Hey, I'm writing an interactive fiction called "Majority Rule" which is a story that depends on the votes of the viewers using the poll system. I will probably wait a week or so per poll in order to accumulate enough votes. After the week is up, viewers can still vote but it won't affect the story. This is my first interactive fiction so it might not be on par with the better ones. Nevertheless, I hope you enjoyed reading this story. Thanks. I have this novel on royalroadl.com as well. Here's the link: http://royalroadl.com/fiction/12603/majority-rule Synopsis: Readers choose from a selection of options for participants of a survival game show known as "Can Anyone Beat Level 10?". Each level has some monsters to kill and a boss at the end. Treasure chests and traps are available. Treasure chests, if opened successfully, give decent weapons, first aid kits, etc. If unsuccessful, treasure chests will either explode, taking some health from player or become permanently closed. Monsters in dungeon levels depend on the theme of the week. This game show occurs on the first week of every month. The game just showed up out of nowhere and many people were interested in it as they attended the live version of the show. As for its mysteries...well, who knows? Maybe someone will solve them some day. But, for now, let the games begin! Maps Spoiler L1-Zombies Prologue Week 1 Day 1 - Gustaf Kohl and Inka Sheinfeld Spoiler Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Final Part Intermission 1 Week 1 Day 2 - Winona Littlerock and Nthanda Opeyemi Spoiler Part 1 Part 2
Prologue Spoiler The Internet hosts a variety of unusual media, including photos of cute kittens dressed in baby clothing and videos of idiots doing stupid stunts for attention. Then, there is the media that is not appropriate for most audiences such as porn and gore. However, it is these forms of entertainment that garner the most views. One such show appeared during the past year, airing live during the first week of every month from March to December. Sometimes the show would cut short, while other times, it would drag on to the end of the night. There never was a fixed time period for each live session. Now people may wonder "What is this show?" and curiously attend the live recordings. Some find the show disgusting, while others find it horrifying. Of course, there's a fine percentage of viewers that actually enjoy it. The show is called "Can Anyone Beat Level 10?" - a simple name that represents the objective of the show. It is a game show like no other and it follows one main rule - the Majority Rule. This "rule" is the main selling point of the show. Basically, decisions of the participants of the game show are determined by the viewers through Majority Rule. Which path they take...which weapons they get...are all decided by the viewers. The viewers' choices are the participants' choices...the viewers' luck is the participants' luck. The game show is similar to most dungeon-crawling games one would find in the electronics store or in a game site online. Given what little information one could find on the Internet and from watching the live recordings last year, there was a total of ten participants at the start of the game. Each participant would enter a typical dungeon floor, where monsters that followed the topic of the theme would randomly appear in the dungeon rooms. Treasure chests and traps were placed at different points and a boss room was located at the far end of the level. As the level increased, the dungeon rooms increased and the monsters became harder to defeat. Participants were "eliminated" with no signs of stopping. Today marks the beginning of a new season for the game show. Last season, no one completed the game but the results were not unsatisfactory. In fact, the majority of the viewers had expressed that they wanted to see more. As both old and new viewers join the stream, they are greeted by a dark, box-shaped glass room. Suddenly, the lights flickers on and a voice rings out. "Welcome to "Can Anyone Beat Level 10?"! I'm your host, Mister Θ, please give a round of applause!"
Week 1 Day 1 Part 1 - New Participants Spoiler "So last season we had a total of ten participants. However, sadly there weren't any winners." Mister Θ remarks as he appears in front of the camera. No one knew who Mister Θ was. When he first appeared on the Internet, he was considered a joke - a clown to entertain the masses. He always wore a flamboyant suit and one of the two theater masks, which changed depending on his mood. However, as people continued to watch the episodes, they soon realized that the game show was not like any other...in it the losers all died. Because of this, the police, the world governments, even the regular citizens would scour the Internet for any information that could lead them to uncover the identity of this sadistic host. According to the community forums, Mister Θ should be around six feet tall and between thirty to thirty-five years of age. Judging by his accent, many concluded that he was of American descent. But other than that, no other information was revealed. And now that a new season has begun, the US government as well as the other first world governments have placed their full attention on solving the mysteries of the game show in hopes of preventing any more deaths. As the viewers fidget in their seats and glare at their screens, the masked host continues with his introductions. "But that's all in the past. Now, we have with us - ten new contestants! Here they are! Give them a round of applause!" Suddenly, ten holes appear in the ground within the glass room as a whirring noise hums out. Man-sized tubes emerge from these holes. When the elevating platforms come to a halt, the tubes open with a hiss. Ten confused people, men and women of varying ages, step out. While they glance around with panic and bewilderment, Mister Θ begins introducing them. "If you look at the screen above, you will see the names and general statuses of each participant." "First, we have Gustaf Kohl...male and thirty-one years of age. He works as a CEO of a small company in Essen, Germany." "Next is Inka Sheinfeld...female and twenty-six years of age. She is currently an international student from Finland studying in the UK." "The third contestant is Winona Littlerock...female and forty years of age. She is a national USA champion in archery. She is currently teaching archery skills to young children. Hopefully, when you guys decide her weapons, she will get a bow. Otherwise...." Mister Θ giggles impishly. "Anyways, the fourth contestant is Nthanda Opeyemi from Yoruba, Africa. He is a seventeen year old high school student working part-time as a waiter in a small diner. Don't look at his young age short stature. He's part of the national track team and specializes in the hundred meter dash." "The fifth contestant is Sacha Fontaine from Paris, France. He...eh, I mean, she is a rising model for ShoeMax. As for her age, she doesn't like disclosing it, but ahem ahem it's thirty-seven." "The sixth contestant is Sita Patel - a twenty-seven year old lawyer from Nepali, India. I heard her hobbies involve gymnastics and yoga." "This seventh contestant is my favorite. He is Jarvis Hackett. He's a thirty-one year old veteran and an expert gunslinger. Give him a gun and he can win against any enemy. Give him a knife and...well, he can still win. It'll just take longer." "The next contestant, however, is disappointing. Skinny...no special skills...lacking in the IQ department...give a round of applause to Nolan Fitzpatrick from Cleveland, Ohio. Hmm? What was that? Did someone booed? Well booed! This twenty-one year old hikkimori will definitely die in the first round." "Let's move on. The second to last participant is Lee Min-Su from Seoul, Korea. The chances of her beating level one is the second highest in my opinion. Some of you may have heard of her. She's a rather famous violinist, but that's not what makes her likely to win. This eighteen year old rising star is also an esper. She has what is known as telekinesis. Of course, her skills aren't powerful as she can only move small objects a few feet away. But, nevertheless, I feel that this woman will give us a nice surprise!" "Finally, we have Lindsey Chu...female and twenty-three years of age. She is a Chinese American and works as a part-time translator for a small gaming company located in Seattle, Washington." "There we have it folks. These are our ten new participants. Let's have a closer look, shall we?" Mister Θ reaches over to the camera and hoists it over his shoulder. He walks towards the glass room and points the camera at the nearest player - Lindsey Chu. Mister Θ smiles at the frightened woman and asks. "Any words you like to say to the audience?" Lindsey Chu stares at the camera...or rather at the person holding the camera, "W-Who are you? Where a-am I? Why a-are you d-doing this?" "Now, now. Say something motivational to the camera. Something like 'I'm gonna do my best!' or 'Level 10? Hah! That's easy to beat!'...yea, something like that." Mister Θ gestures towards Lindsey and urges her to continue. "Wh-What do you mean? W-What do y-you want from m-me?" "This isn't going anywhere. Let's move on to the next contestant." Mister Θ brings the camera to the next person - a small youth of African descent. As the masked host begins to interview the small man, a large hand appears and pushes the young African man away. A fist flies towards the glass wall, but the bulletproof glass did not break. Mister Θ, however, did not flinch despite the sudden movements. The owner of the fist is Gustaf. The middle-aged man glared a Mister Θ, fumes of rage blowing out of him. "What do you want from us?! Let us out!" "Now, look at this. Even though Gustaf here is clearly German, his English is flawless. This is due to my advanced technology that destroys any language barriers between the participants and the viewers." "Is it money you want?" Gustaf continues to question after begin ignored. "I can give you five...no ten million USD if you let me out! Hey! Wait, don't leave!" Gustaf frantically tries to persuade Mister Θ but he becomes angrier by the minute until he finally starts to curse profusely and begins smashing his fists on the glass. In the meantime, Mister Θ has moved on to the next contestant - Jarvis Hackett. "Got anything to say to the folks out there?" Mister Θ asks the blond man. Jarvis had his eyes closed initially but when Mister Θ approached him, he glanced up and stared at the masked host. "Why am I here? Is this how you treat one of your loyal fans?" "Eh? I was asking if you have anything motivational to say to the audience, why are you bringing an entirely different topic up?" "Answer me! I swear! If you don't let me out, I'll beat this goddamned game and kill you myself!" "Haha! Now that's the motivation I'm looking for. Fine, since you have satisfied my desire, I'll answer your question." It is at this moment when everyone stops what they are doing. Gustaf, Lindsey, everyone calms down to hear what Mister Θ has to say. The flamboyant man casually turns off the camera and leans close to the glass wall. As everyone strains their ears to listen, Mister Θ tells Jarvis the reason why he is selected. "There's a hidden rule that I forgot to mention to you guys last year. Sometimes, the contestants will be told the name of the person who makes the most 'Majority' decisions. This is to liven up their mood if you know what I mean. When they die, they are given a decision to make on their own. Who...should...they...sent...here...next? Now you understand?" When Jarvis heard this hidden rule, his eyes bulged out and he stammers in fury. "This son of a bitch! You motherfucking son of a bitch! I'll kill you!!" "Haha! I'll give you a chance to kill me if you beat Level 10." "You most fucking bet I will!" Jarvis smashes his hand on the glass wall, causing it to vibrate. Mister Θ walks up to the camera and turns it on again. With a sorry expression, he bows to the audience. "Sorry folks, there was a minor technical difficulty. Now, any questions? Of course not. Let's begin the games!" He hoists the camera to his shoulders once more and pans the entire room, making sure the audience gets a look at all of the contestants. Then, he brings the camera to a picture next to the glass room. "This here is the map. The blue icons represent the enemies a.k.a the monsters of the dungeon floor. There are a few treasure chests, a few key-holding vases, and a trap or two. After defeating all of the monsters, there's a boss battle at the end of the floor. Everyone got a good look at the map yet? I'll give you five more seconds to save it to memory. Five...four...three...two...and one." The masked man spins around and brings the camera towards the contestants once again, "We will be airing level one during the weekdays of this week. That means, two contestants per day. The first two for today is Contestant Gustaf Kohl and Contestant Inka Sheinfeld. Security! Send the rest to the waiting lounge." Suddenly, the doors fling open as numerous masked guards emerge and rush towards the contestants. They quickly separates Gustaf and Inka from the rest and drags the others out of the room. Four guards remain in the room to watch over the two contestants left behind. "Contestant Gustaf and Contestant Inka, please step into the pods that you came out of earlier. Now don't resist or those guards will force you to enter and they might break a few bones while they're at it. We don't want that, now do we?" It seems that Mister Θ knows of Gustaf's intentions as he stares at the German man with stern eyes. Gustaf sighs in resignation and proceeds towards the pods along with Inka. They enter the pods while facing the camera and the guards come over to close the pods. As the tubes descend, Mister Θ looks into the camera once more and smiles. "Now, it's time for you viewers to play your part and share your luck with the participants. Come, you will see below your screen, four polls of some sort. Select the choices you feel are the correct choices. The most decided selection for each poll will be given to the contestants. The first two polls are called 'Starting Weapon'. These polls basically decide the starting weapon each contestant will use. The last two polls are called 'Starting Pill' and they will decide which starting pill each contestant will be given. Of course, when you look at the poll choices, you will see only five different item boxes and four different pills. You won't know what's in the item boxes - the only hint is the letter on the boxes. In addition, you don't know what the pills do either and like the boxes, the only hint is the letter on the pills. It could be something good or it could be something bad, it all depends on your luck. Come, make your choices. Decide the fate of these two contestants." Gustaf Kohl: Spoiler: Starting Weapon http://www.strawpoll.me/13259786 Spoiler: Starting Pill http://www.strawpoll.me/13259836 Inka Sheinfeld: Spoiler: Starting Weapon http://www.strawpoll.me/13259819 Spoiler: Starting Pill http://www.strawpoll.me/13259861 ----------------------------------------------
You should probably put the story inside a spoiler column. Its easier to navigate rather than scrolling down. Nice story
The fourth wall breaking is fun. Occasional spelling and grammar errors. You should also tighten up the words, especially when the announcer is speaking, since his speech should be magnetic. For example, "So last season we had a total of ten participants. However, sadly there weren't any winners," would be stronger as "Last season we had ten participants! Unfortunately, there were no winners." Get rid of the excess and adjust the words and punctuation to heighten the drama.
Map 1: L1 - Zombies Spoiler This is the map for the first floor of the Undead Dungeons. Make sure to refer to this map while you, the viewers, help navigate the contestants throughout the dungeon floor. On the map, there are blue icons that represent fixed enemies. This means that you know for sure there are certain number of enemies in each room. However, this also means that there are non-fixed enemies found in the hallways that the contestants need to watch out for. The larger, blue icon represents the boss - usually a stronger, possibly variant, version of the fixed enemies. The blue and red line represents locked doors that require specific keys to unlock. Such keys can be found in breakables around the map such as vases and barrels. Treasure chests are password protected. Hints about the correct password can be found in the dungeon floor. Make sure you pay attention. There are three password choices. One is correct and two are incorrect. Of the two incorrect choices, one will produce a harmless aftereffect while the other will produce a harmful aftereffect. The treasure chest in the boss room is not password protected. Instead, it will automatically open after the defeat of the boss.
Week 1 Day 1 Part 2 - Entering the Dungeon Spoiler "Alrighty! Time's up! Let's see what the viewers have decided on for our dear contestants." Mister Θ pulls out a tablet and scrolls through the contents. "Hmmm, yes...yes. I see. Okay! The results are in! Have a look." Mister Θ points his gloved hand towards a large screen which displays the poll results in four neat pie charts. The starting weapons for Gustaf and Inka are 'Item Box S' and 'Item Box B', respectively. As for the starting pills, they are 'Pill S' and 'Pill P', respectively. As the viewers stare at the screen, clueless and hoping for an explanation, Mister Θ is seen giggling at the side. Remembering that a camera is still directed at him, Mister Θ quickly composes himself. "Ahem, allow me to explain the selections the majority has made. Let's start with Gustaf Kohl...as you can see, 32% of the voters chose 'Item Box S'. I can probably guess that you guys might have thought that the 'S' stands for 'Sword', am I right? Unfortunately, the correct answer is...'slingshot with no ammo'!" Mister Θ gasps in fake surprise as he fans himself. "Shocking, isn't it? You guys regretting it now, eh? Well, no worries! It's all in the past. Gustaf will just have to make do with what he gets." "Next, we have the starting pill. Most of you have decided on 'Pill S'. Excellent choice! This pill will allow the user to gain extra strength upon consumption. Seems like the Heavens have not forsaken our dear German friend." "Okay! It seems your luck is fairly good. Let's see what we have next? For Ms. Sheinfeld, 30% of the viewers have voted for 'Item Box B' and 32% of the viewers have voted 'Pill P'." "Hmm, I bet people thought the 'B' stood for 'Bow' or 'Blade', right? Wrong! The actual item is...'B' as in 'Baseball Bat'! Though it isn't what you may have expected, however, this weapon is still a fair choice." "As for the pill...unfortunately, Lady Luck was not on your side. Pill 'P' is actually a slow-acting 'Poison' pill. Things aren't looking so well for Inka. Can she survive through it? Only time will tell." Mister Θ pauses and looks around slowly for dramatic effect. "Now that the starting choices have been selected, it is time to move on to the next step. Come! Let's change the stage!" The masked host snaps his fingers twice and points his finger at the box-shaped, glass room. Suddenly, the room begins to tremble as it slowly descends below the ground. In the meantime, four large pillars emerge from the four corners of the room. Once the glass room disappears into the ground, the pillars begin to light up and a whirring noise soon follows. After a few moments, the room begins to vibrate and the surroundings start to change. Seconds later, the once dark room becomes a moldy, old basement-like room with torches on the sides. In front of the camera are two people. They are naturally the two contestants of today's show - Gustaf Kohl and Inka Sheinfeld. Mister Θ walks up to the camera and lifts it up to his shoulder. He approaches the two contestants and sticks his hand through them. "Now, don't be alarmed folks. This is normal. As you can see, my hand passes through them like a hot knife through butter. That's because, I'm sure you know, they are actually not in this room. In other words...this is a hologram. Now, how is this a hologram? As I mentioned last year, we have many high-tech mini-drones flying around on the dungeon floors along with the contestants, capturing their every move, which is then compiled into what we see here. Luckily, the rooms on each dungeon floor is a bit smaller than the room we're in right now. So, you don't have to worry about any missing or overlapping content." "As of now, they are just about to receive some instructions on getting their starting items. Silence everyone...and enjoy the show." Mister Θ disappears from the camera's view as he expertly zooms the camera towards the two contestants. .......... In the Base Room.... .......... After waking up and finding themselves in another unknown room, the two individuals - Gustaf and Inka - search around the trapezoid-shaped room to look for a way out. Minutes later, the two give up in frustration. "Goddamn room! There's no outlet. How the fuck did we even get in here?" Gustaf kicks a nearby wall, causing dust to shake off. Inka, on the other hand, crouches by a corner with her hands clasped together over her head as she silently prays. Suddenly, a buzzing noise could be heard. The two participants look around, trying to locate the source of the sound. After a while, they finally find out that the buzzing sound is coming from Gustaf. The German man quickly searches through his clothes and finds a cell phone. Someone was calling him! Gustaf quickly swipes right, unlocking the phone and answering the call. As he brings the phone to his ear, he realizes that the phone is automatically on speaker. Gustaf holds the phone up for the two of them to hear. "Ahem...ahem...can you guys hear me? Hello?" The voice did not appear to belong to Mister Θ. "What the fuck do you want? Get us out of here!" Gustaf roars into the phone. The voice hisses sharply, "Ow, that smarts. Quiet down will you? You're hurting my ears." "Wait, who are you? You're not the masked man." Inka asks as she recalls the voice to be different from what she heard from Mister Θ. "You're right! The name is Εpsilon...but you can call me Professor E." "P-Professor E? Why are you doing this to us?" "Because, my dear Inka, you were chosen...just like Mr. Gustaf here." "Chosen? How!?" Gustaf bellows into the phone, causing Professor E to hiss sharply once more. "Silence, you barbarian! I cannot disclose too much information. Anyways, let's begin the games." "Wai-!" The phone disconnects before Gustaf could utter another word. The man angrily grips the phone. The look in his eyes seem to signal his destructive intent. Before Gustaf could smash the cell phone onto the ground, it vibrates once more. As Gustaf forcefully calms himself down, Inka grabs the phone from the man's hands and looks at the display. A message has appeared. The game is about to start. You will each get a 'Starting Weapon' and a 'Starting Pill' as decided by the viewers through majority vote. The items will show up soon after you finish reading this message. Use your weapons to fight off the enemies on this floor. You can't use someone else's starting weapon as these weapons are bound to their respective owner. Make sure you take your pill within a minute after it arrives or face the consequence of dying. After you prepare yourself, the doors to the dungeon will open. Enter and win! Defeat your enemies and live! Oh, and one more thing. Any injuries you incur during the game will be healed upon completion of the dungeon floor. No matter how serious, as long as you have breath, you will be healed. As soon as Inka finishes reading the message out loud, the two of them hear a 'shwoop' followed by two dull thuds. They glance around and see two boxes of varying sizes on the floor a couple of feet before them. Where did they come from? Gustaf takes the initiative and grabs both boxes. As he holds them up, they both see some words on each box - 'For Gustaf Kohl' and 'For Inka Sheinfeld'. The two glances at each other momentarily before opening their respective boxes. Gustaf rips open his box and uncovers what looks to be a wooden slingshot and a small, porcelain container. This slingshot appears to be his starting weapon and whatever is inside the container appears to be his pill. He glances towards Inka and sees her pull out a wooden baseball bat and a similarly-shaped porcelain container. If it isn't for the fact that the starting weapons were bound to the respective users, Gustaf would have stolen Inka's weapon by now. Remembering that they need to consume the pill within a minute, the man and woman uncork their porcelain containers and pour out the contents. Each container held one pill - a spherical brown consumable with a strong medicinal aroma. Without wasting any more time, Gustaf swallows his pill. He suddenly roars with vitality and energy. His strength had multiplied by two-fold! Seeing the German man's positive reaction to his pill, Inka swallows hers in hopes of acquiring the same benefits. However, nothing happens. Inka scratches her head anxiously. Is her pill a placebo? After a few seconds of waiting, there was still nothing...no effects occurred. Inka grimaces as she realizes that the pill she ate may very well be a fake. Once the two contestants finish preparing, the room vibrates for a short while and a door appears in the far end. The two participants look at each other briefly before walking in.
Week 1 Day 1 Part 3 - First Death Spoiler "Ugh! This place smells like rotten shit!" Gustaf curses while wrinkling his nose. The German man cautiously shuffles his way around the dimly lit hallway. This place was described to be a dungeon. However, it surprisingly looks more like a rundown hospital. As Gustaf and Inka walk down the long hallway, they could see that many of the side doors are either locked or led to a brick wall. Most of the intersections have been bricked off as well. Suddenly, Inka screams in horror. Gustaf jumps in uncontrollable fright and bellows a couple of curses at the frightened young woman. "What the fuck are you screaming about? Quiet! Or I'll slap the living daylights out of you!" Inka quickly covers her mouth as tears trickle down her face. She points her trembling finger towards something before them. Gustaf follows her finger and lands his eyes on a stretcher next to the left wall. There is a lump on top of the stretcher, covered entirely with a dirt-stained blanket. The outline of the lump looked like that of a human's. Gustaf gulps and backs away slightly. "W-Woman, go check it." "W-Why me?!" Inka looks at Gustaf with disbelief in her eyes. How can this man be such a coward and hide behind a timid person like her? Does he not have balls? "Because you have the wooden bat and I only have this slingshot. Why else? Just listen to what I say! All you gotta do is use your bat to lift up those covers." Inka pauses as she ponders over the pros and cons and, after some more persuasion from Gustaf, she agrees to check. As the young woman tiptoes towards the stretcher, she suddenly stops moving. Before Gustaf could ask her why she stopped, Inka suddenly grabs her stomach and bends down, her face scrunching with agony. "Ugghhhh...m-my stomach hurts! I-I can't...I can't go on. It hurts. H-Help me!" When Gustaf saw Inka crouch down in pain, he thought that she was faking it. Thus, the German explodes with impatience and frustration. With a swift kick, he lashes at the young woman. He kicks her lower back and sends her sprawling towards the stretcher. Inka screams and swings her hands about, trying to latch onto something to prevent her from falling. Her hands grab hold of the covers, pulling them a little and revealing what is underneath. The sight before Gustaf's eyes shakes him with fear. There is a body on the stretcher...rotten beyond recognition. But that isn't what causes the man to shiver with fright. It is because the corpse is doing something incomprehensible...it is moving. The rotten body slowly begins to rise in a sitting position. It slightly turns and looks at the woman before it. The woman, Inka, did not know what is happening in front of her as she is currently suffering from severe stomach pangs. However, when a shadow looms over her, she instinctively flinches and slowly looks up. Seeing the zombie before her, Inka tries to scream, but she is too weak from the earlier stomach pangs. She flails her bat at the zombie desperately, but her hand loses strength, and she drops the bat. As she tries to protect herself with her arms, the zombie lunges at her and they both crash to the floor. The heavy crash knocks the breath out of Inka, causing her to gasp for air and lower her guard. Taking advantage of this chance, the rotten corpse takes a huge bite at the young woman's neck and tears away a chunk of flesh. Blood instantly squirts out as Inka screams in pain. Her screams did not last long as she quickly dies of blood loss. The zombie continues to rip large pieces of flesh from her body, oblivious of the other person in the hallway. Gustaf grimaces at the sight of the bloody and torn corpse. As the zombie focuses on its meal, the German edges towards the wooden bat and picks it up. Luckily for him, because the original owner is dead, the bat became unbounded. Gustaf brings the bat up and fiercely smashes it against the zombie's head. But, he did not stop there. The man continues to swing his bat until his arms became sore. Gustaf slouches next to the wall opposite of the corpses and sighs in exhaustion. As he rests, he recalls something that he had seen on TV a few days ago. It was a zombie movie. He remembers a particular detail about zombies from that movie - all victims of the zombie bite become zombies themselves. OH SHIT! Gustaf scrambles to his feet and rushes towards Inka's body. He saw her fresh corpse twitch and her eyes flutter. It seems like the body was undergoing zombification! Wasting no time, Gustaf begins to stomp on the dead woman's head until her brains splattered out and the skull split into many pieces. Once he made sure that the body did not move anymore, he begins to calm down. Gustaf shivers as he sees the gory scene before him. Backing away, he quickly leaves, delving deeper into the hallway. After a few minutes of peace, he arrives at a dead end...or rather, there are two metal walls before him - one on the right and one ahead of him. What could he do now? Maybe there's a trapdoor? Gustaf carefully scans his surroundings and looks for a secret opening or a lever of some sort. .......... Meanwhile, Mister Θ is busy describing the events that transpired in the dungeon. "...and now that Inka is dead, all that's left is our dear old Mr. Kohl. Now, don’t feel sorry for Inka...that's life. It has its ups and downs. Unfortunately for Miss Sheinfeld, her life has plummeted. Who could have guessed that? Oh well." The masked host circles around with the camera and zooms in on the German man's face. "That stomping earlier on Inka's head was surprisingly ruthless. I was shocked with his decisiveness. Even now, his face is calm and collected. Not even a single drop of sweat on his...eehh? There's a drop! T-That...that's probably from fatigue." "Anyways, moving on. It seems that our dear contestant has reached a forked path. If you look at the map, you will see that it is the first forked path of the dungeon. Should the contestant continue forwards or should he turn right...or should he go back? Come! Let's vote. You decide his path!" Gustaf Kohl: Spoiler: Which way should he take? http://www.strawpoll.me/13379253 ----------------------------------------------
Week 1 Day 1 Part 4 - Bitten Spoiler "The results are in! The majority has chosen! Continue forward!" Mister Θ points towards the display, which shows a pie chart. More than a third of the voters had decided on continuing onwards. After a moment of silence, Mister Θ taps his earpiece and exclaims, "Professor E, open door number one!" .......... Half an hour later, Gustaf was just about to give up when his cell phone vibrates all of a sudden. The German man reaches into his pockets and pulls out the phone. There is a message from Professor E.; he swipes the phone open and reads it. The viewers have decided. The door in front of you will open shortly. As soon as Gustaf finishes reading the message, the door before him begins to tremble. With a sharp screech of metal on the tiled floor, the door begins to slide to the right. Once the door was fully open, Gustaf carefully walks forward. His face shows signs of displeasure. Why did the metal door have to make such a loud noise? What if the sounds had attracted a zombie or two? Gustaf holds up his baseball bat and makes a quick turn around the corner. The German man tenses up in full alert for a few seconds only to relax once he sees that there are no enemies in sight. Just as he is about to take a step forward, he feels his leg is caught on something. A stinging, biting pain follows shortly after. Gustaf winces as he looks down. He gapes in horror upon seeing the source of his pain. It was a zombie...or rather, half of a zombie. The lower half was missing with intestines strewn about. The zombie had taken a bite at his leg! Though the bite was weak and did not tear flesh, Gustaf is sure that the zombie's teeth had penetrated the skin and drew blood. The man panics and kicks the zombie with his free leg. Coupled with the strength pill, his kick cleanly beheads the zombie. With the help of his baseball bat, he pulls away from the corpse's grasp. Gustaf bends down and checks his wound; blood is trickling out of four holes where the canines should be. The man pales in fright while he shakily sits on the floor. As a horror movie enthusiast, he knows that those who are bitten or scratched by zombies are bound to become infected and eventually turn into zombies themselves. He rips open his pants and saw a shade of deep purple coloring his entire shin. The zombie virus has spread up to his knee already! Quickly, Gustaf rips his pants into long strips and begins to tie them about his leg, cutting off circulation near the injury. With the circulation cut off, or relatively slowed, the speed of the zombie virus decreases visibly. With a sigh of relief, he closes his eyes for a moment to calm his nerves. What he did just now could only serve as temporary relief. Any strenuous activity would definitely cause the virus to spread faster. What can he do now? Suddenly, he recalls that he has some form of connection to the outside. He anxiously glances about and hollers at the top of his lungs, "Can anyone hear me? I've been bitten. Please help me! I-I don't want to die! Can you hear me?" Seeing no response, whatsoever, Gustaf pulls out his phone and sends a message to Professor E...at least he tries to, that is. It seems that the phone's messenger app is designed to only receive messages and not send messages. With a burst of frustration, Gustaf flings the cell phone across from him. The phone skids across the floor and stops with a crash at the opposite wall. He closes his eyes once more, a look of resignation on his face. .......... "Oh! Look at the events that has transpired so far! Our surviving contestant of today seems to have met with some trouble." Mister Θ points his camera at the bite wound on Gustaf's leg. The masked host clicks his tongue twice and continues, "This poor first-aid won't last. I give him...five minutes, give or take. After five minutes, the virus will spread past the leg, and in less than three minutes, our dear Gustaf will become a zombie." Mister Θ shakes his head in pity and remarks, "We don't want that now, do we? Hehe, of course, I don't know what you viewers want to begin with. So, how about a vote? Should we help Gustaf or not? Should we amputate his leg? Or should we give him this special pill that 'clears' out all abnormal effects? You decide!" Gustaf Kohl: Spoiler: Help Gustaf Kohl or Not? http://www.strawpoll.me/13470839 ----------------------------------------------
Week 1 Day 1 Final Part - Zombification Spoiler Zzzzzzzz Gustaf Kohl's phone suddenly vibrates. The man's once dull eyes shine brightly as he pulls the phone out. Could it be? Has the viewers pitied him and gave him a way out of his troubles? However, the more he reads the message, the paler his face becomes. Hey, there! So, Mister Θ had heard your cries for help. But he couldn't play favors and help you out immediately. Instead, he decided to let the viewers choose via popular vote. There were three options to choose from: 1) help by amputating your infected area...aka your leg; 2) help by giving you a miraculous pill known as the "Clear Pill", which can clear away all abnormal effects in your body; and 3) don't help at all. And...here were the results: As you can see, out of the three options, option 3 - the Don't Help - has won by popular vote, held by forty percent viewers. The viewers have decided. I'm sorry. But Mister Θ...we all abide by the rules of this system. There's nothing we can do to help. Again...I'm sorry. The phone falls from Gustaf's trembling hand and clacks on the tiled floor. Blood drains from his face, leaving a pale complexion. Seconds pass as the man stand there dazed. His eyes show confusion, as if trying to ask what had happened...why did it turn out like this? Finally, after a minute or two has passed, Gustaf wakes from his trance and roars in anger. With all his strength, he kicks the phone away from him. "FUCK!! Fuck you! Fuck you, you goddamn viewers! I hope you all rot in hell! Fucking trouser-shitting piss-carnations!" Gustaf faces the ceiling and bellows a string of curses at the viewers. After cussing out at the viewers, he moves on to insulting Mister Θ. "And fuck you too, you masked freak! Goddamn shithead! You think you're all that? You're just a walking ass with ears! Why don't you fight me face to face? Or are you too scared you shitwanker?! Come over here and let me skin you alive and shove your balls down your thro-!" Just before he could finish his insult, the German man suddenly pales even more and his surroundings begin to blur. Dizzy, Gustaf holds up his arm and leans on a wall for support. His mind slowly worsens and he could see his skin beginning to age. Gustaf shakes his head a few times to clear his mind but the effects worsen. Maybe lying down would help. He tries to lie down but the world starts to spin around him, causing him to stumble and collapse onto the ground. All of a sudden, he convulses; his eyes roll back and his skin begins to change at a visible rate. Within minutes, his once robust body becomes haggard and aged. His eyes and cheeks are sunken as if he didn't sleep for three days. His skin is grayish in color with visible pockmarks on his face. When the convulsing stopped, Gustaf's body stops moving completely. His eyes are closed and he gives off the impression of death. Suddenly, his eyes open wide, revealing reddened eyes and shrunken irises. A growling, moaning sound rumbles from his throat as he scrambles to his feet. With a baseball bat in his hand, he starts shuffling aimlessly about the place. The man has zombified...he had died a painful but quick death. Now, he wanders around in the hallway as a zombie for all eternity. .......... "Well, it was unfortunate. Our dear contestant - Gustaf Kohl - had met his doom today. He has become a zombie and will wander throughout this hallway forever. May he rest in piece." Mister Θ shakes his head in pity. He looks at the camera before him as if staring face to face with each and every member of the audience. "Don't feel bad about your decision. It isn't your fault. It is all because of Fate...because Fate did not help Gustaf in his time of need. Anyways...." The masked host flicks his finger across the tablet, causing the hologram to flicker a few times before disappearing. With another flick, the four pillars at the corners of the room begin to descend. Once everything was settled, the lights flash on...but Mister Θ was nowhere to be seen. The viewers stare intensely at the screen, trying to figure out what has happened. Did the screen froze? Was the show over? Suddenly, Mister Θ jumps into view from the side with a childish 'Boo'. The masked host laughs in his comedic mask for a few seconds, adding a hint of creepiness to his whole persona. Then, as quickly as his laughter had began, it stops. Mister Θ brought up his hand towards his mask and pulls it off his face. What's this?! Is Mister Θ going to do a face-reveal? This is what the viewers were wondering about, but their hopes were shattered when they found out what was underneath Mister Θ's mask. It was another mask...a tragic mask. "Unfortunately for our first two contestants, they did not make it to the end. Having died, that was all because their fate was short...their luck, terrible. Well, there's nothing we can do but move on. With our contestants dead, we can only conclude today's episode. Be sure to come back tomorrow and see how our next two contestants tackle this dungeon floor. I hope you had enjoyed the show. Good night folks, and I'll see you tomorrow." ----------------------------------------------
Intermission - Plans for a Kidnap Spoiler "Here's the list of candidates for the show's upcoming second season." A tall, gangly old man holds up a portfolio and places it on a large conference desk. With a gentle push, he slides the documents towards the far end. The folder reaches the end of the table and stops after bumping into the back of a turned chair. "Very good! You've done a fine job, Epsilon," a cheery voice chirps out as the revolving chair swivels around to reveal a masked man. It was the masked host from the first season of 'Can Anyone Beat Level 10?'. He reaches over and flips open the folder. The first thing he sees is a picture of a young lady of Chinese descent. The lady has long black hair with brown highlights and crescent-shaped eyes. Her rosy lips pull back a laugh, showing pearl-white teeth. Epsilon clears his throat and begins introducing the woman in the photo. "Her name is Lindsey Chu, born to Kevin Chu and May Li. She is the youngest child in her family with an older brother, by three years, named Jason Chu. Like her family, she was born in the US. She is twenty-three years old this year and works as a part-time translator for a small gaming company called Genesis." "Hoh...a translator, eh? Doesn't seem much of a worthy candidate for our game show. What does she have that others don't?" "Unbeknownst to her family and friends, she had attended many social and political events during her college years. At that time, she had learned and mastered the use of firearms." "She's not a government spy, is she?" "No. We've already checked her background. She's clean. You don't have to worry about that, Theta." "Hmmm, alright. Let's consider her. What about the others?" Theta nods as he hands the information on Lindsey Chu to the wizened man. As he continues to describe the other candidates, Epsilon grabs the papers and holds onto it. Several minutes later, he finishes speaking and waits quietly for Theta's decisions. "Okay. I've decided. Let's go with Kohl, Sheinfeld, Littlerock, Opeyemi, Fontaine, Patel, Fitzpatrick, Lee, and...Rollins. You can get them by next year right?" "Yes. We have surveillance on them 24/7. Any change in their daily routine will be notified to me as soon as possible." "Will there be any problems?" "No. Just leave it to Tau like always. He will handle this smoothly." "Fantastic! Make sure to observe them discreetly. I trust Tau to do things flawlessly; however, if any problems do arise, let me know immediately." "No worries, they won't suspect a thing." "Alright. I'll see you again once the contestants have been brought back. You may leave now." "Okay." Epsilon shuffles the papers of the selected candidates and quickly leaves the room. Theta surveys the documents of the remaining candidates once more, before dumping them into a shredding machine. As the shredding machine shreds the papers into thin strips, Theta stares absentmindedly at the ceiling and mutters, "Soon...Fate will change." ----------------------------------------------
Week 1 Day 2 Part 1 - A New Beginning Spoiler After an eventful night, the next morning seemed to drag on forever as the viewers of the cult game show agitatedly awaited for the arrival of the second episode. Meanwhile, government agencies around the world struggled to track the show's IP address, but there was no luck. They tried to hack into the video to look for clues, but everything was encrypted with a language that didn't seem human or anything remotely related to human. 10...9...8...7...6...5...4...3...2...1...0...BEGIN! Immediately after the countdown reached zero, the second episode begins. The civil servants could do nothing but watch and pray for the safety of the next pair of contestants. .......... The screens of more than a billion computers and laptops in the world flicker on, and a black display appears before the viewers. However, if one is to look close enough, he or she can see that the black display is actually a very dark room. Viewers can barely make out some distinct outlines of the walls and other objects. Moments later, the dark room slowly begins to brighten. Once the room is fully bright, viewers can see two pillars in the far end. These pillars are the hologram-generating devices that they had seen yesterday; the other two pillars are located behind the camera at the two corners of the room. At the moment, these pillars are turned off as the show hasn't begun yet. As the viewers wait patiently for the episode to start, music begins to play in the background. It is a certain type of circus music that many older generations have encountered in their childhoods. Suddenly, with the climax of the music, a man walks in front of the camera wearing a suit and a comedy mask. This man is naturally Mister Θ. "Welcome! Welcome to 'Can Anyone Beat Level 10?', folks! I'm your host: Mister Θ. It's a pleasure to have you all. Thank you, thank you." Although the viewers can't tell what Mister Θ's expression is like under the comedy mask, they can't help but have the overall impression that he's smiling like a villain would with curled lips and a stark face. The masked host straightens his back and, with a flourish, bows deeply in front of the camera. "I hope you had an enjoyable time last night. Today marks a new day and a new episode. Our contestants for this episode are Winona Littlerock and Nthanda Opeyemi! Give them a round of applause!" Mister Θ woots while gently clapping his gloved hands, before raising them up as if to signal a moment of silence. "Now then...the dungeon floor is the same as yesterday's. The baddies are the same as well. The few differences are that there will be some changes to the passwords in each chest, as well as a few added enemies. Are there any questions?" The masked host glances around, as if waiting for his imaginary live-audience to speak. "I guess there's none. That's good. Let us begin then! You know what to do. Same format as last time. Here are four individual surveys to fill out. What starting item and starting pill should our contestants get? Vote! Transfer your luck to our two protagonists! Decide their fate!" Like yesterday, four surveys appear one after the other. There are five starting items and four starting pills to choose from for each contestant. As usual, no one can tell what the items and pills are, but with the help of the 'one letter' hint, they can at least guess what the things could be. POLL: Starting Item 1. Item Box S 2. Item Box M 3. Item Box B 4. Item Box C 5. Item Box F POLL: Starting Pill 1. Pill S 2. Pill I 3. Pill V 4. Pill B For Winona Littlerock: Starting Weapon - http://www.strawpoll.me/13691583 Starting Pill - http://www.strawpoll.me/13691612 For Nthanda Opeyemi: Starting Weapon - http://www.strawpoll.me/13691602 Starting Pill - http://www.strawpoll.me/13691618 ----------------------------------------------
Week 1 Day 2 Part 2 - Second Round Begins Editor: KuroYousei Spoiler "...and that's time!" Mister Θ exclaims as he signals off-screen for the voting to stop. The masked host takes out his tablet and swipes across the screen a couple of times. As he muses over the results of the polls, he nods his head in satisfaction. "Good! These are better results than the ones we had yesterday! Here, have a look." Mister Θ double taps on his tablet and points towards the large TV display above him. The results, like yesterday, are shown in pie charts. Looking at the percentages, one can tell that Winona will be getting Item Box S and Pill I, and Nthanda will be getting Item Box M and Pill S. "Now, I'm sure everyone is wondering what exactly those boxes and pills are, am I right? Well, let me tell you. For our champion archer, the Item Box S contains a shotgun with a standard box of shotgun shells. Not really an ideal weapon choice for an archer, but at least it's long-ranged. As for the pill she will be consuming...well, she sure lucked out. The 'I' in Pill I stands for Immunity. This pill will give her immunity to the zombie virus!" Mister Θ glances about sheepishly before giggly adding, "It's a good thing I didn't set up a gambling ring to bet on who would survive the longest. If I did, I would definitely lose big time." "Anyways, let's look at what our dear little track star has. The weapon in his box is...a mace, and a spiked one at that. As for his pill, it's a speed pill. Wow! Increasing the speed of someone who can already run fast...now, isn't that overkill?" The masked host chuckles softly before clearing his throat. He straightens the tie on his neck before staring at the camera in front of him. "Enough dilly-dallying. I'm sure you, the viewers, do not care too much about what items and pills our contestants have received. Come! Let's start the games!" Mister Θ claps two or three times and walks off-screen. The pillars at the corners of the room begin to brighten as a whirring sound echoes throughout. Soon, the pillars begin to vibrate and the room begins to change. Seconds later, the moldy, old basement-like dungeon floor appears once more. Holograms of the two contestants materialize and stand before the camera. .......... Inside the Base Room, two people stand in a dazed state. They glance about the unknown trapezoid-shaped room, wondering how they came to this place. They can see that the dimly lit room has no visible outlet, yet the oddly arranged torches seem to indicate that there is indeed a door before them. As they continue to look about, a buzzing noise suddenly hums out. Nthanda turns his head to and fro before pointing towards Winona's jacket pocket. Upon seeing the young man's indication, the woman pats her pockets and feels a vibrating bulge. Surprise springs from her face as she pulls out a smartphone. Someone was calling her. As she did not recognize the number, she hesitates to answer it. When Nthanda sees Winona's indecision, he grunts softly and wrenches the phone from the woman's hand. With a swipe, he unlocks the phone and brings it to his ear. "Hello? Who's this? Are you the masked freak?" Nthanda utters coldly. "Eh? Ahem...ahem...this isn't Mister Θ, if that's what you're asking." The voice on the other end of the line burst out in unrestrained laughter. When Nthanda hears the loud, piercing voice, he winces and peers at the phone's display. It's on speaker! No wonder the phone call is so loud. Nthanda embarrassingly holds out the phone for Winona to hear. Winona takes the initiative to ask a few questions, "Who are you? Where are we? Why us?" "Whoa, whoa, whoa! One at a time. Hmm, give me a second. My name is Epsilon, but my peers call me Professor E. You can do the same. As for where you are? Well, that's a little problematic to explain. All you need to know is that you are in a mental asylum." "Then, why us? Why are we chosen?" Nthanda inquires. "Isn't it obvious? Hehe, it's because you contestants are all connected by Fate." "Connected by fate? What do you mean by that?" Winona blurts out in shock. How can they be connected? She has never seen anyone else from the group of contestants before, not even the boy standing next to her. "Oops! That was too much information. Well, enough questions. Let's begin the games!" "Wait! Explain what you mean! Professor E? Prof-!" Before Winona could ask another question, the phone disconnects. All she could hear is the thunderous sound of silence. Winona glances at the young African man next to her and sees the surprise she's feeling on his face. Nthanda, upon seeing the woman's stare, questions, "Do you know what he meant by connected?" "I-" Vrrrr! Vrrrr! Nthanda glances at the phone and sees a message flashing on the screen. The game is about to start. You will each get a 'Starting Weapon' and a 'Starting Pill' as decided by the viewers through majority vote. The items will show up soon after you finish reading this message. Use your weapons to fight off the enemies on this floor. You can't use someone else's starting weapon as these weapons are bound to their respective owner. Make sure you take your pill within a minute after it arrives or face the consequence of dying. After you prepare yourself, the doors to the dungeon will open. Enter and win! Defeat your enemies and live! Oh, and one more thing. Any injuries you incur during the game will be healed upon completion of the dungeon floor. No matter how serious, as long as you have breath, you will be healed. As soon as Nthanda finishes reading the message out loud, the two of them hear a 'shwoop' followed by two dull thuds. They glance around only to see two boxes of varying sizes on the floor a couple of feet before them. Where did they come from? Nthanda cautiously approaches the boxes, followed by a curious Winona. When the woman sees their names on the boxes, she rushes towards them and picks up the box with her name. Her box is long and rather heavy. She gently shakes it, but can't hear anything moving inside. "These boxes have our names on it! That one is yours, Nthanda." "Careful! We don't know what's in there. What if it's a trap?" Nthanda cautions as he takes a step back. "I don't think there's anything to be worried about. Didn't you read the message earlier? These boxes should contain our starting weapons and starting pills. Here, I'll open mine and show you." Winona rips open her box, uncovering a shotgun nestling firmly within a layer of styrofoam. By the gun, there are two containers. One contains a standard box of sixteen shotgun shells, while the other holds a small porcelain bottle. Inside the bottle was a brownish green pill the size and shape of a gumball. "See? Nothing to worry about. Quickly open yours and show me what you got." Nthanda grudgingly agrees and tears open his box. Once he lifts up the cardboard lid, he sees an one-handed spiked mace. Next to the mace is a small porcelain bottle, which contains a similarly shaped yellow pill. The young man holds up the mace, weighing it in his hands, and nods in satisfaction. He places the mace back into the box and takes out the yellow pill. As he sniffs at it curiously, a strong medicinal aroma emits from the pill, making his nose twitch in irritation. Remembering that they need to consume the pill within a minute, the pair quickly swallow their respective pills. "Uwuu...so bitter!" Winona can't help but stick out her tongue in disgust. The pill she consumed tasted like an expired grapefruit dipped in bitter melon pulp. As the bitter taste subsides, Winona scans her body for visible changes, but there aren't any. Could the pill be a dud? Or maybe it's just a regular medicine pill. The woman checks up on the young African man before her, and notices that his expression is a bit weird. "What's wrong, Nthanda?" When Nthanda ate the yellow pill, his face immediately scrunched up as an unforgettable sourness washed over his taste buds. He nearly choked as he swallowed the pill whole. Just as he was about to grimace in regret, a change abruptly erupts within him. He can feel his surroundings begin to slow down. His eyebrows knit deeply, revealing his ugly look. While he is considering the problem with his surroundings, he hears Winona's inquiry. Though the voice reaches him at a slow pace, every word is heard clearly. Nthanda looks up and gives a wry grin. "Nothing. Just feeling a bit light-headed." "Could it be the pill? Is it something bad? And why are you moving your head so fast?" "No...." Nthanda shakes his head, but the last sentence from Winona brings about a sudden realization from him. "Wait! What did you say?" "Um...is it something bad?" "No, the last one!" "W-Why are you moving your head so fast?" Why is his head moving so fast! When Nthanda mulls over this question, he finally understands. Why are his surroundings moving so slow? They aren't! In actuality, he is moving too fast! His overall speed increased by many times, causing the surroundings to seem slower! Nthanda stares at his hands and clenches them. This pill...it must have been a speed pill! What a miraculous object! While Nthanda is shaking in excitement from his discovery, Winona worryingly taps his shoulder. "Y-You alright?" "Hmm? Oh, yes! Yes, I'm fine! There's nothing to worry about." Nthanda waves his hand dismissively and walks towards his box. He hefts up the spiked mace and heads towards the door that appeared after they swallowed their pills. He glances back at the stunned woman and signals at her. "Come on, let's go!" "Ah, okay! Wait for me!" Winona exclaims as she hurriedly picks up the shotgun, storing the box of shotgun shells in her jacket pocket. With five large steps, the young woman enters through the doorway along with the young man. As soon as the two contestants enter the dungeon floor, the door closes shut behind them. The second round has begun.