PROJECT LOST

(alert: "You have been chosen as the next explorer. The government and this nation depend on you to find the ancient city and it's long lost resources. Thank you for your cooperation.") The buzz of your watch startles you awake. You wake up in the middle of the forest not remembering much. You are in the navy jumpsuit given to you by the government worker that was there to make sure you were securely and safely gotten to the dropping point. You remember the anesthesia that they gave you, "for your own safety" before driving away in a blacken van. After that it's a blur. Next to you is your backpack.[[You reach down to open it.->Backpack]]

The backpack is pretty standard gray. What stands out is the incredible amount of pockets. There are pockets big and small, inside and out, but you tend to only use two. The biggest to hold [[essential items]] that you may need and the smallest to carry your government issued [[ID card]]. You take your eyes off of your backpack and turn to the world [[around you]].

You pull out the small card to regain a bit of conciousness and focus on something before you jump into the task ahead. On the card is a small, blurry picture. Your brown hair is pretty normal and so is your slender nose. Your eyes though are piercing through the grit, a stark and icy blue. You scan down more of the card. (Link: "Name: Kason") [Kace for short, but last names were abandoned a long time ago.] Age: 17 Height: 6'00" Class: E It was an honor to be put in class "E" those were the only people ever chosen to explore for the government. Your younger sister had been F, destined to do "female designated work". But that was besides the point. You finally decide to [[look up.->around you]]

You woke up in the middle of the forest. The air is cool and wet. You are covered by a thick layer of branches and leaves although the spot is surprisingly clear. As you look around you notice that it is quite dark and there are very few paths to be found. You get up and start to look at the perimeter of the clearing. Finally you see it a path cut into the forest laden with footprints, boots, much like the ones that you were issued with your jumpsuit. You decide this is where you must [[begin]].

The path here is quite muddy. The mud sticks between the treads of your boots making it harder and harder to walk. The trees line the path for what seems like forever creating a dense shade. In the distance you see it begin to lighten up ever so slightly. Eventually you run into a [[river]] appearing on your left side.

The river is flowing strong and clear. It babbles and barbles as it rushes past. The current seems strong. You decide to rest on the bank of the river is made of soft mud and sand. As you begin to look around you see an abandoned [[sifter]]. It sits in the tall grass nearby glinting in the slivers of sunlight that bounce off of the rushing water. It is such an odd artifact to leave behind. After a while you decide to [[keep moving]] on the path.

Peering quickly into the backpack you double check that everything you need is there. You have a few packages of snacks. Along with it are two water bottles. A small first aid kit, which is pretty standard. There is also a flash light and a compass. Everything is in it's place and you zip up your [[backpack->Backpack]].

The sifter is in good condition, but it is not brand new. It's frame is a bit splintered, but the mesh is in tact. There is a low part of the river near by perfect enough to sift through the soft sediment below. Something calls to you from the soft sediment and it pulls you to sift through it. You can: [[Dig]]. or [[Keep moving.->keep moving]]

(alert: "Two hours have passed")You decide to continue on the path. As you trudge on you come upon a new path, this one smaller. It is just barely wide enough to fit you and your gear. There are still no other people or civilization in sight and you have no other choice then to keep walking the path. You quickly reach into your backpack to pull out your compass. You quickly analyze and determine that you are heading west. As you follow the path you realize that it has been carved into a mountain, something you had not seen before. You start to feel it too as the ground begins to gradually get steeper and steeper.[[You continue up the incline->Incline]]

You pick up the sifter and move diligently to the shallow edge of the river bank. In one swift motion you plunge the mesh into the soft sediment. Quickly you bring the sifter into the rushing water and start to skim off the muck and dirt. You repeat this many times having that feeling in the pit of your stomach that there is something here calling to you. It is on the 5th pass through that the weight in the sifter changes. As the water rushes and washes away the mud suddenly the [[hidden treasure]] emerges.

You pull the treasure off of the mesh and put the sifter back into the grass. You look down and a small, blue, square stone sits in your hand. It cannot be more than an inch in size. Surprisingly it bears a lot of weight, almost like gravity itself it set into this small stone. You know there is a choice to be made: Either to [[Keep the stone.-> Water]] Or [[Continue on.->keep moving]]

(set:$water to true) (set: $stone to true)(set: $count to it +1) You decide to store the small blue stone in the front zipper pocket of your backpack for safe keeping. You continue on the path, but eventually it leads to a new terrain. The path gets smaller and starts heading west. As you continue you begin to realize that you are on an [[incline.->Incline]]

After what seems like forever you finally reach the top of the incline. At the top, far into the trees is a chalet. It seems to have been closed for several years. You look around in case to see if someone is nearby, but still it is just you on the trails. You decide to check it out. Once again you need a short rest and the mountain air has sent a chill through your body. You [[explore the chalet]].

In the passage "hidden treasure" the link to "keep moving" is not linking correctly and it will not fix itself no matter how many times I type it.(fixed) In the passage "training" the link to "finish fire" is not linking correctly

Make the choices matter Have a very strict story Tell about the ancient city why that they want to uncover it PLAYER CHARACTER Experiment or dream? Think annihilation/ Maze runner Give the exact reason for the forest Maybe look at a refresher Establish PC, leaning towards a guy If players interact with new scenery they will find objects to get them through the game Every path is a different "story" persay so if you play four times you could get a total of 5 ish outcomes? 4 winning for each path and 1 for if there is no interactions. A little difficult, but will figure out Maybe instead make the player have to pick up elements and once they do they have to input them into a gate and then they are let into a lost secret society Airbender type elements North- Water element East- Earth element South- Air element West-Fire element "You continue on for a while and the terrain changes again. A small turn east and you are pushed back under the heavy canopy of trees." Make a timeline so that the watch makes sense

You decide to go up and explore the chalet. You walk up to the door doubtful that it will be unlocked. To your surprise it opens with ease and you are let in to a gigantic open room. Straight ahead is a fireplace. You move closer and are startled. Sitting next to the fireplace is a freshly cut stack of pine wood. A chill rushes through you and you begin to [[build a fire]].

Starting a fire does sound very nice. It is a bit nippy outside and the light would help you possibly see more of the room. Although it seems pretty empty. You start to unstack the wood to put into the fireplace. You hear something tumble and drop to the ground from the pile. Do you: [[Examine the object.->Fire Element]] Or [[Continue building the fire?->Finish Fire]]

You look around and although it is still dark you find the object. It feels familiar when you pick it up. It is a small, square, red stone. An inch in size. Weight like gravity is encapuslated inside of it. Do you: [[Keep it?->Take Fire]] Or [[Leave it behind and finish building the fire?->Finish Fire]]

(alert: "Six hours have passed.")As the cold seeps through your clothing you quickly build the fire. The tall flames catch on the wood and the room is set ablaze. You bundle up next to the fire and try to warm your frozen body. This was never a part of your [[training]]. You finally start to get feeling back into the tips of your fingers and your toes. It was nice to sit back down for a while and rest. It is time to [[continue on]].

(set:$fire to true)(set: $stone to true)(set: $count to it +1) You decide to store the small red stone in the front zipper pocket of your backpack for safe keeping. As you zip the pocket closed you hear the two stones clang against each other. After everything is safe in it's place you remember the task at hand...[[a fire->Finish Fire]]! It is freezing in this great room.

Training was not a walk in the park. Children are pulled at the age of 16. Put on white buses and driven far from the comfortable homes to begin two gruling years of training. Survival techniques, map tracking, and isolation all to simulate the task ahead. At 18 you were raffled to be sent into "the woods", a mission done alone and the outcome unclear. But preparing for other climates were never a part of [[training->Finish Fire]] ...

You gather your things and walk out of the chalet, closing the door behind you. (link: "The sun is dipping lower into the sky, but it is still day.")[Odd. It still feels like it could be noon.] You begin back on the path, the earth coming to meet the bottom of your boot. The incline has flattened out and the temperature has begun to warm again, but not as warm as the forest floor below. The path [[widens->lake]].

(alert: "Ten hours have passed.")You start following the wide trail. Looking closer at the path you realize it is covered in small pebbles. You continue to walk forward and suddenly a bright blue sky opens above you, with whispy white clouds. Ahead of you is a brilliant shining lake with a shallow pebbly [[beach]]. The trail curves around the beach. Eventually, you decide to keep [[moving forward]].

You approach the beach and push away the urge to push off your boots. The beach is large and the pebbles are small and smooth. The water is like glass, calm with no wind to move ripples across the surface. It reminds you of being a [[child again]].

You decide to pass up the lake, there is a mission at hand. You continue to walk the earth coming to meet the bottom of your boot. Hard and cold. Your body aches and it feels like you have been on the trail for days although the watch on your wrist says at most you have been traveling for 5 hours. A break would be nice, but the excitement of the mission is [[building->carry on]].

Your parents had taken you to a similar lake when you were younger. Long before last names were lost and jobs were given. There was a game of sorts that your father had taught you. A game to challenge yourself and to blow off steam in private. He taught you how to skip stones. [[You bend down to pick one up...]]

You pick one up feeling the smooth grey stone in your hand and...TOSS! It is gone skipping across the glass water. You pick up another and TOSS! And again and again until... You pick up a [[stone]] and hesitate. It is not smooth and flat but square and much smaller...

You examine the small stone. It is square and opal in shade. It feels like the world's gravity is pushing down into your hand. Particular to find in a nest of small, smooth, gray stones. Do you: [[Take the stone]] with you and carry on? Or [[Keep hiking the path?->carry on]]

(alert: "Sixteen hours have passed.")The trees begin to thicken again around the path. You move between the giant oaks that soon become massive firs.The path becomes harder and harder to follow as it winds between the trees. It is questionable if there is a clear path or if it is a path made by other woodland creatures, nevertheless you [[push on]].

(set: $air to true)(set: $stone to true)(set: $count to it +1) You grasp the small stone tightly as you swing your backpack in front of you. You open the smallest zippered pocket and drop it in. You shut the zipper tightly and check your watch. It's only four in the afternoon. Seems that the time on your watch has frozen at least the alerts still work. You brush it off and [[carry on]].

wrist watch flashlight

The sun had finally set and the earth had grown dark. You decide to pull out you flashlight out of your backpack to make up for the lost light.You flip the flashlight on and walk a bit further. You tend to look at the ground to make sure you don't trip on roots or lose the path. For a split moment you look up and stop dead in your tracks. A treehouse... The earth is cold and the treehouse looks like a good place to rest before completing the mission...The mission...it feels like you have gone in a circle and something in the pit of your stomach is telling you to finish before the next morning. Do you try to [[complete]] the mission? or Rest in the [[treehouse]]?

The treehouse is not that far off the ground, but still requires a ladder to get up. You clench the flashlight between your teeth and hoist yourself up the ladder and onto the landing. You readjust your jumpsuit and walk to open the door. Much like the chalet it opens with ease. It is sparsely furnished with scattered books and blankets in one of the corners. There is a singular window across from the door. Do you [[rest]] for a while? or [[Carry on->complete]] the path?

You decide to leave the treehouse quickly and continue on the path. Nothing much has changed since you left. The trees still cover the sky, blocking any illumination from the moon. You press the flashlight back into your hand and press forward into the [[darkness->once again]] of the trees.

(live: 2s)[You wake up a while later checking your watch and look around. You decide to look out the window. The sun is still not risen and the next day has not started yet. As you look on the window sill you realize that there are little jars stored there. One has a pine cone. One a fluffy dandelion. Another, a small [[green stone]].]

You stare at the jar and the stone glares at you daring you to pick it up. You pull the top off the jar and shake the stone into the palm of your hand. The small stone is a light jade. Square and smooth on all sides. It feels like it bares the weight of the world. You can take the [[stone->earth stone]] with you. or [[Leave it behind->complete]] and continue on the mission.

(set: $earth to true)(set: $stone to true)(set: $count to it +1) Something deep in your gut tells you to keep the stone and so you put it into the smallest pocket on the front of your backpack. You secure it with a zip and go on to the path [[once again]].

(alert: "Nineteen hours have passed.")The darkness swallows you whole as you get deeper and deeper into the thick forest. Branches brush up against you causing goose bumps to pop up against the skin on your neck. The trees seem to go on forever in every visible direction. You are moving based solely on [[hope]].

You continue on the path for what seems like for hours. Your body aches and the chill of the damp earth is seeping through your jumpsuit. The sun begins to rise and light slices through the trees causing you to look up. In the distance a structure rises. You squint and recognize the blurred structure as a gate. Your heart leaps, blood rushes through your body and you break out into a run. This...this is what you have been [[searching for]]!

You rush to the gate excited to have found another structure indicating that there was once life there. You peer through a crack in the big stone gate and only see a continuation of the forest around you. You take a step back to examine the gate in more detail. Where a lock should be there is just solid stone. (if: $stone is true)[Something deep in your gut tells you that the small stones that you collected are now needed. You reach into your backpack to grab them. Gravity quickly falling into your [[hand]].] (if: $stone is not true)[You do not have any tools in you backpack that would open the gate. [[Your mission is OVER]]]

(alert: "Simulation over.") A helmet is whipped off your head. Sensors pulled from your skin and your body is disconnected from the holster holding you in place. The VR is put away and the workers are moving dilligently around you. You pull away from the platform and walk back to your room, your head in your hands. [[Your training will continue...]]

You hold up the stones and the stone begins to crumble. (if: $fire is true) [The red stone flies and settles into place.](if: $fire is not true)[A space clad in red remains empty.] (if: $water is true)[The blue stone flies and settles into place.](if: $water is not true)[A space clad in blue remains empty.] (if: $air is true)[The opal stone flies and settles into place.](if: $air is not true)[A space clad in white remains empty.] (if: $earth is true)[The jade stone flies and settles into place.](if: $earth is not true)[A space clad in gree remains empty.] (if: $count is 4)[All the stones are placed and you hear the click of the gate being unlocked. The doors swing open and your jaw drops to the floor. Instead of a never ending forest behind the gate, there is a bustling city. People are flooding the market place. There are many vendors and it reminds you of pictures from your textbooks growing up. All of it together is [[shocking]]...] (if: $count is not 4)[Spaces are missing in the gate. You push on it hoping for it to open, but it remains [[shut->Your mission is OVER]].]

Would you like to [[play again->Start]]?

(set: $count to 0)

(alert: "Mission successful.") Immediately your vision goes dark. A helmet with a visor is taken off your head. People are swarming around you pulling off sensors and shaking your hand. The whole room feels like a celebration, but you are still shocked at completing the mission. It all felt so real. Someone you have never met before walks up to you and shakes your hand. He is going on and on about how this was revolutionary and that only a few people finish the simulation. He pats you on the back saying, "This is where the real mission [[begins->Your training will continue...]]..."