AceOfFlames posted:

How dare you make such unfounded assumptions! Six

chitoryu12 posted:

quote:

“We – uh – we think the missing number is six,” you tell the Arcturans.

“Wrong!” exclaims the brown-eyed head. “Hah. I knew you couldn’t do it. You have lost your freedom – forever. From now on, each of you will become the personal slave for one of us.”

Oh, no! This is terrible!

Still, maybe it’s not the worst thing in the universe, you think. After all, what kind of chores could a head with no body possibly need done?

“You’ll work for me,” the green-eyed Arcturan tells Katy. “From now on, you will do everything I command.”

“And you will be my slave,” the brown-eyed head tells Jordan.

The blue-eyed Arcturan turns its gaze to you. It smiles.

You can practically hear the thud as your heart sinks all the way down to your toes.

quote:

“You will be my slave,” the blue-eyed Arcturan tells you. “The first thing I want you to do is polish my scalp.”

The glass case covering your new master glows blue, then disappears. A soft blue rag appears on the tabletop.

You peer at the Arcturan’s scalp. Yuck! It’s got major dandruff!

“I’m not polishing anyone’s scalp,” you declare. “Forget it!”

“You have no choice,” the Arcturan replies. “My brain waves are much stronger than yours.” It stares at you. A blue bolt shoots out from its eyes. Blue energy surrounds you. You feel your mind relaxing.

You’re in a great mood suddenly. All you want to do is polish a scalp. In fact, you can’t wait to get started. You pick up the rag and begin rubbing.

On the other side of the room, you’re vaguely aware of your friends taking care of their Arcturans. But you don’t care. The only thing that matters to you now is keeping a clear head.

THE END

Character Sheet posted:

Inventory
Red Level Map
Empty Bottle (Slightly Used)

Goal Endings: 1/2

Bad Endings
Stuck with a massive repair bill after digging our way through the VR machine.
Fed to a litter of Abominable Ice Puppies.
Escaped the virtual world, but swapped bodies with Andy in the process.
Accidentally caused a cave-in with a magnifying glass and a compass.
Forced to serve snowballs for an ice-tennis game for a hundred years.
Squashed under the falling corpse of a ten-ton pelican.
Stranded in a virtual igloo with a year's supply of blubber-based foodstuffs.
Crashed a snowmobile into the side of a glacier.
De-rezzed into a cloud of pixels after cheating our way through the Ice Maze.
Had our head bitten off by a lizard-man after attacking him with a sword.
Stuck on a three thousand-year flight to Earth after watching our friends gruesomely dissolve into blob monsters.
Knocked out by a bottle and transformed into a blob monster.
Crawled into an egg hole and got eaten by freshly-hatched giant ant larvae.
Enslaved by the Arcturans and forced to polish their scalps.

Achievements
A Touch of Frostbite: Escaped the virtual world and gained the power to freeze anything we touch.
Bonus Level: Survived an optional detour through the Pit of Horrors.

Our options posted:

• Escape through the hatch.
  
• Take the stairs to the Garden of Doom.
  
• Make a sun hat out of leaves.
  
• Answer the Arcturans' first question incorrectly.
  
• Answer the Arcturans' second question correctly.
  

rudecyrus posted:

Leafy. Sunhat.

quote:

“Let’s make sun hats,” you decide. You scan all the plants in the nursery carefully, looking for the largest leaves.

HISSSSSS! The lizard scuttles into the greenhouse.

It spots you immediately. It zooms toward you.

“Run!” Katy screams. She grabs a leaf from a nearby pink-and-blue-striped tree. You and Jordan do the same. The leaves are big enough to cover your bodies. They’re a weird, sparkling blue. You tear open the greenhouse door and head into the desert.

Unfortunately, the leaves make terrible sun covers. In fact, the blue sparkles in them act like magnifying lenses. They make the heat of the sun even stronger!

By the time you discover your mistake, your skin is already sizzling.

Uh-oh. It looks as if your goose is cooked. Any chance you had of winning this game just went up in smoke. But don’t get hot under the collar! Just put this book away and try again when you’ve cooled down.

THE END

Character Sheet posted:

Inventory
Red Level Map

Goal Endings: 1/2

Bad Endings
Stuck with a massive repair bill after digging our way through the VR machine.
Fed to a litter of Abominable Ice Puppies.
Escaped the virtual world, but swapped bodies with Andy in the process.
Accidentally caused a cave-in with a magnifying glass and a compass.
Forced to serve snowballs for an ice-tennis game for a hundred years.
Squashed under the falling corpse of a ten-ton pelican.
Stranded in a virtual igloo with a year's supply of blubber-based foodstuffs.
Crashed a snowmobile into the side of a glacier.
De-rezzed into a cloud of pixels after cheating our way through the Ice Maze.
Had our head bitten off by a lizard-man after attacking him with a sword.
Stuck on a three thousand-year flight to Earth after watching our friends gruesomely dissolve into blob monsters.
Knocked out by a bottle and transformed into a blob monster.
Crawled into an egg hole and got eaten by freshly-hatched giant ant larvae.
Enslaved by the Arcturans and forced to polish their scalps.
Cooked to death by intense sunlight amplified by alien magnifying-glass leaves.

Achievements
A Touch of Frostbite: Escaped the virtual world and gained the power to freeze anything we touch.
Bonus Level: Survived an optional detour through the Pit of Horrors.

Our options posted:

• Escape through the hatch.
  
• Answer the Arcturans' first question incorrectly.
  
• Answer the Arcturans' second question correctly.
  

Maugrim posted:

Does answering the arcturans first question incorrectly give a different result from the second?

PumpkinBat posted:

I'm honestly curious. Flunk the quiz!

Maugrim posted:

Does answering the arcturans first question incorrectly give a different result from the second?

quote:

“The item that’s not on the list is one human bone,” you tell the Arcturans.

For a moment all three bald heads gaze at you. Then, at the same moment, they begin to laugh.

“That’s wrong!” the blue-eyed head cackles. “I knew there was no way mere humans could beat our test!”

“Wait!” Jordan cries. “I know the right answer. Give us another chance!”

“No more chances!” the Arcturan replies. “To the spice mines with all of you!”

Blue energy sizzles toward you from the three heads. “Run!” you shout, and turn to flee from the room.

But before you’ve gone three steps, a tingling feeling sweeps over you. Ooooohhh, you feel so dizzy...

The next thing you know, the whole world turns black.

quote:

You wake up in darkness. A delicious smell of cinnamon fills your nostrils. It smells like someone is baking apple pie.

“Mmmmm,” Katy murmurs. “I smell vanilla.”

“No –“ Jordan interrupts. “It’s chocolate. Pure chocolate!”

As your eyes adjust to the dim light, you gaze around. You seem to be in a large, rocky cavern. Strangely enough, you can’t spot any stoves or kitchen equipment. But you can make out dim shapes moving by the walls.

“I’m hungry!” Jordan shouts.

“Me too!” Katy cries.

“Me three,” you agree.

The scents are driving you crazy. Your mouth waters uncontrollably. You’ve never been so hungry in your life.

But where are the delicious smells coming from?

Then you hear footsteps.

Yes! Maybe someone has come to feed you!

quote:

A fat, short, three-headed creature appears. Its skin is covered with jagged spikes. It looks like a walking rock.

“Why aren’t you three working?” the creature demands.

Before you can answer, the creature shoves a pick into your hands. “Get going – the spices are ripe!” it bellows.

At last you can see well enough to make out the movement by the walls. It’s other creatures. Dozens of them – in every size and shape. They’re digging at the walls with picks and shovels!

“What is going on?” you ask the three-headed creature. “Where are we?”

“Where do you think?” it snarls. “The spice mines.” It hands you a pick and swats you. “Now get moving!”

You swing your pick at the walls of the mine. With each crack of the pick, another delicious smell fills your nose. But, somehow, you’re not so hungry anymore.

Too bad – but this spicy adventure has come to a tasteless

END.

Character Sheet posted:

Inventory
Red Level Map
Empty Bottle (Slightly Used)

Goal Endings: 1/2

Bad Endings
Stuck with a massive repair bill after digging our way through the VR machine.
Fed to a litter of Abominable Ice Puppies.
Escaped the virtual world, but swapped bodies with Andy in the process.
Accidentally caused a cave-in with a magnifying glass and a compass.
Forced to serve snowballs for an ice-tennis game for a hundred years.
Squashed under the falling corpse of a ten-ton pelican.
Stranded in a virtual igloo with a year's supply of blubber-based foodstuffs.
Crashed a snowmobile into the side of a glacier.
De-rezzed into a cloud of pixels after cheating our way through the Ice Maze.
Had our head bitten off by a lizard-man after attacking him with a sword.
Stuck on a three thousand-year flight to Earth after watching our friends gruesomely dissolve into blob monsters.
Knocked out by a bottle and transformed into a blob monster.
Crawled into an egg hole and got eaten by freshly-hatched giant ant larvae.
Enslaved by the Arcturans and forced to polish their scalps.
Cooked to death by intense sunlight amplified by alien magnifying-glass leaves.
Forced to work in the spice mines after failing the Arcturans' quiz.

Achievements
A Touch of Frostbite: Escaped the virtual world and gained the power to freeze anything we touch.
Bonus Level: Survived an optional detour through the Pit of Horrors.

Our options posted:

• Escape through the hatch.
  
• Answer the Arcturans' second question correctly.
  

LuffyVeggies posted:

We've gone this far, why not fail the second question?

Maugrim posted:

We already did that, so let's get it right this time.

quote:

Is there some kind of trick? you wonder. This is the easiest math question you’ve ever seen!

“The missing number is five,” you tell the Arcturans.

The three Arcturans glare at you in stony silence.

“I guess that means we got it right,” Katy says with a grin.

“Yes!” Jordan whoops, pumping his fist in the air.

You’re feeling pretty good now. “Okay, let’s stop messing around,” you demand. “Bring on the last challenge!”

“You asked for it,” the brown-eyed Arcturan says. It blinks twice, and a grid of letters appears, hanging in the middle of the air. “Here it is. But it’s hard. Don’t say we didn’t warn you!”

quote:

Below is a list of words having to do with this space adventure. A few of those words are hidden in the puzzle above. The words run forwards, backwards, up, and down. Find and circle as many words from the list as you can. When you think you’ve found all the words that are there, count them.



If you found an even number of words, turn to PAGE 80.

If you found an odd number of words, turn to PAGE 63.

Character Sheet posted:

Inventory
Red Level Map
Empty Bottle (Slightly Used)

Goal Endings: 1/2

Bad Endings
Stuck with a massive repair bill after digging our way through the VR machine.
Fed to a litter of Abominable Ice Puppies.
Escaped the virtual world, but swapped bodies with Andy in the process.
Accidentally caused a cave-in with a magnifying glass and a compass.
Forced to serve snowballs for an ice-tennis game for a hundred years.
Squashed under the falling corpse of a ten-ton pelican.
Stranded in a virtual igloo with a year's supply of blubber-based foodstuffs.
Crashed a snowmobile into the side of a glacier.
De-rezzed into a cloud of pixels after cheating our way through the Ice Maze.
Had our head bitten off by a lizard-man after attacking him with a sword.
Stuck on a three thousand-year flight to Earth after watching our friends gruesomely dissolve into blob monsters.
Knocked out by a bottle and transformed into a blob monster.
Crawled into an egg hole and got eaten by freshly-hatched giant ant larvae.
Enslaved by the Arcturans and forced to polish their scalps.
Cooked to death by intense sunlight amplified by alien magnifying-glass leaves.
Forced to work in the spice mines after failing the Arcturans' quiz.

Achievements
A Touch of Frostbite: Escaped the virtual world and gained the power to freeze anything we touch.
Bonus Level: Survived an optional detour through the Pit of Horrors.

AceOfFlames posted:

I want to see every dumb punishment the aliens have got in store for us. Even.

AceOfFlames posted:

I want to see every dumb punishment the aliens have got in store for us. Even.

quote:

“We found an even number of words,” you tell the Arcturans.

“I knew it!” the blue-eyed Arcturan cries. “Earthlings can’t do the puzzle! Too bad – you almost made it. But not quite.”

“You mean we can’t go home?” Katy cries. Her voice is shaking.

“My dog misses me,” Jordan whines.

“I miss my dog,” you say. “I even miss my little brother. Please, please – don’t make us stay here!”

The Arcturans stare at you. Then they glance at each other.

“Oh, all right,” the blue-eyed Arcturan says. “You would make lousy slaves, anyway. We’ll send you home. But we have no spaceships. We’ll only be able to transport your minds.”

“What do you mean?” Jordan demands.

“I mean – you’ll be like us. No bodies. Only heads.”

Nothing but a head! You’re horrified. You can’t even imagine what your parents will say when they see you.

But at last you and your friends decide it’s better than nothing. At least – finally – you’ll be heading home!

Character Sheet posted:

Inventory
Red Level Map
Empty Bottle (Slightly Used)

Goal Endings: 1/2

Bad Endings
Stuck with a massive repair bill after digging our way through the VR machine.
Fed to a litter of Abominable Ice Puppies.
Escaped the virtual world, but swapped bodies with Andy in the process.
Accidentally caused a cave-in with a magnifying glass and a compass.
Forced to serve snowballs for an ice-tennis game for a hundred years.
Squashed under the falling corpse of a ten-ton pelican.
Stranded in a virtual igloo with a year's supply of blubber-based foodstuffs.
Crashed a snowmobile into the side of a glacier.
De-rezzed into a cloud of pixels after cheating our way through the Ice Maze.
Had our head bitten off by a lizard-man after attacking him with a sword.
Stuck on a three thousand-year flight to Earth after watching our friends gruesomely dissolve into blob monsters.
Knocked out by a bottle and transformed into a blob monster.
Crawled into an egg hole and got eaten by freshly-hatched giant ant larvae.
Enslaved by the Arcturans and forced to polish their scalps.
Cooked to death by intense sunlight amplified by alien magnifying-glass leaves.
Forced to work in the spice mines after failing the Arcturans' quiz.
Sent back to Earth as a disembodied head after failing the Arcturans' final question.

Achievements
A Touch of Frostbite: Escaped the virtual world and gained the power to freeze anything we touch.
Bonus Level: Survived an optional detour through the Pit of Horrors.
Vapor for Brains: Deliberately answered all of the Arcturans' questions incorrectly, presumably out of pity.

Our options posted:

• Escape through the hatch.
  
• Answer the Arcturans' third question correctly.