The Under-Kitchen's Secret
You've found the treasure beneath the palace—but the sacrifice is you.
In a palace that floats above a bottomless chasm, you're the lowest of scullions, scrubbing pots in the under-kitchen. But you've stumbled upon a hidden staircase that leads to a legendary treasure, the one thing that could buy your freedom. There's just one catch: the royal family's ancient ritual demands a sacrifice at midnight, and you've been chosen as the next offering. With the clock ticking, you must decide—descend into the depths and claim the treasure that could save you, or accept your fate as the next victim of the palace's dark bargain. A tale of survival, hidden secrets, and impossible choices awaits in this epic adventure.
The story begins
The cold stone of the under-kitchen floor bit through the knees of your trousers as you crouched behind a stack of ale casks, heart hammering against your ribs. The countdown had begun the moment the Royal Herald's voice echoed through the palace at sunset—five hours until midnight, until the ritual bell would toll, until you would be led to the Chasm Altar and given to the dark below.
You'd seen what happened to the last sacrifice. The silence that followed their fall had haunted your dreams for a month.
Now, your fingers brushed against a loose flagstone that had caught your eye days ago—a hairline crack in the mortar, barely visible beneath the grime of centuries. It gave way with a soft scrape, revealing a narrow opening and the top of a winding stone staircase spiraling into darkness.
The smell that rose from below was ancient. Copper. Dust. Something sweet and wrong.
You heard footsteps in the corridor above—the heavy, measured tread of the Royal Guard on their hourly circuit. They'd be at the kitchen door in thirty seconds, maybe less.
A sound behind you made you freeze. Pip's whisper came from the shadows, barely audible: "What are you waiting for? They'll find the vault before you even get there."
The vault. So the boy knew more than he let on.
The footsteps grew closer.
What happens next is up to you.
Or read in the app
More like this
The Errant Emissary
You're a mapmaker's apprentice playing royal envoy in a sunken temple—one wrong word and the mer-queen's coral could end the world.
The False Heir's Descent
You're an actor playing a dead princess—but the dungeon believes you're real.
The Masquerade of Ash
You're a royal poison-taster, but you're a rebel spy—and the prince just drank your poison.
The Drowned Throne's Proxy
You're a courier wearing a dead goddess's crown, and the sea itself might decide your fate.
The Tapestry of Lies
Your whole life is a lie—and the truth waits beyond a glacier that will rewrite you.
The Debt-Bringer's Due
You owe the Collector a life-debt, and tonight he's calling it in: steal the Everburning Flame from the vault you built.