I was super thrilled to discover the uniform stealing possibility in-game and decided to present it here as a story with pictures. All the text is directly from the game. The blank spaces between paragraphs indicate the desision points, so every time you see a double blank space, it means that there was the player's desision in the approach to the situation. The player decides where to go, what to do, how to do things, how to attack and defend in combat and the story is narrated based on the player's desisions.
The story is about a sorceress (you can choose the gender of the main character) who is tasked to retreive the fabled Crown of Kings from the evil city of Manpang where the Archmage is keeping the artifact. After many adventures the hero finally reaches the city and has to infiltrate the citadel in order to reach the crown and defeat the villian.
So, here is a kind of excerpt of this story based on my desisions:
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You push through the thin crowds, earning a few elbows and curses for your trouble. There is a streak of cruelty in Mampang. Even the downtrodden are eager for their chance to hurt someone weaker than them.
You keep your eyes forward, both avoiding any unwanted notice and also looking away from some of the more grisly wares on offer.
The street soon opens up into a busy public square.
An old beggar woman sits against a well nearby. A wider road leads west into a run-down area of the city.
The wind pick up as the evening draws on. Soon, it will be dark once more.
You walk west, out of the square, following a wide road. It passes by a large gate and an old building. The two robed men are here.
You must keep going.
The road curves along the edge of a tall stone wall, eventually reaching a low metal door. The sun is now sinking down.
You continue along the road. The sun has almost set, and the sky has turned a deep purple. It will be night soon. You pass a side-street, leading off into a maze of smaller streets and alleys.
You skulk down a narrow street, lined by low warehouses. You catch the scent of grain as you pass one.
As you turn a slight corner, you spy three guards walking towards you, one dressed in the finery of a captain. Distracted by conversation, they have yet to spot you.
You hurry quickly over to the door of a nearby warehouse and slip inside.
The large warehouse is filled with stacks of crates. But as you enter, you hear a guard speak.
'Did you see that?' he says.
'See what?' another replies.
'Someone jest went into that building. We have our orders.'
Footsteps grow louder as they approach the entrance.
You duck into the narrow passages between the crates, weaving in the gloom. The air here is stuffy, and you resist the urge to sneeze as you disturb layers of dust.
Hidden, you watch the three guards stop at the threshold trying to catch sight of you. 'She still must be in here,' one says. They begin to creep along, probing stacks of cloth with drawn blades.
Their captain stands at the entrance, feet planted wide. Her skin shimmers in the dim light. There is magic at work.
You continue hiding, waiting for the moment to run. The guards blunder through the warehouse, walking down corridors of crates. They penetrate deeper into the warehouse, leaving the captain alone at the threshold.
While the way towards the exit is clear, you are not finished in the dark. You head back into the maze of crates, creeping up on one of the noisy, isolated guards. You turn a corner and spot one, his back turned to you.
The guard does not notice the soft hiss of your blade leaving its scabbard, and it is too late when he feels the blade entering his back. He falls dead, and as you head towards the exit you hear his companion cry out in alarm.
You creep past crates until you are a short distance away from the captain in the doorway. Her skin is still shimmering in the light.
'Find anything?' she shouts.
'She is dangerous!' the remaining guard responds, 'Watch out!'
You wait, watching. The Captain remains at her post. Bu she is definitely shimmering.
The Captain peers into the gloom, and the smiles as she spots you. 'There you are,' she murmurs.
You weave the constellations into a pattern around you, building up a charge of electrical energy around your palm.
But the bolt simply vanishes upon touching the captain. She laughs at your attempts, hefting her blade. It seems she is protected from magic somehow.
The captain laughs at your spellcasting. 'You think I am not prepared? I am a much stronger sorcerer than you!'
The shimmer around her is an effect you have seen before. Not a forcefield, though.
The Captain watches you with something close to amusement.
You charge the captain, and she readies her blade. But the magic will not protect her from steel.
The captain strides towards you. The captain's smirk never wavers as she cuts through the air. You dodge away quickly.
She keeps an eye out for her companions.
You drop into a defensive stance, as the captain swings with great force. You parry in a flash of sparks. The Guard's expert aggression slips your defense.
She steps back.
You keep your guard high, as the captain makes a light attack. You knock it away. The Guard's studied assault circumvents your guard.
She shifts away quickly.
You seize the moment to strike, swinging with expert precision and all of your strength. She thinks better of her own attack, and defends instead. The captain curses at the blow.
You drop back, as the captain tries to run you through. You turn her blow aside. The Guard's considered onslaught bypasses your weapon.
You press forward, and rear back, brining your word down on her head. You catch her undernearth her own raised blade. She bleeds on the stone.
The captain moves away from you fast.
You shift into a crouch, and knock away the captain's light attack. The Guard's calculated aggression skirts your defense.
She steps out of reach.
You launch and attack. You land a kick at her knee, then cut her as she howls with pain. She tries to cut you, but you have all the momentum of the fight.
The captain struggles to hide the pain in her face.
The Guard captain grimaces.
You keep up the pressure, striking with terrible might. While you cannot catch her off guards, you can overwhelm the captain. Every strike weakens her, until she evetually provides you with an opening. You thrust your blade through her neck. And she falls.
The remaining guard arrives, only to find you standing over the corpse of the captain. Without a word, he drops his weapon and flees. While he may be looking for reinforcements, you have time to catch your breath.
You pick up the guard's sword, a decent long sword, and slip it into your belt.
You pluck a skullcap from her head. Searching her pockets, you find a Blimberry potion that will come in handy. You also realize that the uniform is not too badly damaged, and about your size.
Unceremoniously, you strip the body. You gather up the Captain's uniform and quickly pull it on.
You will now pass as a Captain.
You poke around the warehouse, finding nothing but scraps of cloth. There is no clerk's office, nor any place for an owner to reside or even work. This must be part of a larger network of warehouses, used only for storage.
You step out into the alley once more.
Some time later.
You stride out into the middle of the public square where Mampang's inhabitants go about their business.
In the centre is a huge statue of a faceless man holding a crown aloft. The Archmage!
Many people here are simply passing through, but several are browsing the market on the west side. You also spot several guards to the North clustered around a road that leads upwards.
This section is dominated by a wide road that leads upwards towards the Inner Tower. Guards flank the way, scowling at anyone who gets too close.
Nearby you also spy a pillory, with a lone prisoner shackled in. A bustling market is in full swing further north.
You walk across the square towards the paved lane on the north side. Unlike most of the roads in Mampang, it is clean and sparsely populated. It curves around the mountain on which the Archmage's Tower stands, climbing slowly.
A few yards from the square, a group of guards blocks the road. They stand, sharp and to attention, sheltering in the shade of a nearby hut. Two of the hold snarling dogs on chains.
You take a moment to regards the tower, unable to repress a shiver. It stands on the levelled peak of the mountain into which Mampang is built. At its very top is a tiny turret room which must have a view across the entirety of High Xamen.
One of the guards spies you and stamps forward.
Taken in by your disguise, the guards give you a sharp salute.
'All right?' one asks.
You return the salute smartly, and the other nods. Just then a passing beggar stumbles into the guard.
'Watch it!' she yells, and shoves him aside. The beggar, clearly drunk, mumbles and apology. 'Not good enough,' the guard snarls, advancing on him.
You stand back, and do nothing to draw attention to yourself. The guard draws her sword, and slices the man's legs from behind. He cries, and collapses as he tries to rise.
'You won't be running from anything for a while now!' the guard says.
The beggar crawls away, howling.
You clap her on the should. 'Well, you are an alright sort,' the guard remarks, still chortling to herself. 'Go on, go through. And if I see you in the mess hall, we'll down a flagon or two.'
You continue climbing up the north road.
You cast a glance backwards. No one is following you, or paying you any attention.
The road curves around a spur of black rock, rising towards a walled encampment. A few narrow windows overlook the path and for a moment, you catch the beady eye of a Birdman watching you climb.
You keep climbing. There is no turning back.
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