#8101
The trash dump~
You are standing knee-deep in a pile of assorted debris, cardboard-
like scraps and needle-like bits of bent metal. The room is in fact a
part of a curving corridor, going east and south.
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81 ad 0
D1
The corridor continues turning right as long as your light reaches. It
looks cleaner that way.
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D2
The corridor continues turning left as long as you can see. There are
no more debris a short stretch down this corridor.
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D4
There is a small hole high above you, barely reachable from the top of
the largest pile of trash.
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E
hole~
It appears to be changing shape continually, widening and narrowing,
though never quite closing.
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E
debris junk cardboard needle~
It is obviously totally useless, even if you do not understand what it
actually is.
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S
#8102
The ring~
You are standing in a curving corridor, going south and west.
Skeletons and pieces of skeletons, clad in once-bright tatters, are
stapled to the wall on the outside of the curve.
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81 ad 0
D2
The corridor continues to curve right for as long as your light
reaches.
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D3
For as long as you can see, the corridor keeps turning left.
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E
skeleton skeletons bones~
The skeletons are, upon closer examination, actually made from glass,
by someone obviously good at what he does. Their clothes are
coarsely woven from spun glass.
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S
#8103
The ring~
You are standing in a curving corridor, going north and east.
Skeletons and pieces of skeletons, clad in once-bright tatters, are
stapled to the wall on the outside of the curve.
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81 ad 0
D0
The corridor continues to curve right for as long as your light
reaches.
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D1
For as long as you can see, the corridor keeps turning left.
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E
skeleton skeletons bones~
The skeletons are, upon closer examination, actually made from glass,
by someone obviously good at what he does. Their clothes are
coarsely woven from spun glass.
~
S
#8104
The ring~
You are standing in a long corridor, curving north and west. There
is a noticeable layer of fine dust covering everything here. The
grey-painted walls are flaking, revealing more of the glass-like
material that also covers the ground above. There is a wide crack in
the ceiling above, but it is too high for you to reach.
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81 ad 0
D0
The corridor continues to curve left for as long as your light
reaches.
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D3
For as long as you can see, the corridor keeps turning right.
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E
walls wall glass~
There is something written on the glass-like material in faintly
glowing blue letters, only partially covered by the paint.
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E
writing letters~
The letters look familiar enough, but the text is wholly
incomprehensible:
... :=P^; Q^.N:=P^.N; Q^.P:=P; I ...
and
... B087 A0 72C0 34760F 0A ...
Perhaps it is some strange and ancient magic?
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S
#8110
The glass road~
You are standing on a glass road, suspended from nothing some 40
yds off the ground. The road ends here, connecting to a winding
glass staircase leading down. It continues south, curving right
as it passes the southern horizon.
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81 0 2
D2
The barely visible road continues south, where, over the horizon,
You can see the top of a great pale-blue pyramid, apparently
standing on its tip.
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D5
You feel dizzy...
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E
road~
The road is only visible inasmuch as it reflects you and the ground
below. It is somewhat disconcerting to see 40 yds of nothing
between one's feet and the ground.
~
E
ground horizon matrix~
Far below you, the Main Matrix spreads in all its splendour. The
glowing lines make out gigantic, intricate and completely incompre-
hensible patterns, constantly shifting and changing. The beauty is
only marred by the wide crack in the glass-like material starting
some half-mile to the north, going south right underneath where you
stand.
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S
#8111
The glass road~
You are standing on a glass road, suspended from nothing some 100
yds off the ground. The road continues north and south, curving
left as it passes the northern horizon.
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81 0 2
D0
Near the horizon, it looks as if the road connects to a glass
staircase.
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D2
The barely visible road continues south, where, over the horizon,
You can see the top of a great pale-blue pyramid, apparently
standing on its tip.
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E
road~
The road is only visible inasmuch as it reflects you and the ground
below. It is somewhat disconcerting to see 100 yds of nothing
between one's feet and the ground.
~
E
ground horizon matrix~
Far below you, the Main Matrix spreads in all its splendour. The
glowing lines make out gigantic, intricate and completely incompre-
hensible patterns, constantly shifting and changing. The beauty is
only marred by the wide crack in the glass-like material going from
north to south, about one-half mile to your west.
~
S
#8112
The glass road~
You are standing on a glass road, suspended from nothing some 300
yds off the ground. The road leads to a wide square opening in the side
of a great, pale-blue inverted pyramid to the south. Some two yards
into the opening is a wide double door, made from metal. The road
continues north, sweeping over the horizon.
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81 0 2
D0
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D2
Through the door you can see nothing but a grey fog, shot through occa-
sionally with red lightening. A faint wailing can be heard, as from souls
in mortal agony.
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door~
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E
road~
The road is only visible inasmuch as it reflects you and the ground
below. It is somewhat disconcerting to see 100 yds of nothing
between one's feet and the ground.
~
E
ground horizon matrix~
Far below you, the Main Matrix spreads in all its splendour. The
glowing lines make out gigantic, intricate and completely incompre-
hensible patterns, constantly shifting and changing. The beauty is
only marred by the wide crack in the glass-like material going from
north to south, about one-half mile to your west.
~
E
door opening~
The doors lie in shadow, but you can easily make out the large letters
on them, written in a truly disgusting neon purple colour. There is a
large lever on the right-hand side.
~
E
letters writing~
=======================================
LEVEL 10
UPPER I.C.E.
(INTRUSION COUNTERMEASURES ELECTRONICS)
DATABASE IS DOWN
! D O N O T E N T E R !
=======================================
You can see that it has been written using a letter template and an un-
usually nasty-coloured spray paint.
~
S
#8120
The matrix fault~
You are standing on the bottom of a wide crack in the matrix, going
north and south. The sides of the fault are alive with writhing
worm-like things, snaking out from the cracked glass, sparking madly.
To your west, a pile of great slabs of glass has fallen into a jumble
beside the wall. They are much too large and sharp-edged for you to
lose your precious fingers on! To the south, there is at least four
yards between the furthest reaches of the worm-like strands, but to the
north, the crack narrows to a point where it is impossible to pass.
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81 0 2
D2
The fault zig-zags out of sight to the south, with plenty of clearing
between the sparks and good, even footing.
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D5
Between two large slabs of glass, there is a narrow chute, leading
_very_ steeply down into darkness.
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E
slabs glass wall~
Between two large slabs of glass, there is a narrow chute, leading
_very_ steeply down into darkness.
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E
strands worm~
They are made from some milky-white, shiny material, and when you really
look at them, you realize that they are not alive at all, the force of
the sparks that erupt whenever they touch each other is sufficient to
keep them waving about. Those sparks must be nasty!
~
S
#8121
The matrix fault~
You are standing on the bottom of a wide crack, going north-south
through the matrix. The sides of the fault are alive with writhing
worm-like things, snaking out from the cracked glass, sparking madly.
High above you, a wooden log has been placed across the chasm.
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81 0 2
D0
The fault zig-zags out of sight to the north, with plenty of clearing
between the sparks and good, even footing.
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D2
The fault zig-zags out of sight to the south, with plenty of clearing
between the sparks and good, even footing.
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0 -1 8122
E
strands worm~
They are made from some milky-white, shiny material, and when you really
look at them, you realize that they are not alive at all, the force of
the sparks that erupt whenever they touch each other is sufficient to
keep them waving about. Those sparks must be nasty!
~
E
bridge log~
It is much too high for you to climb or jump up there.
~
S
#8122
The matrix fault~
You are standing on the bottom of a wide crack in the matrix, going
north and south. The sides of the fault are alive with writhing
worm-like things, snaking out from the cracked glass, sparking madly.
To the south, a pale blue wall cuts across the fault. It is part of a
pyramid, extending down into the ground even below the present depth.
High above you, to the south, the wall of another, larger pyramid, this
one apparently standing on the tip of the smaller one, looms ominously.
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81 0 2
D0
The fault zig-zags out of sight to the north, with plenty of clearing
between the sparks and good, even footing.
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D2
There is a large tear in the pyramid's wall, about one half yard above
your present level. Beside the tear, something is written in
unpleasantly purple letters.
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E
tear letters writing~
Looking closer, you can see that the letters have been spray-painted on
the wall, using a letter template:
====================================
LEVEL -4
PERMANENT STORAGE LEVEL
DATABASE IS DOWN
! D O N O T E N T E R !
====================================
Looking in through the tear, you see only a grey fog, shot through with
red lightening. A faint wailing, as from souls in agony, is
occasionally heard from within.
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E
strands worm~
They are made from some milky-white, shiny material, and when you really
look at them, you realize that they are not alive at all, the force of
the sparks that erupt whenever they touch each other is sufficient to
keep them waving about. Those sparks must be nasty!
~
S
#8123
The matrix fault~
You are standing at the northern end, on the bottom of a wide crack
in the matrix, going south. The sides of the fault are alive with
writhing worm-like things, snaking out from the cracked glass, sparking
madly. At the end of the fault, to the north, a pile of great slabs of
glass has fallen into a jumble beside the wall. They are much too large
and sharp-edged for you to climb and lose your precious fingers on! To
the south, there is at least four yards between the furthest reaches of
the worm-like strands..
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81 0 2
D2
The fault zig-zags out of sight to the south, with plenty of clearing
between the sparks even if one has to jump from broken slab to broken
slab, catching one's balance whenever the treacherous slabs move under
one's feet.
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0 -1 8124
E
strands worm~
They are made from some milky-white, shiny material, and when you really
look at them, you realize that they are not alive at all, the force of
the sparks that erupt whenever they touch each other is sufficient to
keep them waving about. Those sparks must be nasty!
~
S
#8124
The matrix fault~
You are standing on the bottom of a wide crack in the matrix, going
north and south. The sides of the fault are alive with writhing
worm-like things, snaking out from the cracked glass, sparking madly.
Surrounding to all sides but north, a pile of great slabs of glass has
fallen into a jumble beside the wall. They are much too large and
sharp-edged for you to climb and lose your precious fingers on! To the
north, there is at least four yards between the furthest reaches of the
worm-like strands, but to the south, the crack narrows to a point where
it is impossible to pass.
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81 0 2
D0
The fault zig-zags out of sight to the north, with plenty of clearing
between the sparks even if one has to jump from broken slab to broken
slab, catching one's balance whenever the treacherous slabs move under
one's feet.
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0 -1 8123
D1
Between two large slabs of glass, standing balanced against each other,
there is a natural-looking tunnel leading east. The purple glow from
within the tunnel, however, is anything but natural-looking...
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D3
Between two large slabs of glass, there is a narrow chute, sloping
gently west, down into the dark.
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E
slabs pile walls~
Looking around, you find two tunnels: one small and dark, sloping down
to the west, the other larger, going east.
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S
#8130
The log bridge~
You are standing on wooden log, placed from the west to the east side
of the wide fault in the matrix. The fault seems alive with madly swishing
worm-like tendrils, snaking out of the sides. Only a path some 4 yds wide
on the bottom seems to be out of their reach.
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81 0 2
D1
A wide expanse of lined and glow-patterned glass stretches before you.
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D3
The Matrix continues all the way to the horizon.
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D5
Looking down, you experience some vertigo as the log rolls slightly
under your feet. There is some 10 yards to the bottom, but if you jump
from the center of the log, you can avoid touching the flailing tendrils,
that cover the sides of the fault.
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E
strands tendrils~
They are made from some milky-white, shiny material, and when you really
look at them, you realize that they are not alive at all, the force of
the sparks that erupt whenever they touch each other is sufficient to
keep them waving about. Those sparks must be nasty!
~
E
log bridge~
There are a few green leaves on some twigs, still holding on. It
looks rather incongruous, lying there, but you decide that its better
than nothing for keeping you _over_ those strands...
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S
#8140
The deep cave~
You are standing knee-deep in cold water, flowing into this cave
from some unknown direction, but obviously leaving through a
low-ceilinged tunnel to the south. To the west a tunnel slopes up
out of the water.
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81 ad 0
D1
At the far end of the tunnel, you seem to be able to make out a
faint light.
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E
tunnel~
The tunnel south is barred by a strong grille, on which a sign is
fixed securely.
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E
water~
It is very cold, you can feel your feet growing numb.
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E
sign text letters~
On the sign is written in atrocious purple letters:
====================================
N O E N T R Y
ACCESS TEMPORARILY CLOSED
SECTOR UNDER REPAIR
/ MATRIX CONTROL
====================================
It is apparently written using spray-paint and a letter template.
~
S
#8150
The cave~
This is the Daemon's Lair. It is suffused in a purple glow from
the myriad multishaped and -sized screens covering most of three
walls. There is a rung ladder on the only uncluttered wall, going
up through a shaft in the ceiling. There is an easy chair, a
rumpled bed and a table piled high with yestercycle's dirty dishes.
In the wall to the west, a tunnel leads out to the Matrix Fault.
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81 d 0
D3
You can see faint sparking out there.
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D4
Looking up the shaft, you see a trapdoor some four or five yards up,
with a heavy lock on it.
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trapdoor door~
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E
lock trap trapdoor door~
There is a heavy lock hanging on it, but fortunately it is unlocked.
~
E
screens glow screen~
The purple glowing screens are in many different shapes and sizes.
They all display some line-drawing moving about in apparent con-
fusion, except some few that are merely black. Some of the line-
drawings are very confusing, and when one tries to look closer, the
eyes start to hurt. They definitely don't look as if they belong in
either 2- or 3-space.
~
S
#8199
The fog~
You are in a grey fog, falling, screaming in pain as you realize
that you are being torn to nothing, atom by atom, falling and falling
and falling......
....
.
You fall...screaming.......ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Fortunately for you, the Gods of Copper have placed a safety net at the
moment right before impact! You breathe a sigh of relief and check your
shorts. Onward, great adventurer!
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D0
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D2
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S
$~