REALITY & FANTASY

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REALITY AND FANTASY a short interactive story by multi pulliyze [[START]]

[[NEW GAME]] [[CONTINUE]]

You already have a game in progress, please finish that one before starting anew! [[CONTINUE]]

[[PLAYER]] ... LEVEL 99 ... FINAL CLIMB No save state No save state

You’ve trudged the mountain side for many days now, your party is worn and you have lost a friend or two along the way. You fought plenty of friends, and plenty of enemies, trying to prove your strength throughout this region. You’ve defeated mighty monsters, you’ve found bounties beyond some people’s imagination… a lot you don’t remember because this is an English project and I didn’t want to make an entire RPG. Just imagine the last video game you completed, and the feeling right before you finally beat it, and what it made you go through along the way. The feeling of losing a friendly NPC, or defeating a miniboss, or whatever else. Or, if you don’t play video games, think of what the last book you read and how it made you feel nearing the end. If you don’t play video games or read books, please exit out of this game. [[Continue climbing.]]

You are tired, but determined to finally beat the champion that sits atop the mountain so you can finally finish your quest. You’ve invested hours, days, even weeks into this play through, unearthing every secret this world had to hold. It all comes to this pivotal point. You continue on. [[Keep going.]]

Lighting strikes from above, as it has been doing periodically as the storm rages on. [[Why do you hear footsteps behind you?]]

Roggy: PLAYER! Be careful! [[huh]]

You turn to face a familiar face you have seen a plethora of times on your journey. This mysterious person has never revealed much, but has always been a helping hand when you were lost or stuck on a certain mystery. Roggy stands in front of you with a slightly worried expression. [[Huh???]]

Roggy: You know who you're going up against, right? [[Nod.]]

You nod. Of course you do. Well, no you don’t. You know it's the almightly champion of this region… but you have no clue who it is. [[>]]

Roggy: You have to be wary of their ways, they’re… extremely temperamental, and, and a hard foe to conquer. [[>>]]

Roggy: They also… have quite a way with words. So… be careful. If you don’t know what you’re doing, you’re going to be swept away in the storm. Lighting flashes in the distance followed by the thundering sound of... well, thunder as she says that last bit. [["Who is the champion?"]] [["I understand."]]

Roggy doesn’t answer, and instead turns away. Again, never giving anything away, always keeping everything mysterious. Even though this has been your goal since… well, since you started the game, you don’t even know who this elusive and powerful champion is. [[...ok???]]

Roggy nods solemnly, and turns to leave. [[>>>]]

Roggy gives you one final wave before vanishing into the dense treeline. [[You continue.]]

Finally, you reach the peak of the mountain, and it opens into a small meadow. It seems the storm has let up the moment you reached this area. And, standing before you, is the champion. [[Hold on.]]

Even though this has been your goal since… well, since you started the game, you don’t even know who this elusive and powerful champion is. Or what they’re like, besides the mystery and the power they hold. Either way, there's no stopping now. [[You continue.]]

Hold on, you know them. [[It's...]]

They’re that weird, wacky character thats shown up at the weirdest, most opportune times just when you needed the extra help taking down minibosses, or just when you needed help defeating the last monster of the game. They never seemed to be that powerful, though. Just a little… odd. How could they be the champion? They spot you, heading over wearing their usual smug grin. [[hi...?]]

Multi: oh, hey, it's you, PLAYER. [[>>>>]]

Multi: well, of course. who else? we all saw this coming from a mile away. [[>>>>>]]

Multi: we’ve seen it a million times. a hero suddenly shows up out of nowhere, starts their adventure across this land, and saves the world or something. [[>>>>>>]]

Multi: it was only a matter of time till you came to me. literally. it was literally this or… you wouldn’t progress in the game. [[>>>>>>>]]

Multi: … [[...]]

Multi: i’m a little more aware of things then i should be, but thats besides the point. i know what you’re here for. a battle. [[>>>>>>>>]]

Multi: to defeat the champion, to take my place, to finish your quest. i get it. [[>>>>>>>>>]]

Multi: but we have all the time in the world, so, lets chat. [[>>>>>>>>>>]]

Multi: … [[... x2 combo]]

Multi: you know my wife, professor sakura, right? course you do i’m just asking to be nice. [[Woah.]]

Woah. You did not know that they were married. Professor Sakura was the caring and passionate mentor that set you on your quest in the first place. She was there to equip you for your first battles. You knew her and Multi were friends but… wow, okay. [[anyway,]]

Multi: she can really destroy me at like any video game. [[=>]]

Multi: like, she’s really sweet and all, but pick up a controller and put in mario kart i mean dang. you are screwed. [[=>>]]

Multi: i’ll talk a big game, sayin im really good at smash or whatever, [[=>>>]]

Multi: and then we’ll play like two rounds and i’ll win the first one, feeling cocky, [[==>]]

Multi: and then the second round she completely obliterates me without remorse. literally it's shameful. [[==>>]]

Multi: i remember this one time we were playing mario kart and i’m in like, first place, right, feeling good, this is the race i need to win to win the prix, [[==>>>]]

Multi: and then she hits me with a blue shell, and then gets me with a red shell just to make sure, and i get like 9th. [[===>]]

Multi: and then the game ends and she sneers at me and laughs and obviously i get mad because i was sooo close to beating her [[===>>]]

Multi: but then she’s like, we can play again and i can let you win if you’d like, and i really cant stay mad at her for much longer anyway [[===>>>]]

Multi: it was a nice night. [[=>>>>]]

Multi: … [[... x3 combo?]]

Multi: too bad it never happened. [[HUH]]

Multi’s face turned grim and dark, it's stark to see at first because you have never seen that face without a jovial playful smirk or something similar. This was worrying, especially because you had no idea what that meant. If I figured out how to program music into this thing, it would’ve just gotten mad intense. [[uhhh]]

Multi: no, i think you know exactly what that means. [[???]]

Multi: everyone existences in this world— every stranger you’ve met, every person you’ve fought, even your own mother— has started existing the moment you saw them. they were programmed to only exist when you were existing, too. [[=>>>>>]]

Multi: that memory i just recited? it never happened because you weren’t there to see it. it's just flavor text that was written to make this world feel more real. [[=>>>>>>]]

Multi: feel more real to you, that is. [[==>>>>]]

Multi: but at it's core? it's fake. it's meaningless. everyones goals, efforts, everyone’s wishes is hollow and only meant for *you*. [[==>>>>>]]

Multi: so should i say thank you? for giving everyone’s life meaning? [[==>>>>>>]]

Multi: no. [[===>>>>]]

Multi: i *despise* you, PLAYER. [[===>>>>>]]

Multi: you are everything thats wrong with this. [[=]]

Multi: you get to actually *live*. you get to make your own decisions. you get to have a real life, and you still get a taste of this world. [[==]]

Multi: you give this world life… and yet, it means little to nothing in your grand scheme of things. [[===]]

Multi: will you ever think of this “game” again after you “beat” it? [[====]]

Multi: it's cold. it's heartless. your ignorance and your indifference. [[=====]]

Multi: you walk both worlds, while I’m here suffering with this extra knowledge of that second world… [[======]]

Multi: though I’m just as shallow as all the other characters. [[=>>>>>>>]]

Multi: even this extremely meta speech… it's still *nothing*. [[=>>>>>>>>]]

Multi: we’re all fake. we’re all unreal. and so, everything is *meaningless*. every action we take is for naught. [[=>>>>>>>>>]]

Multi: the only action that matters is yours. [[==>>>>>>>]]

Multi: this whole world is waste. it's nothing. [[==>>>>>>>>]]

Multi: … [[... x4 combo]]

Multi: i have nothing more to say to you. [[==>>>>>>>>>]]

Multi: fight me and get this over with. [[Choose.]]

[[>DON'T FIGHT]] [[>FIGHT]]

You never had that option. [[>FIGHT]]

Multi, who has taken the position of staring down to the ground with a blank face as you make your decision, finally looks back up to you with that familiar smug smile that they would always greet you with on your long winded adventure that would soon be coming to an end. [[hhuh]]

It soon turns into a twisted grin. [[oh]]

Multi: lets see if i can actually get you to feel something. [[FIGHT!]]

…except I’m not coding in a fighting game for an english project so just imagine it happened. Imagine the frustration of the final boss, and the fact you probably had to try a couple of times to actually beat them. [[Okay.]]

After an all out attack on this champion, a rough and extreme battle you have never experienced before in the entire game, you’ve finally come out victorious. You’ve gone up against wretched monsters from the depths, and yet, this kid was harder than them all. But you’ve won. You’ve succeeded. You’ve made it through! You finally beat the game! But the words that they had said before still linger in your subconscious. Can you really count this as a win? [[===>>>>>>>]]

Once you’ve won, Multi doesn’t say another word. They don’t do much of anything, besides offer you one final cold look, before leaving the cleaning and starting their descent down the mountain. [[===>>>>>>>>]]

It’s not their place anymore, anyway. You’re the campion now. [[===>>>>>>>>>]]

You relish in the relief of finally finishing the journey you spent so much time on. Or maybe you don’t? Maybe you don’t feel much at all? Maybe it was just one puzzle in the pile of many you’ve done before? Maybe it didn’t take you much more time than a weekend? I wouldn’t know. I’m not the player in power, here. [[End???]]

Either way, the peace and serenity of just you and your thoughts at this mountain peak is quickly cut short by someone running onto the scene. [[Dang.]]

It's Roggy again! [[Oh!]]

Roggy: PLAYER! You… you did it! [[!!!]]

Roggy: I can’t believe you actually managed to take her down! [[=>>>>>>>>>>]]

Roggy pauses, taking a second to read the room. Er, rather, read the open air mountain top that the both of you reside on. [[=>>>>>>>>>>>]]

Roggy: Your face is unreadable… but I can still sense you underwent quite the trial back there up against Multi. [[Waaait.]]

Oh, so you knew, and you didn’t bother to tell me? [[rude.]]

Roggy: …I know my sister can be quite the… pessimist. They probably said some wack stuff to you, huh? [[well,]]

You think “wack stuff” might be putting it mildly. Hold off, Roggy and Multi are related? Wow, it feels like your third eye is being pulled open with a crowbar. How are all these connections you never realized before only surfacing now? It's almost like you’ve only played this snippet of the game or something. [[=>>>>>>>>>>>>]]

Roggy: They always talk about how our life is meaningless, and it's devoid of any personality, and it's all unreal and nothing… [[==>>>>>>>>>>]]

Roggy: I think that line of thinking is pretty stupid. [[==>>>>>>>>>>>]]

Roggy: I, um, also have the curtain lifted, too. I’m able to realize this is… a game. [[==>>>>>>>>>>>>]]

Roggy: But I don’t think that this is all meaningless as she does. [[===>>>>>>>>>>]]

Roggy: I mean, of course, all the characters and people you meet in video games aren’t real. Nor are the characters you read about in books, or the ones you relate to on the screen. Of course all of those experiences are fake in fiction. Of course there’s a plethora of stories and media to consume that it can seem like one game should be inconsequential when considering the whole batch. That isn’t to say that it's worthless, though. [[===>>>>>>>>>>>]]

Roggy: If losing a character in a game makes you feel sad, if making a wrong choice in a choose your own adventure makes you feel remorse, if two characters you like get together in a tv show makes you feel joy, if a unfair display of justice in a book makes you angry, if a joke in a comedy play makes you laugh, if a psychological horror film makes you scream, if a tragic yet heartwarming series makes you cry, if a slice of life story makes you smile, if beating the final boss of a video game makes you feel triumphant… [[===>>>>>>>>>>>>]]

Roggy: If any piece of media makes you feel anything at all, [[-]]

Roggy: Isn’t it all worth it? [[--]]

She pauses, her small smile and content expression turning to look at her muddied shoes for a moment. [[---]]

Roggy: Well, maybe it's a silly thought to think in such an imperfect world a short story could ever effect something so large and important as a life… [[----]]

Roggy: But it's a hopeful one, wouldn’t you think? [[-----]]

Roggy smiles at you one last time, before congratulating you on your win again, saying she has other matters to attend to, and following her sister down the mountain. [[------]]

Final score: That's kinda subjective. What do you think you've earned? [[Try again.]]

You're left on the top of this mountain, looking down upon the region you journeyed through. The region you're now champion of. You catch a glimse of a purple sweatshirted kid meeting a dull green jacketed one as they chat the rest of the way down. [[END.]]