought-'Er Jot flopping about, too. It didn't seem too important, though, so you can drop it. >u So you begin your quest... Ur-Branch There are so many branches here! While you can go back DOWN to your mine, you have no idea where else to go. You could spend too much time wandering around. You could lose focus. Looks like you'll need to find something to do here to get started. >herb ranch You find a path to a herb ranch. Of course every stew needs herbs. The farmer there gives you a sample saying "Some herb, eh?" The phrase sticks with you as conversation continues. It's a surprisingly enlightening one. What can you do with it? [NOTE: you just found your first item Aunt Rickie-Anne requested from A'ight, Amusing Item Using. It's now divided into items you've found and ones you haven't. You can X to see it all.] [Your score just went up by a point!] >summer bay The herb gives off a weird ... well, not quite a smell. But it opens your mind to new passages, passages that might actually lead somewhere, without having to light it or do anything adults who drank a lot told you was very, very dangerous. Your newly opened mind discerns a safe passage east. Hey, that's a start! [Your score just went up by a point!] >l Ur-Branch There are so many branches here! While you can go back DOWN to your mine, there's only east, but maybe you can find more concrete places to visit. You've located a viable passage east without going there. >x item It's a list of all the things Aunt Rickie-Anne said you need to provide a feast. You have one of fourteen items. While things won't magically switch order in the list, I've organized them into what you have at the top and what you don't at the bottom (BOLDing stuff found since last time). HAVE: -- you've got lots of herbs, now (new) NEED: -- some munchies (the kind is not specified. What's up with that?) -- cookware -- eggs -- crust -- a variety of alcoholic drinks -- a variety of meats -- more than one type of bread -- red and blue and purple food -- hand protection from the heat -- nonalcoholic refreshment -- well, just all sorts of fruits and vegetables At the bottom, the lawyers have written "There's a specific point to this list. Don't forget to invite US TOO once you've gotten all the items and figured that point!" >l Ur-Branch There are so many branches here! While you can go back DOWN to your mine, there's only east, but maybe you can find more concrete places to visit. You've located a viable passage east without going there. >x eyes The eyes shift around a lot, looking for stuff normal human eyes can't see. To have them analyze the room, EYE with no argument. To have them analyze something, EYE it. You can also EYE the eyes themselves to spell out precisely how they work. >eye The eyes see nothing in the general area but seem to be wandering to A'ight, Amusing Item Using. >item That thought/action/observation/request brings up nothing. Us Too has a limited set of verbs, and the main thing is to guess a two-word phrase. To see what verbs are used, try VERBS. >x item It's a list of all the things Aunt Rickie-Anne said you need to provide a feast. You have one of fourteen items. Sorted into have/have not: HAVE: -- you've got lots of herbs, now NEED: -- some munchies (the kind is not specified. What's up with that?) -- cookware -- eggs -- crust -- a variety of alcoholic drinks -- a variety of meats -- more than one type of bread -- red and blue and purple food -- hand protection from the heat -- nonalcoholic refreshment -- well, just all sorts of fruits and vegetables At the bottom, the lawyers have written "There's a specific point to this list. Don't forget to invite US TOO once you've gotten all the items and figured that point!" >i Your Aw-Lug-All-Ugh has nothing special in it, except what you've found for A'ight, Amusing Item Using. You have one of fourteen items listed in A'ight, Amusing Item Using. You also have the loose intro, the sly size-slice eyes and the war pawn are to help you solve puzzles. You have that Urge-Ought-'Er Jot flopping about, too. It didn't seem too important, though, so you can drop it. >e Beach, Ill While the environs aren't totally illun', you do have a general sense of malaise here, and not being able to get rid of it despite beaches usually being cheery is simply is causing more malaise. You're overthinking things a bit, maybe, and you're feeling slightly agitated. You can go back west. >be chill Your general sense of malaise disperses, which makes you more observant. Observant enough to notice a nigh swarm which ... keeps things from being perfect. [Your score just went up by a point!] >l Bless-and-Bleah Sand While you've found stuff to do here, it's not the most exciting place. You can't help but feel there should be more beyond. The only way out on foot is back west, since you can't swim the other ways. A nigh swarm ruins the tranquility of the area. You can't see behind it. >nice worm A voice in your head encourages you: "Seem, or see, more!" You've got SOMETHING right, here. >nice warm The nigh swarm grows less volatile and, yes, more nice, warm. It rises in the air, then buzzes off to somewhere to maybe be nice, cool, too. Perhaps there is a nigh school! Behind where the swarm was, a pro ball has rolled into view. You're not sure what sport it could be for, but it's marked PRO. Bless-and-Bleah Sand [Your score just went up by a point!] >l Bless-and-Bleah Sand While you've found stuff to do here, it's not the most exciting place. You can't help but feel there should be more beyond. The only way out on foot is back west, since you can't swim the other ways. You can see a pro ball here. >probe all You reach out to the pro ball. The PRO painted on it slowly dissolves. You take it, then look at it from many different angles. It's still very cloudy, but you start to see a map of where you are and where you've been. Reflected in one shiny corner, corresponding to in My New Mine, Ooh!, you see ... well, a meh spot that could use sprucing up. But how? That seems useful, though. Perhaps it will become less cloudy as you need it. As you stare a bit more, you think you see an isle to the east of here, too. You spend time wondering how to get there, and when you look up, you notice some sort of ship. You wave, and someone on it waves back. They introduce themselves as the Pun Tweaker. Their ship is the Gauche/Hip GO-Ship. They explain it needs repairs and then immediately start in with some crunching puns involving "ship-shape" and other phrases that I won't repeat, because man, they are distressing. Unfortunately, given some of the stuff you had to envision to get here, and what you expect you'll need to do, you can't really retaliate, but nothing's TOO terrible. [NOTE: the pro ball will open passages of its own accord for a while. You'll never need to examine it explicitly to open new ones, but it will help you with a complex map near the end.] [Your score just went up by a point!] >take ball You already have that. >l Bless-and-Bleah Sand While you've found stuff to do here, it's not the most exciting place. You can't help but feel there should be more beyond. The only way out on foot is back west, since you can't swim the other ways. The pro ball seemed to indicate an island to the east. The pun tweaker continues to stay here, throwing out desultory puns while grumbling they don't want to fix the Gauche/Hip GO-Ship. >punt weaker The pun tweaker says "You want transport, eh? Any sort of transport? Well, I need to repair my ship, here. Maybe if you could help, it'd be a deal." [NOTE: this command will be useful later, but you aren't ready to use it, yet. You can track commands like this by typing THINK, which will also clue you if they now work. Also, the "plus" number in the upper right status bar shows the number of not-yet-successful commands you've found.] >w Ur-Branch There are so many branches here! While you can go back DOWN to your mine, the branches make more sense than they did at first. The only available branch you've visited leads east to Bless-and-Bleah Sand. You remember the pro ball showed you something below in your mine. Could be worth a check. >d My New Mine, Ooh! You're down in your new mine, with a passage up back to the great wide world. You've cleared the way--you can't be sure of the direction, as the path twists a bit. Oh! What's this? The spot indicated by the pro ball. It's a pretty meh spot, but the pro ball highlighted it, so it could be significant. >mess pot Consulting with the pro ball, you eventually learn to understand how it displays things and, yes, you find that mess pot! You're a bit worried it might be THAT kind of mess pot, but no. It's cookware. Not just a mess pot, in fact, but a whole mess kit! But it's not just about finding a mess kit. It's about the process! You feel like you could use it better now aboveground. [Your score just went up by a point!] >l My New Mine, Ooh! You're down in your new mine, with a passage up back to the great wide world. You've cleared the way--you can't be sure of the direction, as the path twists a bit. The mess kit you found lies here. You probably won't need to mess with it for a while. >take kit You don't need to haul the kit around. It's for later. >u Ur-Branch There are so many branches here! While you can go back DOWN to your mine, the branches make more sense than they did at first. The only available branch you've visited leads east to Bless-and-Bleah Sand. You hear a rumbling from the pro ball. You see an inverted image of this very Ur-Branch! Not only that, you see passages northwest and northeast, to hidden lairs. You wonder why they only became available now, but then you realize your time cleaning up the meh spot helped you be more organized and see more organization, and perhaps you weren't ready to look at the pro ball right. You take another look, and there seems to be a leaf path north. But it leaves you (heh) a bit uneasy. >save A voice taunts "Save?! I'll say, VILE!" Ok. >l Ur-Branch There are so many branches here! While you can go back DOWN to your mine, the branches make more sense than they did at first. The only available branch you've visited leads east to Bless-and-Bleah Sand. You've located viable passages north, northeast and northwest without going there. >nw Sore Dark You can't see much here, but maybe if you fumble around for what you need, or make an educated guess, you'll find it. >sword ark It takes a while of stumbling around, but you have confidence the sword ark is there. In said sword ark is contained, shockingly, a sword! And not just any sword, but the TERRA BLADE. However, the blade is still out of reach. It's a pretty tall ark. [Your score just went up by a point!] >terrible aid That feels right, but it doesn't matter if the blade is terrible while it's unattainable. (useful command again saved to THINK for later reference.) >l Sword Ark The sword ark hangs above you, the Terra Blade intertwined in it, far too high to climb up to. >eye The eyes see nothing in the general area but seem to be wandering to A'ight, Amusing Item Using. >eye terra The eyes light up yellow and show eight dots, then three dots. Hmm. After using the eyes, you realize you may've already worked things out. Maybe THINK and revisit what you tried. >think You try and think of stuff you tried, but the time wasn't quite right, or maybe you only figured it half-way. You can get a PUNT WEAKER once you are able to help the pun tweaker fix the ship in Bless-and-Bleah Sand. You can become the owner of a TERRIBLE AID here once it has fallen to where you can reach it. >l Sword Ark The sword ark hangs above you, the Terra Blade intertwined in it, far too high to climb up to. >swore dark That thought/action/observation/request brings up nothing. Us Too has a limited set of verbs, and the main thing is to guess a two-word phrase. To see what verbs are used, try VERBS. >e The only exit from this cavern is southeast. >se Ur-Branch There are so many branches here! While you can go back DOWN to your mine, the branches make more sense than they did at first. The branches you've been to include northwest to Sword Ark and east to Bless-and-Bleah Sand. You've located viable passages north and northeast without going there. >ne Bore Dread My goodness, there seems to be nothing to do here except go back southwest. Or maybe search for some random item. Well, there's that maul tower guarding the way east. Maybe you can sneak past it. >malt awer A voice in your head encourages you: "Seem, or see, more!" You've got SOMETHING right, here. >malt our A voice in your head encourages you: "Seem, or see, more!" You've got SOMETHING right, here. >asdf awer That thought/action/observation/request brings up nothing. Us Too has a limited set of verbs, and the main thing is to guess a two-word phrase. To see what verbs are used, try VERBS. >malt ewer A voice in your head encourages you: "Seem, or see, more!" You've got SOMETHING right, here. >malt hour You would like to call out that there are alcoholic refreshments, but you don't have any. (useful command again saved to THINK for later reference.) >l Bore Dread My goodness, there seems to be nothing to do here except go back southwest. Or maybe search for some random item. Well, there's that maul tower guarding the way east. Maybe you can sneak past it. >bored read No, becoming bored would be giving in. But you must be close, here. >bored red No, becoming bored would be giving in. But you must be close, here. You process this and shake your head a bit. You know you MUST've been at least half right. >asd red A voice in your head encourages you: "Seem, or see, more!" You've got SOMETHING right, here. >dsad read It's tough to write on a board. Another adjective must be it. >board red You turn up a board (red) ... it's narrow and six feet long, made of Styrofoam, with CATCH THE WAVES and STAND ON THIS SIDE written on one side. Since it wasn't hard to find, you don't feel excited you found it, but you carry it anyway. Thankfully, nobody in the maul tower gaffles or arrests you for stealing. [Your score just went up by a point!] >malt hour You would like to call out that there are alcoholic refreshments, but you don't have any. Hmph. That still doesn't quite work! You'll figure out the how and when and where, though. >l Bore Dread Finding the board (red) was almost exciting. But you can't hope for anything else interesting here. Maybe just go back southwest. Well, there's that maul tower guarding the way east. Maybe you can sneak past it. >x board It's about six feet long and one foot wide, or it would be when unfolded (it snaps into and out of its full length easily. You checked.) THIS SIDE UP and CATCH THE WAVES are written on it. >take it You already have that. >sw Ur-Branch There are so many branches here! While you can go back DOWN to your mine, the branches make more sense than they did at first. The branches you've been to include northeast to Bore Dread, northwest to Sword Ark and east to Bless-and-Bleah Sand. You've located a viable passage north without going there. >n You walk north, but somehow, you stumble by a black ops site, and you're flagged down. What are you doing here? How did you even get close? After some questioning, you're sent back to the Ur-Branch by people who "suggest" you forget this ever happened. Returning is ... not advised. This does nothing to quell your curiosity about what's REALLY north. >l Ur-Branch There are so many branches here! While you can go back DOWN to your mine, the branches make more sense than they did at first. The branches you've been to include northeast to Bore Dread, northwest to Sword Ark and east to Bless-and-Bleah Sand. You've located a viable passage north without going there. You also know black ops are lurking to the north, and you haven't figured what you really need to find there. Yet. >blah cops You really don't need to bait cops to start patrolling the black ops. You'd like to find something more peaceful and back to nature, and stuff. You process this and shake your head a bit. You know you MUST've been at least half right. >e Bless-and-Bleah Sand While you've found stuff to do here, it's not the most exciting place. You can't help but feel there should be more beyond. The only way out on foot is back west, since you can't swim the other ways. The pro ball seemed to indicate an island to the east. The pun tweaker continues to stay here, throwing out desultory puns while grumbling they don't want to fix the Gauche/Hip GO-Ship. >w Ur-Branch There are so many branches here! While you can go back DOWN to your mine, the branches make more sense than they did at first. The branches you've been to include northeast to Bore Dread, northwest to Sword Ark and east to Bless-and-Bleah Sand. You've located a viable passage north without going there. You also know black ops are lurking to the north, and you haven't figured what you really need to find there. Yet. >blah adsf A voice in your head encourages you: "Seem, or see, more!" You've got SOMETHING right, here. >adsf cops You really don't need to bait cops to start patrolling the black ops. You'd like to find something more peaceful and back to nature, and stuff. >blah copse Aha! That was what you were doing wrong. You just needed to tweak a thing or two as you walked north. This time, you avoid the black-ops site. Once you see the path, well, it's hard to un-see. Blah Copse The only really clear safe path is back south to Ur-Branch. A group of adventurers is waiting for you here. After an over-friendly introduction where they introduce themselves as the Forest Team for Esteem, and where you don't impress them back, they begin to knock you, well, verbally. [Your score just went up by a point!] >n You can only leave the copse to the south. >l Blah Copse The only really clear safe path is back south to Ur-Branch. The Forest Team for Esteem continues to knock you verbally. Which isn't fatal, but it's getting in the way of you deciding what to do next. >eye Nothing for the general area, though the sly size-slice eyes seem to wander between A'ight, Amusing Item Using and the Forest Team for Esteem. [NOTE: the yellow dots mean something unusual. You can EYE EYES to pin down what, if you don't want to guess.] >eye eyes The dots also have two different types of appearances that clue you to the puzzle nature: green or yellow, and dimly glowing or glowing. (3/6) >x eyes The eyes shift around a lot, looking for stuff normal human eyes can't see. To have them analyze the room, EYE with no argument. To have them analyze something, EYE it. You can also EYE the eyes themselves to spell out precisely how they work. >eye team The eyes light up green and show three dots, then five dots. Hmm, that seems a bit short. Can't be them. Maybe what they're saying. >x team A bunch of boors with little better to do than knock you. >listen Annoying banter from the Forest Team for Esteem. They continued to knock you and knock you, well, verbally. >l Blah Copse The only really clear safe path is back south to Ur-Branch. The Forest Team for Esteem continues to knock you verbally. Which isn't fatal, but it's getting in the way of you deciding what to do next. >eye eyes Green dots mean the suggested action can score a point right now. (4/6) >eye eyes Yellow dots mean you have something to guess, but you won't get a point, as you haven't found the right items or assistance from other puzzles to make things work. A successful guess will be kept in THINK. (5/6) >l Blah Copse The only really clear safe path is back south to Ur-Branch. The Forest Team for Esteem continues to knock you verbally. Which isn't fatal, but it's getting in the way of you deciding what to do next. >ewe That thought/action/observation/request brings up nothing. Us Too has a limited set of verbs, and the main thing is to guess a two-word phrase. To see what verbs are used, try VERBS. >you That thought/action/observation/request brings up nothing. Us Too has a limited set of verbs, and the main thing is to guess a two-word phrase. To see what verbs are used, try VERBS. >youve That thought/action/observation/request brings up nothing. Us Too has a limited set of verbs, and the main thing is to guess a two-word phrase. To see what verbs are used, try VERBS. >l Blah Copse The only really clear safe path is back south to Ur-Branch. The Forest Team for Esteem continues to knock you verbally. Which isn't fatal, but it's getting in the way of you deciding what to do next. >noc cue A cue would work with more emotionally intelligent types, but The Forest Team for Esteem won't take a hint from subtlety. They need something direct and continuous to let them know you won't take their nonsense. >nock phew That thought/action/observation/request brings up nothing. Us Too has a limited set of verbs, and the main thing is to guess a two-word phrase. To see what verbs are used, try VERBS. >nah cue A cue would work with more emotionally intelligent types, but The Forest Team for Esteem won't take a hint from subtlety. They need something direct and continuous to let them know you won't take their nonsense. You process this and shake your head a bit. You know you MUST've been at least half right. >nah cue A cue would work with more emotionally intelligent types, but The Forest Team for Esteem won't take a hint from subtlety. They need something direct and continuous to let them know you won't take their nonsense. You process this and shake your head a bit. You know you MUST've been at least half right. >nah queue You reject the Forest Team for Esteem's jibes consistently and forcefully, not worrying about intellectual rigor. They give up on you. Someone else appears, relieved you got rid of them. He introduces himself as Sir Freddie. He thinks perhaps they are right, and he is not cut out for quests. [NOTE: if you wish, you can refer to him as F or Sir F.] [Your score just went up by a point!] >surf ready Sir Freddie agrees with you, but he doesn't know how to get started. You have just the thing! Your red board is kind of bulky but not heavy. It'd be nice not to have to carry it around. He waves. "See you later. Oh, one other thing... I think I heard an orc lurk to the north. Another reason to give up this questing." [Your score just went up by a point!] >l Blah Copse The only really clear safe path is back south to Ur-Branch. Sir Freddie's orc lurk foreboding was caused by something to the north. How to face it or prove it wasn't serious? >ore clerk Deforestation isn't the way, here. There's another option. You process this and shake your head a bit. You know you MUST've been at least half right. >cd clerk A voice in your head encourages you: "Seem, or see, more!" You've got SOMETHING right, here. >or clerk Haha! Sir Freddie seemed nice enough, but you guess he was scared of someone else who was scared and putting up a front. Sure enough, a clerk Sir Freddie could've beaten up with one hand (if Sir Freddie had the courage to fight, of course) comes out of a bunker with their hands up. They begin to apologize, but you say it's all right. "You ... you aren't part of the forest team?" Certainly not, you assure them. "That's a relief! I wish I had more to give you than this blah string I found. I have no clue what to do with it. Oh, and I should never have meddled with what's to the north ... but maybe you can ..." With that, the clerk runs away, turning briefly to wave at you. [Your score just went up by a point!] >l Blah Copse Thanks to Sir Freddie and your own cleverness, you found a way north as well as back south to Ur-Branch. Sir Freddie's orc lurk foreboding was caused by something to the north. How to face it or prove it wasn't serious? >i First, helpful stuff Aunt Rickie-Anne didn't explicitly ask for, in your Aw-Lug-All-Ugh: some blah string a pro ball You have two of fourteen items listed in A'ight, Amusing Item Using. That's one more than the last time you checked with X. You also have the loose intro, the sly size-slice eyes and the war pawn are to help you solve puzzles. You still have that Urge-Ought-'Er Jot flopping about, too. It didn't seem too important, though, so you can drop it. >blast ring The blah string writhes and turns and points above, then nothing. It then goes limp. Perhaps there's nothing worth blasting, and since accidents might happen with such an item of power, you'll wait to change the string until it's more clearly worth transforming. (useful command again saved to THINK for later reference.) >l Blah Copse Thanks to Sir Freddie and your own cleverness, you found a way north as well as back south to Ur-Branch. Sir Freddie's orc lurk foreboding was caused by something to the north. How to face it or prove it wasn't serious? >eye The eyes see nothing in the general area but seem to be wandering to A'ight, Amusing Item Using. >s Ur-Branch There are so many branches here! While you can go back DOWN to your mine, the branches make more sense than they did at first. The branches you've been to include north to Blah Copse, northeast to Bore Dread, northwest to Sword Ark and east to Bless-and-Bleah Sand. You hear a scuffle and see the Forest Team for Esteem running away. They moan something about a garden tree getting in the way. You didn't see one before, but tracing the team's most recent footprints leads you to a garden tree. It doesn't appear particularly aggressive, but it's in the way. >guard entry You look for a way past the tree, and suddenly you have an idea, and once you know what to look for, it's easy. You're less threatening than the Forest Team for Esteem, so it's no problem. The protective magic or whatever is fooled, or maybe it thinks that if you're willing to risk the guard entry, you're not visiting for greedy purposes. Whichever it is, you make it... Pea Stalks Pea stalks grow here. But they're nothing you can eat, or prepare to eat quickly. Maybe you can peep odd things here, if you have something specific in mind. You can only go back OUT. [Your score just went up by a point!] >pea pod Oh wait! There is something that will add a bit of flavor! Actually, it's a weird giant pea pod! You're pleased you found something out of the way, but perhaps there's something bigger to figure here. [NOTE: this bonus meal item will appear at the end when you type X, but it wasn't on the main list because it was a bit obscure. Well done.] [Your score just went up by a bonus point!] >* nice Comment noted. If you wanted this as a command, get rid of the starting character. >l Pea Stalks Pea stalks grow here. But they're nothing you can eat, or prepare to eat quickly. You can only go back OUT. >peace talks Getting back to nature and stuff leaves you at peace with yourself. So at peace, you want to spread that peace to others, whether or not they fully deserve it. However, now you're so at peace, you recognize you are potentially disturbing the plants' peace. The garden grows unusually quiet for a moment. You'd like to stay here, but you also know you're on a mission, and you feel out of place. Nothing here is pushing you out, but you sense there's nothing to do. Perhaps it will be a nice hideaway to show friends once you're settled in. But you won't be, until you complete Aunt Rickie-Anne's list. You retreat to the Ur-Branch. Ur-Branch [Your score just went up by a point!] >l Ur-Branch There are so many branches here! While you can go back DOWN to your mine, the branches make more sense than they did at first. The branches you've been to include north to Blah Copse, northeast to Bore Dread, northwest to Sword Ark and east to Bless-and-Bleah Sand. Also, you've done all you need back inside behind the garden tree. >eye The eyes see nothing in the general area but seem to be wandering to A'ight, Amusing Item Using. >d My New Mine, Ooh! You're down in your new mine, with a passage up back to the great wide world. You've cleared the way--you can't be sure of the direction, as the path twists a bit. The mess kit you found lies here. You probably won't need to mess with it for a while. >eye Nothing for the general area, though the sly size-slice eyes seem to wander between A'ight, Amusing Item Using and the mess kit. >u Ur-Branch There are so many branches here! While you can go back DOWN to your mine, the branches make more sense than they did at first. The branches you've been to include north to Blah Copse, northeast to Bore Dread, northwest to Sword Ark and east to Bless-and-Bleah Sand. Also, you've done all you need back inside behind the garden tree. >nw Sword Ark The sword ark hangs above you, the Terra Blade intertwined in it, far too high to climb up to. >ey That thought/action/observation/request brings up nothing. Us Too has a limited set of verbs, and the main thing is to guess a two-word phrase. To see what verbs are used, try VERBS. >eye Nothing for the general area, though the sly size-slice eyes seem to wander between the blah string and A'ight, Amusing Item Using. >blast ring You aim the blah string at the sword ark. You feel a pull--yes, this must be when to transform the blah string. It coalesces into a string that points high in the air. And boom! The sword ark shatters, and the Terra Blade falls to the ground. [Your score just went up by a point!] >terrible aid You make the point that the Terra Blade would be a terrible aid for your humble goals, whatever they may be. That proves you are worthy! You hear rumbling. You look out to a large plain. You can't imagine it holds any bigger secrets, so: time to leave. Ur-Branch [Your score just went up by a point!] >l Ur-Branch There are so many branches here! While you can go back DOWN to your mine, the branches make more sense than they did at first. The branches you've been to include north to Blah Copse, northeast to Bore Dread and east to Bless-and-Bleah Sand. Also, you've done all you need back northwest and inside behind the garden tree. >nw You can't imagine anything is off northwest other than the Terra Blade. You've tried to go back somewhere you don't need to, so it's blocked by default. BLAH COUGH allows you to ignore such barriers here, and BLOCK OFF blocks you again. These two commands will be listed in OPTIONS. >ne Bore Dread Finding the board (red) was almost exciting. But you can't hope for anything else interesting here. Maybe just go back southwest. Well, there's that maul tower guarding the way east. Maybe you can sneak past it. >malt hour You would like to call out that there are alcoholic refreshments, but you don't have any. Hmph. That still doesn't quite work! You'll figure out the how and when and where, though. >sw Ur-Branch There are so many branches here! While you can go back DOWN to your mine, the branches make more sense than they did at first. The branches you've been to include north to Blah Copse, northeast to Bore Dread and east to Bless-and-Bleah Sand. Also, you've done all you need back northwest and inside behind the garden tree. >think You try and think of stuff you tried, but the time wasn't quite right, or maybe you only figured it half-way. You can get a PUNT WEAKER now you are able to help the pun tweaker fix the ship in Bless-and-Bleah Sand. You can call MALT HOUR in Bore Dread once you have a variety of alcohol to share. >e Bless-and-Bleah Sand While you've found stuff to do here, it's not the most exciting place. You can't help but feel there should be more beyond. The only way out on foot is back west, since you can't swim the other ways. The pro ball seemed to indicate an island to the east. The pun tweaker continues to stay here, annoyed with their "new" "friend." Sir Freddie catches wave after wave, much to the dismay of the pun tweaker. With the lessons learned from the Pea Stalks, you broker a tentative truce between the pun tweaker and Sir Freddie. You even have a dialogue, discussing nearby isles. Surprisingly, the pun tweaker notes one that Sir Freddie knows. "Nay-Vile-Knave Isle?" "No, the large waves scared me ... but they'd be a challenge now. I ... I can picture myself saying Nay, Vile Knave, to those who think they can out-surf me! What an idea! How could I help you back?" The pun tweaker points to the Gauche/Hip GO-Ship, which still need repairs. Sir Freddie blushes. "I ... I never noticed! I was so busy with my new hobbies. But I can trade in all my questing stuff to help you repair things." The pun tweaker and Sir Freddie work together to repair the Gauche/Hip GO-Ship. They both shake your hand then sail off. You worry the pun tweaker might ditch you if they find you involuntarily inflicted Sir Freddie on them in the first place, but then you realize: no Sir Freddie, no fixed ship. As you do, you see the ship coming back into view. "Now. What can I offer you?" "Oh, nothing much," you say. The pun tweaker says "oh of course" a bit too quickly. They seem in a much better mood now, enough to start a bit of a pun-churn. >save A voice taunts "Save?! I'll say, VILE!" Ok. >punch urn You listen to the pun churn. You add to it, with your experience so far. You wonder if it was fueled by a punch urn ... alcoholic, or fruit punch. Not that you're judging. The pun tweaker nods. "You know, I have something for you." A minute later, they come back out, holding an urn full of ... powdered punch packets in all sorts of colors. "I got these in a trade. From someone who said they'd always wanted to buy one of each at the grocery store as a kid. So they finally bought them in bulk. And it was great until they got sick of it. So I took it, and I saw what they meant. I'd like to pass it on to you, to replicate that experience. Not the getting sick of stuff. But achieving an odd childhood dream and being able to pass it on and help the next person. Wow! What a touching moment! A relatively cheap, yet priceless gift. "What was the person's name?" you ask. The pun tweaker snickers. "Before he went on the straight and narrow, he was bad at his illegal job." "C'mon, out with it." "Behind his back we called him The Farty Thief, Artie." Well, so much for soulful connection. But the pun-churn returns, a bit cleverer than before. [Your score just went up by a bonus point!] >save A voice taunts "Save?! I'll say, VILE!" Ok. >l Bless-and-Bleah Sand While you've found stuff to do here, it's not the most exciting place. You can't help but feel there should be more beyond. The only way out on foot is back west, since you can't swim the other ways. The pro ball seemed to indicate an island to the east. The pun tweaker continues to stay here, making a pun-churn while you decide on your reward. >e You have no transport. Yet. And the pun tweaker won't take you for free. >eye Nothing for the general area, though the sly size-slice eyes seem to wander between A'ight, Amusing Item Using and the pun tweaker. >punt weaker "Ah, yes, that's it. It's the least I can do as thanks. Not the very least, heh heh." The pun tweaker goes to the back of the Gauche/Hip GO-Ship, and you hear a splash. The pun tweaker reappears, clothes wet, pushing a pretty scrawny punt. "It won't get very far, but there's something to the east. Oh, and I hope you have a way to steer it, too." However, you don't have a way to steer the punt, yet. Dune Ever-Do-Never [Your score just went up by a point!] >l Dune Ever-Do-Never Things feel nice and lazy here now the pun tweakers finished work on the ship. The only way out on foot is back west, since you can't swim the other ways. The pro ball seemed to indicate an island to the east. Your punt, weaker, floats here. It has no steering mechanism, yet. >eye The eyes see nothing in the general area but seem to be wandering to A'ight, Amusing Item Using. >w Ur-Branch There are so many branches here! While you can go back DOWN to your mine, the branches make more sense than they did at first. The branches you've been to include north to Blah Copse, northeast to Bore Dread and east to Dune Ever-Do-Never. Also, you've done all you need back northwest and inside behind the garden tree. >eye The eyes see nothing in the general area but seem to be wandering to A'ight, Amusing Item Using. > Ideally I-D-L-E! >d My New Mine, Ooh! You're down in your new mine, with a passage up back to the great wide world. You've cleared the way--you can't be sure of the direction, as the path twists a bit. The mess kit you found lies here. You probably won't need to mess with it for a while. >eye Nothing for the general area, though the sly size-slice eyes seem to wander between A'ight, Amusing Item Using and the mess kit. >u Ur-Branch There are so many branches here! While you can go back DOWN to your mine, the branches make more sense than they did at first. The branches you've been to include north to Blah Copse, northeast to Bore Dread and east to Dune Ever-Do-Never. Also, you've done all you need back northwest and inside behind the garden tree. >n Blah Copse Thanks to Sir Freddie and your own cleverness, you found a way north as well as back south to Ur-Branch. Sir Freddie's orc lurk foreboding was caused by something to the north. How to face it or prove it wasn't serious? >nw You can only leave the copse to the south or north. >eye The eyes see nothing in the general area but seem to be wandering to A'ight, Amusing Item Using. >se You can only leave the copse to the south or north. >n Morph Lairs You're pretty sure you don't want to enter the lairs here. Even the ones that seem safe could turn unsafe quickly. And yet ... they can't just be THERE. >more flares You set off the flares, and what do you know? You see another flare coming towards the morph lairs from a distance. Fortunately you already started running to the Ur-Branch. Whereupon you see smoke you follow ... a bit. The path opens up a bit further to the southeast. You have somewhere new to go, yet you're still wondering what became of the morph lairs. Ur-Branch There are so many branches here! While you can go back DOWN to your mine, the branches make more sense than they did at first. The branches you've been to include north to Blah Copse, northeast to Bore Dread and east to Dune Ever-Do-Never. You've located a viable passage southeast without going there. Also, you've done all you need back northwest and inside behind the garden tree. [Your score just went up by a point!] >se Dome, Aching Ugh. You're not physically uncomfortable, you just feel ... oh, how can I describe it? A can't-ache. You're so focused on the pain, you're not really looking for anything useful here. Of course, you can always go back northwest to the Ur-Branch. The can't-ache sweeps through the air, paralyzing you from doing anything constructive. >can take You feel you can take the aching. It takes a bit of time, even though your proposed solution feels a bit glib and simplistic, and you worry a worse aching may replace it ... and, in a way, it does. You wonder what you need to do here now. You see a great inn and an inner nest. Which is worth visiting? [Your score just went up by a point!] >gray tin Why not? A tin could hold something handy. The great inn seems to be able to spare a lot, though they mention they can't let you hog too many. [Your score just went up by a point!] >in earnest The inner nest seems to open up a bit more, comfortable you're not just running through a checklist. Well, perhaps you still are. But worst case, you took the time to pretend and make it believable. You can now go IN. [Your score just went up by a point!] >l Dome, Aching The dome is less intimidating than when you first entered now. Of course, you can always go back northwest to the Ur-Branch. The Great Inn probably gave everything it had to offer. There's that inner nest to go IN, too. You're pretty sure you found the right way in. >x inn It's very impressive. But you doubt it holds and more freebies. >eye The eyes light up green and show five dots, then six dots. >eye inn The eyes show nothing. You've changed up everything you need with the great inn. >doom aching That thought/action/observation/request brings up nothing. Us Too has a limited set of verbs, and the main thing is to guess a two-word phrase. To see what verbs are used, try VERBS. >do making A voice in your head encourages you: "Seem, or see, more!" You've got SOMETHING right, here. >do asdf That thought/action/observation/request brings up nothing. Us Too has a limited set of verbs, and the main thing is to guess a two-word phrase. To see what verbs are used, try VERBS. >dough making Excellent! Not only do you make the dough, but the great inn offers you somewhere to keep it. You wind up with a dough pail. [Your score just went up by a point!] >l Dome, Aching The dome is less intimidating than when you first entered now. Of course, you can always go back northwest to the Ur-Branch. The Great Inn probably gave everything it had to offer. There's that inner nest to go IN, too. You're pretty sure you found the right way in. >dope ail Making people sick would be wack. You process this and shake your head a bit. You know you MUST've been at least half right. >dope ale Hmm, you could exchange the dough pail for dope ale, but ... nobody here wants dough, and nobody here might have dope ale. (useful command again saved to THINK for later reference.) >think You try and think of stuff you tried, but the time wasn't quite right, or maybe you only figured it half-way. You can call MALT HOUR in Bore Dread once you have a variety of alcohol to share. You can trade for some DOPE ALE once you've found find willing traders with a bit extra. >l Dome, Aching The dome is less intimidating than when you first entered now. Of course, you can always go back northwest to the Ur-Branch. The Great Inn probably gave everything it had to offer. There's that inner nest to go IN, too. You're pretty sure you found the right way in. >in Inner Nest Well, you made it. It's not very big, but then again, it is both inner and a nest. You can go back OUT from here. A prime oar stands here, floating in space. You reach out for it lazily, and it floats away. >pry more Surely there must be some way to get the oar, you think. And you pry constructively. After an hour's work, you have an oar, lightweight and powerful. [Your score just went up by a point!] >l Inner Nest All that prying didn't just find you that oar. It left you sure there was nothing else. You can go back OUT from here. >eye The eyes see nothing in the general area but seem to be wandering to A'ight, Amusing Item Using. >i First, helpful stuff Aunt Rickie-Anne didn't explicitly ask for, in your Aw-Lug-All-Ugh: a prime oar a dough pail the Terra Blade a pro ball You have three of fourteen items listed in A'ight, Amusing Item Using. That's two more than the last time you checked with X. You also have the loose intro, the sly size-slice eyes and the war pawn are to help you solve puzzles. You still have that Urge-Ought-'Er Jot flopping about, too. It didn't seem too important, though, so you can drop it. >out Dome, Aching The dome is less intimidating than when you first entered now. Of course, you can always go back northwest to the Ur-Branch. The Great Inn probably gave everything it had to offer. There's that inner nest to go IN, too. You looted it, though. >eye The eyes see nothing in the general area but seem to be wandering to A'ight, Amusing Item Using. Hmm. After using the eyes, you realize you may've already worked things out. Maybe THINK and revisit what you tried. >think You try and think of stuff you tried, but the time wasn't quite right, or maybe you only figured it half-way. You can call MALT HOUR in Bore Dread once you have a variety of alcohol to share. You can trade for some DOPE ALE once you've found find willing traders with a bit extra. >dope ale Hmm, you could exchange the dough pail for dope ale, but ... nobody here wants dough, and nobody here might have dope ale. Hmph. That still doesn't quite work! You'll figure out the how and when and where, though. >n The only compass direction you can go is back northwest. However, you may also go in to the inner nest. >nw Ur-Branch There are so many branches here! While you can go back DOWN to your mine, the branches make more sense than they did at first. The branches you've been to include north to Blah Copse, northeast to Bore Dread, southeast to Dome, Aching and east to Dune Ever-Do-Never. Also, you've done all you need back northwest and inside behind the garden tree. You look back at the dome. Inns, inner nest, dough. There's nothing left to do there. You consult the pro ball to make sure. It shows a large map of where you've been, and after a couple seconds, the southeast area grows dim. You think back to all you did to the southeast. It was sparse enough. There can't be anything more to do. >think You try and think of stuff you tried, but the time wasn't quite right, or maybe you only figured it half-way. You can call MALT HOUR in Bore Dread once you have a variety of alcohol to share. You can trade for some DOPE ALE once you've found find willing traders with a bit extra. >dope ale Hmm, you could exchange the dough pail for dope ale, but ... nobody here wants dough, and nobody here might have dope ale. Hmph. That still doesn't quite work! You'll figure out the how and when and where, though. >i First, helpful stuff Aunt Rickie-Anne didn't explicitly ask for, in your Aw-Lug-All-Ugh: a prime oar a dough pail the Terra Blade a pro ball You have three of fourteen items listed in A'ight, Amusing Item Using. That's two more than the last time you checked with X. You also have the loose intro, the sly size-slice eyes and the war pawn are to help you solve puzzles. You still have that Urge-Ought-'Er Jot flopping about, too. It didn't seem too important, though, so you can drop it. > Ideally I-D-L-E! >l Ur-Branch There are so many branches here! While you can go back DOWN to your mine, the branches make more sense than they did at first. The branches you've been to include north to Blah Copse, northeast to Bore Dread and east to Dune Ever-Do-Never. Also, you've done all you need back northwest, southeast and inside behind the garden tree. >e Dune Ever-Do-Never Things feel nice and lazy here now the pun tweakers finished work on the ship. The only way out on foot is back west, since you can't swim the other ways. The pro ball seemed to indicate an island to the east. Your punt, weaker, floats here, ready to take you east. You attach the prime oar to the punt. >e Your punt (weaker) is not useless. Maybe the prime oar will help it be more useful. A Pile-Up Isle You've found the isle east of the erstwhile Beach, Ill. It's ... not been tended to for a while. Your punt, weaker, floats here, ready to take you back west. Bay spikes seem to guard you from entering the large pile. They are too sharp to walk on. What to do? You can also see a prime oar here. >base pikes Well, someone must've been able to get through the bay spikes to dump stuff on the pile, you reason. And you discover something -- base pikes, one you wouldn't want to use on any person, but then again, these spikes could hurt someone, so that seems okay. Walking through the path you made, you see a high cup near the top of the pile. [Your score just went up by a point!] >hike up You decide the direct way of climbing the pile at a steep angle just won't work. But it's a big pile, and as you walk around, you see a slower way, less steep, but less likely to cause you to slip. You get to the top and have a look around. From your vantage point, you see a new path from the Ur-Branch, to the southwest! You also see places well beyond it, to the west and south. Well, that should cover all the directions. It makes you almost forget about the high cup. Well, it turns out the high cup is glued to other trash. Dang it! You're not sure if you needed it, anyway. It looks a bit too fancy for whatever you want to prepare. And there's more. You see swirling inside the pro ball, to match the paths. Nice that it's active again. [Your score just went up by a point!] >l A Pile-Up Isle You've found the isle east of the erstwhile Beach, Ill. It's ... not been tended to for a while. That high cup sits at the top of the pile, unachievable, but the journey sure was rewarding! Base pikes lie here as part of the bric-a-brac. Pike rust has piled up on them. They must've been here a while. Your punt, weaker, floats here, ready to take you back west. You can also see a prime oar here. >eye Nothing for the general area, though the sly size-slice eyes seem to wander between A'ight, Amusing Item Using and the pike rust. >pie crust Yup! Pie crust! It fits in your tin nicely. It's just the right amount of flaky, too. [Your score just went up by a point!] >item That thought/action/observation/request brings up nothing. Us Too has a limited set of verbs, and the main thing is to guess a two-word phrase. To see what verbs are used, try VERBS. >x item It's a list of all the things Aunt Rickie-Anne said you need to provide a feast. You have four of fourteen items. Sorted into have/have not (BOLDing stuff found since last time): HAVE: -- cookware (the mess kit in My New Mine, Ooh!) (new) -- you've got lots of herbs, now -- pie crust in your gray tin (counts as two items) (new) NEED: -- some munchies (the kind is not specified. What's up with that?) -- eggs -- a variety of alcoholic drinks -- a variety of meats -- more than one type of bread -- red and blue and purple food -- hand protection from the heat -- nonalcoholic refreshment -- well, just all sorts of fruits and vegetables You went above and beyond and found the punch urn and the pea pod. At the bottom, the lawyers have written "There's a specific point to this list. Don't forget to invite US TOO once you've gotten all the items and figured that point!" >l A Pile-Up Isle You've found the isle east of the erstwhile Beach, Ill. It's ... not been tended to for a while. That high cup sits at the top of the pile, unachievable, but the journey sure was rewarding! Base pikes lie here as part of the bric-a-brac. Your punt, weaker, floats here. It served you well, and you think you've seen what you needed here. You can also see a prime oar here. >eye The eyes see nothing in the general area but seem to be wandering to A'ight, Amusing Item Using. >l A Pile-Up Isle You've found the isle east of the erstwhile Beach, Ill. It's ... not been tended to for a while. That high cup sits at the top of the pile, unachievable, but the journey sure was rewarding! Base pikes lie here as part of the bric-a-brac. Your punt, weaker, floats here. It served you well, and you think you've seen what you needed here. You can also see a prime oar here. >exits That thought/action/observation/request brings up nothing. Us Too has a limited set of verbs, and the main thing is to guess a two-word phrase. To see what verbs are used, try VERBS. >exit That thought/action/observation/request brings up nothing. Us Too has a limited set of verbs, and the main thing is to guess a two-word phrase. To see what verbs are used, try VERBS. >u You can't see land anywhere except back to the west. >w You have no problem steering the punt back now you've got the hang of things. It seems surprisingly sturdy. Dune Ever-Do-Never Things feel nice and lazy here now the pun tweakers finished work on the ship. The only way out on foot is back west, since you can't swim the other ways. A Pile-Up Isle is back east, though you're pretty sure you found all it had to offer. Your punt, weaker, floats here. It served you well, but you can't think of a reason to go back to the isle. You can also see a prime oar here. >e You're pretty sure you found everything there. >sw You can only walk back west or take the punt east. >l Dune Ever-Do-Never Things feel nice and lazy here now the pun tweakers finished work on the ship. The only way out on foot is back west, since you can't swim the other ways. A Pile-Up Isle is back east, though you're pretty sure you found all it had to offer. Your punt, weaker, floats here. It served you well, but you can't think of a reason to go back to the isle. You can also see a prime oar here. >e You're pretty sure you found everything there. >w You consult the pro ball to make sure. It shows a large map of where you've been, and after a couple seconds, the east area grows dim. Ur-Branch There are so many branches here! While you can go back DOWN to your mine, the branches make more sense than they did at first. The branches you've been to include north to Blah Copse and northeast to Bore Dread. Also, you've done all you need back northwest, southeast, east and inside behind the garden tree. You track down the southwest passage pretty easily, with the help of your pro ball. It's clearly the shortest and least treacherous. >sw Fort Earns-Four-Turns An oak lever is here, tempting you to pull it and maybe find another exit besides back northeast. Some completely innocuous felt wrap lies here. >oh clever You think and think and think. Of course, they wouldn't want any old fool pulling the lever. So there's no obvious way to pull it. You try a hundred different ways, then feel clever on the hundred and first when -- CLICK -- it flips, revealing a compartment behind! The feeling of cleverness lasts only a few seconds, though. You realize how you could've seen it sooner if you'd been paying attention. After fifteen minutes, you feel even less clever for having spent fifteen minutes unconstructively visiting the past. Then you notice what the lever was hiding: a be-quick beak/wick! Nice if you need speed, you're sure. [Your score just went up by a point!] >* lol Comment noted. If you wanted this as a command, get rid of the starting character. >l Fort Earns-Four-Turns The be-quick beak/wick revealed when you pulled the lever is here. You can also go back northeast. Some completely innocuous felt wrap lies here. >x wick The be-quick beak/wick sits here. It doesn't seem dangerous. You inspect it a bit more closely. You instantly feel a disorienting surge of speed. What can you do with it? >be quick That thought/action/observation/request brings up nothing. Us Too has a limited set of verbs, and the main thing is to guess a two-word phrase. To see what verbs are used, try VERBS. >l Fort Earns-Four-Turns The be-quick beak/wick revealed when you pulled the lever is here. You can also go back northeast. Some completely innocuous felt wrap lies here. >x wrap Um. Completely innocuous. Right? >fell trap Oh my! You pull the felt wrap away, and that is one fell looking trap! [Your score just went up by a point!] >l Fort Earns-Four-Turns The be-quick beak/wick revealed when you pulled the lever is here. You can also go back northeast. The fell trap has replaced the felt wrap. It looks pretty vicious! It might even catch anyone trying to EXAMINE it. But it might send you somewhere new you can't walk to. >x trap You poke the trap, and the floor below collapses. A very brief fall, and you wind up in... Cell, Urban THUD! You're so anxious about being trapped here, you keep pacing until your speed wears off. Ugh. You see no way out to start. Perhaps you can complain to the manager, somehow. You're getting sick of the noises of the city all around you. You have no clue where they're coming from. You're not aware you were anywhere near a city. But what's more important is getting out of here. >score You have scored 31 of 64 necessary points and 3 of a possible 6 bonus points. You also figured two things you weren't ready for yet. Revisit them with THINK. >sell herbum That thought/action/observation/request brings up nothing. Us Too has a limited set of verbs, and the main thing is to guess a two-word phrase. To see what verbs are used, try VERBS. >l Cell, Urban Still stuck. No fair! There must be a way out! You're getting sick of the noises of the city all around you. You have no clue where they're coming from. You're not aware you were anywhere near a city. But what's more important is getting out of here. >eye The eyes light up green and show six dots, then three dots. >cellar bun A voice in your head encourages you: "Seem, or see, more!" You've got SOMETHING right, here. >cellar buasdf A voice in your head encourages you: "Seem, or see, more!" You've got SOMETHING right, here. >cellar ban You're on the right track, though I don't think merchants would want to come down here. Another setting, perhaps? You process this and shake your head a bit. You know you MUST've been at least half right. >cellar bin You bang on the cell door, claiming you've been sent to the wrong place. To your surprise, two maintenance workers come by and agree. One pushes a button. You are spun around! You fall to the floor, dizzy. "Okay. Next time, if you fall in the trap, you'll fall here in the cellar instead of the cell." You thank them, you guess, not immediately sure what good it will do. Cellar Bin You're in a bin. Not a particularly interesting one, but if your name were Abe, why, then you'd be Abe in a bin! The only way out is back up. [Your score just went up by a point!] >l Cellar Bin The only way out is back up. >eye The eyes see nothing in the general area but seem to be wandering to A'ight, Amusing Item Using. >u As you crawl up a small shaft, you find the outline of a trap door. You flip it up, and -- whew! You're back in Fort Earns-Four-Turns. But once you're on your feet, you can't see the trap door any more. Fort Earns-Four-Turns The be-quick beak/wick revealed when you pulled the lever is here. You can also go back northeast. The fell trap sits here ominously. It looks as though it's been reset since you last visited, if you need to EXAMINE it and get caught again, for whatever reason. But it might send you somewhere new you can't walk to. >take wick You never need to take anything explicitly in Us Too, though you have the option of taking two hint items. However, trying to take an item may give you a hint as to what you really need to do to acquire or use it. >x trap Thud! But you're a bit more prepared for the drop this time. Ouch! That hurt, but you still have your speed intact. In fact, the fall was so brief, you don't think you lost any serious time. You wouldn't want to fall quickly again, though. That'd leave you dazed, even though you knew what was coming. Cellar Bin The only way out is back up. You know it's one-way, of course. >u You walk up through the vanishing trap door again. Fort Earns-Four-Turns The be-quick beak/wick revealed when you pulled the lever is here. You can also go back northeast. The fell trap sits here ominously. It looks as though it's been reset since you last visited, if you need to EXAMINE it and get caught again, for whatever reason. But it might send you somewhere new you can't walk to. >x trap Thud! But you're a bit more prepared for the drop this time. Unfortunately, falling down two times in quick succession knocked the speed out of you. Cellar Bin The only way out is back up. You know it's one-way, of course. >u You walk up through the vanishing trap door again. Fort Earns-Four-Turns The be-quick beak/wick revealed when you pulled the lever is here. You can also go back northeast. The fell trap sits here ominously. It looks as though it's been reset since you last visited, if you need to EXAMINE it and get caught again, for whatever reason. But it might send you somewhere new you can't walk to. >x beak The be-quick beak/wick sits here. You poke at it again. You feel that speed rush again. >eye The eyes see nothing in the general area but seem to be wandering to A'ight, Amusing Item Using. >ne Ur-Branch There are so many branches here! While you can go back DOWN to your mine, the branches make more sense than they did at first. The branches you've been to include north to Blah Copse, northeast to Bore Dread and southwest to Fort Earns-Four-Turns. Also, you've done all you need back northwest, southeast, east and inside behind the garden tree. The hike up to the high cup revealed passages south, west and southwest. The south and west both seemed to have treacherous terrain. How to minimize its risks? >s Tube/Rod Further passage south is blocked by a huge nondescript wall with a single tube/rod sticking out of it. [NOTE: you can get back here with SSS to save time. No need to revisit Fort Earns-Four-Turns.] You realize you're somewhere new, and you look at the pro ball. A new passage lights up inside it, but the area's still mostly dim. Looks like you've navigated things well and found everything south of Ur-Branch! Well, each initial passage. You spend time pacing around the new place. So much time, your burst of speed vanishes. >too broad The tube/rod slowly cracks, then bursts. You pause a bit and hope it's not a tube leading to bleeding... but in fact the area just behind is nice and green and nature-like and expansive. So expansive, you lose track of where the tube/rod was. "Grasp, Ace: Grass" Space [Your score just went up by a point!] >; Comment noted. If you wanted this as a command, get rid of the starting character. >l "Grasp, Ace: Grass" Space With the tube/rod burst, it's much more green and relaxing and expansive here. You can now go south as well as back north. >eye The eyes see nothing in the general area but seem to be wandering to A'ight, Amusing Item Using. >s Dam, Pink You can only go back north. The dam is oozing various liquids, though you're not sure what you want or need yet. A clay mitt lies here. Perhaps it was dislodged when you broadened the tube/rod, or perhaps it was just lying around forever. But you'd feel weird just TAKEing it. [NOTE: you can use NN to go back to Ur-Branch from here or (spoiler alert) any other room in the south not directly connected to Ur-Branch. Also, you can use R or RR to rotate between these rooms once you've found them all.] >claim it You wonder if someone would really miss this clay mitt. But then you realize there's nothing stopping you, and they probably didn't just stop by here on vacation and lose it. Maybe they left it here because they thought someone else might find it more useful! [Your score just went up by a point!] >l Dam, Pink You can only go back north. The dam is oozing various liquids, though you're not sure what you want or need yet. >eye The eyes light up yellow and show four dots, then three dots. >n "Grasp, Ace: Grass" Space With the tube/rod burst, it's much more green and relaxing and expansive here. You can now go south as well as back north. >eye The eyes see nothing in the general area but seem to be wandering to A'ight, Amusing Item Using. >n Ur-Branch There are so many branches here! While you can go back DOWN to your mine, the branches make more sense than they did at first. The branches you've been to include north to Blah Copse, northeast to Bore Dread and southwest to Fort Earns-Four-Turns. Also, you've done all you need back northwest, southeast, east and inside behind the garden tree. The hike up to the high cup revealed passages south, west and southwest. You've seen something to the south with a burst of speed but nothing to the west, yet. Ooh! There's a sign you didn't see before. A SIGN OUGHT-SIGH-NOT. It tells you how to get back to "Grasp, Ace: Grass" Space. >x sign WAYS SOUTH: "Grasp, Ace: Grass" Space: SSS >w Your pro ball pulses bright red. You remember, from your trip to see the high cup, there was something beyond there. But it looks awfully dense and spooky ahead. You trust the pro ball when it indicates you shouldn't trust yourself. Well, without proper preparation. >sw Fort Earns-Four-Turns The be-quick beak/wick revealed when you pulled the lever is here. You can also go back northeast. The fell trap sits here ominously. It looks as though it's been reset since you last visited, if you need to EXAMINE it and get caught again, for whatever reason. But it might send you somewhere new you can't walk to. >x wick The be-quick beak/wick sits here. You poke at it again. You feel that speed rush again. >ne Ur-Branch There are so many branches here! While you can go back DOWN to your mine, the branches make more sense than they did at first. The branches you've been to include north to Blah Copse, northeast to Bore Dread and southwest to Fort Earns-Four-Turns. Also, you've done all you need back northwest, southeast, east and inside behind the garden tree. A new sign titled SIGN OUGHT-SIGH-NOT stands here. The hike up to the high cup revealed passages south, west and southwest. You've seen something to the south with a burst of speed but nothing to the west, yet. >w It looks scary to the west, but you consult the pro ball, and it's a reassuring shade of green. You feel confident, with your newfound speed, you'll be able to brazen your way through. Of course, there are nasties who nip at you, but you turbo-power your way through long-dead foliage. It's so easy! You're so excited, you forget to slow down when you reach the undergrowth, and you tumble down a slope... you feel a pain in your ankle... and, of course, you no longer feel fast. Bowl Ditch Ouch. Oww. You're lying on the ground, embarrassed how you tripped and fell, worried and scared there's no way back. Your injury is probably more psychological than physical, but it's there, and you need to overcome it. >bold itch You have a think. It's not terrible. You've gotten here. You can get back. You really did trample through whatever was to the east. You walk off the ankle sprain you get from falling down. As you do, you notice passages west and north -- a bit hidden, but actually a bit more obvious than the way back east. Wow! The things you notice once you take a deep breath and try to gain perspective! [Your score just went up by a point!] >l Bowl Ditch Now you've got your bearings, you wonder why this place ever intimidated you. You see passages north (unvisited) and west (unvisited), as well as back east to Ur-Branch. >eye The eyes see nothing in the general area but seem to be wandering to A'ight, Amusing Item Using. > Ideally I-D-L-E! >n Sob Acres You feel very sad and lonely here. You're looking for someone, anyone.... You can always just go back south, of course. >eye The eyes light up green and show three dots, then six dots. >sub acres That thought/action/observation/request brings up nothing. Us Too has a limited set of verbs, and the main thing is to guess a two-word phrase. To see what verbs are used, try VERBS. >sob bakers A voice in your head encourages you: "Seem, or see, more!" You've got SOMETHING right, here. >asdf bakers A voice in your head encourages you: "Seem, or see, more!" You've got SOMETHING right, here. >so bakers A voice in your head encourages you: "Seem, or see, more!" You've got SOMETHING right, here. >saw bakers You keep an eye out for other people. Eventually, you see them: bakers, upset they're getting no business. You can probably go INSIDE to their deli. [Your score just went up by a point!] >in Deli, Stern You can only really go out here. Some fey loners/fail-owners trudge around miserably here. >delis turn Possible, but it's facing the right direction. Perhaps you could find what it's facing. >x deli Nothing (significant) here like that. Note that while you may need to act on room names, X/EYE (THIS ROOM'S NAME) is often not implemented because L or LOOK takes less characters to type. >adsf turn Possible, but it's facing the right direction. Perhaps you could find what it's facing. >delis dfaads That thought/action/observation/request brings up nothing. Us Too has a limited set of verbs, and the main thing is to guess a two-word phrase. To see what verbs are used, try VERBS. >delly turn Possible, but it's facing the right direction. Perhaps you could find what it's facing. >x fey They look pretty unsocial, which is pretty bad for business owners. Maybe you can TALK to them for what they need. >talk to fey They grouse about how the salesman lied that this deli had location. >eye The eyes light up green and show four dots, then seven dots. >dell esterns A voice in your head encourages you: "Seem, or see, more!" You've got SOMETHING right, here. >dell asdfa A voice in your head encourages you: "Seem, or see, more!" You've got SOMETHING right, here. >dell eastern The surroundings are a bit more welcoming now. Oh, you can go east as well as out, too. The fey loners/fail-owners look slightly cheerful. "We can't expect business to pick up right away, but who knows? Next time you come back, there might be some progress." [Your score just went up by a point!] >l Deli, Stern You can only really go out (well, east, same thing) here. Some fey loners/fail-owners trudge around miserably here. >eye The eyes see nothing in the general area but seem to be wandering to A'ight, Amusing Item Using. >e Dell, Eastern This dell still has an air of mystery about it, like it's hiding something, but there's the deli inside to the west, and that's pretty good. You can always just go back south, of course. >eye The eyes see nothing in the general area but seem to be wandering to A'ight, Amusing Item Using. Hmm. After using the eyes, you realize you may've already worked things out. Maybe THINK and revisit what you tried. >think You try and think of stuff you tried, but the time wasn't quite right, or maybe you only figured it half-way. You can call MALT HOUR in Bore Dread once you have a variety of alcohol to share. You can trade for some DOPE ALE now you've found find willing traders with a bit extra. >dope all A voice in your head encourages you: "Seem, or see, more!" You've got SOMETHING right, here. [NOTE: you've actually already figured both words before. THINK may refresh your memory.] >dope ale Just go back inside the deli. They're ready to swap. Hmph. That still doesn't quite work! You'll figure out the how and when and where, though. >w Deli, Stern You can only really go out (well, east, same thing) here. Those fey loners/fail-owners look less miserable now. The fey loners/fail-owners perk up on seeing you. "We had a few customers. We might even have prospective repeat customers! But we're running short of bread. Even some of the cheap white generic stuff would do. We'll trade for it. Just ask for the right thing." >dope ale You make the trade: dough pail for dope ale! The fey loners/fail-owners note they're actually getting business. They bet if you come back a bit later, there'll be even more. [Your score just went up by a point!] >e Dell, Eastern This dell still has an air of mystery about it, like it's hiding something, but there's the deli inside to the west, and that's pretty good. You can always just go back south, of course. >i First, helpful stuff Aunt Rickie-Anne didn't explicitly ask for, in your Aw-Lug-All-Ugh: the Terra Blade a pro ball You have six of fourteen items listed in A'ight, Amusing Item Using. That's two more than the last time you checked with X. You also have the loose intro, the sly size-slice eyes and the war pawn are to help you solve puzzles. You've got more than enough alcohol in the form of the dope ale, so maybe you can use it to bribe someone or a group of people. You still have that Urge-Ought-'Er Jot flopping about, too. It didn't seem too important, though, so you can drop it. >think You try and think of stuff you tried, but the time wasn't quite right, or maybe you only figured it half-way. You can call MALT HOUR in Bore Dread once you have a variety of alcohol to share. >malt hour That thought/action/observation/request brings up nothing. Us Too has a limited set of verbs, and the main thing is to guess a two-word phrase. To see what verbs are used, try VERBS. >l Dell, Eastern This dell still has an air of mystery about it, like it's hiding something, but there's the deli inside to the west, and that's pretty good. You can always just go back south, of course. >i First, helpful stuff Aunt Rickie-Anne didn't explicitly ask for, in your Aw-Lug-All-Ugh: the Terra Blade a pro ball You have six of fourteen items listed in A'ight, Amusing Item Using. That's two more than the last time you checked with X. You also have the loose intro, the sly size-slice eyes and the war pawn are to help you solve puzzles. You've got more than enough alcohol in the form of the dope ale, so maybe you can use it to bribe someone or a group of people. You still have that Urge-Ought-'Er Jot flopping about, too. It didn't seem too important, though, so you can drop it. >l Dell, Eastern This dell still has an air of mystery about it, like it's hiding something, but there's the deli inside to the west, and that's pretty good. You can always just go back south, of course. >eye The eyes see nothing in the general area but seem to be wandering to A'ight, Amusing Item Using. Hmm. After using the eyes, you realize you may've already worked things out. Maybe THINK and revisit what you tried. >w "Die, Nerviness" Diner Venus You can only really go out (well, east, same thing) here. Those fey loners/fail-owners point to the Toon Eat-Too-Neat. The fey loners/fail-owners look a bit happier than before. "We've had a few more customers. We even rebranded our business! And created some ambiance! Even got a promotion for new meals! No-one's figured it out yet, but maybe you can ... well, we think it's sort of cute..." They point to something they drew on the wall. "A Toon Eat-Too-Neat! Pretty spiffy, eh?" >eye Nothing for the general area, though the sly size-slice eyes seem to wander between A'ight, Amusing Item Using and the Toon Eat-Too-Neat. >tune eat That thought/action/observation/request brings up nothing. Us Too has a limited set of verbs, and the main thing is to guess a two-word phrase. To see what verbs are used, try VERBS. >too neat That thought/action/observation/request brings up nothing. Us Too has a limited set of verbs, and the main thing is to guess a two-word phrase. To see what verbs are used, try VERBS. >x neat The Toon Eat-Too-Neat has three words, two blurred, one saying AFTER. But the images are clear: a skinny frowning man, the same man ravenously eating, and the same man, belly distended, sitting happily in a recliner. What does it mean? What should it mean? What can it mean? This might be worth talking out to yourself. Just figuring what the hidden words are. >before and after Yes, that feels like one part of what's on the Toon Eat-Too-Neat you need to change. The fey loners/fail-owners probably wouldn't object to you talking your way through what the words should be. Also, this information will be in THINK until you figure exactly what to do. >think You try and think of stuff you tried, but the time wasn't quite right, or maybe you only figured it half-way. You can call MALT HOUR in Bore Dread once you have a variety of alcohol to share. You've deciphered the toon partway but haven't guessed what to do with it. Right now, you know BEFORE ------. >during Yes, that feels like one part of what's on the Toon Eat-Too-Neat you need to change. >be four That thought/action/observation/request brings up nothing. Us Too has a limited set of verbs, and the main thing is to guess a two-word phrase. To see what verbs are used, try VERBS. >beef oar Yes, that first part of the toon's interpretation seems right. But there's more. >do ring That thought/action/observation/request brings up nothing. Us Too has a limited set of verbs, and the main thing is to guess a two-word phrase. To see what verbs are used, try VERBS. >doo wring That thought/action/observation/request brings up nothing. Us Too has a limited set of verbs, and the main thing is to guess a two-word phrase. To see what verbs are used, try VERBS. >aft er That thought/action/observation/request brings up nothing. Us Too has a limited set of verbs, and the main thing is to guess a two-word phrase. To see what verbs are used, try VERBS. >think You try and think of stuff you tried, but the time wasn't quite right, or maybe you only figured it half-way. You can call MALT HOUR in Bore Dread once you have a variety of alcohol to share. You've deciphered the toon completely but haven't guessed what to do with it. Right now, you know BEFORE DURING. >beef A voice in your head encourages you: "Seem, or see, more!" You've got SOMETHING right, here. >beef asdfads A voice in your head encourages you: "Seem, or see, more!" You've got SOMETHING right, here. >beef ord A voice in your head encourages you: "Seem, or see, more!" You've got SOMETHING right, here. >beef ore Yes, that first part of the toon's interpretation seems right. But there's more. >beef oar Yes, that first part of the toon's interpretation seems right. But there's more. >beef oredo A voice in your head encourages you: "Seem, or see, more!" You've got SOMETHING right, here. >eye Nothing for the general area, though the sly size-slice eyes seem to wander between A'ight, Amusing Item Using and the Toon Eat-Too-Neat. >l "Die, Nerviness" Diner Venus You can only really go out (well, east, same thing) here. The Toon Eat-Too-Neat the fey loners/fail-owners scribbled is up on the wall here. >think You try and think of stuff you tried, but the time wasn't quite right, or maybe you only figured it half-way. You can call MALT HOUR in Bore Dread once you have a variety of alcohol to share. You're pretty sure you have one word right for figuring what the Toon Eat-Too-Neat really means. You've deciphered the toon completely but haven't guessed what to do with it. Right now, you know BEFORE DURING. >beef A voice in your head encourages you: "Seem, or see, more!" You've got SOMETHING right, here. >beef ordure A voice in your head encourages you: "Seem, or see, more!" You've got SOMETHING right, here. >beef ordure ring That action brought up nothing. It's more than two words long, so I didn't search if it was a point-scoring command due to the potential for abuse (just guessing a bunch of words). If it was a standard action, try using one word or looking for typos. >beef ordure A voice in your head encourages you: "Seem, or see, more!" You've got SOMETHING right, here. >beef ordering Yes, that's what to do. You consider ordering, but what can you pay with? You have nothing too valuable, or so it seems. But wait! The fey loners/fail-owners spy the Terra Blade on you. You start mumbling surely it can't be used for something so pedestrian ... but perhaps it, or the spirit in it, is sick of saving the world and stuff. "Beef rended: befriended!" the fey loners/fail-owners exclaim, as they hand you a full variety platter: a me-track-meat rack! [Your score just went up by a point!] >l "Die, Nerviness" Diner Venus You can only really go out (well, east, same thing) here. The Toon Eat-Too-Neat the fey loners/fail-owners scribbled is up on the wall here. >eye The eyes see nothing in the general area but seem to be wandering to A'ight, Amusing Item Using. >e Dell, Eastern This dell still has an air of mystery about it, like it's hiding something, but there's the deli inside to the west, and that's pretty good. You can always just go back south, of course. >eye The eyes see nothing in the general area but seem to be wandering to A'ight, Amusing Item Using. Hmm. After using the eyes, you realize you may've already worked things out. Maybe THINK and revisit what you tried. >e While it's pretty open here, the only passages that lead anywhere definitive are south or west/inside. >s Bowl Ditch Now you've got your bearings, you wonder why this place ever intimidated you. You see passages north to Dell, Eastern and west (unvisited), as well as back east to Ur-Branch. >e Ur-Branch There are so many branches here! While you can go back DOWN to your mine, the branches make more sense than they did at first. The branches you've been to include north to Blah Copse, northeast to Bore Dread, southwest to Fort Earns-Four-Turns and west to Bowl Ditch. Also, you've done all you need back northwest, southeast, east and inside behind the garden tree. The SIGN OUGHT-SIGH-NOT stands here for reference. The hike up to the high cup revealed passages south, west and southwest. Maybe there's still some of the south left to explore. >n Blah Copse Thanks to Sir Freddie and your own cleverness, you found a way north as well as back south to Ur-Branch. Sir Freddie's orc lurk foreboding was caused by something to the north. How to face it or prove it wasn't serious? >e You can only leave the copse to the south or north. >n Morph Lairs Returning here, you wonder what you will find. The morph lairs have certainly morphed. There is now a whole row of houses. They seem lifeless, but they're all -- well, plaid. More plaid than anything you've seen. Why, you could call them a row, plaider. There's a whole platter full of them! >rope ladder Your eyes finally adjust to all the egregious plaid, and you discover a plain but sturdy rope ladder. You wonder if there is anything else to do here, but shortly you hear an electronic "HOW?! SCAM!!!!!!" You look up and see a house cam! You run, just in case there's more security. Surely you must be done to the north, you think, once you make it back to ... Ur-Branch And when you do, you feel the rope ladder tug you off in an odd direction. There you find a very steep ascent you'd have missed otherwise. The rope ladder seems to uncoil and go upwards briefly before returning. So now you know a way up! [Your score just went up by a point!] >l Ur-Branch There are so many branches here! While you can go back DOWN to your mine, the branches make more sense than they did at first. The branches you've been to include northeast to Bore Dread, southwest to Fort Earns-Four-Turns and west to Bowl Ditch. You've located a viable passage up without going there. Also, you've done all you need back north, northwest, southeast, east and inside behind the garden tree. The SIGN OUGHT-SIGH-NOT stands here for reference. The hike up to the high cup revealed passages south, west and southwest. Maybe there's still some of the south left to explore. >u You feel a sense of dread as you climb up the rope ladder. Whatever's up there, you're not ready. It would be nice to have a warding talisman or something. >ne Bore Dread Finding the board (red) was almost exciting. But you can't hope for anything else interesting here. Maybe just go back southwest. Well, there's that maul tower guarding the way east. Maybe you can sneak past it. >malt hour The dope ale isn't quite enough. A rumbling from the maul tower suggests they want variety, if they can't specifically get malt. They have a point, you guess. There are probably quite a few of them there. Hmph. That still doesn't quite work! You'll figure out the how and when and where, though. >think You try and think of stuff you tried, but the time wasn't quite right, or maybe you only figured it half-way. You can call MALT HOUR here once you have a variety of alcohol to share. >sw Ur-Branch There are so many branches here! While you can go back DOWN to your mine, the branches make more sense than they did at first. The branches you've been to include northeast to Bore Dread, southwest to Fort Earns-Four-Turns and west to Bowl Ditch. You've located a viable passage up without going there. Also, you've done all you need back north, northwest, southeast, east and inside behind the garden tree. The SIGN OUGHT-SIGH-NOT stands here for reference. The hike up to the high cup revealed passages south, west and southwest. Maybe there's still some of the south left to explore. >w The trail you blazed is easy to follow back. Bowl Ditch Now you've got your bearings, you wonder why this place ever intimidated you. You see passages north to Dell, Eastern and west (unvisited), as well as back east to Ur-Branch. >w Turbo Tours You can go back east, but there are also tours that cross water to the south--or go far beyond. A huge star craft rests here. No way you'll be able to afford it -- something more modest, perhaps. >stark raft You let slip that perhaps a stark raft is more in your price range. A voice from behind the star craft agrees. They, in fact, have a particularly plain one which has been not at all good for business. They're willing to give it to you, if you promise not to loiter too much. Thus, they redirect you away to a new area of Turbo Tours, one without the star craft, and tell you the "budget" vacation is a rustic isle just south. Not at all crowded with tourists! You feel belittled, but hey, a free raft is a free raft. Your prime oar should work just fine on it. You quickly run back to the beach to get it, then return and fit it to the raft. [Your score just went up by a point!] Boy! All this carrying and dropping items and using your oar to get through the water has been good for your physical conditioning. You've grown some dense pecs. >den specs You lose a bit of strength, strength you didn't really need, and wind up with a pair of glasses that may help you find a secret passage somewhere. You hope. You're secretly happy your dense pecs remain, though you don't really pay attention to them now they got you something. [Your score just went up by a point!] >l Turbo Tours You can go back east, but there are also tours that cross water to the south--or go far beyond. The stark raft, fitted with the prime oar, here can take you across the water to the south to somewhere new. You can also see a prime oar here. >eye The eyes glow dimly green and show four dots, then seven dots. >tear boaters A voice in your head encourages you: "Seem, or see, more!" You've got SOMETHING right, here. >asd boaters A voice in your head encourages you: "Seem, or see, more!" You've got SOMETHING right, here. >ter boaters A voice in your head encourages you: "Seem, or see, more!" You've got SOMETHING right, here. >tar boaters A voice in your head encourages you: "Seem, or see, more!" You've got SOMETHING right, here. >tor boaters A voice in your head encourages you: "Seem, or see, more!" You've got SOMETHING right, here. >tur boaters A voice in your head encourages you: "Seem, or see, more!" You've got SOMETHING right, here. >eye The eyes glow dimly green and show four dots, then seven dots. >tear boaters A voice in your head encourages you: "Seem, or see, more!" You've got SOMETHING right, here. >tour boaters You have a business idea! You explain it to the folks at Turbo Tours. They play it down, but of course, after a bit they implement it and it works well and they take credit for it. That's sort of a bummer, but you are glad to have made the area a bit more accessible to less aggressive tourists. [Your score just went up by a bonus point!] >l Turbo Tours (now with tour boaters) You can go back east, but there are also tours that cross water to the south--or go far beyond. The stark raft, fitted with the prime oar, here can take you across the water to the south to somewhere new. You can also see a prime oar here. >eye The eyes see nothing in the general area but seem to be wandering to A'ight, Amusing Item Using. Hmm. After using the eyes, you realize you may've already worked things out. Maybe THINK and revisit what you tried. >think You try and think of stuff you tried, but the time wasn't quite right, or maybe you only figured it half-way. You can call MALT HOUR in Bore Dread once you have a variety of alcohol to share. >malt hour That thought/action/observation/request brings up nothing. Us Too has a limited set of verbs, and the main thing is to guess a two-word phrase. To see what verbs are used, try VERBS. >l Turbo Tours (now with tour boaters) You can go back east, but there are also tours that cross water to the south--or go far beyond. The stark raft, fitted with the prime oar, here can take you across the water to the south to somewhere new. You can also see a prime oar here. >pry more That thought/action/observation/request brings up nothing. Us Too has a limited set of verbs, and the main thing is to guess a two-word phrase. To see what verbs are used, try VERBS. >s Your prime oar really is prime! You effortlessly navigate your way south. Far-Miles Farm Isles Well, maybe not that far. Perhaps it's just named that way to seem more exotic. The stark raft, fitted with the prime oar, here can take you back north to Turbo Tours (now with tour boaters). A Bar, Nopin', sits here trying to look elite. Perhaps you don't need to get there but somewhere else. It has a fine drinks ad attached to it. You can also see a prime oar here. >barn open Of course it makes sense there'd be a barn on farm isles. You find a barn, open, hidden behind the bar. There are some truly glorious eggs in there, but you have nothing to barter for them yet. "Food for food," you're told. "But only what you have extra of." (useful command again saved to THINK for later reference.) >think You try and think of stuff you tried, but the time wasn't quite right, or maybe you only figured it half-way. You can call MALT HOUR in Bore Dread once you have a variety of alcohol to share. You can transact with the BARN OPEN here once you have food to barter. >l Far-Miles Farm Isles Well, maybe not that far. Perhaps it's just named that way to seem more exotic. The stark raft, fitted with the prime oar, here can take you back north to Turbo Tours (now with tour boaters). A Bar, Nopin', sits here trying to look elite. Perhaps you don't need to get there but somewhere else. It has a fine drinks ad attached to it. You can also see a prime oar here. >drink sad Nothing (significant) here like that. (Once-per-room reminder:) while you may need to act on room names, X/EYE (THIS ROOM'S NAME) is often not implemented because L or LOOK takes less characters to type. >eye Nothing for the general area, though the sly size-slice eyes seem to wander between A'ight, Amusing Item Using and the fine drinks ad. >find rinks It's too warm out for ice rinks, but then, you didn't expect any clues to be obvious. Perhaps you just need to look for reasonably-sized ponds that could freeze pretty quickly in the winter. A bit of wandering, and you find them... Berries Pond All sorts of vegetation is here. Alas, the bushes seem to have been picked clean. Maybe someone or something who knows more about the area could help you. Or you could just go back north to the more populated part of the farm isles. [Your score just went up by a point!] >save A voice taunts "Save?! I'll say, VILE!" Ok. >l Berries Pond All sorts of vegetation is here. Alas, the bushes seem to have been picked clean. Maybe someone or something who knows more about the area could help you. Or you could just go back north to the more populated part of the farm isles. >eye The eyes light up green and show four dots, then seven dots. >bay respond A voice in your head encourages you: "Seem, or see, more!" You've got SOMETHING right, here. >bear respond You have no idea whether to call a bear or even if it's a good idea. But you find a honeycomb high up in a tree. It's too high up for you, even when you return with the prime oar, which will maybe be useful if things get violent. You wave the oar around the tree, hoping to catch a bear's attention. The bear nods at you as if to say "Huh, Neatest Honey Test!" You hand it the prime oar, and it swats down the honeycomb, which it takes. But it provides you with a variety of berries in payment for saving it the effort with the oar. Then it lifts up a paw. You are on its territory. It would not do to stay. You have gotten what you want, and it is time to go. So you do. Far-Miles Farm Isles [Your score just went up by a point!] >l Far-Miles Farm Isles Well, maybe not that far. Perhaps it's just named that way to seem more exotic. A Bar, Nopin', sits here trying to look elite. Perhaps you don't need to get there but somewhere else. It has a fine drinks ad attached to it. >barn open You visit the barn. Inside it are some truly glorious eggs! Of course, they are not for free, but you have plenty of extra berries. The farmer thanks you--picking berries to the south is so treacherous--and hands you the very best egg. It's an egg of a GUV'! [Your score just went up by a point!] >i First, helpful stuff Aunt Rickie-Anne didn't explicitly ask for, in your Aw-Lug-All-Ugh: an Egg of a Guv' some den specs (from your dense pecs) a rope ladder a pro ball You have eight of fourteen items listed in A'ight, Amusing Item Using. That's four more than the last time you checked with X. You also have the loose intro, the sly size-slice eyes and the war pawn are to help you solve puzzles. You've got more than enough alcohol in the form of the dope ale, so maybe you can use it to bribe someone or a group of people. You still have that Urge-Ought-'Er Jot flopping about, too. It didn't seem too important, though, so you can drop it. You still have some dense pecs left over from making the den specs, but ... they're a part of you. You're almost bored of having them. So I won't mention them again. >eye The eyes see nothing in the general area but seem to be wandering to A'ight, Amusing Item Using. >l Far-Miles Farm Isles Well, maybe not that far. Perhaps it's just named that way to seem more exotic. A Bar, Nopin', sits here trying to look elite. Perhaps you don't need to get there but somewhere else. It has a fine drinks ad attached to it. >n Turbo Tours (now with tour boaters) You can go back east, but there are also tours that cross water to the south--or go far beyond. The stark raft, fitted with the prime oar, sits here. It served you well, but you don't need to go back across the water. You've toured where you need to. You can also see a prime oar here. >s You got the Egg of a Guv' and berries from the Farm Isles. Nothing is left back that way. >w You can only go back east to the Bowl/Ditch. South, you got what you needed. >eye The eyes see nothing in the general area but seem to be wandering to A'ight, Amusing Item Using. Hmm. After using the eyes, you realize you may've already worked things out. Maybe THINK and revisit what you tried. >think You try and think of stuff you tried, but the time wasn't quite right, or maybe you only figured it half-way. You can call MALT HOUR in Bore Dread once you have a variety of alcohol to share. >malt hour That thought/action/observation/request brings up nothing. Us Too has a limited set of verbs, and the main thing is to guess a two-word phrase. To see what verbs are used, try VERBS. >e Bowl Ditch You only need to go north to Dell, Eastern. You've taken care of things to the west, even improving Turbo Tours. >eye The eyes see nothing in the general area but seem to be wandering to A'ight, Amusing Item Using. >l Bowl Ditch You only need to go north to Dell, Eastern. You've taken care of things to the west, even improving Turbo Tours. >n Dell, Eastern There's the deli to the west, or you can go DOWN into a den. You can always just go back south, of course. Your den specs reveal something you missed before, here. A passage leading down to what must be a den. >eye The eyes see nothing in the general area but seem to be wandering to A'ight, Amusing Item Using. Hmm. After using the eyes, you realize you may've already worked things out. Maybe THINK and revisit what you tried. >think You try and think of stuff you tried, but the time wasn't quite right, or maybe you only figured it half-way. You can call MALT HOUR in Bore Dread once you have a variety of alcohol to share. >malt hour That thought/action/observation/request brings up nothing. Us Too has a limited set of verbs, and the main thing is to guess a two-word phrase. To see what verbs are used, try VERBS. >d Groan Odes Groan odes ring out everywhere. What would this place be like without them? Are they repressing happy people? Covering something more sinister? Only passage back up seems safe. >grow nodes The groan odes retract, as nodes grow out, creating a more menacing noise. The nodes are numbered, too, from one on quite a while. There are a lot to poke at! Numb Bursting Number String So, yeah, there's something to LISTEN to and a bunch of numbered nodes. Maybe one is vulnerable. [Your score just went up by a point!] >listen From the numbered nodes, threats of imminent destruction. But when? >l Numb Bursting Number String The groan odes have ceased, replaced by numbered nodes, from which emanate eerie silence interrupted by occasional menacing beeping and mechanical voice mentioning destruction is IMMINENT and all that sort of thing. Only passage back up seems safe. >x nodes It's a long string of numbered nodes: node one, node two, and up past a hundred. You feel helpless at the thought of disabling it all. Thus, a numb bursting number string. But maybe one of the nodes is especially vulnerable! >eye The eyes see nothing in the general area but seem to be wandering to A'ight, Amusing Item Using. >know date Ah yes. That's the key. To know which number is the weakness. You process this and shake your head a bit. You know you MUST've been at least half right. >know adf Ah yes. That's the key. To know which number is the weakness. >know done Ah yes. That's the key. To know which number is the weakness. >know dirty Ah yes. That's the key. To know which number is the weakness. >know daty Ah yes. That's the key. To know which number is the weakness. >know datey Ah yes. That's the key. To know which number is the weakness. >know dateyone Ah yes. That's the key. To know which number is the weakness. >l Numb Bursting Number String The groan odes have ceased, replaced by numbered nodes, from which emanate eerie silence interrupted by occasional menacing beeping and mechanical voice mentioning destruction is IMMINENT and all that sort of thing. Only passage back up seems safe. >eye The eyes see nothing in the general area but seem to be wandering to A'ight, Amusing Item Using. >eye The eyes see nothing in the general area but seem to be wandering to A'ight, Amusing Item Using. >eye nodes The eyes light up yellow and show two dots, then four dots. Well! That's a low reading for a numbered string, or numbered nodes. Perhaps one node is particularly weak, and that's the one to work on. >eye node one Nothing (significant) here like that. (Once-per-room reminder:) while you may need to act on room names, X/EYE (THIS ROOM'S NAME) is often not implemented because L/EYE without a subject takes less characters to type. >l Numb Bursting Number String The groan odes have ceased, replaced by numbered nodes, from which emanate eerie silence interrupted by occasional menacing beeping and mechanical voice mentioning destruction is IMMINENT and all that sort of thing. Only passage back up seems safe. >eye The eyes see nothing in the general area but seem to be wandering to A'ight, Amusing Item Using. >x node Nothing (significant) here like that. >x nodes It's a long string of numbered nodes: node one, node two, and up past a hundred. You feel helpless at the thought of disabling it all. Thus, a numb bursting number string. But maybe one of the nodes is especially vulnerable! >no adsf A voice in your head encourages you: "Seem, or see, more!" You've got SOMETHING right, here. [NOTE: you've just figured a two-word solution by parts. THINK may refresh your memory.] >think You try and think of stuff you tried, but the time wasn't quite right, or maybe you only figured it half-way. You can call MALT HOUR in Bore Dread once you have a variety of alcohol to share. You feel you've got the words right on separate occasions for figuring how to destroy the nodes, or the most important one. You can have THINK verify the identity of the separate words with THINK WELL. THIN QUELL turns the option off. >think well Revealing commands half-thought two different ways is now on. >think You try and think of stuff you tried, but the time wasn't quite right, or maybe you only figured it half-way. You can call MALT HOUR in Bore Dread once you have a variety of alcohol to share. You feel you've got the words right on separate occasions for figuring how to destroy the nodes, or the most important one: NO DATE. >no date Yes ... that feels right, but you have no tool with which to tear apart node eight. (useful command again saved to THINK for later reference.) >u Dell, Eastern There's the deli to the west, or you can go DOWN into a den. You can always just go back south, of course. >eye The eyes see nothing in the general area but seem to be wandering to A'ight, Amusing Item Using. Hmm. After using the eyes, you realize you may've already worked things out. Maybe THINK and revisit what you tried. >think You try and think of stuff you tried, but the time wasn't quite right, or maybe you only figured it half-way. You can call MALT HOUR in Bore Dread once you have a variety of alcohol to share. You can claim NO DATE in Numb Bursting Number String once you have a tool that can destroy the nodes. >w "Die, Nerviness" Diner Venus You can only really go out (well, east, same thing) here. The Toon Eat-Too-Neat the fey loners/fail-owners scribbled is up on the wall here. The fey loners/fail-owners cheer your return. "Wow! You've really helped up! Your dough was great, but ... with the profits from our latest customers, we bought some entirely new stuff!" They point to yet another sign up on the wall. "Free samples for everyone! Well, you more than most, for all your help." The sign say WHEE TRY. >wheat rye The fey loners/fail-owners applaud you. "Yes! That's just the thing!" They chop up the wheat and rye with the erstwhile Terra Blade. They give you a good chunk. Of the bread, not the blade. [Your score just went up by a point!] >l "Die, Nerviness" Diner Venus You can only really go out (well, east, same thing) here. A WHEE TRY sign is here--it'd be cheery even if you hadn't gotten free samples from it. The Toon Eat-Too-Neat the fey loners/fail-owners scribbled is up on the wall here. >eye The eyes see nothing in the general area but seem to be wandering to A'ight, Amusing Item Using. >e "Oh! We almost forgot! Business is booming so much, we might even start selling ice cream. You've earned a little something. Maybe this will come in handy for you. We don't need any repairs at the moment, and if we did, we'd need a different tool." They hand you some "Mope, Liars, Mo'" Pliers. Dell, Eastern There's the deli to the west, or you can go DOWN into a den. You can always just go back south, of course. >x pliers On the one hand, they're pliers, so they can't be too hard to use. But on the other hand, they were supposed to be kind of special, so you're worried you've overlooked an obvious feature. Guess you can only hope to use them right when the time comes. >l Dell, Eastern There's the deli to the west, or you can go DOWN into a den. You can always just go back south, of course. >eye The eyes see nothing in the general area but seem to be wandering to A'ight, Amusing Item Using. Hmm. After using the eyes, you realize you may've already worked things out. Maybe THINK and revisit what you tried. >think You try and think of stuff you tried, but the time wasn't quite right, or maybe you only figured it half-way. You can call MALT HOUR in Bore Dread once you have a variety of alcohol to share. You can claim NO DATE in Numb Bursting Number String now you have a tool that can destroy the nodes. >no date The first word was a valid command that could stand on its own. The second may be unnecessary, or a typo. >d Numb Bursting Number String The groan odes have ceased, replaced by numbered nodes, from which emanate eerie silence interrupted by occasional menacing beeping and mechanical voice mentioning destruction is IMMINENT and all that sort of thing. Only passage back up seems safe. >no date You realize which node to hack up. You realise what to say. The "Mope, Liars, Mo'" Pliers do their work on node eight. "Imminent destruction?" you scoff. "NO DATE!" You hear a FIZZ, then a BOOM ... the explosion knocks you back. Boy! It's a good thing you were still wearing those den specs! The pliers fly from your hand and into the specs, which they twist and shatter and blow off your face into a corner. A corner which disappears as the roof starts to collapse. You figure it's a good time to go back to the dell. There, people start streaming towards you. They lift you up in the air, which is fun for the first fifteen seconds, but you know they mean well. They prove they mean well by handing you a valuable item. "THE HELP-IN-HELL PIN," one of them booms. You note you haven't come across anything close to hell, so maybe ... well ... You are cut off again. It will help you in anywhere unusually uncomfortable. Well, it sure can't hurt. There's not much else to say. You feel a bit awkward. All you can do is tell them to visit the nice cheery new deli just off to the west! That, they do. Hooray, bringing people together! Dell, Eastern [Your score just went up by a point!] >l Dell, Eastern With the den taken care of, the deli to the west is doing great business. You can always just go back south, of course. >eye The eyes see nothing in the general area but seem to be wandering to A'ight, Amusing Item Using. Hmm. After using the eyes, you realize you may've already worked things out. Maybe THINK and revisit what you tried. >think You try and think of stuff you tried, but the time wasn't quite right, or maybe you only figured it half-way. You can call MALT HOUR in Bore Dread once you have a variety of alcohol to share. >malt hour That thought/action/observation/request brings up nothing. Us Too has a limited set of verbs, and the main thing is to guess a two-word phrase. To see what verbs are used, try VERBS. >d Everything's okay there. Time to move on. >w You stop by and recognize a few of the people who cheered you setting them free from the groan odes and number-sting. It's a great few hours, but you need to get on with your quest. They thank you for your bravery, and the fey loners/fail-owners thank you for helping their business grow so fast before grumbling about all the taxes they'll need to pay on their new profits. >eye The eyes see nothing in the general area but seem to be wandering to A'ight, Amusing Item Using. Hmm. After using the eyes, you realize you may've already worked things out. Maybe THINK and revisit what you tried. >l Dell, Eastern You've had your fun in the deli to the west, so you don't see much to do here. You can always just go back south, of course. >s Bowl Ditch You only need to go north to Dell, Eastern. You've taken care of things to the west, even improving Turbo Tours. >w You got the Egg of a Guv' and berries from the Farm Isles, and you tweaked Turbo Tours, too. Nothing is left back that way. >e You got that egg, and you destroyed the nodes. You're pretty sure the area behind you, to the west of Ur-Branch, is clear now. You consult the pro ball to make sure. It shows a large map of where you've been, and after a couple seconds, the west area grows dim. Ur-Branch There are so many branches here! While you can go back DOWN to your mine, the branches make more sense than they did at first. The branches you've been to include northeast to Bore Dread and southwest to Fort Earns-Four-Turns. You've located a viable passage up without going there. Also, you've done all you need back north, northwest, southeast, east, west and inside behind the garden tree. The SIGN OUGHT-SIGH-NOT stands here for reference. The hike up to the high cup revealed passages south, west and southwest. Maybe there's still some of the south left to explore. >u Throne Ow-Throw-Now Weird, you thought hell was usually down, but your hell pin is protecting you here, you think. You can only go back down to the Ur-Branch. Horrid orders come from the throne, pulling you to it ... "YOU! SIT! YOU! SIT!" >use it It would be useful to have an item of power, but alas, you do not, at the moment. (useful command again saved to THINK for later reference.) >think You try and think of stuff you tried, but the time wasn't quite right, or maybe you only figured it half-way. You can call MALT HOUR in Bore Dread once you have a variety of alcohol to share. You can USE IT here once you have an item of power to use. >eye The eyes light up yellow and show three dots, then two dots. Hmm. After using the eyes, you realize you may've already worked things out. Maybe THINK and revisit what you tried. Wow! That's a short reading. Maybe it's not the throne but what it's saying. >l Throne Ow-Throw-Now Weird, you thought hell was usually down, but your hell pin is protecting you here, you think. You can only go back down to the Ur-Branch. Horrid orders come from the throne, pulling you to it ... "YOU! SIT! YOU! SIT!" >u You can only go back down here. >eye The eyes light up yellow and show three dots, then two dots. Hmm. After using the eyes, you realize you may've already worked things out. Maybe THINK and revisit what you tried. Wow! That's a short reading. Maybe it's not the throne but what it's saying. >d Ur-Branch There are so many branches here! While you can go back DOWN to your mine, the branches make more sense than they did at first. The branches you've been to include northeast to Bore Dread, southwest to Fort Earns-Four-Turns and up to Throne Ow-Throw-Now. Also, you've done all you need back north, northwest, southeast, east, west and inside behind the garden tree. The SIGN OUGHT-SIGH-NOT stands here for reference. The hike up to the high cup revealed passages south, west and southwest. Maybe there's still some of the south left to explore. >eye The eyes see nothing in the general area but seem to be wandering to A'ight, Amusing Item Using. >nw You can't imagine anything is off northwest other than the Terra Blade. >ne Bore Dread Finding the board (red) was almost exciting. But you can't hope for anything else interesting here. Maybe just go back southwest. Well, there's that maul tower guarding the way east. Maybe you can sneak past it. >malt hour The dope ale isn't quite enough. A rumbling from the maul tower suggests they want variety, if they can't specifically get malt. They have a point, you guess. There are probably quite a few of them there. Hmph. That still doesn't quite work! You'll figure out the how and when and where, though. >think You try and think of stuff you tried, but the time wasn't quite right, or maybe you only figured it half-way. You can call MALT HOUR here once you have a variety of alcohol to share. You can USE IT in Throne Ow-Throw-Now once you have an item of power to use. >eye The eyes see nothing in the general area but seem to be wandering to A'ight, Amusing Item Using. Hmm. After using the eyes, you realize you may've already worked things out. Maybe THINK and revisit what you tried. >l Bore Dread Finding the board (red) was almost exciting. But you can't hope for anything else interesting here. Maybe just go back southwest. Well, there's that maul tower guarding the way east. Maybe you can sneak past it. >sw Ur-Branch There are so many branches here! While you can go back DOWN to your mine, the branches make more sense than they did at first. The branches you've been to include northeast to Bore Dread, southwest to Fort Earns-Four-Turns and up to Throne Ow-Throw-Now. Also, you've done all you need back north, northwest, southeast, east, west and inside behind the garden tree. The SIGN OUGHT-SIGH-NOT stands here for reference. The hike up to the high cup revealed passages south, west and southwest. Maybe there's still some of the south left to explore. >sw Fort Earns-Four-Turns The be-quick beak/wick revealed when you pulled the lever is here. You can also go back northeast. The fell trap sits here ominously. It looks as though it's been reset since you last visited, if you need to EXAMINE it and get caught again, for whatever reason. But it might send you somewhere new you can't walk to. >eye The eyes see nothing in the general area but seem to be wandering to A'ight, Amusing Item Using. >x trap Thud! But you're a bit more prepared for the drop this time. Cellar Bin The only way out is back up. You know it's one-way, of course. >eye The eyes see nothing in the general area but seem to be wandering to A'ight, Amusing Item Using. >u You walk up through the vanishing trap door again. Fort Earns-Four-Turns The be-quick beak/wick revealed when you pulled the lever is here. You can also go back northeast. The fell trap sits here ominously. It looks as though it's been reset since you last visited, if you need to EXAMINE it and get caught again, for whatever reason. But it might send you somewhere new you can't walk to. >score You have scored 48 of 64 necessary points and 4 of a possible 6 bonus points. You also figured two things you weren't ready for yet. Revisit them with THINK. >l Fort Earns-Four-Turns The be-quick beak/wick revealed when you pulled the lever is here. You can also go back northeast. The fell trap sits here ominously. It looks as though it's been reset since you last visited, if you need to EXAMINE it and get caught again, for whatever reason. But it might send you somewhere new you can't walk to. >ne Ur-Branch There are so many branches here! While you can go back DOWN to your mine, the branches make more sense than they did at first. The branches you've been to include northeast to Bore Dread, southwest to Fort Earns-Four-Turns and up to Throne Ow-Throw-Now. Also, you've done all you need back north, northwest, southeast, east, west and inside behind the garden tree. The SIGN OUGHT-SIGH-NOT stands here for reference. The hike up to the high cup revealed passages south, west and southwest. Maybe there's still some of the south left to explore. >e You got everything you needed to the east, which helped you discover passages to the south, west and southwest. >n You looted the Morph Lairs well enough. >w You fixed up the deli AND destroyed the nodes. Well done! There's no need to go back. >s The way south gets tangled very quickly. You sense there are a lot of predators you won't be able to run from, at least, not in your current condition. But all the same, you've been somewhere. Somewhere further along. Perhaps you just need to change things up, to find somewhere nearer to the south. >l Ur-Branch There are so many branches here! While you can go back DOWN to your mine, the branches make more sense than they did at first. The branches you've been to include northeast to Bore Dread, southwest to Fort Earns-Four-Turns and up to Throne Ow-Throw-Now. Also, you've done all you need back north, northwest, southeast, east, west and inside behind the garden tree. The SIGN OUGHT-SIGH-NOT stands here for reference. The hike up to the high cup revealed passages south, west and southwest. Maybe there's still some of the south left to explore. >s The way south gets tangled very quickly. You sense there are a lot of predators you won't be able to run from, at least, not in your current condition. But all the same, you've been somewhere. Somewhere further along. Perhaps you just need to change things up, to find somewhere nearer to the south. >sw Fort Earns-Four-Turns The be-quick beak/wick revealed when you pulled the lever is here. You can also go back northeast. The fell trap sits here ominously. It looks as though it's been reset since you last visited, if you need to EXAMINE it and get caught again, for whatever reason. But it might send you somewhere new you can't walk to. >eye The eyes see nothing in the general area but seem to be wandering to A'ight, Amusing Item Using. >x item It's a list of all the things Aunt Rickie-Anne said you need to provide a feast. You have nine of fourteen items. Sorted into have/have not (BOLDing stuff found since last time): HAVE: -- cookware (the mess kit in My New Mine, Ooh!) -- you've got lots of herbs, now -- pie crust in your gray tin (counts as two items) -- some alcohol, but not enough variety: the dope ale (new) -- that me-track-meat rack from "Die, Nerviness" Diner Venus (new) -- the wheat and rye from "Die, Nerviness" Diner Venus (new) -- red and blue and purple food (new) -- you got the clay mitt for hand protection (new) NEED: -- some munchies (the kind is not specified. What's up with that?) -- eggs (you only have the Egg of a Guv'--you need more) -- another type of alcohol -- nonalcoholic refreshment -- well, just all sorts of fruits and vegetables You went above and beyond and found the punch urn and the pea pod. At the bottom, the lawyers have written "There's a specific point to this list. Don't forget to invite US TOO once you've gotten all the items and figured that point!" >l Fort Earns-Four-Turns The be-quick beak/wick revealed when you pulled the lever is here. You can also go back northeast. The fell trap sits here ominously. It looks as though it's been reset since you last visited, if you need to EXAMINE it and get caught again, for whatever reason. But it might send you somewhere new you can't walk to. >s You can leave the fort to the northeast or X TRAP to fall to the cellar bin. >x trap Thud! But you're a bit more prepared for the drop this time. Cellar Bin The only way out is back up. You know it's one-way, of course. >w Just go up to leave. >e Just go up to leave. >seller That thought/action/observation/request brings up nothing. Us Too has a limited set of verbs, and the main thing is to guess a two-word phrase. To see what verbs are used, try VERBS. >u You walk up through the vanishing trap door again. Fort Earns-Four-Turns The be-quick beak/wick revealed when you pulled the lever is here. You can also go back northeast. The fell trap sits here ominously. It looks as though it's been reset since you last visited, if you need to EXAMINE it and get caught again, for whatever reason. But it might send you somewhere new you can't walk to. >trink That thought/action/observation/request brings up nothing. Us Too has a limited set of verbs, and the main thing is to guess a two-word phrase. To see what verbs are used, try VERBS. >think You try and think of stuff you tried, but the time wasn't quite right, or maybe you only figured it half-way. You can call MALT HOUR in Bore Dread once you have a variety of alcohol to share. You can USE IT in Throne Ow-Throw-Now once you have an item of power to use. >ne Ur-Branch There are so many branches here! While you can go back DOWN to your mine, the branches make more sense than they did at first. The branches you've been to include northeast to Bore Dread, southwest to Fort Earns-Four-Turns and up to Throne Ow-Throw-Now. Also, you've done all you need back north, northwest, southeast, east, west and inside behind the garden tree. The SIGN OUGHT-SIGH-NOT stands here for reference. The hike up to the high cup revealed passages south, west and southwest. Maybe there's still some of the south left to explore. >x sign WAYS SOUTH: "Grasp, Ace: Grass" Space: SSS >sss "Grasp, Ace: Grass" Space With the tube/rod burst, it's much more green and relaxing and expansive here. You can now go south as well as back north. >s Dam, Pink You can only go back north. The dam is oozing various liquids, though you're not sure what you want or need yet. >eye The eyes light up yellow and show four dots, then three dots. >damp ink But you have nothing that can hold the ink without leaking! (useful command again saved to THINK for later reference.) >think You try and think of stuff you tried, but the time wasn't quite right, or maybe you only figured it half-way. You can call MALT HOUR in Bore Dread once you have a variety of alcohol to share. You can pick up DAMP INK here once you have a proper container. You can USE IT in Throne Ow-Throw-Now once you have an item of power to use. >l Dam, Pink You can only go back north. The dam is oozing various liquids, though you figured what you wanted but didn't have a container. >n "Grasp, Ace: Grass" Space With the tube/rod burst, it's much more green and relaxing and expansive here. You can now go south as well as back north. >n Ur-Branch There are so many branches here! While you can go back DOWN to your mine, the branches make more sense than they did at first. The branches you've been to include northeast to Bore Dread, southwest to Fort Earns-Four-Turns and up to Throne Ow-Throw-Now. Also, you've done all you need back north, northwest, southeast, east, west and inside behind the garden tree. The SIGN OUGHT-SIGH-NOT stands here for reference. The hike up to the high cup revealed passages south, west and southwest. Maybe there's still some of the south left to explore. >s The way south gets tangled very quickly. You sense there are a lot of predators you won't be able to run from, at least, not in your current condition. But all the same, you've been somewhere. Somewhere further along. Perhaps you just need to change things up, to find somewhere nearer to the south. >x sign WAYS SOUTH: "Grasp, Ace: Grass" Space: SSS >sse That thought/action/observation/request brings up nothing. Us Too has a limited set of verbs, and the main thing is to guess a two-word phrase. To see what verbs are used, try VERBS. >ssw That thought/action/observation/request brings up nothing. Us Too has a limited set of verbs, and the main thing is to guess a two-word phrase. To see what verbs are used, try VERBS. >ess That thought/action/observation/request brings up nothing. Us Too has a limited set of verbs, and the main thing is to guess a two-word phrase. To see what verbs are used, try VERBS. >l Ur-Branch There are so many branches here! While you can go back DOWN to your mine, the branches make more sense than they did at first. The branches you've been to include northeast to Bore Dread, southwest to Fort Earns-Four-Turns and up to Throne Ow-Throw-Now. Also, you've done all you need back north, northwest, southeast, east, west and inside behind the garden tree. The SIGN OUGHT-SIGH-NOT stands here for reference. The hike up to the high cup revealed passages south, west and southwest. Maybe there's still some of the south left to explore. >ss That thought/action/observation/request brings up nothing. Us Too has a limited set of verbs, and the main thing is to guess a two-word phrase. To see what verbs are used, try VERBS. >hint Us Too has no direct in-game hints. However, a walkthrough should be provided on itch.io or in the archive.org zip file bundle. >* not sure I see anything I can make progress on? Comment noted. If you wanted this as a command, get rid of the starting character. >sw Fort Earns-Four-Turns The be-quick beak/wick revealed when you pulled the lever is here. You can also go back northeast. The fell trap sits here ominously. It looks as though it's been reset since you last visited, if you need to EXAMINE it and get caught again, for whatever reason. But it might send you somewhere new you can't walk to. >x beak The be-quick beak/wick sits here. You poke at it again. You feel that speed rush again. >ne Ur-Branch There are so many branches here! While you can go back DOWN to your mine, the branches make more sense than they did at first. The branches you've been to include northeast to Bore Dread, southwest to Fort Earns-Four-Turns and up to Throne Ow-Throw-Now. Also, you've done all you need back north, northwest, southeast, east, west and inside behind the garden tree. The SIGN OUGHT-SIGH-NOT stands here for reference. The hike up to the high cup revealed passages south, west and southwest. Maybe there's still some of the south left to explore. >s "Grasp, Ace: Grass" Space With the tube/rod burst, it's much more green and relaxing and expansive here. You can now go south as well as back north. You spend time pacing around the new place. So much time, your burst of speed vanishes. >n Ur-Branch There are so many branches here! While you can go back DOWN to your mine, the branches make more sense than they did at first. The branches you've been to include northeast to Bore Dread, southwest to Fort Earns-Four-Turns and up to Throne Ow-Throw-Now. Also, you've done all you need back north, northwest, southeast, east, west and inside behind the garden tree. The SIGN OUGHT-SIGH-NOT stands here for reference. The hike up to the high cup revealed passages south, west and southwest. Maybe there's still some of the south left to explore. >* oh, I see from the walkthrough Comment noted. If you wanted this as a command, get rid of the starting character. >* was on the right track but that was tricky! Comment noted. If you wanted this as a command, get rid of the starting character. >sw Fort Earns-Four-Turns The be-quick beak/wick revealed when you pulled the lever is here. You can also go back northeast. The fell trap sits here ominously. It looks as though it's been reset since you last visited, if you need to EXAMINE it and get caught again, for whatever reason. But it might send you somewhere new you can't walk to. >x beak The be-quick beak/wick sits here. You poke at it again. You feel that speed rush again. >ne Ur-Branch There are so many branches here! While you can go back DOWN to your mine, the branches make more sense than they did at first. The branches you've been to include northeast to Bore Dread, southwest to Fort Earns-Four-Turns and up to Throne Ow-Throw-Now. Also, you've done all you need back north, northwest, southeast, east, west and inside behind the garden tree. The SIGN OUGHT-SIGH-NOT stands here for reference. The hike up to the high cup revealed passages south, west and southwest. Maybe there's still some of the south left to explore. >z You're too antsy to sit and wait. For better or worse, the be-quick beak-wick doesn't just give you the opportunity to be faster. It COMPELS you. So you're not going to lose a turn of walking that way. >s "Grasp, Ace: Grass" Space With the tube/rod burst, it's much more green and relaxing and expansive here. You can now go south as well as back north. You spend time pacing around the new place. So much time, your burst of speed vanishes. >undo Ur-Branch [Previous turn undone.] >e You got everything you needed to the east, which helped you discover passages to the south, west and southwest. >ne Bore Dread Finding the board (red) was almost exciting. But you can't hope for anything else interesting here. Maybe just go back southwest. Well, there's that maul tower guarding the way east. Maybe you can sneak past it. >sw Ur-Branch There are so many branches here! While you can go back DOWN to your mine, the branches make more sense than they did at first. The branches you've been to include northeast to Bore Dread, southwest to Fort Earns-Four-Turns and up to Throne Ow-Throw-Now. Also, you've done all you need back north, northwest, southeast, east, west and inside behind the garden tree. The SIGN OUGHT-SIGH-NOT stands here for reference. The hike up to the high cup revealed passages south, west and southwest. Maybe there's still some of the south left to explore. >s Too-Dark 'Tude Ark Your attitude can't help grow dark as you wonder if it was really worth running all the way here from the north. A brief look shows nothing ahead. You found some shortcuts and hideouts so you can go back north safely, but that's no fun. Whole anger swirls around here, consuming your every thought. [NOTE: you can get back here with S to save time. No need to revisit Fort Earns-Four-Turns.] You realize you're somewhere new, and you look at the pro ball. A new passage lights up inside it, but there's still some dimness nearby. Looks like you've navigated things well and found everything south of Ur-Branch! Well, each initial passage. You spend time pacing around the new place. So much time, your burst of speed vanishes. >l Too-Dark 'Tude Ark Your attitude can't help grow dark as you wonder if it was really worth running all the way here from the north. A brief look shows nothing ahead. You found some shortcuts and hideouts so you can go back north safely, but that's no fun. Whole anger swirls around here, consuming your every thought. >hole anchor That thought/action/observation/request brings up nothing. Us Too has a limited set of verbs, and the main thing is to guess a two-word phrase. To see what verbs are used, try VERBS. >hoe langer Close, but in the dark, you might keep stepping on them, until even Sideshow Bob would have to laugh at you. >eye Nothing for the general area, though the sly size-slice eyes seem to wander between A'ight, Amusing Item Using and the whole anger. >hoe languer Close, but in the dark, you might keep stepping on them, until even Sideshow Bob would have to laugh at you. >ho languer A voice in your head encourages you: "Seem, or see, more!" You've got SOMETHING right, here. >ho adsf A voice in your head encourages you: "Seem, or see, more!" You've got SOMETHING right, here. >ho linger A voice in your head encourages you: "Seem, or see, more!" You've got SOMETHING right, here. >ho lenore A voice in your head encourages you: "Seem, or see, more!" You've got SOMETHING right, here. >l Too-Dark 'Tude Ark Your attitude can't help grow dark as you wonder if it was really worth running all the way here from the north. A brief look shows nothing ahead. You found some shortcuts and hideouts so you can go back north safely, but that's no fun. Whole anger swirls around here, consuming your every thought. >eye Nothing for the general area, though the sly size-slice eyes seem to wander between A'ight, Amusing Item Using and the whole anger. >eye anger The eyes light up green and show two dots, then seven dots. >ho languer A voice in your head encourages you: "Seem, or see, more!" You've got SOMETHING right, here. >ho langour Passive resistance is the way to go! You worry you are just doing nothing by default, and it doesn't really count, but then you remember how you busted up the tube/rod. You feel your blood pressure falling. Things aren't so bad, now. "Ugh?! Lo, a Glow" [Your score just went up by a point!] >* I just can't spell Comment noted. If you wanted this as a command, get rid of the starting character. >l "Ugh?! Lo, a Glow" It's no longer too dark here. There's not much here, but at least it's not too dark. Oh, there's a passage south as well as one back north. >eye The eyes see nothing in the general area but seem to be wandering to A'ight, Amusing Item Using. >s Scribe Room You can only go back north. Unsurprisingly, scribes continue to do their scribing thing and occasionally bustle about to assist others' scribing. >scry broom The scribes notice you looking at the broom. "Want it? Well, we won't trade it for NOTHING..." Now what could scribes use? (useful command again saved to THINK for later reference.) >think You try and think of stuff you tried, but the time wasn't quite right, or maybe you only figured it half-way. You can call MALT HOUR in Bore Dread once you have a variety of alcohol to share. You can pick up DAMP INK in Dam, Pink once you have a proper container. You can SCRY BROOM and trade for it here once you have something the scribes want. You can USE IT in Throne Ow-Throw-Now once you have an item of power to use. >eye The eyes light up yellow and show four dots, then five dots. Hmm. After using the eyes, you realize you may've already worked things out. Maybe THINK and revisit what you tried. >n "Ugh?! Lo, a Glow" It's no longer too dark here. There's not much here, but at least it's not too dark. Oh, there's a passage south as well as one back north. >eye The eyes see nothing in the general area but seem to be wandering to A'ight, Amusing Item Using. >n Ur-Branch There are so many branches here! While you can go back DOWN to your mine, the branches make more sense than they did at first. The branches you've been to include northeast to Bore Dread, southwest to Fort Earns-Four-Turns and up to Throne Ow-Throw-Now. Also, you've done all you need back north, northwest, southeast, east, west and inside behind the garden tree. The SIGN OUGHT-SIGH-NOT stands here for reference. The hike up to the high cup revealed passages south, west and southwest. Maybe there's still some of the south left to explore. >sw Fort Earns-Four-Turns The be-quick beak/wick revealed when you pulled the lever is here. You can also go back northeast. The fell trap sits here ominously. It looks as though it's been reset since you last visited, if you need to EXAMINE it and get caught again, for whatever reason. But it might send you somewhere new you can't walk to. >x beak The be-quick beak/wick sits here. You poke at it again. You feel that speed rush again. >x trap Thud! But you're a bit more prepared for the drop this time. Ouch! That hurt, but you still have your speed intact. In fact, the fall was so brief, you don't think you lost any serious time. You wouldn't want to fall quickly again, though. That'd leave you dazed, even though you knew what was coming. Cellar Bin The only way out is back up. You know it's one-way, of course. >u You walk up through the vanishing trap door again. Fort Earns-Four-Turns The be-quick beak/wick revealed when you pulled the lever is here. You can also go back northeast. The fell trap sits here ominously. It looks as though it's been reset since you last visited, if you need to EXAMINE it and get caught again, for whatever reason. But it might send you somewhere new you can't walk to. >ne Ur-Branch There are so many branches here! While you can go back DOWN to your mine, the branches make more sense than they did at first. The branches you've been to include northeast to Bore Dread, southwest to Fort Earns-Four-Turns and up to Throne Ow-Throw-Now. Also, you've done all you need back north, northwest, southeast, east, west and inside behind the garden tree. The SIGN OUGHT-SIGH-NOT stands here for reference. The hike up to the high cup revealed passages south, west and southwest. Maybe there's still some of the south left to explore. >s Sage Oaks Sage oaks stand here, glaring at your unworthy self. You can always just go back north, too. [NOTE: you can get back here with SS to save time. No need to revisit Fort Earns-Four-Turns.] You realize you're somewhere new, and you look at the pro ball. A new passage lights up inside it, making the whole area lit. Looks like you've navigated things well and found everything south of Ur-Branch! Well, each initial passage. You spend time pacing around the new place. So much time, your burst of speed vanishes. >say jokes "Eh, jokes age oaks," they mutter at first. But they get into it more. They warn you of the trouble you'll get in if you keep telling corny jokes. It doesn't show you're smart. But then you explain you carefully crafted said jokes to peeve them so they give up and let you by because dealing with you isn't worth it. You've had experience all game with wordplay, too. You mention you've just chatted with the pun tweaker. That does it. They realize you are not to be trifled with, and some of your puns were actually pretty good. Their branches and leaves blow in the wind, beckoning you south. You start, then gasp "ouch." What the heck?! They were fibbing. The sage oaks laugh a bit. "Just a bit of revenge for those painful jokes," they say, "nothing permanent. We never said we'd give painless passage south. It will be for your own good in the long term. Just a bit of hazing." [Your score just went up by a point!] >l Sage Oaks Sage oaks stand here, almost nodding with respect for you. You tried to go past the oaks to the south before, but something in the air made you gasp "ouch." You can always just go back north. >gas pouch The sage oaks chuckle. And you chuckle a bit, too. Turnabout is fair play! They release the gas from the pouch all at once -- of course, not in your direction. "It can hold liquid, too," they say. "But one more thing. Do you know where we got this from?" You shake your head. "The Grove Ouch-Grow-Vouch." Well, you had to figure they had one or two zingers left. "You are completely free to go south now. Whether or not it will be productive right now, we will not say," they intone. "We concern ourselves with big-picture things beyond what text adventurers, even wise ones like you, carry in their inventory at any given moment." [Your score just went up by a point!] >l Sage Oaks Sage oaks stand here, almost nodding with respect for you. The way south is clear now you proved yourself twice to the oaks. You can always just go back north. >eye The eyes see nothing in the general area but seem to be wandering to A'ight, Amusing Item Using. >s Dust Which Does Twitch You can only go (and see) back north. The sound of prose, weeping, rises from all the dustiness. >listen A disembodied voice only you can hear taunts "Eh? CLUES?! Ache! Lose!" >pro sweeping A very good idea, but you have nothing that could sweep at the moment! (useful command again saved to THINK for later reference.) >* right Comment noted. If you wanted this as a command, get rid of the starting character. >eye The eyes see nothing in the general area but seem to be wandering to A'ight, Amusing Item Using. >n Sage Oaks Sage oaks stand here, almost nodding with respect for you. The way south is clear now you proved yourself twice to the oaks. You can always just go back north. >n As Fort Earns-Four-Turns comes into view, you feel dizzy at the thought of needing the be-quick beak/wick's help again. Or do you really? You used it pretty much every which way. You don't see a need to, further. You consult the pro ball to make sure. It shows a large map of where you've been, and after a couple seconds, the southwest area grows dim. Ur-Branch There are so many branches here! While you can go back DOWN to your mine, the branches make more sense than they did at first. The branches you've been to include northeast to Bore Dread and up to Throne Ow-Throw-Now. Also, you've done all you need back north, northwest, southeast, southwest, east, west and inside behind the garden tree. The SIGN OUGHT-SIGH-NOT stands here for reference. Ooh! There's something new on the sign. A new command, to make traversing easier. >x sign ***SHORTCUT COMMANDS*** N2 or 2N or NN gets you all the way back north. "Ugh?! Lo, a Glow": S Sage Oaks: SS "Grasp, Ace: Grass" Space: SSS There's also a note that R cycles/rotates between "Grasp, Ace: Grass" Space, "Ugh?! Lo, a Glow" and Sage Oaks, and RR does the reverse, and what's more, it notes R also cycles/rotates between Dam, Pink, Scribe Room and Dust Which Does Twitch, with RR doing the reverse, with no penalty for forgetting the rotation order. >think You try and think of stuff you tried, but the time wasn't quite right, or maybe you only figured it half-way. You can call MALT HOUR in Bore Dread once you have a variety of alcohol to share. You can pick up DAMP INK in Dam, Pink now you have a proper container. You can SCRY BROOM and trade for it in Scribe Room once you have something the scribes want. You can start PRO SWEEPING in Dust Which Does Twitch once you have something to sweep with. You can USE IT in Throne Ow-Throw-Now once you have an item of power to use. >r You need to be in the south to be able to use R or RR. >s "Ugh?! Lo, a Glow" It's no longer too dark here. There's not much here, but at least it's not too dark. Oh, there's a passage south as well as one back north. >r Sage Oaks Sage oaks stand here, almost nodding with respect for you. The way south is clear now you proved yourself twice to the oaks. You can always just go back north. >r "Grasp, Ace: Grass" Space With the tube/rod burst, it's much more green and relaxing and expansive here. You can now go south as well as back north. >r "Ugh?! Lo, a Glow" It's no longer too dark here. There's not much here, but at least it's not too dark. Oh, there's a passage south as well as one back north. >r Sage Oaks Sage oaks stand here, almost nodding with respect for you. The way south is clear now you proved yourself twice to the oaks. You can always just go back north. >s Dust Which Does Twitch You can only go (and see) back north. The sound of prose, weeping, rises from all the dustiness. >r Dam, Pink You can only go back north. The dam is oozing various liquids, though you figured what you wanted but didn't have a container. >damp ink You use the gas pouch to drain out a good dose of damp ink that's dripping from the dam. [Your score just went up by a point!] >think You try and think of stuff you tried, but the time wasn't quite right, or maybe you only figured it half-way. You can call MALT HOUR in Bore Dread once you have a variety of alcohol to share. You can SCRY BROOM and trade for it in Scribe Room now you have something the scribes want. You can start PRO SWEEPING in Dust Which Does Twitch once you have something to sweep with. You can USE IT in Throne Ow-Throw-Now once you have an item of power to use. >n "Grasp, Ace: Grass" Space With the tube/rod burst, it's much more green and relaxing and expansive here. You can now go south as well as back north. >r "Ugh?! Lo, a Glow" It's no longer too dark here. There's not much here, but at least it's not too dark. Oh, there's a passage south as well as one back north. >r Sage Oaks Sage oaks stand here, almost nodding with respect for you. The way south is clear now you proved yourself twice to the oaks. You can always just go back north. >r "Grasp, Ace: Grass" Space With the tube/rod burst, it's much more green and relaxing and expansive here. You can now go south as well as back north. >s Dam, Pink You can only go back north. The dam is oozing various liquids, though you got what you wanted. >r Scribe Room You can only go back north. Those scribes continue to do their scribing thing and occasionally bustle about to assist others' scribing. >scry broom You realize a broom must be here. You trade the damp ink in the gas pouch for it. The scribes are impressed with the ink ... so much, they tell you they have something special to show you ... if you return the broom once you're done. [Your score just went up by a point!] >r Dust Which Does Twitch You can only go (and see) back north. The sound of prose, weeping, rises from all the dustiness. >pro sweeping The dust gets clearer. You see you are in a library. You also notice a coal drum off to the side. Maybe it was the source of some of the dust. Teal Eaves [Your score just went up by a point!] >cold rum It's a pretty big coal drum. You rummage around, and sure enough ... you find some cold rum. Way too much to drink on your own. [Your score just went up by a point!] >l Teal Eaves You can see where you are now. Apparently a place called Teal Eaves. It's teal on the outside and inside. You've found what you needed from the coal drum here. >eye The eyes light up green and show three dots, then six dots. >tea leaves Using your rope ladder, you climb on the roof and down into a spare attic compartment. People watch in disbelief as you pull out many different tea leaves. [Your score just went up by a point!] >l Teal Eaves You can see where you are now. Apparently a place called Teal Eaves. It's teal on the outside and inside. You've found what you needed from the coal drum here. >eye The eyes see nothing in the general area but seem to be wandering to A'ight, Amusing Item Using. >l Teal Eaves You can see where you are now. Apparently a place called Teal Eaves. It's teal on the outside and inside. You've found what you needed from the coal drum here. >u You can't see any way but back north. >n Sage Oaks Sage oaks stand here, almost nodding with respect for you. The way south is clear now you proved yourself twice to the oaks. You can always just go back north. >r "Grasp, Ace: Grass" Space With the tube/rod burst, it's much more green and relaxing and expansive here. You can now go south as well as back north. >eye The eyes see nothing in the general area but seem to be wandering to A'ight, Amusing Item Using. >r "Ugh?! Lo, a Glow" It's no longer too dark here. There's not much here, but at least it's not too dark. Oh, there's a passage south as well as one back north. >eye The eyes see nothing in the general area but seem to be wandering to A'ight, Amusing Item Using. >s Scribe Room You can only go back north. Those scribes continue to do their scribing thing and occasionally bustle about to assist others' scribing. You hand the broom back to the scribes. They're very impressed you can do ... that sort of work. They pull out something else: a bell (trusted). It's big and impressive, but it's a bit tarnished, which each of them mentions in an offhand way, just in case you know anyone who might be able to help. Or you're good at other things besides sweeping. You seem multi-talented, they say. >belt rusted The scribes get together and nod their heads. They agree this must be it. Your request is a wise choice, one not motivated by greed. They give you a rag and a surprisingly modern squirt-bottle full of cleaning liquid, and the rust from the bell flakes off to form a belt. It becomes much shinier. And perhaps ... well, this belt, rusted, was something much more once. Perhaps you are the one to return it to its former questing glory. Such things do not interest scribes. They move the bell back to the out-of-sight (it really IS quite a work of architecture) bell tower from whence it came. [Your score just went up by a point!] >l Scribe Room You can only go back north. Those scribes continue to do their scribing thing and occasionally bustle about to assist others' scribing. >score You have scored 57 of 64 necessary points and 4 of a possible 6 bonus points. You also figured two things you weren't ready for yet. Revisit them with THINK. >think You try and think of stuff you tried, but the time wasn't quite right, or maybe you only figured it half-way. You can call MALT HOUR in Bore Dread now you have a variety of alcohol to share. You can USE IT in Throne Ow-Throw-Now once you have an item of power to use. >n "Ugh?! Lo, a Glow" It's no longer too dark here. There's not much here, but at least it's not too dark. Oh, there's a passage south as well as one back north. >n You retrace your steps. You're pretty sure you've cleared everything to the south. As you reach Ur-Branch, the Sign Ought-Sigh-Not crumbles into the ground. You consult the pro ball to make sure. It shows a large map of where you've been, and after a couple seconds, the south area grows dim. Ur-Branch There are so many branches here! While you can go back DOWN to your mine, the branches make more sense than they did at first. The branches you've been to include northeast to Bore Dread and up to Throne Ow-Throw-Now. Also, you've done all you need back north, northwest, south, southeast, southwest, east, west and inside behind the garden tree. >ne Bore Dread Finding the board (red) was almost exciting. But you can't hope for anything else interesting here. Maybe just go back southwest. Well, there's that maul tower guarding the way east. Maybe you can sneak past it. >malt hour You call out for malt hour, which maybe isn't quite as good as happy hour. Heck, it might even be a chocolate malt and not malt liquor. But you promise liquid refreshment, which you have in spades, and the guardians come down to share it with you. There are fewer guardians than you thought, so you can save some alcohol for later. You have a good old talk about ... well, everything. You explain your quest, which they actually find kind of cool. They mention they need to sleep off the booze and are glad to let you through to the east. [Your score just went up by a point!] >e Joy Nadir Maybe the maul tower was guarding you for your own good. It seems that way on first impression. Nothing anywhere gives any indication that this place could help bring people together. Though maybe if you could think of a way to change that... >join aider With a rumble, the belt and the pro ball come together to form ... an ORB AND/OR BAND! You feel its power. It is not to be used lightly. Also, the gloom in the general area lifts. It feels less dry, and a dew pit appears. Dew Pit [Your score just went up by a point!] >x band Being made from the belt (rusted) and the pro ball, it's clearly a powerful artifact. Just holding it, you feel occasional surges of power. But where to unleash this power? >l Dew Pit It's less cheerless now. But you still hope you can do something here. >do pit That thought/action/observation/request brings up nothing. Us Too has a limited set of verbs, and the main thing is to guess a two-word phrase. To see what verbs are used, try VERBS. >eye The eyes light up green and show four dots, then two dots. >d it A voice in your head encourages you: "Seem, or see, more!" You've got SOMETHING right, here. >doop it A voice in your head encourages you: "Seem, or see, more!" You've got SOMETHING right, here. >doup it A voice in your head encourages you: "Seem, or see, more!" You've got SOMETHING right, here. >deep it A voice in your head encourages you: "Seem, or see, more!" You've got SOMETHING right, here. >dewp it A voice in your head encourages you: "Seem, or see, more!" You've got SOMETHING right, here. >eye The eyes light up green and show four dots, then two dots. >i First, helpful stuff Aunt Rickie-Anne didn't explicitly ask for, in your Aw-Lug-All-Ugh: the orb and/or band a help-in-hell pin an Egg of a Guv' a rope ladder You have eleven of fourteen items listed in A'ight, Amusing Item Using. That's two more than the last time you checked with X. You also have the loose intro, the sly size-slice eyes and the war pawn are to help you solve puzzles. You still have that Urge-Ought-'Er Jot flopping about, too. It didn't seem too important, though, so you can drop it. >x pawn It's a grey chess pawn. It's currently extremely alert, with a frown and mean glare carved in the rounded top. Unlike most pawns, it has fists, doubled up in a fighting posture. Looking at it from many different angles gets you all sorts of weird ideas. Perhaps it could help you when you run out of them on your quest. You may wish to wait until you really need to use it, though of course, you don't want to wait too late. Oh, yes, you can't just USE the war pawn. You need a specific command, one in the spirit of Us Too. >warp awn That thought/action/observation/request brings up nothing. Us Too has a limited set of verbs, and the main thing is to guess a two-word phrase. To see what verbs are used, try VERBS. >l Dew Pit It's less cheerless now. But you still hope you can do something here. >i First, helpful stuff Aunt Rickie-Anne didn't explicitly ask for, in your Aw-Lug-All-Ugh: the orb and/or band a help-in-hell pin an Egg of a Guv' a rope ladder You have eleven of fourteen items listed in A'ight, Amusing Item Using. That's two more than the last time you checked with X. You also have the loose intro, the sly size-slice eyes and the war pawn are to help you solve puzzles. You still have that Urge-Ought-'Er Jot flopping about, too. It didn't seem too important, though, so you can drop it. >x jot You reread the note from Aunt Rickie-Anne: "The items on the row/ledge may help when needed. No shame using them everywhere, and I won't be offended if you find them useless or even drop them. Or drop this, now you've read it. One less thing to worry about in your inventory. "You can change the row/ledge itself if you want, but you don't need to. Some subjective information about your surroudings. Maybe with experience you'll have an a-ha moment, and you'll see this whole area in a new light. "You could say it's a welcome of sorts." > Ideally I-D-L-E! >i First, helpful stuff Aunt Rickie-Anne didn't explicitly ask for, in your Aw-Lug-All-Ugh: the orb and/or band a help-in-hell pin an Egg of a Guv' a rope ladder You have eleven of fourteen items listed in A'ight, Amusing Item Using. That's two more than the last time you checked with X. You also have the loose intro, the sly size-slice eyes and the war pawn are to help you solve puzzles. You still have that Urge-Ought-'Er Jot flopping about, too. It didn't seem too important, though, so you can drop it. >* the "war pawn are to help you solve puzzles" looks like a typo Comment noted. If you wanted this as a command, get rid of the starting character. >eye The eyes light up green and show four dots, then two dots. >dook it A voice in your head encourages you: "Seem, or see, more!" You've got SOMETHING right, here. >doob it A voice in your head encourages you: "Seem, or see, more!" You've got SOMETHING right, here. >doom it A voice in your head encourages you: "Seem, or see, more!" You've got SOMETHING right, here. >doe it A voice in your head encourages you: "Seem, or see, more!" You've got SOMETHING right, here. >dupe it You rest the egg of a guv in the dew pit. Nothing happens, then a rumbling. The egg grows and splits into ten identical, larger eggs ... and not only that, a small cardboard container arises from the dew pit. It's labeled TEN DREGS' TENDER EGGS. You take it. The dew pit grows dull. It's probably served its purpose. In fact, you can't think of anything else to do here. You high-five one of the maul tower guardians that's still awake (they heard some noise) on the way back to... Ur-Branch [Your score just went up by a point!] >i First, helpful stuff Aunt Rickie-Anne didn't explicitly ask for, in your Aw-Lug-All-Ugh: the orb and/or band a help-in-hell pin a rope ladder You have twelve of fourteen items listed in A'ight, Amusing Item Using. That's three more than the last time you checked with X. You also have the loose intro, the sly size-slice eyes and the war pawn are to help you solve puzzles. You still have that Urge-Ought-'Er Jot flopping about, too. It didn't seem too important, though, so you can drop it. >* phew Comment noted. If you wanted this as a command, get rid of the starting character. >eye The eyes see nothing in the general area but seem to be wandering to A'ight, Amusing Item Using. >sw You are done with the southwest and using the beak to speed through to new places. >w You fixed up the deli AND destroyed the nodes. Well done! There's no need to go back. >s You found all three southish passages and everything useful in them, so there's no reason to go back. Nice work! >l Ur-Branch There are so many branches here! While you can go back DOWN to your mine, the branches make more sense than they did at first. The only available branch you've visited leads up to Throne Ow-Throw-Now. Also, you've done all you need back north, northeast, northwest, south, southeast, southwest, east, west and inside behind the garden tree. >u Throne Ow-Throw-Now Weird, you thought hell was usually down, but your hell pin is protecting you here, you think. You can only go back down to the Ur-Branch. Horrid orders come from the throne, pulling you to it ... "YOU! SIT! YOU! SIT!" >use it Defying the throne, you hold the orb and/or band high in the air. It crackles. Energy shoots to the throne, from which emits a loud "NO TERROR?! NOTE: ERROR!!!!!" The orb flies from your hand and towards the throne and explodes. You also feel the help-in-hell pin ripped from you ... it clunks off somewhere forgotten, maybe to help someone who gets in a more serious pickle than you did. Where the throne once sat, there's now something glistening. "You have freed the life roots," booms a melodramatic voice. Final (?) and Fine Land [Your score just went up by a point!] >l Final (?) and Fine Land With the throne gone, the oppression has lifted. You can only go back down to the Ur-Branch. Life Roots have been revealed from where the throne was. And yet, they seem a bit artificial. They aren't that impressive, and maybe they're hiding something that proves them less than they claim to be. >x roots they glow a bit too much, as if they are trying hard to seem like the source of ALL life. >* missing cap Comment noted. If you wanted this as a command, get rid of the starting character. >lie fruites A voice in your head encourages you: "Seem, or see, more!" You've got SOMETHING right, here. >lie fruits You call out the life roots: "Come on, this is a bit overblown. Do you really need to be all basso profundo?" To your surprise, they shrivel up. A voice intones: "Congratulations. You have seen through us. So many adventurers would start looking for eternal life, or profiting from this." "Actually," you say, "I just have this list of stuff I needed for a big meal. I've looked everywhere, but I'm still out a ton of vegetables and fruits. I was kinda hoping there'd be at least some fruits here..." "Are you saying the life roots are incapable of creating vegetables, too?" "Um, no, not at all, just didn't want to ask anyone to do too much, here. I mean it might like harm the soil and render it untillable for generations of farmers to come. Or something. Heck. Now I'm sounding basso profundo." "Your self-awareness is admirable. Yes, we have spare vegetables. They are kind of funny-shaped. Is that a problem? No? Good." Your Aw-Lug-All-Ugh feels like it may burst from the additional weight! Good thing you kept those dense pecs when you made the den specs. "But now, this space needs to heal, free of human interference. Even worthy humans." You nod and leave. There can't be much left to do, now. Ur-Branch [Your score just went up by a point!] >l Ur-Branch There are so many branches here! While you can go back DOWN to your mine, the branches make more sense than they did at first. Also, you've done all you need back north, northeast, northwest, south, southeast, southwest, east, west, up and inside behind the garden tree. >n You looted the Morph Lairs well enough. >u You destroyed the evil throne and got what you needed from the life roots. >d My New Mine, Ooh! You're down in your new mine, with a passage up back to the great wide world. You've cleared the way--you can't be sure of the direction, as the path twists a bit. The mess kit you found lies here. You probably won't need to mess with it for a while. >mess kit Hmm, no, you already did that, or something like that. You'll know if and when you need to flip between things. >i First, helpful stuff Aunt Rickie-Anne didn't explicitly ask for, in your Aw-Lug-All-Ugh: a rope ladder You have thirteen of fourteen items listed in A'ight, Amusing Item Using. That's four more than the last time you checked with X. You also have the loose intro, the sly size-slice eyes and the war pawn are to help you solve puzzles. You still have that Urge-Ought-'Er Jot flopping about, too. It didn't seem too important, though, so you can drop it. >eye Nothing for the general area, though the sly size-slice eyes seem to wander between A'ight, Amusing Item Using and the mess kit. >mesk it That thought/action/observation/request brings up nothing. Us Too has a limited set of verbs, and the main thing is to guess a two-word phrase. To see what verbs are used, try VERBS. >think You try and think of stuff you tried, but the time wasn't quite right, or maybe you only figured it half-way. Nothing comes to mind. >l My New Mine, Ooh! You're down in your new mine, with a passage up back to the great wide world. You've cleared the way--you can't be sure of the direction, as the path twists a bit. The mess kit you found lies here. You probably won't need to mess with it for a while. >u Ur-Branch There are so many branches here! While you can go back DOWN to your mine, the branches make more sense than they did at first. Also, you've done all you need back north, northeast, northwest, south, southeast, southwest, east, west, up and inside behind the garden tree. >n You looted the Morph Lairs well enough. >ne Between getting lots of eggs, the orb and/or band and, oh yeah, that board (red,) you think you've made out well enough to the northeast. >e You got everything you needed to the east, which helped you discover passages to the south, west and southwest. >se You looted the dome and the inner nest nicely. >s You found all three southish passages and everything useful in them, so there's no reason to go back. Nice work! >sw You are done with the southwest and using the beak to speed through to new places. >w You fixed up the deli AND destroyed the nodes. Well done! There's no need to go back. >nw You can't imagine anything is off northwest other than the Terra Blade. >u You destroyed the evil throne and got what you needed from the life roots. >l Ur-Branch There are so many branches here! While you can go back DOWN to your mine, the branches make more sense than they did at first. Also, you've done all you need back north, northeast, northwest, south, southeast, southwest, east, west, up and inside behind the garden tree. >* OK done? Comment noted. If you wanted this as a command, get rid of the starting character. >eye The eyes see nothing in the general area but seem to be wandering to A'ight, Amusing Item Using. >d My New Mine, Ooh! You're down in your new mine, with a passage up back to the great wide world. You've cleared the way--you can't be sure of the direction, as the path twists a bit. The mess kit you found lies here. You probably won't need to mess with it for a while. >i First, helpful stuff Aunt Rickie-Anne didn't explicitly ask for, in your Aw-Lug-All-Ugh: a rope ladder You have thirteen of fourteen items listed in A'ight, Amusing Item Using. That's four more than the last time you checked with X. You also have the loose intro, the sly size-slice eyes and the war pawn are to help you solve puzzles. You still have that Urge-Ought-'Er Jot flopping about, too. It didn't seem too important, though, so you can drop it. >x item It's a list of all the things Aunt Rickie-Anne said you need to provide a feast. You have thirteen of fourteen items. Sorted into have/have not (BOLDing stuff found since last time): HAVE: -- cookware (the mess kit here) -- you've got lots of herbs, now -- the Ten Dregs' Tender Eggs (new) -- pie crust in your gray tin (counts as two items) -- enough alcohol left over (the cold rum and the dope ale) (new) -- that me-track-meat rack from "Die, Nerviness" Diner Venus -- the wheat and rye from "Die, Nerviness" Diner Venus -- red and blue and purple food -- you got the clay mitt for hand protection -- the tea leaves will provide all sorts of flavors of tea (new) -- the assortment of fruits and vegetables from in Final (?) and Fine Land (new) NEED: -- some munchies (the kind is not specified. What's up with that?) You went above and beyond and found the punch urn and the pea pod. At the bottom, the lawyers have written "There's a specific point to this list. Don't forget to invite US TOO once you've gotten all the items and figured that point!" >sum unchies That thought/action/observation/request brings up nothing. Us Too has a limited set of verbs, and the main thing is to guess a two-word phrase. To see what verbs are used, try VERBS. >a stew You don't have all the stew ingredients you need! Currently, you have thirteen out of fourteen. (useful command again saved to THINK for later reference.) >l My New Mine, Ooh! You're down in your new mine, with a passage up back to the great wide world. You've cleared the way--you can't be sure of the direction, as the path twists a bit. The mess kit you found lies here. You probably won't need to mess with it for a while. >mesk it That thought/action/observation/request brings up nothing. Us Too has a limited set of verbs, and the main thing is to guess a two-word phrase. To see what verbs are used, try VERBS. >eye Nothing for the general area, though the sly size-slice eyes seem to wander between A'ight, Amusing Item Using and the mess kit. >eye kit The eyes glow dimly green and show three dots, then four dots. >mes skit A voice in your head encourages you: "Seem, or see, more!" You've got SOMETHING right, here. >asd skit A voice in your head encourages you: "Seem, or see, more!" You've got SOMETHING right, here. >meh skit Perhaps it's too obvious, but you decide to have fun, and you do. You mime where you've been and where you might go, and you also imitate the relatives with the funniest reactions to getting only $1000. [Your score just went up by a bonus point!] >l My New Mine, Ooh! You're down in your new mine, with a passage up back to the great wide world. You've cleared the way--you can't be sure of the direction, as the path twists a bit. The mess kit you found lies here. You probably won't need to mess with it for a while. >score You have scored 62 of 64 necessary points and 5 of a possible 6 bonus points. You also figured one thing you weren't ready for yet. Revisit it with THINK. >l My New Mine, Ooh! You're down in your new mine, with a passage up back to the great wide world. You've cleared the way--you can't be sure of the direction, as the path twists a bit. The mess kit you found lies here. You probably won't need to mess with it for a while. >eye The eyes see nothing in the general area but seem to be wandering to A'ight, Amusing Item Using. >x item It's a list of all the things Aunt Rickie-Anne said you need to provide a feast. You have thirteen of fourteen items. Sorted into have/have not: HAVE: -- cookware (the mess kit here) -- you've got lots of herbs, now -- the Ten Dregs' Tender Eggs -- pie crust in your gray tin (counts as two items) -- enough alcohol left over (the cold rum and the dope ale) -- that me-track-meat rack from "Die, Nerviness" Diner Venus -- the wheat and rye from "Die, Nerviness" Diner Venus -- red and blue and purple food -- you got the clay mitt for hand protection -- the tea leaves will provide all sorts of flavors of tea -- the assortment of fruits and vegetables from in Final (?) and Fine Land NEED: -- some munchies (the kind is not specified. What's up with that?) You went above and beyond and found the punch urn and the pea pod. At the bottom, the lawyers have written "There's a specific point to this list. Don't forget to invite US TOO once you've gotten all the items and figured that point!" >* oh wait Comment noted. If you wanted this as a command, get rid of the starting character. >summon cheese You're confident you've figured what the munchies are. And you know what? You're right! You have all sorts of cheese now. [Your score just went up by a point!] >a stew You look at A'ight, Amusing Item Using. You have everything you need, but you don't have, well, a cohesive dish. You remember the lawyers needling you with "us too." Yes, that's what it has to be. You call them and your friends. They're prepared -- the mine is only an hour's drive from the city. So you make the stew to pass the time until then. You try to avoid thinking of it as my stew, because eww, that'd be a me-ill meal. Our stew might be, too. You're no natural cook, but you do your best. (You make other random seeming stews over the years, and people always seem to appreciate them, but none quite has the flavor of this one.) After the meal, the announcement -- the mine is yours, and you can sell it now. You wonder if there's anything else, but you don't want to be greedy. Everyone winds down by playing poker. The lawyers are, unsurprisingly, all quite good at it. Well, you're not playing with real money, so you don't mind losing. The lawyers needle you a bit about losing. You respond you got enough today, right? I wouldn't want to get greedy. One of the lawyers chuckles and asks you offhand what you call the stew. Aunt Rickie-Anne surprisingly didn't specify it. You give your answer, and you wonder if maybe there is one more subtle odd test. The lawyers seem to have an inside joke going as your chips dwindle slowly. You need a miracle this hand to survive as they finish the remains of your... *** Place-to-Play Stew *** [Your score just went up by a point!] Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, QUIT, UNDO the last command or see points MISSED? > missed There's a way besides DROP to dismiss the war pawn, when unused, to get a bonus point, if you observe and understand it carefully. Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, QUIT, UNDO the last command or see points MISSED? >